Birth of a Troubadour (Open)

[Deleted]

A young girl was washed away by a river with her noble steed in toe. She was slammed around by rocks until unconscious. She had escaped death but would it yet come for her? Her dreams were of her mother and father in happier times. Times she longed for, times before the tragedy called reality came forth to her world.

A field of flowers warm and beautiful. It was a picnic and they all laughed and chatted. Suddenly it grew dark and she was alone. In the distance a light shown from above as she saw her parents holding each other and weeping.

"Don't be sad." She said and ran forward to them. As she ran the further and further they appeared until she finally stopped running. She turned around and saw nothing, turning back nothing. There was nothing left.

The girl fell to her knees sobbing. "I don't want to be alone! Don't leave me here!" Her raven black hair fell all around her.

"Don't worry. I won't let you go." She heard a woman say. Looking up she saw the face of the assassin grinning wildly down at her, blade held high, ready to strike.

"No! I don't want to die! I didn't do anything wrong!" She crawled back away, and as she did her hair fell from her head all around her becoming nothing more than a short mess of hair. Her clothes became ragged and torn.

Then the woman vanished as a wisp of smoke and turned to flames. Burning, everything was burning. In the destruction she saw a laughing man. Her uncle, Wales D Gall. Why did he do it? He was so kind. Yet he put a price on her head. "WHY!!!?" She screamed out but the word never left her lips. The assassin was there with blade to her neck.

"Goodbye," the blade pulled across her neck from ear to eat and she dropped choking, dying, alone, lost, scarred.

Reality came back to her as a blur of colors and a clomping sound. She felt herself being pulled from the water of the river by Peanut, her horse.

She had survived? By what miracle? Her steed was truly remarkable. He followed her all the way and rescued her. What a good horse, he deserves a bushel of apples. But... That isn't possible now is it?

If she wanted to live she'd have to stay hidden as a traveling homeless woman. If her uncle got wind of her hunts would begin anew. Perhaps her hair was a small price to pay. But it still hurt. It was almost what had defined her. No if she was to survive in the world she'd need to be defined by her herself and not a trait.

Leaning against Peanut the girl stumbled along, the wind creating a chill. She shivered and shook with a feverish head. Her feet scrapped the ground with every footfall.

She felt weak and fell to the ground crying.

[Grimm]

Flying above on his trusty mount Abroth, Grimm spotted what looked like a person and a horse being sweap away down river. To be honest, Grimm wasn't even entirely sure what to do. Panic swept over him as he made motion for Abroth to lower altitude and fast. Was she dead? Was she just hurt? If she was hurt could he even do anything to help her? All of these questioned dashed though his head at lightning speeds as he descended to where the young woman had already seemed to be washing onto shore. With a thud from a landing a little more sudden then intended, Grimm hopped off Abroth to make his way to the woman. She was alive, but she didn't look like she was doing all that well.

"Are you alright m'am?"

He used the word m'am almost on instinct. Call it a reflexive form of respect, but his voice still conveyed how worried he was. He noticed her shaking when he got a little closer and quickly ran back to his saddle pack. With a bit of a scramble Grimm produced a blanket from his things and rushed back over to the woman. Abroth snorted and fidgeted around, not sure what to do with herself while Grimm rushed around. As he got closer to her, he slowed his steps and movements. He didn't want to scare her any worse then it looked like she already was. He held the blanket out to show he was willing to give it to her, doing whatever he could to assure her he wasn't an aggressor.

"I have a blanket here, you looked like you had a nasty swim. This could help you warm up."

[Deleted]

Elaina was crying too hard for anything in the world around her to be noticeable. The boy Grimm went unseen despite the racket he and his wyvern must have been making.

Peanut however was far more observant and stopped walking when he noticed the beast descending. The horse was obviously scared of the beast shown by a step away. But who wouldn't be afraid of a wyvern?

Elaina felt Peanut's movement and in a moment of giving up let herself fall to the ground on her side. She had been using Peanut as a support. The sight of her was tragically pitiful.

A sudden grunting from the wyvern alerted Elaina to Grimm's presence. With a start she sat up and stared. The tears had stopped flowing.

"I have a blanket here, you look like you had a nasty swim. This could help you warm up." The boy stood just a few steps away holding out the cloth. Elaina looked up at the boy and shakily stood.

She sniffed and slowly reached for the blanket. When it was clear he meant no harm she took it and wrapped it around herself. It might has well have been made of burlap. It was incredibly rough and itchy but it was warm.

"Th- thank you." She said between chattering teeth. "I-I'm Elaina. Wha-wha-what's your name?"

[Grimm]

Grimm was glad she took the blanket, as if somehow he had managed to give a cure-all to her. It wasn't, and he did know that, but it still eased his heart. He turned to Abroth quickly, raising his hand to signal her to calm down. He knew she could be scary, and he didn't want her to scare this woman or her horse anymore then they were already. Abroth looked at Grimm for a second, turning it's head back and forth as if confused before dropping to its belly and curling up to rest. He turned back to Elaina.

"Elaina huh? It's nice to meet you Elaina. My name is Grimm."

Now that his brain wasn't moving so fast, Grimm had gotten a chance to really see the woman he was trying his best to help. She was young, possibly younger then he was, though Grimm was terrible at guessing ages. Grimm had to wonder why someone so young would have been washing downstream like that. She didn't look like the adventuring type of person. Then again, he could judge people about as well as he could judge age. It was right then that Abroth gave another snort. She didn't like just sitting around much. She listened well, but her temperament was still that of a wyvern. Grimm turned to the ornery mount.

"Hush now, you forget that you look too scary to be that impatient!"

He turned back quickly his cheeks a little red with embarrassment.

"Uhh... and this is Abroth. She's nicer then she looks. I promise. Are-are you ok Elaina?"

[Deleted]

"Grimm huh? That's a pretty scary name you've got there,". She giggled. The boy was red faced over his wyvern. She could tell the two had a bond. Much like hers and Peanut's she'd wager. "Abroth is it? She's beautiful."

The girl smiled over at the wyvern. A large and honest smile, almost childlike. "I am alive I suppose. So that's something. Perhaps more that I could have asked for."

She looked at the ground and shrugged the blanket higher to where it scratched at the back of her neck. "Thank you for the blanket sir Grimm," she spoke very formally with most others, and now that her wits were returning to her she did the same here. "Oh, this is Peanut, my horse."

She shifted nervously a moment. She had no idea what to do. She was lost and alone and scared. "Um... Do you know where any towns are? I don't really know where I am."

[Grimm]

Grimm couldn't help but laugh at her comment about his name. No matter how many times he heard it, he always enjoyed how people reacted to his name. In truth, it also reminded him of home and all of those he missed. It caused him to wonder briefly what they would say if they knew where he was and how he was doing. It was only a brief thought however, he had his attention set on this young woman after all.

"Thank you, I don't get many people calling her beautiful often. I bet she appreciates it too."

Abroth snorted and stirred around in her resting spot, giving her the brief hint that she might have recognized what the two were talking about. With a sigh, the best went back to resting. Grimm smiled without realizing he was doing so when he saw her smile, even if the smile was short lived. He listened to the young lady talk about her near drowning, leading him to feel more curious about the entire situation. When she thanked him formally for the blanket he blushed again. He didn't know how to react to being called sir.

"Uhh, no need to thank me. I'm just glad I could help is all."

Grimm then turned to peanut, and bowed a hello. The act was a bit silly, but Grimm honestly didn't know how to formally greet anyone. When he would look back at the event, he would wonder why he even thought it was a good idea to try and maintain a formal style like that. He was acting without really thinking, something he did more often then he liked to admit. Call it the kid in him.

"Nice to meet you peanut. Uhh..."

He paused for a minute to think of where the closet town would be. He saw a place nearby, but he didn't exactly know how far away it was from the ground. At least he knew it's direction, and could maybe lead her the right away if he needed to. He turned to point to in the direction that he remembered seeing the town.

"I think there was one over this way, I remember seeing it from the sky. I don't know the name of the town though, I just know I saw it."

[Deleted]

"I hope she does because it's true," her fondness of animals shown through. The wyvern snorted in acknowledgement. "I guess she does know." The attention being turned to their animal compatriots had eased her mind a bit. It made the meeting more casual and easy, even if under odd circumstances.

Grimm turned away Elaina's thanks but she would have none of that. "No, thank you very much." She stepped in closer to ensure he could see the earnestly in her eyes. "It isn't very comfortable but it's a thick blanket and blocks out the wind. You have my gratitude, truly."

Grimm's lack of certainty as to where civilization lied was disheartening and she looked crest fallen. "Oh. Okay." She looked around and noticed now that the area was rather pretty. The river bank was green with grass and the river was clear water with moss covered rocks. Flowers grew nearby and wildlife, albeit insects, were fully alive and active. She suddenly starred in wonder at the world. It was wonderful here. She never saw anything like it back in the manor. Maybe not finding a town wouldn't be too bad.

Then she shivered again being reminded of her wet clothes. "You wouldn't happen to have a spare set of clothing would you?" She didn't want to catch a death chill,

[Grimm]

Grimm's face turned a little red again when she stepped closer. He wasn't used to being thanked like that, especially when he didn't really think he did an awful lot to deserve it. Still, it was refreshing. His lack of experience with this sort of thing still lead him to be a bit awkward, but he knew it was something he would get used to with time. Elaina seemed to be very friendly at least, if not a little mysterious. It did make her incredibly interesting though.

He felt bad when she responded to his general lack of knowledge about towns near by. He couldn't blame her, but there wasn't a lot he could do about it. He wasn't expecting to need to know about the towns near by. Still, he figured if he could get her to one of the small villages he saw before he landed she would still be happy. He remembered when he first met Vergil, and how happy he was to finally make it into a town. Even if he didn't know much about it. Sometimes, it was nice just to see civilization. Maybe even a blanket that was a little more comfortable then the travel one he kept with him. He was sure he could get her there.

When she mentioned about clothing, it hit him that he should have done that before hand. It made perfect sense that she would need new clothing that wasn't so wet. He didn't know how he could be so stupid or rude.

"Ah yeah, I got some spares. I don't know if they will fit, I know I'm a little tall."

He quickly rushed over to Abroth, who lifted her head as he pushed her wing aside so he could get into his saddle pack again. She grunted, and swung her tail around as he rummaged though his things curious of his intrusion. When Grimm found a spare set of clothing, he left, and Abroth lost interest that fast. He brought the clothing over to Elaina offering them to her.

"They should be clean too! I try my best to keep up with everything while I travel."

He spoke as if it was a great accomplishment to keep clean, even though it maybe just made him seem more like the farm boy turned adventurer he was.

"I'll go give you a little to change, then I can take you to the town I seen near by. We can get you more proper clothing there, I know you might not be comfortable in what I have for long. I'm sorry."

[Deleted]

"Don't be sorry! I'm really grateful for your help." She took the clothes and looked at them with obvious surprise. "Oh, wow. Well, you are tall." She nodded her head to him and waited until Grimm was a fair distance off. She went behind Peanut for extra cover and checked for anyone in the area. All clear.

She began to change and upon putting on his shirt the sleeves fell a solid foot past her arms. "Oh dear." This is when she had an idea. She rolled the sleeves in a fine crease and put a belt around her waist to wear it as a tunic. "This'll work. Okay! Sorry for the wait!" She came out waving when the shoulder slipped over. "Ahh!!!" Red faced she pulled the shoulder back up.

"S-so I didn't need your trousers. Your shirt is rather quite large." She held the boys pants out to him.

[Grimm]

Grimm nodded as she took his clothing, and did as he promised and went to find somewhere to wait. He took Abroth's harness in his hand and with a tug, signaled her to stand up and follow him. Abroth would grunt a bit in protest of moving from her comfortable spot, but did so just the same. After making it a bit away Grimm too hid behind his mount to give extra privacy. Abroth lowered her head to him as he leaned against one of her wings. Using her large tongue, Abroth licked at the top of Grimm's head messing up his already unkempt hair. Grimm laughed, and raised his hand up to rub her beak.

"I know, I know. She reminds you of Sarah huh? You miss her don't you girl."

Abroth let out a small growl, though not really a very threatening one. For a second, it almost made Grimm believe he could understand what he was actually saying. He knew that wasn't the case, but it never did stop him from talking to her like she could. He gave Abroth a few good pats before standing up at the sound of her calling back to him.

"It's ok girl."

Grimm walked back to see her standing only in his shirt, tied up like a tunic on her. It was a very creative solution to the size difference. Still, his cheeks bore red at seeing it, and even more red as the shoulder fell. He even looked away quickly as it did, not wanting to embarrass her or himself by looking when he shouldn't. He couldn't help but laugh a little at the situation as he turned back around and took his pants.

"It looks good like that, I'm just glad I had something for you. Should be good at least till we get to town. I have some money too, I can get you something better there."

[Deleted]

Elaina noticed Grimm's- what was it- shyness? Embarrassment maybe? Either way his gentlemanly nature was endearing to her. He reminded her of the butler back at the manor in a way. Well, sort of. The butler was a tall man with white slicked back hair. He was an elderly man but he was also the closest thing she'd had to a grandfather. He was such a kindly man who had doted on her as though she were his own daughter. He always had a random gift for her. A new one each week, whether it was a sweet or a dress he made. There were too many after a time that other servants would occasionally make off with something nice. She missed him terribly.

"You think it looks good? Thanks!" She spun in place letting the bottom twirl with her.She had loved during balls when the dancing allowed for it. Of course a shirt was much shorter than a ball gown. She quickly remembered this and stopped before creating a scene.

She laughed taking a good look at Grimm's head. Abroth's saliva acted like an effective gel and made Grimm's hair stand practically straight up. "Here, let me get that." She reached an arm up and rubbed is head so that his hair would be, still messy, but back to a normal state. The saliva stuck to her hand however as she pulled away. Eww.

She wiggled her toes in the grass feeling it tickle her feet and dig into the dirt. "So, Sir Grimm, where to?" She looked at him expectantly. She had met a man she felt she could trust. He seemed to be a truly good person. It was a relief. "Oh. Um. ..." She looked at the ground and shifted nervously trying to figure out how to word her next statement. "So, you don't need to use your money on me. I'll be fine."

[Grimm]

He smiled as she thanked him and did a quick twirl in her makeshift tunic. Grimm did think she was a pretty girl, and even managed to make his not so elegant shirt look nice. It was refreshing to see her happy as well. Having come down from the sky worried for her life, this made him feel much better. When she offered to fix his hair, Grimm looked a bit surprised. He wasn't used to watching his looks, having been traveling mostly alone, and didn't even give thought to what Abroth's tongue had done to his hair. When he realized, he bent down slightly to give her better access to his head. He laughed, feeling a bit silly. He still had his pants in his hands, so he offered up his pants for her to use as a towel. He didn't actually have a real towel.

"I'll just clean them when we get to town. It's ok."

Now, it was time to find their way to town. Grimm quickly looked up into the sky to gauge the direction he had flown in. With that figured out, he knew just what direction they needed to head. He turned and pointed in the right direction, before turning his head back to Elaina.

"This way here. That should lead us right into town."

He smiled moving to get Abroth up and ready for travel. He didn't expect to be flying this time, but rather to move by land. It would be easier to lead the way for Elaina and Peanut that way, and would give them more time to talk. He did have a lot of questions actually. He didn't know if it was appropriate to ask them though. His social etiquette was a little lacking perhaps. At least when she said about the money, he felt pretty close right on the etiquette thing.

"It would be my pleasure, don't worry."

Abroth stretched her legs as Grimm pulled on her harness. She knew to get herself ready for a walk as well.

"At least let me buy you a meal or something?"

[Deleted]

Elaina used the pants as a hair towel. It felt as odd as it looked. She instinctively started to try to dry hair down her back but quickly remembered it was gone. A momentary look of loss flashed in her eyes easily missed. What's gone is gone she reminded herself.

"Come on Peanut! Were going now!" She waved the horse over and it obeyed trotting over to her. "Who's a good horse?" She rubbed Peanut's face. "Oh!" She rummaged through the saddle bag a moment. Thank goodness it was there.

Elaina pulled out a necklace with a beautiful stone. It was a white stone with gold veins that refracted light. She put it around her neck tucking it into her shirt smiling. It always radiated an odd warmth. Her mother told her it was because she'd always be with her. She liked to believe it but logically she knew it was special.

"Sorry! I'm ready to go now." She ran up next to Grimm folding her hands behind her back as she walked. "So!... What is your life like? Adventurous like a hero? Dangerous like an adventurer? Or maybe, you're a charming rogue demon trying to wisk me away?" She loved stories and retelling them. So she tended to talk simple things up at times.

[Grimm]

Something about seeing another person with their beloved mount made Grimm feel at ease. It was probably the farm boy in him, telling him that anyone with a connection to an animal that strong had to be a good person. Whatever it was, he couldn't help but smile seeing her call over Peanut. The necklace she pulled out of her saddle bag did give him a shock though. To be honest, he didn't know what to expect out of her next. A cute girl, washed down river, who was kind and friendly, who shared a love for her companion like Grimm shared for Abroth, and who now pulled out a necklace that Grimm knew had to be valuable. The mystery of this woman was fascinating. After all of that, she was the one who wanted to know more about him. He almost found it strange.

"Me? I-"

He hesitated for a second, raising his right hand up to the back of his head to rub on his neck. He almost forgot about Vergil and joining up with him and his mercenaries. He hoped when he said it that it didn't sound too scary or brutish, though in retrospect he couldn't figure out why he didn't want to come across that way. It was normally that exact lack of subtlety that was his forte.

"I'm a mercenary. Or kinda. I guess we haven't done a lot yet, but we want to!"

Mid way though saying it, he ran into the second problem with admitting he was a mercenary. He hadn't really done much else other then fly around and train with his lance. Training even was a bad word for what he had done, it was more like poking at trees and yelling action verbs. Still, he was proud to a point. In his own mind he was no less a mercenary then someone who had seen a thousand battles. He just didn't know how to convey that feeling without example.

"I just travel around right now, seeing all the places I can. I like traveling. It's why I joined with them. Before that I lived on a farm. We never really went anywhere. I donno."

Grimm kicked his feet at the ground a bit. At first his frustration was because he couldn't convey how cool he felt he was, and now... Well, now he was also a little homesick. He missed his mom, and he thought maybe if he didn't talk about her death, when he did come home she would be there waiting. He knew this wasn't true, but it eased the pain. He couldn't completely hide that pain from his voice however.

"I guess I just couldn't take it. I ran away."

His voice trailed off as he looked at the sky. He wanted to be more subtle about it, but he just didn't have enough control of his emotions yet. Abroth could sense his change and quickly used her head to nudge him back into reality. He would have to thank her for that later.

"What about you? How'd you end up in the water?"

At the time, Grimm didn't know what he was asking exactly.

[Deleted]

Elaina listened intently diamonds practically sparkling in her eyes. "A mercenary? Really?" She didn't get to finish her thoughts as the boy continued to speak. She decided to let him run his course before she spoke again. He didn't seem anything like the mercenaries she'd always been told about. Brutes with scars all over and no moral. Sellswords, the lot of them. Turn on their employer for better coin. Grimm's name was perfect for such a role but Grimm himself? Not at all.

He is a farm boy! But he has such a noble steed? Odd, there is some mystery to him without a doubt. What was it like on a farm she wondered. Must be fantastic around so many animals all day. Wait... did his farm raise wyverns? He said he's been traveling, he must be from Bern, or maybe somewhere bordering.

Elaina watched as Grimm's emotions stirred and he kicked the ground. Something happened, she could see it. What it was she couldn't say but she felt bad for him all the same. Suddenly sounding on the verge of tears he told her that he ran away. Abroth gave Grimm a comforting nudge. Elaina cracked a grin.

Then came the question she never wanted to answer. What just happened. It was going so well, too well, he hadn't asked. She glanced at Peanut as if he'd offer her an answer before she bit her lower lip. Can she tell him? He seems trustworthy but... People really shouldn't know who she is. It'd be too dangerous. Well he is a mercenary, maybe he could protect her? He has an entire group to back him up too. Yes, that was what she would do.

"I'll tell you my story but, I want to join your mercenary troupe." She radiated an heir of authority and nobility all of a sudden that was absent before. "I am Elaina Gall, of the Gall house. The first and last of my generation. My father was the master of the house but has recently fallen ill and..." She trailed her voice away avoiding the final matter of the subject. "My Uncle, Wales D. Gall would come into my inheritance should I have died as well. So he hired an assassin in order to collect. But I made a deal to never return home and give her my hair in order to live so that we may both 'Come out on top.'" She wanted to cry thinking about it. It was a terrible memory all too fresh in her head. "I fled on my horse and I ended up lost in the night. Without knowing it I came too close to the river and Peanut slipped."

The story was true but there were details she felt needed to be left out. Maybe if the boy let her join them than one day he'd learn the full story but for now this was enough, and highly risky too.