Eqwin
Squire
Posts: 33
Profession: Squire/Errand Boy
Affinity: Ice
Profile: http://fewotw.proboards.com/thread/7093/eqwin
OoC Alias: zacharychi
|
Post by Eqwin on Jun 2, 2019 15:16:46 GMT -6
"Eqwin, as part of your training, you should get some field experience. The person we usually have on border patrol is sick, so this is great opportunity for you to go out and apply all that you've learned." His mentor's request echoed through Eqwin's mind. Yes, he was learning mounted combat pretty well, and he did need field experience, but the slow ride over to the border was all the time he had to steel his mind for the one thing that had always been bugging him about his time as a squire. He'd almost definitely have to kill someone, eventually. Sure, he could usually strike true with his training lance, but that's since it's just a stick. It'd hurt if you got very forcefully prodded by a long wooden stick, sure, but unless someone was actively trying you wouldn't be injured or killed. With an actual iron lance? He could very well accidentally do it. A poke to the arm and the recipient could bleed to death. The many places that armor covered less, or didn't cover at all, were still very important. Eqwin shivered, remembering the time early in his training he had accidentally poked his mentor in the throat. It was so bad for the old knight that they had to cancel training that day and go easy the next. He made sure to practice extra for accuracy and gave him some food as a gift to make up for it, but that didn't get rid of the guilt. If he still felt bad for that, what'd happen to him if he killed someone?
Eqwin snapped out of it when he saw what his mentor told him to look out for. It was a pile of rocks that signified that the Etrurian-Sacean border was near. He remembered that he had something that he was supposed to do when he got to it. He fished around the saddlebag he had on his horse Thoron's saddle, and took the small notebook out and opened it. It was filled with his mentor's notes on what to look out for on the border and what to run from and alert the nearest lordship about. Dark magic, monsters, the obvious things. It also had a pretty good bit of advice in it too. "Keep this book visible in hopes enemies think it's a tome." the note in the front cover said. He did exactly that, holding it between his underarm and side as he slowly rode at the border's edge, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Or anything at all, since he didn't know exactly what to look out for. Evil seemed like a "know it when you see it" type thing.
|
|
|
Post by Midori on Jun 2, 2019 19:43:58 GMT -6
The Chaklai were known for helping people in times of need. It was written in their laws to come to the aid of their neighbors even when things were dire or at least try to. This is what led them to begin traveling northwards. Towards their sister villages and help those who needed it. But this, Midori was not prepared for this. She knew Eturia's war march was a brutal campaign across the land, but she did not quite grasp how brutal. And she was used to staring death in the face! She'd helped people with terrible burns, life threatening injuries, or with bones sticking out in places they shouldn't be. But, the march northwards from Sacae into Eturia had shown her the true horrors of war. Sacean settlements that used to dot their maps, reduced to smoking piles of ash. Some of which, had been left in ruin for so long, that nature had begun to reclaim the land.
Midori and her group did not hesitate to change into some less inconspicuous clothing the further north they traveled. Her traditional garb was replaced by that of a plain clothed woman. She wore a simple linen dress with a soft leather vest. Her hair was done up in simple braided bun, held together with a plain black ribbon. Lady Lucy wore a similar garb, though she had on an apron and kept her blonde hair hidden under a hood. Midori was supposed to wear a hood too but she found it so itchy, she kept taking it off. Her pink hair drew unwanted attention where ever they went. Their traditional clothes were tucked away in a locked chest. Midori's staff Kiseski, was latched firmly on her back. Lady Lucy had made some modifications to the leather vest to accommodate the staff. The group were on their way to check up on the last of their sister settlements, when one of the wagon wheels broke. The group of five managed to carefully cart the wagon towards the rocky landmark. Lady Lucy sighed softly as she detached her clydesdale like horse from the wagon. Midori came up right behind her on her spotted horse, Ashes. The wagon had a spare wheel but it would take some time to repair it.
|
|
Eqwin
Squire
Posts: 33
Profession: Squire/Errand Boy
Affinity: Ice
Profile: http://fewotw.proboards.com/thread/7093/eqwin
OoC Alias: zacharychi
|
Post by Eqwin on Jun 2, 2019 22:51:44 GMT -6
Eqwin took his eye off of his surroundings for a second and opened the notebook again. He went to the table of contents titled "enemies and allegiances." His parents had stopped talking to him about war and similar things when he was about 8. He hadn't noticed it, but his parents ran out of ways to paint Etruria as the "good guys." He opened it up to the enemies part and began reading where "Sacae" was written. "Sacae is a land of plains, perfect for fighting on horseback so do not hesitate to engage whenever necessary, or in other words, all the time. Sacae is home to many swordsmen and almost nobody who can swing an axe. When marching there, bring a lance and an axe if you can. A few warriors there use lances as well as swords, but they're easy to kill if you-" Eqwin shivered at the last word and the thoughts it brought up. A gentle soul like his mentor, Sir Argol, to be this serious about killing people, must need a very good reason. What sort of things have Sacaens done to Etruria? He hoped he wouldn't learn today... Or at least while this close to their territory. He skimmed a little bit for what to watch out for. "Sacae also happens to be rife with troubadours and the like, as if any excuse for a Sacaen to ride a horse is a good one. They may seem kind, but their main goal is to help their soldiers out, so if spotted you should defeat, incapacitate, capture, or if necessary," Eqwin wanted to stop reading, but as a soon to be knight of Etruria, it would soon be his duty to, according to Sir Argol's notes, "kill them." He could barely thrust a training lance when being told to aim for the head if he wasn't completely sure that he wasn't going to poke an eye out or something of the sort. He continued reading for a few seconds, and stopped when it got to instructions on what to do with their horses. Eqwin didn't want to touch the book after reading that bit, unintentionally changed his view of Ar- Sir Argol, and dropped it into the saddle bag.
Eqwin resumed his ride at the border of the two nations. He wanted to stop and comfort Thoron since she could probably sense his disgust, but if a great and noble knight of Etruria had written that down in his own notebook, what would the Sacaens do? They had bows, so stopping was a horrible idea in his mind. The further down the border he went, the more he relaxed. Until he saw a wagon, that is. It was facing towards Etruria, so no doubt it was from Sacae. He saw someone get out of it, and to his surprise and happiness she didn't look like a warrior. But then again, that did give him two more options of deduction. They were either normal citizens or healers of some kind. If they were citizens, they were most likely here for peaceful matters. If they weren't, then they'd probably have some kind of magic to hit him with. He had to think fast, and never before had he seen a bushline so conveniently "placed" and large. He rode behind it, got off of Thoron, and gently got her to sit. He made sure to carefully eavesdrop on them, hoping they'd speak loud enough for him to hear. He peeked from around the side, since from the top would be obvious and hard for him to quickly hide himself. After the wind blew his hair into his face, he held it back, accidentally covering most of the really obvious bright yellow on top of his head. He was ready to pull back behind the bush if one of them even looked towards him. But, despite all of these measures he'd taken to stay hidden, whether purposely or accidentally, he still rode there, on a horse, in plain sight. Somehow, he didn't realize how he had wasted all of this effort because of that.
|
|
|
Post by Midori on Jun 3, 2019 19:22:12 GMT -6
Midori maneuvered her way towards the back of their wagon. She spoke to another man who was rummaging through the supplies. Midori knew they were running low on things like herbs and medicine. But, now the man in the wagon had informed her that their water supply had gone past the half way mark. The group would need to either find a water source or purchase water from a nearby settlement. If they had the choice they would want to find a source of freshwater rather then buy it. With the war at their feet everything seems to be sold at a horribly inflated price. Midori thanked her fellow tribesman and returned to Lady Lucy's side. The priestess explained to the older woman what the situation was.
"Hmm.." As the old woman mused.
"You've been awfully quiet these last few days my dear. What is it?"
"We've never traveled this far from home. And.. I.. didn't like what I saw on the way." Midori spoke softly.
"We were so.. gung ho about helping the people when the war cry came.. but.." Midori closed her eyes. In her head she could see the ruined villages.
"All those people.. and no survivors.." She shook her head.
"What good is our help.. if there is no one to help?"
"Such is the hard reality of war. We cannot dwell on what we could have done. Instead we should focus on what we can do. Like aid in the restoration of our supplies. We are running low on water yes?"
The battle hardened Valkyrie, felt that something was off. One of their guard turned over to look at the duo and at the figure that was slowly creeping up around them. One of their spotters made an inconspicuous signal towards Lady Lucy. She gave a small nod towards her fellow tribesman. And the smell of the new horse piqued the curiosity of their own. Ashes shook her head and let out a whinny as she tried to turn herself around towards the unfamiliar scent. Midori quietly patted her horse until she calmed down. Lady Lucy calmly drew a book from her side and continued to talk to Midori as if there was nothing wrong. She opened the pages to her tome and inched closer to Midori.
"Do you remember the maps?"
The older woman appeared to be showing Midori a journal. But, Midori knew better. She recognized Lady Lucy's light tome. That was all the hint she needed that they were being watched by someone. She needed to watch her words. Whatever was watching them didn't attack them yet. Might be a scout. Might be a bandit. Might be trouble.
|
|
Eqwin
Squire
Posts: 33
Profession: Squire/Errand Boy
Affinity: Ice
Profile: http://fewotw.proboards.com/thread/7093/eqwin
OoC Alias: zacharychi
|
Post by Eqwin on Jun 3, 2019 20:19:04 GMT -6
As Eqwin knelt there and eavesdropped, he didn't know what to expect. War talk was one thing he expected, kind words to each other were another thing he expected, and the expectation of hearing horrible proclamations of what they would do to their enemies sat with them in the dark like a spy. Sort of like what he was acting like now. He was correct about the first things, but he couldn't figure out whether he now wanted to be. Argol's notebook had told him they'd speak kindly, but the old woman seemed like she was a high outlier even then. Even he felt a tiny bit comforted by what she said, until it brought back the thoughts that his duty would soon be to fight people like this. The thought would hammer itself into his head the more he dwelt upon it. It was as if a part of him was screaming "You'll have to do it too, eventually." He vigorously shook his head and bumped the bush a bit when he got dizzy from it. He wasn't too far into his training, he could back out now and never have to do that. But... He trusted in Sir Argol. They must just be hiding some dark side while they're in public to lure in suckers like him. Keywords being "like him". Against his better judgement he decided he should reveal himself after that last sentence. If they needed a map they were hopefully just lost. He held Thoron's head lightly and prayed for their safety, then got her up, mounted her, and then rode towards them at a moderate pace.
"Hello, travelers." He loudly said to them once he was in full view. From first glance it was easy to see he was some kind of knight, and with determining his age it was obvious that the kind of knight he is is an incredibly inexperienced one. "Are you lost? I don't know too much of the land around here, but I'm sure I can be of some assistance." His eyes darted from the front of the wagon to the back. If they had somehow known he was there the whole time then they could have an ambush or something ready. He held his hand so he could easily signal Thoron to run away from the wagon and back to Etruria, if he had to.
|
|
|
Post by Midori on Jun 5, 2019 19:27:51 GMT -6
She's right you know. Midori perked her head up rather quickly. Kiseki, the staff of miracles, one of many divine relics of her people. Spoke to her in her mind. Midori hadn't heard Kiseki speak to in months. And even when she did speak it was often was whenever she was asleep, or when she was alone. The voice of the staff seemed tired. Like it had just woken up from a nap and was only just trying to piece together the sights around it. Midori rubbed her bridge of her nose for a moment. She had her eyes closed and appeared to be in pain. Midori obtained Kiseki a few months ago, and she was not used to Kiseki's mythic powers. She had only used the staff to it's full potential once, when she picked it up for the first time. Kiseki showed off it's might to show the other priests that the staff had chosen Midori to be it's new wielder. And that act in itself knocked Midori unconscious for days. The days after she woke up were not pleasant. The troubadour often felt like she was lost in a fog. It had been months since, they first met and there are some days where the pink haired maiden still felt off.
"What's wrong?" Lady Lucy turned to her student with some concern on her face. Midori shook her head.
"Nothing. Just.. Kiseki. Startled me is all." She spoke that last bit in a whisper. The young troubador took a deep breath and relaxed a little. She put her hand back down. Sorry dear. Lady Lucy on the other hand turned around to greet the origin of the new voice. The old Valkyrie was ready to sling a light spell at any given moment. But, she with held her divine judgement once she assessed the young lad in front of her. The group with the wagon looked up at her, they were waiting. Waiting for a signal. Waiting for someone to tell them if this newcomer was safe or if he was a threat. If he was a threat, those in the wagon would gather their weapons and defend themselves.
"Lost? Not particularly. We know where we are going.. but.. we.. have been delayed momentarily. But, if you are familiar with the area.. perhaps you can tell us where the nearest watering hole is?" Lady Lucy spoke to young man. It took Midori a moment but eventually she too turned around to greet their new guest.
|
|
Eqwin
Squire
Posts: 33
Profession: Squire/Errand Boy
Affinity: Ice
Profile: http://fewotw.proboards.com/thread/7093/eqwin
OoC Alias: zacharychi
|
Post by Eqwin on Jun 5, 2019 20:23:49 GMT -6
Eqwin felt a bit relieved. Since they didn't immediately show hostility, he thought they were peaceful. Sure, the other people he could see in their group were seemingly incredibly capable, but they hadn't thrown anything so he felt it was safe to assume that they shared their standing on his existence near them with the two women. His muscles relaxed and bit and he sighed, Thoron did the same except for the sigh. Could horses sigh? Eqwin didn't know, but it was nice to know Thoron felt safe too, even if only a bit. The question the old lady asked made him a bit more happy than it should. "I'm not too familiar with this area, but if you'd like, I could go look around for one." He said. Sure, he did enjoy running errands, that was a large part of why he was even here, but he was mostly happy for another reason. If he could succeed, or hopefully even if he doesn't, his favor or effort would help him earn these people's trust. With a bit of trust, hopefully he'd learn exactly why they were here. If they were what Argol's notes said, he could hopefully just let them get some water and then peacefully send them back to Sacae. Otherwise... He violently shook his head at the thought, making him a bit dizzy and giving him a small headache. With his thoughts cleared, however, he remembered a particularly lush and almost forest-like circle of plants. Perhaps it was because it surrounded clean water. "I think there's one back where I came from. I'll go check!" He "offered" before patting Thoron the motion to make a U-turn and ride moderately. When he got to it, he dismounted Thoron to make sure she wasn't hit with thorns of some kind. Surprisingly, right after doing this, he walked through one of the taller bushes and got swiped across the nose by a branch. Because of this, he recoiled back but hit his neck on a small thorn. He would've recoiled forward if he didn't get fed up with this and just charged straight through the large plants, with both of his armored arms covering his face. He burst forth from the other side and nearly fell in the water that he had merely assumed was there. Thankfully, he was correct, and thankfully didn't have proof all over himself. The water looked clean, he didn't see any animals in it. All he needed was a taste test just to make sure. He knelt down and cupped some of it in his hands, then raised them to his face and took a sip. It was definitely water, and tasted like it. He finished the bit he had cupped and then charged through the bushes again with his earlier tactics. He thanked the gods he didn't live in this surprisingly bushy place or trip. Now that he thought about it, there had to be some reason that hole was surrounded by plants. Maybe someone came here often, but for that they'd have to have a hole in the brush. He ignored the thought that he was bleeding a bit for no reason, got back on Thoron, and rode back to the group.
He slowed Thoron down as they began to approach the group. He didn't want to startle them and cause an accident. "There's water back there. It's just surrounded by hedges or bushes or whatever." He said to the old woman and who he "figured out" was her daughter, motioning to the scrape on his face.
|
|
|
Post by Midori on Jun 6, 2019 20:07:16 GMT -6
Lady Lucy raised an eyebrow at the young man's apparent enthusiasm. She wasn't used to such blind optimism. At least not one coming from a complete stranger. She was used to it on people she knew like Skai's children. Gods above.. They are probably huge now. Before Lucy could inform the young man of any other details he left as quickly as he had come. The blonde woman hoped he wasn't some sort of spy sent by the army to investigate travelers wandering the area. The army wasn't kind to strangers. They could easily accuse the group of being traitors to the cause for no reason other then to rob them blind. To further their own efforts. Or some other nonsense. Lady Lucy spoke to Midori once again once she knew the boy was out of earshot.
"I'm not sure he knows that path is laden with thornbrush."
"No. I do not think he did." The pair of them squinted their eyes at the blurring figure of the boy and his horse. Midori shook her head once more.
"Now, would be a good time to remind you of your alias.. Doreen." Lady Lucy smirked. Midori sighed again. They picked the name Doreen because it meant gift. Which Midori found flattering, but it wasn't fond of how the word rolled off her tongue. It took her a while to learn the aliases of the rest of the group too. Except for Lucy. Who kept the name Lucy as it was short for Lucile. A totally not Sacean sounding name. Lucy's hair and knowledge of light magic also helped in the whole, blending in with the Eturians, so that they had a less chance of dying.
"And how we are just a group of travelers on a mercy mission?" Midori added. The secret to a good lie. Is to sprinkle a little bit of truth into it. Midori could hear her former companion Skai in her head. She wondered how he was doing. The blue haired sniper did not accompany Midori and Lucy in this particular instance. He was hopefully, safe and sound at their home village. Surrounded by his family.
"Mercy under?"
"Elimine." It took her days to learn how to say Elimine properly. The first few attempts had her saying Elly Min or Ehly Mine. Lady Lucy wasn't too knowledgeable in the knowledge of Eturian religion. But, she had a basic grasp of the concept. The travelers who came to the Chaklai village would talk, Lady Lucy would listen.
"The?"
"Saint." Midori really didn't like any of this. She didn't like the fact she had to hide who she was just because of the war. She didn't like that she had to take on this pseudonym and learn about the supposed goddess of Eturia. A saint who was long since dead and who's apparent idea of mercy, was a mass genocide to anyone not Eturian. Father Sky and Mother Earth, forgive me for my blasphemous tongue. But, I must do this, if I am to survive within these borders. I pray you forgive me.
"Good. Ah.. it seems our guest is returning. We will talk more about this later."
By this point the young man from earlier was making his way back towards them. Once, he was infront of them Midori could see all the little scrapes on his face. Especially, the one on the bridge of his nose. Midori pulled from her pocket a single soft, silken handkerchief and quietly handed it to him.
"For your troubles young knight." She spoke softly and calmly. Midori assumed he was a knight. He had armor, was on a horse, and was on patrol in a semi-common path between the borders of two nations. Once, her gift was accepted, she guided Ashes a few paces back. Pulled out her regular heal staff from Ashes' side holster. And quietly healed he boy of his minor wounds.
"Don't you be gifting him so quickly... Doreen. We must first prove his claim. Go gather the canteens from the others. And then we will ride out with you towards the water." Lady Lucy ordered.
"Yes. Ma'am". Midori quietly rode back down towards the others by the wagon. Explained to them what was going on. They gave her their canteens and then Midori rode back up to greet the two of them once more.
|
|
Eqwin
Squire
Posts: 33
Profession: Squire/Errand Boy
Affinity: Ice
Profile: http://fewotw.proboards.com/thread/7093/eqwin
OoC Alias: zacharychi
|
Post by Eqwin on Jun 7, 2019 15:18:08 GMT -6
Eqwin blushed a bit. Him? A knight? Worthy of a gift such as this? He'd only heard of things like this is fairy tales. He had never been in a real fight before, never even held a real sword, and this was his first mission outside of the security of deeper Etruria. But, if he was noble enough to pass as one for a lady such as... he'd have to ask, he must be excelling at this. Maybe he could become one of the noble horse-knights of Etruria through solely peaceful means such as this. It seemed a bit impossible, since there'd definitely be some sort of point where he needs combat experience, but he could probably settle for that point. But, a knight must be honest, and a squire even more so. "I'm not a knight, ma'am. At least, not yet." He said. "If you think I'm a knight, you should see Sir Argol! He taught me everything I know so far besides riding.. And horse care." Contrary to what the happy squire said, they probably wouldn't want to actually see Argol. It'd most definitely lead to a fight when he inevitably figures out their origins.
He wondered what he should do with the handkerchief. Would it be rude to use it in front of these ladies? It probably would be, but it'd be more rude to have blood on him. He went to rub the blood off the scrapes and cuts, but then paused after he felt a strange sensation on them. It felt familiar. He looked back at the ladies and saw the younger one had a staff with a fading glow. He realized he had just been healed. He'd received healing like this before after especially rigorous training, since Sir Argol wasn't that good with the whole "holding back" thing for a while. Since he no longer had a use for the handkerchief he went to put it in his saddlebag and realized he'd forgot to thank Doreen for it. "Thank you for this... Um.. Lady Doreen?" He said. He didn't know if she actually carried such a title, but since she acted like one and carried a staff, he felt it was safe to assume she was one, but said it in a questioning way just to make sure. He'd just have to apologize if he were wrong.
After "Doreen" gathered canteens and rode back to him and her "mother". He wondered why she was just halted there. Then he realized he needed to show her the way after a few seconds. "Oh, sorry. I forgot I need to lead you to the water." He said. He patted Thoron to give her the appropriate signal, and began slowly riding towards the water hole. "I've been meaning to ask you before, but where were all of you traveling to?" He racked his mind for an educated guess he could make, then found one. "Are you and your mother wandering clerics?" He asked "Doreen". She healed him earlier with a staff, so it seemed like a safe guess.
|
|
|
Post by Midori on Jun 8, 2019 14:05:47 GMT -6
"Mother?" Lucy seemed to look puzzled. Midori smirked softly.
"Not quite, but she did raise me as one should. Take with that what you will." The pink haired maiden spoke.
"Oh.. forgive me for not recognizing the difference. I did not know you were still in training." Midori was quick to apologize to the young lad.
"We haven't exactly met the armies face to face long enough to discern the difference between squire and knight. If it's on a horse in armor.. we tend to assume it's a knight. Doreen over there is like you. A troubadour in training. Although, I think at this point she's already hit the point past training. But, that's not for me to decide."
"You flatter me, Mother." Midori couldn't hide the giggle. In the several years she's been under Lady Lucy's charge did she ever call her mom. To Midori she was always Lady Lucy. Her superior. Chaperone. Teacher. But, never once, did Midori consider her to be a mother.
"Enough." Lady Lucy wasn't amused by Midori's sense of humor. Midori only knew bits and peices of Lady Lucy's life before she found and became a member of the Chaklai. She knew that once she really was a mother in Ilia. And the child she did raise ended up dying out in the field's of battle. Midori never knew the full details. But, she decided to stop with the teasing.
"Sorry." She tucked her head downwards.
"We are traveling northwards. There's a village between the borders that we are hoping to find in one piece."
"We travel on a mission of mercy. The war kills and maims people on both sides of the army. And hurts those who have nothing to do with the art of battle. We are trying to help those who would have no other means to help themselves. Civilians caught in the crossfire. Soldiers who have been tossed by the wayside. Children who have been left orphans. It is what we've been taught to do in times like these. We are also hoping to find others who share our cause. To act in good faith and kindness rather then violence and hate. Though everywhere we've been so far.. has been unpleasant. The border villages have been hit especially hard. As the army plowed through looking for supposed enemies of the state."
"Enemies of the state.. is such a vauge term. We've heard people point fingers at their neighbors in a ploy to eliminate them and bring take their land. Or as a means to pluck out unwanted villagers.. It's complected and deplorable. And while were on it, who are you Lad? A scout?"
|
|
Eqwin
Squire
Posts: 33
Profession: Squire/Errand Boy
Affinity: Ice
Profile: http://fewotw.proboards.com/thread/7093/eqwin
OoC Alias: zacharychi
|
Post by Eqwin on Jun 8, 2019 18:37:45 GMT -6
Eqwin made a mental note that the motherly woman was not actually Lady Doreen's mother, and that the title seemingly worked for Doreen since she made no objection to it. "It's alright. Sir Argol told me squires and knights look closely alike to protect us from bandits, so I can understand." He said. He was bit shocked that Doreen was still in training. She looked at least 18, and she was still training as a... troubadour... Oh.. Oh no.. Eqwin's was in very visible shock. Sure, he had thought that there was a high chance they were troubadours, but it's like thinking of something horrible. Yeah, sure it's horrible to think of what an earthquake or monster raid would do to your village, but it's leagues above the thought for it to actually happen. He was scared, they seemed too kind to really be enemies, but according to Sir Argol's note they'd needed to be incapacitated in some way. It wasn't his duty to do so, but his was still connected to it. He was told to run to the nearest lordship, report them, and then they'd have soldiers on their tail. Argol warned him of their kindness in his notebook, but this was unexpected. He snapped back to reality when they started telling him their goals. They weren't just going to some Sacaen town, but all border towns. He heard of some Etrurian border towns that had fallen from overhearing Sir Argol's conversations with other knights during a few breaks in his training. Apparently, they were just on a mission to help anybody they could. They made no mention of the affiliation of the towns, but from what her mentor said, it sounded like some were Etrurian, at the very least.
Doreen's mentor somewhat harshly asked him who he was. After what they told him, he doubted they'd like to hear. "I.. I'm Eqwin, a squire, but.. I'm sure my name and title isn't what you meant." He said. He cleared his throat and sighed. A knight must be honest, and a squire moreso, right? He patted Thoron to step up her pace a bit until he was at a somewhat sizable distance from the troubadours. Just in case. "I am Eqwin of Etruria. Squire of Sir Argol the... Blue?" He said, not even half complete with his very late introduction. He unzipped his saddlebag, took out Sir Argol's notebook, and flipped the cover open to see his title. "Sir Argol the Cerulean Knight," he corrected himself, then continued. "Under the house of... Uh.. I forgot, sorry. Anyways, I'm out here under orders from Sir Argol to get some sort of experience out here with border patrol, since the usual soldier is out with an illness." He finished. They seemed like good people, and he wanted to stay in good terms with them, but the truth is the truth. "I hope you don't come to hate me now that you both know this. You two have been very kind to me, and.. I still have to show you where the water is." He hated this situation, even with as much problems as it would solve. If they became violent, then he wouldn't have to wonder about his duty. If they didn't, then he'd know they were genuinely traveling only for the sake of others. If they did become violent, would he be able to escape? He didn't know, but as a precaution he sped Thoron up a little bit more.
|
|
|
Post by Midori on Jun 8, 2019 19:27:29 GMT -6
So he's just a boy after all. Why is it always children? Bah, he barely looks like he's entered the realm of adult hood. Lady Lucy pressed her large horse onward to catch up with Eqwin. She kept her expression normal. Or perhaps maybe a tad bit annoyed. She didn't mean to spook the young squire but she wasn't exactly the best at speaking to speaking to the younger generation.
"Oh will you relax." The older woman spoke then groaned. Midori herself was trying hard not to laugh at the exchange that just happened. She took a deep breath in and let it out through her nose. Much to Lucy's dismay, she knew Midori was trying not to laugh.
"I'm Lucy and that's Doreen. We aren't your enemy boy. If that's what you are thinking. We are just a couple of people trying to do right in a chaotic time. Like the saint did." Lady Lucy explained. Hopefully, it would be enough to get him to calm down.
"The blue! Please, tell me he has the hair to match." She would have loved to have heard of another man with blue hair. So she could relay it to Skai back home. He loved meeting others that shared his unusual hair color. Especially, since none of his other relatives seemed to have it. But, his kids sure do. With all of the mixing the Chaklai tend to do by adopting outsiders into their clan, this was not unusual. Midori took another deep breath and quietly let it out. She guided Ashes up towards where the other two were. The clatter of the canteens followed after each horse step.
"You mentioned the regular guard is ill? Do you know of what? We may be able to spare some herbs to help."
|
|
Eqwin
Squire
Posts: 33
Profession: Squire/Errand Boy
Affinity: Ice
Profile: http://fewotw.proboards.com/thread/7093/eqwin
OoC Alias: zacharychi
|
Post by Eqwin on Jun 8, 2019 20:06:41 GMT -6
Much to Eqwin's surprise, the two troubadours didn't seemed fazed by a thing he said. In fact Doreen seemed like she was about to laugh at him. This helped him relax quite a bit before he hurriedly put Argol's notebook away. It didn't don on him that they had no idea what he was supposed to do. This situation just kept getting worse and worse for him. Should he tell them why he was so on edge? He always wants to be honest to live up to the expectations set on him as a squire, but.. It wouldn't be lying if they didn't ask. It was a coward's way out of telling the truth, but he was honest with himself too. He was definitely a coward. If he wasn't, he would've ran off by now to go tell someone about them. That was something he'd have to work on later with Sir Argol. "A-alright." he stuttered in response to the older woman, or as she said, Lucy's request/demand for him to relax.
The mention of St. Elimine put him almost completely at ease. If they were followers of the saint, they were Etrurian. Since they were Etrurian, they definitely weren't enemies subject to the wrath of Sir Argol's commands. "Oh thank the gods. I thought you two were Sacaen since that's where you were coming from. I'm sorry for being so.. what's the word.." He said with relief, though he did need to figure out what he was saying. "Wary! Yeah, wary of you two. I was told by Sir Argol to report Sacaen enemies and the like to the nearest lord, since I'm just a squire and all. You two are so kind, and I didn't wanna end up hindering you in your goals." He realized he overshared that last part. If they were troubadours of Elimine, they could probably tell Argol that he was going to go against his duties. "Um... Please don't tell him that, if you see him." He asked. Eqwin thought for a moment about Doreen's question. "I think so. His hair is prematurely greying and his armor is gold, not cerulean, so it must've been his hair." He told Doreen. "Uh.. I don't know. Sir Argol just told me the usual guy was sick so I could take his place." Eqwin was so happy that he didn't have to do anything indirectly horrible to the two that he forgot that all of their horses were still sped up, upon realizing this, he slowed Thoron down to the speed she was before all of the nonsense.
|
|
|
Post by Midori on Jun 10, 2019 16:07:10 GMT -6
Although there was no way for Eqwin to know it. She was hurt by his words. The lie to stay safe was working. But, they had just met this lad a few minutes ago. They had shown him nothing but kindness and non hostility. But, the moment he knew they were 'Eturian' his whole demeanor changed. Suddenly, he trusted them completely. Or at the very least did not fear them. And that's what hurt Midori the most. This hard reality of the war, that no amount of good that you do, there will always be those that look down at you, maybe even hate you, just because of where you are from. From something you had no control over. What was worse was that Eqwin was so young. He was being trained to see Saceans as the enemy, with no choice of his own to look at the world from the other side. And she knew the same could be said for the Saceans towards the Eturian's. Midori looked down a bit, her gaze focused on the back of Ashes' head.
"A knight clad in gold? Sounds like every knight you hear in fairy tales." Lady Lucy seemed to smirk. She glanced back at Midori. A small frown crossed the older woman's face. Lady Lucy knew her student well. She knew what she was upset about. The older woman returned her attention back towards the young squire.
"Saint Elimine, traveled the world with the Eight Heroes. Protecting humanity from a calamity. Along side Hanon, the founder of Sacae." Lucy closed her eyes.
"Both of them must be looking down from the Heaven and are probably disgusted by what they see." Midori spoke somberly.
"The point is, that although it is a war. And your superiors may tell you otherwise, but the end of it all, the Saceans. They are still people too. Try not to forget that once you are eventually called into the fray."
"But, not in the middle of battle. Battles are a matter of life and death. We wouldn't be happy to learn that you've died due to philosophy." Midori tried to perk herself up.
The trio had been traveling for a fair bit. They eventually came up against the thorn brush that blocked their path towards the water.
"Those bristles look nasty. Don't suppose you've got a blade to cut them down do you?"
|
|
Eqwin
Squire
Posts: 33
Profession: Squire/Errand Boy
Affinity: Ice
Profile: http://fewotw.proboards.com/thread/7093/eqwin
OoC Alias: zacharychi
|
Post by Eqwin on Jun 10, 2019 21:55:52 GMT -6
Eqwin's relief waned very slightly. Doreen had seemed a little... Sad? Why? He was a bit confused, but with Lucy's comment on Sir Argol's armor his thoughts shifted from Doreen's mood to a conversation he had with him. "He told me once that he chose that color of armor to be bright and distracting to get attention away from his less heavily armored comrades... And to bait idiots who think his armor is actually made of gold." He said. While listening to what the two women were saying, he got a bit confused. Yes, they're holy troubadours, but why were they almost lecturing him on his view of Sacaens? He didn't say some really complicated insult like calling them "Dirty no-good nomads as civil as skeletons" or something along those lines. His parents have before, but he was pretty sure that words don't leave some sort of bad smelling stain on people. He decided to let it go. Since they were caught up with this they wouldn't remember to tell Sir Argol what he said about shirking his duties for them if they were actually Sacaen.
He thought for a second about what Doreen said about the heroes of the scouring. Well of course they'd be unhappy about how Elibe currently is. He remembered hearing from his parents Ostia had fallen to monsters and some other houses in Lycia were soon behind. They didn't have any sort of heroes following their footsteps but against monsters instead of dragons. He thought a little bit about that last thought. Did they have heroes? He hadn't heard of any but most of his world news came from his parents, and they stopped that a bit. Maybe he'd be one of those heroes when he became a knight. "Haha, no." he mumbled under his breath before and after silently chuckling. He stopped Thoron with the two ladies, and looked a bit disappointed in himself when Lucy asked him if he had something to clear the brush. "I uh.. Charged through it when I came here the first time, but I can see why doing that with canteens would be a bad idea." He said. He raised the saddlebag on Thoron's armor and undid the straps holding his iron lance. "I have this, despite it's impracticality for the situation." He paused for a moment, waiting for them to tell him what do to, then remembered something he learned from Sir Argol in one of his lessons.
"Take the initiative, Eqwin!" Argol shouted before charging on his horse and hitting Eqwin in the ribs with a training lance.
That was enough of that memory. He got hit around 5 more times before finally doing what Argol was trying to get him to do and thrust his own training lance at Argol before he could. Eqwin got off of Thoron, pet her a bit to get her to sit down and rest. Then, he went to work trying to cut a hole for the ladies using his iron lance like a knife, gripping it right behind the head and awkwardly cutting branches with the 4~ feet of shaft behind him.
|
|