Von

As soon as Talla entered the carriage she did not wait for them to start moving. “Draw the curtains,” she demanded, through a heavy breath. “My shoulder is burning.”

Von closed the red curtains and moved on to pick up the supplies she had set aside. He had little knowledge of elven medicine, but even when he had banished himself to his room he still was quite adept at treating injuries. Brother used to come back injured all the time. We used to talk while I treated his injuries. “Let us patch up the shoulder first, then go for smaller injuries.”

Talla had already removed her shirt and turned her back to him. Elvenflower is extremely helpful. Mighty expensive, too, even for a lord like himself. That Talla managed to simply pick some up beforehand was lunacy to him. A part of him wondered how elven economy was so bad when they had something like it growing in their princedom, but he paid it no mind. There were other things to focus on. “Stay still. Elvenflower will stop the bleeding but we need to make sure it’s set in place when we wrap the bandages around you.”

“I am surprised, my lord,” Talla began, in a cheery tone. She was the kind of person who distracted herself from pain by mocking others, it seemed. “I am wearing no more than I was at the river, but you seem less distracted right no—ow,” she winced.

He pressed the elvenflower against her wound with force and then looped the first set of cloth around it. This ought to hold it, but a second loop will ensure it. “I would be a poor excuse for a lord if I was distracted by it. You refuse to see the Healer, and so this duty falls on me.”

“How do your human healers feel about me?” Talla wondered. “I just murdered an Elder of mine. It is as if a commoner of yours had murdered a Redgrave, none?”

“You killed, not murdered him. In an honorable duel. That is not a crime beneath either the King of Prince’s laws or the Storm’s eyes.”

“I chose to kill him. There were many ways I could have concluded that affair without murder.” She shook slightly and he did not think it was because of the cold. Regardless, he enveloped the second set of cloth around the shoulder wound and reached for a sheet to wrap around her. When she looked up at him in surprise, he said, “Cold will harm you, my lady. Let us warm your body for a while before treating the minor cuts.”

She smiled at him as if thankful for the excuse, but then shook her head and decided for honesty instead. “Von,” she started, in a frank tone, “I killed one of my Elders. I will never again be able to set foot in my hometown, laws be damned.”

“Do you regret it?”

Talla shifted her gaze to the window, though it was still covered by the curtains. The carriage had started to move at some point and the faint light filtered through the red cloth looked oddly relaxing. She turned around, the blanket around her shoulders and her back now to the seat. “I lost to Kai on purpose,” she muttered.

Her gaze remained away from Von and he did not exclaim in surprise nor did he demand an explanation. Instead, he waited. That has several implications…as well as the fact you choose to trust me.“When I took the title of Second Champion, the person who lost to me slit his own stomach in the shame of losing to a woman. Whether it was the Elders who ordered him to take his own life or whether it was the culture they shaped that killed him makes no difference to me. They murdered that poor man.”

There was a silence. “You lost to Kai so he wouldn’t have been subjected to the same fate,” Von concluded. “You feared he would have been forced to take his own life afterward.”

Talla needed not say much to confirm it; her exasperated sigh was enough.“The last year has taken much from me. Someone took their own life because I bested them in innocent combat. To prevent that from happening again I did not perform my best against Kai—whether I lost on purpose or merely hesitated enough makes no difference. After that, Kai lost to you and challenged Vandyr after prodding from the Elders, despite not obtaining a Royal Heartbeat. Then you lost your memory fighting Gilver of Bluegrave.”

Von shook his head. “Taking blame is not a virtue, my fair lady. Kai could have bested you as well as myself.”

“Aye. But we will never know because of my cowardice.” She still looked away from him. “These hands of mine lost me everything. My friend Kai was once a kind man. Arrogant, perhaps, but no more than you were—this state of his now…it is my fault. One man dead and another ruined for life because of me. I cannot fix those mistakes. But I can prevent them from happening again.” Her eyes now turned to Von. “No, my lord, I do not regret it. But the slaying of our own kin is a heavy sin and I will carry it with me.”

“Do you believe the other Elders will rule better without the First?”

“I do not know.” She paused and bit the tip of her thumb in frustration. “Kai will now ascend to the council. My hope is that responsibility brings him the peace of mind he needs and that he will be a prosperous leader for our people. He and the Third might be able to influence the other two.”

Her voice said her hope did not shine too bright and Von knew why. Cywin, Kai’s father—you mentioned he might take over. “Master Cycle once told me,” Von began, “that making the right decision is the second most important thing to do.”

She turned her head around to face him. “What is the first?”

“Following it through.” When she looked at him curiously, Von explained, “Master explained it to me thusly—it is easy to decide to do the right thing, but harder to do it when your willpower wanes and your resolve is tested. When the satisfaction of righteousness is not enough to fuel your actions.” He meant those words as much for himself as he did for her. Helping Talla was easy so far—but what will I do when there are elven refugees in Stormhelm? Would I fight my brother and argue for their protection? Would I wield my sword against my people if they mistreated them? Von knew his own guards were upset with his actions here. That they still resented how he handled the matter with the Deathless Elf. They yet disrespect me, even if they obey me. “You did the right thing. But there will be more right things to do in the future.”

Talla laughed sadly at this. “Aye, my lord. There will be…” Her gaze turned not to the curtains but to the side, as if she did not wish to look at anything at the moment. “Mighty difficult, that.”

“Should we take care of your other wounds now?” he asked hesitantly.

She shook her head. “Not yet,” she muttered. Just as hesitantly as him, she asked, “If I may be so bold as to show weakness…” Talla laughed bitterly at this. “The same weakness that Elders accuse me of. I would like your shoulder for a bit. Company keeps feelings of concern and regret from creeping into my mind.”

He sat down beside her and allowed Talla to wrap the blanket around them both. It was not yet cold but it felt pleasant. “Aye, my lady. But only if you allow me to show you the same weakness in the future.” Von was only vaguely aware of how she had supported him after they returned Jonathan’s body to the storm but he remembered her help. “My father always told me that to mistreat your emotions is to stunt your abilities in the future.”

She smiled at him. “Suddenly, your late lord father’s constant disagreement with the Elders makes a lot of sense.”

Von let out a quiet, nervous chuckle. “I have lost a lot as well, my lady, and I am sure there will be a day when I once again call for your support.” He looked her in the eye. “We have both lost our lives as we once knew. I would like nothing more than to return to the man who can stay in his room and fool himself into thinking there is nothing his weak hands can help. There is no returning there. I have seen that these hands of mine can wield a sword and that this title of mine can be wielded to protect my people. I cannot run from my duty nor will I allow myself to break from it.” Here he lowered his voice and added, “But I would like to be able to wither at times in the presence of a friend.”

“You will always have it.” Talla smiled at him and the source behind the amusement on her face was obvious enough. You hated me before, and yet now we have strangely found an ally in each other. “If you wish for it.”

“I do.”

She regarded him seriously. “I will not abuse your kindness, my lord. I understand that supporting an elf might cost you much support at home.”

He stubbornly shook his head. “I care not.”

“Let us hope that we make it through this storm and find clear skies, then,” she said.

He shook his head and smiled as he sat down beside her. “My fair lady, we do not hope for the storms to end. We hope to thrive in them.”

Rei

He brought tea for the Third Elder as if that mattered in the slightest. Talla killed the First, he thought in horror, how could she? Another thought came to him. How could I allow it? It was my responsibility to protect him. I swore my oath—I am of the Elderguard! The First died right before my eyes! But his oath had also stopped him from interfering. The First had agreed to a duel and honor meant only the Chain and the Fire would interfere. But I still watched him die. Rei had not felt like a failure after losing to Von. He did feel like one now.

“Wonderful tea, my noble protector,” the Third said, sipping at it and then setting down the cup on a side plate. “I must thank you for accepting my unreasonable request to guard me for a fortnight.”

“It is no request,” Rei said quickly, bringing a fist to his heart. “The Elderguard stands ready at your service, my Elder.”

The Third chuckled. “It is unfortunate you were bested by the human.”

“Yes,” he acknowledged, a surge of shame going through him. Not that he had lost to a human, but that a member of the Elderguard had lost to an outsider. “It is. But I will not allow it to happen again.”

“Of course not.” There was a silence. “Do you think your body capable of handling more than one Heartbeat?”

Rei heard correctly from the first, but it was only after the Third repeated himself that he was sure he wasn’t mistaken. “My Elder, I—I believe I am. But what manner of Heartbeat—“

“The First will be using his no longer,” the Third muttered. “And none of us Elders think ourselves foolish enough to engage in a duel in our advanced age. We have bequeathed our Heartbeats to your generation for a while now. The First was the only one to stubbornly hang on to his. Stubborn man, that one. He could only dream of trees he would live to see the shade of.”

Rei fell to one knee when he realized this was not a mere hypothetical. “My—my Elder! It would be an honor, but the First’s Heartbeat is—“

“—Quite strong, yes. That is why I ask you if you can handle two. I have known of many who died attempting to handle two Heartbeats inside their body before.”

“Yes,” Rei promised. “I can do it.” I will make myself handle them.

“Good!” The Third appeared positively cheerful here, as if he hadn’t just watched his brother in eldership die before his eyes. “We need the Elderguard to be at their strongest when the winds of change blow.”

“What winds, my Elder?”

The Third looked at him, his eyes filled with amusement. “My boy, do you not know of your lord father’s plans? Cywin means to take over the Woodlands, I am certain.”

“That is not—“ Rei was quick to try to deny it but he could not. I swore an oath not to lie to the Elders.“He is my father no longer,” Rei muttered. “I cut my familial bonds upon swearing myself to the Elderguard.”

The Third nodded and smiled kindly at him. “Aye, you did, boy. And that is why we can trust you with this. You will side with your oath, not your family. Of that I am sure.” He nodded once more, humming a low tune to himself. “The First is dead, so retrieving the Heartbeat will be an easy process—you will only need to reach into his heart after we cut open his chest.”

The thought of having to rummage through the First’s corpse filled him with dread, so disrespectful was the act—but it was better than how he had acquired the Valor Heartbeat. It was an ancestral Heartbeat, so we could extract it from Kai without his consent while he was asleep. It returned to the man who held it before—the Third Elder, who promptly gave it to Rei. My brother will never forgive me for it.

“I will make you proud, my Elder,” Rei swore. All my life I wanted a way to prove myself. This will be it. “I will protect you from anything my Lord Fath—Cywin attempts. And once that matter is settled I will defeat Vandyr myself, and rid our kind of the curse!”

“Good, good!” the Third cheered. He clapped at this declaration for a few seconds, slowly fading into silence. “Do you ever wonder, though?” he muttered.

Rei raised his head. “Wonder what, my Elder?”

“Vandyr is an elf. He was sent there to Chain the Depth…and he was quite willing to do it too, at first. Do you ever wonder why he not only refused to do it but set himself on keeping anyone from ever doing it as well?”

“No,” Rei confessed, “I never thought about that. Whatever his motives might be, he betrayed our kind and brought suffering to us.” I know many who became Deathless. His fist tightened. “And he will pay for his evils.”

The Third nodded. “Ah…you are right, of course. But sometimes…sometimes this old man wonders.”

Talla

It was just under two weeks of travel time to reach Stormhelm and she could not wait until they had done so. There was little to complain about the journey itself, as the cabin made for nice sleeping quarters—separated by a thick curtain for privacy—and they had enough supplies for comfortable meals. Even the cold was hardly an issue. But her wounds ached and she would like to be seen by a healer at some point. In Stormkeep. Not in the forest. It was an irrational thought, she knew, but she could not help but worry—if the healer took liberties with her treatment, would Von’s word be enough to make him stop?

There are fourteen men accompanying us. Von and I could not fight all of them by ourselves, especially as we are both still healing from our injuries. It was only Von’s authority that kept them in line and she sometimes worried that they would turn on their lord. They did not fully respect him, she realized. Not with his past and not certainly with her as his traveling companion. Unkind rumors about the nature of our friendship must be flying about, she thought. How easy would it be to say they lost us in the forest…blame it on elves. Hide our bodies somewhere. The men seemed respectful of their lord but their disdain from elves had grown into a strong dislike since the coachman’s passing.

Ah, they were polite enough to Talla herself—and even seemed to like her, especially after she killed the First Elder. But the further they got from elven territory the bolder their jokes about her kind became, even if they assured her they were not directed at her. They like me, she thought, but they hate elves. And they liked Von—but they did not respect him.

Not enough.

Not enough to keep her from finding out, eight days into the trip back, exactly how much they hated elves.

It had been a pleasant day of travel, with easy roads and easier weather, and the men had asked for permission to have a few drinks that night—which Von had freely given. At first the atmosphere was festive and Talla found herself smiling at the songs and jokes the rowdy men produced. They were a different sort but she could tolerate their insults after a fashion. They are harsh, but they are grieving. Their hearts are not filled with malice. This thought—and some cups of wine—allowed her to enjoy herself there.

Until Edgar, one of the guards, found courage at the bottom of his wine glass and produced his prize from his pocket—a bright green jewel attached to a set of cloth, flashing it at the group. “Look what I’m bringing home for my wench,” he declared proudly. “She always complained I never gave her a fancy ring like some lordling would have. Well, this ought to do, eh?”

There was an eruption of laughter in the group, and even Talla found herself chuckling once or twice before her mind realized what that was. Fury sobered her up and she rose to her feet. “That is a Maiden of the Forest’s brooch,” she declared. “How did you get that?”

At first Edgar reacted in a concerned shock, but then he relaxed into a burst of drunken laughter, encouraging those around to join him, though they were not very enthusiastic about that. “Well, let’s say I showed her a good time and she was more than willing to part with it, if you catch my meaning, milady”

Another round of laughter—this one quieter than the last.

Talla stepped forward. “Maidens of the Forest work for fifty years to earn their brooch. They do not give them away. It is more importan than their life.” She gestured at the ripped cloth yet attached to it. “You stole it from one.”

There was a silence.

“I did not hurt her,” Edgar said quickly, “I merely ripped it off her dress—though I did get a good look at her chest when I did, I will tell you that much. But I did not hurt her,” he added again, “I did not, milady! It was dark, but she ran back home unmolested after that!”

Talla’s hand fell to her sword and many men mirrored her movement. “You dare—“

Von stood up and they all stood still. He walked toward them and took one more step than Talla did to look the taller guard in the eye. “I was hopeful none of you had shamed us with your behavior while we were in Bosque,” he muttered.

“They killed Jonathan!” Edgar nearly spat the words at his lord. “They can’t even keep their undead fucks from attacking our friends. What does it matter if we steal a piece of jewelry or two? It’s only fair, if you ask me, milord.”

None rose to his defense but they all looked down. While there were very few of them who would have done such a thing, there were many who would not blame someone for engaging in such an act. They all looked hesitantly at Von and Talla knew why. They are wondering how their Second Lord will act here.Once their lazy lord and after the traveling swordsman, not many had experience with his leadership. Hatred of elves is acceptable. They think they are not crossing lines…but they wonder about their lord’s opinion.

“There is no fairness in theft or assault, Edgar,” Von muttered coldly. “None.”

Edgar drunkenly stumbled forward. “My lord, with all due respect, I must ask that you do not let all the elven loving—“ he gestured at Talla “—does not distract you from reason. Proper Stormeners should take what they want from those who—“

“One more word,” Von said, “and the allowance for drunken outbursts will be gone. I take some responsibility for allowing you drink, but your actions are not something that can be ignored.” He stared at the man. “We are almost at Stormhelm. My brother will pass judgment on you upon our arrival. Mayhap he will be kinder than I feel inclined to.”

There was a moment of tension, and Edgar nodded slowly. “Aye, my lord.” The two held their gaze on the other for a moment, until Von started to turn around. “It should be fine if I’m not judged by the fuckin’ elf lover,” Edgar muttered.

This caused a set of murmurs to pass through the group. They already whispered of Von being a pushover before. That he never punished them for being late. They will never respect him if he lets this go.But what else could he do? Perhaps it is better to ignore that single group. It is just a small group of soldiers. Von will be fine if—

Von whirled around and looked at Edgar in the eye. The older, taller man appeared offended at this and it was then that Talla realized the undertone of their interaction. The lazy lord was never respected much. That he became a good swordsman didn’t erase his reputation, especially as most fights were in other princedoms. “Milord, let’s not pretend there’s anything too different between us. I wanted a broach and maybe a glimpse of elven skin”—again he pointed at Talla—“we are similar, are we not?”

Silence fell, only punctuated by Edgar’s hollow laughter. When he realized no one else had joined him he too joined the silence and the air became heavier. “Captain Diego,” Von muttered, “bring out the box.”

What is going on? Talla wondered, as the men set forth in a simultaneous movement. What does that mean?

Edgar put both hands together in supplication as color was drained from his face. Two guards, men who had until now vaguely laughed at his jokes, grabbed him by either arm and forced him on his knees. Yet another guard produced a wooden trunk and placed it before him. Captain Diego brought two items with him—a small wooden box that he produced from a satchel attached to his horse and a sword. Not Von’s rapier, but instead a large, bright longsword “Milord, that—I was out of line. Wine had me speaking foolishness, you understand.”

“There is no need to wait for my brother’s judgment. All men are equal beneath the storm. The punishment for theft is a finger. You shall ride back to Bosque and return the stolen brooch in that box, accompanied by your flesh. You will beg for forgiveness on your knees and only then be allowed to return to Stormhelm. Should you not return within twenty nights, your home in Stormhelm will be burned and you will be declared a deserter.” He rested both hands on the longsword’s hilt. “Is that clear?”

“Forgive me!” he cried out. “I—I was drunk, milord! I didn’t mean to—I didn’t hurt the elven woman! I just took her brooch and enjoyed the sight, I did not—“

“Stay still, if you only wish to lose one finger,” Von muttered. “Show me the liquid courage of yours.”

A part of Talla had expected it to end there. For it to have been a show of force to regain their respect and keep his soldiers from doing so again in the future. But Von’s longsword came down in one swift gesture and Edgar’s scream pierced the night. “You will leave at sunrise,” Von told him. Then he turned around to the others. “Anyone else took ‘prizes’ from our visit to Bosque? Speak up now!”

There was no response and Talla felt fear. Von, if you antagonize your guards, they might turn on you! It had happened before, when lordlings were killed by their own guard in the woods.

“If you surrender your items now and have not assaulted anyone in your theft as Edgar has, you will be forgiven with a fine and the return of the stolen property. If you are found to have stolen anything, you will suffer the same fate as he. Well?”

Two more men stood up, their heads hanging low, and shamefully placed some gold coins and a cheap-looking necklace there. “Your actions are shameful,” Von told the two, “but your redemption is not beyond you. Ride with Edgar tomorrow. Keep him from more trouble, and your pay will not be docked upon your return.” They both nodded and Von turned to the rest. “We are men of the storm!” he thundered. “And we do not steal from people who have nothing. Dishonor yourselves are the cost of your lives. This will not happen again. Is that understood?”

Talla half-expected them to draw their swords in response. Instead, there was a cry of, “Aye, my lord,” followed by all—including Edgar—kneeling. What are Stormeners? Why are they—what do they consider honor? They hung their heads low as Von passed by her and she followed him into the cabin.

His face was white and his hand was trembling. “It is easy to decide to do the right thing,” he echoed, “but harder to do it when your willpower wanes and your resolve is tested.” His hands shook and his eyes twitched, but there was not a sign of regret.