Chapter 90: Reunion in Rain

The rain felt cold, Arden thought so. It was the first in days since it rained. He could not remember when it was the last time that it rained, or at least the when he saw raindrops falling down from the sky and forming puddles of water on the ground. The water drops dropped on his hood and flowed down his jester mask stained with blood. In front of him was a courier whose head he just smashed on a wall.

He’s currently in an alley around the poor parts of Dunwich. He has been looking for Couriers lately and yet there was no one that tells him anything about the Witch. No matter how hard he tried to make them talk. They will always say the same thing.

They know nothing.

That was the same phrase they say to him. It took him long to realize and certainly looking at the courier who’s head he smashed on the wall and his brain matter swimming with the blood and the rain made him feel like maybe they really don’t know about the sun’s crown and are just mere couriers.

Arden thought that he must have wronged. But he only followed what was imprinted on his head. His foster father has done this sort of thing yet somehow Arden felt like he hasn’t got any good results at all. He thought that there must be something wrong. He spotted the bag of the courier, wet with rain. He kneeled on one knee and started rummaging around the bag.

Every letter was the same, except for one. It was a simple letter in white parchment. He took it out and then read inside:

“After this, I will be returning home to you my dear. I have promised so and with this money, I will able to come back and marry you. So wait for me, my dear.”

A sharp sensation in the heart appeared. Arden stared at the letter with a wan expression. He watches the ink on the letter slowly fade away from the letter. The letter slowly got wetted by the rain too. He dropped the letter on the ground. His eyes were so impassive and underneath his mask was a panic expression. It was the face of a child that did not know what to do.

The rain continued on. Arden stood up and removed the mask on his face. He looked at the courier whose eyes are reflecting the dark clouds. He wanted to close those eyes yet there was fear clouding him to do so. His legs jolted in fear. He ran away from the ally and went down the road leading to the much better parts of the town. The mask was already converted into a ring. His tattered cloak was drenched in water so the bloodstains were not that noticeable anymore.

There were other people walking further along the road with him. They wore leather armor and have their hands on the hilt of their swords. They wore thick fur cloaks to repel the rain. Arden’s tattered cloak had holes and cuts and it barely repelled the rain.

He walked under the rain, daze. He was staring a thousand yards away while sometimes looking down on the soles of his feet. Tpa, tap, he could hear his boots stepping on the flagstones wet with water. The water filling on the street but they would go down the iron grates that would take the water to the sewers underneath the town. Dunwich has a rather fine sewer system and irrigation. There was a problem back in the days where the rats are around and there was dirt all over the town. This caused sickness and realizing that the Lord of the Town called for engineers to overhaul the town’s sewer system. Hence the town could be clean and orderly as it is.

Arden didn’t know when but he found himself walking on the river banks of the town. He was rather listless so he wasn’t able to notice which way he was walking towards. He could see the river raging as the water from the rain continues. The sky was so gray and everything he could hear was the drop of the rain.

The river banks would usually be filled with a green tone. The sun usually would reflect the sparkling water yet none of that could be found. Rain makes people gloomy and melancholic. Arden felt like he was getting worse since the letter really bothered him.

Arden strides slowly on the river banks, watching the raging water. He saw the church and the orphanage in the distance. He was about to go to the church but he noticed an armored figure wearing a white hooded coat. This knight had a sword shining under the moon on her pauldrons and her hair was golden. Arden stopped for awhile to glance at that figure. He thought that there must be something happening. He could not see any knights visiting the church unless it's business.

He was not fond of knights at the moment. So Arden made a distant at the knight entering the church and turned his back away from the place. The knight who was about to enter seemed to noticed that odd stare and turned her back. Water dripped on her left eye that has a scar across. She saw a figure walking in the distance. She felt like the tattered cloak was familiar. However, she didn’t pursue and turned her attention back to the church and entered the iron gates.

Arden kept on walking aimlessly. His boots were getting drenched and he slowly felt cold. He wanted to sleep so he ambled back to the direction where the Inn he was staying is. While sauntering he walk passed by a tavern filled with people. The Inn he was going to have a bar so he wasn’t going to stop and drink on this tavern. But at the time a person with a smoking pipe appeared. She has brunette, braided hair, and she wore a robe and an odd staff pokes over her right shoulder.

“Arden?”

The voice was clear despite the rain falling around. Arden who saw the person also widens his eyes in surprise. The person was someone he knew and grew up with. And looking at the person, holding a smoking pipe, and that familiar face of hers, made him say.

“Susan?”

...

The two stared at each other for a while. Susan ambled closer at Arden and patted her foster brother's shoulder. The look in his eyes was clear. She knew him too much and knowing the expression he was making. She understands that her brother is in turmoil again.

“Let’s drink something okay?”

Arden nodded. They then walked together to the Inn. Consequently, the Inn was the same Inn Arden was staying. The bar-keeper already knew Arden’s face and carried two mugs of beer to the table. The bark-keeper looked at Susan for a while before leaving.

There was silence. Susan crossed her arms while smoking that pipe of hers. She had a solemn look on her face as she exhales the smoke out of her mouth. Arden stared at Susan for a while, his eyes pointing at the cloud of smoke and her pipe.

“When did you start smoking?”

“Around winter I think?”

“I see.”

Arden nodded. He cupped the mug on his hands and sip on it,

“What about you? What happened? I was so worried about you ever since I heard that the Asmara Warband got defeated and only the Lady returned. What really happened?”

“It is a long story.”

“I want to know then.”

Susan stared Arden. He saw her stare and as if he was a good brother to her older sister. He nodded his head gently and started to explain. They were of same age at most but still, Susan still was the one that always looked out for her brother. Thus it was natural for him to be honest to his foster sister.

"Okay."

Arden said as he starts to explain what truly happen.