Between the Veil and Crown

Kylin 2

His horse bridled and saddled, Kylin was prepared shortly after a quick breakfast. But before he could leave town, he was approached by one of the Rangers there in the village.

"Captain said you were going to the end of the village line," the Ranger, whom he recognized as Numier, said.

"Was going to see Amelia," Kylin admitted. "I haven't seen her in a while and I wanted to check in to see how she's doing."

Amelia was not related to him by blood or marriage. He only knew that she was connected somehow to his Human side of the family and he had neither intention nor care to dig into the specifics. Whenever his mother had traveled to her village on her healer's work, Amelia would follow her around like a duckling. Kylin and Amelia became so familiar with each other that they were often referred to as siblings, and neither made any objections. She now lived on her own, a couple hours' walk away from the village at the end of the Veil village line. Having picked up on some of Kylin's mother's trade, she helped here and there in the village, but stayed away when she could as the soldiers terrified her. Her connection to Kylin and the association she gained to the Rangers because of the connection lead her to be one of the healers -especially one with knowledge of magic- that the Rangers called on when their own were overwhelmed and was viewed with a great amount of favor.

"Excellent," he said. "Perhaps I can persuade you then to accompany me." He jerked his head at a family some distance behind him. "If you could stick around a little while longer, this woman asked if I could escort her to her parents', which is in the middle of the line. Her husband died recently, and she has no means of living on her own with her children. Of course, she doesn't want to travel on her own, even on the forest path."

Kylin nodded, thinking back to Rei's rebuke to Jarven in the tavern the other night. He glanced over at the family the Ranger had pointed out. The oldest child could not have reached his tenth year; his mother gripping a small child barely out of its infant years on her hip while the other three children surrounded her. She watched the two Rangers with a tired face, a raised eyebrow betraying a hint of worry. There was no reason to say no; it would delay his visit to Amelia depending on their pace, but that was of no consequence. "Aye, I can do that. When do you plan on leaving?"

"They just need a bit of time to pack their belongings," Numier said. Before Kylin could fully process what he said, he quickly added, "It shouldn't be long. She's not taking anything heavy- just the family horse, the cart, and the essentials."

"That is no matter. Unless you need me, I will wait at the edge of the road."

The Ranger nodded acknowledgement and headed back to report to the family. Kylin mounted and directed his horse to where he promised to be. As he approached the exit out of the village, he noted a few soldiers heading in. They gave him looks through narrowed eyes, which he chose to ignore.

Despite the relationship between the Rangers and soldiers, it was not his joining that caused him to receive such suspicious looks from the soldiers. His mother was a proper Human of the Veil villages, but his father was an Elf from Elven territory on the other side of the Veil forest. Even though it was quite a distance, it wasn't unheard of or that uncommon for Elves to be found in the Veil villages. Just as Veil villagers would surrender their Harlofelp citizenry to join the Rangers, there were Elves that did the same, and would leave the Ranger base to travel in the villages. Just like any other Ranger, they were tolerated at best by the soldiers. But it was the union of the two races that was scandalous to the soldiers. They were born in raised in the more central parts of Harlofelp, where everyone knew their place and everyone stuck to it. Half-blood children were the evidence of people not knowing or not caring about their positions in life, and the lines that were not meant to be crossed. While there were villagers who also shared this view in regards to interracial marriage, Kylin found that they were a lot quieter about their gripes after he swore allegiance to the Rangers and gave up any right to citizenship of any other civilization.

When Numier approached with the family in the cart, he noticed Jarven following at a distance, a couple of soldiers alongside him. When Numier drew level, Kylin gestured to the soldiers and asked, "Were they given an invitation?"

Numier glanced behind and then shook his head. "Of course not. I'm pretty sure he's miffed that she didn't ask for his, or any other soldier's, protection." After they had started on, Numier added in a lower voice, "Of course, it will be better when Rei finally makes a move for the villages. The sooner he acts, the sooner the soldiers leave."

"Sooner, but that doesn't mean it will be quick," Kylin reminded him. "The king is sure to rebuff any negotiations, no matter how much Rei offers for them. Besides, we have to wait for the right time; otherwise, the king may just take an aggressive stance, and we've so far enjoyed his tolerance."

"He'd be a fool to do so," Numier muttered, shaking his head. "After all the help we've been giving."

And how much help they'll need in the future, Kylin thought grimly, thinking of the wearing enchantment barrier. "Doesn't Masitof's reason for keeping the village pertain to the forest too?" Numier pointed out. "If he wants to drive us out, Rei won't just let him take the forest."

"He might, and wait and see how long it takes for him to come crawling back for help," Kylin answered. "The only concern at that point is the villagers." He looked back at the family they were leading, noting that Jarven and the soldiers had followed them onto the path into the forest as well. He slowed his horse so he was level with the cart, pointedly making sure that Jarven and his two companions knew it was more for them than anything else. "Forgive me for my rudeness," he said apologetically to the widow. "I have not introduced myself. I am Kylin, and I will be helping Numier escort your family to your destination."

"Thank you. You may call me Myrtle." Her eyes were slightly red and even in her two short sentences, she was blinking back some more tears. She took a steadying breath and asked in a low voice that she could manage, "Those soldiers. Are they going to follow us the whole way?" There was a small trace of fear, and her eyes threatened to spill more.

"I would not be surprised, but I would not give them room in your mind, goodwife," he replied. "They have the same status as anyone else on this path, and they can only watch. They'll keep their distance as long as at least one of us is around."

Though she gave a small smile, he could tell that his words had not soothed her at all. She gave one last look back before keeping her eyes on the road before her with a stiff back. Behind her, her children sat with the small chest they were bringing. They were quiet and their faces were sullen. One of the sisters was huddled up next to the older brother, her eyes squeezed shut as though she was sleeping, but her tight grip on her brother's sleeve gave her away.

Kylin slowed even more so he was directly behind the cart. With the soldiers, it was by no means going to be a pleasant trip.