It was a surprisingly sunny day in the Medial as Elba rode gently through the forest. The mists were dissipating, crawling back like withered shadows over the winding dirt path. Birds twittered and fluttered around her, the soft sounds of squirrels chuckling as they hopped from tree to tree. A small river babbled beside her, following a narrow crevice along the path, its soothing melody as cool and calm as its glittering waters.
It was all picture perfect right there in the valley, but Elba was having none of it. No amount of sunshine, cute animals or fresh water could stop the coal burning furiously in her chest. She could feel it bubbling beneath the surface of her skin, her grip iron tight about the reins, teeth grinding slowly together.
And the worst part of it all was that she had no one to blame but herself. Libro had been right all along. They were two completely different people. Their lives were anything but compatible. It would have never worked out between them. Even though the time they'd spent together was something she'd cherish forever.
Elba puffed out her cheeks. Stars help her but she missed the man already. Thirty minutes of trudging through the endless woods and she found herself wanting for his company again. She imagined the conversations they could have had, the japes and jabs she could have made to get him all flustered, the way his eyes would glow when he stared at her.
The horse snorted softly before it came to a trudging halt. Elba gasped as she lost her train of thought, reached for her sword, then paused. A deer stood in her path, deep, black eyes scanning the horizon. It froze when it saw her, the stubs of its antlers poking out from the top of the skull. A young buck. With a swish of its tale it bounded over the crest of hillock, galloping off into the mists.
Elba watched it go, the burning in her chest gently cooling as a gust of wind blew past. Life, it seemed, was finally starting to trickle back into the valley. Perhaps the young buck she'd seen was only the beginning. She imagined fresh fish returning to the streams. Packs of wild boars roaming the forests again. Even an elk, maybe. Stars willing.
She gave the horse a soft hitch to keep walking and they meandered back down the path, a familiar clutch of rocks the first sign she was getting close. Soon she would see the familiar round yurt she'd called home since birth, her people waiting with open arms to the news she would bring.
Her mind wandered again as she imagined herself stepping down, telling Andelherd what she'd done. By all the stars in the sky she could only imagine the faces he'd pull trying to make sense of it all. Probably while stomping and snorting and spouting off more of his useless dribble. And she would smile all the while, knowing he had nothing left on her. A chief who gives her people land and security for the next generation would be a gift no man could scoff at, elder or otherwise. And even if they tried, the rest of the tribe would shut them up quick.
Her smile waned somewhat as her thoughts rested on her dah. She recalled what Sigismund had said the night prior. That he wasn't doing well. Not well at all. She hadn't believed him then. Her dah was as strong as an ox and had the best Pellar in all the land taking care of him, but as she stared at the misty ground, she began to think otherwise. She could only hope she'd made the right choices. That's the burden of being chief after all.
Besides, she had other things to worry about. She'd said some nasty things to Sigismund the last time around and it'd stuck to her craw like a nasty toothache. Took her all night to find the right words to say, but damn it all he was still her friend and she would do what needed done, even if she feared the outcome. Even if that meant figuring out things you're not good at. Like words. And emotions. She shuddered. Still, It had to be done. Once she found the man and apologized things would be right again. They could go back to the old times, and celebrate new ones too. There were new rivers to catch fish in. New forests to chase boar through. New lands to plant seeds and watch them grow. And she would need Sigismund by her side to make it all happen. He was her loyal hound to the very end.
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Tales of the Vangen: The Siege of Middengard (Book 2)
Fantasy[Completed]Five years have passed since the Black Ministry's betrayal against The Empress, their rebellion quashed at the hands of the Vangen Royal Guard. But the roots of treachery lie deep, and it is soon discovered that the Ministry did not act a...
