The Dark Path [Empy and Lark]

[Skylark]

With the forced hiatus from Solia's downtime, Empy and I decided to revisit a classic fantasy setting for this rp. Should be fun, but please, no posting here if you're not us. Thank you.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lia Nymai Alean'dar's blue eyes widened whenever she turned her gaze upon the looming Korvanna Forest. Awe, bewilderment, and trepidation kept her silent as she rode beside her large body guard.

He had, so far, escorted her across mildly familiar lands but the stone cities she'd been born and raised in were behind them now. Midmorning yesterday they had crossed the line of the furthest from home she'd ever been before. Everything here was new to her, even the people.

Her bodyguard was even new to her. This was the first journey she'd taken with him. His bloodline lay with the Barbarian tribes far to the North and to the local stock of humans. The result was for slightly darker features than his kind normally faired. His hair was sandy instead of stark white-blond and his eyes were brown. What he did have in common with his Norther relatives was his body type. He was, in her eyes, solid muscle. Solid muscle and a list of rules she had to follow while traveling with him.

Rule number one, no talking; rule number two, no asking for special treatment; rule number three, he was in charge; rule number four, she must keep herself covered, her hood up, at all times while traveling on the roads; rule number five, to do as told, no questions asked.

The silence between them was driving her mad but the few times they had spoken made her almost glad that she didn't have to try and decipher his strong accent. It was still afternoon when they stopped for the night. They had no other choice. This was the last chance stopping point before entering the forest.

Largos took the reigns of her horse from her and dismounted before waiting for her to do the same. He handed her a small pouch of silver and grunted for her to get them rooms while he took care of their horses. She nodded from beneath the deep violet of her cloak's hood and went on inside without him.

Reveling in the ability to do so once off the road, she pushed her hood back, her chocolate curls free at last. Blinking at the contrast in lighting from outside to inside, she tucked her hair behind her pointed ears and bit down on her plump bottom lip before proceeding with caution to the bar, where she was likely to find the inn-keeper.

She rested a hand on the bar, her slender shoulders tight as she looked about for someone to ask about the room. Largos would be annoyed if she didn't have things squared away by the time he came in.

[Empy]

The Innkeeper was a busy man at this last outpost before the long road through the forest. He worked both the inn he owned, and the tavern below. And although there was a town further to the west, it was half a day’s ride, so the inn had become a town in and of itself; a way point to nowhere, and everywhere. Those who could not afford to stay inside, camped outside, and there were often many tents about to prove it. But everyone ventured in, regardless of price, for a hot meal and cool ale.

Price of course, was a variable. With the amount of business he had, the innkeeper could charge what he wished, and depending on your look, or your story, the price could change. However, when he saw the fair, young elf venture into his bar, his brows rose, and he wasn’t the only one to notice.

Drying his rough hands on a towel before running a hand through his golden brown hair as he moved toward her, the thick, rustic bar between them. His build was average for a human, though he was aged and wise in his experience and own travels, though those days were long behind him, and he now lived through the experiences and travels of others. “Now then, what’s a pretty thing like you doing all the way out here, all by your lonesome, hmm? Can I getcha a drink?” he asked, cleaning a glass before showing her it was indeed clean, as she looked like the sort that might decline if she thought otherwise. “Wherever yur headed, I assume you’ll be needing a room?” He asked, prepared to give her a discount, just on account of her looks.

[Skylark]

A cautious smile spread across her lips at the greeting she received from the man working the bar. The weathered look to his skin and ease in striking up conversation calmed her nerves slightly. Now he knew she was here there would be at least one more person who might notice if anything happened to her.

"Do you serve hard cider or sparkling wine here?" She asked, too tempted by the offer of a drink to resist. Back at home, she had rarely drank anything that was not served at one of her parents grandiose parties, so her tastes were a fair bit more expensive than the casual traveler. Hard cider was something she'd been introduced to her first night away from home and she was gaining a strong love for the numbing effect it had on her body after a long day in the saddle.

Bashful at first, she nodded to needing a room. "Two rooms, if you have them to spare next to each other that'd be even better." She smiled sweetly at him, knowing that her looks were already charming him. Now she could just try to sweeten the deal. "I do hope you're not charging as much as you could with such a formidable inn... such places rarely get the credit they deserve, I'm finding. Do you own both the tavern and the inn? I bet you have a pretty wife tucked away in the kitchen helping you, don't you?" When he corrected her, confirming he was a bachelor, as the lack of a wedding band on his finger had suggested, she smiled. "That's a shame. A good man can be so hard to find... and yet here you are, unclaimed?" She shook her head in disapproval. "How much will I have to pay for the pleasure of staying here at your inn?"

[Empy]

“Aye, I own both, and no, it’s the bachelor’s life for me.” He smiled at her as he poured her a glass of hard cider. A light drink, among the more heavier ones he carried, but suitable for a lady. “No Lady ever could stand me for too long. I’m more than a handful, they say, if you know what I mean.” He winked crudely at her.

“Two rooms?” the innkeeper deflated slightly, “You’re travelin’ with company then? I suppose that’s wise, out here on these wild roads…” Two rooms meant she wasn’t alone…but it also meant she was, that no one would be rooming with her. He smirked, “I think two pieces of silver each would be a suitable price for you and your companion, wherever they may be. Stablin’ the horses, no doubt?” handing her the class of cider, he motioned for her to follow him as he made his way back down the bar. He then opened the swinging door for her at the end and led her into the inn’s office where he took her silver and rummaged in the drawer for two adjacent room keys. “Here ya are. And I advise havin’ dinner and then headin’ on up to bed, before headin’ off to…where did you say you were headed again?” he said, noting she had avoided his question once before, “We get some unsavory folk, the later into the night it gets. If you’ll be needin’ the washroom, just let me know and I’ll send up one of my girls to get the hot water goin’ for ya. And if you need anything else, my name’s Harlow.” He winked.

[Skylark]

As much as she loved to flirt to get attention and things she wanted, Nymai was not used to such brazen suggestions as to what sort of handful he was. A blush colored her cheeks rosy before she nodded. "That seems like more than a fair price," she agreed.

Her soft hand, speaking fathoms about the easy life she had lived thus far, brushed against his as she took the glass of cider from him. Before following him, she took a sip of it, glad for the flavor and the wetness against her tongue after being outside all day.

As she walked, it was obvious from the way her skirts parted that they were not a skirt at all but merely floor length riding pants. Beneath them she wore a pair of good leather boots; beautiful as they were functioning. Her top was mostly hidden, however, by her cloak. She cast a few glances at the other patrons, but made sure to stick with the inn keeper.

"Ah, thank you for that advice. I appreciate that you've got my best interests in mind." This time, she hesitated more notably when he asked where she was headed. "My journey's end will see me to Rennalv," she said, naming a distant city. In truth, it would be the rural area just outside of Rennalv that she would be stopping at. Living at, even... but she still didn't much care to think of that.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Harlow," she said. "If you need call me anything, Lia Nymai will do just fine."

The main door to the inn opened and from where they stood, they could see who entered. She smiled a little. Largos took up the entire doorway and paused there a moment to glare in greeting at everyone in the inn before he caught sight of Nymai. He motioned to the door, signaling that he wanted her help with the bags, and she nodded a little before turning back to Harlow.

"Forgive me, but my traveling companion requires my company. He likes to keep me on a short leash..." She walked back the way she'd come to the stand before him. Holding out the room keys, she told him the price but he grabbed her glass from her, guzzling it down before setting it on the bar. He looked down at her and shook his head. How she drank that piss water was beyond him.

A few moments later she had her arms full and was following Largos across the room toward the stairs that would lead to their rooms.

[Empy]

“Ah, Lia, Nymai? I am honored” Harlow said with a swift, half bow. Though her name was not one he recognized, her title was, and he would respect her…to an extent. She was still a woman, after all. And a Lia among the elves, was no better than a Lady among the humans…he smirked and nodded as she headed away, returning to tend the bar.

Another pair of eyes, pale and grey, had caught sight of the fair elf maiden when she’d entered the tavern, but paid little attention to her afterwards, until her companion joined her. A thin hood covered his head as well, even where he sat indoors at the far side of the tavern, and the cloak attached to it covered most of his features and clothing. what could be seen was dark, black stained leather bracers and greaves, and a heavy sword buckled and sheathed about his waist. He had been reading a green, leather bound book until his attention was diverted to the couple by the door. The timely rhythm of his dark grey colored finger, stroking the length of his throat to his chin and back again, was interrupted, and that seemed to annoy him as his eyes narrowed.

This was no lover’s spat, no married squabble…this was a gruff man treating a fair lady like idle baggage. But as she did not cry out, nor complain of her treatment, he remained where he was, ignoring them once more in the shadow of his quiet corner.

[Skylark]

Any elf that respected their nobility, would not agree that a Lia was no better than a Lady among men. Their noble houses spanned for generations more than those of the humans and respect was given much more in their society to those at the top... no elf liked to think of the bottom of the totem pole. They merely strained to look to the top, and the precious few already at the top simply enjoyed the view and prestige of it all. It was a charmed life she'd been born into.

There did not seem to be an over abundance of charm at the moment, however. She carried a few of the saddlebags that smelled more strongly of horse than the leather they were made of. At the end of this, she would be glad to have an entire fleet of servants at her beck and call again... and if things went as they should, they would be her servants, obedient to her as her parent's servants had never been. Whenever she'd asked for something to be done they had decided to do it only if it was among the tasks her parents instructed them to complete for her.

She did not notice the man in the corner as more than a fleeting glance but she, once again, was the disruption to his quiet as her riding pants leg snagged on a chair leg, toppling the chair and everything she was carrying over. Her own graces lent her to staying on her feet, but it was not without a tearing sound, a rip appearing up to her thigh on one leg of her pants.

Largos looked back at her and grunted in his annoyance. "Stay there," he commanded her, going upstairs to put his load in the room he'd be occupying. Awkwardly, Nymai righted the chair and began to gather the fallen items, while also trying not to let too much of her leg show. Staying here was the last thing she wanted at the moment.

[Empy]

The chair toppling over and making a clatter in the room was the last straw. Ambient tavern noises were nothing to the hooded man, but a pale blooded buffoon was too much to bear. Slamming his book down on the table, he drained his tankard, stood, tucked the book into his belt pocket and strode toward her.

At first, Harlow feared there might be blood shed in his tavern, as he knew the hooded man, and he knew he liked his quiet when he was on vacation, which he was currently. However, instead of striking the girl down, kicking or shoving her aside, he bent in passing, picking up one of her fallen bags and handed it to her, his dark skinned fingers releasing it only when he was sure she had it. His eyes locked on hers, but without a word, he turned and headed up the stairs to his own room for the night.

“You alright there, Lia?” Harlow asked from behind the bar as a few more patrons entered for the evening, tearing his attention away from her before he could get an answer. And suddenly, she had no more attention. Every eye in the room had stared at her and the hooded man for several long moments, but now Nymai was a ghost in the room, no one wishing to bother themselves with her annoying presence, any more.

[Skylark]

Surprise lodged in Nymai's stomach at the sight of this stranger's dark skinned fingers. She knew that color, though not closely. When she looked up into his eyes, it was the first time in all her life she'd made such contact with a man like him... a drow. Her stomach churned as she held her breath, scared to breathe wrong near him. The stories of his kind had terrified her as a child.

She didn't even think to thank him before he slipped away, as silent as a shadow. Transfixed in the brief encounter, she wasn't given time to analyze it before Harlow called out to her. Nodding in answer, she saw his attention was already elsewhere... as was everyone else's.

Largos returned from upstairs and cast a look at her split pants leg before grunting at her to go change before dinner. She broke three of their rules with her next question. "May I have a bath first?"

He glowered at her and she shut up, going up to change before dinner and a bath... if he didn't let her have a bath here, she would revolt. This was the last step before being plunged into wilderness. She deserved to soak in luxury for at least a little while.

Back downstairs later, she was silent and sat between Largos and the wall, which seemed just as big as her companion close up like this, so as not to draw any attention to herself. After dinner Largos went to speak to Harlow about getting Lia her bath, and grudgingly handed over extra coins for the spoiling bath oils the elf would complain about lacking. She was, after all, traveling more lightly than she was accustomed to.

[Empy]

The drow did not return downstairs for dinner, and Harlow wound up sending up one of the serving wenches for him…only to have her not come back down for over an hour. Flustered and disheveled looking, as though her clothes had been quickly reassembled, she paused at Harlow’s glare as her boss snatched the coins from Largos. “Get yer loose ass back upstairs and run a hot back for the Lia.” He said, grabbing her by the hand to pause her for a moment. He then extended his hand and she reluctantly gave up the small bag of coins the drow had given her for services rendered.

She then scurried off to get the washroom prepared and came back down to fetch Nymai and show her where it was and how to work the pipes. “The oils are here, towels there,” she tucked her stringy red hair behind her slightly pointed elven ears and then curtsied. She knew a Lia when she saw one, and though she was a lowly bar wench, separated form clan and colony of any sort of respectable elven community, she respected Nymai’s presence more than anyone else there had yet to. “If you need anything else, just call, my name is Kyela.”

[Skylark]

Largos waited until the Lia was safely upstairs before he let out a big sigh and took a seat at the bar. The precious times he was apart from his charge were like heaven. She was unnerving to him, even when she was quiet. But her mannerisms... it was his first experience with high elves and here he found himself escorting about a Lia among the high elves. Ugh.

He ordered several stiff drinks, knowing that Harlow's pockets would be heavy at the end of the night if he wanted to drink enough even to feel a buzz. But at least he could put the girl from his mind... and there was a dice game going on at the end of the bar he wanted in on.

~

Nymai smiled when she found out Largos had even spent the coin to get her bath oils. Maybe there was a little compassion hidden behind his thick skull after all... And this girl seemed to understand what her title was.

"Thank you, Kyela. I'll let you know when I'm finished. The door locks, yes?" She wasn't much for the idea of undressing if any patron could barge in on her. Reassured that she would have secure privacy, she smiled once more before dismissing Kyela so she could enjoy her bath in peace.

It was as she relaxed and watched a patch of sky darkening through the small window high on the wall that she considered the stranger once more. Why had he helped her and no one else? And why hadn't he said anything? It was creepy... he was creepy.

[Empy]

“Of course it locks, Lia.” Kyela smiled and bowed out of the room, leaving Nymai to her privacy, even though she was eager to please. Serving a high elf would be something she could brag about for ages to come…instead of being known as the drow’s occasional bed mate.

Lucky for Nymai, her room at the inn had a lock on the door as well, and when Harlow tried to pay her a ‘friendly’ visit that night, he was rejected without even getting to try and seduce the ivory apparition. And when morning came, he was back at the bar where he belonged, or rather, in the kitchen just behind it with his employed wenches, preparing the morning meal for everyone, and that meant everyone. Breakfast was their busiest time of day and he wouldn’t have much time to devote to any one patron.

The Drow was one of the first up however, and went down when the tavern was still relatively quiet. Ate his meal and then headed out on foot into the dark and foreboding looking Korvanna forest where he went every day on his supposed vacation, the only man Harlow ever saw go in without a horse or companion. He never asked why.

[Skylark]

In the morning, Largos knocked heavily on Nymai's door, no doubt waking more patrons than just herself from their slumber. She called out to him that she was up and sighed heavily before actually rolling out of bed.

She tamed her curls and tied them back in a low pony tail, the end of which she swept over the front of her shoulder. Today she wore a belted dress that flared into riding pants rather than a traditional skirt and her same boots. But she left her cloak off for the time being, wanting to enjoy a little of the cool autumn morning without it's bulk.

After they ate and paid the last of their dues to Harlow Largos had their things packed and ready to go with their saddled horses. With practiced ease, the Lia swung herself up onto her horse, settling in there like she'd been born riding. Beside the beast of a horse Largos rode, she and her horse looked even more petite than they actually were.

With one last glance back the way they came, in the direction of her family's ancestral home, she kicked her horse into motion, riding along side her guardian as they entered into the foreboding forest.

~

Days passed and the high elf Lia who had passed through was forgotten by most as new travelers came and went and the regulars stirred up their own things to talk about. She had been beautiful, yes, but utterly boring. A scandal, like if Harlow had gotten his night time visit with the girl, would have made her stick in their minds... but on this day in question, she was about to make her mark on all of their memories. The drow's in particular...

The morning mist clung to the forest floor, even as midday approached. A storm was brewing deep in the forest and heading toward the edge. Electricity filled the air and the calm that settled before the rain would start. But the calm did not bring silence.

Branches snapped and were pushed aside, twigs broke, roots were tripped over... stumbling stirred up the first and freshest layer of fallen leaves; all of it accompanied by the sounds of a woman crying.

Anyone who saw the woman in tears would understand why instantly. She looked a fright. Her pale skin was ghost white, her sleeves and riding pants torn. Tattered at the bottom, even after only such a short time. Nymai's entire left side was caked in dried blood, though little of it was hers. Largos was no where to be seen but the sheer amount of blood on her suggested that he wouldn't be much to look at anymore.

Her eyes roamed the forest frantically, catching onto the slightest movements. Paranoia kept her vigilant, fear kept her moving... but even with those things, her energy was waning. It had been days since food or drink... any sign of civilization. All she saw now was the forest... and it's unspeakable dangers.

[Empy]

The drow was in the forest that morning, as he was every morning, and while he lived among light elves and humans, he did his best to maintain a day time schedule, even on vacation. He had almost gotten used to it…almost. Mornings were a time to himself, quiet, peaceful, even in such a dark and dank forest to most, he found the time there, tranquil. There were seldom any songbirds and most of the wildlife was on the ground, like himself, which helped him feel at one with the trees and the earth even moreso.

That morning however, just as she had that evening in the tavern, Nymai disturbed his peace. He heard her a mile away, her haphazardous tramping about. But it wasn’t until she grew closer, that he sensed something was wrong. Standing from where he had been crouched in the dirt, taking mushroom and herb samples, his grey eyes narrowed. She was running scared and reeked of blood…if the predators of the forest hadn’t been what caused her current state, it wouldn’t take them much longer to make it worse, and the town was half a day’s walk away.

Waiting until she drew closer, he darted out into her path, his moldy green colored cloak fluttering behind him as he let her aimless trek crash right into him, his arms gripping hers tightly to stop her in her tracks. “Hey, hey!” he hissed, holding her from her squirming, “Shh…do you want to bring the whole forest down on you?” he asked in a harsh whisper, his eyes finding hers once more as he tried to ascertain what was wrong without asking, without making any further and unnecessary noise. But her tears unnerved him…and he did not know why.

[Skylark]

Nymai very nearly screamed when she went crashing into something as solid as the drow but the sound was cut off by how dry her throat was. Blinking in confusion, she tried to move around him before her eyes met his and she recognized him. The fear of finding herself face to face with a drow lessened and the sheer strength of his grip on her made her relax just a little bit more.

At the same time, however, she was so glad to see a person that she didn't even care that this man was a drow. She threw her arms around him and clung to him, never wanting to let go. All she wanted was to be somewhere safe again and she knew he was the key to finding that again.

When he looked into her eyes, however, the answer was not a good one. Something truly traumatic had happened to this girl and she wasn't about to talk about it. She parted her chapped lips to speak and croaked a little, her voice coming out raspy. "Water... please?" Before he could even acknowledge the response, however, her knees gave out. She had been going too hard for too long and had exhausted herself entirely. And now that he was here, her body buckled, shutting down as she had forced it not to before now as she fainted against him.