The Stars of Areon (The Chronicles of Areon Book 1)

by Aaron J. Ethridge

  “Does that help relieve your weariness?” she asked softly.

  “More than I can explain,” he answered, sinking deeply in his chair.

  “Look at him!” Gwendolyn said, almost between clenched teeth. “I suppose he's just loving that.”

  “He certainly doesn't seem to be struggling to get away,” Erana replied, glaring intently at the rogue.

  “If I were him, I'd be ashamed of myself,” the young maiden asserted, her own gaze locked on the Telian.

  “Well, he's just a man after all,” Erana replied. “You can't expect any better of them.”

  “I did expect better from him,” Gwendolyn said, shaking her head. “I don't think it's fitting for a knight to allow himself to be fawned over like that!”

  “A knight...” Erana replied, before turning her eyes to the young Telian, “Oh, yes, I guess it is even less becoming of a knight. Not that Kilren should be acting like that, either.”

  “Well, no, perhaps not,” the maiden nodded. “Either way, it would have been much more seemly for them to sit with us.”

  “Undoubtedly!” the ranger exclaimed.

  Shortly after this conversation, the meal was ready and the entire party ate their fill. The knight and the rogue remained seated at the table where their fair captors would allow them to do nothing for themselves. The sorceress and her husband continued to discuss politics and the possible future of the region. The bard played and sang and told tales to everyone's delight. Of all the company, only the ranger and the maiden at her side weren't completely satisfied. Long into the night, they discussed the inconsistency of men and their weakness for a beautiful face.

  At last, the evening's entertainments were brought to an end. In the elvish custom, most of the hosts decided to spend the night in the common room along with their guests. The elder excused himself by explaining that, at his age, he preferred the comfort of his own bed. The tables were moved aside and a large number of exquisitely soft pillows were brought into the chamber from one of the adjoining rooms. The party was then divided into two groups. The men slept on one side of the room; the ladies on the other. Most members of the company were both filled and contented enough to fall immediately to sleep although, here and there, whispered conversations were carried on until dawn broke.

  As the sun rose, so did the entire party. At once, the sleeping fire was stoked and the elvish matrons began cooking breakfast. Tables and chairs were replaced and, in a short time, the company sat down to enjoy another meal together. Although they would have found it difficult to explain the reason, both Erana and Gwendolyn deserted their companions of the previous evening and seated themselves beside the rogue and the knight, respectively. The elvish maidens once again surrounded the masculine pair and insisted they be allowed to serve them. To their feminine guests, they were both considerate and courteous. However, the ladies were waited on with polite formality, whereas the men seemed served with genuine zeal.

  After the company had consumed its breakfast, Ian and Tealor announced that they had to be speedily on their way, much to the disappointment of their hosts – and much to the relief of two of their companions. Again, the Telian was told to stand and, again, he obeyed.

  “I wish you had more time,” Cellias said, lifting the knight's breastplate. “You're a rather pleasant companion.”

  “Thank you! I wish we had more time, too,” he replied with an innocent smile. “Both the meals and the company were excellent.”

  “I wouldn't have expected such a gallant knight to mention the food first,” she replied with a knowing grin. “And you, good Kilren; you won't forget us?”

  “Not likely,” he winked. “If fortune smiles on us, perhaps we'll find our way here again someday.”

  “If so, fortune will have smiled on all of us,” she replied.

  Erana had always taken excellent care of her teeth. She felt it was important because you only got one set to serve you throughout your adult life. It was due to this constant care that they were able to endure the grinding to which they were now subjected without shattering. As she sat in silence, her jaws locked, Cellias turned her attention to the fair ranger.

  “And, certainly, dear sister,” she said with a nod. “Should you find yourself in the area, you won't hesitate to come and see us?”

  “Of course not!” Erana replied, forcing herself to relax her jaw muscles enough to speak. “It would be a pleasure.”

  “Perhaps, we'd get more time to talk if these men of yours knew how to care for themselves,” Cellias jested.

  “I can't claim any of them as mine,” the ranger replied, glaring at Kilren with a forced smile. “But, I'll do my best to teach them a little bit about serving themselves in future.”

  “All the hard tasks in life fall to us ladies,” the elvish maiden sighed. “Not only do we have to feed, clothe, and clean them; we also have to teach them how to care for themselves. That's often the hardest task of all.”

  As Erana and Cellias were still speaking, another of the elvish maidens approached bearing the knight's sword. As she neared the young knight, Gwendolyn sprang from her seat and snatched the blade from the elf's delicate hands.

  “Excuse me!” she said, taking the belt and wrapping it quickly around the waist of the Telian. “This is a service best offered him by one of his constant companions.”

  “Of course,” the elvish maiden replied with a slight look of confusion on her face.

  “She's right,” Darian immediately agreed, trying to lessen the elf's embarrassment. “The last maiden to wrap this belt around me was my sister. It's more fitting that Gwendolyn should do it. I'm sure you understand,” he said, smiling broadly.

  “I do,” the elvish maiden nodded.

  “Either way, I thank you!” he bowed.

  “You are more than welcome, Sir Darian,” she said with a gentle smile before slipping behind her other companions.

  A few minutes more found the party back on the road and Earlin fading quickly in the distance. The young maiden and the elvish ranger led the little band with fast and sure steps while the knight and the rogue strolled along side by side, discussing the previous evening. After a short while, Kilren increased his speed and took up his normal place at Erana's side. Rragor welcomed him with a wag of his tail as the rogue firmly patted the beast's side. Gwendolyn decided to leave the pair alone and lessened her pace until she was walking alongside the knight.

  “You certainly seemed to enjoy yourself last night!” Erana said with a noticeable edge in her voice.

  “I hope you did, as well,” Kilren ventured.

  “Oh, yes!” she nodded excitedly. “Cooking dinner for an army! It was great fun!”

  “Well, I hope you enjoyed the company at least,” he replied.

  “Not as much as you did!” she observed.

  “Actually,” he sighed. “I was a little lonely last night.”

  At this, Erana burst out with a harsh, forced laugh.

  “I don't think it was proper to let them strip your armor off like that,” Gwendolyn said suddenly as the pair marched along.

  “No?” Darian asked, turning toward her. “I wasn't sure about that myself. Still, I don't know how I could have stopped them without being rude.”

  “Let me think... hmmm...” the maiden began, tapping her finger on her head as she pretended to consider the situation. “I guess you could have said 'No, thank you' but, maybe that didn't occur to you at the time. I can see how your mind might have been occupied by other things.”

  “I honestly did consider it,” the knight replied, shaking his head. “I even tried to say it, but Cellias told me not to be ungallant.”

  “Well, you certainly weren't that!” she exclaimed.

  “You think not,” Darian smiled. “It's good of you to say! As a knight, I'm supposed to be able to handle myself in situations like that, but I think I'm better at fighting than at talking to beautiful women.”

  “Yes, you are!” she readily agreed.

&nb
sp; “You certainly looked lonely!” Erana said sarcastically. “Surrounded by all those... ladies...”

  “Well, there was one lady I kept hoping would join us,” Kilren replied.

  “Oh, yes!” she exclaimed. “I'm sure you've always got room for one more!”

  The rogue bit his lip, trying not to smile and doing his best to stifle a laugh.

  “Actually,” he said, clearing his throat, “I kept hoping you would join us.”

  “And, why was that?” she asked. “You were already surrounded by an army of beautiful girls! I'm surprised you even noticed I wasn't there.”

  “Beautiful?” Kilren laughed, doing his best to sound sincere, which he did well enough to satisfy female vanity. “Those girls?”

  “Well, what about Cellias?” Erana asked in an accusing tone.

  “I know...” the knight sighed. “Still, I did my best. Do you think I was awkward?”

  “Awkward?” Gwendolyn replied. “No, not awkward!”

  “Oh...” he said before pausing a moment. “Are you angry with me?”

  “What?” she replied, doing her best to soften her tone. “No! Why would I be?”

  “I have no idea,” he said, raising his shoulders. “You just sounded angry. I mean; I may not be very polished company, but I did my best.”

  “You did fine, you just should have... Oh, I don't know. And then, when that girl went to put your sword on!” the maiden said with a flash of temper. “Who did she think she was?”

  “Well, in truth it would have been perfectly acceptable,” Darian pointed out. “Any lady can do that. It's just taking it off that would have been improper.”

  “Any lady could do that, eh?” Gwendolyn asked.

  “Well, yes,” he admitted. “But, I'm glad you offered. It was less embarrassing.”

  “Why was that?” she asked, looking in his eyes.

  “I don't know,” he replied. “I guess you remind me of my sister.”

  “Your sister?!” she exclaimed.

  “Cellias... Cellias...” the rogue repeated thoughtfully.

  “You know who I mean!” Erana said vehemently. “Tall, blond hair down to the floor, crystal blue eyes, all over you all night.”

  “Oh, yes! Cellias, of course!” Kilren replied. “I was forgetting already. She was alright, I suppose.”

  “Alright?” the ranger laughed. “She was gorgeous!”

  “Was she?” the rogue asked, pretending to consider the question. “Well, to be fair, I was comparing her with you, so the poor thing didn't really have a chance.”

  The ranger rolled her eyes with a sigh, “Do you really expect me to believe that?”

  “All I can do is tell the truth,” he replied, shaking his head. “I can't make you believe it.”

  Although the ranger continued to refute the rogue's claims as they marched along, the fire in her eyes slowly died and a slight, but sincere, smile spread across her face.

  “Well, yes, like my sister...” the Telian nodded. “Did I tell you I had a sister?”

  “No, you didn't,” Gwendolyn replied. “In fact, you haven't told me much about your family at all.”

  “Oh, well, that's easily fixed,” he smiled. “I have a sister, as I mentioned, and a brother, a mother and a father; I've got one of each,” he chuckled.

  “How very nice!” she replied, a sharp tone lingering in her voice.

  “It is,” he agreed. “They're wonderful people. I'm sure you're going to like them and I know they're going to like you a great deal.”

  “And, do you?” she asked, turning to look at him.

  “Of course I do,” the knight laughed. “What kind of a question is that? We're friends, aren't we?”

  “Yes, we are,” she smiled.

  For a few moments, the two strode along in silence before the maiden spoke once more.

  “So, you want me to meet your parents?” she asked, staring at the road before them.

  “I do,” the knight nodded. “I think they'll find all of you to be excellent company.”

  “All of us...” she replied softly. “Of course...”

  “Is something wrong?” he asked with a note of concern in his voice.

  “No... No, not really,” the maiden sighed. “I was just thinking. I miss my mother.”

  “Don't worry,” he assured her. “You'll be together soon.”

  “I supposed we will...” she replied.

  The conversation died between the pair; each one wrapped in their own thoughts. The Telian considered the task at hand and his duty; the maiden considered her probable future and the Telian. For a long while, they walked in silence. When their conversation was finally renewed, the subject had shifted to the more everyday topics of when they would eat their next meal and how far the party would be able to travel before the night set in.

  In truth, the band was within a few miles of the fords when the last lingering rays of sunlight abandoned the face of Areon to the oncoming night. The decision was made to spend another evening on the Innalas side of the river. They would cross into Mikral first thing on the following morn. The party built a small fire, gathered around it, and ate some of the provisions the citizens of Earlin had given them. One by one, they drifted off to sleep with the knowledge that the following night would be spent in Andor's fortress.

  The sun rose in a sky half filled with dark and ominous clouds. With the threat of a storm brewing, the party headed for the fords as quickly as possible. They reached the riverside to find the water already higher than they had hoped. However, even the dwarf was able to make the crossing without getting wet very far above his waist (deciding, this time, to trust his own feet rather than those of his companion). In moments, the entire party was safe on the opposite shore.

  Immediately, Darian took the lead. They were still miles from the fortress but, if they marched at a steady pace, they would reach it before the sun set. The most direct course led them through a meadow that was several miles wide. As the party crossed the field, the sharp eyes of the ranger caught site of something moving in the shadows cast by the clouds above.

  “There are riders behind us,” she said, shielding her eyes from a ray of sunlight that broke through the clouds. “They're Valrak's men.”

  “How could they have known where to find us?” the rogue asked, staring in the direction of the distant riders.

  “I don't know, Kilren, but it seems they did,” Tealor replied, “We have to reach the tree line before they reach us or we don't stand a chance. There must be forty of them.”

  “Fifty,” Erana replied, still gazing behind her. “We need to hurry!”

  The band immediately burst into a run. However, it soon became obvious that, even with all her determination, Gwendolyn could not keep up the pace. She was quickly placed on the dwarf's back; he seemed to carry her load without the slightest reduction in speed or agility. The riders behind them drove their animals onward with a fury that shook the earth with the pounding hooves of their powerful mounts. With each passing moment, the distance between the pursuers and the pursued lessened; but, so did the distance between those who fled and the forest shelter they hoped to reach.

  With all the energy that their flesh could muster, the party threw themselves into the mad dash. If they could only reach the trees, they would a have a chance to drive back their foes and survive the encounter. It seemed the party would reach their haven before they were overtaken when another band of riders rode slowly from the edge of the woodland. The party was surrounded.

  Tealor stopped, panting for breath as he drew his sword.

  “We'll have to make our stand here,” he said between gasps. “We can't hope to win but, there's nothing else we can do.”

  “There is one thing,” Gwendolyn replied quietly. “We can surrender.”

  Chapter 13: Against the Foe

  “That's not really an option, lass,” Ian smiled. “Even if we were to give you up, they'd kill us all anyway.”

  “He's right,” Tealor no
dded. “We've already slaughtered enough of Valrak's men that they're not likely to forgive and forget. We'll have to defeat them, which isn't likely, or die trying.”

  “I'm sorry!” Gwendolyn cried, doing her best to suppress a sob.

  “There's nothing for you to be sorry about!” Sarena said, wrapping her arms around the young girl. “This is Galrin's doing, not yours. Besides, we should have known better than to move in the open; no matter how safe we thought the area. Still, where there's life, there's hope. Command us, my love, time is running out.”

  “As always, you're right, dear heart,” Tealor smiled.

  The warrior quickly studied the area and formed what strategy he could with what little time he had. A small hill rose a short distance ahead. It was decided that the valiant party would take its last stand on its top.

  “Kilren, you and Erana stand here,” the warrior said firmly. “I'm sorry, but you're going to have to shoot their horses from under them.”

  “I'm not...” the ranger began.

  “Look, Erana, it's the animals or us!” he demanded. “You can shoot to wound, but you have to make them fall! If we can't break their first charge, this is all over.”

  “I... I'll do it...” she said, tears forming in her eyes as she spoke.

  “I'm sorry,” he replied, shaking his head. “But there's no other way.”

  As the warrior turned his attention to the next point of defense, Erana gently slid her hand into Kilren's.

  “It'll be alright,” he assured her. “We can stop the poor brutes without killing them, and then Darian can heal them when it's all over.”

  “And, if Darian's dead?” she asked.

  “Well, you're right there,” he nodded. “We may not make it out of this one. So, I guess I better make use of the time I have left.”

  Having said this, he pulled the beautiful elvish maiden into his arms, took the back of her neck gently in his hand, and kissed her softly on the lips. After a moment, she drew back with a look of confusion in her eyes.