The Mission

Eventually, Sen came inside, and after they were past two doors and in their room, she stomped her feet and threw the bundle in her hand away.

“That! That stupid!” She growled, though it was somewhat quiet and Bard could tell she was trying to keep quiet since the walls weren’t soundproof.

“Are you alright?” Bard asked softly as he guided her to sit on the bed. She flicked his hands away.

“Is that even a question?” she quipped back and Bard apologized.

“That was insensitive of me. I can see you are upset. But I don’t know what happened.”

“He… Holger approached me, just like Ruegar and Elvira said he would. He is so predictable and so full of himself, it makes me sick. Like I would ever choose him over you,” Sen huffed. She was quite upset over this, and it did make Bard a bit happy, though he knew this wasn’t good in the long run.

“About that… I’m sorry for raising my voice like that.”

“Oh, I know you didn’t mean that. It’s part of the plan after all. It’s just so… ugh! He rubs my skin wrong with all his sweet talk. If you pay attention, you can see he has an agenda. It’s so plain as day. I don’t want to ever be around him alone again. You got that?” Sen said as she poked Bard’s chest, very pointedly. Bard stood up straight and nodded.

“Is that everything you wanted to say?”

Sen grumbled but then proceeded to say how much she disliked this plan and everything happening all till they were settling down for bed.

“Sen, do you wish we hadn’t come here?” Bard asked after a listening.

“No. It’s just, how can anyone treat others like that?” She complained. “It gross and disturbing.”

“It certainly isn’t good. So many suffer because of one man’s choices.” Bard waited for a bit while she calmed and then sat up. “Do you recall Perspective’s teachings?” Sen rolled over and looked at him. She nodded but held a frown. He chuckled. “Why so glum? Is it because you don’t want to see his perspective?”

“No. He’s a big jerk and way too full of himself.” She aired and Bard smiled knowingly.

“Sen, he has his reasons. Though that doesn’t justify his actions or the ends. But how would you look at this differently.”

Her pause was encouraging.

“He’s scared of loosing his position. He feels threatened because he knows he isn’t doing a great job, and people would leave if they felt they had other options. He focuses too much on what he has to lose than what he needs to change to become the kind of leader people will support and follow willingly.”

“Yes, and who do you think they would follow if that person gave them an opportunity?” Bard asked. Sen once again paused.

“You, Bard.” She said and Bard stiffened and blinked a few times at what she said. He fully expected her to say Ruegar or Elvira.

“Me?”

“Well, you are an Elder, though they don’t understand what that means.”

“Sen, I’ve not been part of a community, let alone humans for most of my life. Wouldn’t Elvira or Ruegar be better?”

“But Bard, Elvira and Ruegar are too focused on their priorities, their hobbies? I think that’s what they called it?” she said and Bard nodded, trying to listen while quelling his growing unease about this conversation. “Can you imagine a leader like Ruegar who leaves to crawl through the cities?” Bard shook his head. “And a leader who is stuck taking care of the sick?” Again Bard shook his head. She had a point.

“Sen. I’m not a leader either,” Bard pointed out.

“But you are the most likely to grow into that position. I was raised to become the leader of my people, and I can see that you already have most of the qualities my Father and Grandfather tried to instill in me.”

Bard sighed and laid back down on his blankets.

“Let’s not discuss that right now,” he said. She wouldn’t know of his mission. Nor why he would be unable to lead others. And he didn’t care to explain it tonight. He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep.

He inwardly groaned as he heard Sen’s bed creak and then the floor boards. He tried to ignore it, and pretend to be falling asleep.

“Bard?” Sen asked as she touched his shoulder. He tried hard not to flinch. “Why won’t you be their leader instead of Holger?” she asked, and he didn’t respond. “I know you’re not sleeping…”

He felt her fingers on the back of his neck and he shivered. They were cold!

“See. So why won’t you?”

He groaned and fixed the best annoyed look he could on his face as he turned to look at her. She held an unfazed expression.

“Do you even know what I want?” he asked, and she shook her head. He sat as he let out a weary sigh. “I just want to return to Father’s woods. He gave me a task to complete, and I haven’t finished it yet. Now I have to travel back to all the Elders I met just to preserve my life.”

“Are you complaining?” Sen asked and Bard frowned. He did admit it was a bit hard if he thought about it.

“Somewhat…”

She sat back and ducked her head. “I… I’m sorry.”

He was about to rebuttal her line of thinking but couldn’t get the words out of his mouth. Eventually after thinking about it, and watching her shrink and curl up, he reached out to her.

“I’m sorry, Sen. It’s a moment of weakness. Don’t think too much about it,” he said softly, stroking her hair.

“But-” He placed his finger on her lips.

“No. I’m sorry. You somewhat caught me off guard there. I’ve never considered leading others, so I don’t feel comfortable with the concept… That’s what this was about.” He said and she looked up at his eyes. He could see her worry, as well as her pity. She also still seemed sorry about the way this conversation went.

“Y… you mentioned a task…” she said at length, backing away and leaning against the side of her bed.

“Yes. I… I was meaning to tell you about it eventually.” She sat there with the most open, listening pose he had ever seen from her. “Years ago, over a decade ago, I oversaw Father conversing with this tall bird. Taller than a human. Its figure was shrouded in white robes, but in the cloak, it was dark, black like a shade. When they noticed my presence, it took off and flew away.” Sen perked up before rubbing her shoulders. Remembering how cold her hands were, he reached out to her, and she came and sat in his lap. He pulled the blanket around, and she hummed as she melted against him. She was very cold.

“When I asked Father about it, he said that soon I would leave on a journey and meet many Elders. I would need to get their tokens.” Bard remembered the moment as Kai came up to him under Father’s boughs. “I asked him, ‘why should I?’ he was the oldest and wisest out there. He said that other Elders would say things in ways that would help me better, than he could.”

“Like how if your parent says it, you take it one way, but if a stranger says it, you take it a different way?” Sen commented.

“Yes, actually… But before I could leave he told me to investigate the shades. To look for the avian that I had seen talking with Father.”

“Is that why you know so much about them?” Sen asked and Bard touched his chin to the top of her head. He was glad her hairs were still braided so they wouldn’t be in his face right now.

“In a way. One of the Elders taught me about them, and I learned a lot from the catfolk since they encounter them a lot. The concern is how many more there are. When I first started to travel, my encounters were rare, and the tokens were enough to keep them away. Now it’s nightly. I worry if they ever come out in the day-”

“But they disappear in light.” Sen pointed out.

“Yes, but if there are clouds in the sky, then they can move about. If those storm shades can learn to control the clouds, then I worry if whole regions will be covered in darkness,” Bard said.

“And what are you supposed to do about it.”

“I’m not.” She started to look up at him, and he quietly stroked her arms to help them warm. “I was asked to gather information. Father still hasn’t told me what to do with that information. It’s why I am grateful to be heading back and reporting to him, but also why this whole pledge is a bit… hard sometimes.”

“Oh… and here I thought you just didn’t like me,” Sen said and drooped. Bard hesitated and then reached his arms around to pull her into a full hug.

“I do like you, Sen. If I wasn’t worried about the shades and everything else, and it hadn’t been thrust upon me, I probably would have asked you to marry me if we ever met under different circumstances.”

“But what about now? Even if it didn’t go the way you wanted? Would you still be happy with it?” She asked and Bard smiled. If he was getting the good end of the stick, then he should be happy.

“You’re right. Even if it doesn’t happen the way I would want, I can still enjoy it. And I am happy to have you in my life, Sen. As I said, it’s just a moment of weakness. A lot has happened since just before Fall.”

Sen shifted in his lap and looked up at his eyes.

“We can do both you know. The pledge and your task.” She reminded and he smiled softly. There was more to it than that, but if she knew the whole depth, would she still say this?

He heard her grumble as she looked at her bed.

“What is it? Scared?” He asked.

“No. I’m just realizing my bed is going to be so cold…”

Bard paused and then laughed. Her simple line of thought was refreshing.

“Let’s trade blankets. That should help,” he said as he moved to get up. Sen pouted, and he lowered an eyebrow to giver her a no-nonsense sort of look. She twisted her mouth in displeasure but got up, shivering until he placed the blanket around her. He took hers and then helped her tuck into her bed before returning to his own. The blanket smelled of Sen’s forest home, and he was surprised how much he liked the scent.