E06 - Ch 26: Something Different

Sharp-eyed as ever, Feyla was the first to spot him.

"Aelric!" she called and waved to him. But before she could run to him, her mother caught her by the arm and turned to her older sister, speaking something hushed. Feyna nodded to her mother with a hard expression.

The family was sorting through the broken wreckage of their home and he saw that what they had salvaged had been laid to the side. Most of it was broken.

Feyna met him halfway the distance. Though he smiled at her, he found no warmth in return.

"This isn't a good time, Aelric," she said, coming to a stop once she was within speaking range.

"I just wanted to see if you and Feyla were alright," Aelric said, afraid of upsetting her again.

"Thank you." There was exhaustion in her voice. "But we need to focus on ourselves right now."

"Let me help," Aelric said, holding out his hands. "I'm good at lifting a heavy thing or two."

His belly still hurt from taking blows from both the demon and the Ascendant, but he was feeling surprisingly alright after a few hours of sleep.

Feyna's expression hardened. "No, Aelric. We've got it covered," she said, her voice colder than he had ever heard it.

"But I can—"

"No!" she shouted, cutting him off. Her eyes blazed with anger. "You can't help! Don't you get it? You aren't welcome here anymore."

The words hit Aelric like a physical blow. He took a step back, his mouth dry. "Feyna, I—"

"You don't understand anything," Feyna continued. "You think you can fix everything with your hands and your stubbornness, but you just make it worse, you stupid giant monkey!"

Aelric felt heat rising to his cheeks. "I was just trying to—"

"We're not lovers anymore, Aelric," Feyna said, her voice trembling with emotion. "Stop pretending like things can go back to the way they were."

He stared at her, the reality of her words sinking in. He had stupidly hoped that with Brint gone, they could find their way back to each other.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, the words tearing at him as they left his mouth.

✣ ✣ ✣

As he approached Elder Calm's modest dwelling, Aelric's heart sank at the sight of his mother hunched on the porch, her face hidden in her hands as her shoulders shook with silent sobs. She seemed lost in grief, unaware of his presence until he called out to her in a gentle voice.

"Ma," Aelric said softly.

Startled, she looked up quickly, hastily wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. She attempted a weak smile, trying to put on a brave face for her son.

"Aelric," she replied, her voice wavering slightly. "Elder Calm is inside, tending to your father."

Seeing his mother in such a state, Aelric felt a lump form in his throat. He struggled to find the right words, settling on a question that seemed inadequate given the circumstances.

"Are you alright?"

He mentally chastised himself for asking something so obvious, but as usual, he found himself at a loss at finding the right thing to say.

She nodded, wiping at her eyes once more as she tried to compose herself. "Of course. We've got a tough time ahead. We just need to get through it, that's all. Just need to get through it."

It seemed as if she were trying to convince herself as much as him.

Just then, Elder Calm emerged from the house, his weathered face lined with fatigue, but his eyes still held their characteristic gentleness. He regarded Aelric with a sympathetic look.

"Aelric, your father is awake. Go on in."

Aelric swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. A mix of apprehension and dread filled him. But he knew he couldn't avoid it forever. With a shaky nod, he walked past Elder Calm and into the dimly lit house.

The faint scent of medicinal herbs greeted him as he entered. He made his way through the narrow hallway, until he reached the bedroom door, pushing it open. There, on the bed, lay his father, one arm wrapped in cloth strips and his leg bound to a plank of wood and held up by pillows. Despite the extent of his injuries, his father managed a weak smile when he saw Aelric enter.

"Aelric, it’s good to see you. Come sit with me. “ He patted the edge of the bed with his unbandaged hand.

Aelric hesitated. He didn’t want to sit. “How is it?”

His father’s face saddened then. “Elder Calm says it’ll take time to mend.”

Aelric shook his head. The words that had been storming in his mind threatened to spill out. He knew he needed to address what had been bothering him, but he wasn't sure how to begin.

“What is it?” his father said, noticing his expression.

"When Brint and I were bound in the forest, we had a... conversation. He said some things that bothered me."

His father only smiled. “What did he say?”

"He said the villagers tiptoe around your pride," Aelric finally blurted out, unable to keep the words contained any longer.

His father’s brows furrowed, the calm expression leaving his face. “That’s nonsense.”

"Pa, why didn't you go to the shelter like I told you? None of the other villagers who went to the square got hurt. Only you."

His father’s eyes flickered with surprise. “Son, it’s my duty to protect this village as much as anyone else's."

"But you're not a warrior. You don’t have strong arcana. You didn't have to put yourself in danger."

"Protecting our home isn't just about wielding weapons or casting powerful spells. It's about doing our duty as a member of the village."

Aelric swallowed hard, feeling frustration at his father's words. "But look at what happened," he said, his voice breaking. "You got hurt because of it."

"Yes, I did," he admitted, his voice tinged with a hint of regret. "And I would do it again if it meant keeping our village safe. We all have a role to play under Heleric’s light, Aelric, even if it's not always clear or easy."

"Pa, you have a family to think about!" he shouted, his voice cracking. "What about us? What about your duty to us?"

His father looked taken aback by Aelric's sudden outburst, but Aelric couldn’t keep it in any longer.

"You went and got yourself hurt, and now you can't work the farm. What are we supposed to do?" Aelric's fists clenched at his sides, his body trembling. "We're already struggling, and you just made things worse! Do you even know what Ma has to do to keep our debts at bay? She—"

He stopped himself just in time, his heart pounding in his chest. There was no reason to tell his father this, it would only make things worse.

"Aelric," his father said softly. "What are you talking about?"

Before Aelric could respond, Elder Calm entered the room. He glanced between Aelric and his father.

"Legionnaire Kallow's men have arrived. The chief just sent word on the messaging stone. They’re calling a meeting with the entire village."

Aelric’s father frowned. "I should be there."

Aelric rose, shaking his head. "You can't. I'll go."

✣ ✣ ✣

Aelric could feel his mother’s tension as they headed to the village square. Even Elder Calm who had earned his place amongst the elders for being coolheaded in the most difficult circumstances walked with a rigid gait.

The news of the meeting drew everyone out of their homes and to the square. Aelric overheard the grumblings of the villagers as they met on the road. Kallow’s men had not arrived in their time of need, and everyone wondered what answer they would have for their absence.

They took their seats, and some villagers sat on the floor as many of the benches had been broken the night before during the confrontation with Syl. At the front of the square, Aelric saw Chief Clarity speaking with a man wearing the Legonnaire’s orange and whites. The man was tall and had a strong posture that pushed out his chest while his hands were clasped behind his back. Chief Clarity looked unusually unnerved. There was a dark frown on her face that was bordering on a scowl while she spoke to the man.

The villagers were murmuring amongst themselves, their unease evident. The village had gathered and the man said something to Chief Clarity that cut their conversation short and made her turn to the audience and raise her hands for silence.

"Thank you all for coming," she began, her voice carrying an edge of frustration. "I regret to inform you that I have been given no understanding about the purpose of this meeting."

Aelric exchanged a glance with his mother, both of them sharing a sense of unease. He could see the same sentiment mirrored in the faces around him.

"Legionnaire Kallow's steward will address us shortly," Chief Clarity continued, her jaw tight. "Please remain calm and listen carefully.” As if sensing bad news, she added, “The village elders will be available to meet with you all afterward."

As she stepped aside, Aelric's attention was drawn to the group of men standing to the side who had not sat down with the villagers. They also wore the orange and whites of the legionnaire’s colors. His heart skipped a beat when he recognized one of them—the tax collector who he had found in his parents bedroom with his mother. The memory flashed in his mind like a stab from a dagger, leaving him pained and twisted inside.

The steward stepped forward, his hands still clasped behind his back as he smiled across the crowd with an air of authority.

"Thank you all for gathering on such short notice. I am Steward Vellis, here on behalf of Legionnaire Kallow. We have come to your village today to address certain matters of importance. Matters that concern both your welfare and the legionnaire’s interests."

There were murmurs across the crowd. Aelric shared their confusion. Wasn’t he here about what had happened? A demon had been summoned.

“Firstly, we have received reports of disturbances and the use of illegal magic within this village. Such actions will not be tolerated."

The murmurs of confusion only grew. The man spoke vaguely, but it was almost as if he suggested the village had been the ones to summon the demon.

Vellis raised a hand to quiet them once more before continuing. "The recent events have left the village without its hunters. This means that the provisions they would have provided as taxes to Legionnaire Kallow are now unaccounted for."

What was this man talking about? Every word did nothing to touch upon the reality of what had happened. And now he was speaking of taxes?

"I understand your concerns," he continued, his tone unyielding. "However, the legionnaire's tables must not go empty. The village will need to make up for the hunter's portion of the taxes."

Aelric felt a surge of anger shoot through him. How could the legionnaire possibly think of increasing taxes after what the village had gone through? He was not the only one.

"That's impossible!" someone shouted from the crowd.

"We've already lost so much!" another voice cried out.

"Silence!" the steward snarled. "This is not a time for discord. I understand your grief and your anger. But we must come together and overcome this tragedy as one."

“This is a farce!” someone cried.

"You dare question the authority of Legionnaire Kallow?" The steward called out. "Such disrespect will not be tolerated. Choose your next words with care, or you may find yourself explaining your behavior to the legionnaire himself."

Aelric watched Renas clenched his jaw tight, forcing down the fury that they all felt.

"Where were you!?" came another voice, and Aelric recognized it belonged to Welta. “Where were you when my husband was slaughtered?”

The steward’s eyes turned cold. “This village is not the only thing we protect. The legionnaire is away, and when there are intruders, we must put his priorities first. We must secure his house and his family. Look around you.” The steward spread his hands aloft to the audience. “This land is Legionnaire Kallow’s by the rights given to him by the Emperor himself. All that you see around you is his. You Earthborn are given the privilege to work this land at the legionnaire’s benevolence. Never forget that. If you decide that you are unhappy, you are welcome to leave at any time. No law or force binds you here. But know that the legionnaire will have no choice but to inform the other lords of this province that you are an Earthborn who does not honor duty and that none should accept you in their lands. Know that the legionnaire’s tables shall not go empty, and the work you leave behind will weigh on those who have chosen to stay.”

“This is a farce, I say again!” It was Renas. The big man was standing again, and his words shocked the crowd. “Our people were murdered! And now you threaten us and raise taxes on us? How dare you!”

Aelric’s attention had been on Renas and he did not see or hear the steward cast the spell. All he saw was the hoop of an orange rope fall and tighten around Renas' neck. Then he was pulled out of the crowd, his body knocking down those in his path as he surged to the steward, who pulled the rope line as his body shimmered with dark blue arcana.

Three of Kallow’s men were suddenly on Renas, binding him now with real rope. The crowd was in uproar, Chief Clarity was shouting at the steward. He had let go of his spell once his men had bound Renas who was still choking from the attack.

Steward Vellis ignored Clarity and raised his hand into the air, muttering something as his hand made a crackle of light and sound that sent a shockwave of air against the entire square. It was nothing as great as what Syl had used while fighting the demon, but it silenced and awed the villagers.

“To disrespect the legionnaire, is to disrespect the Emperor!" Vellis bellowed into the silence. “This man will be held in the legionnaire’s dungeon until he has learned to show respect! As for the rest of you, you all have a choice to make! You can grumble and complain, or you can remember your caste. You are Earthborn of Village Aldin! Remember why you were born into this land. Overcome your differences and come together and do what is right. Let us honor those we have lost by working together to rebuild what has been taken from us!”

The man spoke with the vigor and passion of someone giving a rousing speech, and yet his words were infuriating. Aelric could not make sense why it made him so angry, but he struggled not to roar with rage.

He sensed others beside him feeling the same. But there was nothing they could do. They were only mere Earthborn and the land did not belong to them. If Kallow wished to take his land back, he could do so at any time, and then the villagers would be left with nothing. So they swallowed anger and kept their silence.

The steward said nothing more, and moved off the square to speak to the elders who had gathered, waiting to get word with him. The villagers broke off into groups from the square to vent their frustrations, but they kept their voices low so as not to be heard by Kallow’s men who still stood within earshot, some of them surveying the crowd as if looking for would be dissenters.

Aelric sat with his mother, both silent, both seemingly lost as to what to do next. Finally, his mother turned to him and said, "Why don't you head back to tell your father the news. I will speak to Chief Clarity to see how much more each family will be expected to pay this season. Go along now."

Aelric nodded and rose. There was nothing else he could do here. But before he left the square, he stopped and turned back to see his mother approach the steward's reeve. The man stood apart from the crowd, his posture relaxed and a smirk playing on his lips beneath his oiled beard as he watched his mother approach.

Aelric's stomach churned as he saw his mother engage the reeve in conversation, her body language shifting to one of subservience.

His mother's laugh rang out, high and forced, at something the reeve said.

His chest tightened as he watched his mother debase herself, touching the reeve’s arm, playing a careful game of lies.

He knew what she was doing took courage and strength. It was the opposite of what his father had done. She had given up her pride to protect her family. But he could not watch the display any longer. His feet moved on their own, his steps becoming strides, carrying him away from the square. Away from his mother's fake laughter and the reeve's predatory smile.

Aelric fled.

Soon he found himself in the darkness of the forest. He hated himself for fleeing, hated himself for the tears that streamed from his face, hated himself for heading toward the treehouse again. He quickly changed directions before his feet took him there, not wanting to see its structure again, for he knew why the treehouse always drew him in moments of pain.

Brint had been right. All throughout their childhood Brint had been there for him, been there to protect him. And whenever Aelric was in need, he would search for his friend. Even after Brint had ended their friendship, Aelric would find himself at the treehouse, searching for his comfort.

Aelric confessed to himself that all throughout the steward’s speech, he had wished Brint was there. Brint wouldn’t have taken that injustice from anyone, not even the legionnaire’s men, and he knew his arcana was even greater than the steward’s.

But Brint was gone for good now. Off to hunt his father’s murderer.

Aelric had been both shocked and happy when Brint had called his apology to him from atop his horse. He had hoped that they would one day meet again, and despite all the meanness Brint had given him in the recent years, he had hoped that perhaps one day they could be friends again.

That hope seemed far away now, and he felt more alone than he ever had. Feyna had made clear that what they had was over. His father, who lay injured, was not the man he had thought he was. His mother was forced to become something she wasn’t to delay their crushing debt.

And there was nothing he could do. Nothing he could do about anything.

He stumbled over a root and caught himself against a tree trunk on one knee. He tried to rise again, but he couldn’t. He let himself sit against the forest earth and look upward, through the overhanging branches and to the darkening sky. The sun had already begun to set.

"Heleric," he muttered under his breath.

His father gave thanks every day to the Sun god and prayed for better fortunes, yet their situation only seemed to worsen with each passing moment.

"What good are prayers when nothing changes?"

For some reason, he found himself thinking about the stories of Heleric’s prophecized emissary, the Dawnmere. He was a legendary figure whose arcana grew endlessly with each passing year. If only Aelric had such ability.

As a child, like any boy of his age, he had dreamed of becoming the Dawnmere, one who grew in power each year and could change not only their own fate, but the fate of the world. But those dreams had turned to dust long ago, once it became apparent his arcumen would never grow.

"Why am I thinking about such nonsense?" he muttered bitterly as he pushed the foolish thoughts away. “I’m not a kid anymore.”

That was right. In fact, he was turning seventeen the next day. He had entirely forgotten. He was becoming an adult. An equal amongst the villagers.

And what did that mean?

Nothing.

What future did he have to look forward to? Scraping by every year just like his parents? He doubted he would even be as lucky as them to have found each other. Who would want him?

He knew many Mireborn men went their whole lives without finding a partner, and most died before they became old. He was Earthborn, but his arcumen was even less than that of a Mireborn.

Despair dropped his eyes from the sky above, and they settled on a structure through the branches that lifted from the earth.

The world tree loomed ahead, its massive trunk stretching skyward as if trying to touch the heavens themselves. Without really thinking about it, Aelric rose and made his way toward the tree. Something about it drew him.

He came to the base, between the gigantic roots that tumbled from the bottom of the trunk and looked upward. The leaves rustled softly in the wind, creating a sound that was almost soothing.

In this moment of utter despair and confusion, Aelric found that he wanted to pray. Not to Heleric this time. Those prayers had always felt like whispering into a void. No, this time he would pray to something different.

He knelt before the world tree and placed his hands on its rough bark. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and tried to find the right words, words that always escaped him. What was it that he truly wanted?

"Great tree," he began hesitantly, "I don't know if you can hear me or if you even care about things like us." He paused for a moment before continuing. "But I need help. My family suffers, my village suffers, and I suffer. I'm willing to do whatever it takes, but everything I do seems to lead to nowhere better than where I am now. I do not ask for great power or riches to be bestowed upon me. Just the way forward. Please, great tree, guide me?”

He waited a long while but there was no divine light or voice that came to him. There was only the sound of the forest. It was no more than he expected.

He wiped his tears and headed home. It would be a long hard day tomorrow, and the fields still had to be tended to and the chores completed, and he knew it would be the first of many of his adult life.