An Uncanny Resemblance

As the others laid down to sleep for the night, I opted to keep watch. I was not sure the extent to which the group trusted Rill and I, but that also went both ways; they seemed amiable enough, but I was not about to let my guard down just yet. For now, until I knew them a bit better, I had decided that I would keep an eye on them. Besides, this was the first time that I would not be reverting to dragon form to sleep, and I felt a bit antsy as a result.

Luckily, the night passed with no incidents. Unable to sit still, I ended up pacing around the perimeter of the camp, trying to step as lightly as possible so as to not wake anyone. Rill seemed to be a relatively sound sleeper to begin with, but even the others did not so much as stir, even when I tripped over a root and let loose a sharp expletive in the middle of the night. Judging by what the trio had told us, this was most likely the first time since they had arrived in the region that they could truly rest, and it seemed the rigors of their stay had taken a toll on them all.

At the very crack of dawn, as I sat on a large rock watching the sunrise, they all awoke at nearly the same instant. Nora set about getting breakfast together with the aid of some of the cooking pans I handed her out of Rill’s pack, while the other two retrieved their swords and set about practicing some sparring exercises with each other. Rill groaned at the sudden burst of activity and covered her ears, rolling over in her sleeping bag in an attempt to get even a few more meager minutes of rest.

The fire crackled as Nora stirred her brew in the cookpot, and I watched Tark and Lassan with interest as their swords clanged together. Even with Nora around to heal any injuries they might obtain, they still took great caution, likely so as to not trouble her unnecessarily. As the two warmed up, however, their training session also grew more heated, and after a while Rill let out an exasperated growl, flailing around to extricate herself from her tangled sleeping bag and sitting up to glare at the duo. She watched them through half-lidded eyes, and after a few moments, her expression brightened, seemingly forgetting her groggy angst as she gaped in genuine excitement.

When the two paused to take a break, they at last noticed us staring at them attentively. Lassan chuckled upon seeing Rill’s awestruck look, and he offered, “I take it the two of you don’t know how to even hold a blade? I might not be the best instructor, but I can teach you the basics, if you’re interested?”

We both nodded that we were, and went to join him in the patch of trampled grass he and Tark had made during their training. He beamed at both of us while the other man watched with an unreadable expression, and held out two sticks he had picked up from nearby. “Here. Stick for you, and stick for you. Nora might be one of the best healers we know, but we still should try to avoid injuries, where we can. Can’t have the two of you stabbing yourselves in the foot.”

We both reached out and took hold of the wooden branches, and Rill grinned, clearly eager to get started. For the next several hours, Tark and Lassan ran us through the basics, a grueling regimen that tested my coordination and reaction speed. Thankfully, I was able to stumble my way through the training, and by the end Lassan clapped me on the shoulder and said triumphantly, “Not bad for your first day. Why don’t we call it there, for now? You might not be a master yet, but your physical strength is insane enough to almost make up for it! I’d say at the very least, you won’t be useless in a swordfight, if it comes to that.”

“Thanks,” I told him, wiping the sweat from my brow. In terms of physical strength, it seemed the trio really were just normal people. Similar to my fight with the bandits the day before, I had initially struggled to hold back against him. This training might have been intended to teach me the sword, but as it had gone on, so too had I begun to dial in and understand my own strength.

We both looked over to where Rill and Tark danced amidst a flurry of strikes, their sticks moving almost too fast to track. As we watched, those wooden slats connected and shattered with a loud thwap, and Tark fell back onto the grass. Breathlessly, he exclaimed, “By the goddess, girl. I thought you said you’d never held a blade before!”

“Huh?” She asked, cocking a head at him in confusion and pulling at her sweaty shirt, “Yeah, that’s right. Why?”

Lassan cupped his chin and examined Rill as he interjected, “Tark might not be a blademaster, but he’s no slouch, either. And you’re already holding your own against him, after just a few hours of training? Your stance, your breathing pattern, even the way your wrists move to deflect his attacks…it’s like your body instinctively knows how to fight. I’ve never seen anyone take to the sword so quickly! It’s almost as if you were born into it.”

“Ah, thank you!” She chuckled shyly, ruffling her ponytail with a hand.

Lassan, still staring at her, continued thoughtfully, “Actually…now that I really get a good look at you, the resemblance to her is uncanny. Tell me, Rill, does the name Gearfield mean anything to you?”

My heart skipped a beat upon hearing the name, and Rill slowly replied, “No…why, should it?”

Before Lassan could say more, I breathed, “Gearfield…as in Alicia Gearfield, the dragonslayer?”

He regarded me for a moment, before musing, “Oh? So, you’ve heard of her, but not the Bandit King? How odd…” I had been so blindsided by the reference that I had not considered the implication of revealing my knowledge. Thankfully, the man did not pry, and continued, “but, yes, the very same. The Gearfield clan’s ancestors were supposedly the ones that formed the Dragonslayer Corps, and have led it for generations. It’s said that they are very nearly all gifted with prodigious natural talents, and Alicia is no exception. Despite only just turning eighteen a few months ago, the rumors have it that she’s already slain her first dragon! Can you imagine?”

I clenched my fists as I recalled the fight with her. I don’t have to imagine. I know her strength firsthand. Rill cast me a glance of understanding, noticing my unease. While I had not specifically mentioned names to her before, she had apparently connected the dots on her own.

Oblivious to my plight, Lassan added, “The most notable features of their clan are their red hair, green eyes, and their ridiculous natural aptitude for battle. In particular, Rill here reminds me of some of the paintings I’ve seen of the current head of the clan, Umbra the Iron-Blooded, when she was younger.”

I studied Rill with a critical eye, comparing her to the image of Alicia in my memory. For starters, Rill was considerably taller, her hair a much lighter shade of red. I squinted, trying to draw the connection that Lassan apparently had. Could there be something there after all? I already suspected Hedrya had some sort of relationship with the dragonslayers, but I never anticipated anything as unlikely as a blood relation to the Gearfield clan itself…she’s probably from some exiled branch family or something, if there even is a connection. Whatever the case, I’d rather not get involved in family disputes if we can help it. For now, it’s probably best to act and assume that it’s nothing.

I tried to play it off with a forced laugh, saying, “Nah, there’s no way. It has to be a coincidence.”

Lassan frowned, but nodded with a sigh, “Yeah, you’re probably right. There aren’t even very many members of their clan left, so I doubt there’s any real connection. But Rill, if you keep up with your training, there’s no telling how far you could go. Seriously, at this rate–”

Nora interrupted our conversation, loudly tapping her wooden spoon against the side of her cookpot and calling, “Breakfast’s ready, you guys! Come on.”

Thankful for the distraction, we left the conversation there and sat down to eat the strangely flavorless gruel she had made, discussing what to do moving forward. Lassan, folding his hands in front of his face, said, “I’m going to be frank here, Leolyn, Rill. There’s strength in numbers, and I think you two would be great allies to have. But I won’t pretend it’s without its dangers, too. We’ve been hunted by nearly every bandit in the region. Even if they might not recognize us at a glance, there are bound to be a few who will have seen us, or put two-and-two together to identify us. Even without that, a large group travelling together is bound to draw some scrutiny, so we should also keep that in mind.”

I considered his words, sharing a nod with Rill, before responding, “Even despite the dangers, we’ll take you up on the offer. We’ve already gotten lost once, and you clearly know the climate around these parts way better than we do. Maybe you can help us to avoid any misunderstandings along the way.”

Lassan’s face softened at my words, the worry easing away from his eyes. “I’m glad to hear that! But we aren’t much better off, ourselves. We’ve lost pretty much all of our gear, and to be honest, I’m not even sure where we are right now! Nora was supposed to be our guide, but we ended up losing our map, too…”

“Aha!” Rill exclaimed, rummaging through her knapsack before handing the rolled-up parchment map we had been following to Nora. “Here. Take a look at this!”

Nora slowly unfurled the scroll and breathed heavily, “This…this map is positively ancient! Where did you even find this? Actually, never mind; I don’t need to know the details. What matters is that, with this, I can definitely figure out where we are!”

“And as for us travelling together,” I began, reminded of the group of humans Andras and I had met many months ago, “I’m sure there are other groups travelling the region, even if they are rare. As long as we get our stories straight, we could probably pass ourselves off as adventurers or something. What do you say?”

“Alright, then we’ll go with that plan,” Lassan agreed, extending a hand, which I took. With a wink, he added, “In the meantime, I’m looking forward to the extra company. Nothing against these two, but they do get a bit dull after a while, you know?”

Rill chuckled as Nora playfully smacked the back of his head. To us, she said, “Don’t listen to him, he’s always been a jokester by nature. He might have finally stepped up after we got separated from the captain, but he still couldn’t find his way out of an open cage without us!”

Obviously trying to ignore their nonsense, Tark suggested, “If we want to cover any ground today, we should get moving. Otherwise, we might as well stay until dark.”

Lassan, rubbing the back of his head, agreed, “Yeah, yeah. Just because you’re right doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

I smiled at their interaction. Clearly, they knew each other well and trusted each other explicitly, to have made it this far. As we packed up camp and set out, I had to admit that I was actually looking forward to travelling with them, as well.