Off to War - Duet (Jareth)

[Dragonwriter]

Jareth's head jerks back up at Fallon's questions. "What?" Had he lost his place again? The soldier's act of charity and mercy had occupied his attention for the entire day. Wait... the entire day!? Long darkness, lingering memories... They held his thoughts, kept him in the past. With another forceful wrenching, he pulls away from musings and memories and back to Fallon and his fire.

His hand brushes the places his injuries were as he asks in a wondering voice, "You healed them?" So that explained why his arm and legs weren't paining him so much. Or was it because he was free from the cleft? Jareth shakes his head and sighs. "Like I said, I fell down a tear in the earth as it opened beneath me. I... got trapped. Between a rock and a hard place, as it were. Couldn't get myself free, couldn't call for help. Or, so I thought..." Again, the soldier's face and his last words ("Jholi'selia... Live...") return to Jareth's focus. The dying breath, the scream, the death rattle; all of it remains in Jareth's present, despite being hours ago.

With another shake of his head and a low groan, Jareth resumes. "There was someone else down there... Not the swordsman. He fell before me, and I expect he didn't survive. A... a Treylor soldier, a duskblade, was down there, too. He was dying... And... and I'm the reason he's now dead," he says quietly. It isn't a strong statement, like 'I killed him,' just a quiet, confused sentence, coming from a quieted young man. Like my family...

 

[HolyMan]

"Ah I see," the old man says solemnly. "You are blaming, blaming yourself for his sacrifice then?"

"You were, were taught to fight like a Bon'Dradi, but your were never taught what they truly are in spirit. It has been, been over 600 years since the Treylor have had contact with the Five Kingdoms, and over that time alot of their language has been lost."

"But I know, I know what Bon'Dradi truly means. We would translate it as Night Blade now or Dusk Blade if you prefer." The old man shakes his head, a look of sadness on his face. "And that, that one word although is the same it takes on a whole new meaning when you just add the "K" that belongs, the Bon'Dradi are known truly as Knight Blades."

"They are among the noblest of any of the Treylor you may find out here. So when you sit there fretting over what you think you did, I can tell you for certain that his death was not a tragedy if it came about because he saved a life."

Fallon watches Jareth for long moments as the man sits there silently studying the flames. "It is late and, and I see you have alot of questions."

Suddenly he grins causing his face to take on it's familiar wrinkled apperance. "In the, the morning I will let you ask one of those questions. Think hard, if you could have an answer to any question what would it be? And in the morning we will see about getting you an answer. Good night."

Fallon heads off to a small tent and disappears inside, leaving a shock Knight Blade to ponder his question.
_

 

[Dragonwriter]

Jareth listens to Fallon, but shakes his head as the old man departs. Quietly, the red-haired boy, for he seems more boy than man this night, says to no one, "I wasn't blaming myself. I just wanted to know why..."

The answer isn't what he expected. Hell, he didn't really expect an answer. The different translation gives him something else to ponder as he stares into the slowly dying fire. The old man's offer slowly sinks into Jareth's mind as he thinks on the meaning of the "Knight Blades." Tharivol tried to teach me about it. I think... But... I don't think I've lived up to it.

He sits in front of the fire a while longer, watching it extinguish itself much like his blazing hatred from earlier in the day, earlier in his life. One afternoon, one act of mercy. Changes a life so easily, he muses. Changes... a life. Or several. And in an instant, he knows exactly what question he will ask of Fallon in the morning.

 

[HolyMan]

The morning dawns clear and warm, and Jareth rouses early not wanting a repeat of the day before. He looks to see Fallon sitting on the ground before the fire his head bowed as if in prayer.

Helping himself to some bread Jareth waits for Fallon to finish his devotions before he speaks.

Still sitting cross-legged on the ground and head still bowed Fallon asks, "So did you have, have your question ready?"

_

 

[Dragonwriter]

Jareth waits patiently, usually not an easy thing for him, for Fallon to finish. The sleep helped clear his mind, settle the events of the past day. I will make that man's sacrifice worth it.

The young man straightens up as Fallon finishes. In a solemn voice, he replies, "Yes... Uh, Fallon? Thank you, first of all. Now... I want to know where the rest of my family is and how I can get to them."

 

[HolyMan]

"Ah yes, yes an important question. No one can be whole with the burden of not knowing still on them." Fallon says as he sits head bowed. "Please wait while I find, find you an answer."

It seems like hours as Jareth waits, having a little breakfast and wondering what the answer will be. He thinks of a hundred different things that could have happened to the rest of his family while they lived in the lands of the Treylor. He wonders why his father had insisted on taking his family with him on this last diplomatic mission, he hadn't when he went to treat with the Nandirly. What was so different about talking to the Treylor that he packed everyone up and...

Fallon distrubs the young man's thoughts as he comes out of his motionless postion and starts to stand. "I am, am to old to sit like that for, for so long." He says after stretching his back and twisting his hips to help it.

He eyes Jareth as the man silently looks on, almost holding his breath. "Hmmm... worried, worried about your mother and siblings?" he asks smiling. "Well don't be they, they are safe and sound. Living on an estate in Treylor it would seem. And since, since no human owns lands in Treylor I would hunker a guess they have made a friend of some Treylorian noble."

Fallon watches Jareth as he recieves this news then asks, "What, what will you do now?"
_

 

[Dragonwriter]

Jareth breathes a heavy sigh of relief. Safe! But... a Treylor noble? Are they guests or hostages? Hell, what does it matter if they're alive?!

The young man has to take a seat as his head grows light and almost giddy (or as close to giddy as he can get). "Thank you, Fallon. Thank you. But... how did you do that? When you said any question, that was the only one I could think of wanting an answer to, right now, and I didn't really expect an answer. Wishful thinking, as it were... Something I've been missing for a while." But even with the semi-good news, Jareth still can't stomach saying the word 'hope'.

 

[HolyMan]

"Oh you just have, have to know who to ask." Fallon says with a hint of a smile.

"Now my question is, what, what will you do know that you have your answer? You mentioned Tharivol. Did you know that, that his description has been given to everyone in camp. The Outriders are to especially be on the look out for him some even sent on search parties for that very reason." he says pulling up his stool and looking into the empty pot hanging near the fire.

"I should, should start some breakfast."

 

[Dragonwriter]

Jareth's eyebrow rises, but he doesn't press the issue. For now. "I plan to get to them and bring them back safely, eventually. But knowing they're safe is enough for now. Tharivol's trouble is more pressing. The outriders you mention... They won't find him. He's being held prisoner in Tirol, awaiting trial for teaching me the skills of his order. Now, I need to get to him and free him, hopefully through diplomacy. Anything you can do to help me? My half-sis... Tira was supposed to wait for me and get us to Tirol, but that was yesterday. I doubt she's still around Harkon now. So, any help you can give me to save Tharivol's life would be more than appreciated. But I am going, even if I have to walk to Tirol myself."

 

[HolyMan]

"A prisoner, prisoner in the Nandirly city?" Fallon says looking worried. "Are you sure?" he asks and then seeing Jareth's face he adds, "No, no of course you are."

He sits starting to add things to the pot he placed over the fire. He takes a wooden spoon and stirs the contents and his head shakes back and forth. "This won't, won't do at all. If Dellex finds this out he just might send troops into those woods, send them to the city, and that would be disastrous."

[sblock=OOC] Reminder since it was a few months ago RL but Dellex wanted to find Tharivol because they army wants to open negotiations with the Nandirly and they think Tharivol would be a good liaison. He doesn't know of Tharivol's current predicament. [/sblock]