The Pain of a Memory - Part X

 I must apologize once more for my absence as of late - busy, busy, busy have these times been, and yet, it's the beginning of the summer! But, I shall make it up to you. Hopefully, I shall have a nice recovery here and start posting again more regularly. Until then, I suppose I shall just give this next part of Anwynne's tale to hopefully momentarily satisfy. Also, hopefully you will enjoy meeting the final POV character in this part.

The other parts may be found here below:

Parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine.

***

            "Errius?," Elystra's small voice rang through Errius' thoughts like the saving sound of a church bell.

            Errius turned to face her. "Yes?"

            Her fair face was in a doubtful and somewhat confused expression. She bit her lip, as though hesitant to say what it was she had roused his attention for. "Errius... I - I... How long will it take us to get to the river road?"

            Errius was quite sure that this question had not been her originally intended one, but he was silent on the matter nonetheless. "It will take us about the rest of the day and a bit of tomorrow. Once we find the river, it will be a day's travel to the first village. From there on, it will be a lot faster, though"

            Elystra nodded, but did not speak again. So they both trekked on.

            Errius looked at Elystra. He pushed a branch out of his way. How he wished he could have spared her this journey, and that she could have just been warm and comfortable at the Nistrian palace already. By now she could've been too, if not for the unseen complication of bandits. Errius hadn't know that there were so many... Otherwise he would've advised the king to build the host for force rather than stealth. And now, because of this mistake, his poor little sister was trooping through the woods at his side, probably very fearfully.

            Errius sighed, and pushed another branch out of the way. He hadn't wanted any of this to happen to her. But then, he hadn't wanted any of this to happen period. All of it had happened too fast for him to take it in. But now he would mend it, now he would make sure that everything was put aright. Soon enough they would be in Nistria, and he could fulfill his promise to the princess. And then he could make sure Elystra was safe, and taken care of. Yes. That was a pleasant thought.

            The hours passed in silence, and soon the sun was low on the tree-ridden horizon. Errius looked over at Elystra. She looked weary. Her dress was torn, her steps were becoming ever slower, and there were shadows under her eyes. Errius took a deep breath. It was definitely time to set up a camp. He stopped, and looked around.

            Elystra glanced up at him. "Errius?"

            Here is a good spot. Errius faced Elystra. "We're stopping, Elystra. We've been traveling all day without a rest. We'll stay here for the night, and then once morning comes, we'll set off for the river again"

            Elystra nodded, and sat down. She looked down at her hands. After a moment, she laid down on the forest floor. 

            Errius looked around. There had to be something he could do to make her at ease... She wasn't used to tracking paths outside the lights of civilization... not like he was. Errius felt his belt. He didn't have a satchel, he didn't have a sword, and he didn't even have a knife. He didn't even have his cloak anymore. Errius clenched his fist, and sat down. He hadn't wanted it to be like this for her. He had to have something. It was cold out, it was in the middle of the woods, and neither of them had eaten. Surely there must be something to help any one of those things...

            Errius felt inside his jerkin. Suddenly his hand came upon something hard and small. He took it out. The princess's bracelet. It was indeed her bracelet. A small, silver ringlet, delicately fit for her tiny wrist. Errius examined it gently. It had an inscription on it in Ingrecian. They were only the words of Anwynne's royal house, but hopefully they would be enough for the Nistrians.

            Errius held the bracelet out in his palm. He looked down at it and nodded. I promised, Princess. I'll come back. I gave you my promise. And I intend to keep it. He held it tight, and pressed it to his face quietly.

            All of the sudden, a moan came seemingly out of nowhere. Errius looked around. Elystra was moaning, and moving in her sleep. Errius stood up, and walked towards her.

             Then Elystra stopped moaning, and sat up. Her cheeks had tearstains down them, and she looked worried. "Erry!" She turned around frantically until she saw Errius. "Errius... oh..."

            Errius sat down next to her, and looked into her face. What could be wrong? "Elystra, what's wrong?"

            "Errius, I..." She looked down. "I've had a dream... With a face... And I thought it was just a dream, but then, back at the bandits' cave...." She turned her face up to Errius, worry shining in her silvery eyes. "And I saw the face. There, at the bandits' cave, I saw it again... And I thought that I'd just imagined it up..."

            Errius stroked her face with his finger worriedly. "Who, Elystra? What face?"

            Elystra's eyes shone with fear. "I don't know! I kept seeing a face in my dreams, and somehow vaguely remembered it, but I thought I made it up because I didn't know it... But the bandits' cave... Errius, the bandit's captain - I've seen him before! Both of us have, I think... I knew the face..."

            Errius furrowed his brow. How could such a thing be? Neither he nor Elystra had ever met the bandit captain before...  "Elystra..."

            "I know it sounds mad, Errius, but I know we've seen him before! His face is familiar to me... I just don't know how..."

            Errius looked down. The bandit captain..? But, then when they'd been dueling, Errius had almost thought the same thing... that he had seen the face somewhere before, in the vague realms of the past...

*** 

"Angelo," Marcina called for her brother, knocking upon the large doors of the throne room. "Angelo?"

Marcina opened one of the doors cautiously and stepped in. She looked around the throne room. Sitting upon the throne was Angelo, gazing distantly out with an unreadable look on his countenance. It wasn't exactly an unusual sight. Marcina sighed.

Marcina stepped forward, walking up to the throne upon which Angelo rested. "Angelo? What are you doing?"

Angelo's gaze remained distant for a moment, but eventually centered on Marcina. He almost looked surprised that she was there. "Cia? What is it you wish for?"

Marcina smiled a little in spite of herself. "I asked you what you were doing, Angelo"

"Just thinking... that's all, Cia...," Angelo trailed off, starting to look distant again before he shook himself. He smiled a little, as though to reassure her that nothing was wrong. "Is there anything else you wanted, Cia?"

Marcina attempted to ignore his distance in mind. She smiled brightly and gestured out the door playfully. "Why don't you walk in the garden with your sister before you're crowned king and you have a thousand score duties?" She laughed a little. "Instead of having only a stiff, grumpy regent for company?" She looked up at him hopefully, still smiling.

Angelo glanced out of the window nearest the throne. Then he looked back at Marcina. "Cia, it's raining"

Marcina looked outside. It was indeed raining. Oh, fiddlesticks. She hadn't thought of that. "Well, then, ah, why don't you walk in the halls with your sister instead?," she queried hopefully.

"Is that what you want, Cia?"

Marcina sighed. "I suppose so, yes" Oh, why could she never think of a good way to speak to him? It was just so frustrating!

Angelo smiled ever-so-slightly. "Then I shall... at least for a little while"

Marcina frowned. "No, don't if you don't want to, Angelo..." She crossed her arms disappointedly. "We can just stay in here"

Angelo nodded. "If that's what you want, Cia"

Oh, honestly he was so frustrating! Somehow, there were times these days when Marcina didn't know what to think of Angelo and his doings, or how to even speak to him. He had become so distant in the past few months. It almost always seemed as though something was wrong, but when she asked him, nothing ever was. He kept to himself, he kept to his room, and the throne room seemed to be the only other place he ever frequented. And he never showed preferences or pleasure for anything anymore, not even around Marcina. Just however she liked it, or just whatever she wanted to do. Well, Marcina knew that this was only gentlemanly behavior, but she was getting sick of it! She just couldn't read him anymore, and it bothered her.

But, relentless of however reclusive Angelo chose to be, it was not in Marcina to be the same way by any means. So she sat herself down in the chair right next to him. She began to tap her fingers on the arm of the chair, as was often a habit with her.

Eventually, she plucked up enough boldness to speak again. "Angelo?"

Angelo turned to her, breaking from another distant unknown reverie. "Yes, Cia?"

"You know, you're going to be married in less than three weeks" Maybe this was what was upsetting him. Marcina would just watch his reaction to see.

Angelo nodded slowly. "Yes, I am"

Marcina bit her lip frustratedly. "Aren't you excited, though?"

Angelo smiled at her. "You know very well, Cia, I never really thought about it very much. I suppose, though, I best begin to do so"

Marcina smiled. "Yes, I'm afraid you must... otherwise you'll be a rather poor husband!"

Angelo didn't reply. He seemed to grow distant again, and his smile faded softly. Was the subject of his upcoming matrimony, then, what had been so keeping his thoughts? Perhaps...  But then, for a moment, he almost had seemed happy about it... Then maybe it was in association with that...? Marcina just didn't know... And she couldn't bring herself to ask him. But then, maybe she would have to... An unanticipated streak of courage surged through her. Marcina would know what was putting her brother out of sorts, or else forever give up trying to. 

"Angelo?," she spoke again, her voice shaking a little. "Please tell me what's the matter... You haven't spoken three words for days, and have spent so much time alone - or with Lord-Regent Orvond"

Angelo smiled, if a little sadly. "Is it so apparent that something's wrong?"

Marcina put her hand over his and looked up at him. "No... Only to your sister"

Angelo sighed. "I am worried, Cia. But perhaps I am merely being ludicrous in my worries" He smiled, and squeezed her hand gently. "Yes, I'm just being worrisome. No need to distress yourself for one of my follies, Cia" With this, Angelo got up. He looked back at Marcina, and held out his hand. "Perhaps now you would let me have that walk with my sister you spoke of?"

Marcina sighed, still disappointed that he wouldn't let her in. But, nonetheless, she smiled back at him, and stepped forward to take his hand. "As you wish, Angelo"

***

What did you think? Perhaps you are relieved that there are no more surprise POVs coming? Or perhaps you're thinking there are already too many...? :P Any comments? Critiques? Suggestions? I love any and all critique of any kind, so please chat with me!