The Pain of a Memory - Part XI

The previous part (with the rest of the links) can be found here.

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Anwynne crossed her arms. Any minute now, Rogan could return and re-request her acquiescence to his proposition. And she was quite sure he would too. But she was quite determined not to give in. Anwynne would do whatever she had to, just to avoid giving Rogan any reason to think she was complying.

And just then, almost as though in response to her anticipation of it, Rogan and Ariff stepped into the cave room where Anwynne was. Speaking of..., thought Anwynne dryly. And sure enough, Rogan nodded to Anwynne. At this, Ariff went to Anwynne, and carried her back into the dark room of before, Rogan following. Once Ariff had set her down in there, he promptly left. And Anwynne was once more alone with Rogan. But she wasn't going to be afraid this time...

Rogan turned to Anwynne as the door closed behind Ariff. He smiled felinely. "I'm sure you know exactly why you're here, Queenship, so I'm going to save words, and cut right to the part where you finally make an answer to my little proposition."

Anwynne folded her hands determinedly. "Why don't you tell me something interesting, rather than boring me with your dull outlaw talk, Captain."
Rogan shrugged. Then his expression hardened a bit. "Why don't you tell me something interesting, Highness, since you're the one who already knows everything about me."

Anwynne nodded stubbornly. "Fine" She looked around, trying to think about something else she might have heard from Rogan and Ariff's conversation. She couldn't think of anything... So she would take another risk. "I have a story to tell you, Captain."

Rogan leaned against the wall in a leisurely manner and nodded to her swaggeringly. "Do tell me your little tale then, Highness."

Anwynne nodded coldly. "I will" She looked out. "There was, come time ago, a man who was alone. Whether he remained alone or not was never known to anyone else, though, because something happened. Something terrible happened to him, and he was taken a prisoner."

Rogan had lost a little bit of his swagger, but he still attempted a cool tone. "By whom, may I ask?"

Anwynne turned to Rogan coldly. "Someone he couldn't protect himself from. Much time passed of his imprisonment, but still he was not free. Soon enough, he lost all hope of ever being released or escaping, and he was locked away in a dark cave, where no one could find him. He was there so long, so, so long... He would even be there now if another thing had not happened."

She glanced at Rogan. Rogan had paled considerably, and his look was grim and stony. Good. At least I am getting to him more.

So Anwynne continued. "Yes, a thing happened which ended his lonely, miserable imprisonment. One day, he died. Alone, with no one to cradle, heal, or miss him. All alone, with only bitter memories to comfort him in his darkest hour. And no one ever missed him, and no one ever knew..."

Anwynne swallowed to prevent herself from choking a sob. When she spoke again, her voice sounded to her very harsh from her shakiness. "All alone... And there his story ended, because no one was there even caring to remember it."

Anwynne looked down a moment, closing her eyes. Then, once she felt herself more steady of countenance, she looked back at Rogan.

Rogan's face was pale, and the expression in his eyes was cold, but surprised. He glanced down at her keenly, with an air of stoniness and shock to his observation of her. He recovered himself quickly in his expression, but in his eyes there was still almost a certain measure of harsh curiosity.

Perhaps he knew of what her story was about... Perhaps she had actually gotten to him... Anwynne glared up at Rogan determinedly. He wouldn't gain any victory over her, nor even believe he had... not for a moment.

Anwynne nodded to Rogan coldly. "Well, I have told you a story, Captain. Now you tell me one."
Rogan shrugged, perhaps in an attempt to recover his easiness of stance, though the action was grim, and little easy-seeming. "Alright, Princess" His expression then turned very hard. "Since you so delight in such stories, I shall tell you one very similar to that one."

He started to pace a bit. "Once there was a boy, a very young boy. He was very similar, perhaps, to the man in your own story, Highness. Only a boy he was, only almost five and ten years. Once his fifteenth birthday arrived, though, a terrible thing happened. A war had long been raging, and it was at its peak at this point. The boy's birthday fell just at its peak, when it was calling men of fifteen or older to fight in the war. So the boy was forced to fight, in the same war that had raged for years, killing everyone he knew. He had wandered alone for so long..."

Rogan turned his back to Anwynne. "He had but only one friend... A friend who was much older, who had found him wandering alone, and yet befriended him. When the boy was called away to war, his friend - his greatest friend - volunteered to fight also, only so that he might accompany the boy. The boy... he thought it would be alright, fighting in this war, since he had his friend with him..." Rogan's tone became bitter.

"He was only a boy, though, and boys have no sense. He knew very well all the terrors and desolations of war, and yet he allowed his own only friend to join him... He was a selfish, ignorant boy, who never thought once of the consequences of his friend's decision. His friend had a family, and was married... His friend had to support a wife... And yet, the boy thought nothing of it, only thoughtlessly allowing his friend to make that choice for his sake." Rogan's fists clenched.

"His friend's family even came to the boy's country, just so that they could see the boy's friend when the regiments were encamped. The very first battle the boy was to fight alongside his friend was not far from them... At that very first battle, against the brutal country that had started the war, the boy's friend..." Rogan's form stiffened.

"Well, the boy's friend died. He died in the battle, just feet away from the boy, right in front of the boy's eyes, leaving the boy all alone in the world. And the boy..." Rogan suddenly cut himself off, and turned back to Anwynne, a statue-like coldness upon his face. "Well, I believe you have most likely grown tired of hearing about the miserable boy at this moment, Highness. Perhaps now you will answer my question of earlier?"

Anwynne remained deliberately still and silent.

"Fine." Rogan turned away from her again, going to the door. "Then our audience is finished until tomorrow."

Then Rogan strode out of the dark room, his cape falling behind him as he took his leave.
Anwynne could not puzzle out the purpose of his story, but could only think of one thing... She had won another day for Errius and Elystra.

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