The Pain of a Memory - Part IX

Hopefully you all aren't too sore at me for suddenly taking a hiatus out of town without any notice - I apologize duly! However, that being said, I have a peace offering. Here is the next part of The Pain of a Memory, with the links to the previous parts just above it. :)

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Part VI

Part VII

Part VIII

***

Anwynne opened her eyes. She must have fallen asleep. She shook herself and looked around. Most of her party was asleep. She looked out at the bit of sky that was visible through the cave entrance. It was dark out, but the stars were sinking, suggesting that daybreak was soon.

Anwynne glanced along the wall of the cave that she was by. Errius was not too far, lying on his side, back facing her. She went a little closer to him, trying to see if he was indeed asleep.

"You need to rest, Princess" Before Anwynne had gotten very close, Errius' voice had spoken quietly.

Anwynne tried to see his face. His eyes were closed as though he was asleep, but it had definitely been he who had just spoken to her. So she decided to answer.

"I have rested, and I am no longer weary", she replied plainly.

Errius nodded a bit and raised his head a bit. "As you wish, Princess. Perhaps it is better so"

Anwynne raised a brow. "Why?"

"All of my men and Elystra are awake. We are discreet, but at the ready, so that Elystra, Your Highness, and a couple escorts may escape. We must begin the process tonight"

"Why tonight?"

"Because Rogan is gone - he left  at nightfall. And it is possible he has already sent the ransom note. I would send with you a greater escort, but we must be subtle, and only a quick party will make it to Nistria in good time and be able to return for the rest of the host. But the robbers guard us with more of their men during the night, so we must wait until dawn, when some of them leave"

Anwynne looked down. Wait. Did Errius just say send? "Aren't... Aren't you coming, Errius?", she whispered worriedly. 

Errius lowered his head a little again. "I am injured, Princess. You need men who can defend you and my sister as best as possible. I shall only send you with soldiers of full physical health"

Anwynne was tempted to sit up, but knew it would give her and Errius away to the bandit watchmen, and so didn't. "But, I - " Anwynne attempted to collect herself and sound more orderly. "Errius, injured or not, you are the most capable among these men. I would feel safest if you were one of those guiding us"

"Perhaps so, Princess. But as the captain of your guard, my duty is to protect you as fully as I am able, and in the way I see most fit. I do not see myself as the most fit protector for you. That is why I am not coming, Princess"

Anwynne was silent, unable to reply. When she had told Errius of the prisoner inside the room, she had not mentioned her worry of the Nistrians not ransoming the rest of her guard. Anwynne had been ashamed of that worry. But now, it touched her again. She couldn't put it away. But the Nistrians had to ransom her guard too. She would make sure they did. Anwynne wouldn't be queen of a country that would let Errius die alone.

Anwynne looked at the mouth of the cave again. The sky was light gray, and had streaks of sun going through it. It was dawn.

"The sun is risen, Errius", she whispered softly.

Errius didn't move. "Yes, Princess. We wait until the watchmen change, and then Elystra will slip away. The men will start to awake, and one of them will try and challenge the vagabonds, distracting them. This is when you must try and also leave, with Elystra. Once you and she have hidden yourselves along the forest road, one of my men will come to you. If it may be, then another will follow in about five minutes. If he doesn't come, then you will depart without him. Elystra has money on her, and at the first town, my man will use it to buy horses so that you may travel to Nistria's capital faster. For caution, you won't be following the forest road. You'll trek through the forest a good way until you come to the river, and then follow that until you get to a village road. After that -"

Suddenly Errius stopped, and tilted his head up a bit. Anwynne looked up. The bandits. Some of them were leaving, and the ones left were being changed out. Now there were a total of only seven thieves in the room. Anwynne looked back at her guard. One of the soldiers nodded to Errius. Errius nodded in return. Suddenly, one by one, all of Errius' men started to 'wake up'. Within minutes, all of them were alert. The only one in the entire party who still seemed to be asleep was Elystra.

The bandits were now taking notice of all the soldiers. Just like clockwork, seconds later, one of Errius' men stood up. The thieves watched him for a moment,  before two of them went up to him. But instead of letting them put him back down on the ground, the soldier, bent back and used his head to knock one of them down.

Before the other could apprehend him, he spoke. "I wish to challenge any one of you  - for freedom - as did another of my party"

One of the other bandits laughed. "You think that the offer still holds for us? You must fight Rogan if you wish to win freedom"

The soldier still did not sit down. "I challenge any one or more of you - and if you will not fight me as I wish, then I shall force a fight from you"

Then, out of the corner of her eye, Anwynne caught sight of Elystra. Elystra had opened her eyes, and was creeping along the cavern wall. Soon she had made it to the cave mouth and out. Anwynne immediately started to do the same. She slowly crawled along the wall, being careful not to disturb any of the treasure that was on her side of the room. Soon the cool breeze of the morning caressed her face gently. And in a blind moment, Anwynne was in the forest right outside the bandit's cave. She looked around, blinking in disbelief of her success.

Elystra was waiting there for Anwynne. Once she saw Anwynne, she beckoned wordlessly, and timidly led the way to the forest road. They both stepped carefully, so as not to make any betraying noise. Soon they had made it to the side of the road, and so both hid themselves.

For what seemed like hours, but couldn't have been more than a couple minutes, both of them stood very still, remaining hidden. Then the sound of shouting broke out from the direction of the thieves' cave. Minutes later, the vague figure of a man was visible as coming through the forest to the road. Anwynne couldn't tell whether it was a soldier or a bandit, but apparently Elystra could because she came out to him.

So Anwynne exited her hiding place as well. She looked at the man as he neared. He was Errius! How...? 

"Errius?", Elystra addressed him fearfully. "What happened?"

Errius' expression was very grim indeed. "When my soldier challenged the bandits, they refused him, so he started a fight with one of them. More of them came to aid, and they noticed that the princess was gone. To prevent the thieves going out and trying to find her, the men all began to give fight. One of them managed to cut his bonds, and then aided the rest in doing so. But then more of the bandits came, and a battle ensued. I was knocked to the side, and was one of the only not involved in the fight. But one of the bandits made his way through, and so I had to run out to warn both of you, and get to you first. We cannot wait for another escort now. We have to leave"

Just then, the sound of footsteps was heard. All three of them hid themselves. Anwynne carefully looked to see who it was that had come. It was one of the bandits. Anwynne swallowed painfully. They had come for her... She couldn't escape if they knew of her absence. And even if this one thief was the only one who had noticed, it could not be long before the others did to. She wouldn't be able to escape this time. She took a deep breath. Even if she couldn't, though, someone could. Someone who the bandits wouldn't care about as much if they escaped. Errius and Elystra.

"Errius", Anwynne whispered desperately, hoping he heard her.

Errius turned his head to her, and looked at her questioningly. "Princess?"

"Errius, one of the bandits is here, searching for me. You know we cannot leave while he looks for us. And we cannot just wait here or else he shall find all of us"

Errius was silent. So Anwynne continued. "The only one he is looking for is me, Errius. If he finds me... then you two could still escape"

Errius shook his head. "No, Princess. I promised you that I would aid you to escape. I would be failing to protect you if I let them imprison you again"

"No, you wouldn't", Anwynne urged. "You would be fulfilling your promise in the most likely to succeed way. You and Elystra could go to the capital and then acquire aid for the rest of us. I would still be rescued, and in a more sure way. As I have said, Errius, if that bandit were to see me, then he would have gotten his objective, thus guaranteeing you and Elystra some time to get on the road"

"But how, Princess, will they believe I come from you if you are not with us?"

Anwynne bit her lip. "Well... my bracelet, Errius - you still have it, don't you?"

Errius nodded. "Yes..."

"Then show them that. It has the words of my house carven into it... In all hopes that will be enough..." Anwynne looked straight at Errius. "Please, Errius. I'm not just ordering you, but asking you. Leave, and come back for me"

Anwynne glanced back. The bandit was getting closer and closer to their hiding place. She looked to Errius desperately.

Errius nodded, though slowly, as though very reluctant. "As you would have it, Princess. I promise I will return"

Anwynne smiled. "Take care of him, Elystra"

Elystra smiled a bit, and nodded. "We'll come back, Princess"

"Thank you" Anwynne took a deep breath, and clasped Elystra's hand tightly for a moment. "Good-bye!"

With her last words to them, Anwynne ran out of her hiding place, back into the woods. Soon enough, the bandit scout was after her, running as well. Anwynne ran harder and faster than she was sure she'd ever run before in her life, only hoping to give Errius and Elystra enough time to escape. And, as though a last gratification before her re-imprisonment, she was granted - out of just the corner of her eye - a faint glimpse of Elystra's red dress through the trees, where the forest road laid. The sight disappeared in a moment, but it gave Anwynne hope. She sighed, a sigh mixed with both relief and exhaustion.

Anwynne knew that she'd be caught any minute. But still she fled. She had to give Errius and Elystra as much time as possible before the bandit caught up. But soon she would have to stop... or so her gasping lungs told her at least.

Anwynne slowed a moment from her running, heaving large breaths, not seeming to be able to get enough air in her. Then suddenly she was picked up from behind. She screamed, and started to kick and fight, even though she knew it was useless. Very soon she wore out, and merely had to be subject to her captor.

All the way back to the cave, Anwynne was forced to just hang limp as a leaf on a tree, catching her breath back bit by bit as she watched the forest floor pass by her. Minutes later, the cave was in sight. Anwynne barely missed hitting her head on the mouth of the cave as she entered, held by one of the bandits.

Once he seemed to think that it was a fit place to do so, the bandit set her down upon the cavern floor. Then he walked away. Anwynne looked about frustratedly. Her guards looked a mess. Many had bruises on their faces or cut lips, undoubtedly from the fight. Some of them were even knocked out, and all of them had been re-restrained by means of rope. All of them had gone through that, just for a bit of hope for freedom... It amazed Anwynne somehow, but she wasn't quite sure why...

The rest of the day in the bandit's cave was uneventful, except that the number of bandit watchmen guarding them had now doubled, and tripled with the nightfall. Some of the bandits had noticed earlier in the day that Elystra was gone, and they sent a man out to look for her, but to no avail, and he came back empty-handed. They had spoken amongst themselves of what to do for this situation, and eventually just resolved to wait until Rogan returned, and tell him about it once he did.

When is Rogan coming back, though?, Anwynne thought to herself questioningly. And why did he leave in the first place if he'd already sent the ransom note? Perhaps he hadn't... But then, if he hadn't already sent the note out, and was doing so, why was he going himself? Wouldn't it be much easier to send another of the robbers to Nistria's capital in place of him? Why would the leader of the bandits go himself as only a messenger? And he couldn't want to do more than deliver the message, because if he even showed his face in the city, he would probably be apprehended. Then he must have gone somewhere else... But where?

Anwynne didn't know. And she was tired of not knowing. And she was tired of guessing. So she turned her thoughts to a different, more hopeful subject. Errius and Elystra... How far had they gotten by now? Probably not too terribly far. Would they remain safe in their journey? Probably safer than here at least, Anwynne thought dismally, looking around the bandit's cave.

Anwynne looked at the sky outside the cave. It was darkening, and the stars were coming out... It was beautiful... But a figure in the distance blocked Anwynne's view of the beauty... a tall, almost cat-like figure, seeming to get ever closer and ever closer to the cave... Rogan... He was back. Soon enough, the figure got even closer, and the starlight indeed revealed him as Captain Rogan.

He practically leapt into the cave with how much energy was put into his entrance. It was an energy not, as usual, of jest or swagger, but of a keen frustration. Surely he can't have already heard of Errius and Elystra's escape...?

After his initial entrance, though, he seemed to cool down, and was as calm and complacent as ever. However, on seeing so many watchmen for the prisoners, he raised a brow in question to the men.

One of them hesitantly came forward, as though to explain. "Captain, the handmaid of the princess - there was a fight started by the prisoners, and in the scurry, both she and the princess escaped. We recaptured the princess, but there is no sign of the maiden..." The man trailed off, apparently confused by Rogan's reaction.

Rogan had not really been listening, it seemed. Or at least, if he had, he was now quite distracted by something else, because he was looking almost dazedly over the man's shoulder, in the direction of Anwynne's guards. Suddenly a livid look came into Rogan's eyes, and he stood still a moment with it. He looked like a marble statue, carven with an unearthly fury upon his face, terrible enough perhaps to even frighten the sculptor from glancing upon it. Then Rogan paled, making him yet more like a marble statue in appearance.

The bandit speaking to Rogan then became silent, looking confused and almost frightened by Rogan's demeanor. He looked as though he were waiting for Rogan to do or say something, but wasn't quite sure what. Then suddenly his wait was not in vain.

Rogan faced the man again, mostly calmed in expression, but his face yet pale. "Where is the Ingrecian captain?" was all Rogan said to the man.

The bandit spun around and gazed at all the prisoners, apparently dumbfounded by the unanticipated question. "I - he must have -"

"He must have escaped with the maid", Rogan said quietly, interrupting the man's stuttering.

The man nodded slowly. "Yes..."

Rogan was silent a moment, but then turned his sights back to the bandit watchman. "Where is Ariff?"

"In one of the tunnel rooms, Captain"

"Bring him here. I have news besides this that concerns him", Rogan spoke quietly.

The bandit watchman nodded once more. "He is asleep, I think, but I shall tell him you wish to see him"

"Good" Once the bandit had left, Rogan turned around, and started to pace a bit.

Then Rogan stopped suddenly, right in front of Anwynne. He looked down at her, and started almost scrutinizing her as though intrigued. And then his face regained its color. An almost sly smile spread across his face all at once. He stepped a bit closer to the Anwynne, as though he was seeing her for the first time and was interested by her. Anwynne drew back a bit instinctually.

Then - to the immense gratitude and relief of Anwynne - Rogan's study of her was interrupted. It was interrupted by the entry of the tall, black-haired man into the room, assumingly the man that was called Ariff. On seeing this man enter, Rogan immediately turned away from the princess and to the newcomer.

"Captain, what is it?", queried Ariff as soon as he reached Rogan.

"Ariff - " Rogan looked around - smiling slyly for a split-second when his eye alighted upon the princess - and then paused in whatever it was that he'd been saying. "Ariff, I have news"

Ariff nodded. "About the family?"

Rogan frowned, and his face became very grim and angry. "No, Ariff. I went to all the last places. All that I found was that the lady and old woman both died. The two I couldn't track. From that, I think it's best assumed they're..." Rogan trailed off and looked down.

Ariff looked away, as though thinking. "But what if the young captain is --?"

Rogan laughed a cruel laugh. "That captain... Erry? Then what, may I ask, happened to the other? Please, Ariff. You said yourself that such a thing was fanciful to even think of. Besides, we'll never know, will we, because my men let him escape!" Rogan seemed to be returning to his ordinary stance, because then he turned agilely, and lightly shrugged his shoulders. "But it is no matter. Because I have a plan to change that"

Ariff raised an eyebrow with a cautiously questioning look. "Captain?"

Rogan's eyes flitted to the tunnel at the back of the cave. "We'll have to go somewhere else first, Ariff" Rogan started to stride down the long passageway. He looked back and gestured to Ariff. "Come on"

Minutes later, they were both gone, leaving Anwynne to ponder their unusual exchange. What had they been speaking of? And why did Rogan seem so smug when he looked at her? It didn't make any sense at all. And what young captain...? Were they talking about Errius? They must have been. As far as Anwynne knew, there was no other escaped, young Ingrecian captain anywhere around here. And they'd mentioned a name too, in connection with Errius apparently. What was it again? Erry...? Hmm... Perhaps it was some mocking title for Errius? But then they seemed to think it meant somebody else, that Errius only might be. Who? Who was Erry? It sounded like Errius... In fact... Anwynne almost had a vague memory of the name, somehow in connection with Errius... Elystra called him that once, I think, a long time ago...

None of this made sense at all, though. Even if this 'Erry' had anything to do with Errius, how would the bandits know? How would they even know who Erry was at all? They didn't even know Errius' name, Anwynne was sure, so how could they put any such connection to existence in their minds? They can't. They had to have been speaking of something and someone else. There was no way the bandits could make anything out of such vague details that they probably didn't even know.

So Anwynne turned her mind to another part of the puzzle. What 'family' had Ariff been referring to? The family of someone or other. Anwynne assumed that person must be dead for how Rogan and Ariff were speaking. But apparently whoever they were had a lady associated with them dead, some older woman dead, and two people unaccounted for and most likely dead. But Errius' mother is dead, and he's one of two twins... And he and Elystra have no family living, and have fended for themselves as long as I can remember... Maybe...? Maybe they really had been speaking of Errius. But, no! It seemed to be almost fantastically precise, and yet totally ridiculous to even believe such a thing. How could Belestinian forest vagabonds know any of those things?

And what was that plan that Rogan had proposed to Ariff? It had seemed to please him greatly, and that was what unsettled Anwynne. What could give him so much pleasure when it seemed he had only returned to hear, and to bring bad news? Anwynne wasn't sure... Maybe it had something to do with how he'd glanced at her... Maybe it had to do with the other prisoner in the cave... Somehow, though, as everything else in the puzzle, Anwynne felt that it led right back to Errius, and whoever Erry was...

What did you think? Any comments? Critiques? Suggestions? Perhaps you have a work in progress that you are thinking of posting? I would love any feedback, so chat with me! :)