New Knights

[Nandon]

Williams boots made noise against the soft earth as he walked towards the river that was nearby from his campsite. It was a very familiar area to William, Especially due to the excess of blood on several trees And the ground. The entire scene brought back memories that William wouldn’t like to have remembered, Of the midnight rush away from his burning childhood home, Of the assassin who had gone to great lengths to kill both him and his sister. And to the satisfying thuds that had occurred when Williams fist had connected with the assassins jaw.

William was not here alone however, He had brought his Apprentice along with him, And William sighed at the though of her, The young woman had brought a bit of a new life to William, A new joy to his day as he taught her, But, That eagerness was now coming back to bite him in the arse, He had Nothing more to teach isrydia, And that meant that he would knight her, Which then meant she would go off on her own path, Most likely as quickly as possible.

As William reached the water he leaned down on his knees and reached into the fast rushing clean water, He quickly cupped some of the water between his hands, Well aware of how cold the river was, Before splashing the freezing water against his face fully waking him up.

With that goal accomplished William reached down to his side and grabbed one of the Linen cloths he had, Before he proceeded to wipe his face dry, And dry most of his hair in a similar fashion. Now fully awake William stood up, Grunting a bit as he pushed his full weight off the ground with only his legs, And turned, Turned back to the camp where his apprentice even now lay asleep. Shrugging off such sad thoughts he walked back to the camp, Standing for a moment to look at the bloodied tree, before moving over to the fire pit he had created the night before.

He created a new fire out of some wood Isrydia had chopped last night before getting some water from what he called his “Cooking Pack” And poured it into a large pot he had, Then setting the pot on the fire he let the water roll to a boil while he began gather a small army of herbs meats, And veggies. Plopping all these ingredients in they began to cook, letting a wonderful smell fill the clearing as food cooked. Turning around he waited for his apprentice, Knowing at the smell of food she would awaken soon.

[Quetzal]

The smell of food filled the air, turning Isrydia's dreams into strange whirls of colour before forcing her awake. Her eyes reluctantly opened to the pale blue sky of early morning. Fresh crisp morning air was dampened by what she had come to know as the familiar smell of 'generic easy-to-cook breakfast stew thing'. Warm steam disguised the chilly breeze fluttering by, which she discovered when she sat up to be met by the cold air. Grabbing her faded green cloak, she slung it around her shoulders for warmth before joining William by the fire. It might be nearing summer, but it was still cold in the mornings before the sun had a chance to warm anything up. The fire provided much welcomed heat, the food looking warm and delicious. She eyed it hungrily, willing it to cook faster. Being a knight's apprentice meant she was constantly kept on her feet, so any food was welcomed. She used up all the energy from it pretty quickly these days.

Looking up at William, the thought that had been playing in the back of her mind came to the forefront of her thoughts. Things between the Varden and the Empire were starting to heat up at Belatona, and William had been to a few meetings about what was to be done about this. Although she was not allowed to know of the Varden's plans, of course, since she would be an easy target for the Empire's spies what with being unable to use magic or defend her mind, she gathered some fighting would occur. She had sworn to herself that she would not get involved in the great civil war. Too much politics. Picking a side would mean fighting, possibly dying, seeing friends die, having to have long and boring arguments with people... no thank you. She was content to fight against some force of evil, sure, but other human beings? She supposed she did fight bandits... but she wouldn't kill anyone, and that was only in self-defence. She was much happier to wander around learning things and studying the stars, helping people out by fending off some wild beast.

But that left the question of what she was to when William inevitably went off to fight for the Varden. There was no way she would join their ranks, but that would leave her wondering around in some town without a master. She would have no way of earning her keep, or arranging to meet with William since neither of them would have any idea of when he would get back... if he got back. That was another thing: how would she know if he survived? If the Varden lost, some would escape. If they won, some would still have fallen. It was a terrible thought to consider, but a valid worry none the less in her mind. Hesitantly, she spoke. "William... I know tensions are rising between the Varden and the Empire. If you were to have to go off to fight... where would that leave me? You know I won't fight for either side," she frowned, looking at the ground.

[Nandon]

William stayed in his normal position as Isrydia made her way out of the tent, As she spoke he finally turned and judged her face, Wondering whether or not to give her a serious answer or not, And the conflict most likely showed on his face, Before it changed, He spoke.

“Well, Tensions are rising yes, And soon, I most likely will be called off to fight, Off on some siege…Or raid, Something of the sort. And during the time, I can, And Probably will die. I know this, Because I know my own limitations. But, Rest assured, The situation with you will come first isrydia. If need be I will reject the call of duty for a time, To finish your training before I go join with the main Varden body, But I doubt this will have to happen.” William then grew silent as the stew cooked.

[Quetzal]

Isrydia felt a pang of upset hit her when William told her there was a good chance he would die. It was one thing for her to recognize that conflict was dangerous and could kill, but it was another thing entirely to have William voice these thoughts. It consolidated them as a possible outcome, something she'd avoided convincing herself of. Somehow her mind had allowed her to acknowledge danger, but never accept that the worst could happen to those she knew. She had known people forcibly enlisted by the Empire, of course, and they would never return, but it had never been anyone she knew as well as William. He was a close friend to her. But... what if people she knew well were being killed in battle? She had not returned to Kuasta in some time, and while her family and her exchanged letters, that was not often as she moved around a lot. It was mostly a one-way conversation. A friend could have been taken without her even knowing... she would have to go back once she had finished training.

The idea of finishing training with William was another shock to her. True, he had taught her a lot, but he was still so much better than her. With practice, she could master what he had taught her, but surely there was more? This day was turning out to be a pretty grim one. Even though she would make sure she saw William plenty of times in the future, she would be sad to leave. She owed him so much. It did not seem too long ago that she had been the naive, weak storyteller who had convinced herself she was a good fighter. Now she knew her limits and strengths better, knew so much more about combat, and had certainly become stronger. All this she owed to the knight.

Looking over at the silent man, Isrydia managed a small smile, her eyes sad. "I'm sure you won't die. The Varden have more dragon Riders now, they'll watch your back," she only half-believed what she was saying; the Empire had more Riders, too. "And are we really that close to finishing my training? It's gone so fast..." she poked the fire absently with a stick, crumbling a piece of the burning wood.