bleeding out. [Nandon]
Nov 4, 2014 23:27:10 GMT -5
Post by ᗩпїra on Nov 4, 2014 23:27:10 GMT -5
I'm bleeding out,
so if the last thing that I do,
is bring you down,
I'll bleed out for you.
- Imagine Dragons•
Hiding was no longer an option. Her reasoning went a bit like this -- would one rather be stepped on and submit to fate, or perhaps bite death on the ankle once or twice to lay a mark on the world to be remembered by? It had been the plan all along to eventually return to the land of the humans, to join the Varden, and to put an end to the reign of evil over the land of Alagaësia, but the right time had to be planned precisely and with definite tender loving care. Now, the time had finally come for the return of a Rider known by few, trained by the greatest, and loved by most. No more waiting. No more preparing. The time to fight back was now.
It took months of traveling on horseback to reach the territory of Surda. It was most likely too dangerous to travel by the back of her loyal and faithful friend and companion Herion, who traveled by the air thousands of feet up in the sky to go unnoticed, so horse back had practically been the most logical solution. It was slower than the two were used to doing, but they made quick time by traveling during the night and resting during the heated daylight hours of the Hadarac Desert. Minutes, hours, days, weeks... all of it seemed to go by in slow motion upon the back of her ivory steed that had been acquired up in the foothills of Du Weldenvarden. The supply of food never ran low because of the great amount of preparing that went into the journey, though water was on low demand by the time they reached the main road the led directly into the city of Surda.
A camp was set up outside of the territory with Anira's precise and cunning techniques to remain disclosed and undetected. It was their first day upon returning. An eagerness tugged at her heart to go and explore the city, even though it was a potentially dangerous deed given the level of violence the Rider and Dragon's death threats were. They spoke of torture, mind control, death -- things that a normal human would never even imagine ever seeing or hearing about in a happy-go-lucky society. It was all in the past now though, and it was time to start planning for the future. A future that still consisted of war and death obviously, but with greater chances of pulling through and conquering those that opposed them.
Leaving had been hard. One of the hardest thing the two had ever done. So difficult, in fact, that they couldn't bare the thought of even saying goodbye. She wouldn't dare say that she loved him, as love was a dangerous notion, but it certainly could be true. She mustn't admit that to herself. Anira had to keep her priorities straight, yet the quest to find Aysten and his companion were a definite must. It was something she had looked forward to even from the moment they set off into the wilderness in the middle of the night. Thoughts raced through her mind of whether he still remembered her or not, if he still cared, if he had moved on, if he was mad...
"Anira," a voice called out into her mind to pull her away from the torment of thoughts that sought to cause worry and stress. Herion was the being behind the voice, having noticed that she was zoning out once again as she wandered closer and closer to the city of Surda upon the back of her horse. The two's connection remained quite strong despite the distance that continued to grow between the two. It had always been a special ability of theirs. She didn't quite understand it, but perhaps she would learn more eventually about the connection.
"Ah, I apologize, Herion. You know I haven't been able to relax in what feels like years. I cannot help but think of them and their current being." she quietly remarked in her inner conscious in reply, letting the thoughts leave her like the fast flowing current of a pebbly banked stream.
"I miss them just as much as you do, Anira; however, the chances that they both happen to be in Surda right now are slim. Let's just focus on joining the Varden, and then we can search for the two at a later time. We'll find them -- don't worry about it, my dearest."
The words calmed her nerves enough that she was able to cast a faint smile to the guards that waved her in through the gate without a second glance. She wore an ebony cloak made of smooth silk. Dark violet trim highlighted her gracious, creamy ivory skin, and the hood darkened her facial features enough to conceal her luminescent violent and black locks of hair that had grown past the middle of her back by this time. Her colorless optics slightly went unnoticed, though she did notice that one happened to shift uncomfortably upon seeing the spectacle. Orchid, her Rider sword, was sheathed in a black leather encasement. Her daggers made from the material that could literally cut through any given item, given time, were strapped on her thighs like always. She had not changed much over the months she had been gone, neither had Herion -- even though he had grown larger in size by quite a bit.
The city was bustling with signs of life as she entered the main courtyard. Salesmen and people trying to sell various items were yelling out various commands and deals, looking to gain an extra buck in any way possible. It was as she remembered it, having been to Surda probably only once before in her lifetime. It was quite the beautiful city obviously, but the tasks she had at hand struck a feint nervousness in her.
A thought crossed her mind as she peered about over the heads' of dozens of people from the back of her steed
-- where do I go from here?
