Martin - 2000-01-07
uranog's posture astride his stallion did not change at Keleos' unexpected revelation, but his eyes hardened.
"Keleos...Kanari?" His gaze raked his fellow Shenmiri where she knelt. "The Name of Kanari is not unknown to me. A family Name of honour, of old and proud lineage, though not noble. I had not thought to find one of that Name here in the Outlands, Oath-Broken and Outcast. How is it, daughter of Kanari, that one of your blood would turn from the path of honour and bring shame to your Name - and why, having done so, do you yet live?"
Abby - 2000-01-07
"Keleos lifted her head to regard the pyromancer. Her face was smooth and hard, an ivory mask with no expression at all, but her dusk-purple eyes glittered dangerously. "My oath," she said flatly in trade-tongue, a rough and heavy tongue to Shenmiri ears, "was to my Lord, to serve and guard. It was broken when I refused to take my blade to an unarmed boy half my age."ow is it, daughter of Kanari, that one of your blood would turn from the path of honour and bring shame to your Name - and why, having done so, do you yet live?"
She rose to her feet in one swift, fluid movement that in no way betrayed how much her tired muscles complained, and stood with her shoulder squared and her chin stubbornly raised. "And I yet live because I refuse to die at the command of a man who can afford the loss of the lamb the boy stole one hundred times over."
Anger had flared up in place of pain. To the eyes of one not familiar with Shenmiri restraint, she may have seemed calm, but Keleos could feel the air around her fairly crackling with her defiance. (Blade-dancer, electromancer, guard thy temper!)
"I am no daughter of Kanari," she said in Shenmiri. "I broke Oath. My name was stricken from our history." What was, was. It could not be changed. An Oath-breaker could not be redeemed. "Keleos Kanari was never born."
She bit out the words, so softly that only those nearest could hear.
"And I would do it again."
Gavin - 2000-01-08
aemil listened as Keleos indicated that the fire was not down to her, but the angel, Elexa.
(An angel who casts fire? That is very strange...)
He was distracted from his thoughts by what Keleos said next.
"Ne sai m'hara."
('I am no kinswoman'? What does she mean by that?)
Keleos continued:
"I was born Keleos Kanari, but lost that name fourteen years past. I am Keleos Oath-Broken."
Daemil was shocked. To break an oath was... well evil, as he'd been taught by the Order. He opened his mouth to say something, unsure quite what, but Muranog beat him to it.
"Keleos...Kanari? The Name of Kanari is not unknown to me. A family Name of honour, of old and proud lineage, though not noble. I had not thought to find one of that Name here in the Outlands, Oath-Broken and Outcast. How is it, daughter of Kanari, that one of your blood would turn from the path of honour and bring shame to your Name - and why, having done so, do you yet live?"
(Oh no, don't kill her...) Despite the wrongness of her breaking an oath, Daemil did not want to see another dead body.
Keleos replied "My oath, was to my Lord, to serve and guard. It was broken when I refused to take my blade to an unarmed boy half my age." She stood from her kneeling position. "And I yet live because I refuse to die at the command of a man who can afford the loss of the lamb the boy stole one hundred times over."
At that moment, Deamil sensed something strange about Keleos, something he couldn't put a word to. He'd had a similar feeling when he'd first seen a mage years ago.
As her words sunk in he felt conflicting emotions. The Lord was wrong to order her to kill a boy. The boy was wrong for stealing a lamb. Keleos was wrong for breaking an oath. (It seemed so simple when I was taught of what was good and what was not...)
He was pulled out of his thoughts as Keleos switched to Shenmiri again.
"I am no daughter of Kanari,I broke Oath. My name was stricken from our history." She paused. "Keleos Kanari was never born."
(She's as much an orphan as me) thought Daemil, suddenly feeling pity for her. Clearing his throat, he addressed Muranog in Common.
"Sir, please do not kill her. While her breaking of an oath is an evil, so is the taking of another's life. She was cursed if she did kill the boy, and cursed if she refused."
He turned to Keleos. "I hope you have made up for your sin." He said, slightly more harshly than he'd intended. Then, as an afterthought, he asked her "um - are you a mage?"
Laura - 2000-01-08
lefton, Azari's father was a man of remarkable reputation. There was nothing he would not do for the only heir of his family. He planned to keep his trade successful so that when he passed away he could leave the business to his daughter Azari. Little did Clefton know Azari had plans of her own...
"Azari, you're a million miles away" he father's voice interrupted her daydreaming of battling with the elite Knights of Torrigan. "I said we're going to close shop for a time your mother is taking us to the Red House Inn for our meal". His eyes were friendly and his smile utterly mischievous. But Azari felt her heart sink. Deep inside she struggled about wanting to leave home and find the greatest swordsman in the land to train her further.
For years, Azari and her father worked side by side. Azari's deep emerald eyes sparkled with pure glee watching her father build the guild with his high craftsmanship, sometimes Azari would help cut semi-precious gemstones with his supervision. Mostly, Azari helped Clefton run shop. Business was booming.
"Are you listening?" I see you are still working on that same piece I gave your earlier this morning, isn't it worth it's value no matter how you cut it? Come! we need to go now! Clefton's voice now impatient.
"I'm almost finished, why don't you go ahead of me, and I will meet you there?" Azari offered. She released her breath in a long sigh as she saw her father take leave out the door.
In the midst of these more important concerns, Azari closed her eyes reciting the words "Oh father!" taking a deep breath in. Azari stood to her feet glancing in the mirror next to her work stand. Her petite frame held her mature bosom strapped sideways toward her armpits in order to flatten her silhouette as shifts demanded.
She stretched in sensuous delight and felt like a princess. A hot princess, but a princess nevertheless. She imagined herself again at battle in the courtyards of Torrigan. How did I ever imagine I wanted to become a jeweller? she asked herself. Knowing she was late, she quickly brushed her long and wispy auburn hair putting her brush down fast and headed in a hurry out the door. She would no longer let things stagnate, she would someway, somehow have to tell her father and mother.
Especially her father.
Tonight...
Alexia - 2000-01-08
lexa stood rooted to the ground for a full ten minutes after she had spoken, quite bewildered and rather tired by having been so vocal. She had never said so much in one go to anyone except Redel and Edex, and even then it was rare for her to talk so long even to them. She knew that, by the standards of others, she had said little, but for her it seemed a lengthy monologue. She shook herself slightly, realising that she had missed several minutes of talk among the other people. Blinking rapidly a few times to orient herself (and to gain a little more time to steel herself for further interaction), she turned and then stared hard at the new-comer, then the man on the ground and then Keleos. The man on the ground was looking much better and she felt a lot less misery coming from his direction. However, Keleos was rapidly growing distressed as she talked with the man on horseback.
Elexa frowned. She was glad that the man had put out her fire, but he was making Keleos distinctly unhappy... Pursing her lips with concentration, she listened carefully to his words, gradually unravelling their meaning. It was quite a hard task as she was exhausted by the stress of having so many strange people around her, but, eventually, the words started to make sense again... And now it was the man on the ground speaking... He wasn't being nice at all. Frowning, she stepped into the middle of the triangle that the man-on-the-ground, the man-on-the-horse and Keleos made. Wrinkling her nose at the two men in turn, she hissed a little through her teeth and then turned and threw her arms about Keleos' left leg, unable to reach any higher.
She glared with all her might at the two men, while leaning her head against her protector's thigh and trying to send comfort to her, though she knew she was probably too angry and upset by the men for her intentions of cheering Keleos to be working. In fact, it seemed unlikely as the ground at her feet started to smoke sullenly. Nasty, horrible men. Nasty, nasty... She looked up at Keleos, who seemed torn between determination and misery.
"Bad!" she shouted at the men suddenly. "Keleos NICE. Help 'lexa." After all, Keleos had promised not to fight, at her request, so she couldn't defend herself against the meanness of the men, so it was up to her, Elexa, to say something. Starting to shake with mounting fear, and upset, growing closer to tears by the moment, she clutched at Keleos' cloak. "Keleos NICE!" she yelled at the two men, before turning bright, tearful eyes up to the woman who had been so nice to her, and gotten her out of the village, and saved the horses and not been cross, and agreed not to fight, and... and... "Want to go. Nasty men. Go, go?" she pleaded, stuffing a clenched fist into her mouth to try and stop herself from starting to cry. "Go, go?" She pulled on Keleos' cloak, half-hiding behind her leg and staring out with obvious fear at the two men.
It was all far too much and she was tired and she was upset and she wanted to go somewhere quiet where there weren't any nasty men, and no strangers and she didn't have to talk to anyone! How the others managed to talk so much without passing out from exhaustion was beyond her, as her legs shook wearily beneath her. And those men... She had even tried to comfort one, thought he might possibly be nice like Edex... 'Silly,' she scolded herself furiously. She knew better than to hope that she would find another male who was even passably decent. At least Keleos was here though... She wouldn't let them be nasty. No, Keleos was strong and clever... With a sob catching in her throat, she buried her head against Keleos' leg, and clung on tightly.
Copyright (c) 1999-2000 Abigail Laughlin and the members of the Circle of Stone.