Cold and wet, Tallion's teeth clapped together and his body shivered. His mind was still unsure of what had occurred. Disoriented under the bright light of the sun, he lent his weight to a nearby tree. He ran his fingers through his long dark hair, and wiped the water from his eyes. His breath was labored. Water had nearly filled his lungs full, and the weight of the water drug his heavy body to the ground. Tallion sat, scared and defeated, with his head buried in his cold, wet hands.
His mind raced, aa he attempted to piece together broken memories. The well, the Revolution, the men all ready for attack, the Vanguard approaching. Just when the Vanguard seemed poised to take his life, a rush of water buried them all in a silent grave. He could still feel his heart, pound against his chest, matching the march of the Vanguard soldiers. He could still hear them, their chain mail clanging, their voices echoing. But no march of men or jostle of armor could match the thunderous rush of water.
The power of rushing water, running against the stone walls of the well. It became stronger as it ran through the tunnel, swallowing each man that stood in its path. No armor, no trained soldier was a match for the invincible foe. Tallion had never before seen so many men crushed with such ease. Men's heads thrashed against stone, others drowned.
With all of the memories and realizations that began to fill Tallion's thoughts, his true fear remained in that which he did not know. Ferenor had other wells and his brothers lead attacks of their own. Anxiety filled Tallion's body. Gurthum and Rowland were fixated on his brain. Had he made a mistake allowing them to fight? If they were dead, it was blood on his hands. Tallion ran as fast as his cold damaged feet would take him. He ran for the Stone Well.
Each step became heavier than the last, Tallion's boots were covered in mud. He fought to lift his legs from the ground and battled to escape the mud's heavy pull. The words of Alina Morione haunted him.
Had she been behind this, had she planned for this all along? Surely, Alina had their best interests in mind, how could he ever question her loyalties? She had stood by their side for so many years, she had given them everything they had. Tallion and his brothers owed everything to Alina. Still, question after question continued to fill Tallion's mind as he approached the Stone Well.
The sun beat down across the well's cover. Tallion's stomach dropped as he saw water seep through its cracks. Water rushed out pouring over his feet, as Tallion slid the cover aside. Like steam rising from a boiling pot, the pale flesh of a corpse began to rise to the surface. Out from the well came soldiers of the Vanguard, weighed heavy in their armor, their lungs filled with water. Body after body rose to the top, each face paler than the last.
Finally, a pale face that Tallion knew all too well, Rowland. White skin, like a ghost, and still eyes. Tallion stopped as the world collapsed around him. Death had been unable to capture him in the well, but his little brother had not been so fortunate.
A numbing realization of the truth, of his own failure, sank into Tallion's bones. That which lay before him, the unchangeable present, imprisoned his mind and mocked all that he once believed about himself. Perhaps he never had done what was truly best for his younger brothers. Perhaps he was not the man he claimed to be. Tears flowed from his blank eyes, as he gazed down upon a lifeless body, and wondered if somewhere, Guthrum lay the same.
Suddenly, a strong thud struck Tallion's shoulder. Fingers dug into his skin and gripped him tightly. His tired and hopeless eyes finally experienced a glimpse of hope. "Guthrum," Tallion fell into his younger brother's arms and collapsed in a whirlwind of relief and dismay. It was as if he had risen from the dead. Tallion thought surely that both of his brothers had been taken in the wells. "The waters took him, brother. He's gone," Tallion said.
"No," Guthrum pushed Tallion's hands away and lunged towards Rowland's body. He pulled him out of the well and set him gently on the ground. Guthrum's hands moved from his brother's chest, to his face, as he held Rowland's head in his arms. Tallion knew the look on Guthrum's face, it was one that he so often saw, rage.
"Alina. This was Alina's doing Tallion. From the beginning, sitting and plotting, planning and scheming. Don't you see it now, Tallion? All along we were but pawns, serving a means to an end!" Guthrum stood from the ground, tears still fell from his eyes.
"She would not disown or betray us, brother. Your sight deceives you in your rage. She is like a mother to us. We were to sit with her on thrones of our own, beside Alina as our Queen. I will not believe it. I will not believe that she has taken him from us." Tallion's voice raised as he addressed his brother's accusations.
"Brother, she controls the wells, wells that she commanded us to post. You know her better than anyone. You know that her secretes grow greater with each day's pass. Only she knows her true intentions. She cannot be trusted. My fate would have been the same as Rowland's, had I not felt the well was simply a stage for death. I did not trust her planning from the start, surely not enough to place myself alone in a well against the strongest soldiers in Miriela. If only our brother would have listened and done the same, he may stand and breath with us still. It was her hand that cast this death upon us all. We must strike Tallion, strike now, before her power is too great," Guthrum said. Even his own brother's death could not lift the veil from his eyes.
Tallion paused as the sharp words of his brother fell upon his ears. What his eyes saw did not match what his heart felt. He truly believed that Alina cared for him and his brothers alike. How could she lead them to a fate such as this?
"She needs us Guthrum. Alina wants a revolution, but it will never come without us. We are her most valued men. Isn't it worth fighting for something?" Tallion said.
"She's taken Oaskguard and with it, Lord Gessel's army. I'm sure she has plans to take the two other armies of this city. Trained soldiers, with experience in combat. Why would she need a band of revolutionaries? She flooded the wells to provide her new army with the armor of the Vanguard." Guthrum took a step back and looked towards the horizon. "As for us, brother. We never were anything more than a way for Alina to take what she wishes. How many caravans did we ransack, how many lives did we take, all for what? To be drowned in a tunnel? Three puppets, that is all we are, Tallion. We served the purpose we were intended to serve, like a torn sail, we were thrown out, to be replaced by another." Guthrum's words fell heavy on Tallion's heart.
"Perhaps your words are true, younger brother. Perhaps she has cast us aside, like the ash which follows a flame. Perhaps there is no place for us in Oaksguard. It may be that after giving our brother a proper burial, we should gather our things and make our way to another land. But I cannot convince my heart to hate so quickly. I must see Alina, and converse with her myself," Said Tallion.
"Tallion, if you travel to see Alina, you may not return. If she did indeed want us dead in the wells, then why not have us killed at first sight?" Guthrum said.
"What you say is true. Our presence in Oaksguard may be a risk. This is why I will travel there alone. Make your way outside the city gates, travel South, to the Mildrin Hills. Bring Rowland's body with you. Prepare it for burial. If I survive a council with Alina, I will meet you there by the next day's nightfall. If I do not arrive, assume me dead, bury our brother and leave the city. I wish the best for us both, brother, but I cannot yet turn my back on Alina," Tallion said.
Alina was the one who Tallion loved most. He had never known a true mother, but he could not imagine Alina was any less. The only hope that Tallion had in his life, was the hope that Alina had brought him. She had taken the three in at a young age, tended to them, fed them, parented them. One thing seemed certain in Tallion's life, and that was Alina's love. It was the foundational block upon which his world was built, the central truth which he knew.
"Your mind has been made Tallion, nothing I say will change it. But I fear you are walking to your own grave," Guthrum said.
"Prepare the body, and make your way South. You will find all you will need to prepare the burial at the burial house just before the hills. Do not fear, I will see you again, brother. I am sure of it." Tallion extended his arms and the brothers embraced. Tallion didn't know what would happen. He didn't know if he and Guthrum would meet again. But he couldn't stand to see his younger brother in pain. The fear in his voice was too much for him to bare. So he chose words of comfort instead of words of truth.
Tallion said his farewells to both of his brothers, one living and one dead. Guthrum took a horse from the stable and set off, Rowland in a small wagon behind him. Tallion left the Common Well and started his way towards the Keep of Lord Gessel. He knew that Alina had spent much time with Lord Gessel in the Keep. Surely, she would find her there.
The city felt empty. It was as if all of Oaksguard had been submerged in the well water, and a new city rose out from it. He walked through the stone streets, and empty markets and passed Alina's pub. With aching bones and a tired spirit, Tallion reached the Keep.
Suddenly, several guards appeared, standing outside the Keep's entrance. Tallion slowly approached, his legs grew more exhausted with each wobbling step.
"You! What the hell do you think you're doing? Halt, where you stand. Don't come any further," One of the guards yelled. Tallion did just as they commanded, rested his tired legs, and lifted his hands to rest on his head.
"I am no threat. I am no enemy." The words were all that Tallion's dried lips and weak lungs could muster forth. The guards drew close enough for Tallion to see their faces.
"What business do you have wondering your way towards the Queen's Keep?"
'The Queen?' Tallion thought to himself. The Keep was Lord Gessel's. There was one Queen within the Realm, and she was in the West.
"Who is this Queen that resides in Oaksguard?" Tallion asked. Taking Oaksguard had always been Alina's plan, but how she planned to keep the city remained a mystery to Tallion. Claiming herself a Queen was a bold claim.
"She's your Queen, Queen Morione." The guard, a tall but thin man with light hair, grabbed Tallion and tied his wrists behind his back.
"Can't imagine the Queen will have much interest in a lost drunkard," Another guard said as they drug Tallion through the dirt.
Thirstful and injured from the well, Tallion began to feel his eyelids grow heavy and his breathing slow down.
"Damn drunkard indeed. See this here. Passed out on us, lads. Can't even keep his damn head up," The fat and short guardsmen continued.
Tallion wanted to tell them who he was and what he had done. But his tired mind and dry tongue would not allow him to speak.
"Could be a Ferenorian spy. I hear that's why the Queen ordered the streets cleared. She caught one of them wondering around herself," The tall, thin guardsmen barked back.
"Entire city will be guarded by our patrol the rest of the day. No one comes or goes without the Queen's knowing. Can't let word of what happened here today leave the city. Can't imagine what Ferenor and the rest of The Realm will send our way when they hear the Vanguard was seized. Won't be ready for a force like that without the Seafares," The fat guard said. His chubby fingers squeezed around Tallion's shirt as he pulled him like a doll.
"I ain't never heard of no Seafares but whoever the hell they are, they better know how to swing a sword. When this Morione gave us the choice of death or loyalty, I might have been better off taking a dagger cross the throat, just to get it over with. No way that a band from Oaksguard can hold a sword against all The Realm," The tall, skinny guard said.
"They say the Seafares are the strongest fleet in the Midsea. They sail from the North, a people of the Nortenlunds. Fierce warriors of the winter, and capable of sailing through any storm. I'd say if the stories are half true, we'll stand more than a chance against half the Vanguard and the war-ridden armies of The Realm," The tall guard responded sternly.
Tallion had heard tales of the Seafares. They were passed through pubs and taverns, through Noble homes and peasant quarters alike. He had heard them many times in fact, and he knew exactly who they were.
They were a warring group of mercenaries who called the Northern lands of ice and snow their home. Legends told they were Natives of the Island of Nordington, a land of lush hills and valleys. They were a people of peace and simplicity, tending to the land, growing crops and raising cattle. But it was perhaps their simplicity that left them vulnerable.
Nordington was taken from them. Their homes were torn down in flames, the women and children hunted down like wild animals. Only a few were able to escape. Those who did sailed North and found the lands now called The Nortenlunds.
The Nortenlunds were barren and uninhabited. Nearly dead from dehydration, the natives of Nordington heated the ice and snow by fire and drank from the water. But as the water touched their tongues, they no longer suffered of thirst, no longer desired food, they were stronger than they had ever been before. The snow and ice of Nortenlund held within it a force, a way to reclaim that which they had lost.
In their newfound strength, the Nordington men built a new settlement, on the new Northern frontier, the land they called Nortenlund. The people of Nortenlund swore that this new land would never be taken, not as the land before. But they realized that it was not enough to merely defend what they had. If they truly wanted to protect their women and children, hold their homes and their lands, then they must also take.
And so, the men continued to build. The snows of their land gave them each the strength of three men, as they constructed a fleet, in preparation to return to the lands South of them. They built the grandest fleet that the Midsea had ever seen. And they sailed South to take back they land they had lost.
Their ships were fast and it was not long before that they reached the shores of Nordington. Strengthened from the Northern snows, they took back their home with ease.
Soon, tales of the great fleet swirled through the northern lands, East and West, and soon fell upon ears in the South. The Army of the North, as they became known, were feared by many, and very few chose to travel the Midsea.
Thirsting for blood and lustful for power, The Army of the North continued their campaign. With each day the army advanced further, killing those who would not bend the knee and join their assault.
The onslaught spread like a flame crawling across the bark of a withering tree. But even a flame can be relinquished. The army soon found that the power of the Nortenlund snow came at a cost.
During their attacks, the men began to fall ill, as if a plaque had struck overnight. One by one, men were stricken by illness. Weakened, and lessening in number with each day's pass, they had no choice but to return to Nortenlund, too weak in number to protect their recently gained lands.
But upon their return home, they found those who were sick became healed. The land blessed those who lived upon it, but cursed those who left it. They came to find that with each new snowfall in the Nortenlunds, they needed to taste the new snow, or fall to illness and death. And so every second month they returned to the Nortenlunds to taste the new snows, and drink from the water of the land. They tried to bring it with them to other lands, but the Nortenlund snows melted when they were taken away from their shores.
And so, wherever they were, the Army of the North always had to sail back to Nortenlund. They could never go far, for they always had to be within a few weeks sail of the Nortenlunds. The constantly sailing army soon became known as, The Seafares. Tired from their travels, they eventually gave up their conquest altogether and remained hidden in the Nortenlunds, forgotten like old story.
Tallion wondered why the Seafares would join with Alina Morione. Perhaps all men had a price. He sat on his knees, bound at the wrists, waiting in the Keep's Throne Room for his Queen to arrive. A familiar voice then filled the room.
"Rise and stand before your Queen. To your feet." It was Alina.
A hand grasped his collar and Tallion was pulled back to his feet by the guards. As he gasped to catch his breath, his swollen and aching eyes met Alina's. The Queen's face became pale, and her stare blank. Her eyes grew bigger and it looked as if her lips tried to propel words forward, but nothing came out.
Seconds passed, still nothing was said, as the two continued to stare. Finally, Alina stepped forward, and broke the silence with the stomp of her foot.
"Release him. Leave us at once," The Queen said. Confused and startled, the guards followed their Queen's commands and scurried outside the Keep.
Tallion was barely able to stand on his own. "Alina," Tallion said. He again dropped to a knee, as Alina rushed to his side. She gently held his head in her hands, and began to lift him up off the ground.
"My son, come, up. We will get you to the guest chambers, where you must rest."
Tallion reached his hand up and met the Queen's. He pushed her hands away and raised his head to peer towards her still pale face.
"No," Tallion stood to his feet and spat a mouth full of blood to the ground. "I have not come to you for rest, Alina. I have come to you for answers." Tallion began to pace about. "Did you know?"
"Did I know? Tallion, the trials of war are for no one to predict." Alina spoke with a crack in her voice, dishonesty seemed to plaque her speech.
"You are well aware of what has happened to me. You yourself sent me to this fate, to be swallowed by the crash of the tide. I was but a pawn for you to play, all this time. Not only myself but my kin as well. The blood of Rowland is on your hands, and you will never wash it off." Tallion's anger grew with each word. "Answer me honestly. Did you know?".
Alina sighed, and her eyes peered towards Tallion, more gently and motherly than he had ever seen them before.
"My dear, sweet son. I have been given word of what occurred in the wells. It has reached my ears. I sat in my chambers, drowning in sorrow and tears, haunted by the thought of you and your brothers, dead in the well that I sent you to." Alina's face became serious and stern, yet her eyes still exuded love. "I would never turn my back against you, never. The waters were brought to the wells by mistake." Alina began to cry as she fought to speak clearly, choking on her words. "The children, the children were supposed to release the well dam to empty the well at the gate. While you and your brothers ambushed the Vanguard in the only setting you had a chance of victory, several of Lord Gessel's guardsmen were to travel up from the well at the gate and assassinate the Vanguard command. They would have turned their back to a well full of water." The Queen wiped her face of tears and reached out to hold Tallion's hands. "You see, Tallion. During my meetings with Lord Gessel, I had truly been preparing the guards for revolt, bribing them with coin. I bought them all. The poor bastard had no idea that I had taken everything but his title, and the crown that sat upon his fat head. With the guards in my control, and the wells in use, I figured the Vanguard could truly be eliminated, if everything went to plan. But you see, Tallion, this was simply not the case. The children, all be them loyal, are still only children. They removed the wrong dam, sending a rush of water in through the channel that crossed between all three of the other wells. By the time the news had arrived, it was far too late, the Revolution, as well as my own sons, I feared to be dead." Alina grasped Tallion, embracing him in a hug, and sobbing tears across his shoulder.
Tallion felt uncertainty wash over him. Guthrum had seemed so certain that Alina had planned this, and perhaps Tallion believed him. Guilt suddenly filled his gut and Tallion regretted the accusations he had implied. But regardless of his doubts, Alina's words felt like a mother's love, or were at least as close as Tallion would ever know. And that was enough to blind him from any possibility that Guthrum was right.
He reached his arms outwards and embraced his Queen in his arms. "It's alright, Mother."
Alina responded through her tears, "I thought you all were dead. Seeing you was like seeing a ghost. Still, I tremble at the thought of Rowland trapped between water and stone. What have I done? Why did I not see the true danger of fighting in the wells?" Tallion now held Alina's head in his hands and comforted her in her grief.
Alina's eyes dried, and her tears no longer fell. Her head lifted from Tallion's shoulder as she stood, still holding Tallion's hands.
"We fought for you, for the Revolution. We knew the dangers. You cannot hold the blame in your heart, Alina. Guthrum still lives, he waits for me. I will go to him and bring him to the Keep." Tallion spoke to Alina gently. His previously words of aggression left him with a lingering sense of guilt.
There was no reason to be so judgmental of Alina's choices. She had done what she thought was best for the cause, a cause that they all fought for together. They were at war and perhaps this was how wars were won. The use of evil to cultivate a greater good. If Alina had to risk the lives of Tallion, Guthrum, Rowland, and the rest of the Revolution, then it must have been in hopes for a greater good which was more than any one individual.
"Guthrum does not have the heart that you have, he won't understand. He will not see through his rage. I'm worried that he may never forgive me. There's no peace in Oaksguard for your brother, Tallion." Alina let Tallion's hand go and returned to her seat at the throne. "He never seemed to trust me before, and Rowland's death was a test of faith that proved too much for Guthrum to handle," Alina sighed as she sat back in her throne.
"Let me go and talk with him. Give him time, Alina. He's always been stubborn, as you know. And when I return, I will take orders from the Queen of Oaksguard, a Queen who will soon claim the throne to The Realm."
"Very well. You love your brother, as do I. Council him, speak with him, tell him what I have told you. Sacrifices were made, you all nearly lost your lives. But all of it, everything, was done with one cause in mind, that we may forge our own path, a path that leads to something greater than ourselves," Alina said from Oaksguard's throne. "I will send word through the ranks that the man who bears the Sigil shall be allowed to travel through the city, and leave it as well. Use the Gate, there is no need to sneak and travel through your passages. If Guthrum has left Oaksgaurd you must find him."
Alina crossed her legs and lifted her spine, she sat like true royalty. She signaled towards a guardsman in the corner who came fourth, offering Tallion a flag. On it was the Sigil of Morione, a tree with roots spreading deep into the soil.
Tallion nodded and left the Keep. His gut churned and his head ached as he thought about speaking with his brother. He knew somewhere inside himself that Guthrum would never step foot again in Oaksgaurd, but it was too painful for Tallion to accept.
He passed through the Peasant District, and left the city through the Southern Gate. It wasn't long before he reached the Mildrin Hills where he had instructed Guthrum to wait.
The Sigil flag whipped through the wind as Tallion held tightly to it. His feet were wet as he passed through the swamps that lie just South of Oaksguard. As he came to reach dry and solid land, he could see the Mildrin Hills were not far off. Tallion thought carefully as he drew near his brother. It would take the perfect words to cut through the armor of rage that Gurthrum wore.
The Mildrin Hills were steep, they rolled like a sea of never-ending waves, stretching as far as the eye could see. Dead grass and rough soil coated over them like a sheen on glass. They disappeared, stretching almost all the way to Cranst.
The Hills were the burial grounds of Lord Douglas Mildrin, the first King of Oaksguard, King Mildrin founded the city himself. It had become custom for many others of Oaksguard to be buried in the hills as well. No one knew how many were tucked away in the dirt of the hills. But it was all the more reason for Tallion to take the Mildrin Path, and stay off the hills themselves.
It didn't take long before Tallion found his brother preparing for Rowland's burial. A space had been dug into the hill, and the body had been covered in oils and spices.
"Guthrum," Tallion called out to his brother, who turned upon hearing his name.
"Tallion," Guthrum embraced his older brother. "Thank the Gods. I feared you were dead."
Tallion chuckled and stepped back. "I guess I am unworthy of a proper burial. You thought I was dead but only dug a grave for Rowland," Tallion said.
"A death at her hands would not receive a burial in the Hills. No. You would have been burned from head to toe and had your ashes pissed on by the dogs and drunks. Or worse, drowned in a well," Guthrum said. "Did you speak with her? Did she feed you her lies? Surely that spider did, just as she's done all her life." Guthrum continued to ready Rowland for his grave.
"You're restless, and rightfully so. Let us bury our brother properly, then we will speak of Alina."
"Do not speak her name again until Rowland has been put to rest. He deserves to be at peace, without her name haunting over his grave." Guthrum had poured the last of the oils and the body was ready to be placed to rest.
"He is at peace Guthrum, as are all those who lay in the Hill of Lord Mildrin." Tallion lifted the body and the two moved it into the burial site. It was a strange feeling, putting his brother to rest, one that Tallion hoped he would never know.
"Can true peace exist in the absence of vengeance, or just a lesser version we grow to accept?" Guthrum asked. Rowland met the ground with a deep thud as Tallion let go. With a deep breath, Tallion closed his eyes and began to chant the Mildrin Burial Hym. Guthrum quickly joined.
"Thy Lord of Mildrin, righteous and just, guard these bones as they pass to dust. Hills of the East, grass and sand, may this flesh feed our land. Those buried before, whose breath did cease, take this soul and grant it peace."
They took the shovels that sat nearby, and saw Rowland for the last time. The soil covered over every inch of him and soon he was gone.
"Maybe he's joined more of our kin. Hell, might have even met our parents. They say when you enter the Hills, you're taken out of this world by the ones who brought you into it," Guthrum said. His head lifted towards the cloudy sky and a few small tears ran from his eyes. "Do you believe it all Tallion? Think there's any way he's met our mother? Think there's something that waits us on the other side of death? Are the old Gods of the West waiting for him? Or is our brother now just a carcass in the dirt?"
"What other choice do we have, but to believe? Rowland has crossed over into the great mystery of death. The priests of Oaksguard swear the Gods of Ferenor do not watch over the East. They say the Old Gods only care for what lays West of the Valendale. But I've heard as much from them in my life as I have the new Gods of the East. And I've heard as much from all the Gods of Miriela as I ever did our mother. I've told you many times, Guthrum, I never knew the woman." Tallion noticed his brother's dismay. Not knowing their parents was difficult enough, not knowing whether they were given a proper burial made it even more so. "The one who taught us of the Gods, at the orphanage, Lady Tandi, you remember her?" Tallion was instantly interrupted by his brother who spoke through a grin and chuckle.
"Of course, I remember her. The old bitch that ran the orphanage. How could I forget? If not for her we may have actually stayed. Do you remember the night we snuck into her chambers with that old dead rat, and put it in her bed. She was madder than hell itself. It was Rowland's idea, one of the few good ones he ever had," Said Guthrum. Laughter surrounded the somber scene.
"Thank the Gods we left when we did. Lady Tandi may have sent us to Hills had she found out that we were behind it. And that's what led us to find Alina." Tallion felt as if he was walking the edge of a cliff, moving inch by inch and merely waiting to see his steps would cause an avalanche.
With the mention of Alina's name grin, Guthrum's grin quickly turned to a smirk, and with it returned his anger.
"You always were eager to heed her orders, Tallion. Always ready and willing to send your little brothers on to carry out her every wish. Whatever she asked of you. She was like a mother to you, sure. But Rowland and I? No. Would hardly even look at us let alone speak to one of us. Just secret errands was all. All these years, fetching this or that, she loved us like a hunter loves his dog, Tallion. The love was born in our service to her, whether she knew it or not." The smirk had disappeared and Tallion found his gaze settled upon Guthrum's rage.
"She was unable to afford the luxury of conversation with you both, and it tore her apart. Do you think she enjoyed sitting below the pub, day after day? She wanted to be with us. But she spent most of her life plotting an attack against the throne. If word had reached the Keep too soon, she would have been beheaded in an instant. Do you think they would have had mercy on her sons? We would have been bled out in the streets beside her, like dogs. We were chosen to be a part of this, a chance to change our lives, and to make a place for ourselves." Tallion did his best to keep calm, as he fought back the louder words that he wished to use.
"We were chosen? You speak as if we've lived a life of royalty. We're thieves Tallion, outlaws, highwaymen, bandits. The place we've made for ourselves is tainted in murder and robbery. We are far from good men." Guthrum stood to his feet and his hands followed, rising and falling as he spoke. "Was this what you wanted Tallion? To take power over the city, to hold Oaksguard, but to lose your kin? A life of blind errands for another's agenda was never my longing, nor Rowland's".
"All my life I've done my best to see that you and Rowland were kept fed and safe. I had only reached my thirteenth nameday when we left the orphanage. I was just a boy Guthrum. We walked the streets for days, near dead. When we found Alina she took us in, she cared for us, gave us a home to call our own. She was our source of life." Tallion's voice was soft. He had lost one brother and now feared he was losing another.
"She was his source of death!" Guthrum spun towards the tomb and pointed. "Your eyes are guided by your heart Tallion. Your love for her is plain to see, but it blinds you, brother. You must find a way to see more than the past. See what she has done to us now. Whoever the woman was that took us in, fed us, let us live in the house near the pub, that woman is gone. We were always a means for her own desires. But her pursuit of power is not over, and neither is her willingness to dispose of you."
"She did not intend for us to be put in harm's way. I spoke with her. The children were ordered to empty the well at the Southern Gate. It was accidental. The wells were the only place that we had a chance to defeat the Vanguard in. In any open space we would have been slaughtered, no doubt. The tunnels were never meant to be flooded. I heard the truth in her voice as she begged for forgiveness. Guilt had crippled her. She longs to see you, as she longs to pay her respects to Rowland. I know it to be true, brother." Now it was Tallion who stood to his feet and stepped toward his brother. "Please, Guthrum, I beg of you. Return to the Keep with me. Let us bring honor to our brother's name. He died fighting for a cause, that we may rise to power and create something for ourselves. Three brothers from an orphanage now sit at the hand of a Queen. We could be Lords someday. Think of the things we may see."
"Surely, Tallion, you see that I will not break bread with the woman who killed Rowland. The woman who tried to kill us all for her own gain. I will leave the city, travel through what remains of Mildrin and make my way South to Cranst. You're blind, Tallion. But I know there's no way of freeing you from her chains. Today is an awful day, like a scene from a nightmare, for it appears that today, I have lost two brothers," Guthrum said as he mounted one of the horses he had brought from the stables.
"Please Guthrum, don't go South to Cranst. I fear that Alina will soon attack the South. But she will not attack alone. The fleet of the Seafares will accompany her. Cranst will be ruins before long. Go West. Cross the Red Bridge," Tallion begged.
Guthrum spoke softly but sternly in his response. "Then I will see you again, shortly Tallion. Because I swear it on the Gods, I swear it on Oaksguard, and I swear it on all those buried in the Hills, I will take the life of Alina Morione. And with her last breath, our brother will finally rest in the peace that he deserves." Guthrum kicked his heels into the horse's side. With a loud whiny the horse bolted off in a dash of furry.
"I will miss you brother. And I worry of the day that our paths cross again." Tallion calmly uttered to himself as he watched Guthrum ride towards Cranst.
Tallion felt a part of himself go as well. Some part of him was buried in the ground with Rowland, another part with Guthrum, riding South. All his twenty-six years he had lived with his brothers at his side, and for the first time Tallion was alone. Yet, whatever part of his heart remained, pulled him towards the Queen of Oaksguard. Alina had Tallion's loyalty, a loyalty so strong that it overcame even the unity of brotherhood.