The Beginnings of Relios

[Cicciro]

I'm glad to see these forums are still here. I remember when I asked for them to be opened and they were. Now I must post on them again, so here is a tale, the tale of Relios and one man. A man with a heart for the people.

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Chapter 1
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It had been a long day in the courts of the Grand Castle. The King of Unigh was the most stubborn bastard in all the land. Gallus couldn’t sleep that night thinking of the day’s events. He had sworn in the court of the King that he would return. The guards mocked him, the King had him cast out and his closest followers denied their friendship to him. He was alone in his opinions of the government and military; his own ruler would not hear his ideas of advancement. Although he had tried so hard to push the frontier defense, the King would not listen, his dinner was ready and the borders were of little concern to him as long as his miser like qualities remained intact. The richest and most powerful king in all the land had no concern for the people, politics or military.

He had argued to re-supply the border army through a sea route to the port town of Ilid. He described the money the king could save in the long run, but that ships would need to be built, and not just your average scouting ships, but larger merchant vessels with specially designed holds and sails to be most efficient. The initial cost deterred the King from his idea. Secondly he argued that more of the standing army be sent to guard the borders as intelligence discovered plans for an attack on Yeral, a mining city rich with iron ore just south of the border and guarded only by its small fort on a hill a mile away from the city, Fort Pelkin. The King rejected this proposition as well on the grounds that the defense of Unigh was of utmost importance.

Gallus was outraged and began to curse at the king, spouting on about his idiocy and his greed. The King ordered him out of the Castle permanently, never to be allowed inside the walls again. The King also demoted him from General to Border Solider. He was now no better than those he diplomatically fought for daily. Furious he stormed down the steps and assaulted the gatekeeper knocking him into a barrel for the waste of horses. He marched his anger straight to his home where he had no one but himself to complain to. When he finally rested his head to sleep, his body was covered in sweat to the point where his warmth kept him up half the night.

He awoke the next morning with a headache and his wrist hurt from when whacked the guard on his solid iron breastplate. He arose to find the room occupied with a few men. These men were once in command under him and he began to recognize them as he rubbed his eyes free of the accumulation of dried moisture. They were no captains or officers of any kind, but he had given orders to them personally before. More often than not he gave them orders to patrol the perimeter of Fort Danlis on the Eastern front of Unigh’s borders. They were nothing more than scouts, but they had come to him for some reason. They were just sitting about the room on chairs or glancing out the window at the great city, they were obviously of no threat to him.

One of them had noticed his rousing, “Officer Strom, we’ve heard of your removal from the King’s court. We happened to be in the city on leave to visit our families and we decided to come see you.”

Gallus arose to look around; there were five of them in all. The man who spoke was carrying a bow on his back; the rest had swords attached to their belts. His guess was that they were part of a defense patrol group and had all gotten leave from some advance in intelligence or scouting matters. Men could only go on leave with some meriting accomplishment. Gallus spoke, his voice raspy and still needing to warm from his slumber, “So then you have also heard I am no longer your officer but have been demoted to the rank of border soldier, I am no better than you. The King is a fool and to be honest with you, I am glad I no longer have to deal with his greed and idiocy on a personal level. Tell me how you managed to get in here and what do you want with me?”

“Sir Strom, we have heard of your demotion and we do not observe it. You have done so much for the border defense that we all observe you as our commander. You have nothing to fear from us, but we came to see you this morning and the door was not shut. Your guards have gone by order of the King and I’ve collected rumors that he has sent some men to arrest you for treason. We’ve come to get you out of the city and protect you to our death. The others that came back with us feel the same, but they have already left to give the news to the men at the border. We need you to lead us and we are here to help you in your departure from Unigh,” said the archer with haste. Gallus believed him on all accounts and hurried out of bed. He was already dressed, as he did not care to change into his nightclothes with his anger about him. He grabbed his sword and the men followed him out of the General’s quarters.

The six men headed out of the sectioned keep through the gate and walked through the cities back alleyways. The sun was still rising and the sky was a glorious orange color, almost blinding. As Gallus gazed out onto the main road he could see some of the Kings guard headed for his villa. He was angered once more, as the King had betrayed him fully, where he had done nothing to deserve this grand of punishment. He would not leave his men at the border to die, but the King could not see beyond his silver lined purse.

Under the cover of the back streets the six men had made it to the north gate with little conflict. Gallus eyed the gate and noticed a large force had massed inside its iron-crossed bars. They were not anticipating an attack, but instead their focus was on the city itself, each guards gazed fixed upon the shadows watching with great vigor. He knew what, or rather, who they were after with their barriers and blockades, they were after him, but he knew of another way to escape. The King must have gotten word of his departure from his villa and sent men to stop him at all gates. His only hope was the western waterway that all of the sewage and other city drainage flowed to. It lead out of the city and at the moment it was more pleasant than fighting through a gauntlet of swords and arrows.

“Friends come this way, the gate is barricaded and the only way to escape is through the sewage,” Gallus prompted in his usual tone of righteous control. The men were quick to adhere to his footsteps and the six made their way to western area of the city ducking behind pillars and crates as to avoid the omnipresent irises of the Unigh guardsmen. The western sewage wall was never well guarded as no self-respecting man would degrade himself to the level of a waste watcher, and besides that the smell was putrid. As the men slipped cautiously closer to the sewage drains the smells of the cesspool began to flood their nostrils with the accuracy of an eagle. Gallus dropped his jaw to inhale the rancid aroma through his mouth as to avoid the sting. When they finally arrived the archer edged his way into the sludge and noticed that it was not so deep near the wall itself. One by one the men entered into the tanned pond and found their way along the wall behind the archer. When they arrived at the opening itself, the men rejoiced at the sight of clean water. The smell was not so bad here as the sea breeze did not allow the air to become stagnant.

“Quickly clean your boots and get on your way. I thank you for your warning and assistance in escape, but we cannot stay together. If you want to see me well, meet me at Danlis in a week’s time, but for now I must depart. Please keep safe, as you are the only allies I know that I have and I would dread to hear the bitter news of your passing, if I were to hear it at all. They won’t be looking for you, but if they find you here they will be suspicious so go and move quickly.” The six said goodbye and departed from sight. As Gallus fled, he looked back to see his five companions cleaning themselves in the salty water and then leaving for the northern gate of Unigh once again. He silently wished them well and began his journey northward to the border fortress of Danlis.

[Cicciro]

Chapter 2
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Gallus fled north, straying from the main highway leading out of Unigh, but that didn’t seem to matter. He glanced over his shoulder to spot two guards chasing after him on horseback. He began to sprint harder, but he was tired and knew he had to give it all he had to make it to the safety of the wooded area before him. He pressed on with his side cramped and his legs drained of all energy except for the will to live. Closer he drew towards the forest, but the men were almost upon him. One of the men fired an arrow that landed a few feet to his right. Then another arrow came and glanced his left forearm. The pain only pushed him harder. More arrows dropped around him, some just a finger’s length from his failing limbs. Another arrow flew past, but there was something odd about it. It was headed towards the guard men. He did not take the time to look around for the previous owner of the arrow, but continued his sprint. He was almost there, to the wooded land where he could make his refuge. Pain spread through his body as he pressed through the solitary trees as the forest began to swell around him. His upper right thigh had been hit. He limped on, but was drained. He finally fell and saw his pursuer ride up to him, arrow knocked and ready to be released. Gallus faded off with no fear in his heart.

He found himself with an extra pair of arms when he began to arouse. Someone was dragging him along the ground, and it was not the most pleasant trip either. His leg was still sore from the arrow that had struck him, and he was now bruised from all of the roots and rocks that were under his tattered body as he was moved. He opened his eyes a little further and noticed that these arms were hairless and small: woman’s arms.

“Damn it woman, quit dragging me a long the ground! Can you not see I’m wounded?” Gallus spoke with his authoritative voice.

“Fine,” said the woman as she promptly dropped him onto the ground. “If you want me to leave you hear I can. There were five other men in the distance charging on horseback, do you really want to stay? I can leave you if you like.”

“Spoken just like a woman. Let us stay here for a few moments and get acquainted. I’m not sure I enjoy the assistance of a total stranger. Who are you? How am I still alive?” Gallus turned his head upwards to see one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Her skin was lightly colored from the sun, but was somewhat tainted by an outdoor life. Her hair was short and dark, curving inward and her eyes were as deep a green as the liveliest pine. He looked behind her neck to see a quiver of arrows and a bow. She must have saved him.

“My name is Sireen Helesin,” she said, “and you are Gallus Strom. I’m a hunter from up north where everyone knows your name. Luckily some men I saw in town that I came down with knew you might be in trouble and asked me to track you. They seemed very rushed so I ran out as quickly as I could. I spotted you running across the field with the cavalry chasing you. I hurried into the woods where you were headed and began to pick them off. The one finally had you on the ground, and I picked him right between the eyes. I saw a few more coming out for patrol and had to drag you through these woods. I’m sorry to have hurt you, but I had no other choice.”

“Then I must thank you Sireen, my life is in your hands. Perhaps you would wish to travel with me? With my leg as bad as it is I am not afraid to admit I will need someone’s assistance, and due to the convenience of your proximity, perhaps you would be willing to nurse me back to health and be my shoulder to rest on. You must know the woods, and I fear the road will be too harsh to travel on with the probable bounty on my head. So what do you say Miss Helesin? Will you assist me and be my guide to Danlis?”

“I don’t see any reason not to, but that is as far as I can take you. With you in your condition it may take a few days, unless we can find some sort of caravan or horse to ride. It is up to you though; the village of Kyme is not too far off to the north west of here. Let us head in that direction first; perhaps we can find some of the kinder folk of that part of the countryside to help us. Besides, we will need supplies: bandages, medicines, and I will need a few more arrows. I know a Fletcher up there though, Braden Logsward, he’ll help me out with that. As for accommodations, my Uncle lives in and manages a fishing business. I’m sure he will let us stay in his spare room behind his shop.”

“It is settled then, we shall go to Kyme and rest for a day or so, but we must be weary for the King has set his eye on Kyme for a while. I know he seeks to grant the land to his daughter’s lover, and no doubt he will have guards keeping watch over his new possession. The town will at least have a few, oh if only the times weren’t changing so. The King and his royal court are nothing but selfish misers. I cannot say I was proud to be among them, but I had the chance to fight for a suffering people, and that I would never give away. I must return to the north and help them. However, you are correct, I need some rest.” Gallus struggled to stand, his leg splintered in pain and his face fought off the cowardly grimace.

“I must ask you Sireen, do we have anything to eat? I’m famished, and after this days event, anything sounds delicious to me.”

“I’m sorry I don’t have anything with me, but I can track down food better than some of the local forest predators. If you would like, we can rest in the forest tonight, and I will cook you some meat. Would you prefer the leg of a boar or perhaps the rump of a hind? I’ll just find you something, but we must go a little deeper where the wood is denser and the fire we will need cannot be seen. Can you walk, or do you need my help?”

“Aye, but I would prefer a shoulder to rest on, and Miss Helesin, I am very grateful to you. You have a kind spirit, and the eyes of an eagle. Without you, I would be dead, and yet you help me even more. Please, ask of me anything so that I may repay my debt to you.”

Sireen looked at Gallus and said, “I require nothing right now, but rest assured I will hold you to your word. When I have completed my assistance for you, then I will ask of you what I desire, and you must obey or be a man of weak words. Come on Gallus, we don’t have far to go tonight, and while the air cools and the sky darkens we sit and talk. If we don’t work now, we both will need saving. Take this hatchet and find some wood to burn, I’ll be back shortly with a slab of meat. Farewell, and do not strain yourself too much, we only need enough to cook the food and let some warmth under the canopy.”

“Alright, and I trust you will be careful as well. I will remain here and keep what watch I can over our small place. Come back soon, or I may just find my starvation too great to endure.”

Sireen sprinted off into the woods with look of determination. She had to come back, but she didn’t know why she wanted to with such desire. Gallus was charming for sure, and as handsome as any man from the King’s court, but he was different. He was kind, compassionate, strong, and more of a man than any one of the beastly hunters of the north. Perhaps his tales of valor infatuated her, but she did not know the source of her worry. She sped on to find the kill for this pained man, to feed him, to care for him as he had done for her people for so long. Gallus could see it in her, her childish intentions, and her infatuation with him, but he was not without feelings of his own. His whole life had been devoted to those just like Sireen, and he had a desire to learn so much more about her and her people.