Closed Trapped in by a Tempest [Roy Kingsfield]

[Lenz]

The 84th of Winter, 513 AV
An empty building in Sunberth

The weather outside the tent was nasty and terrifying. The wind was so powerful it had almost picked up the stakes that pinned the tent to the ground multiple times. It was as if the gods above were purposefully trying to blow down the many houses of Sunberth that were already unstable.

“It’s okay,” Lenz whispered to the child that sat beside her. The little girl’s eyebrows were sewn together as her face showed signs of fear and concern. This didn’t make Lenz feel any better, so she snuggled closer to the child and wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

“Are we alright?” Ipisol asked, her head cocking to the side as she studied her guardian as if for signs of weakness. Or lies.

Lensz sighed and dared to open the flap that was used to cover the only window available to them. As she did, gusts of ice cold wind slapped her face and blurred her vision. She closed it quickly, wiping her face with her gloved hand. Her face was now red and stinging from the impact.

She couldn’t lie, but with something acting as bad as the weather was at this very moment, she needed to show some hope and showing some hope was something Lenz was good at.

“Yeah, Ips, we’re fine.”

Ips was nickname Lenz had given the girl after they had spent endless days and nights together travelling the wilderness in search of a city to live in. The two had grown close, using each other as one another’s protection.

After seeing how miserable it was getting outside, Lenz knew that it would be both wise yet unwise to go out and get some things. It would be wise, because if they were unlucky enough to be stuck in the tent for a few days, they needed food and other necessary items, and would have them. It would be unwise, however, because it was a very reasonable possibility that Lenz could get stuck out in the storm. And an even stronger possibility that she might never return again.

These two thoughts were repeatedly pondered in Lenz’s head before she bit her lip and stared down at Ipisol.

With eyes like the earth covered in both grass and mud mixed together like some sort of magical concoction, Lenz explained to the child where she was heading and when she’d be back.

“Do you promise?”

Lenz’s hand ruffled the girl’s red hair before reassuring her. “Yes, I promise.”

And with the conversation finished, and a proper goodbye exchanged, Lenz quickly slipped on her boots, made sure she had her coat snug over her small body and slipped out the door, her gloved hands zipping the tent’s flap closed.

The red-haired woman was greeted with a chilly embrace of both ice and snow. It was a mixture that clawed at her cheeks and bit at her nose. It was a pain that couldn’t be explained without describing the feeling of a numbness of some kind.

Using her hand as a sort of shield, Lenz shuffled through the blizzard at a slow, but steady pace before she found herself using the old buildings of Sunberth for support.

Her destination was simple and her mind was set on where she was going. It was only one main place and it wasn’t too far, but there were a few different buildings one could go into. All the woman needed was a few, small meals and maybe another blanket or two.

However things didn’t go over all that smoothly. A few strong gusts of wind that would have sent anyone stumbling back to home, just made Lenz’s common sense stir inside her brain. She wasn’t thinking straight as she saw the closest building and fled for it in hopes to escape the winter’s wrath.

Assuming, yet also hoping that it was one of the Castle Commons buildings, Lenz tried the door, but it wouldn’t budge. She tried it again, this time with her gloves off so she could maintain a better grasp on the handle. It finally opened, propelling Lenz forward, and having her land face first in the centre of the room.

Blushing slightly at her clumsiness, she rushed back to try to close the door, but the wind was resilient as it battled her to the end. Thankfully, the thin woman won, jamming the handle in place as the door shut like it had been when she arrived.

Sighing a breath of relief, she looked around, but was disappointed when her eyes fell across nothing but an empty building.

Lolling her head to one side, her lips puckered out in frustration, she slapped her arms to her sides in defeat and decided to take a little break before taking another crack at trampling through the storm raging outside again.

How bad could it be anyways?

Secret :

Let the adventure begin!

[Roy Kingsfield]

Day 84 of Winter in the Year 513 AV

“Why can’t you just let me live my own life?!” Roy slammed the front door of his parent’s apartment, the wooden frame rattling on its hinges. He instantly regretted stepping outside. The icy wind ripped through his thin shirt causing goosebumps to break out across his skin as the frozen water rained down from the sky in a blinding mess. Black clouds hung overhead, covering the empty streets of the slum in permanent shadows as the storm concealed the sun. Snow slowly began piling higher and higher along the streets making the way treacherous and exhausting.


I’m an idiot. Why did I have to freak out on them now of all times? It’s horrible out here…


His pride refused to allow him to go back inside and apologize. Roy tucked his hands into his armpits, trying to keep his exposed appendages from freezing. He half ran, half stumbled through the chaos, his vision blurred through the wall of ice and snow that cascaded around him. In a matter of seconds, he was completely drenched as the elements had their way with him. The wind buffered him back and forth as he made his way through the empty streets.


I got to get out of this weather. This is absurd.


The frigid cold cooled his temper, now all he wanted was to get out of the tempest. Anywhere. Roy cast a futile glance at all the buildings lining the streets. Doors were locked tight. Windows were sealed. Stalls barred. There was nowhere for him to go. But he refused to accept his fate and lowered his head, pushing through the storm.


I am not going back there. The constant pestering. The incisive hinting. Trying to get me interested in the family business. Every day, over and over. It. Never. Seems. To. Stop.


Roy’s father Jeffery, owned a local candle making shop while his mother Alice, was a seamstress. The Kingsfield family had a long standing tradition of passing down the family trade, father to son. Jeffery knew that it was time to prepare his nineteen year old son to eventually bear the mantel and take over the trade. But Roy fought them tooth and nail. Over the years, bitterness and hostility and had sown itself into the young man’s heart. He refused to cave into the pressure his parents put on him. He wasn’t going to accept the pitiful existence that they called life. He wanted more than that. He craved more.


Roy snapped back to reality as a loud crack resounded from ahead. He barely managed to look through the sheet of rain before he spotted a large shard of wood, tear free from an old building. His eyes widened as the wind shot the four foot splinter straight for him, spinning end over end.


Roy dove to the side, smashing into an old structure. The door flew open and Roy tumbled into a room. He sprawled out across the floor, heart pumping wildly in his chest.


I. Almost. Died.


The youth lay there, not wanting to get up. The adrenaline thrummed in his ears and his body trembled slightly. He looked at the ceiling, the old rough wood, haphazardly crafted.


This place looks like a death trap…But I guess its good a place as any to ride out the storm in…


Roy sighed to himself and slowly pushed himself up off the ground. The door flapped open wildly, wind howling as it seemingly tried to rip it from its frame. Roy rolled to his feet and shoved his shoulder against the door, jostling it shut. The sound of the wind died to a dull roar and Roy sighed in relief.
He slowly rolled over so his back was facing the door and leaned against it. It wasn’t much warmer inside, but at least the wind was gone. Roy looked up from the floor and glanced around the room. He froze as he spotted a figure standing off to the side.


Oh shyke. I really need to pay more attention…


Roy fell into a defensive stance, feet splayed, fists up in front of his face, eyeing the form in the semi dark room. He had no idea what he had walked into or if the person would attack but he sure as shyke wasn’t about to go down without a fight.


Roy called out hesitantly, his voice cutting through the stale air,“Hello? Who’s there?”

[Lenz]

Upon entering the building, Lenz hadn’t noticed much, but now as she had the time to simply improve her patience, she couldn’t help but take in her surroundings.

Her eyes turned into slits as she tried to see in the darkness. The room wasn’t empty infact and as she continued to search around, she found that a few barrels were joined by a wooden table on the far side of the room.

Suddenly there was movement on the other side of the room. Her pulse racing in her ears, Lenz tried to see what had moved or who had moved. She prayed with all her heart that whatever it was wasn’t aggressive, or else she was in deep trouble.

She hadn’t brought anything with her besides the clothes she wore and a few Mizas she had planned to use for the supplies she had gone out to purchase. She didn’t have her double laded dagger to defend herself with, whether she knew how to use it or not. It served as a threat more than anything, and at a time like now, she wished she had remembered to bring it with her.

The building wasn’t necessarily big, but it wasn’t small enough that you could see everything around you. The darkness of the building gave an eerie feeling to the entire situation as well, and until Lenz’s eyes adjusted, she was as blind as a bat.

Using the wall behind her as a sort of guide, she began to slowly walk towards the sound to get a better look. Things weren’t too dark that she couldn’t see, but the only things that she could were a few feet in front of her. Let’s just say, it wasn’t very helpful.

A sudden voice made Lenz jump right out of her skin. She almost let out a yelp in reply to a deep tone demanding the question of “Who’s there?”

Raising her gaze, Lenz spotted a shillouette of someone standing with his legs shoulder width apart. The woman, obviously not realising that he had been standing there the entire time, hugged the wall as if trying to blend in.

Did he see me? she asked herself, her breathing picking up pace. Was he expecting someone else? Have I walked into something terrible? Who is this person?

Straining her eyes to see further into the darkness, she noticed the structure of the figure, determining the sex as a man. It’s not like the voice didn’t help in deciding, but you never know. Lenz had walked into some pretty kinky situations, and they weren’t pretty.

Realising that staying quiet was probably one of the worst things she could be doing right now, she bit down on her lip before responding in a soft and hoarse voice.

“I’m here as a friend.” What kind of person said something like that? Was it just her or did that sound so childish and immature, like she was playing a game of pretend or hide and seek?

She didn’t dare add on a ‘I don’t mean to hurt you’, because she knew anyone could take her out in a simple blow to the nose. So instead, she cleared her throat and added some more voice to her words.

They glanced across the various furniture splayed out in the room, echoing off the walls and around the barrels. “I don’t want to fight.” And wasn’t that the truth.

Lenz had never been a hostile individual. She was protective, and that was a strong trait that was obvious whenever she needed to be, but she was never aggressive and disliked hurting people whether it be by physical or emotional force.

Instead, she resorted to using words and understanding. Usually she didn’t find herself in such situations, but during those rare occasions, doing such actions usually spared her the blood and tears.

Hopefully things would play out well this time.

Letting go of her connection with the wall, her fingertips started to feel in front of her, until her eyes adjusted fully.

A young man with dark brown hair trimmed very short, and what appeared to be blue eyes that seemed to glow amidst the shadows of the room stood across from her, his arms up in a defensive, yet hostile fashion.

Tucking her hair behind her left ear, Lenz held up her hands and continued to walk closer to the man, making sure that she didn’t pose as a threat.

However, you never knew about people in Sunberth, so just to be safe, Lenz sought out an exit she could easily run to incase things didn’t go so smoothly.

With eyes calm, yet protective and bordering on the line to the feeling of being threatened, Lenz decided to state her name.

“My name is Lenz.”

And just to see if the two could converse like normal humane individuals, she asked him what his name was, a hint of authority pinching at her tone of voice.

The time seemed to tick by endlessly, but Lenz knew better than that. Questions penetrated her head with exhilarating speed as she thought about both negative and positive aspects of how this current situation would play out.

Food for thought?

[Roy Kingsfield]

Day 84 of Winter in the Year 513 AV

Roy squinted into the darkness, eyes slowly adjusting to the near black room. He shifted on the balls of his feet as the slightly darker form moved against the black backdrop. He was wary for good reason. Too many times, he had been jumped and had paid severely for it. Of course, he deserved most of the beatings he got, considering he went out of his way in fits of rage to jump and hurt people who got in his way. He’d never do anything to kill them, but they sure would be sore when they woke up from their unconscious state.


He quickly looked around the room, scouring it for any other unpleasant surprises. He could see outlines of objects but couldn’t quite make out what they are. The only thing moving was the person in front of him. Roy shifted, keeping his hands up, eyes boring into the approaching figure.


“I’m here as a friend,” The gentle voice floated over to him, startling Roy. He instinctively lowered his hands as the voice registered in his mind to be that of a woman’s. But he remembered, just as quickly, rule 101: never underestimate your opponent. He lifted his hands up again, still uncertain. He heard the slim woman clear her throat before speaking again. “I don’t want to fight.”


He was unease but he realized he must look a little ridiculous. He easily dwarfed her in size and he looked ready to attack a mob of muggers. Roy lowered his hands and held them by his sides, shoulders tense. He remained straight face, making it seem as though his guard was down, but that was far from the truth. He was watching the woman’s body language for any sign of attack. A few, awkward chimes had gone by as he stared at her through the darkness silently. As she slowly got closer, hands held out in front of her as a sign of peace, he peered more closely at her.


Long red hair, cascaded down her shoulders but was pulled back, revealing bright green eyes that were scrutinizing him apprehensively. Roy realized he must have scared him. Especially since he came tumbling in through the door and then leaped up into a battle stance ready to go down swinging. He flexed his fingers sheepishly. His street nature had gotten the better of him.


He listened for a moment, hearing the storm continue to rage on outside. It sounded like it was getting worse. He looked at her again, trying to get a feel for what she was about. She didn’t look like she was from Sunberth, the cut of her clothing was different.


Seeming like my mother’s trade is rubbing off on me. Now I can tell the difference in styles of cloth, Roy grumbled to himself in his mind. If she ever finds that out, I’ll never hear the end of it…


“My name is Lenz.”


Roy heard an edge creep into her voice as she introduced herself. Her calm façade was starting to fall apart and the nervousness of being trapped by an unknown combatant was apparent through her tone. Roy smirked and he finally relaxed, knowing she posed no threat to him. She looked petite enough that he could easily dispatch her. Hopefully she doesn’t have any kind of weapon…Roy paused as the thought popped into his head. Either way, she shouldn’t be too much to handle.


Roy decided to take a risk. He stuck out his hand and held it out to her apologetically but also trying to show that he didn’t mean to hurt her. “Hey, my name’s Roy. What brings you out to this,” a hint of sarcasm seeped into his voice, “lovely establishment?”

[Lenz]

Lenz honed in on the man before her, her attention directed entirely on him. A few uneasy seconds went by until a feint dark red aura wavered around him.

Anger, Lenz thought to herself, swallowing a gulp of dry, cold air. This guy has been angry. Soon, the colour surrounding him dissipated, leaving Lenz partially exhausted.

Although the aura had vanished, a few questions still remained. Why was he angry? It was obvious his position was defensive, but logic showed fear or protectiveness is the most common emotion portrayed when using defense.

The man hadn’t made any sudden irrational movements, like in an attempt to be offensive, so Lenz had to assume he was angry before he had heard someone else in the room with him.

Apparently seeing as how Lenz wasn’t one for violence, and thankfully understanding that she wasn’t weak prey, the man lowered his arms and stood like a statue in front of her. It felt like an endless silence, but Lenz knew it had only been a few chimes of awkward observation.

She felt his eyes scanning her person up and down, either making sure she didn’t bare any weapons or in a fashion that gave her the chills. Why is he looking at me like that? Of course, Lenz was naturally self-conscious of herself and was well aware of when other people were looking at her or talking about her.

As if by a command told from a storybook, the silence was shattered into a million pieces as the man introduced himself, his voice soft, yet husky at the same time. He sounded young, yet old enough to take care of himself and show everyone who messed with him who was boss. This was a trait Lenz couldn’t help but admire. She wished she could not only act like that, but sound that way as well.

Roy was his name, and although Lenz often didn’t try to come to conclusions too soon, she figured that his name fitted both his appearance and the brief sample of his personality he had shown when he had come busting through the door.

“What brings you out to this lovely establishment?”

She tried her hardest to hold in the laugh that was bubbling to the surface, but the lid sprung off and it bubbled over, her giggle like chimes from bells or metal tools.

Covering her mouth so that she showed Roy that she didn’t mean to laugh at him, she kept the conversation she had so bravely started going.

“Well, I wouldn’t call it lovely, exactly.”

Tucking her hair behind her other ear this time, she sighed, feeling slightly better being around the man. Sure, he was scary at first, but that’s the usual when you first meet someone. It can be terrifying, awkward and even a little embarrassing, but as the moments kept on flowing by, she began to feel more at ease.

Of course this wasn’t a very smart thing to do, especially in a place such as Sunberth. The people here were experts as acting like your friend only to steal what you had whether that be the money you had, the clothes you wore or your virginity.

Lenz shuddered at the last thought. She most certainly didn’t want to be raped by someone.

A curious expression locked onto her face, a small crease hinting at the place in between her eyebrows as Roy stuck out his hand. He wants to shake? As in friendly agreement?

Pleased with herself, and him for that matter, Lenz went to accept his gesture only to be interrupted by the door to the building crashing open again.

A bulky man of middle age came running in, a cascade of snow following him in his tracks. He slammed the door with mild ease behind him as he looked around the room, a nasty expression on his face.

A sudden loud sound as if the world was coming to an end made Lenz’s ears pound frantically. She whirled around to see if she could find a window to look out of, but seeing as how there had been no light, not even a dim white glow from the storm, it was no surprise that the only windows available to her had been boarded up.

No, Lenz thought, gasping as the worst case scenario came to her in record timing. Please don’t tell me what I think is true. Have I been snowed in with these two men?

Eyes wild and her heart hammering inside her chest, she rushed over to the windows and tried to see if she could peer outside through one of the holes the wooden panels had created. Only a few small beams of white light came through, and although she couldn’t see to make sure, she knew better.

We’re stuck inside.

“No, no, no,” she moaned, throwing up her hands so that they framed her face as she started to slowly pace back and forth.

She noticed the man who had just recently entered the building and had joined the two. He had a dark smirk plastered onto his face and his eyes held dark secrets.

Turning to look at the man and back at Roy and back at the man again, she held her breath for a moment and briefly closed her eyes.

Please, she told herself quickly. Please don’t let them hurt me.

And then she exhaled and opened her eyes again. If they touch me, they aren't going to get away with it without a fight.

[Roy Kingsfield]

Day 84 of Winter in the Year 513 AV

Roy couldn’t help himself as the woman in front of him burst into a fit of giggles. A wry grin broke out across his face and he knew that the two would get along just fine. Roy usually kept his interactions with people to a minimum. Sunberth wasn’t exactly known for its hospitality and friendly attitudes towards strangers. Most would rather rob you blind than say hello.


He liked her laugh, it reminded him of the wind chimes that his mother liked to hang outside their window. He was intrigued by this woman, though still a little wary. She seemed innocent enough, given the way she stood and her eyes seemed to speak volumes. But why on earth was she alone in an abandoned building? He couldn’t judge too harshly, he had accidently come in due to unusual circumstances. Maybe she had a similar experience.


Roy’s smile widened as she accepted his hand shake. Dignity. She holds herself with a…regal air. I wonder where she comes from…Roy was going to respond to her comment when all of a sudden the door exploded inward.


Roy spun around and instinctively took a step in front of the red haired woman. An old saying his father always told him flashed through his mind. Protect those weaker than you. Stand for justice. It’s what sets you apart from the rest of the world. As much as his parents frustrated him, he had the utmost respect for his father and the ethics he held. Whether he wanted them to or not, they still influenced the decisions he made…usually.


Like now. He knew the woman most likely couldn’t defend herself. She didn’t hold herself in a way that inspired confidence. She seemed so…gentle. She reminded him of a baby fawn he once saw in the woods, wide eyed and innocent. Roy pushed the thought away and faced the unknown.


The scruffy looking man who barraged in through the door, caused a flurry of snow to swirl around him and blast into the room, the frigid air causing Roy’s hair to stand on end. The man spent a few ticks attempting to close the door, the snow outside had begun to pile up higher and higher as the storm continued to get worse. The man had jumped off of a two foot mound of snow that had appeared over the course of half a bell, onto the floor of the building. He brushed off the snow that covered him and faced the two in the room. Roy instantly disliked the burly man. His fist twitched wanting to wipe the arrogant look off his face.


“Can I help you?” Roy asked coldly. He knew the moment the man stepped into the room that there would be trouble.


He sneered, “Ya’ petchin’ blind? Doesn’t take much of an oaf to look outside and see da’ storm abrewin’ out there.” The man squinted into the semi-dark room. His eyes rested on the slim figure of Lenz and something dark seemed to swirl in them as a slow smile spread across his face. Roy felt his temper rise as he caught the look the man gave her. He didn’t know her but he wasn’t about to allow anything to happen. Not while he was here.


Roy snapped his fingers in front of the man’s face, getting his attention. “Eyes over here, buddy.” An edge of warning crept into his voice. Being in a room with a woman was one thing, but being in a room with another Sunberthian man reeked of trouble. They were all the same. Roy wasn’t worried about himself. He cast a quick look at Lenz, she wasn’t from around here. She might not know what danger she could possibly be in.


The man snarled and locked eyes with Roy. “Boiy, don’t mess with me.” His hand slowly lifted towards his belt. Roy watched his movements passively. He didn’t carry any weapons on him. He despised blades. There was only one use for them. Killing. And if there was one thing he believed, no one deserved to have power over who lived and who died.


The two stared one another down. Roy finally ended the confrontation with a slight nod. He slowly turned and walked towards Lenz. “Hey, let’s go find a seat. It seems like we might be here for a while.” Roy walked over to the table and rested his elbows on it, keeping an eye on the man as he gestured at Lenz to come over and join him.


She might not trust me, but if she’s smart she’ll know he’ll do more harm than good. But that’s up to her. Roy sighed. It was going to be a long night.

[Lenz]

Lenz was surprised that Roy had taken such a protective position in front of her, and a few opposing thoughts constricted her common sense and hopes. The negative assumptions ended up winning the battle, stuffing the positive thoughts underneath until they had future use.

The intruder who had so gracefully floundered into the building, bringing with him piles of the white fluff that came crashing from the sky overhead kept his eyes glued to Lenz. They hovered distinctively close to the woman’s breasts, but Lenz kept her eyes somewhat shrouded by her curly bangs. She tried her best to not look at the barbaric way this man was looking at her right now.

“Can I help you?” Roy asked, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly as he seemed to scrutinize the stranger for any signs of trouble.

Lenz wanted to have the power to boot the man out as quickly as he had rushed in, but she knew if she even took a step forward, the man would act out. She had instincts that were often right, but thankfully she not often had to test to see if that was accurate or not.

A few curse words tampered with Lenz’s sense of hearing. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been around such vulgar language before, it was just that since she left Xy, she hadn’t heard it often. She wasn’t a big fan of showing your aggression or emotion through such words.

The strangers eyes, their colour an ominous dark brown, so dark they looked black, kept themselves rested over Lenz until Roy kindly interrupted him with the snap of his fingers.

Thank you so much, she thought and although the two were barely acquaintances, she had gotten the sense of a future friendship between the two.

It wasn’t like Lenz couldn’t take care of herself. Sure, she might appear an innocent, shy and sensitive woman on the outside, but on the inside she was responsible, logical and protective and when she thought her life or another’s life was in danger, she could jump to be of aid in a matter of seconds.

However, at a time like now, when she was currently stuck inside of building without a weapon or any easy way of escape, her reasoning went around and around like a whirlpool. She wasn’t thinking straight and it scared her that she only had one option of survival.

That option remained disappointing, yet rational and it was to stay inside until things clear up; and that could take days, Lenz was sure.

What would happen to Ipisol? Lenz thought, panic rising into her throat and constricting her lungs. She couldn’t breathe as she remembered what she had said to the child before she had left. She had promised that she would return shortly. Being stuck inside a building, snowed in with two men, for a possibility of a few days or even a week seemed like a lie to her, and she hated lies.

The man’s sudden voice, a bark in the wail the wind created diverted Lenz’s absentminded worrying back to the current issue at hand.

“Don’t mess with me,” he said, and just those words sent shudders rippling across Lenz’s skin. Goose-flesh appeared as the little bumps they usually did all over her arms.

Please don’t mess with him, Roy, she thought, hoping that the man would have the common sense to leave her alone.

Roy seems pretty tough. Hopefully he’ll scare the man into leaving me alone. Sadly, this seemed like a fat chance in her book.

Suddenly Roy was saying something to Lenz she couldn’t quite comprehend at the time, but as he strode over to the table on the other side of the room, she couldn’t help but become attracted to join him.

It was like she was in the middle of a battle between good and evil. The man she assumed was evil carried lust in his soul and she was an easy target, however, the man she assumed to be good was there as a protector. Whether he was passive or not was yet to be discovered, but Lenz sighed a breath of relief whether she sat next to Roy.

She watched him prop his elbows on the table, his eyes wavering slightly as he watched Lenz accompany him. She followed his motions, only instead she kept her elbows to herself.

Watching the other man out of the corner of her eye, the evil one, from the other side of the room, she turned to face Roy, a small smile eliciting on her lips. Sadness, confusion and small bits of excitement were visible, but she hoped they didn’t give off the wrong impression.

Lenz wanted to start what was to be a long time spent with this man off on the right foot, so with her brave face on, she decided upon asking him a few questions.

“So,” she started, whispering for some odd reason, “what are you doing in here?”

And just to make sure that she could trust him, she added, hinting at a sense of appreciation, “Why did you come to my defense?”

[Roy Kingsfield]

Day 84 of Winter in the Year 513 AV

Roy stared across the room stonily at the man who was muttering to himself as he got himself comfortable against one of the walls. Something irked Roy about the man, all he wanted to do was sink his fist into the man’s face. He wasn’t sure if it was from all the fights he had been in that it had turned into an instinct or if there was something about him that tugged at Roy’s conscious. Either way, Roy didn’t trust him.


He was deep in thought when Lenz spoke. He jerked, startled. Roy had momentarily forgotten about her, his mind churning as he figured out what his next move should be against the potential threat. He knew something would happen, he just didn’t know when. The street fighter knew the man was armed and he wasn’t about to let his guard down for even a tick.


Roy leaned up and hopped onto the table, scooting over till his back was facing the wall, allowing him to see Lenz and keep an eye on their new companion. He crossed his arms, mainly to keep warm but also to intimidate the third party to their entrapment. Roy might be willing to talk to Lenz but there was no chance that he would even allow the Sunberthian man to join them.


“Well, I had a…disagreement with my folks and went on a walk to cool off.” He glanced at the window where the snow had piled up and then back at her, “I cooled off a tad quicker than I expected…” A small smile tugged at his lips as he waited for her reaction to his weak attempt at humor before continuing. “I had been trudging through the snow and the storm outside was getting worse and worse. I may have been…rash when I originally went outside,” He felt the pride start to rise up inside his chest and he spat out the words a little more harshly than he intended. “But I wasn’t about to go back.”


Roy stopped for a brief moment and collected his thoughts, trying to calm down. “I was trying to make my way through the streets when there was a loud cracking noise and I saw a piece of sharpened debris flying towards me. So I jumped out of the way and here I am.” He shrugged nonchalantly.


“Let’s just say it was an unexpected visit. But hey, better in here than out there.” In the silence he could hear the howling of the storm and the creaking of the building as the wind beat mercilessly against the walls and ceiling.


“So why did you come to my defense?” Roy thought for a moment before answering. He didn’t really know why he did that. It just happened. Normally he was so torn between what he knew to be right and then what his inner nature told him to do. They always felt like they battled over his soul, neither content with owning what they had; always wanting dominance over the other. It was mentally taxing.


“It seems like the right side won, I guess.” He knew it wouldn’t make any sense to her but he was reluctant to explain it to an almost complete stranger. He wasn’t very keen on opening up to people, it wasn’t something he did. Not since he was betrayed, so long ago, by someone he thought would always be there for him. It left him callous, hardened to the core of his being. The easy natured youth, once innocent and pure, even among the cruelest of cities, left with his heart warped, bitter and broken on the inside.


The emotions swirled darkly in his mind, threatening to overwhelm him. Things are different now. Mistakes were made, scars were left but you’ve both moved on. It’s time to let it go. You’re not the same person anymore, neither is she. Things are going to work out. Just be patient.


Roy shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He realized a few chimes had gone by since he last spoke and felt a little embarrassed for probably making her feel awkward.

“Anyways, I take it you aren’t from around here, are you?"Roy asked bluntly. He was curious about her. Very rarely did he get to meet someone who wasn’t from the area, most people he saw were merchants and they weren’t the chatty type. They were quick to sic their hired thugs on anyone who as much as blinked at them. They assumed everyone was a thief these days.


He stared at her inquisitively. The night was still young and he imagined they would get to know each other pretty well before this was all over.

[Lenz]

The man seemed to be startled by Lenz’s sudden inquiry. He jumped a little when her voice struck the air and lit the silence like a match. It ignited as Roy soon calmed himself and let loose the thoughts he had on his mind.

As he spoke, Lenz kept half of her attention fully concentrated on the other man who now leant against the wall across from them. He snarled as she did, but kept his distance.

Roy had been sitting down next to the woman and then in an instant he was sitting on top of the table, his back using the wall to support him. It wasn’t necessarily disrespectful, but when the man’s feet came close to Lenz’s face, she frowned and moved backwards a little.

“Well, I had a…disagreement with my folks,” he started.

Almost immediately as he began to explain his situation and how he had ended up trapped inside an empty building, Lenz inwardly gasped victoriously. She had been right! The man had been angry before he had stumbled into the shelter and she had seen that from him by reading the aura that hugged his figure from a distance.

His snide remark about cooling off quicker than what was to be expected made Lenz smile a little bit, but when she remembered back to the big picture, her face hardened, her expression growing cold.

She was stuck, he was stuck, they were all stuck and until when? She didn’t know.

It was like she was being told a story. The way Roy’s mouth moved as he told her all the details gave her a sense of intriguement. The way he worded things made her hanker for more.

He described the piece of flying wood and he was wonderful descriptive in jumping out of the way, crashing into the building and instantly putting up his fists in response.

To anyone else, they might have thought he said things like any other person would, but Lenz hadn’t spoken to anyone for more than a few seconds in the longest time. She missed the conversations she had with people and besides Ipisol, she had no one to do so with.

It felt good to hear someone else’s side of the story, and when an unnerving silence passed over them, she begged and pleaded inwardly for more.

No, don’t stop talking now, she thought, biting her tongue to stop from saying it out loud. You were just getting to the good part. When in fact, the good part had passed and the worst part was taking its precious time in portraying itself.

The silence droned on for another few good chimes. The eerie noises of the wind gave the woman more bumps. They crawled up her arms this time, reaching her neck. She also could feel them on her legs as she heard the whistling of the wind through the cracks in the walls and the clattering of various things hitting against the side of the building.

“It seems like the right side won, I guess.”

What? Confusion played tricks with her eyes, her mouth, her nose as she tried to understand what his meaning was behind those words. The right side had one? Did he mean that the side of the good prevailed like it always should, but never seemed to?

In the end, Lenz somewhat understood, but realised that his answer wasn’t really an answer. She didn’t know if he had avoided the question on purpose, or just didn’t want to talk about it further, but she couldn’t dwell on the two opposing thoughts for much longer.

“I take it you aren’t from around here, are you?" This question was obviously not rhetorical. This time he was looking directly at her and was no longer seeming to think to himself aloud.

No, infact she wasn’t from around here, and if it weren’t for her terrible sense of land navigation, she probably wouldn’t have directed her travels to Sunberth, but instead toward Zeltiva or Ravok. She desired somewhere much safer, but this was the place she was met with and it was better than nothing.

Clearing her throat again only this time much softer, she prepared herself for her own story, starting from the beginning and hoping that she didn’t sound like a bore.

“I’m not actually,” she began, “I was actually from Kenash way back when until I…” There was a pregnant pause on her part as she tried to locate the right words among all of the secretive or too personal.

What could she say? That she was stolen by a lurking Zith from within the forest a ways from her house? That she was enslaved in Xy and forced to spend a few seasons there where she lost her only child, mother and friend? That she rescued a child and ended up spending several seasons travelling until they arrived in Sunberth?

Her head was spinning and her heart ached and frankly, she felt like she was about to vomit right then and there, on the man’s shoes and everything. Thankfully, she didn’t, but she still hadn’t come up with anything to say.

“I… I…” she stuttered on, racking her brain for anything, anything she could use as a reasonable answer. By now, she must have seemed like a fool who couldn’t remember her own name.

“I was in Kenash, born and raised,” she started over again, adding a little hype into her tone of voice. “When I ran away. I kind of wandered around for a long time until I ended up here.”

She couldn’t help but add a shrug as a finishing touch. How pathetic was that? Could she have been any more unrealistic? Would the man even bother to acknowledge her now that she had flat out told him a complete and utter lie?

Lenz’s eyes hovered over the man on the other side of his room, whom had changed positions and was now cracking his knuckles in an unruly fashion. His eyes were like dark voids, sucking in the souls of the many good hearted people and spitting them out again.

“Yeah,” she said, starting to play with her fingers.

Yeah…

Because that one word made everything all much better.

[Roy Kingsfield]

Day 84 of Winter in the Year 513 AV

His eyes lit up when she acknowledged what he previously thought to be true. Yes! I was right! She wasn’t from around here!


But then he mentally groaned because of how he came to that conclusion. I’ve been spending way too much time with my folks, I need to get out waaay more. Roy was usually forced to help his father with their candle making business while his mother was always in the corner sewing. He had allegedly picked up a few things while at him without realizing it.


Roy perked up and leaned forward when he heard the word Kenash. He didn’t know where the city was but he knew it wasn’t Sunberth. He tried to restrain his eagerness to extract all the information about her experiences concerning the “outside world”. He had never had the opportunity to escape the confines of the city except for a short journey out to the forest when he was nothing but a child.


What little he knew about the rest of the world came from snippets of conversation down where the merchants gathered together to talk. He sometimes hung around, trying to hear what was going on out there, before he was spotted and chased off.


Roy sat enraptured by the beginning of her story. She slowly puttered out but Roy leaned forward expectantly, waiting for more. When nothing seemed to be forthcoming, he sighed, starting to grow frustrated.


Of all the people I was trapped with, it was a stranger who has travelled the world but won’t tell me anything about it! Roy felt the urge to say something but then clamped his mouth shut. I guess I can’t talk, I wasn’t very forthcoming with my own story and life. We are strangers after all. Neither one of us can trust the other. The only reason we are talking is because we are watching each other’s back from that other man.


Roy’s eyes flickered back to the man who was staring at them balefully. Roy knew he was going to have to confront the man sooner than later. Nothing good was going to come from that man being here. The way he looked at the two of them gave Roy the chills. He knew exactly what kind of man he was.


The kind his father always told him to watch out for. The kind who ground his boot in the face of those weaker than him. The kind that his sense of justice would rise up and battle the darker nature inside of him that felt threatened by his moral compass.


Roy struggled to push the ethics away, the ones his father did his best to ingrain in him from a young age. He knew that if the conflict started raging now, he would go stir crazy. That was something he couldn’t afford. Not while locked up in a single room as the storm raged on outside.


He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. He began taking deep breathes, trying to still the coiling serpent that resided in his chest. It desired to fight the sense of justice that hovered in his mind. The two forces, light and dark, fought for complete dominance over his body. Neither was content with only owning a portion. Each wanted all of him. The battles always left him feeling sick.


Roy opened his eyes and focused on the woman in front of him, trying to distract his mind from himself. “Tell me about the outside. I’ve never been out of Sunberth. Well, I mean I’ve been out to the surrounding forest once, but nothing farther.” Roy gripped the edge of the table, knuckles turning white from the force of his grip. “What’s it like out there?”


Roy paused, knowing he may be asking a lot from her, to share details of her life but he was willing to take the chance and ask, anything to distract from the building stress in his mind.


NoteSorry, it was a little short.