If life could give me one blessing...

The Collector - part 2

Vesemir sat in front of the hearth in his meditation position, but the calm wasn't coming to him. He was painfully aware of the unmoving figure in his bed and couldn't help but let his mind wander back to those days when he could walk and talk side by side with him.

He walked through the city all the way to the mansion, where the local lord put up a contract asking the witcher to come and talk details. He led his horse to the gate and the soldiers opened it for him reluctantly letting him enter the gardens. He was meeting the lord outside as apparently witchers weren't really welcomed into mansions like these.

He followed the guard further inside, into the maze of rose bushes. What he saw behind it stopped his breath. What was it doing there?! Caught, shackled, for human eyes to see with a leather collar on its elegant neck and a heavy chain binding it to the ground. It looked at Vesemir with giant innocent eyes, sadness apparent in their depths, and the witcher's heart couldn't help but weep at such a sight.

"What did they do to you?" he mumbled under his breath, taking a step forward and stretching his hand towards the white fur when he was interrupted.

"I see you like my unicorn, witcher. But beware, it is a feisty little thing. Pierced two of my guards already with his horn. And that's not talking about those who caught him. I had to teach him how to behave, but he doesn't react well to strangers," laughed the lord as he walked towards them.

Vesemir felt his jaw tighten as he watched the man, dressed in fine silks with golden rings on his fingers, walk towards them. The lord looked at the unicorn and saw something that was his. He saw a dangerous horse with a horn, he saw the beauty, the shine of its hide, the deep beautiful eyes, and he wanted to keep it. Vesemir hated people like this.

The lord with his guards walked to them and the man reached his fingers out to slide over the soft white fur all the way to the collar where the man's insignia was glistening in the morning light. The unicorn neighed and shook its head, taking a few steps back as far as the chain let it, fear filling its big blue eyes. The lord took his hand away then with a little smile on his thin lips and he turned back to the witcher.

"You know, I love them. Magical creatures. There is something extremely exhilarating about getting your hands on a piece of a myth. I would like you to work for me, witcher. I heard rumors about a griffin in the mountains to the north. I am willing to pay you handsomely for capturing it and bringing it here. You see, my regular soldiers found that task rather difficult," the lord twisted one golden ring on his hand looking somewhere over the bushes and Vesemir hated that man.

"You want to capture a griffin," he said through gritted teeth, looking at the unicorn who was eyeing him curiously. It was watching Vesemir like it knew what was going through his head. And maybe it did.

"I want to become a collector," the Lord corrected him, waving the silly idea of only owning two creatures away like a bad dream. "I want to have them and watch them, my own beautiful piece of magic right here. I would like for us to work together on this project. So, how much for the capture?" he turned at Vesemir once again with an excited expression and the witcher felt disgust fill him to the brim.

"Keep your gold," he snarled through his teeth, and before any of the guards could do anything, he took out his dagger and in one swift motion stepped right to the unicorn, slid his hand under the collar, and slashed it open. Their eyes connected in that one fleeting moment before Vesemir was on his horse's back again riding to the gates and the unicorn right behind him neighing happily. It was free again.

Right now that unicorn was laying in his bed, unmoving, almost not breathing, and he smelled like deep, deep sorrow. Like all of the happiness has left his world and only darkness remained. And Vesemir couldn't help but think that somehow, maybe, if he did something differently, his friend wouldn't have ended like this.