Song of the Piper

::9:: Tug of War

Music is Love Theme from the Dragon Age: Inquisition OST. Play it!

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The image of Olsterhein continued to burn in my mind throughout the whole journey. I could still see that little boy, crying for his mother; the man who had been burned alive in front of my eyes; and the fire Lord Himmel had set upon the village. In fact, the monsters that attacked us following the incident seemed mild by comparison.

I sank myself into the warmth of the tub, unable to get rid of the memory. It had plagued me for the week; it didn't matter if I was awake or asleep, I would still remember. I would still feel a heavy stone lodged in my chest; I would still have the unbearable dread of helplessness crawling all over me.

I breathed into the water, letting the bubbles tickle my nostrils. I should forget everything. It was just one village-we still had plenty of other things to worry about and protect. I shouldn't let it bother me so much.

"You still have innocence. Don't ever lose it." Lord Himmel's words echoed in my mind. I ducked my head underwater, closing my eyes, meditating. When I saw him every day, I only saw a ruthless lord who would do the right thing, even if it cost the lives of others. Up until then, I hadn't realised how powerful he was: he had set a whole village aflame so easily. Yet I couldn't help but wonder how he'd managed to draw up such immense strength at the last second.

I rose out of the bath and shivered, and not just because it was night time. The only comfort in the darkness was the steinlioht I had conjured earlier. Its light flickered over the water, rippling into a mixture of gold and inkiness. I was far too tired to properly conjure a spell to dry myself and dress up, so I performed these tasks with good old fashioned methods. After all, Lord Himmel had told me to conserve as much of my magic as possible.

Just as I slipped into my shift, someone knocked on my door. I frowned. It was not scandalously late, but late enough to make me wary. Pulling on a robe, I reached for my flute, which was placed on a pathetic excuse of a vanity table. "Who is it?" I called out.

"Markus. Klaudia, I need to talk to you."

I didn't loosen my grip on the flute. Cautiously, I eased the door open, and his fair, pinched face greeted my eyes. I exhaled in relief, pulling the doorknob to reveal the rest of his figure. He hadn't changed from the riding clothes he had been wearing earlier.

I didn't know if it was appropriate for us to talk in my room alone. I said, "Should I change?"

"Not necessary. Don't worry, Kaiser keeps a tight leash on his men."

I nodded, stepping aside to allow him entrance. But it wasn't the sorcerers I was worried about-we were currently in the local inn, and who knew if gossipy villagers weren't lurking about? Either way, I supposed that they already knew of my engagement to Lord Himmel, so perhaps this wouldn't set tongues a-wagging.

"I thank you for coming along, Klaudia," he said idly. He strode over to the table and pulled a chair out. I limped towards my bed and plopped onto it. "You have acted as a very valuable asset."

If by valuable, he meant humming quirky little tunes which fed his strength, just so that he wouldn't be drained of energy while performing the ritual, then yes. Other than that, I was remarkably useless. Whenever monsters came, the sorcerers were so efficient that I barely had time to react before the creatures were slain. They weren't Magi, yet they were so powerful that if I'd seen them a few months back, before I had any knowledge of magic, I would have thought that they were avenging angels.

But anyhow, I received the compliment with a thanks.

"Good, good," mumbled Lord Himmel, raking his hair with his fingers. He didn't bother to come up with a new topic of conversation. A strained silence hung in the air.