Knight in Amour

Aftermath - an Epilogue

21/02/2008 13:00 North Wales

A rough track leads up the narrow valley. It ends at a wooden gate in a stone wall that cuts off the end of the box canyon. Beyond is an area with 50ft of dark granite on three sides. At the foot of the cliffs, in front of a small vegetable patch and a rough collection if fruit trees, is a small single story cottage. The building is built of rough stone with ancient lime mortar. It's walls are thick, the windows small, and the roof, made of local dark slate, has a layer of moss growing in it. The wood work, both windows and doors, are painted the same shade of dark green, as is a bench that has been arranged at the front of the property by the front door.

An Austin Martin Vantage is pulled up by the wooden gate. It's engine still ticking as it cools. The door to the cottage is open and the bench is occupies by two figures, each clutching large mugs of tea, the steam still rising.

Kirsty leans against Warren and sips her tea. He places his arm protectively around her. She looks up at him and smiles. "So am I forgiven?"

War shrugs. "I'm getting weekend off even if its late. It's a couple of point in your favour."

"I don't understand why we didn't go back to HQ."

"North sent us here." War says. He leans back and pats the cottage's wall. "This is a good place for me. After what we've been through I need some time to ground before I head back into the city."

She sighs. "Option two is he just wants us out of the way for a couple more days."

War shrugs. "That would involve too high a level of paranoia for me to follow it." He dismisses. He sips his tea.

She looks round at the space. "So this is what you were comparing the manor to?" She says. She looks up at the cliff face. "Surely you could get trapped in here. Only one way in and out." She nods to the track.

He swallows the tea, shaking his head. He nods to the cliff on the other side. "Can climb that in my sleep." He dismisses.

She twists to look but it appears just as sheer to her. She looks at him in pointed disbelief.

"Plenty of practice." He pats the stones again. "This was Taid's cottage. I lived here after my dad died. Or at least as often as I could." He nods to the track. "Social services would drive up from the road," he nods to the cliff, "I'd be up that and he'd swear blind he'd not seen me for months and berate them for loosing me again." He laughs at the happy memory.

Kirsty smiles at him.

"They wouldn't let Taid raise me. Said he was too volatile. So they'd take me into care, I'd spend a bit of time with foster carers or in one of the children's homes and then when I got the chance I'd run and come back here."

"Why?" She ask. "I mean if he was dangerous."

"He wasn't dangerous to me. He wanted me. No one else did. My step mother couldn't wait to be rid of me once Dad bought it." He replies. "Taid taught me to climb, sail, navigate, shoot, hunt." He smiles, leaning back and looking up at the cliff. "Every thing I needed for the Navy really."

Kirsty looks at the man beside her carefully as he vanishes into his memories. She grimaces slightly and then follows his gaze to the cliff. To her it is just a block of rock, but it seems to be having a significant effect on her companion. She turns slightly looking at the building. She can see markings around the door that look strangely familiar. She detaches herself from Warrens arm to get a closer look. The marks are deep and clearly deliberate. As she runs her fingers over them it confirms her suspicions. They are Glyphs of protection and clearly magical, even without the ward she can sense the power in them. They are old, probably originally carved into the building when it was constructed. A date above the door suggests the building was constructed in 1562.