Post by Kris11 on Sept 15, 2011 7:42:56 GMT 10
Title: Long Road Home
Rating: PG
Word Count: 468
Card: Autumn
Bingo: Wind, Moon, Change, Loss, Travel
Summary: After fleeing Carthak, Arram goes home to Tyra.
Each breath ended with a hitch as Arram struggled not to shiver in the cold northern wind. There had been no time to pack while running from Carthak, and the light shirts he owned were now torn and wearing down to threads through the rough treatment they’d been receiving as he made his way north from the port city in Southern Tyra, back to his family home in the north.
He rolled onto his side, bringing his legs up to his chest and rubbing his arms vigorously, trying to work out the chill that was settling into his bones. The art of sleeping rough had never been a skill he had put much time into mastering and now, with Ozorne’s threat of mage-sniffers still caught in his head amongst the madness of the past month, he was too frightened to call on his magic to light a fire. The thought of his friend filled him with anger, again, as he thought about his last days in what was irrevocably his old life, now.
Arram picked up the pack he had been trying to use as a pillow and stood up, wincing at the pain in his back and legs. The likelihood of sleeping had already been close to zero as he battled the cold and uncomfortable ground and the fear of the chase that was closing in behind him. Now, with the bitterness of anger and pain and betrayal that rose in his stomach and throat at the thought of his former best friend and what had happened between them, there was no chance he would find rest tonight.
The road beside the River Drell was well-used, though mostly during the summer months, when trade with the south was at its peak. Regardless, the road was wide and well-worn and easy enough to travel, even on a cold autumn night with only the moon to light the way. Arram walked and tried not to think of everything he had left behind in Carthak, or everything that had been lost – no, taken from him.
With only his thoughts for company, Arram started the last stretch of his travels home. One month ago, he had been one of the most powerful mages in the world, now he could not use his renowned magic even to light a fire. He had been the best friend of the Emperor of Carthak, who now had warrants for his arrest and had promised cold punishment if Arram was ever brought back to Carthak alive. He had been comfortable with his place in the world, and that had been shaken to pieces with one conversation with someone he had thought he knew... He shook his head and began counting his steps on the road home.
Maybe there he would find who he was supposed to be, as everything he had made of himself crashed down around him.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 468
Card: Autumn
Bingo: Wind, Moon, Change, Loss, Travel
Summary: After fleeing Carthak, Arram goes home to Tyra.
Each breath ended with a hitch as Arram struggled not to shiver in the cold northern wind. There had been no time to pack while running from Carthak, and the light shirts he owned were now torn and wearing down to threads through the rough treatment they’d been receiving as he made his way north from the port city in Southern Tyra, back to his family home in the north.
He rolled onto his side, bringing his legs up to his chest and rubbing his arms vigorously, trying to work out the chill that was settling into his bones. The art of sleeping rough had never been a skill he had put much time into mastering and now, with Ozorne’s threat of mage-sniffers still caught in his head amongst the madness of the past month, he was too frightened to call on his magic to light a fire. The thought of his friend filled him with anger, again, as he thought about his last days in what was irrevocably his old life, now.
Arram picked up the pack he had been trying to use as a pillow and stood up, wincing at the pain in his back and legs. The likelihood of sleeping had already been close to zero as he battled the cold and uncomfortable ground and the fear of the chase that was closing in behind him. Now, with the bitterness of anger and pain and betrayal that rose in his stomach and throat at the thought of his former best friend and what had happened between them, there was no chance he would find rest tonight.
The road beside the River Drell was well-used, though mostly during the summer months, when trade with the south was at its peak. Regardless, the road was wide and well-worn and easy enough to travel, even on a cold autumn night with only the moon to light the way. Arram walked and tried not to think of everything he had left behind in Carthak, or everything that had been lost – no, taken from him.
With only his thoughts for company, Arram started the last stretch of his travels home. One month ago, he had been one of the most powerful mages in the world, now he could not use his renowned magic even to light a fire. He had been the best friend of the Emperor of Carthak, who now had warrants for his arrest and had promised cold punishment if Arram was ever brought back to Carthak alive. He had been comfortable with his place in the world, and that had been shaken to pieces with one conversation with someone he had thought he knew... He shook his head and began counting his steps on the road home.
Maybe there he would find who he was supposed to be, as everything he had made of himself crashed down around him.