So, E3 came and went. I'll tell you my thought on that in a bit. Til then, some yaoi, or at least, it will be yaoi:
”People!
Come now and bear witness, in accordance to the law of Talahee! We shall today
pass sentence on these four criminals! Hear and take warning from their
punishment!
Elril, son of Endrin the cook of Narwhal’s
Tavern, you have been accused and found guilty of falsifying history and
spreading discord with tales of people who never existed. You are hereby
sentenced to death by abandonment in the Silveroak woods. Adomorn, son of
Thoamros the tailor, you have been accused and found guilty of involvement with
a falsifier of history and for spreading his lies. You are hereby sentenced to
share in your leader’s punishment. Zanedithas, son of Lord Yenand, you have
been accused and found guilty of involvement with a falsifier of history and
for spreading his lies. You are hereby sentenced to share in your leaders
punishment. You shall go together through the Hematite Gate, carrying nothing
but your long shirts, and you will never return. May the Singular have mercy
upon your souls.
Aylonna, daughter of Faagah the scribress, you
have been accused and found guilty of acting in affront to the Singularity by
manipulating the elements, the memory of others and the will of beasts. You are
hereby sentenced to exile. You will be taken to the Hematite Gate at the eves
of the Silveroak woods, carrying the cothes you are now wearing and a cloak in
addition, a knife no longer than your left hand from its base to the tip of its
longest finger, a flint and a satchel of food. Once at the gate you may go
where you will, but never set foot in a civilized city of Talahee again in 70
years. May the Singular guide your steps.”
The people milling around in the harvest market
in Highville cheered. It didn’t happen often that prisoners were sentenced to
death. Cheering and jeering they gathered around to watch the four unfortunate
off on the first part of their sentence. Miss Faagah made her way to her daughter
and with the guards permission gave her a hug and swept her own cloak around
her. The captain of the guards took Aylonna’s left hand and measured out a
knife. A moment later, a guard came from a tavern with a satchel of food. Accepting
the food and the knife, Aylonna stepped up in the wagon that would take her and
the three young men to the Silveroak Woods.
Adomorn was brought forth next. His mother
disengaged from the crowd and was allowed to talk to her son. Adomorn looked
first at her, then looked toward the crowd.
“He won’t
come”, his mother said. “He’s angry with you.”
“I know”,
he said quietly. “I’m sorry.”
“We told
you that boy was trouble.”
Adomorn nodded. It
was true, ever since he had made friends with Elril and Zanedithas his father
had been telling him that all that would come out of it was trouble.
“Tell
father that I’m sorry, and that I love him.”
His mother stepped
back and the captain said:
“Your
mother will have all that you’re carrying. Will you undress willingly?”
Blushing profusely,
Adomorn took of his gloves, boots, socks, surcoat and trousers. Dispite the
warm August day, he shivered slightly in nothing but his long shirt. The crowd
jeered.
Zanedithas stepped
up all on his own. Known as he was for good-natured mischief he was met with
cheers from the young in the crowd, while most of his elders didn’t really know
how to react. He didn’t bother to look for any known faces. His father wouldn’t
be here, why would he? Making an elaborate bow to the crowd, Zanedithas threw
of his surcoat. Then he undid his belt and handed it, along with his sword,
dagger and coin purse to the captain. He pulled of his boots and socks, then
his trousers. Giggling and snickering erupted among the crowd. His long shirt
had bunched up and stuck, leaving his lower body bare from his navel. With
another elaborate bow and a smirk Zanedithas dropped his trousers at the
captains’ feet and turned to climb up in the wagon after the girl and his
friend. The captain stopped him.
“No message
for your family”, he asked.
“Tell him…
Tell him his son never regretted his crime.”
Zanedithas climbed
into the wagon, turned his face to the sun and closed his eyes.
Elril stepped up
with a heavy heart. His father came toward him. Elril wished he hadn’t been
there, he’d rather have carried his shame without his father seeing. Endrin
embraced his son and whispered in his ear:
“Not
careful enough, my boy.”
“I’m sorry,
father.”
“Don’t be.”
Stepping back a
pace, Endrin said out loud:
“You
brought this upon yourself.”
Elril hung his head
in shame, cheeks burning.
“You will
always be my son”, Endrin said. “And I will always be proud of you. One day,
you will come back to me.”
Elril met his
fathers’ eyes for a moment and then he turned away and took of his clothes. His
father took his coat and trousers and folded them carefully.
“Tread
carefully in the woods, all of you”, Endrin said as Elril climbed up into the
wagon.
The city guards
that escorted criminals to their fate climbed up and the horses started
walking. Elril looked around at his friends that he had pulled into this
disaster. Guilt gnawed at his heart. He couldn’t really read Adomorn. Maybe he
was angry. Zanedithas looked quite content, lapping sun where he sat, as if he
didn’t have a care in the world. Aylonna looked sad and a little confused.
The wagon turned
north at the Great market and rolled out through the city gate. The road wended
its way through farms and fields, over streams and rivers, towards the Great
Woods. Zanedithas tried to strike up conversation, but was silenced by the
guards. It was well after dark when they reached the Hematite Gate. The guards
let their prisoners out.
“So”, said
Zanedithas, streaching. “Here we are. At one of the gates. Do you think it
leads to hell?”
“I’m sorry
about this”, said Elril quietly. “It’s all my fault you’re here.”
“So it is”,
smiled Zanedithas. “It is absolutely your fault that we are friends and that I
stick by my friends. Who was it starting to talk to whom, again?”
“I think it
was you”, said Adomorn with a slight grin.
“It was,
wasn’t it”, Zanedithas replied genialy. Turning to the guards he said: “You’re
not going away until we’re gone, right?”
“Right”,
said one of them. “We’ll make camp here for two nights.”
“And you”,
Elril asked Aylonna. “Where do you go?”
Aylonna looked
surprised at him. She blushed slightly when she realized he was just about
naked, but said:
“I don’t
know. Can I come with you?”
“Why would
you want that”, asked Adomorn. “Walk into the woods and certain death with us?
That’s a little mad.”
“Why not?
They don’t expect me to ever come home, anyway.”
“Why should
we let you”, asked Zanedithas. “You’re just a girl, you’ll just make us die
faster.”
Aylonna frowned,
but then she started to think.
“I wouldn’t
be so sure”, she said. “I have something you don’t.”
“Like
what?”
Elril laughed
quietly at his friend. Apparently, Zanedithas was secretly dense, or possibly
just inattentive. Aylonna smiled triumphantly.
“A knife
and a piece of flint. I come with you, and you sit by a cozy fire tonight.”
“Good
point”, said Zanedithas. “Let’s go, through the gate.”
He sauntered off,
Aylonna in tow. After them went Adomorn. Looking back, Elril sighed and
wondered if he would ever see anything but woods again. As he walked after the
others, he could swear he felt eyes other than the guards follow him.
At the top
of the Hematite Gate, a shadow detached itself and started to follow the four
misfortunate ones.
