Roots - Chapter Twenty Five

Chapter Twenty Five: Return

“So tell me one more time why we’re still here?” Aldon inquired as he sat in the corner, sharpening his dagger with a small cube of whetstone. “I mean, it’s not like there’s nowhere else we could hide. Just seems like a bad decision.”
Briar’s pace slowed until his whetstone sat still against his blade’s edge. He stared down at it without blinking for a moment before whispering, “Aldon, when someone you need hides what do you do?”
Aldon shrugged and continued sharpening. “I dunno, look for them?”
“Exactly, we would be pulling other people, innocent people, into danger. And there’s already plenty enough of that to go around.”
“Then what about the forest or the mountains? Why stay where they already know we’re at?”
“Because Garen did some last minute preparations for us.” Briar began sharpening his dagger again and fell silent. Quickly the room filled only with the scraping sound of stone grating against metal.
Aldon blew the dust off his blade and inspected his handiwork, checking the bevels were even and drew the stone down it once more on each side. He flicked his wrist and ejected the knife from his palm and into his fingertips, holding it by the point, and threw it with a thunk into the wall. It sunk and slid into the wood several centimeters.
“That’s better.” Aldon remarked as he tugged it out of the wood and sheathed it at his belt. “Won’t have any problem cutting through them now.”
Briar sighed and set his knife down. “Aldon, do you really expect to fight them?”
Aldon felt stung and almost recoiled from it. “Of course I do! Why would I have been trained so much by you not to?”
“Why would we go through all of this trouble only to lose you in your first battle to a few jackals with no skill? We wouldn’t. Therefore, you are not to fight.”
Aldon felt he was going to explode. His face shook and his fists balled tightly. He could feel his temper beginning to flare and tried to suppress it. “Please, Briar. I can’t let you fight them alone. I won’t. If not me, someone else.” He tried to appease Briar with a calm tone.
“No, I won’t bring anyone else into our problems. Never ask another to fight your battles for you.” And with that, he stood and threw his knife several inches into the wall, said to sharpen his knife some more and walked away.
Aldon sat cross legged and continued scraping away at his knife in silence, meditating on what was going to transpire and thinking of ways to avoid it.
How could he possibly expect me to let him fight all alone? I saw his clothes. He nearly died last time. And no doubt they will return with even more soldiers and firepower. I have to find a way to convince him to let me fight.
A few hours later Aldon’s knife was razor sharp and even on either side, the hilt was polished and smooth again and the pommel cleared of rust. All in all his knife had never looked better.
“Okay, my knife’s done. Back to the conversation.” Aldon demanded.
“And what conversation would that be?” Briar asked innocently, eyes closed as he sat beneath the open window. The storm outside pounded with full fury and reverberated throughout the fort.
“You’re not fighting alone and I will be out there.” Aldon said, teeth clenched. He was ready to fight and knew what he had to do. Everything seemed so clear and simple to him now. Briar was the most important thing and they had to stick together and escape.
“Ah, I thought that conversation was over.” Briar mused. He sat stock still and breathed deeply, releasing the air in slow and steady streams.
“Well you thought wrong. If you think I’m going to stand idly by you’re insane. I’m going out there with you and you can’t stop me.”
“Oh can’t I?” Briar challenged.
Aldon stepped back subconsciously then stepped forward two. “No.”
“We shall see.” Briar stood using only his legs, arms out at his sides, and rose with his knife already at the ready. Aldon drew his blade and leaned forward on one leg, leaving the other cocked to the side and ready to lunge.
Briar approached him slowly and swung a hard strike. Aldon batted it away without moving. Twice more this happened when the swings became faster, moving higher in tempo until they were lunging back and forth swiftly and with focused determination. All the while they stared the other down, eyes locked. Every time Briar would take a step forward and press on Aldon would press back and match his ferocity.
They pounded away, sparks flying and the piercing ring of metal on metal singing through the air. They danced across the room and into the kitchen where Briar kicked Aldon’s knee so that it buckled and slammed into the counter. Aldon retaliated by rolling past Briar pushing the table against Briar’s waist, leaving him cornered against the wall. Briar pressed it against Aldon and was taking the ground when the elf leapt to the side.
The table flew forward as Briar pressed against it suddenly uncontended and fell forward. Aldon tapped him on the side of the neck with his dagger.
“You were saying?” Aldon teased cockily.
“What I should have said was watch your footing.” Briar pulled something beneath him, and yanked the dusty old rug out from under Aldon. He landed sprawled out on his back with Briar’s knife held against his chest.
“Crap.” Aldon breathed out and let his lungs scream in protest. The burning was less than before but still enough to smart for a while. Aldon hoped he would soon pass this stage of fight-recover-fight.
“You did well. Exceptional really.” Briar mumbled. “I know I’m not good at giving compliments, but I mean the ones I do. Well done.” Briar helped Aldon to his feet and dusted himself off.
“Does this mean I can fight with you?”
Briar looked at him sideways and grinned his devious half-smile. “As long as you stick with me and fight like that..yes.”
“Good. Glad we don’t have to go through that again.” Aldon laughed and wiped the sweat from his brow. “My hair makes it way too hot for this.”
Briar stroked his scruffy chin and tapped his finger against his temple. “You know, you’re right?” His knife slipped from its sheath and twirled beneath his fingers as he spoke. “C’mere a minute.”
* * *
“Oh God oh God oh God!”
“Relax! It looks fine, much more mature and manly.”
“Manly? So now what, I used to look like a girl?”
“Well..a little.”
Aldon surveyed himself in the mirror as Briar swept the locks of golden hair out the door. His face was decidedly angular and the new short cut was cropped just below the chin with the front split to free up his face and vision. The gold itself seemed to dull into a more bronze color.
“Is it a bit cooler on your face now?” Briar asked unable to keep himself from smiling sheepishly.
”Of course, but now my neck feels cold.” He said stroking the back of his neck. “Though honestly I’m surprised to still have a neck with how hard you were cutting. I swear I saw my entire life so far reflected in that blade once.”
“Well if you did it would have been very boring eh?”
Aldon shoved him playfully and kicked off his boots. “Now that that’s over, I’m going to go take a bath.”
“Bath? What’re you kidding? There’s no bath here.” Briar’s eyebrow raised in question as Aldon stripped down to his skivvies. “Where are you going?”
“Outside, it’s been raining for weeks straight; plenty of water to have made a few creeks.” Aldon opened the door and gingerly stepped outside, shivering slightly at the cold and whirling winds. “I’ll be back shortly.”
“Here,” Briar tossed him his knife. “Take this with you. Don’t walk around here unprotected. They’ll be back.”
Aldon nodded and ducked out the door.