Neither of them said anything until dawn, when Kerdik suddenly said “So, the girl in your song…”
“Yes?”
“What was her name?”
“Leila.”
“And… How did things go with her?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well…”
“Are you asking if I slept with her? If so, the answer is yes. Or are you asking if things went well after that? If so, the answer would be no. She granted me audience one day, and the song did seem to capture her heart…”
“More than her heart it would seem.”
Derrick gave the man a look, and then continued: “She sent me a secret letter a few days later, telling me to pay her a ‘secret visit.’ She helped me sneak into her chambers, through her window.”
“And then?”
“I could never have imagined such lust from such an esteemed lady. It was a night full of passion and bliss that I had yet to experience. I was sure she felt the same.”
“But of course, things didn’t go as you had hoped, did they?”
“She was married off to a lord several towns away not long afterward. Perhaps her father knew about the night that she and I shared and was frightened that she would disgrace the family name by consorting with the likes of me, a mere peasant. Or, perhaps it had all been planned beforehand. I will never know.”
“Or perhaps you were just awful between the sheets, and she did her best to get away from you.”
Derrick gave him a powerful glare, and Kerdik reconsidered his rudeness.
“I’m sorry, that was uncalled for. Please continue.”
Derrick sighed.
“I received several letters from her, secret ones, telling me of how she missed me and hated life at the lord’s estate. Eventually though, the letters stopped coming, and I was forced to move on.”
“I’m sorry to hear.”
“Bah. T’was not as though I could do anything about it anyway. One can only keep up secret visits for so long. I think it was better for all of us that it ended the way it did.”
“Did you love her?”
“I do not know. Perhaps I did, or perhaps I have yet to experience true love. But I did feel very strongly about her, and I do sometimes wonder what life would have been like were she not sent away so briefly afterward.”
They walked on in silence for a short while.
“And you?” inquired Derrick, suddenly.
“What about me?” replied Kerdik.
“One does not typically hunt bandits from the shadows, especially not with such accuracy. And the scar... If I may say, your scar has to be the most blatant mark of a true warrior that I have ever seen. I must know its history. Your life must have been far more interesting than mine.”
“Hmph. I would not have used the word ‘interesting’ to describe it. But, it was certainly not dull. If you wish to hear about it I suppose I’ll oblige you.”
“Please.”
“Alright then. Who knows? It might distract me from how tired my feet are.” Kerdik cleared his throat.
“My earliest memory was that of studying to be a monk…”
“You?” blurted Derrick.
“Yes, me. And if you interrupt again I shall tell you no more.”
Derrick shut his mouth.
“Thank you. I was raised in the Askaran Temple of Frostwood, to be a monk. I did not give much thought to the outside world, and I must say, it was quite a peaceful way to live. Anyway, our temple was one of the more important ones in Frostwood, for it hosted the Grail of Shining Dark. I don’t know how educated you are on ancient relics, but the grail was supposed to rid the pure of heart of tormenting dreams if they drank from it. However, as is with most relics, the not so pure of heart experience a different result. They would instead be tortured by horrid visions while they woke and ghastly dreams while they slept. Naturally, this caused many a person to end their own lives. I never trusted myself to be pure enough to drink, but then I was also never haunted by terrible dreams.”
Kerdik noticed an impatient look on Derrick’s face.
“Right, my past. Haha, sorry, tis been awhile since I’ve said something other than ‘prepare to die’ to someone. Anyway, one night I awoke to the sound of shattering pottery and cries of agony. Foolish boy that I was, I ran into the shrine room to see what was going on. My idiocy was rewarded with an axe to the face.”
Kerdik smiled and pointed to his scar.
“When I regained consciousness, all my friends, all the priests, all were dead. My robes were covered in blood and my face stung, burned and ached all at once. I caught my reflection in a moonlit pool of… something, probably blood… and saw my wound. I treated it with wine and some healing herbs. I was probably not as upset as one who had just been marred should be. I was too distracted by a desire to spill blood, I suppose.”
He thought for a moment, and then continued:
“I do not know how long it took, how many raiders were tortured and killed in my wake. And, not to say I never lost a fight, but I adapted to being a warrior quite easily. Such is the nature of Nords, I suppose. We’ve always been a battle-hungry people… tis a shame that most of us don’t try to hone our abilities. But, I digress. After many beatings, slayings and losses, I became an expert archer, as well as quite proficient with bladed weapons. Axes are my favorite, when you feel their flesh open and their bones crunch under the might of the blade…. Ahhh, contentment on the battlefield.”
He smiled his crazy smile again.
“Anyway, I eventually became a good enough combatant to take on large groups by myself and get barely scratched, if at all. Realizing that I had nothing to lose, I hunted the raider scum to their home, Cliffside Camp…”
“…And then you single-handedly slew each and every raider in the camp?”
“Yes sir.” He seemed to know what was coming next.
“So… either that happens quite frequently, or I’m talking to the One-Eyed Demon of Frostwood!”
“The latter is most certainly correct.”
“Wow. Though… I imagined you to be a bit… taller.”
“Most do. Good to see you are educated after all. Though that does mean I wasted all that time telling you about the Grail… oh, right. Yes, that is what I am known as in Fürstvodd – or ‘Frostwood,’ as most call it. And there, I am a legend. But, I could not stay there. Too many ugly memories. So, Wrenwood and The Pale Plains are my home now.”
“And you spend your days slaying wicked criminals so that the innocent may travel these wretched roads.” Derrick said, smiling.
“I suppose, if you want to put it that way. I kill bandits.”
The woods opened up to a bright orange sky, burning elegantly, as its sun set over what looked like a large town.
“Ah, the City of Adrian!” Exclaimed Kerdik. “How does it feel to gaze upon civilization once again?”
“Wonderful. It’s been far too long.”
“Let’s get going then, if we hurry we can make it there before nightfall.”
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