|
|
|
|
Life soon settled in to a quiet routine for Tay, she would wake early and help Slade with breakfast before heading down to the Forge, while the day away in the heat of the forge, then drag herself through dinner before tumbling back into bed.
He began by teaching her about Elven Steel. It was the safest metal for her to work with, and unfortunately, the most difficult. He told her that humans had great difficulty working with it, the metal itself responded better to an Elven Smith, probably due to the natural magic in their blood. Slade himself was on one of the few mortals that could work the metal fairly well.
"Never quench the steel right away lassie, it needs to cool first or the weapon will be soft. Temper after you quench, if you are not left with an even color, then temper it again in the fire."
The Amazon learned quickly, and it wasn't long before her blades began to sell. She was nearly obsessive about her thirst for knowledge, always full of questions and new ideas. After a time Slade started sending her out into the village itself, perhaps to give him the time to clear his head. Or perhaps in hopes that her curiosity would expand to other things.
With time on her hands Tay began a study of human nature, concentrating mostly on the male of the species. At Slade's suggestion she always wore a cloak when she wandered out, hiding her feminine form and the softness of her fire red hair. Disguising her form kept the males at bay, and allowed her to watch them without fear.
She noted they referred to the Amazon's as savage and untamed, but by her observations it was obvious that the males were in reality uncivilized beasts. They fought amongst themselves, cursed wildly, grabbed the barmaids inappropriately and slobbered over them like dogs. Tay wondered how the human race ever survived at all, what with such poor breeding stock to be had.
The question arose as to why the human women bred with them at all, until one day she witnessed a male forcing himself on a female.
It was the first she had seen of human interaction in that fashion and she assumed it was the norm. By the screams of the woman she judged it painful, which undoubtedly it was. It was then she likened them to animals in the rut, that there was no emotion tying human genders together. Yet... it didn't explain why some of the males in the village took responsibility for their young, or those that would show affection for their mate. Perhaps it was only the act itself that was violent... perhaps it meant nothing more than breeding, and relationships were something quite separate.
She found it all very confusing, and she decided Orva had been wise in advising her to avoid male contact. She honestly couldn't see why any sane woman would crave such a thing.
When she turned twenty-five she was promoted to the status of journeyman. The only problem remaining was that she could not work the typical iron weapons that such a community requested. It wasn't until a travelling herbalist chanced into town that a solution was presented. He had come in to the forge to have a broken axle on his wagon fixed, and had noticed Tay's eyes straight away.
"Aye Lass, I guess I'll be askin yer master to be fixin my wagon. Though you could give me a hand if ye had a mind too."
The half-elf shook her head, noting the metal was iron, "I'll call the Master in for you sir," she offered no explanation, but turned to walk away.
"You don't have the IronBane then lass?"
"IronBane?" she turned back to face him, wild curiosity in her eyes, "What is IronBane."
The wiry little fellow laughed and went to his wagon, rifling through several bags on the back. "‘Tis a weed that grows wild in the Kingdom of S’Hea, the Elves there use it as a defense against us 'Uwmins' as they call us."
"The Kingdom of S’Hea? What is that? Where is that?"
"‘Tis a vast Kingdom far to the west Lass, wha? Yer an elf an you 'ave no knowledge of yer homeland? ‘Tis the Kingdom of the elves, ruled over by King Y'Ardyn himself. Though I dare say that son of his, Prince B’Rodyn... a wild un he is, he'll be the death of ole Y'Ardyn someday. I 'ere a few undred years ago he got mauled up by a large silver dragon, nearly killed him it did. And he being the only heir... well, Y'Ardyn had a fit 'e did."
"A few hundred years ago?" Tager was right then; her kind did live a long time.
By this time the herb man had found the bag he was looking for, "I'll give you the whole bag if you'll be kind enough to fix my axle fer me. An if you do a good job'o it I'll make sure to swing by ofen with a regular supply. Least I kin do fer a lovely lady."
She had been dubious at first, but he had shown her how to steep the herb and soak her hands in the mixture up to her elbows. As long as she only touched the metal with the part of her body protected by the herb then she was fine.
The axle was easy enough to fix, and after promising to return again on his next trip this way, Jed had merrily gone on his way.
Things became far easier for the Amazon where her work was concerned; unrestricted by her inherent intolerance for Iron she was able to make a fair living off the work. Her body became defined by heft of the hammer, giving her a more muscular shape then the average female elf... although she could not have known that, she had nothing to compare herself too. Tay appeared more human as a result, no longer the wispish elf.
In her twenty-ninth year a troupe of mercenaries road through the village, a rough bunch of human males hardened by the life they had fallen into. Slade's forge was their first stop, the weapons of their trade a top priority. Tay ignored them for the most part, staying in the background while the Master Blacksmith saw to their needs.
Caught up in tempering a particularly stubborn blade she hadn't noticed the approach of one of the men. His movements were as silent as a hunters, and he came quite close before she heard the barest whisper from his lips. The ring of the hammer had drowned out his words, and she gazed at him curiously when she turned her head, sweat dampened red locks clinging to her heat flushed skin.
The startled look on his face caused her delicate brow to raise, and she set the sword aside to cool. "You are not human," he observed, ebony black eyes taking in her diminutive figure with an air Tay didn't quite recognize.
"Not completely no, what's it too you?" Her hand had gripped the hilt of a dagger, and she backed a few steps away from him.
"Nothing really, it just took me off guard is all. I've never seen an elf this far out before." He seemed to relax a bit, running a rough and callused hand through his short dark hair. "I've never seen a woman work a forge before either, never mind a skilled one."
Tay eyed him for a moment, then drew her hand slightly away from the dagger. "I'll take that as a compliment I guess."
"Reece!" a gravely voice from the front of the shop caused both their heads to turn to find the source. The apparent leader of the group was a tall and roguish looking fellow with a reddened scar across his windpipe, his blonde hair was roughly cut, and steel grey eyes were fixed on Tay's dark haired visitor. "There are plenty of wenches at the tavern, leave Slade's woman alone. Its time to go."
The young Amazon was taken aback a bit, she was in no way Slade's woman, but she saw the wisdom in letting them believe it, so held her tongue. "Yeah.. I'm coming." Reece looked down at her again, the same unreadable expression on his chiseled face. "I'll see you around." Without waiting for her to reply he moved off to join his companions, giving the Blacksmith a nod on his way out the door. Tay exchanged a look with Slade, then turned back to the forge, her hand was shaking a bit as she took up the hammer, although she couldn't explain as to why.
Two days later Slade sent Tay out to a farm several miles out of town. The farmer had commissioned a new plow and the Amazon had helped the elder blacksmith load it in the wagon earlier that morning. She never rode in the wagon, or on the horse when it was unhitched, Slade said it was the elf in her. "Just not equine inclined," he had chuckled, "Prefer your own too feet like most elves." Regardless of the reason, she always walked by Nettie's head, whispering to the animal as they made their slow way through the streets. A connection to animals seemed to be one of her gifts; it was if they listened to her, while the words of humans seemed to fall on deaf ears. It was times like that when she wondered what her native tongue sounded like.... She had asked Slade once, and he had said that the human tongue could not do it justice. "Like musical birds they are," he shook his head, "Your voice has the quality, but the language adds something. Different."
It was late afternoon by the time they started out, the heat didn't bother her, but it tired Nettie, so she kept their pace to a slow plod and paused to water the horse often. The day was quiet; disturbed only by the mare’s soft whickers as they made their way along the old dirt road. The silence was rather eerie after the noise of the village, so she filled the void with a slow rhythmic humming that had Nettie's ears twitching in interest.
It was rounding dinnertime when they arrived at the farmhouse, the smell of oats quickening the horses pace. Tay laughed and tugged gently on her halter, "It will be a few minutes yet old girl, have to get you unhitched first."
She was doing just that when the farmer came out the front door, a gentle fellow that had always treated her with respect and kindness. "Hello Tay, I was starting to think you weren't coming in today." He lent her a hand in unhooking the large horse from the wagon, stepping back as the Amazon led the mare in circles to walk off the kinks.
"We took it slow, Nettie's starting to get up there you know Finley."
Walking the mare around to the back of the wagon she urged her to stand still while she lowered the plank and hooked the harness up to the new plow.
"Well you have a point there," Finley chuckled, "I'm starting to get up there myself, and the heat surely slows me down." He watched as the Amazon hopped up on the wagon, then he came around to Nettie's head. "Ready youngin?"
"Ready! One! Two! Three! Pull Nettie!" The old mare lunged forward, dragging the plow slowly towards the plank. The Amazon kept a careful eye on the placement, guiding the heavy plow straight and stead. "All right, we are hitting the plank," she warned.
The plow slid easily enough onto the plank and Nettie continued to pull, a sudden creak as the only warning Tay had, and she opened her mouth to call out, but it was too late. The plow crashed through the plank, yanking the horse off balance and bringing her back end down with the weight. Tay was caught by the sharp tip of the plow and knocked clear off the wagon, hitting the dirt with a grunt.
"Gods girly! Are you all right!" Finley was caught between calming the squealing horse and checking on the Amazon, opting finally to unhitch the struggling mare before she hurt herself further.
Tay groaned around a mouth full of dirt and pushed herself up on her hands, the world spun crazily for a moment and she closed her eyes, swallowing against her gag reflex before she managed to reach a sitting position. After a bit of self-examination she found there was a slight gash on her ankle and a bump on her head, but nothing anymore serious. "How's Nettie?"
"She’s pulled a back ligament girly, she'll have to stay here for a few days till she mends up," the Farmer's voice came from the opposite side of the horse where he was checking her front legs as well.
"Damn," muttering under her breath she scrambled up out of the dirt and leaned heavily on the wagon. "Well, go get one of your horses and we'll finish moving the plow anyway." She wasn't one to leave a job unfinished; "I have a dagger to finish before the morning so I can't hang around much longer."
Feylen gave her a rather strained look, but didn't argue; instead he led the wounded horse towards the barn muttering a few choice things of his own.
Several hours later after Tay had eaten, at Finley's wife’s insistence, and seen to Nettie, she started off back home. She was limping a little from the gash on her ankle, and her head still thrummed a bit, but she had turned away their offers of rides and staying over. Her job was done, and there was another waiting to be finished at the forge. It was about an hour into the walk home that she realized she may have made a mistake, and with a muttered curse she sat down at the side of the road. Holding her head between her hands she hid between her knees and prayed for the pain to go away, although the Goddess didn't seem to be listening at that precise moment.
The sound of hoofbeats on the road brought a groan from her throat, and when the slowed to a stop in front of her she didn't bother to look up. "Finley, I told you I don't need a ride home."
"Do people always believe you when you spout off bravado?" a male voice inquired. The Amazon froze; the voice did not belong to Finley.
Pulling her hands away from her head she looked up, finding a set of ebony black eyes staring at her out of a slightly familiar face. "You are rather rude," Tay observed, "I don't remember asking for your opinion."
Reece settled back in his saddle, an amused expression on his face, "You are rather cheeky for a tiny wounded woman."
"And you are rather presumptuous for a stranger," the Amazon snapped back. Pushing herself up off the ground she took a step away, then found herself reeling from the sudden rise. When the world cleared she found his hand on her forearm, the mercenary leaning forward in his saddle as he kept her from falling.
"What do you think you are doing?" she growled, attempting to pull her arm away.
"I'm apparently keeping you from falling on your behind," his answer was accompanied by a grin, one that had her heart beating a little faster than she was use to.
"Let go of me! Do you have any idea what the penalty is for touching an Amazon without permission?" Her face was red with rage, nearly matching her curls in shade. His slow smile did nothing to appease her, but riled her further, "Human male," she snarled, putting a connotation on human that said more than a thousand words.
"As you wish Milady," He abruptly let go, and she found herself laying in the dirt once again. A little squeal of rage and pain was all she managed, and she stared up at the darkening sky with no small amount of frustration.
The mercenaries laughter rang down to tease her ears and she closed her eyes, refusing to acknowledge his presence. The creak of the saddle told her he had dismounted, and when she opened her eyes she found him staring down at her. "Come on, you're not going to make it home in your condition." He offered her his hand, but she pointedly ignored it. With a derisive snort he grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet, from there flipping her over his shoulder.
"How dare you! Put me down!" She found herself slung across the front of the saddle, facing the ground as Reece swung up and settled in. "You can be a good girl and listen, or you can ride that way. I'd recommend listening, that position is kind of hard on the stomach."
Tay shrieked in rage and writhed, sinking her teeth into his thigh and striking out at him with the hand closest to him. The blows were a little useless against the muscular mercenary, her weakened condition hardly giving her the strength to hurt him. The bite did get a grunt out of him though, and he pulled her up roughly to sit in front of him. One strong hand gripped both her wrists like iron and he crushed her back into his chest. "Calm down woman, I'm not going to hurt you. Just relax and I'll get you home." She continued to struggle for a moment, but his strength was greater than hers and she was left gasping for air, a snarl on her lips as she went still, her body tensing at the unfamiliar feel of a male so close. "Relax," he repeated, "You're safe." Tay said nothing, simply remaining still as he urged the horse into a slow trot.
The ride back to the village lasted all of about an hour, but it seemed to take forever in Tay's eyes. Her head and ankle were throbbing in pain, her vision a little fuzzy. The feel of Reece's hard muscled chest against her back was no help; she could feel every line of him through her thin shirt. It left Tay with a sensation that caused her face to burn, and the Amazon was glad of her long hair that kept her features from his view. The mercenary had let go of her wrists at least, and her knuckles turned white as she clung to the rim of the saddle. He had moved his arm to her waist to balance her despite her protestations, his massive arm contrasting against her tiny waist, reminding her of how much danger she might have been in had his intentions been other then they were.
She breathed a near gasp of relief when the forge came into view, catching site of Slade in the door as the horse slowed to a walk. "Tay!" The name was hers, but the Blacksmith was glowering at Reece, the hammer in his hand gripped a tad to tightly.
"Relax Smithy," Reece's voice rumbled through his chest, the Amazon feeling every word as he spoke, "I found her on the side of the road, would you prefer I had left her there?"
Slade's eyes flickered to his Journeyman, then back to the mercenary, his expression softening a little.
"My thanks then... Tay? Are you alright?"
No, she wasn't, but she wasn't about to let either of them know it. "I'm fine," she growled, suddenly struggling again against Reece's grip, "Let me down." He slid his arm back, fingers trailing across her abdomen in a fashion that disturbed her. Her elbow connected with his ribs and she swung her leg over the horse’s neck, sliding her body down to the ground. Her ankle gave and she grabbed at Slade for support. She leaned on him for a moment, then tossed her head back and straightened her spine, without looking back she bit her lip and half marched half hobbled into the forge.
Outside Slade gave Reece a warning look; he hadn't missed the Mercenary's lingering touch on the young blacksmith. "You are playing with fire," he said simply, "She’s an Amazon, and a half elf at that." The burly blacksmith stepped a little closer to the horse and looked up at Reece, boring into the man's ebony eyes with piercing blue ones. "She’s untouched Mercenary, and she had better remain that way." He paused and lifted his hammer, letting it rest against his shoulder, "Do we understand one another."
Reece studied the other mans expression for a moment, settling back into the saddle as the horse moved restlessly beneath him. Looking up he caught the flash of red hair as the Amazon disappeared into the forge, a nerve twitched in his jaw as he gathered the reins and looked back down at Slade. "Yes Sir, we understand one another." The Smith stepped back and Reece nodded, touching his heels to his mount and turning the large war-horse back the direction in which they had come. "Perfectly."
Once alone in her room Tay collapsed on her bed and struggled for air, the physical pain caused by the wound was nothing, it was the reaction of her body to the Mercenary that had her disturbed. "Insolent male," she snarled to herself, "Who in the name of the Gods does he think he is?" Brushing away an unexplained tear she gasped out a ragged sigh and buried her head in the pillow. All thoughts of the unfinished dagger drifted off with the darkness of sleep, one filled with disturbing dreams and ebony eyes.
Morning brought thoughts of unfinished tasks, cursing at herself Tay fell out of bed, stumbled on her still tender ankle and knocked half the contents of the dresser on the floor. "Bloody Weeper," she growled, then sighed as she picked up the clutter. The day was off to a wonderful start.
Rushing Slade through breakfast she left him to do the dishes while she went down to the forge. She was almost finished with the dagger, the final engraving was all that was left, and the customer was picking it up first thing.
By the time the sun had touched the sky she was polishing it, head bent to her task as she studied her work.
"Nice job woman." Tay jumped at the sound of the gravely voice, looking up she found herself facing the leader of the Mercenaries, his eyes glittering in an odd fashion as he eyed the dagger.
"Good morning," she greeted, holding it out hilt first, "It should be Gunther, you paid enough for it."
Gripping the hilt he flipped it in his hand, judging the weight, "So, I hear you had a bit of trouble yesterday, how’s the ankle." His eyes rose to meet hers, a slight smirk on his face.
Uneasy she backed away a little, "Its fine." Tay moved around the side of the table, not liking the way his eyes raked over her form. "You've already paid, you might as well go."
"I paid a fair price for this," he grinned, "You could at least provide some courteous service." He moved after her, a feral glow lighting his eye as he rounded the corner of the table. "You were friendly enough with Reece, and you live here with Slade, what’s another man to a half Elven wench."
Tay's jaw dropped and she backpedaled quickly, losing her balance on her weak ankle she fell into the wall, finding herself pressed tighter against it as Gunther slid up to her. His hard callused fingers twined in her heavy red hair, yanking her head back. "You're a lovely little thing, such a waste on that old man." The Amazon bit back a cry of pain, twisted her head away as he tried to kiss her, his lips finding purchase on her cheek.
"Get off of me!" She pushed at his chest, managing to shove him back a pace. "What is the matter with you people!"
Seizing the moment she ran, yelping as his hand closed around her wrist, the pressure bruising as he twisted her arm behind her back, drawing the Amazon up short. "Feisty little thing aren't you... I've heard stories about the women from the jungle," he growled, pulling her back against his body. Tay's gut twisted in disgust, even in her innocence she read his obvious state of arousal pressing against her.
"Let her be Gunther!"
She found herself suddenly released, falling to the floor in a cascade of red curls. Spinning around she looked up to catch sight of Reece driving Gunther into the wall. In the doorway stood the rest of the troupe, several looks of amusement directed at their leader.
"Get out!" the Amazon stumbled to her feet and grabbed a short sword off the wall, "All of you! Get the hell out!" Leaning heavily at the table she glared at the pair of Mercenaries, "Get out and don't come back."
"I'd listen to the lady," Slade's voice growled from the doorway, "Take your business elsewhere."
Gunther made as if to argue, but Reece pressed him into the wall, a warning look in his eye. The leader glared at him then seemed to settle. "Fine, she doesn't look to be worth the trouble anyway." He shoved Reece away from him and stalked towards the door, ignoring the snickers of the others.
The ebony eyed mercenary turned towards Tay, but she raised her blade, "Not one word, just get out," she snarled. His mouth opened, and the blade rose a little higher. With an audible sigh he turned on his heel, snapping at his companions to mind their own business.
When he was gone Tay slid to the floor, the blade clattering to the stone beside her. Slade made his way over and crouched down, concerned lighting his eyes, "Are you alright?"
The Amazon shrugged, "Yeah, no harm done." She lifted her emerald green eyes to meet his and sighed, "I'm going home Slade, for awhile at least." His only answer was an understanding smile accompanied by a pat on her shoulder. Some things just didn't need saying.
|
|
|
