Discworld and Member Articles
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The Ylenic Heritage: Chapter 1
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Written by leather_monkey
Wednesday, 26 October 2005 |
Gabriel Ylenic Hartman picked his way quietly around the fallen, returning to the body that he hoped he’d dreamt. He glanced at the other survivors, policing the bodies for useful items and taking stock of the scene. Gabriel’s shoulders sagged with the exhaustion of a short but hectic fight, and his drawn, bloodied sword rested over the right one.
He came to the body of his love, Alexis, and crouched beside her. His face remained impassive, but his eyes spoke of the pain felt too many times before.
How many more must I lose? He thought. How many?
As Gabriel stared at her still form, beautiful forevermore, his thoughts went back to their conversation in the inn that morning…
“I still dream of her, you know” he’d said “my mother, that is. Even after all this time. I see her face like it was when she put me to bed, and see her bend over to hug me when I came home from school. But it always ends with her telling me to run, when the mob was coming for her. She was so frightened that they’d get me too.”
“Don’t let it get to you, monkey. The past can’t hurt you.” She’d told him as she held his hands across the table.
“I know, love. I know.”
Together with the band, Gabriel picked up the familiar bodies and buried them in the woods to one side of the track, silently saying what prayers each person thought appropriate. The corpses of the eighteen dead bandits they lined up on the verge, as a warning to other travellers that the Robber King had seen fit to extend his territory again..
They had attacked just outside the boundaries of the second town they’d passed through that day. Twenty robbers against the twelve on the carts. The family in the middle hadn’t stood a chance – minimal weapons and no experience. Gabriel had known what to do, and knew Alexis did too, both being experienced fighters. But the band had started the bloodshed. The band’s frontmen, Rincewind and Colonesque, had been in the middle of another shouting match when the bandits stopped and surrounded the group. They continued yelling at each other while the men around their wagon stared in disbelief. Without warning, the cacophony stopped and the two musicians had launched themselves at their nearest targets, knives a blur as they punctured organs and sliced major arteries. The commotion gave the others diversion enough that Alexis and Gabriel could grab swords from behind the bench seat and assault the others from behind. It was when the rest of the band, Nester and Eu started shooting their crossbows from the back of the band’s wagon that the bandits panicked and killed the people in the largest cart, afraid that they might produce more weapons from somewhere. This was a mistake though, as it had allowed the band, Gabriel and Alexis time to move closer and eliminate their threat. But not before a lucky crossbow shot, from dying fingers, managed to hit Alexis’ unprotected flank, and penetrated her heart.
Once they were back on the move again, the horses walking along at a steady pace, Gabriel let his mind wander to when he’d first met Alexis. He’d been transfixed by the way she seemed always to be smiling. As if nothing could crack her veneer of happiness. She sat down in front of him and said brightly
“Cheer up leather monkey. Anyone would think you’re about to die.”
“No fear of that.”
Leather monkey. She’d always called him that. Ba only knew why, and Gabriel had never thought to ask. He had been too happy to think about it - it had become something that just was.
That was eighteen months ago. Since then they had quickly become firm friends, then lovers. In battle they fought side by side, working together almost as one being.
He hadn’t wanted to set off that morning. He’d wanted to stay in town, spend time with Alexis just…being. Walking around the shops, holding hands. Maybe they could have made love by the river in the afternoon. Now he could never do anything with her again. Ever.
Stop that you fool. Stop thinking that way. What happened stays happened. Nothing can be done about it. You learn what you can and move on. That’s how it goes.
He thumped the wooden seat hard, the pain breaking the train of thought he knew would only depress him further. Later, when the group had set camp for the night, the band left him alone. They knew not to disturb Gabriel when he was in this sort of sullen mood.
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