As the sun was beginning to crest over the distant horizon, Bernar found himself staring up at the fiery sky momentarily before continuing to check the straps on his and Leona's equipment.
The rising sun is a bit more beautiful over here than it is in Codrean, he thought for a moment as he pushed the iron pin into the hole in the leather strap.
"You're all leaving today, right?" Gorm asked from a short distance away. He wore his borrowed tunic shut and tied at the waist since the cold morning air made his scars ache. "It's best we make it there quickly, especially if we want Leona's plan to work," Bernar replied with a shrug. "Do you even know what her plan is?" Gorm asked bluntly.
"Not one to mince words, are you?" Bernar began with a slight chuckle. "It would be a lie to say that I did, but I have to trust her and the others to know what they're doing. I'm going along more to help protect her than anything else," he continued, tying down one of the supply bags to his own saddle.
"I see. This is your first time going to Harut, correct?" Gorm asked, lacing one of the bags to a neighboring horse's saddle. "It is. Which, given the situation Leona's putting herself in, makes this trip more stressful than entertaining," Bernar replied. "Well, in that case, there are a few things you'll need to know," Gorm began, turning to face him.
"The first is that they care about how they appear to other people, and I'm not just saying that in terms of their looks," Gorm said, lifting a single finger. "You mean how people feel about them? Isn't that just about anyone?" Bernar asked, lifting an eyebrow. "Nah, they care enough about it to even throw their own lives away just to appease someone above them in their social hierarchy," Gorm continued.
"Fair enough. What's the next tip, then?" Bernar asked, gesturing for him to continue. "The second thing to note is that they're pretty decent swordsmen, but according to Ahkmed, there are those who have spent their entire lives itching for a fight. According to him, they can use mana, but I'm not sure what the extent of their abilities is," Gorm shook his head.
Leona did mention those hashishin in her letter. I wonder how good they actually are if it took Thorsen and Gwili to take most of them down. They either had some kind of observational tool, or they're here somewhere, though the latter seems more likely, Bernar thought, recalling the feeling from yesterday.
"Did Ahkmed mention anything about how the country is being run after the deaths of both their king and crown prince?" he asked in a hushed tone. Gorm lifted a third finger and furrowed his brow. "Queen Zari, widow of Bashaa, has driven the general population mad in recent years, but even more so the last few months," he began, his tone dropping to the same level of Bernar's.
"Even Ahkmed, owning a prime location like this one where travelers could rest before venturing over the Pass, has noticed that merchants aren't as wealthy as before," Gorm said, glancing over his shoulder. "I wonder why that is," Bernar muttered.
"If I were to guess, something horrible, other than what Ahkmed mentioned yesterday, is going on behind the scenes in Escea. You might want to try finding out what that is because if not, this whole expedition Her Majesty wants to go on might end up in a ball of flame," Gorm said, getting in close to Bernar.
Just as the words were leaving Gorm's mouth, Bernar spotted Leona in the doorway, quickly wrapping her cloak around her more tightly. "We're leaving soon, any last bits of advice?" Bernar asked. "Believe only half of everything you see and hear there, but trust her to be able to execute her plan. She's had Thorsen to help guide her in my stead, after all," Gorm said with a nudge, prompting Bernar to respond with a nod of understanding.
"It's a beautiful morning, isn't it? A shame my bed was colder than I expected it to be when I woke up," she said with a wry smile.
Shit, she has no idea Gorm is standing right here, does she? He thought, glancing over to Gorm awkwardly.
"I figured you might want the extra sleep, so I took advantage of that time and prepared the horses for our journey today," Bernar replied, trying to gesture in Gorm's general direction. "Over a year of being apart and you're always thinking ahead about what's going to be the most optimal for us. I love that about you," she said with a chuckle.
"Y-your Majesty," Gorm said, stepping out from behind Bernar's horse and immediately dropping to one knee and forcing the blood to flush to Leona's porcelain features.
She does now, I guess, Bernar thought with a mental sigh as he maintained a pained smile on his face.
"Oh, Gorm! What a pleasant surprise," she said, widening her eyes and cocking her head to the side towards Bernar. "What brings you here?" she asked, gesturing for him to rise from his kneeling position. "I was just here giving Bernar a few tips on what Harut is like, Your Majesty," he replied, dusting his tunic off. "I see," she said, not bothering to hide her suspicion.
"Well, in any case, you're more than welcome to join us if you're well enough," she said invitingly. Gorm shook his head. "I would, Your Majesty, but I feel I'd be more of a hindrance than anything else," he said, noticing Gwili, Marte, Wyrran, and Neko playfully using small Exar spells to shove each other.
I wonder who taught them that, Bernar thought in a moment of distraction as he watched them and the others coming out of the buildings.
"If it's alright with you, Your Majesty, I'd like to return to Coltend with you on your way home. I might not be able to keep up with Thorsen's trainees anymore, but I can certainly drill the fundamentals into any new recruits we'll gain in the future," Gorm said with a hand across his chest as he bowed.
"Of course, old friend, but only if you haven't lost your edge," Thorsen's voice sounded from behind him. Leona smiled at Thorsen's response as she remembered his prior concerns about him returning to the Guild.
"I might be scarred and a little out of shape, but I've still got decades of combat experience under my belt. A little cultural exposition never rid someone of their edge… has it?" he asked, putting a single finger to his chin.
"It's certainly made them less hostile, that's for sure," Thorsen said in jest, putting a large hand on Gorm's shoulder. "Very well, then. We will be sure to bring an extra horse upon returning here," Leona said warmly while the remainder of the party approached the small group.
Within the hour, they secured their equipment and readied their horses, but just as they were mounting up and getting ready to depart, Ahkmed stormed out of the main building with a small parcel in his hands. "Wait!" he shouted, lifting his free hand into the air.
Any idea what that is? Gwili sent Bernar as soon as he noticed the large man running towards them. Not the slightest. I don't know much about Harutian culture, so this is entirely new to me, Bernar replied with a shrug.
"Your Majesty, I couldn't let you go out there without one of these in good conscience," Ahkmed said, unraveling a three-piece set of octagonal wooden boxes. The intricate Harutian traditional carvings seemed to spawn from the center and move outwardly in identical, circular patterns in the stained wood.
They truly were works of art in and of themselves.
"By the Graces, they're beautiful! Are these compasses?" she asked, taking one and handing the other two to Bernar and Gwili. "They are, Your Majesty. These will help you navigate to Escea. If you place the arrow on this dot here, it should lead you straight to the city from here," he said, opening the wooden box to reveal a small disc with two sets of notches and a small piece of string tightly strung across a small gap in the woodwork.
"Thank you, Ahkmed. Where did you get these?" Bernar asked, eyeing them carefully. "I got them from some merchants that came through here years ago. I've never found a reason to use them until today. According to them, it can even handle the strong fluctuations of the desert," he said plainly.
"Strong fluctuations?" Bernar asked, unsure of what he meant. "Yes. This country was once green and beautiful, but a long time ago, a great calamity befell us, destroying much of both the vegetation and our people in the process. In its wake, it left behind various pockets of mana that have been known to affect merchants who come across the desert," Ahkmed explained briefly.
I wonder who would know more about that, Bernar thought for a moment.
"Thank you, Ahkmed," Bernar said, placing one hand across his chest and bowing from atop his horse. "Mae kroeso i'chi," he said, returning the gesture. Bernar's eyes opened widely, being caught off guard entirely at hearing the words.
Does he know you're an elf? Gwili asked mentally, just as shocked as Bernar was. There's no way he could've known. Besides, he was probably saying it to impress you if anything, Bernar said, trying to play it off as he recovered from his bent position.
Leona doesn't know, does she? Gwili asked wryly after a breath, understanding the true reason for Bernar's panic. Bernar gave him a quick yet menacing glance to destroy any thoughts his friend might have had about revealing that information.
Touchy, touchy, Gwili sent with a mental click of his tongue.