Kalin's Story
Slenna clutched Jorden's shoulder tightly. He was staring at her. She didn't know what he was saying, just that he was staring at her and he knew she had killed him.
The Knights tried to manhandle him again, and he pulled away from them. She gasped as he was stabbed in the stomach. "Len?" Jorden asked, concerned. She'd gone very, very pale.
They managed to get the Warrior back under control. His lips had gone blue from the cold and his spilled blood was causing steam to rise from the snow. One of the Knights raised a whip, and it cracked forward...
She was lost in the scream, unable to think or to speak. But the Warrior fell silent, and she turned to Jorden. "Jor. Can I stop this?"
He frowned, and there was another scream. She winced. "I don't think you can."
"I'm the ranking Knight here, aren't I?"
"Yes, but you don't have that authority."
He screamed.
"I can't let this happen."
A scream.
"Slenna, it's what's supposed to happen."
Another scream.
"No, it's not!" she snapped. "This is wrong!"
Another.
"Slenna—"
"Listen to me!" she demanded, through the agonized wail. "This is inhuman. It's cruel. If we were captured, we'd want a quick death. This should be merciful, not... not..."
She managed to look out at the prisoner for a moment. He was starting to sag from the chains, probably trying to stave off unconsciousness.
It was wrong. She knew it, on some level she couldn't explain. It was wrong. It would be a cruel thing for anyone, but for him, for this one Warrior, it couldn't happen. It had to be stopped. "Slenna...?" Jorden asked.
"Hm?" Her head was beginning to clear. It was as if a fog was lifting.
"You're... You're glowing."
"What?" she asked, then looked down at herself. He was telling the truth; she'd begun to glow with an eerie, pale blue light. She wasn't sure why, but she knew she should stand.
Another, much weaker, scream.
"STOP."
The word echoed through the execution grounds. Slenna might not have had the authority herself, but she'd been given it. That was why she'd had the dream, and the damned headache that went with it. The Goddess... The Goddess Herself... didn't want this Warrior to die. The executioner turned to stare at her, as did the other black clad Knight in the center of the field. And everyone else, for that matter.
She faltered for a moment, not sure what to say, but words that weren't her own came through her mouth. She suddenly felt a searing pain in her back, but it vanished as soon as it began. Without even looking, she knew that there was a pair of snow white wings where they had no business being, and in the back of her mind, she wondered why her coat hadn't been destroyed. Without knowing why, she reached back and drew her sword. It burst into light blue flames, but she didn't feel them.
"This one must not die."
"Holeeeeeey sh...." the executioner said.
"I have chosen this Knight to lead you. Do you know who I am?" No one answered, but everyone knew; the Goddess' voice was unmistakable. "This one must be Healed."
Slenna felt herself pointing the sword towards the slumping Warrior, and a streak of blue light shot through the air. It hit him, spread, and he began to shimmer. When it faded, the blood was gone, too, as were the chains that held him.
The glow around Slenna faded, and the wings shimmered and disappeared. As one, she and Taylin fell to the ground, unconscious.
[OPENING CREDITS]
Episode 13: The Night the Storm Broke
Kalin had been sitting in the nigh dark for what felt like an unmeasurable amount of time... The light Serissa had left him was still there, faintly, but the torch had burnt down almost entirely and would be out soon. It felt like hours or even days to him; he was left alone and hungry, not to mention depressed and scared.
A footstep echoed through the dark, and then another. He glanced up from where he was sitting, and could see the echoes of light from another torch coming closer. After only a minute, one of the slaves stepped into Kalin's sight, and after only another few seconds to adjust to the brighter lighting, Kalin saw it was his Loyal roommate, carrying a tray in one hand.
"Hey," he greeted Kalin. He sounded... Odd. Certainly not happy to be there, but not hostile and he wasn't gloating. That was deeply suspicious. "His Lordship Kieris told me to bring you this... Dunno how I'm supposed to get it in to you, though." He indicated the tray, which Kalin could now see held a covered platter, silverware and a cup of something liquid.
"Uh, thanks," Kalin agreed.
"So..." the Loyal said. "You're... Lord Elthis said you were the one who got Taylin kidnapped."
"I didn't," Kalin half spat.
"He said they were gonna deal with you the day after the wedding, so it wouldn't be hanging over Lord Kieris an' Lady Serissa when they got married."
"How thoughtful of him," Kalin muttered angrily. More likely so I live long enough to know she's been married and I wasn't able to stop it. I wonder how long Elthis has known...
"I guess. Um." He paused. "I guess I can just set this down and you can reach through the bars or something..."
"Yeah, that'll work," Kalin agreed. The tension between them was incredibly dense. The Loyal sat the tray down and straightened back up. He stood stiffly, nervously for a moment, before finally saying, "Look, I'm sorry about, y'know... Everything."
That surprised Kalin enough that he didn't have an answer, so the Loyal continued after a minute, "I mean, all the times I was nasty to you. I think... I think I understand why you do what you a little bit now... I think I understand some of the Goddess stuff you were talking about."
Kalin grinned. "Then I guess it was worth it," he offered, a peace-making statement.
"A few of our friends found out who it was that sold you out to the Warriors and... We dealt with him last night. He's gonna think twice before he does anything else like that. I just... I just wanted you to know."
"Thanks." Kalin managed a smile.
"All right, well... Good luck, I guess. His Lordship said to leave you the better torch..."
"Oh, thanks," Kalin said, grateful. He had never been scared of the dark, but the dark of the dungeons was so complete and so final, it made him numb... He wondered if that was what it felt like to be dead. "Hey, tell everyone I say... Uh... I say thanks for listening and... Goodbye."
"I will." He paused. "Good luck, Kalin."
"You too, friend."
The second slave replaced the burnt down torch with his own, gave Kalin a nervous wave and headed off. Kalin shifted to be next to the bars and reached through to remove the cover from the platter. Under it was a meal much better than Kalin got as an average slave, certainly better than he should be getting as a prisoner. There were several pieces of bread and slices of meat, an apple and some vegetables on the far side of the platter. The glass held some kind of berry juice that he'd never tried before.
He was halfway through the meal when he began to wonder if he should save some of the meal for later, given that if it wasn't for Kieris he still would have had nothing to eat and he couldn't count on the young Heir to keep him fed consistently. That left the question of what would keep and what wouldn't—he'd eaten a slice of the bread, but the rest would keep; half of the apple and he though the rest would go bad; most of the meat and the rest wouldn't be good for long. That left the barely touched vegetables, which he figured would keep, too.
The meal made him feel heartened somewhat, but despite his resolve found himself slowly munching on the rest of the food to pass the time as his new torch burnt down. After several hours, he reached to the back of the platter for the vegetables and his fingers brushed something colder. Curious, Kalin picked it up and held it up to examine in the torch light.
His eyes widened and he wondered if he was hallucinating. He was holding a worn metal key.
Taylin gave a long, silent sigh. They'd finally given him something to eat, which meant not only did the meal help him feel better, but they'd untied his arms and let him shift his position. He was retied now, but sitting a little easier; his legs were in front of him and his wrists tied in front, so he could lean on the cave wall.
It was hard to see outside the cave from where he was sitting, but he judged it to be evening. But then, on the other hand, there was thunder nearby and the darkness could simply be a cloud covering, and hear occasional claps of thunder. There was a storm gathering.
His gut still hurt. The Healer had looked at him for a moment, closed the wounds over and muttered, "You'll live," in Taylin's language before disappearing back to the Knights. Taylin could feel the Healing still going on, which wasn't pleasant at all. Normally, the Healer would have used pain blocks, but Taylin guessed either he couldn't be bothered for a prisoner or he'd been forbidden by Erra.
No sooner than Taylin thought his name, the Knight appeared with his translator at his side. "How ya doing?" Erra demanded, deceptively friendly. The translator sounded a lot less friendly, but Taylin was used to that; the Knight, Jall, took a particularly vicious joy every time Erra hurt his prisoner.
"Better," Taylin answered suspiciously.
"Oh, good. I hate to kill a man when he's feeling rotten. I wouldn't want you to feel ill all through your afterlife."
"So that's it, then?" Taylin sighed.
"Yep. We just got word they want us back home, mission completed or not. And we can't take you with us, and we definitely can't let you go, so..." Whatever news they'd gotten from home seemed to have put Erra in a wonderful mood.
"I see."
"Think of it like this; sure, you're going to face your God, but at least we aren't going to ask you to betray Him any more."
"Small comfort," Taylin muttered. He felt slightly numb, not surprised by what was happening, definitely not scared, just empty. He'd given them half answers to a few questions, nothing he felt would endanger the other Warriors or was really betraying his people's trust. Erra hadn't asked him those questions, he knew he wouldn't have gotten an answer, and somewhere inside him saw there was no point in torturing the Warrior for answers he wouldn't get.
"Sorry you weren't able to answer more for us. We had some other questions... But I suppose that doesn't matter now. We're going home."
"Good. Get the Hell off my Island," Taylin muttered. Erra grinned.
"With pleasure." Erra smiled grimly. The gathering storm broke suddenly.
[EYECATCH]
"He's what?!" Elthis demanded.
"He... He's escaped, Sir," the younger Warrior stammered. Elthis' eyes blazed with anger and he lashed out, slamming his bandaged hand down on the desk and sweeping it across, scattering the papers and shattering a glass.
"How?" Elthis demanded.
"We don't know. We... He's... The door to his cell was found locked. A food tray was outside but that was it. His footsteps led outside, and then got lost in the grass..."
Elthis took a few long, deep breaths. "I want every Warrior on the premises here within ten minutes, and I want Lord Kieris here in three. Do it."
"Yes, sir," the Warrior said, and made his exit. Sure enough, no more than three minutes later, Kieris appeared in his office.
"You summoned me?"
"He escaped," Elthis muttered.
"Er... Who, my L—" he stopped mid word. "Him?" Elthis nodded. "Him."
"When? How? Did he run, is he..." Kieris looked nervous, suddenly. "Is he still here somewhere?"
"We don't know yet."
"Sundancer..."
"I'm going to put a guard on you for the time being, until we have him back in custody," Elthis explained. "I have reason to believe the slave might try to exact the same revenge on you that he did on Taylin."
"Me? But... why?" Kieris asked.
"He seems to have an obsession with my daughter," Elthis spat. And she with him. "And given your relationship with her, there's good reason to think he may try to hurt you."
Kieris paled. "But... Surely I don't need a guard. I mean, he's only one slave, and though I'm no Warrior, I have been trained... And you'll need all of your men for the search..."
Elthis shook his head no. "I'd like to have them, but I also don't think the boy would try anything by himself. The only way I can see he would be able to escape is with aid, which means Knights—and that my suspicions he was involved with Taylin's disappearance are correct."
"But... But how could he..."
"I have no idea. But I assure you, I am going to find out." Warriors were beginning to file into Elthis' office now, and he directed four of the twenty who were there to help with the situation with Taylin to go with Kieris; two to protect him, and two to stay with his daughter.
Kieris was practically shaking on his way out of the office and back to the room where he was staying. The news was hardly unexpected, but his nervousness was very real—he'd had no idea he was such a convincing actor.
Kalin was running, panting, desperate for breath. He had to get away, get as much distance between himself and the manor as he could, and he had to do it fast. There was no telling how long he'd have before Elthis found out he was gone, and a search was organized; it might only be a few minutes for all he knew. And the searchers would have dogs, and be on horseback...
His legs and his lungs ached, he longed to stop but knew that if he did, he would be caught, and if caught he was dead. It was hard to tell what time it was; there was a storm gathering and it had been dusk when he'd made it outside. Now, with the gray clouds blocking any light that might have remained, he could only tell that it was night.
There were woods around him. He'd followed his original plan, but knew it would only take him so far, and he didn't know what lay beyond that. He had a vague idea that this would lead to some cliffs, out near the ocean. That hadn't been part of his original plan, he'd figured on fleeing in the direction of Taylin's keep, with a half thought notion that the High Lord might offer him some protection if caught on his land... But Taylin was missing, and they though he was to blame, and that meant there would be no protection from anyone. But there was no time to rethink his path...
Being caught was being killed. He would count on the Goddess to guide him, and just distance himself from the manor as best as he could. For the night, that would have to be enough.
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
Serissa started out the window of her room, desperately wishing she could see more clearly... She could hear the thunder and sometimes see lightening in the difference, but inside the manor, it wasn't raining yet. The air was thick with humidity, though, and she knew the storm was going to break overhead any minute.
She put her hand to the glass, but couldn't see much but her reflection. It was fairly dark in her room, with only a small fire in her fireplace, but darker outside. There was no moon...
"Please be all right..." she whispered. She wanted to be outside, searching for her love, hiding him... Or better still, to be running with him. She would miss the comfort of the manor, and the familiarity of everything... She would miss Taylin and Kieris, and sometimes even her father, but to be with Kalin...
She would give anything to be with him, running in the dark, in the rain... If it was raining wherever he was. But there was no way; her father had ensured she couldn't even try. There were guards at her door, and she knew as well as he did that Kalin would never attack her. Her room was her prison, and her love was in danger...
Someone knocked on her door, and when she didn't answer, pushed it open and joined her in the room. She didn't have to look back, she could see Kieris' reflection in the window. He walked up behind her, when he saw she wasn't going to move.
"I did what I could," he said in a hushed voice.
"I know," she answered, in the same quiet tone. "Thank you."
He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "He'll be fine," Kieris promised.
"I know," Serissa said, and let her fingers slide down the pane of glass. She just wished she felt as confident as she sounded.
There was another crash of thunder, and the storm finally broke over the manor.
The trees were thinning. Kalin was still running, to his amazement; he was numb now he couldn't even feel his muscles protest. It had been... He had no idea. Hours? It felt like it... The ground was slippery from the rain, and it was coming down hard enough to blind him... Thunder deafened him on and off, too, and when it wasn't crashing, all he could hear was the drumming rain...
No, he realized suddenly, there was another pounding behind the rain. He recognized it the same instant he broke free of the trees: horse hoofs.
Panic began to overtake him as he realized he had been right, and the forest only gave way to a rocky cliff... And the horses were coming closer... But at least the rain was suddenly, without reason, lightening up...
And then he heard the voices, yelling. Snatches of orders fought their way through the thunder.
"—he came this way, he can't be far—"
"—nothing aside from cliffs—"
Nothing but cliffs. Kalin kept running. There didn't seem to be a choice.
"Take him alive if you can. If not... Just make sure he doesn't escape."
Kalin saw the edge of the cliff scant feet ahead, and finally allowed himself to stop. There was no where else to go. He turned towards the forest, and let himself sag on his feet, exhausted. The rain was little more than a fine mist now, and the moon was almost visible behind the clouds...
He straightened up again moments later, when the group of Warriors rode free of the forest. They headed towards him and stopped several yards away, hemming him in against the cliff's edge. The had formed a sort of a semi-circle, with Elthis a bit farther forward. A few of the Warriors had bows in their hands, with arrows ready. Kalin stumbled back a few steps, wincing as his muscles started to stiffen from the sudden stillness and the cold of the rain. Kalin took a deep breath and stared Elthis in the eye.
"Your choice, boy. Us or the cliff. Us, or death." He tried to hold back a smirk; he'd given Kalin a choice before, and the boy had chosen wrong. He wouldn't make that mistake again. No one was that stupid.
"Same thing," Kalin said, his voice surprisingly strong. Elthis shrugged.
"Maybe not death. Not if you tell us where the Knights are, and where Taylin is."
"I didn't do it."
"Us or the cliff, boy."
"My name is Kalin." He took a deep breath, and glanced behind him as he shuffled backwards a few steps. His heels were right at the edge of the cliff now. He looked back up. "My name is Kalin, Elthis."
"Us or the cliff," Elthis repeated, suddenly less sure of himself. Kalin had made the wrong choice before... An image of Serissa shot through his mind. Serissa in tears. He frowned, hoped Kalin would mistake it for anger or annoyance, and glanced up at the sky.
The moon broke through the cloud bank a tiny bit, just enough to cast one ray of silver light on Kalin. The rain was light and as it dripped down the slave, he felt as if the last of his doubts were being washed away.
"Then I'll take the cliff," Kalin said, his eyes locked on Elthis. "Tell Serissa that I love her."
"The cliffs are death," Elthis reminded him.
Kalin nodded, and smiled. "I'll die, Warrior. But I'll die free."
And Elthis watched, mouth open but speechless, as Kalin crouched a little—Serissa in tears—then sprang backwards—glaring at him in hate—his arms outstretched like wings.
"Kalin!" Elthis yelled, staring in shock. He knew it was too late, it had happened so quickly, he'd never really thought that the boy would do it...
The clouds shifted again, and the single beam of moonlight was cut off. The rain began falling in drops again, as Elthis shook his head, still barely able to comprehend. Finally, he whispered under his breath, "I'll tell Serissa," and nudged his horse to turn back the way they'd come.
It wasn't the way he'd imagined it in the last moments before... He couldn't feel anything; it seemed that time had stopped and he was floating more than falling. For an unmeasurable time, he saw the rocks that made up the shore beneath, and the ocean... But then it was all white.
He could still see what was coming, though, and only had one fear; one regret.
Are you ready?
"I think so," he whispered... or screamed... or thought. It didn't matter which, and he couldn't tell anyway. "Will You watch Serissa? Make sure she's happy with Kieris?"
Of course.
Kalin smiled, and reached out for Her.
Then, it was over.
[CLOSING CREDITS...]
But rather than the normal closing credits, a montage of shots of Kalin and Serissa together with the credits over them, and Kieris provides voiceover:
"It wasn't easy to move on. Kalin touched everyone he knew. I had only just met him and respect him more than any other man I've met. The other slaves mourned him, and when he never came back, none were loyal any longer... Even Elthis seemed somehow moved.
"Serissa was the most effected, though. I don't think she'll ever be the same... She had to be strong to face the world, but alone with me at night in the weeks that followed Kalin's death and our wedding, she cried. I helped however I could, and I'd like to think I've comforted her...
"She's determined that he won't have died in vane. I don't think anyone would have though of Serissa as a politician, but she made herself become one so that she could make things better. She fought the Warriors and the Church when she needed to, and if nothing else, she made everyone aware that the ones they overlooked as just slaves were not, as she frequently put it, 'just anything.'
"People objected, of course. She was hated but many, but some agreed with her. Everyone respected her, and not one person dared speak against her. At least, not while I was in the room... And with Taylin's help, someday she may be able to do even more.
"Taylin was found two days after Kalin's death. Elthis had sent out search parties to find whatever remained of Kalin, and they found him instead. He was barely conscious and clearly in bad health, but he was alive, and oddly, they found him at the same spot Kalin had last been seen... Though Kalin's body was never found.
"Taylin says he has no idea why the Knights released him, but declared as soon as the Healers allowed him healthy enough to leave bed that being captured twice in one lifetime was more than enough for him, and rather than tempt fate and try for a third time, he was leaving his sword behind. He also declared he needed time to think things through, and has been at a monastery ever since, to return when he's... Rested.
"Kalin touched him, too, and changed him. That much is obvious.
"Things are never going to be the same again. I knew that as soon as I found out he'd died... Or, as Elthis told Serissa in an attempt to cushion the news, disappeared. Kalin left an impact on us that will never be erased, and every day I thank Ocando that I met him—the strongest of us all."]
