Post by The Smith on May 25, 2009 22:55:13 GMT -5
Euric
It was early morning when a gentle tugging at his mind woke the young Dayne knight from a deep slumber. Opening his eyes to find a mist filled sky, stars still flashing up in the darkness that loomed over all of them, he wondered what had caused the disturbance in his sleep. Stretching his legs before removing the thick furs and blankets that covered him, Euric slowly stood and walked towards the tent he now rarely used for sleep. Opening the flap, he leaned inside to grab a flagon of water off the table that stood just at the entrance of the tent, and stepping back out into the clearing he quenched his morning's thirst. His dream had been bizarre, filled with dark shadows that stalked after him in the snow lined forests, while all the while he had been searching for something. His eyes darted between the trees that lined the outskirts of the clearing but all he could see were the sillouetes of guardmen patrolling the thick forest. With a sigh and a shrug Euric threw the empty flagon on his bed roll and turned when a voice called out "You're up early."
Euric smiled as he recognized the voice. "Corwyn, do you ever sleep?" He asked as he turned to see his Stormlander friend standing behing him, draped in heavy cloaks. "Of course, friend." Corwyn replied with a wide smile. "The only reason you don't notice is because I prefer the shade of the woods." Euric lifted an eyebrow. "Shade at night?" "I don't much care for stars." Corwyn said with a shrug. "Anyhow, I had an interesting dream. There are shades slowly advancing on us." "The Others." Euric replied, striding over to the fireplace and using a stick to waken the embers. "Them too, but I dreamed of something else. It involved you." A shiver went up Euric's back but his face remained emotionless. "Probably just a dream."
The fire was kicking up now and Euric added some kindling to further douse the warming element that was so desperately needed so far beyond the Wall. "You know my dreams aren't 'just dreams'." Corwyn replied as he crouched down beside him. "I know you dreamed something to, Euric, so don't try telling me otherwise." Euric looked up at his friend, his tone almost a challenge. "I dreamed I was walking through the forest with shadows following my every step." "And you searched for something." Euric was stunned. "What?" "Euric, I was with you in that dream; we both shared the same vision that the Old Gods bestowed on us... or rather, they let you watch through me." "And why should they do that?" Euric asked, rising and walking back to his tent to retrieve some salted cod that Garion had caught a few days earlier. "I know not, Euric, but it seems to be important. Magic is strong in the world thanks to the dragons, so I am very sure of this." Euric was still critical as he slowly set three pieces of cod down on some stones and waited for them to heat. "And what would you recommend I do?" He asked after a moment of silence. "Why," Corwyn answered, his big grin on his face. "We go out and look for whatever it is you are supposed to find."
Darien
He had been standing at the top of the hill for a long time, leaning against the big tree for support. His eyes we staring blankly down on the beautful valley before him, seeing nothing. From the trees behind him a figure strode, tall and powerfully built and stood next to the old man. "Grandfather, everyone is worried about you. You should return to the camp." The old man did not reply, his eyes never meeting with those of the man next to him. "Grandfather..." The tall man put a hand on the other's shoulder to jostle him lightly but that too had no effect. "Am I going to have to tell Aranya to come talk to you?" That seemed to make an impact, as the old man stiffly shifted his position. "That will not be necessary." The weak and gruff voice of the elder man replied through his thick grey beard. "The men are getting ready; you will not have time to put on your armor if you do not come now." At that the old man snorted and parted his heavy fur coat, revealing rusted chainmail. "I haven't taken this off since Brandon died." The memory of his uncle's death made Urryk shiver. The way he had come back, his eyes bluer than in life... "Urryk, return to the camp!" A sharp female voice announced through the trees. "Petyr is having trouble with his armor." Urryk sighed and went to turn, knowing he could not do otherwise. When Aranya Greenstone commanded, she expected others to obey. With a last look at the old man Urryk stalked off through the trees, leaving the others to it.
"What are you doing, old fox?" Aranya asked her father, hands on her hips as if she were the parent and he the mischievous child. "I'm standing here, isn't it obvious?" Was his reply, his eyes still on the valley. "You're a fool, father; what would mother say?" A dim flame of rage sparked up in the old man's eyes and he turned to face his daughter. "You're mother is dead, along with everyone else." "You do not know if she is." Aranya returned, her position as solid as before. They stared at each other long and hard before the old man's eyes dropped to the ground. His hand went to his chest as he slowly tore a silver amulet from the thong that connected it to his neck. With a powerful throw the amulet flew through the sky, landing upon the shore of some frozen river at the bottom of the valley. "And what was that for?" Aranya demanded. "All is lost to me anyway, so it matters not what I do." "You've finally gone mad, old fox." Aranya said with a sigh, her hands moving to her sides as she stepped a little closer to her father. "It took you long enough." "Have you got anything else but childish jokes?" "As a matter of fact, I do. You've been silent now for two weeks, staring off into the distance like some homesick old man." "I am a homesick old man..." "We are all mourning the deaths of our loved ones, but we still go on. The question is, will you?" Her statement cut him off and his gaze once again went to her eyes. There was a long moment of silence before the old man did the one thing his daughter never expected; he slapped her.
With the ringing still in her ears, Aranya wiped away a tear of pain and stared hard at her father. "So there is life in you yet, though you should probably reserve your strength for the Others. Should we point you in the right direction?" "Aranya, I will not tolerate this sort of beha..." "There is no room you can send me to here, father." The old man looked grimly at her but his clenched fist lowered. "You've always been as wild as your mother... and your namesake." "Stop distracting, father and answer my question." He stood there for another long moment, his grey hair flowing about his head in the cool morning breeze. The look on his face turned from angry to weak to hard. He stepped away from the tree and planted his feet firmly on the icey ground. "I will tell you what I will do: I will go on, I will fight the bastards. They took three sons and two grandsons from me and for that they will be destroyed." His hand went to the longsword at his belt and the intensity in his face increased. "I may be an old man, but I am still Darien Greenstone, Lord of Stonedance." At that, Aranya smiled.
Euric
"What the hell are we looking for anyway?" Cazhio asked as he reloaded the crossbow that had just sent a bolt into the skull of a wildling attacker. They had been three and had taken the small group by surprise, but they were starved and weak and had been no challenge. Bree had been the first to react, decapitating the man who had come running at her with one of her arakh's, the blood spattering all over her snowy white cloak. She'd groaned about that but by then the other two attackers had shown themselves. One was on horse, something that didn't prevent him from being taken town by Corwyn's longbow. The third, well he had been Cazhio's.
"Will you stop asking that bloody question!" Bree demaned as she tried to scrub the blood out of her cloak. The breeze picked up however and she was forced to lift the fur trimmed hood over her head and hold it there tightly. "If all of you would be quiet I could concentrate." Euric said calmly. "Wasn't us that disturbed your day dreaming, boss." Garien answered with a rude grin on his face. "Was these poor buggers on the ground." Euric did not hear him, his eyes shut and his mind trying to find the feeling that he had quickly noticed once they had left the camp. It was a gentle tugging at first but it became stronger and stronger, beckoning him deeper into the forest with every call. "What of the horse?" Garion asked, preparing his axe to send the bony thing to it's death. "Sacrifice it!" Klamantle demanded in a shrill voice. "To show the Old Gods we are grateful for the safety haven of their woods!" In reply, Garion frowned but Cazhio simply laughed. "And how's idea was it to bring the mad man with us?" "His own." Bree answered from underneath her hood. Corwyn meanwhile had ridden up to Euric and studied his friend. "Having problems?" He asked, his voice level and reassuring. "A little... the wildlings seem to have interrupted the calling and now I can't find it anymore." Euric's eyes were still closed but his forehead showed wrinkles of concentration. "Just keep listening for it. I'll quickly scout the area to see if any other dangers are lurking." Euric gave the slightest nod and Corwyn was off through the trees.
It wasn't much later that the rest set off again, following the Dayne knight as he led them through trees and thickets towards an unknown location. They had all questioned their masters intent on leaving the camp on some vague errand so shortly before the call to battle, but both Euric and Corwyn had insisted. And now they were here, in the deepest part of the forest, where the cold was at it's worst and where the threat of Others loomed just beyond the next tree... or the the one beyond that. With a shout Euric stopped them. They all looked up but saw no foe and wondered at the halt before their eyes caught site of what was in the distance. A heart tree, taller than any they had seen before, loomed in the midst of the forest, ancient and powerful, it's face wise and it's eyes upon them. "There." Euric said as he slipped off his horse and slowly walked towards the tree. "We've been riding through these blasted woods for the past hour to look for a tree?" Cazhio asked in disbelief. "Shut up you dolt!" Garion replied, getting off his own horse and following Euric to the base of the tree. Soon they had all joined him and were now standing silently, wondering about what would happen next. A brief cry made them look up; a cry that was soon followed by Corwyn riding up through the trees, blood on his cloak. "Looks like there was a fourth one who decided to run once he saw his friends dead." They all nodded, obviously not needing to ask what had become of the wildling, and returned their gazes to the tree as Corwyn joined them.
"So, this is it?" The Stormlander asked. "It is." Euric replied, his gaze now at the roots of the tree that entered into the ground. Only here had the snow not piled up to cover them and slowly Euric went to his knees, searching for something on the ground. They all stepped back as he started pushing away the snow, his hands digging in the soil beneath. Cazhio gave the others a queer look but they replied it with one of reassurance and so they all waited. Euric's hands crept throug the cold earth, digging deeper to search for whatever was calling him. It was strongest here, the pulling clearly emanating from the ground, but Euric was still hesitant about what this 'thing' really was. And then his finger briefly touched something cold and hard; something as smooth as steel. "There." he quietly said, increasing the speed he was digging until he laid bare what the ground had held.
Upon the ground lay the most beautiful sword any of them had ever seen; a sleak greatsword, it's dangerous blade crafted of milky white steel that reflected the snow with a bright glow. Bree and Cazhio gasped in amazement and Garion whistleded in an impressed manner. "Dawn." Euric simply said, grasping the sword at it's hilt and raising it slowly in front of him. He turned and regarded them all and saw their eyes were wide. "Once again there is a Sword of the Morning." It was Klamantle that had spoken, his rare look of imense wisdom on his face. "The ancient sword of house Dayne, finally bestowed to it's rightful holder." And then, because they didn't know what else to do, they all knelt before their master and friend.
Darien
Blood spattered on his face and blinded the old man for an instant as the soldier next to him was torn to pieces by an Other's blade. The thing went down as an Obsidian arrow struck it but Darien knew there were plenty more where that one had come from. Raising his longsword with two hands, his shield long smashed and forgotten, he cut down a wight that appeared infront of him. The battle had been raging for nigh on an hour now and the small contingent of Stonedance soldiers was now cut down to a bare minimum. "Are you okay?!" A voice that turned out to be Urryk's shouted from his left and Darien managed a nod. "Not my blood, this!" He replied, before kicking a headless thrashing wight out of the way and taking a look around him. He had been stuck in the midst of the battle for most of it and had quickly found out that his old bones could not cope with this sort of fighting anymore. He'd desperately been trying to find a way to the ranks further back, but for every step he took a foe stood in his way that took a little bit more strength out of him. At some point Urryk had shown up at his side, taking down two wights that had been threatening to overpower Darien and had slowly helped him fighting his back to their own ranks. To their dread they had soon realized that their own ranks did not exist anymore, that the whole battle field was a confusing chaos of westerosi, easterners, wights and Other's. There was no escape for this old man.
A dragon flew past him and shot out a burst of flame that almost deafened anyone around it and Darien felt his knees buckle. Just as he was about to fall Urryk was there, holding him up, his blood crusted face set in a grim expression. "If I have to I will hack a way back to the safety of the camp for us." He murmured, before taking a step back and decapitating an uncoming wight. "I will be fine..." Darien replied, suddenly realized he was sporting more than just a handful of obvious wounds. "Where are the others?" It could have been a confusing question but Urryk knew who he meant. "Walther I have not seen and Petyr I passed just before I reached you... he looked to be doing alright." Urryk took a brief look around. "Mother..." His eyes seemed to focus on something. "Mother!!!!" His scream was utter rage as he suddenly charged off past the carnage that was going on all around them. Darien looked up to see what Urryk had seen and gasped; Aranya, one arm missing and with half her face torn away, was on her knees, staring up into the face of an Other, who's sword was raised for the kill. Urryk, his own blade ready, was fast but the Other was faster. Two strides before Urryk reached him the shining blue blade hacked down on Darien Greenstone's first child, tearing her head from her shoulders and ending her life. The Other raised his sword and turned to engage a new foe. Then Urryk was upon it.
His first slash was parried but the second cut into the Other's shoulder, laying open a dark mass of nothingness. The Other appeared to be smiling before countering Urryk's attack with a swift strike to his belly. Urryk jumped back, brough up his sword and took the top half of the Other's head off. The wraith seemed to pause for a moment, stunned perhaps by it's opponents ability, and this was enough time for Urryk to grasp his Obsidian dagger and ram it into the undead monster's eye. The beast screamed, steamed and collapsed on the ground, where it turned to a bubbling mass of melted snow. "That was for you, mother." Darien could see Urryk mouth, before a blade forced it's way out of the young Greenstone's chest and he collapsed to the ground. Darien felt himself fall and suddenly found himself on his knees. "No..." He managed, staring at the muddy snow and the feet of fighting and dying men. He tried to stand but could not find the strength to do so. All was over now... his daughter and her son... "Gods, how have we deserved this?" Darien heard himself say as tears started creeping down his cheeks.
And then he felt a cold presence before him, something darker than death, the fate of the doomed. Looking up he saw those piercing blue eyes, the chrystaline armor and the glowing blue sword that seemed to be forged of ice. "So you've come for this old fox now..." Darien muttered, his hands too weak to lift his sword. The Other did not reply but merely raised its sword above its head, ready to kill. "Well you won't take me so easily, you cold bastard." Calling up all the strength he still had in the world, Darien raised his hand to grab at the Obsidian dagger that was... missing from his belt. Had he already used it? Darien could not remember. The Other seemed to realize something was amiss and its lips curled into a smile. Darien, his spirit completely crushed fell to his hands and knees, prepared for death. And then something caught his eye. Beside him, next to the corpse of some fallen champion lay a sword of dark steel, ripples along the blade that procclaimed the weapon to be forged of the magical Valyrian Steel. "So I finally get a chance to wield it..." Darien chuckled as his hand desperately went out to grab the weapon by it's hilt. He heard the high pitched sound of the Other's sword rushing through the air to meet with Darien's flesh and with one final thought in his head, the Lord of Stonedance gripped the hilt solidly and brought the weapon up in a deadly arc.
Two blades cut into dead and living flesh. The Other screamed and disintegrated and Darien found himself on his back, something wet flowing from his ribcage. "Well Asha... my love..." He said to the cool northern air. "Your Greenstone is coming."
Euric
"Well bugger me if it hasn't already begun!" Garion exclaimed as their band reached the edge of the forest. In the Valley below them the most desperate battle of all times perhaps was being fought, a battlefield consisting of thousands of men fighting against the legions of the undead. "Corwyn; find us a safe way down!" Euric commanded and his friend immediately rode off through the trees. "Well if that doesn't look like a mighty fine place to be right now." Bree announced, a grim smile of her beautiful face. "I think we'd better all get ready for this." Cazhio said, checking his secondary quiver that was attached to his saddle to count his Obsidian tipped bolts. "Klantantle." Euric said calmly, his eyes remaining on the battle. The old man rode up beside his master and nodded. "Stay here on the ridge and observe what happens. Right now this valley is no safe place for an old man to set foot in and we need someone to stay alive and tell the world what happened, should we all perish." He had expected a complaint but it seemed the former maester was in his calm mood and simply nodded again. His friends meanwhile had taken off their heavy cloaks and adjusted their armor beneath it, readying weapons and saying prayers. "It's been great knowing you all." Cazhio said with a gleam in his eyes and Garion spat. "I'll make you take that back when we meet after the battle."
Before anything else could be said Cowryn came riding through the trees to their left, an eager look on his face. "I found a safe descent about a hundred yards further on. From there we can reach the battle within minutes." Euric nodded and set off in the direction while the others either grinned or looked grim. "Time for action." Garion said happily, hefting is axe in his hand. Riding passed him Bree shook her head, her overly large steel hoop earrings bouncing against her neck. "Men." That got a laugh from Cazhio and together they rode through the forest and down onto the slope. A thousand things were going through Euric's head but he knew he had to concentrate, to focus his mind on one thing; the battle. As they swiftly galloped towards the mass of fighting men Euric unsheathed Dawn from his back, holding it up like a glowing banner for all to see. A dragon swooped past him, atop it Saella Targaryen, and in that brief instant before hitting the first line of combat Euric exclaimed a silent thanks to the woman. Then they hit.
Three wights died under Euric's sword before he managed to catch his first breath, and another two fell before he was finally confronted by an Other. Now it was time to see whether this sword was any good against these wraiths. The fiend cut upwards, but Euric had already spun out of his saddle, striking hard at the Other's collarbone. It shrieked and evaporated and Euric grinned. "And thanks to you, Old Gods." With that they had truly joined battle. Beside him his friends were hacking at the enemy; decapitating, eviscarating and shooting down the fearsome undead of countless legends. Euric had barely believed when he had been told the Other's had truly come from the haunted forests to take back Westeros but now he stood once again facing them, doing his best to stay alive. "If I'll be damned these bastards are even tougher than the last ones!" He heard Garion shouting behind him but a moment later the sound was drowned out by the shrieking of another deadly foe that went to the ground.
There was a thunderous crash from somewhere ahead of him and Euric could see that the great black dragon Becawyr had gone down. With a warcry on his lips Euric hacked himself a way towards the crash site, striking down any opponent that got in his way. He had never been so at one with his sword, so completely in tune with his blade. No matter what move the opponent made, he already knew it. He seemed to feel more than see how the enemy moved, where he aimed with his blade or reached out with his deathly black hands. Two more opponents were felled and he stood before the dying dragon, where already a few of their forces most renowned men had gathered. Saella lay on the ground, her skin as pale as the snow and Euric knew she was dead. Rage sparkled in his lavender eyes and he turned to smite the next foe when he suddenyl realized that there were none. The Other's it seemed we swiftly disappearing into the trees, their number greatly diminished. The wights were still there but there was none close by and those too swiftly feel to the blades of both Targaryen and Baratheon men. "We did it!!!" Garion roared at him as his powerful hand slapped on his shoulder. "You, me, our Queen and all the other glorious bastards!" A smile flashed across Euric's lips before he turned to regard their dead leader again. "What's done is done, Euric. She died for a great cause." The young Dayne knight nodded. He was covered in blood, dirty and exhausted but what was most important was that Westeros was free.
Walther
The limp body of his dead nephew seemed to weigh nothing at all as the youngest of Darien Greenstone's sons carried it off the battlefield. Petyr had only been thirteen but had insisted to come along on the march north. It had truly been a miracle that he had lasted so long, outliving his famous brother Brandon as well as most of his other fighting kin. But now he was dead, just like all of them. At home waited the women and children, if they weren't dead yet, and somewhere on the Iron Islands was young Ana Sparr with two suckling boys. Walther sighed as he dropped to the floor, Pety's corpse falling to lie next to the other three bodies he had already retrieved. It hadn't been too hard finding his father and his nephew, but by the time he saw the Greenstone sigil on his sister's tabard he had already been searching for an hour. He could not find her head. With a sob Walther lay on the ground, his tears flowing freely as he the true horror of what had happened really kicked in. Three brothers, three nephews, a sister and a father had all been taken by this war, by the undead that had come from beyond the Wall. And now it was all over; the Other's were gone and his family was dead. "Cursed be the Other's..." Walther managed, before another sob choked his words off. What was he to do now? Of the Greenstone soldiers he could find none and others he did not know. He had searched for a few of the men he knew at Duskendale but they were probably dead and gone. He closed his eyes and drifted off...
The battle was raging all around him and Walther was sure the next foe would bring him death. An arrow flew past him and he hunched his back, hoping the archer would be a little more considerate next time. Something struck out at him but he managed to parry it, deciding to dash off into a different direction rather than face what could quite possible be an Other, and his swift demise. He bumped into a valemen who was dying on his feet, at least he thought it was a valeman by the falcon on his blue tabard, and crashed to his knees. He rose to see the smooth but threatening shape of an Other before him and crouched back down. This was it.
Or not, as a moment later the beast was ripped in two by a knight wielding a shining bright sword. The man did not even glimpse at him as he carried on his wave of destruction but Walther clearly marked the sigil on his tabard; a falling star upon a lavender background.
He woke screaming and threw up before he could move a muscle. Slowly rolling on his back, Walther realized that he must have slept a long time, for the sun that had been setting as he had finally taken his place beside his fallen kin was now long gone, replaced by a starry night sky. He saw a shooting star and made an impossible wish and the memory of his dream returned. The falling star... house Dayne! He had heard the house was exctinct, it's last member having been murdered somewhere in the east. How could it be? Had the man returned from the dead to lend a hand in slaying the Other's? Why should should he... all the dead hated mankind. With a groan he slowly got up, brushed the snow off his tabard and stalked off into the night with fierce intent. Whoever this man was, he had saved his life, and for that Walther was grateful. Thoughts of why it hadn't been him rather than his family and suicide had crossed his mind a thousand times as he searched the battlefield but he knew what his father would say to that. No, it was for him to life; to return to Stonedance and grieve with his family, but help build up their once great house once again.
As he searched the camp he saw many smiles of rejoice and even more empty eyes. Many a man and woman had lost kin and loved ones but Walther doubted any had lost as many as him. It was hard to see in the dark, but thankfully there were many fires lit and the snow helped brighten the camp by reflecting the warm light. There was quiet chatter and loud roaring, the smell of roasting food and the sound of music from some place distant and above all that the silence of so many fallen. He saw roaring lions and leaping trout, some flowers, a skeletal hand and even one or two burning suns but nowhere was there the falling star. Something purple caught his eyesite and he turned to look properly, but it only turned out to the the tabard of a wounded knight of house Brax, the place where the unicorn's head would be ripped apart. He wondered whether this man could perhaps lead him to Ser Fennan Brax, his sister Ysobel's husband, but he gave up that thought as soon as it crossed his mind. He would never find anyone, doomed to search this dreaded camp for hours before collapsing in it's midst, dying and forgotten. Only now did he realized that he had a wound across his back, but as he carefuly touched it he felt that the chainmail had taken most of the damage. "I can't even die in battle, like a real man." He mumbled to himself and was about to set out in a different direction when he heard a voice call out "Real men live to see another day."
He turned to look at the speaker and saw that it was a lightly bearded man with dirty black hair. "Are you saying my father was no real man?" Walther heard himself asking, wondering if the man would be insulted and turn away or be enraged and strike him. Instead the man simply smiled. "That I am not, but I am sure he gave everything to stay alive. Who was your father?" Walther made himself stand a little straighter. "Lord Darien Greenstone, ser." The other man shrugged. "Never heard of him. Was he a renowned fighter?" Even straighter. "In his youth he was one of the greatest. He once saved a king's life." "Then he truly deserves to be with the Seven now." Walther frowned. "He believed in the Drowned God." A small laugh escaped the man's mouth. "Then he's probably as drunk as any spirit can get by now, feasting at the sea god's plentiful table." He beckoned to Walther. "Come here, we have some food spair." Walther nodded briskly and stepped to sit beside the man, only now noticing that he had five other companions sitting near him. "Are you a lord?" Walther asked, taking the slab of roasted pig that was offered to him and biting down on it eagerly. The man laughed. "Oh no, I am simple sellsword. Garion Koh is my name, and these are my friends." He indicated the others who were sitting quietly, eating their food and regarding each other with knowing eyes. One was a handsome man, clad in brown garb another an elderly man with a crazed look in his eyes. There was a beautiful woman with large earrings and a skinny looking man with black hair and tanned skin. And then there was... an impressive looking man with silvery hair and violet eyes, his tabard bearing the violet sigil of house Dayne. "It's him..." Walther mumbled and something changed in Garion's expression. "You know my friend and master?" Walther shook his head and slowly found himself standing up. "No but... he saved my life on the battlefield..." Slowly he walked forwards, approaching the man with bright eyes, forgetting the pork that he dropped idly to the floor. Garion shook his head and mumbled something, picking the meat up and setting it down on a rock for the boy to eat later.
As he approached him, the man looked up to regard him with calm and intelligent eyes. Yet there was something glowing behind there... something wild, waiting to be unleashed. "Yes?" The man asked as he set the bone of the meal that he had just eaten down. "I... you... I am Walther Greenstone. You saved my life." He couldn't think of anything better to say but the man seemed to understand him. "I did? That is good to hear. One more life saved means one more man to help rebuild the kingdom." Walther nodded numbly and tried to stop staring at the man's face. "If I may ask... who are you?" That made the young man sitting before him smile. "I am Ser Euric Dayne, of Sothorys... originally my family hails from..." "Dorne, yes. Starfall." The man named Euric nodded. "You're a clever young man. Now, how can I help you?" Thoughts shot throught Walther's head of what to say but he knew none of them would do any good. "I would... like to join you... be your man. I want to fight by your side and..." He faultered there. "I would be glad to have another companion, but do you not have family?" Walther shook his head. "They all died... here, and at other battles. I am the last... well, there are some back at home but that is so far away..." Euric Dayne stood and put a hand on his shoulder. "If you swear to stand by me whatever happens you may be my companion and we will do our best to accompany you back to your home." "I swear." Walther said suddenly shivering. With a smile Euric Dayne turned to the woman, who was already getting up and striding towards them. "Bree, see to the boy. If he is to be one of our companions then he'd best be mended of all his wounds." With a smile and a nod Bree took Walther by the hand and led him to a tent that stood not too far off.
An hour later Walther lay under the shining stars, wrapped up in furs and with a healing salve all over his body. He had lost family and found what he hoped would become fast friends. Sleep came quickly to the young Greenstone, but not before he shed another tear for all those that had been lost.