Gareion simply shrugged with a quiet smile upon his face.

"Knight, elf and a woman... what a bad combination..."

He muttered before rushing after the rest of them, he catched up with them after a while of running and quietly joined the back of the group. Darkos had been quiet thus far, but he gazed at the siblings quietly.

"Would it have made a difference, if I had told you of your heritage without the whole mess before it that had you already confused? Would you believe more in the story then?"

He asked as he gazed quietly around the woods as they walked trough them.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Rhiannon gazed at him, troubled. "It is not the heritage that unsettles me..." she said. "And I do believe it. But - why did you not tell us, earlier? We were old enough to know."

_________________

"But not experienced enough said the scholars to me when I asked them, should I have told you against their will then they would have come earlier and taken you away"

Darkos retorted as, if he had been a soldier obeying a command all this time.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

"I cannot say I like the sound of these scholars you keep speaking of," said Rhiannon, temper rising. "What are we, property to be bestowed on whom the higher powers see fit? We should be free to choose our own lives!"

_________________

Darkos gazed at her quietly with clear compassion in his eyes towards what she was feeling.

"True, but then again you owe them your lives and more. They were the one`s that brought you to me after your parents were found dead, they were the one`s that provided us with food in cold winters and when crops were bad. All they ask in return is you to complete a journey that might take a minimal portion of your life, nothing more in exchange that you are alive..."

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Rivhon looked on in horror as his 'father' spoke of them as if they were some kind of bounty. He looked down at his feet as he suddenly found pity for all of the horses taken out of the wild, only to be broken and sold. Now that he though of it, this was somewhat like slavery. They were being forced to go somewhere agaist their will, probably to be passed on to a different person, and then mabye another person. And no matter what. they were more likely than not going to be forced to do something.

"What exactly is our heritage?" He asked, realizing that the days of the quiet, reserved, introvent young man inside him were numbered.

_________________
You may (or may not) know me elsewhere as Elfpen

"Your heritage is this one duty that is asked of you"

Darkos said as he saw the rage building up within both of them, they were still young and foolish yet capable. Well perhaps time and some hard lessons of life would teach them to see thing differently.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

"Aye, but what is this 'duty'?" asked Rhiannon impatiently, her quarterstaff (which she was using as a walking stick) pounding the ground forcefully with every step, as though her excess anxiety was being channeled through it.

_________________

"Oh please!"

Darkos suddenly snapped at them and turned around, there was clear frustration in his eyes as the siblings were acting far more immaturely than he thought he had teached them to be.

"You are taken away from your home and told that you are to do this one thing, you begin to complain and I did not teach you to act like that in the times of trouble. In this world are those that would consider themselves lucky in your shoes, you have had a perfectlty healthy and good childhood.

Some never make it past five years, some starve all their lives and never have a proper home nor a family to speak of..."

Darkos lectured to them in order to stop their constant inquery of things, they deserved answers, but they kept on being persistant all the time and seemed as, if the facts had to be pounded in their heads.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

"That's exactly it!" shot back Rhiannon, affronted that he could be angry at her. "We're taken away in the blink of an eye from where we've lived all our lives, told offhandedly that we're heirs of something-or-other and our father isn't actually related to us in any way, shape or form; and nobody is telling us what this thing is! We're doing it, we have a right to know! Other people have the opportunity to choose their own lives. We're being forced - yes, forced - into something we know absolutely nothing about!"

Rhiannon realized her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails were digging into her palms. "Don't you accuse me of complaining. You lied to me for seventeen years."

_________________

Darkos sighed and shook his head.

"You did not listen to us at all did you? How hard is it to understand, only you and your brother can return the gods to this world! How I do not know, but why? Yes, your family was chosen to complete this task and it is a curse that you can free yourselves from. Turn to Gareion, he is the one that is a scholar or almost..."

Darkos said as Gareion walked quickly to them as he had heard the arguing from the back of the group all tough ignored it at first. Gareion gazed at the two siblings with a grin.

"Must you bring it up here? It isn`t safe, there are many eyes and ears in the woods that you might not see. Who knows what could be watching us? But I will quickly answer one question, make is specific because your earlier questions have already been answered. Your bloodline is cursed to free the gods, but what in it does not make sense to you?"

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

"It doesn't make sense to me, in that you're giving me bits and pieces but not the whole picture," snapped Rhiannon. "Cursed to free the gods. I suppose even if I don't like these gods, if I'd rather they weren't freed, I still have to do it?"

_________________

Rivhon stepped forward, brushing past his sister,

"Do not scold us for not understanding something that you have only just told us! I understand well enough... And I have half a mind to remove that wiry beard of yours right here and now." He said, his light amber eyes boring through the man. "And as for this 'curse' you speak of, I would like to know what half-wit in our bloodline started this whole mess!"

_________________
You may (or may not) know me elsewhere as Elfpen

"Your ancestor who worshipped all gods there were, one man that understood the meaning of balance in this world. A devoted man who would have given his life, but instead he wished for his followers to complete his work should he fail...

But the scholars lost his followers as they fled, it took hundreds of years to find you and now you are expected to do what your ancestors were not called upon to do except for that one. And yes, you must do this because if you do not then your children will face the same questions and troubles, it is for the good of the whole world. Some are given the freedom of choice and some aren`t, that you cannot help because it is fate.."

Gareion explained just hoping that the two would finally shut up.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Rhiannon began to see that she wasn't going to get anywhere with this man. He seemed bent on making them do this. "Paying for a mistake some idiotic ancestor of ours made," she muttered, and turned on her heel to brush past all of them and continue walking. "Tell me, how is that fair?"

_________________

Arrearis stayed at the back, leaning on her horse's neck and watching the whole thing, eyes luaphing. Gareion and Darkos had already explaned everything, and even she heard and, and understood what they were to do. When Rhiannon went on walking, the elf knight spoke up.
"Like is not fair, dearie. I was born into the order for the reason that both my parents were in the order. But I'm happy with that, and, freeing the Gods will not be a bad thing. It will give the elves their immortality back, as I can see this now. I suppose I shall come to represent the elven race, and the Order," she glanced at Gareion then looked at Rhiannons...

_________________

(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08