Becoming a Guardian

After a restless night, the group set off, reluctantly crossing the river and entering the Dark Oaks. Oyrin set a slow pace, signaling the guard in a circle around Illisse, Val not moving from her side.
The first few hours passed uneventfully, following some invisible path Illisse motioned to every so often. She had remained quiet since the night before, still not speaking. Val was starting to get worried. He had let her have her quietness, not wanting to push her about what she had seen, but this long? Finally unable to stand her quiet any longer he stops walking and takes her hand pulling her to a stop also, turning her to face him. Putting a hand to her cheek, his thumb rubbing across it lightly.�Melamin, are you all right? You�ve been so quiet.�
Turning her cheek into his hand �I will be fine. He�s speaking to me, telling me so many things that he�s kept from his people. I know why he left.�
Pausing a brief second, making a decision, she motions to Oyrin �Come here� Telling him the small bit she�d told Val �the demon found him when he was on a spirit journey and tried to follow Sharmyth back to your village. He has already brought trouble to your peoples. The orcs are there on his orders. Sharmyth left hoping to keep the demon away, hut it hasn�t worked that way. Even as we speak, they are attacking again, several have been lost� putting her hand out to his arm, a sadness showing �Your brother is gone.� Her sight turning inward, she speaks softly, describing the skirmish she watched. Her power bringing a shock to his arm as she gripped it tightly, he watches the same scene thru her eyes: The Orcs had come over the hill just about an hour before. The dwarves had been chasing them for the last several hours, at times right on their heels. Continuing their chase, they were quite unprepared for the orcs changing direction�directly back at them. The dwarves had fought hard. Unfortunately, it just wasn�t enough. By the time the battle was over, the few orcs left standing having fled, there lay a dozen dwarves, motionless, on the field, the survivors standing in a light half circle around one particular figure. bloodies and bent. Picking up his body, the made a somber procession back to the mines.

Dropping his arm, she looks into Oyrin's eyes �I am sorry Oyrin. Know that the Orc who took your brothers life has forfeited his.�
�Aye, thankee lass, t�were the right of things to be done.� He walked a short distance from the camp, motioning for the other dwarves to follow him. Gear of the demon kept them from grieving fully. They gather in a circle, falling to their knees, they each draw a dagger, cutting a small lock of hair from their beards. Completing the motion with a small cut to the palm of their hands, enough to draw blood, squeezing it over the bits of hair, before setting fire to the small pile in a ritual funeral pyre. Walking back to Illisse, none of the sheathing their blades, Oyrin takes hold of her hand, pulling her arm out in front of her. Each man laying out their blade flat against her arm, leaving 13 pointed blood marks down her forearm. Watching the men, Val draws his dagger, following the dwarves ritual, laying his blade along side theirs. Keeping his eyes locked to hers, he moves his blade to recut the scar left by their bonding, letting the blood well up, he uses the flat of his dagger to spread her blood over all the other marks��Agarwaen aith vara lye�(blood stained mark protect us) . The words, although in elvish, making her a dwarven talisman, both protecting and being protected by them. She would never understand the true meaning of this ceremony. Val, himself had only seen it done once.
Finally being allowed to clean her arm, Val held her close when she had finished. �Val, you want to explain what just happened?� My love, if I could I would but there are reasons for that ceremony that are deeper than either of us will ever know. Oyrin probably doesn�t even know them. The part I know is that for the rest of this journey, you are their shaman, their spiritual guardian. The mixing of blood?� slightly touching the fresh cut over an old scar � well, you know what that means. Though it�s not as intimate as our bonding, it is essentially the same thing. We are all family now. And that part will never change, thru their lives or ours. When they return home, our names will be written in each of their family lines� Kissing her softly, he smiles, trying to lighten the mood �At least I didn�t have to face all your new brothers before winning your heart.� Giving him a small smile, she knows he�s just trying to ease her worries.

Sitting by the fire that night, they are all shaken by a sudden flash of light. As their eyes re-adjusted to the firelight, they began cautiously checking around the camp. Oyrin takes a quick look toward Val and Illisse�..Illisse? Val stood in shock, barely registering Oyrin�s hand on his arm. �He took her� A blank look of utter shock on his face.�Sharmyth took her. Silence falls over the camp, the crackling of the fire the only sound. �Are you sure it was Sharmyth, Val? And not�.?�Oyrin paused, afraid to finish that question.

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> After a restless night, the group set off, reluctantly crossing the river and entering the Dark Oaks. Oyrin set a slow pace, signaling the guard in a circle around Illisse, Val not moving from her side. > The first few hours passed uneventfully, following some invisible path Illisse motioned to every so often. She had remained quiet since the night before, still not speaking. Val was starting to get worried. He had let her have her quietness, not wanting to push her about what she had seen, but this long? Finally unable to stand her quiet any longer he stops walking and takes her hand pulling her to a stop also, turning her to face him. Putting a hand to her cheek, his thumb rubbing across it lightly.�Melamin, are you all right? You�ve been so quiet.� > Turning her cheek into his hand �I will be fine. He�s speaking to me, telling me so many things that he�s kept from his people. I know why he left.�<br /> Pausing a brief second, making a decision, she motions to Oyrin �Come here� Telling him the small bit she�d told Val �the demon found him when he was on a spirit journey and tried to follow Sharmyth back to your village. He has already brought trouble to your peoples. The orcs are there on his orders. Sharmyth left hoping to keep the demon away, hut it hasn�t worked that way. Even as we speak, they are attacking again, several have been lost� putting her hand out to his arm, a sadness showing �Your brother is gone.� Her sight turning inward, she speaks softly, describing the skirmish she watched. Her power bringing a shock to his arm as she gripped it tightly, he watches the same scene thru her eyes: The Orcs had come over the hill just about an hour before. The dwarves had been chasing them for the last several hours, at times right on their heels. Continuing their chase, they were quite unprepared for the orcs changing direction�directly back at them. The dwarves had fought hard. Unfortunately, it just wasn�t enough. By the time the battle was over, the few orcs left standing having fled, there lay a dozen dwarves, motionless, on the field, the survivors standing in a light half circle around one particular figure. bloodies and bent. Picking up his body, the made a somber procession back to the mines.<br /> > Dropping his arm, she looks into Oyrin's eyes �I am sorry Oyrin. Know that the Orc who took your brothers life has forfeited his.� > �Aye, thankee lass, t�were the right of things to be done.� He walked a short distance from the camp, motioning for the other dwarves to follow him. Gear of the demon kept them from grieving fully. They gather in a circle, falling to their knees, they each draw a dagger, cutting a small lock of hair from their beards. Completing the motion with a small cut to the palm of their hands, enough to draw blood, squeezing it over the bits of hair, before setting fire to the small pile in a ritual funeral pyre. Walking back to Illisse, none of the sheathing their blades, Oyrin takes hold of her hand, pulling her arm out in front of her. Each man laying out their blade flat against her arm, leaving 13 pointed blood marks down her forearm. Watching the men, Val draws his dagger, following the dwarves ritual, laying his blade along side theirs. Keeping his eyes locked to hers, he moves his blade to recut the scar left by their bonding, letting the blood well up, he uses the flat of his dagger to spread her blood over all the other marks��Agarwaen aith vara lye�(blood stained mark protect us) . The words, although in elvish, making her a dwarven talisman, both protecting and being protected by them. She would never understand the true meaning of this ceremony. Val, himself had only seen it done once. > Finally being allowed to clean her arm, Val held her close when she had finished. �Val, you want to explain what just happened?� My love, if I could I would but there are reasons for that ceremony that are deeper than either of us will ever know. Oyrin probably doesn�t even know them. The part I know is that for the rest of this journey, you are their shaman, their spiritual guardian. The mixing of blood?� slightly touching the fresh cut over an old scar � well, you know what that means. Though it�s not as intimate as our bonding, it is essentially the same thing. We are all family now. And that part will never change, thru their lives or ours. When they return home, our names will be written in each of their family lines� Kissing her softly, he smiles, trying to lighten the mood �At least I didn�t have to face all your new brothers before winning your heart.� Giving him a small smile, she knows he�s just trying to ease her worries.<br /> > Sitting by the fire that night, they are all shaken by a sudden flash of light. As their eyes re-adjusted to the firelight, they began cautiously checking around the camp. Oyrin takes a quick look toward Val and Illisse�..Illisse? Val stood in shock, barely registering Oyrin�s hand on his arm. �He took her� A blank look of utter shock on his face.�Sharmyth took her. Silence falls over the camp, the crackling of the fire the only sound. �Are you sure it was Sharmyth, Val? And not�.?�Oyrin paused, afraid to finish that question.
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