Isabel and Ahron - Chapters 5 and 6

The tavern was empty, it was the middle of the day and the farmers had returned to work in the fields. The drunkards had not started showing up quite yet, so there was a lull in activity. It was exactly what Elise had been waiting for.

Elise walked over to Porphyry who had been sitting in the corner at his usual table. Slumped over, he was gently snoring as if he had just dozed off. Elise sat the hot sweetcakes down on the table next to him, and as the scent wafted into the air Porphyry stirred immediately. "Wha.. what's that.. Oh! sweetcakes!" Reaching for the cakes, Elise responded with a slap on the hand that was fast as a viper strike. Recoiliing back, he looked warily at Elise... "alrighties, young lass, what is it you desire..you didn't cook sweetcakes just to set them on the table and torment poor Por, nor did you do it from the kindnesses of your hearts, even with as lovelies a heart as yourses" He looked at her reaction to the last to see if she would be affected by praise.. her eyes were set like agates, no the praise route would not work. "indeed I do want something old man" Elise began turning and taking one of the cakes for herself, and slowly biting into it. "It should be a small price to pay, for your fill of these wonderful cakes." Taking another bite, Por was nearly drooling as he watched her chew slowly and deliberately. Por's stomache started to protest loudly the presence of the delicacy. Elise spoke softly, "Tell me the story of Ahron and Isabel." leaning back in his chair to fain non-interest in the cakes, as he heard her request he fell completely over on to the floor.

The reflexes of the old man were shocking. Almost faster than he hit the floor he rebounded up onto his feet and faster than a cat could twist its body he was standing in a crouch, with two gold colored daggers with green jems on the hilts flashing into his hands. He relaxed slightly as he noticed she was trembling with fear. Again looking around, and seeing no monsters jumping from the shadows, he asked in a low cautious voice..still in his crouch. "Where did you hear of that story?" Elise did not know what to think, so she told him about the paper, about reading it in the light, about how she could not stop thinking about it.

He sat down after picking up his chair.. took a sweetcake and bit into it.. looked into the distance as if he was gazing at a pack of rabid wolves from a mile away, trying to determine if they were coming his way. Still twirling a dagger in his fingers, after another sweetcake, and yet another, he spoke.

"That paper was written in magical ink. It is invisible to the human eye. It is even invisible to elven eyesight. You could not have read that paper, yet obviously you know of the contents. Tell me of the poem, for of the two documents in existence that tell that tale, only one contains the poem." After she told him of what she rememberd of the poem, he sighed, "yes yes, it's true you must have read the paper. There is no other way you could know of that poem...you have an interesting talent Elise. And a dangerous one."

For the first time in her life, she was seeing Porphyry without the glazed look in his eyes, without the stagger in his step, he was alert, and his eyes focused on her like a hawk on the hunt. She was not sure what had awakened. Then, as if he realized the danger was far off and was not an immediate threat, he walked over to the bar and picked up a tankard.. first reaching for the ale tap, he started to pour himself a large hunters ale. He stopped in the middle of the pouring and left it there, grabbing a stone mug and instead poured himself a mug of cold milk. He came over to the table then and sat down. Eating the sweetcakes as if ravenously hungry. When he finished, he told her..

"This is not a tale to be repeated young lassie, for it is known by only two, and the telling of it to the wrong person could get either one killed. You see, Ahron is still alive..."


~From the archives of the Cherubim Knights~
an account of the discovery of E. Shardstrum's talent

"Ahron and Isabel had lived outside of CarTerradin in a small town called.. hmm ya know Im not sure that town actually had a name" Por said. Frowning he continued, " it was more of a cobbled group of houses along a lesser tributary road that fed into the main city. They were under the magistrate of CarTerradin, even though they didn't live in the city.. so we'll just say they lived in CarTerradin." Por took the last sweetcake and chewed it while he spoke. "Of the four houses along that road, Isabelle lived in a small house closest the main road, while Ahron lived in a slightly larger house set back off the road a bit, complete with barn and fields to work. As a result, Ahron grew big and muscular from the work he did on the farm. While Isabelle stayed inside mostly, reading books about great adventures, and pondering how the great wizards performed their magic. No one in the town was even vaguely aware that Isabelle existed, for it was Jane her sister that got all of the attention. Jane was constantly outshooting, outriding, outwrestling, and outthinking almost every person in CarTerradin. She was known as a master swordsman by the time she was fifteen. Only three people had beaten her in CarTerradin, the Brigade Seargent of his Majesty's Army, Commander Bryck, a travelling swordsman named Rand, and the boy up the road, Ahron. Ahron had grown up practicing swordplay with Jane, they had spent almost all of one summer arguing the proper defence styles for various attacks they had seen people use.. mostly those from around CarTerradin that had thought to beat the third best in the city, Jane. Jane was tactically more efficient, and had a stronger defence, While Ahron's speed and dexterity were simply unmatched. Ahron could sometimes beat Jane, from an inferior position, using an attack that was less than optimal, and still score through sheer speed."

"Jane constantly drilled him on the tactics he should use training him to be the better swordsman, as he had more potential in his physical body, if he could 'learn to use his head ab bit' she would always say. It was during one of these practice sessions that Ahron met Isabelle, a rare time when Isabelle walked outside to tell Jane that dinner was ready. He saw her for the first time, dropping his sword point almost to the ground, and having the flat of Jane's blade slapped against his neck hard.. "What was that?" Jane screamed.. I could have decapitated you just n... " She stopped as she saw that even the slap of her blade did not wake him from her sistre's spell." He stood there like a cow in the pasture staring at Isabelle until she had walked up the steps and back into the house. Only then, did it register that he had almost had his head cut off.. He returned to his stance, but kept sneaking looks at the door to see if she was returning.. Jane in disgust set down her sword and walked inside without saying a word.

It was shortly after that, Jane's real adventures began.. as she left home and began defeating every swordsman she could find. It was not long before Jane Farstrider was a household name in every town east of the Shiverpeaks.

When Ahron came by the next week, to practice with Jane, he discovered the news of her leaving, he did not seem to care too much.. as it was Isabelle who gave him the news. She invited him in for a cup of tea, which he accepted as it looked as though Isabelle needed comforting after her sister leaving so abruptly...

Nearly a year later, Ahron was wondering what to do. It was time to tell Isabelle the news.. that he was leaving to find a new trainer. One that would make him a swordsman worthy of protecting the Wizard she was becoming. He planned to travel to the AnonTae and become a Cherubim Knight.

They argued for hours over that. She wanted to come with him.. to protect him on the journey. If she could only get him to understand the power she posessed, the power that she had been told was inside her.. waiting to be unlocked. If she could only figure out how to unlock it.. then she could convince him that she could go with him. He would never let that happen.. The Shiverpeak mountain range was way too dangerous for a beautiful young woman. It came down to a stalemate.. he could not go without her agreeing to it.. she would not agree to him going without her going with him.. he would not agree to her going, so could not go. They loved each other too much to see the other one in any danger that they could prevent.. and that strong love was now driving them apart. They argued about it constantly, neither one being able to see the others perspective.. both stubborn as the night was dark. They would argue all day, then at night make up in the most wonderful way. After two weeks of this aguing, Ahron decided to end the argument with action. He left in the middle of the night.

It was raining that night, the water was seeping into his cloak as it came down in buckets from the dead black sky. He jumped over puddles that seemed to be growing out of the groud as he watched, and continued up the road. As he reached the top of the hill, he looked back, he could see the dim light of dawn under the clouds on the horizon, and could make out the shadowy silouhettes of the four houses along the road. He wondered if that was the last time he would see them, his eyes welled up at the thought of Isabelle waking in the morning to find him gone.. he longed to go back and be with her one last night.. but he knew the trap in that.. if he turned back now, he may never leave again. He would never become a knight worthy of protecting Isabelle. He turned his back and walked down the hill.. it was the hardest thing he had ever done."

Por stopped at that, as there were a few people starting to gather around tables, and Elise was forced to go and wait on them.. "you go ahead he said.." I promise to finish it when you get back." Looking at him for a reason to protest, she finally admitted that he was right.. and went to wait on the customers for the evening.

~From the Archives of the Cherubim Knights~
The tale of Ahron and Isabelle