A Promise Kept

Through the drizzling morning rain, Carac trudges along the Old South Road towards his father\'s former keep. A goodly number of Hawk and other rebels move with him, as do several of the refugees from Kierkgard Dun. Few know the location or the meaning for this trip, and the tight lipped Carac offers very little in the way of information.

Cresting a hill in the road the watchtower of Harthunn becomes visible in the distance, and Carac calls the group to a halt.

[Dark_Eyed_Youth]

The dark-eyed youth trudges along in Carac\'s wake, muttering every once in a while under his breath. As the leader of the party stops, so too does the youth. His head rises from the ground and he breaks the silence.

\"What is it?\"

[Saffron]

With a click of her tongue, Saffron calls halt to the beast of burden that pulls the wagon that carries, among other supplies, her chickens. The rain makes the road muddy and the journey that much more difficult, and everyone breathes a little sigh to catch their breath.

[Carac]

Carac passes a hand through his damp hair and gives the watch tower a long look before he turns to Halen. \"Harthunn,\" he says simply. \"Or what remains of it, these were I\'racil\'s lands after he was exiled from Caerdh. I suppose they are mine now, unless this Ceann Feent has bequeathed them to one of his henchmen.\" He shrugs. \"It matters not, I\'ve no use for them, and no one seems to have put any effort into keeping them up, and I\'ve a new purpose for them besides.\"

He glances about the area and spots a large stump near the side of the road. He hops up onto it and turns to face those who\'ve followed him from Kierkgard Dun. \"Dunlendings!\" he calls loudly. \"Today I make good on the promise I made you when we first rose up against your oppressors!\"

[Dark_Eyed_Youth]

The dark-eyed youth pulls an apple from within the confines of his clothes and takes a bite of it. It crunches, spraying juice into the immediate area.

\"Okay,\" is all he says to Carac\'s words.

[Saffron]

The fatigue of march through the mud, the misery of rain, the weariness of the life on the road had taken a toll on many of the refugees and rebels who had been following Carac faithfully. Exhaustion had been etched onto all of their faces - until this moment. Carac\'s words seem to erase the lines and dissipate the clouds hanging over them as they look up from staring at their feet.

\"We are here?\"

Though none express it in so many words, the sentiment is plainly clear.

\"We are here. At last.\"

[Carac]

Carac extends a hand towards the watch tower and then moves it to encompass the surrounding land as well. \"I promised you land and a place of your own if you followed me,\" he continues. \"What you see is what remains of the fortress of Harthunn, it is not much at the moment, but it is yours. There are trees and stone for building, land for farming, there is game in the forest and fish in the streams to the north.\"

He let\'s his eyes move across the faces gathered about. \"There will be hard work, there is much that will you need to do before the winter sets in, but this will be your land and your home. You will need to select leaders, and you will also be responsible for defending the land from those who would wish to take it.\"

He pauses once more. \"I will not be staying with you, there is still more people out there who are suffering beneath the corrupt Ceanni and Fianni. I must see to them now, but I will be back in time, and I have faith that I will be pleased with what I find when I return.\"

[Finnian]

Finnian slowly works his way through the group of people, trying to gain passage to the front where Carac stands. The scout won\'t interrupt the leader of this rebellion, but he wants to catch the man before he disappears for the day with other business.

[Dark_Eyed_Youth]

The dark-eyed youth, for his part, listens attentively enough and has the manners to not crunch away at the apple while Carac speaks. But his mind seems entirely elsewhere, if it is there at all. He whistles softly to himself.

[Saffron]

The tired masses move as though they are in a daze. Mothers and fathers set their children they had been carrying on their backs, on the ground. The wee ones take delight and begins running pell-mell to the keep, laughing.

Saffron looks at Carac, her brows furrowed. \"This is your land?\" She looks over the expanse of land. \"All this?\"

The chicken herder takes a step towards the keep, then turns again to Carac. \"When you say you are going to give us this land.. You don\'t really mean give us this land, to own? We will be paying tribute, of course..\" she asks cautiously.

[Carac]

Carac gives a simple shrug in response to Saffron. \"This was all my father\'s land,\" he replies. \"I\'racil was Fian of Harthunn and there\'s not been a new one since, so the land would go to me by rights.\" He chuckles softly at her last question.

\"Tribute to who? To me? I wouldn\'t take it, I\'ve strength and wits enough to make my own way. I will not take from those who have little enough to give as it is.\" He smiles slightly. \"Besides, I\'m giving up my rights and holds on this land, I bequeath it all to you people. If you wish to pay tribute to yourself?\" he shrugs. \"Well I can not stop you.\"

He spots Finnian off to the side and gives the man a nod of greeting. \"You have questions as well?\" he asks.

[Finnian]

Finnian smiles in return as greeting, but there\'s a grimness to it. \"No, not a question, some poor deeds I saw to be telling you of.. from my scouting last night.\" The man says quietly, his eyes skimming around the nearest folks before approaching Carac to address him more softly.

[Saffron]

Already, the laughter of children can be heard, their heavenly peals enough to break through the rainclouds to let the sunshine smile down upon them.

Yet, the extent of Carac\'s generosity will not dawn upon these exhausted people until a few days after. They simply stagger towards the tower after the children, in a state of shock. But with each step, come the realization.

\"We\'re home.\"

[Dark_Eyed_Youth]

The dark-eyed youth watches the children as they dance amidst the land around Harthunn. It is no paradise but such are the times that these forsaken fields offer a commodity not sold in any market: hope. He smiles.

[Carac]

Carac watches the refugees trudge along towards the ruins and lets out a soft sigh. \"Remind me to speak with Gariag when return to Forthunn,\" he says to Halen. \"These folk will be sitting targets for folk like Iron Jaw, Gariag will know of a few people who can come up and keep a watch over them until they\'ve gotten themselves situated.\"

The then lets his gaze return to Finnian and he gives a quick nod. \"Trouble is it?\" he asks. \"Not just misgivings about the Hawk? There\'s those who\'ve told me of your discontent with my brothers.\"

[Dark_Eyed_Youth]

The dark-eyed youth says one word in response to Carac:

\"Ruz\'anna.\"

And it seems that name has been on his lips for quite some time.

[Carac]

With a grunt of displeasure, Carac nods in response to Finnian. \"I had no claim on any of these people,\" he says. \"If they were unable to wait for the reward I promised, that is their decision. If what they stole has been returned, then there is no more I can do.\" He scratches at his wet hair and frowns. \"Who was it do you know?\"

While he awaits the answer he turns towards Halen. \"Gariag has told me of her where abouts, we will journey to speak with her soon.\"

[Finnian]

Tavish rubs at his stubbly chin, but it progresses in to a yawn after his sleepless night and morning spent traveling. \"A woman and her old mother, another man I not be knowing, and that large fellow.. Ogliv.\" Finnian drops his hand to his side again, \"I told them that they could go and leave the food, but if they tried to be stealing it I would raise the alarm. Worked well enough. There be no way I could win it back another way, outnumbered as I was.\"

The man smirks, his gaze going to the broken keep. \"You\'ll be letting me travel on with your group, I hope? I still be wanting to pay back the Bear.\"

[Dark_Eyed_Youth]

Halen laughs loudly, overhearing Finnian\'s last statement.

\"A man after my own heart.\"

[Carac]

Carac chuckles. \"You sure you\'ll feel comfortable amongst so many Hawk?\" he asks. \"That\'s who\'ll be making up the majority of those with me.\" He waits not for an answer, but continues. \"I\'ll turn no man away, but there\'ll be nothing but sleeping rough, empty bellies, and endless miles of hiking.\" He nods towards the people heading towards the ruins.

\"You\'d be better off staying here most likely, my path ends with on the point of a blade or a noose most likely.\"

[Finnian]

\"I be okay with that. I will not be satisfied until I have a chance to see this to the end, whatever it be.\" Finnian says without hesitation. \"Do I have time to be getting a few hours sleep?\" He asks after a moment, his only concern one of being left behind, it seems.

[Dark_Eyed_Youth]

\"All men come to their deaths, Carac,\" says Halen. \"But few are those whose names are sung long after they are gone.\" He takes a bite of the apple.

\"Let us hope that you live long enough to count yourself among them.\"

[Carac]

Carac scrubs a hand across his own eyes and nods. \"We\'ll rest here for a few hours, before we head back to Forthunn. From there we\'ll decide where it is we head next.\"

With a glance towards Halen he shakes his head. \"I\'ve no desire to be put into song,\" he says. He points to a group of children laughing and playing in the rain as they scurry towards their new home. \"That\'s all the reward I need.\"

He glances towards the sky. \"We\'ll begin our return when the sun reaches it\'s peak,\" he says and then turns to head towards the shelter of some nearby pines.

[Finnian]

Finnian nods in response to Carac as he casts a look gaze at Halen, studying him with an undecided expression. \"A few hours be enough.\" Tavish says, then goes off to find himself a place to get some sleep as well.