Are
Like every cutting remark and sulfurous tirade before, he took it in silence. Gritting his teeth and gripping the tankard hard enough to whiten his knuckles and dent the pewter. Are was back. In his memories he was cornered by the kings men and set upon once again. Hit over the head with a scripture neither him nor they could read, hounded at every turn and blamed for everything from failing crops to barren wombs. Foreign powers wrestling control of a life he once knew as his.
An icy dagger driven directly into the heart of his soul and twisted with cruel efficiency. Are wished he could scream, curse and throw things, he wished he could do anything to make the wounds go away for a moment, but he knew it was futile. Shaking as the skald ripped the crimson ribbons open again, the cobbler just sat there and took the verbal lashing. Every crack bringing memories to life again, roaring seas and icy depths, the very reason he was here.
He would have laughed, had he fully understood the irony of it all, but all he could do was hold his breath and focus on not fainting. His eyes burned both with blotches of black and searing hot tears welling up and rolling down his cheeks. Are swallowed what little remaining pride he had left, quietly cursing his lack of stoicism. Truly his fathers son he was, crying as anger claimed him. A deep, ragged breath of what felt like icy cold lakewater greedily swallowed by a drowning man. He finally met the eyes of the white haired bard, the gaze itself as sharp and piercing as the words he'd just unleashed.
"I... I would feel. Exactly like I did that day you found me." hesitant at first, but finally mustering the strength to push through the lump in his throat, he spoke with a voice he'd imagined would carry every ounce of his emotion. Yet it quivered like autumn leaves rustling in the wind, a mere hoarse whisper, barely enough to reach across the table. He swallowed again and drew another shaky breath. "I am many things, clever not being one of them. But I understand now, that what I did was wrong. Was hasty. Was exactly what has been done unto me. I am just like them, kristinn. I regret what I did, but I know my words mean nothing and can never undo it."
An icy dagger driven directly into the heart of his soul and twisted with cruel efficiency. Are wished he could scream, curse and throw things, he wished he could do anything to make the wounds go away for a moment, but he knew it was futile. Shaking as the skald ripped the crimson ribbons open again, the cobbler just sat there and took the verbal lashing. Every crack bringing memories to life again, roaring seas and icy depths, the very reason he was here.
He would have laughed, had he fully understood the irony of it all, but all he could do was hold his breath and focus on not fainting. His eyes burned both with blotches of black and searing hot tears welling up and rolling down his cheeks. Are swallowed what little remaining pride he had left, quietly cursing his lack of stoicism. Truly his fathers son he was, crying as anger claimed him. A deep, ragged breath of what felt like icy cold lakewater greedily swallowed by a drowning man. He finally met the eyes of the white haired bard, the gaze itself as sharp and piercing as the words he'd just unleashed.
"I... I would feel. Exactly like I did that day you found me." hesitant at first, but finally mustering the strength to push through the lump in his throat, he spoke with a voice he'd imagined would carry every ounce of his emotion. Yet it quivered like autumn leaves rustling in the wind, a mere hoarse whisper, barely enough to reach across the table. He swallowed again and drew another shaky breath. "I am many things, clever not being one of them. But I understand now, that what I did was wrong. Was hasty. Was exactly what has been done unto me. I am just like them, kristinn. I regret what I did, but I know my words mean nothing and can never undo it."
