Reynaldo and Enrique Step Out
Reynaldo sat in the warm and cozy lounge of “The Fae Queens Rest” and sipped slowly from his glass of wine. The room was dark except for the single candle burning down on the small table at Reynaldo’s right. A tall bottle of wine sat on the table along with a green ring. His eyes were half closed looking at the glow of the candle threw the murky depths of the red wine and he was leaned far back in the overstuffed chair.
“So Vodacci dog, are you going to mope in this room all day long or are we going to head out and find some sport?” The Castilian stood in the door way looking dapper as always. Reynaldo could remember when he had met Enrique. It had been in Charoux during the height of the Montaigne occupation of Castile. Enrique had been a seething bundle of anger then. His home was under siege and his family was in danger and he had been stuck in the very heart of the land that was cause all this pain to his people. Now he was more relaxed, much more in control of himself. He still lost that control at the first sign of a beautiful face but at least he wasn’t constantly trying to kill Reynaldo any more. The thought of all the colorful ways Enrique had threatened to kill Reynaldo brought a smile to his face. This man had once saved Reynaldo’s life from execution by the Montaigne army and after they had made there escape and Enrique had recovered from the wounds he had received Reynaldo asked him why. “No one else will take my place Vodacci, I will be the man who kills you make no doubt!” They had both grinned at this and gone back to there respective corners for there next bout of verbal banter. Reynaldo had nothing to fear from Enrique except, possibly that he would get them all killed with his weakness for the opposite sex. “Well peacock if you think you can keep up then come along for the ride; I think I have thought up the perfect game for this evening!” Snatching up the ring and placing it on his finger he reached behind the chair and hoisted up a very odd shaped rifle. Sticking out of the oversized barren was what looked like a giant three pronged fish hook. “I say we play a little game of hide and seek with some of the queens ladies in waiting?” Just maybe tonight wasn’t going to be so boring after all Reynaldo thought as he shoved his friend towards the door. The noise of the street crashed around them filling the small entry hall making it seam as if the street were invading the inn. It always amazed Reynaldo when he left the Rest how insulated and isolated it made you feel from the city as if when you crossed the threshold you left the real world behind and went someplace…else. Even this late at night the capital of Avalon was a chaotic swirl of life. Wagon carts rolled by full of unknown items and hawkers walked the street crying out there wares. This late at night it was mainly food vendors trying to sell there bits of grilled meats or other bits to passers by on the way to this inn or that tavern. Most of them Reynaldo trusted being good honest folk but he had heard of more than a few who weren’t above subsidizing there stores with a bit of stray dog or cat or even rat if they were truly a miserable sort of person. Tonight the air seamed to vibrate, alive with its own mystery and promise of adventure. It had been many, many weeks since Reynaldo had felt these twinges of positive spontaneity. The need to just break out and do something others would consider ridiculous, unnecessarily risky and foolish. Something to make him feel alive! Being only 22 he shouldn’t feel as old as he did damn it and he knew what caused him to feel this way. No matter what victories he and his friends achieved it was all tainted by there one failure. No my Reynaldo’s one main failure not his friends, his own and that was the fact that Fellhand still walked Thea. Bjorgsen Fellhand, once he had been a man, a business associate of Reynaldo’s grandfather but his own greed had turned him into something much more and much, much less. He had sold himself to legion long ago binding himself and his fate to the abyss. The cost had been his soul but that had been a small price to pay for a man who intended to live forever and rule the world. The rewards were great and Reynaldo knew them very, very well because Fellhand had offered him a seat on the Council of Thirteen, the self appointed new regime and future rulers of mankind. All it would cost Reynaldo was everything, his soul his mind and his family. All Reynaldo had to do was betray everyone and everything he loved and ultimate power would be his. He would have super human strength and he would be immune to death itself. He would gain powers he had never dreamed of powers that Fellhand had already used to hurt and almost kill everyone Reynaldo cared for including at least one of Reynaldo’s brothers. Enrique shoved Reynaldo from behind pushing him out into the street. “Oh no you don’t, you’re not going to go back in there and start brooding again. More than a few of us are a bit sick of your sullen attitude.” Enrique’s eyes were lit up with anger as he came onto the street after Reynaldo. “Do NOT think you can keep doing this to yourself and to us Reynaldo!” Enrique’s finger stabbed out at Reynaldo’s chest with every word punch into his sternum almost painfully. “It’s about time you stopped hiding and feeling sorry for yourself. You act like you are the only one who is suffering because of what we have been threw of what we are surely going to go threw in the future.” Enrique lowered his arm his eyes going almost cold where once there had been fire. “Reynaldo we have aligned ourselves directly against the forces of evil. I didn’t know whether they existed before we met them personally but now we know and we know what the cost could be if we don’t try to stop them. We need every one of us to be ready for whatever comes along and that includes you. You have to stop being a child and blaming yourself for what has happened to us and start being a man and helping us stop these things from destroying our lives. I know you can do this, but I am not the one who needs convincing am I?” Enrique stood in the doorway looking at Reynaldo on the street standing in the light of the doorway but hidden by Enrique’s shadow. “Maybe you’re right Enrique; maybe I am being just a child and hiding behind all of you. I don’t know what I am doing any more or what I am too do now but I have learned one very important lesson from all of you. I cannot sit around and do nothing any more. My life will go on with or without me and without me it is wasted.” Reynaldo turned and began walking down the street still holding the grappling gun in his had as he stepped out from Enrique’s long shadow he turned around and looked back at him. “I can say this Enrique, I am much happier going on than sitting in that dark room alone.” Reynaldo’s eyes danced with fire as he looked up at Enrique, “so how about you help me take the first step at reclaiming my life and lets go find us something worth living for!” The Castillian paused for a moment staring at the Vodacci who almost thrummed with pent up energy, then Enrique’s face split in a huge grin from ear to ear, “We are going to get arrested aren’t we?” “If we are lucky peacock, if we are very, VERY lucky!” Reynaldo turned down the street and began walking directly to Queen Elaine’s castle and after a few moments Enrique fell into step beside him the both grinned at each other and broke into a run as if legion himself were chasing them.Return to Uncommon Valor