Rojuun (2 page)

Sherrie came forward with arms outstretched
to share his grief. Tathan jumped back, his sword instantly drawn
and aimed at the woman. There was fear in his aunt’s eyes as she
gaped at the dark blade. She dashed back to her daughter. Tathan
bit his lip to hold back his tears. His body had moved
instinctively as it always did these days. Too many people rushed
at him in hostility. He put back his sword as quickly as he could,
shamed by his reaction.

“I’m so sorry. . . I didn’t mean. . .
Please, forgive me.” Tathan stood there, tears flowing down his
eyes as the loss registered. It was terrible to think that he would
never see them again. He closed his eyes, remembering them in his
mind. He could still see them smiling at him. Though he had known
it would be a possibility, the knowledge they were gone brought
great pain to his heart. A deep breath brought Tathan back to
present time once more. He wiped his eyes and refocused on his aunt
and cousin only to see two men moving up to them. One had a
pitchfork and the other wielded a thick piece of wood.

The man with the pitchfork moved forward.
His voice was gruff. “Here now, stranger we won’t be asking for
trouble nor will we be expecting any.”

Sherrie stopped him with an arm in front of
his chest. “He’s family, Scott. He’s also fast with that sword and
I wouldn’t like to see you bleed, Husband.”

Scott turned to Sherrie, giving her a dark
look for doubting his ability to protect her. “Well now, family
then?” Scott looked at Tathan more closely, then at Sherrie, then
Liselle. “He has the same eyes as you. I’ll believe he’s
family.”

“My mother is here you said? And is she
well? . . .” Tathan trailed off, ignoring what Scott believed.

Sherrie responded quickly. “Oh yes. She’s
inside! Ellin!” she hollered back toward the house. “Ellin, you
must come out. Tathan has returned home to us.” Tathan wanted to
move closer, but could not bring himself to do so. He just stood
there waiting. A moment later his mother came out. She was much
older than when he left, which was to be expected he supposed.

“Tathan? Tathan, is that you?” she asked in
a high-toned voice. There was a resemblance to Sherrie and he could
see the women were definitely sisters. His mother’s hair had gone
completely grey though. “Tathan? Is it really you?” She moved close
to him. “Your eyes, they are the same, but . . . haunted.”

“Hello, Mother. I’m so sorry about father
and Mariah.” Sobs broke from his throat. Ellin came in and held her
son in a strong embrace. After a few moments, they separated.
Tathan dried his eyes with his sleeves while his mother dried hers
on her apron. “I’m sorry mother. I’m sorry I wasn’t here. I’m sorry
I. . .” Tathan trailed off.

She patted his shoulder and looked him in
the eye. “Tathan, my son. Don’t worry yourself over what has gone
before. They thought well of you. They missed you, but we all knew
you were a traveling spirit. How are you, Son?” Ellin reached up to
run fingers through his hair. “You’re different, Tathan. Your eyes.
. . What have they seen? Why are they so haunted my son?” It was as
though she wanted to ask a hundred questions without giving him
time to answer any of them.

“I . . .” Tathan didn’t know what to tell
her about his time away. So much had happened to him. “So . . .
this is my Aunt Sherrie and Cousin Liselle?” he deflected
lamely.

His mother stared at him for a moment and
then turned to make introductions. “Yes, and this is Scott,
Sherrie’s husband. Laremy is Scott’s brother. They arrived after
your father’s death.” Scott and Laremy came over to shake Tathan’s
hand. They were both strong men with blond hair and blue eyes.
Laremy looked to be the older brother. Tathan shook their hands and
nodded to them each in greeting.

Tathan turned to his mother, taking in her
grey hair and the wrinkles aging her face. “Aunt Sherrie mentioned
breakfast? I’ve traveled a ways without a good meal.”

Ellin smiled at her son. “But of course,
Tathan. Come inside. Sit with us and tell us of your journeys.”

As they walked inside, Tathan looked around
to see that everything was still as he remembered. Well-used rugs
were scattered over the stone floor of the large living room.
Chairs and a few small tables were spread around, most directed
toward the fireplace, which held a warm morning fire. The ceiling
was made of wood braced by thick beams stained dark brown. Old
tapestries hung on stone walls, made by grandparents and great
grandparents. The quality was as fine as any owned by nobles whose
houses he had wandered through while they slept. This was where the
family had gathered since the house had been built.

“Come to the dining room, Tathan. The food
is ready.” His mother gestured to the room on the left where they
ate all of their meals. Aromas of cooking meat, eggs and fresh
bread filled the house. He went through the opening and into the
large dining room. The wooden floor, which had seen generations of
feet, was swept and clean. More tapestries lined the walls in here
as well. Tathan ran his fingers down the large wood table,
wondering how many meals had been set upon it over the
generations.

His Aunt Sherrie gestured to a chair on the
near side of the table. “Won’t you sit here?” He took the offered
seat as the other men sat down in their places. The women brought
the food in wooden dishes and then sat down as well, his mother
taking the seat to his right. There were places where he had eaten
amazing meals in his travels, but nothing ever seemed as good as
home. Every bite was savored and he closed his eyes here and there,
smiling at the flavors that burst through his mouth.

“I’d guess you like the food by the smile on
your face, Cousin,” Liselle said in a melodious voice. She had
long, black, wavy hair and was wearing a dark blue dress suitable
for doing chores in. Her eyes were grey, much like his, but
gentler. Tathan found his gaze drawn to a flower in her hair. It
was bluish-purple in color and he got the distinct impression it
was watching him as much as everyone else was.

Liselle was a pretty young woman, the kind
who would find an unpleasant life in many of the cities Tathan had
traveled through. The thought made him look back down to the food
on his plate. He missed the worried looks his family exchanged.

“You worry me, son. I’ve said it twice and I
say it again. You look haunted.” His mother’s face was filled with
concern. “Tathan, what happened in your time away?”

It was a difficult question to answer.
“Well. . .” Tathan sighed. “I . . . don’t know. A lot of things
have happened. I’ve seen . . . things.” He looked around the room
for a way to escape the conversation. There was nothing of help.
“The world isn’t peaceful like it is here. Please, Mother, what
matters is that I’m here.”

Ellin smiled sadly at her son. “Of course,
my dear Tathan. You’re here and that truly is what matters.” She
smiled and reached for his hand, taking hold of it with her own
calloused hands. “It’s so good to see you. I’ve worried so much
since you left.” Tathan returned both her smile and her grip.

“How long are you here, Tathan? For good or
just visiting?” Laremy asked in a deep voice, which was warm and
welcoming.

“I don’t know honestly. I didn’t even
realize I was coming home until I saw the trail through the
mountains. There it was, and I was traveling on it.” Tathan gave
them a wry smile. He had been escaping from troubles in the south
and hadn’t realized he was near the trail until coming to a small
village at the base of the mountains.

Scott nodded toward the sword on Tathan’s
hip. “You seem to know how to wield that thing. I probably wouldn’t
be much of a challenge for you with my pitchfork, would I?”

“I’m sorry, Scott, but no. I . . . am
dangerous when a sword is in my hand,” Tathan said. He didn’t want
to hurt anyone, especially not his family. “You may have noticed
that I. . .” He found himself pausing a lot. He didn’t like talking
about himself. “I’ll be very careful not to hurt you. I promise.”
Instead of reassuring his family, his words made their eyes widen
in worry. Tears of sadness flowed down his mother’s cheeks again.
“Here now, mother. Don’t cry for me. I’m alright, really,” he
said.

Ellin fanned herself with her hand,
controlling her tears. “Oh I know, dear. I just worry. I can see
you’ve grown, but I also see that peace eludes you.”

Tathan gave a short laugh. “True, but I
found the adventure I wanted.” He took her hands into his and held
them to his forehead. “I love you, mother.”

Ellin sobbed into her son’s shoulder for a
few moments. Sherrie and Liselle dabbed at tears that formed in
their eyes at the emotional moment.

After finishing breakfast, they moved to the
living room and talked for a bit about life in the valley. The
weather was an important subject. Winter had been mild and spring
had started strong, giving the men hope for good crops and gardens.
Hunting and gathering supplemented small crops of vegetables and
grains. The sheep that roamed were used for food as well. Life was
good, if simple.

Tathan avoided talking about his travels
when asked, preferring to listen to his family. He felt his eyes
beginning to droop before long.

“Laremy and I were going hunting for deer
today. We should get going if we want to be back before nightfall.
Would you like to go with us, Tathan?” Scott asked as he pulled a
bow and quiver off of the wall. Laremy grabbed his as well.

“No. . . Thank you. I haven’t had sleep in a
couple of days, so I wouldn’t be much use to you.” Tathan did feel
tired, but it was a relaxed tired. It was good to feel warm and
safe for the first time in what seemed like an eternity.

“Liselle, get your cousin set up in the east
bedroom. He’ll be comfortable there, I’m sure,” Sherrie said.

“Yes, mother,” Liselle responded and then
turned to Tathan. “You probably know the way, but I’ll show you
anyway.” She beamed a smile at him.

“Thank you. I’m really tired, so there’s a
good chance I’d get lost,” he jested. Tathan knew every inch of the
house, but he was road weary. It was nice to have someone show him
the way.

Once in the room, she turned down the covers
and closed the shutters. Liselle looked to be a couple of inches
shorter than his six feet of height. “There, it should be nice and
dark for you to sleep.” Her voice was like a soft stream running
through the forest. “I’d love to hear about the places you visited.
They must be wonderful.” Her eyes lit up and she clapped her hands
in excitement.

“They’re exciting . . . but not always
wonderful. The idea of seeing them may sound fun now, but were you
to visit those places . . .” his words trailed off ominously.
Shaking himself of the dark thoughts, he continued, “I’m sorry.
It’s not good for me to scare you.”

She chuckled. “It’s alright. My father and
uncle try to scare me all the time. I want to see the world. I know
it’s dangerous, but I don’t care.” Determination showed in her
eyes.

“I see,” he responded quietly. “That’s
understandable. I felt the same way after leaving and would
probably do the same thing again.” Tathan ran his fingers through
his hair and sighed. “This is home, but it’s not exciting. There’s
no adventure.”

“Then you think I should be allowed to
explore the world?” Liselle looked hopeful at the thought of an
ally.

“No. It’s a bad place and most people die.”
Tathan realized that was an overly harsh view of the world, but it
was how he had come to feel.

“Oh.” Her face was crestfallen. “Of course.
Well, I should get to chores now. Mother will be wanting my
help.”

Tathan placed a gentle hand on her upper
arm. “If you wish to explore the world, then you can always go.
There comes a point where your life is yours to live even though it
may hurt others.”

“Really?” Liselle bit her lower lip in
thought. “I don’t know what to do. Mother wants to take me to
Rothton to find a husband.” She rolled her eyes in
exasperation.

“That’s where my mother is from, which means
Aunt Sherrie is from there too, right?” he asked.

“Yes. But I don’t want to get married. I
want to explore the world, have adventures and find a handsome
prince!” Liselle twirled with her arms in the air.

“I understand. That’s exactly how I felt
when I left . . . well, minus the part about the handsome prince.”
He grinned at her.

“Oh, but you would make such a lovely bride
for a handsome prince,” she said with a laugh. Her laughter was
bright and innocent. Then she sat down on the bed with a wistful
sigh. “I really don’t want to go to Rothton to find a husband. What
am I to do, Tathan?” she asked.

Why was she asking him?
“I’m not sure
what would be best,” he shrugged. “It seems like women are always
supposed to get married, men too I suppose. My parents wanted me to
go to Rothton to find a wife. Father was upset when I refused.”

“I didn’t know that,” she responded.

He nodded, “He didn’t hold on to his anger.
Father realized I was going to leave. He sat with me and told me
what little he knew of the world. Then he let me know that he loved
me.”

“That’s really nice, but I don’t think my
father will be quite so understanding.” She stood. “Well, I need to
do my chores. Get some rest. I’ll wake you when dinner is ready.”
She turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Tathan sat on the bed a little longer. After
a bit, he went to the window and opened the shutters to look
outside. It was a beautiful day. Birds were singing their lovely
songs in the trees. Flowers were in bloom and their fragrance
filled the air. There were a lot more flowers than he ever
remembered seeing. Tathan took a deep breath then exhaled, letting
some of the tension flow from his body. It was so nice to relax for
the first time in ages.