The Decision

After the dreadful Orc attack on the Venzlarin Family, how will the survivor cope? (That sounds like a 1960s batman narration)

Tales of Dee

By Alexander Brewer

 

Chapter 1.5

 

            Tashia drank from the river. She checked her map while she rest. Her stomach was sore. Dee had scouted the area and saw nothing.

            As he returned he wondered about Tashia’s situation. “Have you decided on what you’re going to do?” He asked.

            “What?” Tashia wondered for a moment then realized what he asked. “I’m not sure… I was just a guard for the princess…” She looked to her sword. “I’ve only known how to fight.”

            “I see…” Dee said as he got down and cupped his hands together to get a drink.

            “What do you do?” Tashia asked trying to figure things out.

            “I guess this is a bit ironic. An elf asking another for advice.” Dee said then drank some of the cool water.

            “I’m only fifty-four.” Tashia admitted.

“I’m searching for someone.” Dee answered as he gazed across the water then stood up.

            “Who? Maybe I can help?” Tashia wondered.

            “That wouldn’t work out.” Dee explained then took his mask off. Tashia tried to see his face but he turned and she couldn’t see around his hood. “I guess I’m just a wandering swordsman at this point.” He looked around and then down to the mask. “I help people from monsters and wicked people.”

            “Then why the mask? It makes it hard for people to connect with someone like that?” Tashia asked while packing her bag.

            “It’s a way to hide from someone.” He answered as he put it back on.

            “Who?” Tashia stood up and stretched her arms a bit.

            “Dracon the Dragon Slayer.” Dee answered bluntly but the name alone startled Tashia.

            “Dracon?!” She exclaimed then shook her head. “He’s a thing of legends, slaughterer or millions, destroyer of worlds.”

            “Legend or not, he’s has a habit bringing problems into my life.” Dee explained. “I just don’t want to have to deal with him anymore.”

            “So you’ve met him?” Tashia wondered as she looked at Dee with some reverence.

            “However close the legends are to describing him doesn’t matter. I’ve met him.” Dee answered. Tashia’s skin went pale as she contemplated such a being to actually exist within the world. Dee expected this reaction.

            “How did you survive? I mean… Is he coming after you? Is he trying to kill you?” Tashia worried for her life as she pondered the horrible things the Legendary Dragon Slayer could do.

            “Don’t worry about it. Dracon won’t bother us. He’s too far away from here.” Dee pointed south. “He lives at the Academy.”

            “We were traveling south when…” Tashia stopped as tears rolled down her face. “I wish we could’ve made it there…”

            “To where?” Dee asked.

            “To Syllialith… We were going there to be safe… We’d already lost our nation.” Tashia explained then went silent.

            “Will you be okay?” Dee asked.

            “I don’t know…” She answered with obvious uncertainty then packed her things. Dee was already prepared. He wanted to help her with her turmoil but all he figured he could do was just be there to talk. The two walked down the road for a few hours, silent all the while. Tashia finally broke the silence when she asked. “Could I help you?”

            “What?” Dee asked as he tried to get the context for the question.

            “Could I help you as you help people?” She asked in more detail. Dee thought about it for a while. “I am a trained swordsman so I know I can be of some use.”

            “Perhaps.” Dee sighed.

            “I saw your incredible abilities but it is better to work with someone if you’re going to fight.” Tashia tried to make a case.

            Dee looked her in the eyes. “I’ve not really done too well with companions.” He explained to her. “I have a horrible habit of outliving them all.”

            “Even so, I want to do something.” Tashia felt down.

            “You have obviously as many years as you wish ahead of you.” Dee pointed out her longevity. “You have plenty of time to come up with something.”

            “Probably… Though I’ve never met an elf who’s a thousand years old.” Tashia pointed out to him.

            After a while Tashia drew her sword. Dee wondered what she was doing. “Perhaps I should have died with my kin…” Her suicidal thoughts seriously worried Dee.

            “Where did this come from?” Dee asked nervously. She looked to him and swung her sword violently at the air. She was breathing roughly now then rushed to a tree and began hacking at it with her sword. Eventually she tired herself out and sank to the ground crying.

            “Why just me? Why couldn’t anyone else make it? Why couldn’t I protect her…?!” Tashia yelled.

            “We’ve all lost people.” Dee put his hand on her shoulder then offered a hand to help her up. Tashia rubbed her nose then got to her feet.

            “Who did you lose?” Tashia asked.

            “My friends.” Dee explained. “They fought with me against incredible odds and one by one they died.”

            “How did you get past it?” Tashia wondered as she pulled her sword from the ravaged tree.

            “It’s not something you can really get past.” Dee answered. “But it does get easier in time.” Tashia looked upon the beautiful sword given to her as a guard to the princess. “I live on to help others so my friends didn’t die for nothing.”

Tashia stood there for a few minutes, staring at her sword, then she explained to Dee. “This blade was mine to protect my princess from any who harmed her. It failed as I failed. It won’t happen again.” She sheathed her sword. “I’m going to join you.” Dee tried to voice his complaint. “I know you prefer to be alone. But whether you’ll have me or not isn’t up to you now.” Dee worried for her but saw the determination in her eyes.

“So this is your decision?” Dee asked and Tashia nodded.

She looked up and smiled with some sort of relief as she had found the first steps in her own path. “It is.”

Author's Note

It's obviously unedited. Quit bringing that up. I go to my editor later about this stuff.
Also it's been a very long time. Also I'm doing these out of order as you can tell.

Reviews

[Darkimmortal]

Alright so as always I am going to start with grammar. If you don’t want it you are going to get it anyways, because you sent me a read request and that is what I do. “She checked her map while she rest.” Rest ought to be rested. “I help people from monsters and wicked people.” This sentence makes no sense I would suggest you change it. ““Legend or not, he’s has a habit bringing problems into my life.” He has a habit OF bringing problems. “She was breathing roughly now then rushed to a tree and began” Okay, the now puts it in the present tense, when you have been telling the whole story in the past tense. Watch the tense when you are writing.
There, I gave you the suggestions use them at your own discretion. Alright now for the actual story itself. All in all, there is a little too much dialogue in this scene. Now, this is not me telling you to remove some of it because it is all important, but I am saying that you need more outside of the dialogue. Explain the looks on their faces, what they are thinking in their mind, what they are doing and so on.
Also, The whole scene where she is hacking at the tree, was way too simple. Saying she hacked at the tree isn’t good enough when you can let the reader know frustrated she is by describing what she is doing. Say that she grunted, that pieces of bark and wood chipped away around her, tears of frustration ran down her face…. SOMETHING. You have to have the characters do things the tiniest bit more because it makes it harder to visualize the story.

[C. Rose]

Watch out for "floating heads" this is when there is more dialogue that description and action. It makes the scene feel ungrounded.

Watch out for perspective shifts.

[Coyote Poetry]

I like the chapter. The struggle to make sense of the situation and the questions of holding on to each other. You gave enough to keep the reader interest. I like the characters. You had deep struggle and good conversation. Thank you for sharing the very good chapter.
Coyote