Part One
The Great War was ended; the Dark Lord had been vanquished and his armies were defeated and scattering in retreat. Men, elves, Dwarves and all creatures who had stood against His Darkness had enjoyed a day and night of celebration and now in the cool light of a dawn without war, they took tally of their losses and made plans to pursue the fleeing enemies or to rebuild what had been lost to war.
The fallen were given to the Earth or Fire, old kings were carried home on bowers and weary shoulders. As they marched home, new Kings sent out messengers and search parties, to spread word of their victory and gather those who had gone missing. Mercenaries or conscripts who had served against His Darkness were released with whatever reward they had been promised, to go wherever they may, perhaps to homes if they still had them.
Of these, many despaired the end of war and the lives they had taken in heat of battle. The war had set men against other men and so their kind suffered greatly. Those who did not fall into despair or know any trade but battle or have hope of finding home or family knew there was one place left for them. There was one group that would have need of their skills; that understood that evil was not conquered absolutely, but merely in retreat.
Salvation lay with the Rangers.
Along the roads to the northern forts, where the Rangers trained, many veterans of the war met each other, Men and Elves, and occasionally Dwarves or even Halflings. They fell into loose camps, sharing supplies and fire. Still wary, but unafraid of alerting enemies to their presence, they stayed watch around fires at night, sharing their stories, even singing.
They spoke in the way that only veterans could amongst each other. A voice trailed off in description of a particularly hard battle and there was no explanation or ridicule necessary; they all understood the horrors and faulted no creature for being effected by them. All in these camps had found courage enough to continue, knowing war firsthand, even if courage was only determination that others be spared their path.
Yet there were those traveling north who felt unworthy of the fire or companionship. They marched and slept alone, sometimes spotted by others on the march. They stopped to give greetings and assurances that they were not foes, but they did not join the camp.
In this fashion, many became known to each other before they entered their training, by reputation if not on more friendly terms. Some men had more rumor surrounding them than true history so that even as they arrived at a fort to register others rushed to look upon them, wishing to know if the rumors were true. Such was Tsuki.
He came into the fort of Stone Keep leading a silver-white gelding that was surely bred by the riders of the plains to the south, but all that saw him knew that he was not of their people. He had the coloring and features of those others termed Easterling and many men were suspicious of him, for the men of the east were known to have fought as allies to the Dark Lord, but though he wore them in strange manner the colors and crests he wore marked him as lately in the service the Steward of their High King and much of his gear was Elven.
A few arrived in Stone Keep recently said they knew of this man and that he was a mercenary, and probably very good at killing, for his gear seemed issued by princes from many lands west of the Great River and he had even been seen in the company of Wizards. Some others were convinced that he was one of the evil lot to the east that had scavenged the battlefields like some cursed carrion feeder and was here to spy their capabilities under the guise of being converted. Others still said they had heard of a boy from the east who had survived an attack by the Dark Lord himself and that sure this was that boy who lived and there must be goodness in him. And there were more rumors still.
Though all these stories might have some small kernel of truth, they were overall false.
Tsuki approached the table in the yard, where recruits were to register. The Elven Lady volunteering her time to the Rangers greeted Tsuki in the Common Speech and asked his name. Tsuki replied by giving the only name he had and offering that he knew no family name or kingdom to give them. The first Elven Lady then consulted the other Elven Lady at her side, with apology for interrupting the registration of the Dwarf beside Tsuki.
"We must have some other name for our records," The first Elven Lady said, "Perchance there is some other Ranger also given the name Sookee...."
"Tsuki," Tsuki corrected.
"What sort of name is that?" The second Elven Lady wondered aloud, "It is certainly not Elven."
"No. It does not seem to be of the Common Speech," the first Elven Lady said.
"Women, just write his cursed savage Easterling name in the book and be done with it!" the Dwarf bellowed.
At that, several Elven recruits behind politely objected to the females being treated so disgracefully by the Dwarf and kindly reminded the short stocky fellow that his kind might have been overrun by the Dark Lord ages ago if not for the work of Elves.
Whatever his past, Tsuki was not the sort of man that delighted in causing strife, he sought to resolve this situation quickly, without seeing Elves and Dwarves start a Second Great War. "Ladies," he said in the Common Speech as he bowed politely, "It matters not what name goes in your books; I will know who I am. Perhaps you could use your word that means 'one' in the stead of a family name, and if by chance another Tsuki without a family comes to register, then you can name him 'two' so as not to confuse us."
And so it came to pass, with much bureaucracy and transliteration that Tsuki became known as Tsuki Eru.
As with Tsuki, each recruit arriving at the fort signed the book and then was made to swear oaths of allegiance. Their equipment and garments taken with them, in fact all their meager personal possessions, they were outfitted as Rangers in training and assigned to barracks in the order in which they came. This was done so that, no matter their races, the recruits began on equal footing. No previous rank or title or heirloom sword would count as advantage.
They were taught to be self reliant, but also to serve alongside fellow Rangers when completion of a task demanded it. Their minds and bodies were instructed daily. The recruits were trained by seasoned Rangers, Men of the North, Elves who had long been allied to them, and one brown-robed Wizard. The recruits were of various backgrounds, some having been nobles in their lost homelands or scholars, others still had been simple farmers, but all were expected to excel in their training.
They were given two light meals a day, rationed ale and plenty of water purified by Elven magics...for the first week. As their training continued, food and beverages were reduced as their bodies were worked harder and their minds sharpened. Later, they were given training missions outside the fort. First the recruit was ordered to live off the land one full day, in their next mission they would have to live in the wilderness three days, eventually they would live on what they could hunt and forage for a week.
Within the fort, they practiced archery, swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat. They learned basic use of axes, clubs and staves. They learned to read and write the Common Speech and Common Elven. They memorized histories and strategies and learned diplomacy. They were made to ride, swim, climb and run long distances. They were instructed in the use of medicinal herbs and in general woodlore.
Not all recruits were adept in these things when they entered the fort. While some spoke several languages and could read and write, there were others who did not. Many were proficient with a particular weapon, but most still had troubles mastering all the weapons they were to use as Rangers. A fortnight after he was assigned to a company of Rangers in training, Tsuki still found a broadsword unwieldy.
As they trained together, those in the company became friendly with each other. They talked casually at meals or within their barrack. They cheered their fellows during their sparing matches. Some even cheered for Tsuki when he fought with the larger weapons, they seemed to think he needed the encouragement, as Tsuki was strong, but so slight of build in comparison to most Elves or Men of the west that their weapons seemed unbalanced to him. Tsuki did not call out encouragement to others. When addressed directly, he always answered briefly and truthfully, and I the most polite terms if he knew them, but he did not offer opinions to others or speak familiarly. When a month of training had gone by, others in the company no longer cheered for Tsuki; he did not need it.
He had less troubles in the scholarly pursuits demanded of rangers. Tsuki had, as the fellow trainees in his company knew after questioning him, been once the ward of a Wizard and thus knew many things about their world and spoke several languages. He even knew a bit of Wizardry. "As much as one who is not destined a Wizard may know of our ways," His Master had always said.
When questioned by his superiors, Tsuki offered knowledge about the lands east of the Great River. He told them that when he was quite young His Master had found him within a village razed by the armies of the Dark Lord and that His Master had given him to His Teacher, a man who lived in the wilderness, to raise. Though not kin to Tsuki, His Teacher knew of his ancestors enough that he could teach Tsuki of their ways. Tsuki knew that there were four kingdoms in the east, apart from those directly across the Great River, which the kingdoms of the west knew well. He said that not all in the east had joined the Dark Lord willingly, though some had. His Teacher had been slain by minions of the Dark Lord, while fighting them, and then Tsuki had gone to His Master.
He did not offer the additional information that he had run and hid himself when His Teacher had fallen. His Master always said that it was best Tsuki hide himself so that His Master could find him. Tsuki did not say why he was no longer the ward of his Master, or in his service.
He only confirmed that he had served the allied races in the west during the war and that he had been among the mercenaries.
Tsuki did not offer that he had only asked for what he needed to maintain himself and his mount while in their service. Boasting of humility or modesty was neither humble nor modest.
Rangers in training assigned to other Companies still looked at Tsuki in awe or suspicion, but those in his company respected him, even if they thought him strange. His superiors admired his focus and ability, but they worried about him. Certainly there were many men affected greatly by the war, but Tsuki seemed distant, perhaps at the brink of despair.
It did not help matters that those who had spoken to him spread word to others that he had in fact lived with a wizard. "He could not have considered him a son," they would say, "Wizards do not care for families. The Wizard must have kept him because it was important to his work. The Wizard must have cast spells on him. The Wizard has altered him so that he is not like other men. He is like the cursed wizard-spawned orcs."
Tsuki did not like to overhear such speculation, but he knew it was untrue, and so he did not respond.
When a month had passed for the recruits in Tsuki's Company, they were given leave to go to a nearby village for recreation, with the instructions that their actions would reflect on the fort and the Rangers, and as such, they should behave fittingly. Though it was not said leaving the fort was mandatory, it was understood that the entire company should go to the village, as this was yet another test of their abilities.
Tsuki went to the washhouse with the others of his company to bathe. He listened to them sing and tell their jokes and promise each other that they would have good drinks and women tonight. Tsuki was familiar with such boastings; he had served in many armies, though always for a short while. He expected most of the company would behave more conservatively than they bragged; however, a few might lose control when they reached a town. It was the way with soldiers.
Tsuki did not join their talk; he only washed, thinking that in Wizard dwellings the water was always as hot or cold as one wanted and that he might never see the inside of a Wizard dwelling again. He dressed in his Ranger garb, pulled his hair up toward the crown of his head and secured it with a leather thong, as was his manner. His superiors had not allowed him his sash and swords, as no recruit was allowed their personal effects until their training was complete. They had, the selected Captain of his Company had informed him, been permitted their knives, so Tsuki tucked the naked blade between the jacket and belt he had been issued, before leaving the wash house.
When Tsuki reached the yard, he saw his Captain, his long silvery hair loose, rather than pulled away from his face as had seemed normal to Tsuki. Tsuki had observed this Elf and determined that he was likely of their nobility. The Elf, Gwindor by name, had not confirmed this, but he was sociable as the others were and had told enough of his story that it was understood he had, among his own people, held higher rank. His people were Wood Elves that lived just east of the Great River, but had been allied with the west, so they had met the strength of the armies of the Dark Lord during the war. The Captain's party had fought to the last man, which was he. Then the enemy had sounded retreat before Gwindor had taken a mortal blow. He was disgraced to have survived while those he led had been slain. He blamed himself for their deaths.
Yet, Gwindor was capable in all the tasks the Rangers demanded of them and gave Tsuki no reason not to follow him. They both felt they had no other place to be, but with the Rangers.
Gwindor told Tsuki he should accompany him and others to a particular tavern within the town. Perhaps, Tsuki suspected, their superiors had believed Tsuki would need to be convinced to go.
Soon they were in the tavern, seated at a table and drinking ale. There was singing, dancing, smoking and food to be had, but Tsuki settled for a single pint and a view of the room. He could see that there was much fraternizing between the recruits and the locals, perhaps more than was proper. Yet, Tsuki would not complain or repeat what he had seen unless asked. It was not his concern.
"Who is that Mad Half-Elf dancing on the table and singing lewd Mannish drinking songs?" Asked the Dwarf at their table, in Common Elven. He was the same Dwarf who had registered alongside Tsuki, and though they both were in the same Company and got along tolerably with their Captain, they did not like each other. Tsuki did not feel he had reason even to respect this particular Dwarf, except that he had, in a month's time, mastered some use of Elven.
The joke within the Company was that this Dwarf had only joined the Rangers because he desired a chance to meet Elven females.
The Captain looked over his shoulder and observed the recruit upon the table across the smoky room. Tsuki could see him also, from his vantage point. He looked just like an Elf, except that he had intensely red hair, which Tsuki did not think usual in Elves. "Alas, that one is full Elf," the Captain said, "I am acquainted with him." He turned back to his drink. "I must agree he is mad."
"He is not so fair as other Elves," The Dwarf said.
"Many do think that one fair," a Man in their company said, "You should see his eyes."
Someone laughed.
"That one is not of my people, but of another sort of Elves, and though I confess I do not know if the coloring is common to them, his is natural. You see he does get along with the Men more than the Elves." The Captain laughed. "If Eru here were to smile I might say he acts as much an Elf as that Elf acts a Man."
"Smile for us, Eru."
"Maybe Easterlings are afraid to show their teeth."
Tsuki said nothing. He thought, why invite one to bare their teeth at you as an animal does to its enemies?
"Not so far," the Captain warned. He was not Tsuki's Master, thought Tsuki, he was only one of a series of commanders, and not one whom Tsuki needed to protect him. Tsuki did not need his protection.
"I wish to go outside," Tsuki announced and gave no other explanation. He left the remainder of his pint on the table and went from the tavern onto the street. It was dark and good people were at home in their beds or near their fires. Tsuki went into the yard of the tavern, near the stables. They allowed him his horse only on the days scheduled for riding and Tsuki wondered if his animal were being treated well. He did not like anyone to touch Moon-halo, but it was a requirement of becoming a Ranger.
There was a widow-maker in the tree in the yard. Tsuki saw it clearly in the moonlight. He pulled himself up into the tree to knock the dead branch to the ground. Tsuki fell lightly to the ground and retrieved the length of wood. He stood then, against the tree, whittling to pass the time and watching the yard for his Company.
Tsuki had cleared the twigs from the main branch and removed some of the bark, which he retained in his pocket for some later use, when he noticed a group of figures on the street had grown in number and now were looking toward him.
Tsuki continued working with his knife. A Ranger did not respond unless challenged. They did not attack without cause. It was important that Tsuki become a Ranger.
When they came close, it was clear they were all men. They had seen Tsuki in the tavern and awaited this chance to approach him when alone. One of them spoke. The words were not important to Tsuki. He had heard similar words before and survived. He said nothing and continued whittling.
They went on with their ridicule, accusing him of being a spy, blaming him for every brother or father they had lost in the war, because he did not look at them. They never questioned Tsuki directly, but made their accusations. Then the blows came.
Tsuki evaded the first several attacks, as he was well trained and experienced in martial arts, but they had advantages of numbers, and proper staves with which to reach him. Tsuki could only evade, block or catch so many attacks before some part of him was left vulnerable. He did not wish to kill them, as they were men of the town and killing would spoil his chances of becoming a Ranger.
As he felt a staff strike his side, Tsuki wondered if not winning this fight might also reflect badly on the fort. It would be no good for the people to think the Rangers weak.
The argument was moot, for Tsuki did not believe he could win.
There was a crashing sound from the direction of the building. Tsuki struggled to turn and saw a man had been thrown through a window of the tavern. The breaking glass frightened some of his attackers into the night. Tsuki was able to regain some control, finally, and so he fought back.
His Company had to drag him away, moments later, when they came to the yard, having seen the struggle when looking to the broken window. He had not killed, but three of his attackers were unconscious on the ground.
When they came back to Stone Keep, Captain Gwindor escorted Tsuki to the office of the fort's commander. This was Lord Barad, a Half-Elf by all accounts. When they approached the office, there was another waiting outside. Gwindor bade Tsuki wait also while he spoke to Barad.
The one seated on the bench was the same red-haired Elf that Tsuki had seen dancing in the bar. "Wind in the hair," he seemed to say. It was difficult for Tsuki to understand, as the Elf's speech was sing-song and strangely accented. He looked the same as he had in the tavern, this Elf, only now his long red braids seemed frayed and he wore only a torn shirt to cover his chest.
Tsuki sat on the bench beside the Elf, to wait as he had been instructed.
"What ya in for?" The words were so strange to Tsuki that he was not sure if the Elf was asking him a direct question. His tongue seemed a mix of Common Speech and gibberish.
"Your pardon, Master Elf, I do not understand your speech," Tsuki said in Elven, hoping this would aid communication.
The Elf curled his lips in an expression that Tsuki supposed to be a smile, though it looked anything but friendly. Yet, he did not bare his teeth. He leaned close to Tsuki and put himself at an impolite distance.
"I wish to be courteous and answer you, but I cannot understand your meaning," Tsuki tried again.
"It hurts maybe. Took a beating from some men you did?" The Elf's tongue tsked against his teeth. Tsuki could almost understand the Elf, it was still not Elven or Common Speech as Tsuki knew it, but the more he heard, the easier it was to understand its accent and patterns.
"I am here because I was in a fight during my leave in town. I did not wish to fight, but..."
"They struck first. Willow bark." The Elf closed his eyes. "Yes. Willow. That helps."
Tsuki remembered the bark in his pocket and his herbology lessons. He took some strips of bark from his jacket and put one into his mouth. He bit down and let the bark moisten. It tasted bitter, but it would alleviate his pain somewhat. Tsuki held another strip toward the Elf. "Do you wish some?"
"I did not let them hurt me," the Elf said, almost plainly. "So, is it true?"
It took Tsuki a moment to decipher his speech. "True? What are you asking?"
"Do you really have a scar on your forehead from when the Dark Lord attacked you?"
Tsuki laughed. Usually he made no response to such questions, or if asked so directly, he gave a short "no" and left it at that. Usually the questions were not so direct and more often Tsuki only overheard the questions others asked about him.
Tsuki lifted a hand to his head. In the struggle, hair had fallen free of its tie and fallen into his face. Tsuki smoothed back his hair and retied the thong. He had no such scar. "And you? What of you?"
The Elf made a small gesture of tilting his head to one side as he looked at Tsuki. His eyes were purple, darkly purple. They reminded him of leaves of a particular tree, especially with the red hair. Suddenly the coloring did not seem strange. There was nothing unusual about an Elf possessing natural camouflage. Somewhere, Tsuki had seen this Elf's trees.
"Not a Half-Elf. Not mad...much. Mother was not...spoiled by Orcs!" The Elf burst into laughter suddenly. It was quite loud and did sound mad. "Spoiled by Orcs," he laughed, "that would be a fate worse than death."
For a moment there, Tsuki had felt willing to speak to this Elf, but the Elf seemed only mad now. Tsuki had to wonder why he was not discharged from service. The Elf continued to laugh. "It is not funny," Tsuki said in Common speech.
"No. Not funny." The Elf straightened and then turned his head to regard Tsuki. "My name at present seems to be Mapulinanlóme Tâd, but it is not a very good name. You may call me Dale."
Tsuki was silent for a moment. The Elf Dale's speech had become entirely understandable. Tsuki had not learned to understand; Dale's manner had changed. "Tâd?"
Dale smiled, showing a hint of teeth. It did not look so menacing as the previous smile. "When I registered the good ladies said it was not enough to only have one name, not that it was a very beautiful name or anything, but it was all I had at the moment. They had a bit of fun telling me about some man who had come by with only one name, and so they had, as he suggested, given him a number to be his name, against the chance someone with his same name, and only one, come to register. They said that since my first name was different than this man's they could give me the same number also, as no one with only my one name had already registered. But I said to the good Ladies, 'If I am given the same number as my name, then people will mistake us as brothers, you better make me "two".' And so they did. Do you like my story?"
Tsuki smiled, a little, without showing teeth. "Yes. I am Tsuki Eru."
"That is a much better name than mine. Some Elves gave me my name. Who gave you yours?"
"My Master."
"What is your Master?"
"A Wizard."
"Perhaps later," the sing-song tone was in Dale's voice again. He greatly mistrusted Wizards and their works. He did not wish to insult the Man from the east who had so nicely offered him medicinal herbs, but if the conversation progressed with the subject of Wizards, he might become agitated and do something regrettable.
"Perhaps later...?" Tsuki prompted. "Later, perhaps you shall...or we shall...?"
"No Wizard for me, thanks."
The door to Barad's office was opened. Gwindor came into the hall. Lord Barad called to Dale, using his Elven name. It seemed, to Tsuki, and perhaps also to Dale, that the name made Barad nervous. Tsuki knew it as Elven, but it was not Common, perhaps the High Elven tongue. Tsuki did not recognize the roots, and as he tried to decipher the meaning, the name seemed to fade from his memory.
Dale knew what the Elves had named him. In the Common Speech, it might be rendered Ghost of the Valley of Maple, or perhaps Shadow was just as appropriate as 'ghost'. There were some who called Dale a shadow. He smiled wide, with closed lips as he entered the commander's office.
In the hall, Gwindor watched until the door was closed again, before speaking. "Did he bother you?" He asked Tsuki.
"No."
"Did he touch you at all?"
Tsuki saw a blackbird alight on the windowsill behind Gwindor. "No."
"Give you anything to eat? What are you chewing?"
"No. Willow bark. It is my own...that I found."
"We are not really supposed to have herbs outside of our instruction periods."
"Yes, Captain."
"Do not let others see. I think Barad will let you go to the healer. He would like to hear your report of the events in the tavern yard. You are skilled, Eru. You would get on better if you stayed with the other recruits sometimes."
Tsuki nodded. "I will tend my own wounds," he said.
A short while later, after Gwindor had gone, the door to the office opened again. Barad looked nervous. Dale was troubling to his superiors, as Tsuki was, although the troubles were not of the self same nature. Dale wore a menacing, smug smile as he walked from the office.
"Lonely Eru," Dale sang as he moved along the hall.
"Tsuki," Barad called.
Gwindor had been correct; Barad wanted Tsuki to explain his version of events. He did not doubt some Rangers had gone to the town and asked questions of Men there. It had long been the way of the Rangers to patrol the wilderness, the roads, and those towns who were not in reach of the law, to police them. These days, their range was greater, as many kingdoms were suffering aftereffects of war. Even with the enemy in retreat, there were troubles with looting on the part of those who had been embittered by the war and loss of their former homes or possessions.
The Rangers were needed.
Tsuki answered Barad's questions, briefly, honestly.
"And the encounter in the yard was unrelated to that inside the tavern?"
"If you speak of the events that resulted in some person being thrown out a window, then I believe they were unrelated, as I do not know what happened in the tavern, after I left."
"Go to the healer if you like then join your company in the barrack. I will have a task for you later. You require more training."
"Yes, My Lord." Tsuki took leave of the commander and walked directly to the barrack. When he got to his cot, Tsuki saw his knife and his whittling stick were above the cover. Gwindor; he was being too kind. It was not right for one assigned to command to be so friendly with those under him. Tsuki did not wish his protection.
Still, Tsuki hid the stick away among his things, then cleaned, oiled and sharpened his knife before undressing for sleep. There was a curfew at which all lights were to be put out, but between their last assignments and that time, the recruits were free to sleep, or not sleep as they chose.
Tsuki woke in the night. It was not usual for him. He had since trained his mind to wake only at sounds of danger. Tsuki heard none now. He was almost certain someone had called his name, but there was no one near. It was past the curfew and everything was dark, but for moonlight on the window at the far end of the hall that formed the barrack.
A figure moved in silhouette against the light. Tsuki could make out no detail, but this position was not unfamiliar. One was straddling another that lay on a cot. Tsuki had seen this before. When on the march or stationed away from home many soldiers were faithful to lovers at home or had no lover at all, but some did take some comfort or pleasure in each other, or with locals they met.
It was, here, not encouraged, in that recruits were told to sleep after curfew and not to leave their barracks, but no instructor or superior had outright forbid the activity. Tsuki thought perhaps two in his Company had decided to share passion. He could not be certain whose cot that was, only, the one on top was an Elf.
The races were dissimilar enough that in profile at night Tsuki could tell one from another. It was useful knowledge in war, when on watch at night. No Man of any kingdom had such striking dimension in their profile, or that particular slope to their nose. They had not that long neck that showed as the head was thrown back in silent expression of ecstasy. The size was wrong for Halfling, the size and features wrong for a Dwarf.
They had a wealth of hair. The Rangers placed no restriction on length of hair, so long as hair was pulled away from the face during instruction and training, and some recruits from each of the races did wear their hair long, but this Elf had hair that was longer than most other's. Tsuki could see it spilling down his back, and possibly onto the cot. Two braids on the side, and hair loose at his back.
Tsuki reminded himself that it was not his concern, but part of him wondered what it was like with Elves, not that he rightly knew how it was with Men. He had seen the other recruits bathing and he had seen men naked before. The bodies seemed they must all be somewhat compatible. There were Half-Elves after all.
Tsuki turned and pulled his blanket up to his ear and went to sleep.