Brianna

She was going on her own adventure.

She traveled across the countryside, on foot. She was attacked several times. She had a sling, and used it to the best of her ability. She had emptied everything out of her house and locked up the place, and then slipped out late one night leaving a note on her door.

About a month and a half after she'd left home, she came up over a rise and looked down into a beautiful fertile valley. Nestled in the foothills was the largest town she had ever seen in her life. She spent the night on the hilltop, and in the morning proceeded down to the town.

She began working at the local temple, using her herbal skills to tend to wounded. Up until her seventh month she still insisted on harvesting the herbs herself. After that she would let no one else mix them.

She began to learn, to teach herself and to listen to the monks' teachings. She learned about the world and learned foreign languages. She wove clothes, and eventually earned enough money to join the Weaver's Guild. She made good money, and donated a tithe to her temple.

And seven months after she arrived, she had a baby boy.

He came into the world in the middle of the night, red-faced and bawling. Even she was surprised at how much he looked like his father. He had inherited his father's sandy blonde hair, his gray-green eyes, his nose, and even the texture of his hair was the same. The only thing that strongly resembled his mother was he had her full lips. She named him Arkantos, after a famous Greek hero she'd read about.

From the start he was a mischievous little one. The temple monks loved him, and he was the apple of everyone's eye. She adored him too, but in such a home he couldn't grow up spoiled.

When he neared his second birthday she began to wonder if she was doing the right thing. After all, the reason she had not told his father was because she didn't feel his father had to take responsibility—after all, he had done everything to prevent this and it had been her choice.

But was this even right? What a decision...deny the boy his father and the father his son, so that he would not feel he had to be a father if he wasn't prepared! She thought about it for six months without deciding either way, and even went to the Abbot.

Finally, it was the boy himself who made the decision with his first word, "Mommy!" It made her realize that he might never call anyone Daddy, and so she wrote a letter and sent copies of it to all the Adventurer's Inns in the land. It simply read,

Dear Gwydion,

I hope you remember who this is. I have something I feel I should say to you. If you do not wish to hear it, simply do not respond to these letters and I will never attempt to contact you again. However, should you be curious I am currently living in the town of Willowgrove, at the Temple Solaris.

I hope to see you soon.

With affection,

Brianna

For another six months she waited in an agony of suspense. When little Arkantos reached his third birthday with no message, she concluded he wasn't coming.

However, two weeks after his third birthday, one of the monks came to her door and knocked softly. Arkantos was sitting on the floor playing with his toys, and she was reading a book on herbs, trying to understand. She hurried to the door.

When she opened it, Brother Simon was there. He only said softly, "There's someone here to see you."

She nodded. "Should I come out to see them?"

He shook his head. "No. They say they want to meet with you privately."

This in itself was not unusual. Many people of the town over the last four years had gotten to know her as a kind person, and sometimes they wanted to speak to her privately—especially the girls. She answered, "Send them in here. Do you know what they want?"

He shook his head. "I'll send them." He left, and she began straightening the room to make it look tidy.

She was just putting some of Arkantos' toys away while he watched when she heard a soft step at the door and a knock. She rose to her feet, and as she turned, she heard a voice she had never really forgotten.

"Brianna?"

Her gaze fell upon him. He was just as handsome as he had been four years ago. His hair was longer now, and his clothes were shabby from the road. He wore the same scabbard at his side, and his gray-green eyes were tired and searching.

"Gwydion...I'd given up hoping you'd come. Please, come in."

He hesitated, then stepped in the room, his eyes never leaving her face.. At that moment Arkantos got to his feet and ran over to the newcomer, and pulled gently on his pant leg. He stopped, and looked down...and just stayed there.

"Hello!" shouted Arkantos. He was speaking very well, and the tutors were already schooling him in the most basic lessons, coached in stories to which he listened raptly.

"H-hello." Gwydion whispered. He looked up at her. Their eyes met, and she smiled and nodded.

"Please come in. Sit down. Have some tea, and we can talk, if you like." She did not move from where she stood until he came in and sat down, not wanting to threaten him. She bent over Arkantos. "Hey, Ark? Do you want to go play with Sister Emma?"

"Yeah!" he shouted. "I go play!"

"Ok then." She called out the door. Sister Emma's room was just two doors away, and she was always happy to take Arkantos for any amount of time. Her door opened, and Brianna called out, "Can you watch Arkantos? I've got a guest!"

"Certainly dear. Come on, little one, I think I've got some candy."

"Yay!" He blew a kiss in his mother's direction and ran off down the hall.

Brianna closed the door and composed herself before turning around. She poured some tea for both of them from the pot, and sat down before looking into his eyes.

He spoke first. "How did it happen, Brianna?" His voice was measured and slightly cold, and she cringed.

She attempted a weak smile. "I guess...something broke. Or didn't work."

"You've named him Arkantos." His face softened a little.

She nodded. "Yes. I thought the story of the hero who saved his people was very moving."

He looked away, then looked back and put his hands on the table. "Why did you call me here, Brianna?"

She looked back at him. "Promise me one thing. You'll hear me out completely before you say anything."

He nodded. "That sounds fair."

She took a deep breath, and launched into her story. Briefly she told of leaving the village, and arriving here, having Arkantos, and taking care of him for three years. This took less than two minutes, and then she slowed as she answered his question.

"I was not going to ever tell you about him, Gwydion. You and I both made our decisions, that night years ago, and I've never regretted anything since then. It wouldn't be fair for me to...expect anything out of you.

"But lately I've gotten to wondering if that's even right. If you don't want to have a relationship with him that's fine...but you have to be able to make that choice. And if you want to be part of his life, that's fine too...I don't have the right to keep him away from you. Nor would I want to if you wanted to see him."

She looked up at him. Her eyes were wet, but she ignored them. "I am sorry for making you come all the way out here, but thank you for doing it. I just...thought you should know."

He had listened impassively to her the whole time, his face carefully expressionless. Now he leaned back in his chair and sighed, deeply.

He looked up at her with sympathy. "Have you been alone all this time, Brianna?"

She shook her head. "Well, the temple takes good care of me. And I have an adventurer friend who comes to the weaver's guild sometimes he...takes especially good care of Arkantos."

"When you had the baby...?"

"I was here."

He looked at her sharply when she said this, but she didn't seem to notice anything amiss. "Can I meet this friend?" She nodded, puzzled.

He considered. "So, Brianna, if I wanted to walk out of here today, you wouldn't stop me?"

She replied, "I would ask that you not hurt him by coming back later and telling him who you were. That's all. I would not stop you."

He nodded. "Well that's fair." He hesitated, then took her hand. She looked up in surprise. "Is he really mine?"

She smiled softly, and nodded.

"Maybe...can I talk to him?"

"Of course! I'll show you where they probably went." She got up, and they both realized at once they were still holding hands. They laughed nervously, and dropped them—but it was a good sign, that laugh. She led the way out the door and he followed her slim figure. She had matured and all traces of baby fat were gone. Her curves had filled out beautifully in four years, and he couldn't help growing hard as he thought of what he knew was under the simple dress. Had there been anyone else, he wondered? This friend, maybe?

She led him out towards the temple gardens. They found Arkantos playing with Emma under a tree, and as he saw her, he came running toward her. "Mommy, Sister Emma showed me a worm!"

Brianna laughed. "Arkantos, there's someone I'd like you to meet. This is..." she hesitated, completely at a loss for how to introduce him. "A friend of Mommy's," she finished lamely.

Arkantos eyed the newcomer. "You come to take Mommy away?"

Gwydion laughed. "No, I'm not. I'm just visiting."

He considered this. "You wanna see my hideout?"

"I'd love to."

"Mommy, can I show your friend my hideout?"

"Of course you may, Arkantos. Be good and don't bother him too much."

"Yay! Come on!" Arkantos' tiny hand slipped into his father's and Brianna saw the look of wonder on Gwydion's face as his tiny son led him through the garden.

She stood up and saw that Sister Emma was watching her curiously. She smiled but didn't say anything, and turned to go back into the temple, bumping into someone as she did so.

She looked up. "Oh hello, Hawk. How are you?"

Hawk had actually joined her on the road when she was coming to the town. He had tried to convince her to come back out on the road again, and her heart longed for it, but she knew her baby needed her now. Perhaps time for that later.

He visited the town often, about once a month. He always visited her and always brought her a gift and Arkantos a toy. Women had come and gone in his life, but she knew she held his interest.

There had actually been quite a few nights when they had succumbed to their passions. He was a very attractive man, and he wanted her and she wanted him. He was a very good lover, and she learned much from him. He had never asked for more, and she knew he was a free spirit. She also knew that she was the only woman who had ever held even a small part of him, and she held it cautiously, knowing it was fragile and easily lost.

He smiled down at her, that familiar knowing. "How are you, my sweetheart?" That was his customary nickname for her and only her. She smiled sweetly up at him. "How are you today? I'm glad to see you're back in town."

His eyes flickered toward where Gwydion was sitting in the grass, earnestly listening to Arkantos. "Who is your guest?"

She blushed slightly, but he caught it. "An old friend," she said, but her eyes were far away. He watched her, and realized he was a lot more than she admitted.

"Would you like to meet him, Hawk?"

He recovered himself. "Absolutely."

She nodded, and turned to call them but saw they were already walking across the grass. "Gwydion!" she called out.

Hawk saw the resemblance between father and son immediately, of course. So this was the secret she'd been hiding all these years. He suddenly hated this Gwydion without even knowing him, for leaving her as cruelly as he must have. His hand unconsciously went to the small of her back.

They remained poised there for a moment, the four of them. Her hair blew in her eyes as she stood nearly in Hawk's embrace, and Gwydion was holding Arkantos' hand. Gwydion's and Hawk's eyes met and there was a electric spark.

Sensing the tension but not fully understanding it—after all, Hawk wasn't interested in her—Brianna spoke first. "Gwydion, I want you to meet my good friend Hawk. Hawk, this is Gwydion—a very old friend whom I haven't seen in years."

They cautiously shook hands and murmured some words, then Hawk's hand went back to around her waist. She wasn't sure what to do next, when Arkantos decided it.

"Mommy!" She looked at him questioningly, and he motioned her down to his level, to whisper in her ear softly, "I really like Uncle Gwydion. He's almost as nice as Uncle Hawk. And I gotta go potty."

She laughed, and picked him up. "All right then. Gentlemen, if you'll excuse me. Please make yourself comfortable, Gwydion. Hawk, I'll see you in a few minutes." She smiled sweetly at Hawk and exited.

She left the two of them eyeing each other, and took Arkantos to the bathroom. After that, he yawned and she put him down for his afternoon nap.

When she came back, Hawk was sitting on one of the garden benches alone. She looked around, but Hawk spoke up first. "He said he went to think. He said he wouldn't go without giving you his answer."

She nodded, and sat down next to him when he motioned. He put his arm around her, and she turned and buried her face into his shoulder and sighed.

"Who is he, Brianna? As if I couldn't guess."

She looked at him. "He...well, yes, they do look alike don't they?"

"Very much. Arkantos doesn't look like you at all."

She laughed, nervously. "No, he always looked like his father." She bit her lip. "I haven't said that word in so long, Hawk, in relation to Arkantos."

"Why didn't you ask me?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure, really. You are too involved, I guess. Anyway, father or not, you were here when he was born."

It was true. Hawk had been in the temple when her baby had come, and had been one of the first people at her room when she screamed. She'd asked if he could stay in the room, and he had, wiping her brow with a cloth and holding her hand. It was not long after that that they'd made love for the first time. She thought back to it and smiled.

It had been about three months after Arkantos had been born. She had been lonely and miserable, feeling as though no man would ever find her attractive. Hawk had been visiting, and had noticed, and insisted on taking her out to dinner and then out for a night on the town. She left Arkantos with the monks, who were more than happy, and she drank a significant amount and enjoyed herself utterly. If he had wanted her that night, he could have taken her, but instead he put her to bed and watched over her all through the night. It was in the morning when she'd awoken and found him sleeping in a large armchair next to her bed that she'd crawled into his lap and kissed him hungrily. He had protested a little, but not much.

He was a large man, much larger all around than Gwydion had been. Not fat, but muscular where Gwydion had been lithe. He easily lifted her in one arm and Arkantos in another. Her tiny frame felt very safe in his embrace, and in his bed. He only came to town about once every three months or so, but whenever he did they spent time together and usually a night or two as well.

She was smiling, and he lifted her chin tenderly. "What are you thinking about?"

"I was thinking about...all these years, Hawk, and you still come back to me. Why is that?"

He chuckled. "Such a deep question, my sweetheart? Where did this come from?"

"I'm just wondering, Hawk. Why does anyone stay with anyone?"

His voice was soft. "You're wondering why he didn't stay with you."

She sighed. "In one way, I understand. He hadn't come looking for something serious. He wanted it to be no strings attached. In another way..."

"You wonder what was wrong with you."

She glanced up into his eyes. "You can always read me, Hawk. But you never answered my question."

"And what was that?"

"Stop teasing! Why do you always come back to me? It's been four years, and you've not brought any other woman around, and I like to think you'd introduce me if there was someone."

"I would."

"So? What is it about me that keeps bringing you back?" She was laughing as she said it, but the serious look in his eyes silenced her.

"Does it bother you?"

"Not at all."

He looked down at his hands. "I can partly answer your question. Sometimes...you find something that you like. And you get comfortable with the status quo, and you start to think it's going to be there forever." He looked up at her, wondering if he'd said too much. Her eyes were on the garden, watching with a unfamiliar look in her eyes. She spoke, softly.

"Nothing is forever."

She blinked, and looked back at him. Her face relaxed, into the familiar smile he knew so well. He stood up, and she looked surprised.

"I...need to go. Don't worry, I'll come back. But I need to think about something." He bowed and kissed her lips, affectionately. "Come see me if you like. I'm at the Prancing Pony." She nodded, and smiled as he left.

As he was walking out, he saw a figure detach itself from a wall and move toward him. It was Gwydion. He bowed politely.

"May I walk with you?"

Hawk nodded. "Be my guest. I'm heading back to my Inn now. Where are you staying?"

"The Inn of the White Stag."

Hawk knew the place. It was on the other end of town. He always stayed at the Prancing Pony; it was the closest to the temple. Now he wondered why.

He turned back to Gwydion. "I'm sorry, I'm being rude. Would you like a drink? My treat."

Gwydion visibly hesitated, then nodded.

They went back to the Prancing Pony and sat at a table. Hawk ordered his standard, a Crystal Waters. Gwydion ordered a Minotaur Malt, significantly harder. He drained the first glass and signaled for another.

He looked up at Hawk. "I suppose you know why she called me back."

Hawk chose his words with care. "I know that you two have some...old business that you need to take care of. I know she wanted to give you the choice to decide for yourself, about Arkantos.

"But she didn't tell me she was going to write you. And the first she's said anything about you was today. So I guess I don't know that much."

Gwydion sighed. "I don't know why I feel the need to explain myself to you. You seem very important in her life. I'm not a bad man. Can I talk to you?"

Hawk nodded.

"I won't ask you not to repeat anything I say to Brianna. I know you will. I'll just ask you to be discreet and not say anything unnecessary.

"I first saw Brianna for years ago, at her village. We had killed a dragon, and she came up to heal us. She was so charming and sweet, she caught my eye that second. I think...I think I fell in love with her, that first day.

"I didn't mean to...do anything with her. Believe me when I say she was as willing as I was. She was so charming.

"Anyway...I told her what my intentions were. I never lied to her, and I don't think she'd say I did." He looked up questioningly, and Hawk shook his head. "She doesn't have any bad words to say about you."

Gwydion sighed again. "I...wanted to stay with her. I...she struck a chord in my heart, that I'd never known. But how could I?"

"What stopped you?"

Gwydion sighed. He carefully reached down and lifted his sword from his belt. Laying it across the table, he gently—almost lovingly—unsheathed it.

Hawk started in shock. "That's the Rune Blade...? It's not, is it?"

Gwydion simply looked at him. "Go on. Pick it up."

Hawk reverently lifted the sword, carefully balancing the blade on his fingertips. It was truly a work of art.

The Rune Blade. There was only one in the whole world, and he knew who it belonged to.

Hawk hesitated, and in low tones, said, "Should I kneel, Your Highness?"

Gwydion waved his hand. "Don't mention it. Don't kneel. Don't call me Highness. Don't do anything. But if you know the blade, you know why I travel the road."