Redsand Canyon exordium

set after this thread as they would have left akashingo quickly <3 no posting order!

the departure from pharaoh's palace had begun uneventfully. the shadows grew but the former neb did not stop. he knew that for the sake of tamar, @Arsenio would wish to continue as far from akashingo as possible. it was a three days' journey, he had told the pair, three days with two brief pauses.

but the trio would be delayed by another two days.

winter caught them in its lash. germanicus, well-versed enough in weather to see it approach, determined that they would stop in the shadow of the sunspire. they could not travel in the snow which flowed down upon them. he would sleep in watches with the greek. on the fourth day, the imperator set them off again.

but a gale chewed through the stone spires and its tail was ice. again they waited. asking arsenio's help, germanicus hunted mice beneath the snow to ensure that tamar was fed.they were not followed from akashingo.

the night had darkened on the sixth day before the canyon spread before them, its redstone ledges dusted with snow. germanicus led the pair through the deep rocky mazes. here the storm did not reach so far. shaking out his silver ruff, stamping snow from his coat, the eagle halted outside the densite he shared with @Ruenna. he called softly for her, tones polite as yellowpaint gaze shifted to arsenio, and lastly to tamar. "you will be at peace here," germanicus grunted softly.

i suggest that the girl assume the remainder of her debt.

the words rang and reverberated in tamar's ears as they traveled. when her belly cramped with hunger it was only guilt that fed her. she scarcely tasted what she ate. and she found she thought more darkly of germanicus now. he had seemed kind enough before, but he had been willing to trade belen.

had arsenio known?

on the fourth day tamar started to cough, and by the fifth she was truly miserable. she shivered, huddled as closely to arsenio as she was able. but the tanpale eyes were watchful, and never more than when at last germanicus brought them to the place called mereo.

tamar coughed and sighed in frustration at her inability to calm the sound. she was silent, gaze downturned.

The guard was a guard no more. 

Arsenio followed the Roman across cold and bitter lands. His mind was filled with the image of the young girl. Belen, who had been lost from her parents, had been left behind. Still, he could not pull her soft features from his head. It was a plague to know what he had done. It burned inside of him with each step away from Akashingo. 

Tamar was free but Arsenio could not stop his anger. Sayf was still there, as well. Ramesses still ruled over his wolves in spoiled peace. What had they accomplished for their trials? 

The woman’s cough drew the redstone figure’s ear each time it filled the air. Once they had arrived at the canyon, the Greek turned to Tamar and nudged softly beneath her chin. I will find food for you and we will make you warm. A den would need to be made. Arsenio could line it in furs so that Tamar would know nothing but softness. 

The man’s gaze searched Germanicus. What did the Roman plan for this outpost?

Ruenna emerged from their shared quarters at Germanicus's soft summons. "Germanicus?" she greeted him softly, a question in her tone. She was quite relieved to see him home, and she was also very much curious about the summons. He must have something to show her, otherwise why would he call her out of the den at a time of the evening when he ought to have been settling inside himself?

Ruenna's soft, honey gaze fell upon the travelers. "Oh! You must have been caught in the storm," she noted regretfully, the snow crystals upon their pelts a reminder of the storm that had recently passed. Snow rarely touched this part of the canyon, and she could almost forget that outside the canyon, winter had descended heavily upon the Teekons. 

Her kind features tightened with concern. She knew nothing of the ghastly trade which weighed upon the hearts of the trio, but she was perceptive enough to see that they were each weary in body and soul, burdened by more than simple physical exhaustion.

This pair were no doubt Arsenio and Tamar, but they had not been expected to arrive until spring. Something must have happened in Akashingo, Ruenna deduced. She would hear the whole story from Germanicus in privacy. 

"I'm Ruenna Caeso-Redsand," she introduced herself to the pair of newcomers. The former mazoi she recognized from the wedding at Akashingo, but she could not recall whether she had seen Tamar present at the festivities. Rue's concerned gaze fell upon Tamar as she stifled a cough. She should not remain outside any longer. 

Did Ruenna have anything in her meager stores to treat a cough? She racked her brain. There were precious few herbs available in the mountains in the winter, and Ruenna could not travel far. Honey would have been best, but until spring, Tamar and any others would have to make do with birch sap-based cough syrup.

"i am her husband," germanicus added once ruenna had given her greeting. it was strange to speak aloud, strange but not foreign. perhaps this statement might answer arsenio's unspoken question. "the storm rose when we were almost to the mountains and forced us to pause for a time." the explanation was for the lady redsand, if only to explain his delay.

germanicus pulled into his mind the way her voice had sounded when she greeted him. "this is arsenio and tamar," the eagle went on. he assumed ruenna would not be so surprised, given their discussion upon the matter. "her cough has only arrived in the last couple of days. will you please take her indoors? i intend to show arsenio their new quarters but i would like to give her a chance to be out of the cold."

the red man would want to wait with his intended. but the imperator had words for him. he gave a slightly warmer look to tamar, inclining his head to indicate that she should go where ruenna bid. theirs was only the single room, an intimate space, but with the barracks still upon its build, he felt such should be offered to those in need. the pair from akashingo would be within their own den before the morning rose, but he understood the swiftness of an illness.

germanicus sought his wife's eye before stepping back, motioning to arsenio. he would not yet depart until he had assent.

tamar wanted to smile but she could not.

whatever comfort arsenio had brought her before was dulled for now. the fellahin — no, she was not that any longer — the young woman coughed again, gently, eyes closing. but they came open again at the sound of a soft voice.

tamar observed the slight figure of a woman with a gentle face and knowing eyes approach the door of the den. ruenna caeso-redsand. this was confirmed by germanicus; husband? him? there were a thousand questions and no answers.

"thank you," she whispered, shuffling closer to ruenna. the girl's ears were splayed now; she did not want arsenio to leave her. but somehow the dryer canyon and the specific absence of pharaoh heartened her.

tamar sought the guard — no — she sought her beloved's gaze, lips curving softly, though for the moment the intended encouragement could not touch her eyes.

Her husband?

Many questions flickered through Arsenio’s mind, but he jumped to assumptions until he would be able to learn for himself what the truth of it was. The redstone wolf was not a stranger to the dark wolf who had been left resting in Akashingo. The little Neb had been a tender thing when they had brought him back. Satsu had seemed fond of him, at least from what Arsenio had seen.

The man’s gaze remained locked on Tamar. He wished to go with her, not to stop and discuss matters with the man. Germanicus was good enough, a fine figure to work beneath, but the Greek had already journeyed across the terrain with the Roman. He wanted some peace. He wanted to revel in the freedom they had stolen from the Pharaoh.

Arsenio offered Tamar a supportive nod of his head. He did not doubt that the Roman’s wife would make sure she was comfortable, and her cough was treated.

I will find you when this is over.

When the women had turned to leave them to their talk, Arsenio cast a tired but toothy smile toward Germanicus.

The wounded boy in the mesa? He is your son?

Arsenio eyed the soldier curiously.

Her husband. It was the first time Ruenna had heard Germanicus introduce himself as such. Her gaze lingered softly upon him as he provided the details of their journey. 

The pair were Arsenio and Tamar, as she suspected. Germanicus had not expected that Ramesses would part with them easily, and so this likely meant that all of them were here to stay. There would be no more trips back to Akashingo for the former Neb. Ruenna was glad to have them home, only she did worry for Crowfeather and whether he would suffer the brunt of Pharaoh's ill temper.  

"Certainly," Ruenna agreed at once. "I'm glad you're home," she spoke to Germanicus in parting, with a small smile. "This way," she ushered Tamar towards the chink in the canyon wall from which she had appeared. In the daylight, a blue vein of rock would be visible rising from the mouth of the cave, marking this as the Redsand pair's quarters.

"Please make yourself comfortable," Ruenna asked of Tamar. She directed Tamar to her own pallet. Its design was similar to Germanicus's: the skins from small, woodland creatures were stretched across bundles of dried grass, creating a spartan cot. A hide was draped over the mattress, adding warmth and softness. It was not luxurious by any means, but it served its purpose. 

Ruenna busied herself searching through the items on her shelves, seeking something that might soothe Tamar's cough. The lighting was at its dimmest this time of the evening, and so she had to conduct her search mostly by smell.

as ruenna took the girl indoors, germanicus pulled away from the entrance. he motioned arsenio with him.

only the small leap of tension in his jaw suggested his surprise. "he is not my son. we traveled together extensively before he was injured by nyra." the man passed along the tall red walls, searching for the modest cave he had thought might suit the needs of arsenio and tamar, at least for now.

i'm glad you're home.

crowfeather's face expanded in his mind, larger and larger, keeping him silent. he was not ready to speak of it. he was not sure he ever would. germanicus redsand. he was this man now, husband to ruenna. imperator to mereo.

he wanted to return to akashingo at once.

he wanted never to return again.

tamar looked around the room.

it was not gaudy. it was not opulent. she was thankful for that. her pale eyes had traced the bluestone as they passed underneath, and now she looked at the small details of the bedchamber. that was what it was; she noted the beds in the corner. it struck her that ruenna and the roman did not sleep in the same bed.

she would have given much to lay next to arsenio all this time.

the girl sat gingerly upon the cot and watched the slim shoulders of the woman, working in the semi-dark. she was not sure what to say and so she said nothing. satsu enjoyed silence. it was what the former fellahin knew how to give.

she wondered what arsenio and germanicus spoke of, walking in the snowy darkness. tamar thought of belen.

Ah, I see… the Greek answered with a few nods of his head.

The boy speaks fondly of you, is all. I believed there to be some… relation.

Arsenio smiled swiftly and shrugged his shoulders. It would have been an easy mistake. Even as a guard to the queen, he had heard the dark little figure speak the Roman’s name through the hallways of the soldier’s quarters. There were nights when the yearling would cry out and only Germanicus’ name would be heard. The redstone wolf had always believed that it was something else, but he must have been mistaken and that was fair enough for him.

What are your plans for Mereo? What would you like me to do here?

This would be more appealing talk to the soldier, surely.

Ruenna's nose found the curved piece of bark that contained a dose of birch sap. On a whim, she swept a bit of powdered biscuitroot over the sap. Biscuitroot was more of generic remedy than her Vitale teachers preferred, as Ruenna recalled, but it was one of the few herbs that grew in the arid soils of the canyon. With her ability to travel so restricted by her pain, Mereo's medical patients were limited to treatments with ingredients that were available nearby, unfortunately.

Feeling a little like a pup playing doctor, Rue limped to Tamar with the piece of bark and set the cough syrup down beside her. "This should suppress the cough long enough for you to get to sleep." Tamar would likely find the syrup light and sweet, and perhaps better-tasting than other plant-based medicines she had been required to ingest orally. 

Rue settled herself onto Germanicus's pallet. "I'm glad you're here, Tamar. I hope you rest well and recover swiftly." Ruenna was available to talk if Tamar desired it, but Rue expected that her company wanted simply to rest. Ruenna would remain awake for a long while, keeping watch over Tamar and monitoring her condition. 

Can be the last from Ruenna, unless Tamar wants to talk.

"he is my companion." germanicus was careful to say this with no modicum of emotion. crowfeather he tucked inside the breastplate he had long learned to wear. they had come to a small cave set against a long passageway, part of a small network that spread along the wall. 

"this should be suitable for yourself and tamar. they are not the barracks of the mazoi. but they will afford you some privacy." 

he stepped back to their earlier conversation. "if tamar decides she wishes to be a mother, consult lady ruenna. until then, i will need you on patrol. the soldiers here are little more than boys and the canyon is large. i will need assistance fortifying the far reaches and leading the other auxillia on spars."

"there will be a physical and social penalty given for breeding outside of mereo. this does not apply to you, as you are married." it was an assumption. it seemed agreed upon between them. the greek would correct him if necessary. "set an example." he looked at the other with a mutual knowingness of their bond. and what they had done.

last for tamar, just germ & arsenio now <3

the medicine was sweet even though she had no trust.

tamar accepted it willingly enough. she turned her head to cough away from ruenna, ears flattening in apology. the woman's limp caught her eye. despite the heaviness of the moment, she wanted to ask what had happened. but she chose not to, or rather another cough chose this for her.

tamar folded her paws beneath her chest. the tickle in her throat did not hoarsen it again. the taste of whatever she had been given still gently filled her mouth. "i am grateful to be here. thank you."

it was all she would would say. eventually the young wolf's eyelids drooped, and though she told herself she would stay awake, tamar could not. she soon slipped into an exhausted, black sleep.

The small home would be fine. Arsenio bobbed his head, searching the quarters with a smile. He could fill it with furs, make it comfortable and warm. They could find leaves and herbs to fill the air. It would remind him of her and might bring Tamar an ounce of comfort. All was well.

When the Roman spoke of his plans, the mercenary listened intently. He wished to have an example set for his other soldiers. There was trust in this word. Arsenio did not take it for granted. He understood that he had a great deal to be grateful for. The relief of being free from Akashingo was too overwhelming, still. It would take time before he would be able to search the canyon with scrutiny.

There is nothing to worry about, Germanikos. Arsenio is here! Your lands will be safe and your men will know strength and be motivated by it.

A wild grin erupted on his snout.

Mereo is strong. It would be stronger, too, before long.

We could probably fade with your Germanicus response. ^^<3

<3

"mereo is strong."

tamar was welcomed to stay in the room he shared with ruenna until arsenio had warmed their own space. he knew that the lady redsand would treat her well and with her own store of herbs.

he himself, unsure of where to go now, went out into the bitter cold, looking for any stored pelts he might bring to arsenio and his intended wife.