A Brother's Oath_02/05/2023
Jun 2, 2023 20:18:48 GMT
Velania Kalugina, Andy Davy, and 1 more like this
Post by sam on Jun 2, 2023 20:18:48 GMT
Ramsy on his long walk back to Daring Heights seeing the sun begin to dip over the horizon stopped at the top of a hillside to bed down for the night. As he sat down and leaned back against a nearby tree, he recalled events from the latest adventure from Fort Ettin. “That creature was no joke. A single stare from that thing would be enough to scare off most people” Ramsy spoke as if talking to someone that wasn't there. “That Leif sure was something never met someone harder to dislike, definitely someone you would've got on with easily” Ramsy chuckled now twisting the Amulet around his neck between his index finger and thumb. “I hope I see that Riken fellow again. He's more restless than me when it comes to fighting, you should've seen him charge toward the creature with his bloody eyes closed” Once Ramsy stopped laughing his facial expression turned to more confusion. “Matches seemed like an odd one, covered in dragon scales but seemingly human? what d'ya reckon that means?… dragon on one of the parent's sides?” Ramsy pondered this thought for a moment, his face switching between curiousness and discomfort as he contemplated the origin of the fellow. “Oh and Longwalker! You should've seen him, thank god he managed to finish the job”. Thinking back in the encounter one thing stood out and Ramsy couldn’t help but obsess over it. When Ynmaris disguised himself as the widow and called out to the creature... it paused? And while the others jumped into combat he remained calm offering the creature a warm hand as if trying to help rather than fight. Ramsy again smiled to himself “You really would've liked him. He was just like you, defiantly kind even while staring death in the face”. Lingering on this thought Ramsy sunk into a memory.
A younger Ramsy staggered backward, blood spraying his face as a body fell to the floor in front of him, his Brother Leto stood a few steps away carefully laying another body on the ground while gently closing their eyes. Ramsy exhausted wearing the same chainmail he wears presently (though back when it was a polished black and not yet covered in rust) fell to one knee panting heavily “Why do you insist on talking to every foe we face, they were never going to surrender, they’re soldiers just like us and we’re both fighting a war”. Leto chin resting on the hilt of his flat tipped longsword knelt over the slain body of his opponent speaking calmly “Tell me Ramsy do you wish to die?” Ramsy still breathing heavily gave his brother a puzzled look “What kind of question is that? Of course I don’t want to…” Leto cut him off mid-sentence “are there loved ones who would grieve when you’re gone?” Ramsy lip curled into a smirk “Well I reckon you’d miss me a fair bit you’d have no one left to save your arse” Leto almost allowed his lip to curl into a smile but squashed the urge, “Do you think they’ll be missed?” eyes locking with Ramsy’s gesturing at the two slain corpses. Ramsy turned to look over the two bodies his gaze settling on the one in front of him, a young boy around the same age as himself eyes still wide with anguish and a single glistening trail of a tear marked his cheek. Ramsy, unwilling to answer his brother's question, stayed silent moving his eyes down the hillside.
Leto moved to his younger brother placing a hand gently on Ramsy’s shoulder “Ramsy I ask these questions to make you think more, just because you've been raised as a soldier doesn’t mean you need to jump to violence as a first option in every confrontation… as you’ve seen the world we live in has no shortage of fighting and bloodshed” Leto locked eyes with his brother in a stern gaze “and as such you must remain vigilant and be ready for the worst when it comes.” standing up Leto offered Ramsy his hand “but this world can also be beautiful and in some scarce situations you may find lending a hand to a stranger, friend or even enemy, can reach just as far into their heart as the tip of a blade”. Looking at the outstretched hand Ramsy let out a big sigh but grasped his brother's wrist accepting the help off the ground. “You make a heartfelt argument brother…” dusting himself off as he straightened his armour “But that’s a whole lot of faith to place in strangers who could just as easily cut off that hand,” Ramsy said bluntly looking at his brother with an unmoved expression. Leto smiled “you’re right to be sceptical, I used to be the same” his smile slowly turning to a look of sadness as he reached down “but as distrustful as you may be, eventually you’ll reach the point where, you’d be more than happy to sacrifice a limb if it means another person doesn’t have to die” he said gently closing the eyes of the slain soldier lying in front of them.
Ramsy snapped out of the memory feeling a drop fall onto his hand, reaching up to his face he found his cheeks damp with tears which he hurriedly wiped away. Taking a minute he watched the sunset over the golden hillside, shadows were getting longer, and light began to dim, while the sky remained a sea of orange hues. Ramsy tugged his brother's Amulet from his neck and looked down at it in his palm. The eye on the silver gauntlet pendant shone as the metal caught the last rays of sun before nightfall, almost appearing as if looking back. Ramsy sighed his expression turning serious as he raised the amulet out in front of him “I’m not my brother… I don’t have his strength or skill… I don’t have his patience or his warm heart… and I cannot guarantee to make every decision as he would have.” Ramsy fought off the tears that threatened to dampen his eyes “But I hold the lessons he taught me closer than anything else and I remember them well… so… if you’ll have me I would like to carry on my brother's journey and take up his Oath so I might be of help to those who need it.” Ramsy gripped the symbol tightly, lowering his head and took to one knee pausing a moment before beginning to Recite the Words he had heard Leto say thousands of times before…. Words of peace… words of justice… words of Redemption.
A younger Ramsy staggered backward, blood spraying his face as a body fell to the floor in front of him, his Brother Leto stood a few steps away carefully laying another body on the ground while gently closing their eyes. Ramsy exhausted wearing the same chainmail he wears presently (though back when it was a polished black and not yet covered in rust) fell to one knee panting heavily “Why do you insist on talking to every foe we face, they were never going to surrender, they’re soldiers just like us and we’re both fighting a war”. Leto chin resting on the hilt of his flat tipped longsword knelt over the slain body of his opponent speaking calmly “Tell me Ramsy do you wish to die?” Ramsy still breathing heavily gave his brother a puzzled look “What kind of question is that? Of course I don’t want to…” Leto cut him off mid-sentence “are there loved ones who would grieve when you’re gone?” Ramsy lip curled into a smirk “Well I reckon you’d miss me a fair bit you’d have no one left to save your arse” Leto almost allowed his lip to curl into a smile but squashed the urge, “Do you think they’ll be missed?” eyes locking with Ramsy’s gesturing at the two slain corpses. Ramsy turned to look over the two bodies his gaze settling on the one in front of him, a young boy around the same age as himself eyes still wide with anguish and a single glistening trail of a tear marked his cheek. Ramsy, unwilling to answer his brother's question, stayed silent moving his eyes down the hillside.
Leto moved to his younger brother placing a hand gently on Ramsy’s shoulder “Ramsy I ask these questions to make you think more, just because you've been raised as a soldier doesn’t mean you need to jump to violence as a first option in every confrontation… as you’ve seen the world we live in has no shortage of fighting and bloodshed” Leto locked eyes with his brother in a stern gaze “and as such you must remain vigilant and be ready for the worst when it comes.” standing up Leto offered Ramsy his hand “but this world can also be beautiful and in some scarce situations you may find lending a hand to a stranger, friend or even enemy, can reach just as far into their heart as the tip of a blade”. Looking at the outstretched hand Ramsy let out a big sigh but grasped his brother's wrist accepting the help off the ground. “You make a heartfelt argument brother…” dusting himself off as he straightened his armour “But that’s a whole lot of faith to place in strangers who could just as easily cut off that hand,” Ramsy said bluntly looking at his brother with an unmoved expression. Leto smiled “you’re right to be sceptical, I used to be the same” his smile slowly turning to a look of sadness as he reached down “but as distrustful as you may be, eventually you’ll reach the point where, you’d be more than happy to sacrifice a limb if it means another person doesn’t have to die” he said gently closing the eyes of the slain soldier lying in front of them.
Ramsy snapped out of the memory feeling a drop fall onto his hand, reaching up to his face he found his cheeks damp with tears which he hurriedly wiped away. Taking a minute he watched the sunset over the golden hillside, shadows were getting longer, and light began to dim, while the sky remained a sea of orange hues. Ramsy tugged his brother's Amulet from his neck and looked down at it in his palm. The eye on the silver gauntlet pendant shone as the metal caught the last rays of sun before nightfall, almost appearing as if looking back. Ramsy sighed his expression turning serious as he raised the amulet out in front of him “I’m not my brother… I don’t have his strength or skill… I don’t have his patience or his warm heart… and I cannot guarantee to make every decision as he would have.” Ramsy fought off the tears that threatened to dampen his eyes “But I hold the lessons he taught me closer than anything else and I remember them well… so… if you’ll have me I would like to carry on my brother's journey and take up his Oath so I might be of help to those who need it.” Ramsy gripped the symbol tightly, lowering his head and took to one knee pausing a moment before beginning to Recite the Words he had heard Leto say thousands of times before…. Words of peace… words of justice… words of Redemption.