{"id":31925,"date":"2023-02-24T13:26:34","date_gmt":"2023-02-24T18:26:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/?p=31925"},"modified":"2023-02-24T13:26:34","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T18:26:34","slug":"benton-an-unsteady-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/benton-an-unsteady-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"Benton – An Unsteady Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bonus Scene<\/strong>
\nBenton – An Unsteady Heart<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The natural light affronted Benton\u2019s eyes then.\u00a0 He\u2019d been trapped inside the dungeon for so long that he had forgotten what sunlight, even fading as it was on the horizon, could look like.<\/p>\n

Stepping into the forest clearing, the knight found even the feeling of soft earth beneath him quite strange.\u00a0 After all, one step back, he was on the roughhewn stone of a place that clung to him with fiendish claws, along with a strange assortment of companions that he\u2019d made during his ordeal\u2014including a version of one of his regular traveling companions.\u00a0 That one, though, was from another world entirely.<\/p>\n

Benton looked back, wondering if he made the right choice.\u00a0 A normal life could never be lived in the dungeon, surely, but at least there, he wasn\u2019t living with a secret, and his heart ached to know that he left something sure and real behind.<\/p>\n

The way back was gone to him, though.\u00a0 A sound that reminded him of a powerful gust of wind echoed in his ear, the only sign that something unnatural truly happened to him.\u00a0 As swiftly and unexpectedly as the dungeon entrance seemed to appear, the portal that took him home had disappeared.<\/p>\n

He stood there for a time, knowing, believing without a second doubt, that he had been whisked away to some unfamiliar place.\u00a0 Even then, however, he could feel the strangeness of it all.\u00a0 It was real, but it was so distant and strange that it almost felt dreamlike.<\/p>\n

Well, more a nightmare, he thought.<\/p>\n

Although there was one thing that made the experience one worth remembering.<\/p>\n

He turned about again, toward where he remembered his camp being.\u00a0 Though he was certain that he had spent days, possibly even a fortnight in the dungeon, he somehow knew that nothing had changed since he\u2019d left.\u00a0 The distant voices of his companions\u2014mirthful and not worried\u2014confirmed his suspicions.<\/p>\n

A few moments later, he stood at the perimeter of the clearing, where Pomir, Ste\u2019Narl, and Fe\u2019Pavi sat around a crackling fire, laughing about their latest quest.\u00a0 No one seemed to put any great significance on Benton\u2019s return.<\/p>\n

He hummed to himself, realizing that they never realized he had left.\u00a0 To them, it had not yet been an hour since he had gone.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, there he is,\u201d Ste\u2019Narl, his orc friend finally said.\u00a0 \u201cThe fire is still strong, but\u2026\u201d \u00a0His words trailed off, and he arched an eyebrow when he took a better look at the knight.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t see any tinder or sticks we could use to keep this going much longer, though it doesn\u2019t look like it\u2019s for a lack of trying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Benton looked down and noticed how dirtied his once-pristine armor was.\u00a0 The knights of Gardone, from which he\u2019d received much of his training, were known for their meticulous upkeep.\u00a0 Though he no longer served with the order, he often kept to their habits.\u00a0 After his journey through the dungeon though, he was simply happy not to be in tatters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d Pomir, the kobold of the group, said, slapping his legs before he labored to his feet, \u201cI suppose that means it\u2019s time for us to see if we can scrounge something better up.\u00a0 Maybe I can find us a few hares or a grouse.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got the easy job, Sten.\u00a0 All you have to do is show back up with more wood than our mighty knight over there did.\u201d<\/p>\n

The orc parted his lips to protest, but Pomir insisted with a hardy punch to Ste\u2019Narl\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 That silenced him, and the pair walked the opposite way into the woods, leaving Benton with the last member of their group, Fe\u2019Pavi.<\/p>\n

He swallowed away his tension then, for the kaja was not even looking in his direction.\u00a0 She alternated between sharpening her dagger and ensuring the rope holding her bola together was tight and sturdy.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you doing all right, Fee?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm?\u201d she asked, looking over her shoulder.<\/p>\n

Benton realized that it was the first time that she had looked in his direction since he returned to camp.\u00a0 \u201cNothing.\u00a0 Don\u2019t worry about it.\u201d\u00a0 He rubbed the back of his neck then, bringing his lower jaw forward before he clenched his teeth together.\u00a0 He blew out a sigh and drew closer to his companion, looking down to her.\u00a0 \u201cI guess I haven\u2019t been gone too long.\u00a0 It sure feels like it was a lot longer though.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re just tired,\u201d she replied.\u00a0 She stopped, and took a better look at the man, tilting her head somewhat.\u00a0 \u201cYou look different today, Benton.\u201d<\/p>\n

He had just been through a tremendous ordeal, he thought, and he\u2019d come out having shown off his heroics.\u00a0 Perhaps some of that was shining through.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre those bags under your eyes?\u201d she teased.\u00a0 \u201cPerhaps that\u2019s why you\u2019re becoming forgetful, and things feel like they\u2019re taking longer than they should.\u201d<\/p>\n

Benton nodded.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe you\u2019re right.\u00a0 I\u2019ll likely just get my bedroll prepared and lay down for a rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

She sprang to her feet, twirling her dagger in her hand before she slid it into the sheath on her belt.\u00a0 Fe\u2019Pavi dusted off her hands then and looked about in the trees.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll see if I can\u2019t scrounge up something that will help you sleep tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Benton said.\u00a0 \u201cJust\u2026just stay here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d she wondered.\u00a0 \u201cIs everything okay?\u201d\u00a0 She drew a little closer and looked at him, her gaze meeting his.<\/p>\n

As she drew close, Benton was reminded of the truth he was able to share with the Fe\u2019Pavi of the other world who he\u2019d met in the dungeon.\u00a0 It was easier to reveal his feelings for someone he knew he would never see again.\u00a0 And she had made her emotions a bit more accessible.<\/p>\n

He realized that his Fe\u2019Pavi had never quite done such a thing, and decided that his feelings were unrequited in his own world.\u00a0 Benton cleared his throat and shook his head. \u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s nothing.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry.\u00a0 I shouldn\u2019t make you feel like you need to look after me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNonsense,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s the least I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

As she took her leave, the knight bowed his head, ashamed that he could not tell her his desires.\u00a0 With his eyes averted as they were, he didn\u2019t catch sight of Fe\u2019Pavi as she stole a fleeting glance in his direction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bonus Scene Benton – An Unsteady Heart     The natural light affronted Benton\u2019s eyes then.\u00a0 He\u2019d been trapped inside the dungeon for so long that he had forgotten what sunlight, even fading as it was on the horizon, could look like. Stepping into the forest clearing, the knight found even the feeling of soft […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31926,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Benton-Panel-1.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1UVey-8iV","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31925"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31925"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31927,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31925\/revisions\/31927"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}