{"id":3842,"date":"2016-07-12T00:01:40","date_gmt":"2016-07-12T04:01:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tellest.com\/?p=3842"},"modified":"2016-07-25T07:38:41","modified_gmt":"2016-07-25T11:38:41","slug":"night-wintertide-part-four","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/night-wintertide-part-four\/","title":{"rendered":"The Night Before Wintertide, Part Four"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Night Before Wintertide
\n<\/strong>A Story by Kevin M. Gallagher, Jr
\n-Part Four-<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

As the sun rose, Robert stepped out to the top deck and took a deep breath, soaking in the fresh ocean air. The dwarf had a boat and navigator waiting for the adventurers in the port of Argos and had set sail right away. They decided to rest upon reaching the lone port of Iona and the dwarf was the first to awake. Robert looked out upon the jungle island and took in all the beauty.<\/p>\n

The sun, rising above the jungle, gave the entire island a warm glow. The exotic birds from the area could be heard making some of the most beautiful sounds the native inhabitants had the luxury to experience, while the sounds of waves crashing set the mood of the island.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeautiful, isn\u2019t it?\u201d Icarus asked as he walked next to the dwarf.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery. Where\u2019s the boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStill sleeping, I thought we\u2019d talk before he woke.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is there to talk about, elf?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust because the prince and I accompanied you on this,\u201d Icarus took a deep breath, \u201cadventure\u2026 that does not mean you will treat it like your past expeditions for the coxcomb.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThose men knew what they were getting into.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot the point. The prince is more important than this treasure. Understood?\u201d<\/p>\n

Before Robert could respond to Icarus, Jason climbed up from below deck. The prince, unlike his companions, looked disheveled. His hair was wild, his clothes wrinkled, and he was barely awake. He approached his companions, stretching to force himself to wake.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s get ourselves a hat,\u201d Jason yawned as he spoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoxcomb of Andekus,\u201d Robert corrected.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd where does one wear the Coxcomb of Andekus?\u201d The prince quipped.<\/p>\n

\u201cYer head.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike a?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019Tis not the same thing\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019ve made my point,\u201d Jason smiled before directing his attention to Icarus, \u201cSo what\u2019s the plan?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJason, my boy, this was your idea,\u201d the elf said. \u201cI am following your lead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn that case, let\u2019s make our presence known to the locals. No reason we can\u2019t start this off diplomatically!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

*\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The three companions stepped off the boat and entered Port Mir\u2019Dautag, named after the orc town that was nearby. As they walked off the pier, heading east toward the town, the port workers stared. It wasn\u2019t often a human visited the area, let alone accompanied with an elf and a dwarf. Robert was inclined to reach for his weapon, but Icarus sensed that and nudged the dwarf.<\/p>\n

As they entered the town, Jason noted the lack of security. There were no walls erected to protect the town, nor were there any guard towers. The buildings were all very similar, built from stone with open windows and doorways. The only differences seemed to be that buildings that were meant for business had wooden roofs, whereas the residences had thatched roofs.<\/p>\n

\u201cMay I have a word with you strangers?\u201d A deep, strange voice called from behind the group.<\/p>\n

Turning around, the three adventurers were faced with an iron-clad orc, standing taller than Icarus, with grayish-green skin. His hair was dark and had several braids that were brought together as one ponytail. His mutton chops hung from his chin\u2014also braided. The sun glistened off his armor, adorned with what appeared to be a captain\u2019s cape, with light reflecting from the metal scabbard that held the orc\u2019s broad sword.<\/p>\n

The orc\u2019s hand moved to the pommel of his sword, and he was ready to unsheathe it at a moment\u2019s notice. \u201cPerhaps I was not clear. Let\u2019s have a word.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood day to you sir,\u201d Icarus said, taking a step forward, \u201cI apologize on behalf of my group, we were taken aback.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean, \u2018taken aback\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, well, we\u2026 we just weren\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m having a go at you,\u201d the orc laughed as he released his hand from his sword.<\/p>\n

The three companions nervously chuckled along with the orc before Icarus finally responded. \u201cThe name is Icarus. I\u2019m joined by Robert and Jason. We\u2019ve come from Arthica to visit our sister island.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cArthica? We don\u2019t get many visitors from there. What brings you to Mir\u2019Dataug? Surely taking port in our capital city would have offered,\u201d the guard hesitated for just a moment, eyeing the group, \u201cless of a distraction?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDautran, even with all its beauty, is not the first place I would show my companions. Not when you can catch the sun rise from behind the jungle at your lovely port,\u201d Icarus explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t forget about the temple, we\u2019ve got to visit the temple,\u201d Jason chimed in.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe temple? Are you referring to Yen\u2019Taug?\u201d The guard asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the one. And we\u2019re kind of in a hurry\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWatch your tongue, boy!\u201d Robert angrily cutoff the prince.<\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJason, Robert, please not now,\u201d Icarus pleaded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe boy must learn respect,\u201d the dwarf argued.<\/p>\n

\u201cRespect? I<\/em> need to learn respect? You dare talk to your prince with such disrespect?\u201d Jason countered.<\/p>\n

\u201cJason? Prince? You\u2019re the son of that skrig king, aren\u2019t you?\u201d The orc questioned.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was that?\u201d the prince asked, almost confused by the orc\u2019s sudden hostility.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we could all just take a moment and relax,\u201d Icarus tried to reason with everyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour father is the king of Saffraan, is he not? Iollan Dactyls is nothing but racist skrig that banished my people from any kind of trade talks with Arthician towns. If it weren\u2019t for King Kristoff Quinn of Silverrod, we would have crushed Arthica and its capital,\u201d the guard explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father is no saint, but you would be best to find respect for the royal family of Saffraan. It is out of respect that we haven\u2019t come to our sister island to crush you\u2014you\u2019re far from innocent.\u201d<\/p>\n

The orc guard stepped up to Jason, looking down at the prince, \u201cYou should listen to your dwarf friend and watch your tongue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Without hesitation, Jason swung his fist into the orc\u2019s chin. The guard, taken by surprise, teetered back from the impact. The orc unsheathed his broadsword and swung toward Jason, who hadn\u2019t yet tugged his own sword from its scabbard. Icarus quickly removed his baton and extended it to its full bo staff form and blocked the weapon from hitting Jason.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlways need to make things difficult, don\u2019t you?\u201d Icarus asked his prince.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to think I make things interesting,\u201d Jason responded before removing his longsword from its scabbard.<\/p>\n

Jason and Robert, with battle axe in hand, flanked the orc guard as Icarus stayed directly in front of him. The guard swung his sword about, contemplating his next move. He directed his next slash towards the dwarf, narrowly missing as Robert jumped out of the way. Before the orc could turn to face his adversaries again, Jason and Robert rushed him.<\/p>\n

They underestimated the orc, who was able to rush the prince and the dwarf himself, bending slightly to meet them with his shoulder. When they collided, the two adventurers were sent flying back several feet, landing on their backs. When the orc stood straight once again, he locked eyes with Icarus.<\/p>\n

\u201cI apologize for my friends, they are a little over zealous. Perhaps we could just take a moment to talk?\u201d The elf tried to reason.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou take me as a fool?\u201d<\/p>\n

The orc shouted a war cry before rushing Icarus. It was clear that the orc, although skilled, was still far beneath the abilities of the elf. He was able to side step the guard, using his bo staff to trip the orc to the ground. Before Icarus could react, he heard others approaching fast.<\/p>\n

As Jason and Robert stood, they were faced with three additional orc guards with swords at the ready. The original orc guard was joined by another, then.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain, are you alright?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cArrest these three and throw them in separate<\/em> cells,\u201d the captain paused, looking at Jason before continuing, \u201cFeel free to especially rough with that one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two of the orc guards grabbed Jason, each punching him in the stomach for good measure. The remaining guards grabbed Robert and Icarus as they headed north, into town. The captain rushed ahead and caught up with the guards holding Jason. As they walked, he leaned in towards the prince.<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps that skrig of a father will listen to us now,\u201d he whispered in the young man\u2019s ear.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Night Before Wintertide A Story by Kevin M. Gallagher, Jr -Part Four- As the sun rose, Robert stepped out to the top deck and took a deep breath, soaking in the fresh ocean air. The dwarf had a boat and navigator waiting for the adventurers in the port of Argos and had set sail […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3274,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[145,146],"tags":[128,1355,591,1358],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Short-Story-Panel.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1UVey-ZY","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3842"}],"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=3842"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3842\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3843,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3842\/revisions\/3843"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}