In the Hall of the Sun-King }{ Silvarn and Talwyn

[Silvarn]

"Tristan!" he cried to the infinite horizons, yellow on blue. He had been shouting that name for the past three hours, and that was the last. He opened his mouth to speak again, but only a painful croak emerged. He clutched his aching throat, his aether-blue eyes filled with fear.

You have done it this time, Helion. he said to himself, biting his chapped lip This time you really have killed him. He follows you on another of your hare-brained ideas, and this time he dies. He wanted so badly to fall to the sands and weep, but he knew the the sand would scorch him and the heat would dry his tears before they had a chance to fall.

The sandstorm had attacked them so quickly. One moment, nothing but blue skies and yellow sands. The next, a raging, stinging darkness. Tristan had kept hold of Helion as long as he could, before a dune collapsed under him and he fell away into the swirling sands. When the storm subsided, Helion stood alone, thoroughly shaken.

He looked up at the unblinking eye of Sol, raising his blistered hands to Him, "Help me. I do not know what to do. Do I keep looking for Tristan, or do I continue on my way?"

A light breeze ruffled Helion's clerical robes, making him flinch in preparation for another storm, though his fears were needless. The breeze was gone in an instant, but there, in the sand at Helion's feet, was a sunburst, Sol's own insignia.

"Of course. Tristan would want me to go on."

And so on he trudged, his feet leaving lines in the sand as the shuffled deeper into the desert. The eastward-leaning Sun guided his path. On the horizon, a small black dot slowly -- very slowly -- grew in size. The one building this deep in the desert. The Hall of the Sun-, the castle of an ancient priest- who once ruled the desert.

Helion tried his hardest to ignore the growing numbness in his brain, forcing himself to inch along. Soon, however, his frail body could stand no more abuse, and he collapsed onto the hot sands.

[Talwyn]

Shifting his gaze from the stars back to his map and compass, Tal nodded satisfied. So far he had managed not to get lost in this vast sea of sand. The map was surprisingly accurate... then again, anything less then the accuracy this map displayed would have been a rip off. It had been expensive... VERY expensive. Carefully folding the map, he placed it in his traveling sack again along with his compass and grabbed his water filled wineskin. Taking only a few drops, he noticed it was getting dangerously empty. Well, no matter, he should be able to reach the oasis soon.

Putting the wineskin back again he started walking. He wanted to hurry, but he didn't want to exert himself needlessly either. He had to keep his need for water as low as possible. It had been a smart idea indeed to gather information about how one should travel in a desert. Even though he was a survival expert by now, the desert was a new area for him.

After his err... "less savory" contact had gotten him a meeting with the maps previous owner, who wasn't exactly looking like the most law abiding person either, he had managed to actually buy the map. He had nearly declined the deal. The cost was outrageous. But he hadn't been able to keep his temptation in check and had payed up. As soon as he had inspected the map, he was stunned by how detailed it was, but also realized it would lead him deeply into the Dermûn Desert. Terrain he was unfamiliar with.

And thus, he had spend weeks in Tamasha's libraries, learning all he could about the desert, the animals that lived there, survival tips, etc, etc. He was surprised at how many animals actually managed to survive in the harsh terrain. What was even more surprising, was the man he suddenly found lying in front of him as his attention snapped back to the present. If he hadn't almost tripped over the poor guy, he surely would have missed him. He kneeled down and realized the man was still alive. Biting his lip, Talwyn was hesitating. Would he take the trouble of saving this person? He knew he was near an oasis... but he wasn't sure if he could actually carry someone all the way there. And this guy was clearly in no condition to walk.

With a sigh, he grabbed Helion and started carrying him. If he had met him and their destinations had been different, he would have wished the man good luck and went about his way without caring. But this was different. Leaving him here would mean certain death for the poor guy. "If you start complaining about how much of a detour this will be for you I swear I will start hitting something..." He muttered under his breath. After a good half hour of walking, he was about to curse his luck as saw the oasis he was heading to. Quickening his pace, he reached it after another 15 minutes.

Carefully putting Helion down on the ground, he quickly went on to fill the wine skins he carried with him. After drinking a bit he went back to Helion and slowly emptied one of the wine skins above his face before carefully helping the unconscious man to drink a bit. Leaving the man alone again, he unrolled the sheet of canvas he had been carrying and started working on a shelter.

The sun would rise again soon and it would be better to sit in a shelter, even one as meager as he was making, to rest and wait till the sun set again. Without turning to face Helion, he responded to the faint sound the man made. "Well well, still alive eh? Seems I didn't drag you all the way here for nothing. There's water in the wineskin, but take only a couple of drops. If you drink to much at once you'll probably start retching."

[Silvarn]

He ascended to the skies, carried on rough winds. He floated in Sol's light, feeling too light for reality. The Sun's size fluctuated, as a pupil dilating and contracting. Soon, though, the soft sands cradled him and darkness claimed his sight. Then, cold rain spattered on his face from the dark heavens, and he groaned.

Some time later, Helion woke up, his sunburned hands immediately going to his aching head. He sat up, curling around himself, trying to block out the pain, but the agony only increased.

He only caught the latter half of the stranger's words, and nearly dove for the wineskin. From the first gulp, the searing pain inside his head ebbed, so he gorged on the water, draining the skin as water gushed past his lips. He sighed in satisfaction, then the stranger's warning came to haunt him. His stomach began churning angrily, bile rising through his throat. He clamped both hands around his neck and held his mouth shut, a pained expression on his face. He refused to vomit, and his gorge finally relaxed, the bile burning its way back down into his stomach.

He sat back down on the sand, his bottom lip trembling. This, clearly, was not his day. Clouds gathered in his sky-blue eyes, and then it rained. He wanted to be strong, but the frustration and shame was too much for his mind to cope with, so he simply gave up, gave in, and broke down, sobbing openly.

[Talwyn]

Hearing the retching sound coming from behind him, Tal shook his and sighed deeply. "I told you not to drink to much..." He didn't bother turning around though and continued working on the little make shift shelter.He just found one little problem... It wouldn't be big enough for two. Though, he could use his cape, but that would mean revealing himself to this stranger.

While debating about that, he suddenly heard Helion started sobbing and rolled his eyes. A cry baby... great. Well, he had finished the shelter as much as possible so he got up and walked to the edge of the oasis. He had heard some sort of quail like bird shouts earlier, so he figured he could try and catch one. "I'm going to see if I can forage some food. You should sit at the water and let it cool you down a bit more. And by the gods, stop crying. This is a desert. You don't waste water in a desert. Well... if you wish to survive that is."

With that, he walked off. He had to hurry as the sun would rise in maybe a little over an hour. Keeping the oasis in sight at all times, he heard the birds again and changed direction. Walking carefully, as to not scare his potential prey, he found a desert brush. Strange plants he had never seen where growing here and as his eyes darted around, he saw one of the birds sitting on a nest. Circling around the bird, he tried to sneak up from behind. He had done it before, but that was in a forest, terrain he was familiar with. And even then he had failed more often then not, so it was no surprise to him that the bird fled. He wasn't entirely disappointed though, as the nest contained several eggs. Also, upon closer inspection of the brush, he noticed several plants and roots that where edible according to one of the books he had studied prior to coming here.

As he returned to his camp, he placed most of the foraged goods in his traveling sack. Now was not the time to start cooking stuff so the roots and the bits of jerky he had would have to suffice for now. He had also come to a decision regarding his earlier dilemma on whether or not to show what he really was. He had no choice, the shelter was so small, they would have to sit with their backs pressed against each other. Surely even a crybaby like that man would notice the difference.

"Well, I'm back." He told the man he had saved as he threw back his cowl. "And its time for a little decision on your part. I don't have time to explain everything. The sun is coming up soon, and unless we take shelter, it's going to be brutal... even in the shelter it'll be brutal. I didn't save you so the sun could finish it's job the next day. So, the question is, can you share a cramped shelter with someone like me? Or would you rather die then be in my presence any longer?"

[Silvarn]

Helion was rather taken aback at the stranger's brutal brevity. Inconsideration, even. His aether-blue eyes fell to his feet and he gently wrung his hands.

As a disciple of Sol Invictus, he could very well shield the sun's burning rays. But, there stood the question: dared he lessen Sol's glory? And, in doing so, incur his displeasure?

He looked past the stranger at the brightening horizon, his heart glad at the sight. He wanted to watch the first of Sol's rays to spill over the brim of the horizon, terrible and beautiful, but he doubted the stranger would wait for his decision that long. He glanced between the stranger's face and the dawn, indecision gripping him like fear.

Finally, he opened his mouth, but only a hoarse croak came out. Obviously, his voice had not recovered yet. So, he placed his fingertips together upward, palms apart. This would, he hoped, convey "tent."

[Talwyn]

Looking at Helion quizzically for a bit he suddenly nodded. Even if the man seemed a bit scared of him, he was smart enough to chose for survival right now. "Right, get in then." As they got in the shelter, Talwyn took off his cloak and started closing the last bit of the shelter with it. It wasn't perfect, but it'd have to do. Sitting with his back pressed against the man, he started talking as he handed him some of the roots he had found earlier. "Ok, now listen, try not to knock down the shelter's support. I know we probably could have just endured it, there IS a source of water here after all. But I prefer to keep strictly to my rules of survival, even in relative safe zones."

He paused to eat some of the roots himself and drank a bit of water. Handing over the wineskin to Helion, he went on with his lecture. "Small bits this time, if you ignore the warning again I won't be so friendly anymore, got it?" Eating the last of the roots he had kept himself he began thinking if he should talk to the guy. And if he did... how much he should tell about himself. In the end, he decided it would probably be easier to tell at least a little. The man had seemed slightly terrified at the sight of Talwyn. Though it could have been due to the gruffness with which he had handled the situation.

"The name is Talwyn by the way. Talwyn Greyoak. And you can stop worrying. Despite the way I look, I am no monster. I am merely an unfortunate fool that made a foolish decision." With that, he went silent again. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself some rest though he refused to fall asleep.

[Silvarn]

It was like lying against a rock. A sociable rock, albeit, but still a harsh, unforgiving rock. Helion tried not to squirm too much as he searched for a comfortable position, but Talwyn's back proved to be a major obstacle in his search. Eventually, he gave up and tried, unsuccessfully, to ignore the sharp lumps of Talwayn's spine poking into his back.

He obeyed Talwyn's order this time, taking little sips of the water, just enough to wet his aching throat. Though, at the very awkward angle, he ended up spilling more water than he actually consumed. To make sure the blue one would not notice, he mixed it with the sand, creating a large wet mark near his mouth. He heaped some dry sand onto it, effectively hiding it from view. Satisfied, he returned the skin.

He tentatively opened his mouth and emitted something akin to a hum. Good, not a croak. He spoke, but his voice cracked immediately upon shaping words.

"My name is Helion." he stumbled, clutching his throat in surprise at the strange sounds it was making. "Thank you for saving me," was all he could get out before his voice refused to work again.

He suddenly missed Tristan very much.

[Talwyn]

Other then a slight grumble to acknowledge Helions thanks, Tal remained silent. At least he had listened this time and took little sips of the offered water. Still, he was unsure about what to do next. He had no idea of where Helion was going to, or why he was even here in the first place. The thought of helping him get to where ever it is he was going to was annoying, as it would most likely mean he would have to put his own goals on hold for the moment. He thought about giving the guy some water and then send him on his merry way, but that would be nothing short of murder as Helion didn't exactly look like some one who knew how to survive out here.

Pushing those thoughts out of his mind for now, he grabbed his precious map and checked it once more. If he was lucky, this would be his final stop before reaching his destination, the Hall of the Sun-. Putting the map away again, he took some more sips of the water before handing the skin to Helion once more.

As the sun was setting, there was only one thing that made him realize he had fallen asleep, namely the fact that he woke up. Rubbing his eyes, he was amazed he had managed to keep sitting like this even in his sleep. "How long was I sleeping?" He asked, though he shook his head, it didn't really matter. Carefully opening the shelter a bit, he peeked outside and slowly got out.

Carefully removing everything he had found, during his little foraging trip yesterday, from his traveling sack he noticed he had enough materials here to make a small fire. After the fire was made, he went over to the water and looked at the rocks and stones. As he walked back to the campfire, he was holding three rocks, and one large slab like rock that was still dripping with water as if he had cleaned it. With them, he made a little makeshift cooking plate and cracked open the eggs he had found above it.

"Its not much, and I doubt it'll taste good. But we'll need to maintain our strength somehow." He said while watching the eggs. He also figured now would be a good time to settle on his course. Help Helion, or abandon him. "You don't seem like someone that could survive out in the wilds for even a single day. So what made someone like you enter this sandy hell?"

[Silvarn]

Helion had fallen asleep as well, though his dreams were plagued by Tristan perpetually drowning in sand. Helion would take his hand, but the force of the sand would have sucked them both in, had Helion not let go of Tristan's hand.

He woke in a blue mood, almost as blue as his hair. He sighed in answer to Talwyn's waking question and gloomily sat by the fire. It seemed counter-intuitive to him to journey at night. In fact, he felt a little frightened without the almighty eye of Sol not watching him.

He perked a little at Talwyn's question. "I was going to the Hall of the Sun ; but, now, I am not so sure. I lost my traveling companion and bodyguard in a freak sandstorm, and I doubt I can make it there without him. Unless," he looked up at Talwyn hopefully, "you are traveling there, by chance? I know I may not be the most helpful, but..." his voice trailed off, half-expecting Talwyn to spurn him angrily and leave him to fend for himself.

Where, oh where, was Tristan when he really needed him?

[Talwyn]

The crybaby was also heading to the Hall of the Sun ? Talwyn shook his head in disbelief. "It seems our goals coincide, for I'm heading there as well. I suppose I can let you tag along, at least until we get there." Narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms, Talwyn went on. "So, the next question would be, can you take orders from one such as me? You will walk when I say so, you will drink when I tell you to, there will be no resting until I allow it. Can you handle that?"

While letting Helion consider what he just told him, he rolled up one of the "omelets" on the slab and started eating. It wasn't even as bad as he had feared. With a bit of salt and pepper, and proper cooking materials, he was quite sure you could make a good omelet out of these eggs. Casually motioning for Helion to eat some as well he reached for the wineskin again.

After he was done with eating he went back to the water to refill the wine skins, they'd need every drop of water they could get. Scanning around to make sure he would leave nothing of value behind he quickly finished packing his traveling sack. Without even turning to Helion he started walking. "Well, lets get going. The night won't last forever."

[Silvarn]

Helion nodded timidly at Talwyn's harsh orders. Tristan had demanded much the same of him. Both knew Helion was not a man of the greatest fortitude, and would likely balk at the first sign of discomfort, but Tristan was still surprised how much pain Helion's undying conviction could negate. And at this time, Helion needed to reach the Hall of the Sun with all haste.

He nibbled at the food Talwyn so graciously given him, but his thoughts were elsewhere. A dread had nestled itself in the middle of his heart and casually sharpened its claws against Helion's morale.

When Talwyn took off in a hurry, Helion followed after him, keeping a respectable distance between them. He did not want to infect Talwyn with his own blue mood. Even with a seasoned campaigner like Talwyn, he still felt lost without Tristan.

They walked for what felt days, stopped every now and again when Helion's feet grew too tired, which seemed more and more frequently. Just when Helion felt he could go on no longer, he looked up at the skies, half-hoping to see Sol's bright embodiment there to inspire him. Instead, he saw stars, and their cold light did little to encourage him.

The dot on the horizon grew steadily larger, but never seemed to get any closer. Helion sighed with weariness and trudged doggedly after Talwyn.

[Talwyn]

Never saying a word, Tal felt his frustration grow as the short breaks they took came in increasingly shorter lapses. The only reason he kept his frustration in check was because he very much doubted Helion could deal with that right now. Still, they managed to reach the next oasis with enough time for Talwyn to go foraging once more.

They continued this way for several days. Traveling by night towards the next oasis using Tal's map to guide them. At the start of every night, Tal was certain Helions low endurance would cause them to not cover enough ground to reach the next oasis in time, yet each morning he was still pleasantly surprised at the ground they covered despite the increasing breaks.

Upon leaving this second oasis, which was the last they would encounter according to the map, Talwyn had started to grow slightly worried. He had managed to do some more foraging before leaving, but he didn't find a lot. And thus, he had given his share of the food rations to Helion, because the man seemed ready to collapse any moment. However, a day later, Tal was still greatly out pacing him despite the fact he hadn't eaten an entire day.

Spotting an excellent spot for a short break, a glance back towards Helion showed he was in need of one again, he spoke to him in his usual gruff manner. "Lets take a short break. My legs are killing me." It was obvious the break was more for Helions sake then his. This was yet another small, near undetectable sign of courtesy that showed he was friendlier then his brusque and gruff manner indicated.

The spot he picked for the rest was nothing more then a very shallow puddle of water, several rocks and several cacti, but to Talwyn it almost seemed like a small resort at the moment. Rocks meant he could sit on something other then sand, the cacti seemed to hold pear like fruits and, of course, the water meant he could refill the wine skins.

He let himself drop on one of the rocks with a sigh and grabbed 2 of the pear like fruits from the cactus next to him and casually tossed one to Helion. As he took a bite however, tears jumped into his eyes. God these things tasted bitter. Still... it was better then nothing and he finished his quickly and immediately grabbed a second.

As he was eating the second pear, he looked at Helion. Despite the fact that he didn't care to much about the silence, in fact he kind of enjoyed it, he knew he had to do something to draw Helion out of his shell. The gloominess was eating away at the mans already low endurance. "This companion of yours... does he know where you're heading?" He asked hesitantly. Watching the man nod he went on. "Does he know much about traveling in the desert?"

As Helion answered that it had been Tristan who had done most, if not all, the preparations for this trip, a slight smile appeared on Tals face. "Well... I'd say its about 2 more days till we get to our destination... chances are your friend is making his way there as well. Considering the crybaby you are, he most likely spend some time searching the area but... finding a person out here is like finding a needle in a haystack. The only thing he can do is go to your destination and hope you somehow manage to get there on your own." He left the rest of the thought to Helions imagination.

[Silvarn]

He knew he was a crybaby, but to hear coming from Talwyn's own mouth -- it brought fresh tears to his sky-blue eyes, but he swallowed them in defiance. But knowing the Hall was only two more days' travel gave him renewed confidence. It was entirely possible Tristan would be waiting for him there. And, if he was, he hoped with all his heart that Tristan and Talwyn would get along.

Two more days, and they would be within the Hall of the Sun-, the palace of the greatest ruler in Valear's history now serving as his tomb. Traps were said to litter the corridors like sand, and gems in the same quantity. A treasure-hunter's wildest dream and worst nightmare in one grand package.

There were two places he wanted to visit: the Sun-'s throne, which doubled as an altar to Sol Invictus; and, the Celestial Gardens, said to maintain its radiant glory without the need for gardeners. In two days, he would be dining on Solar Peaches, and that made him break into the first smile he had experienced in days. He quickly hid it, knowing Talwyn would inquire about it, and he did not want to seem foolish. Moreso, anyway.

"If you do not mind me asking, Talwyn," he asked hesitantly, "Why are you going to the Hall of the Sun-?"

[Talwyn]

He noticed Helion started smiling and how he quickly tried to hide it again though he didn't think much of it. He figured it was just because Helion had a small bit of hope once more. He got up and started refilling the wine skins followed by plundering the cacti of as much of their fruits as he could fit in his travel sack. Tossing on of the pears at Helion, he took yet another for himself and started moving again as Helion asked why Talwyn wanted to go to the Hall.

He stopped immediately and with his back turned to Helion, remained silent for a moment. "I..." He hesitated. He turned his head to face Helion, and there was much sadness in his eyes and something else. Something vulnerable. For the first time in their trip, Tals armor of toughness showed a small crack. "I want to find a way to become normal again."

As he started walking, he was wondering if he should tell his story to Helion. He decided he might as well. Talking would probably keep him focused on the story instead of his own "misery", which was what they needed. And so, Tal slowly started. Hesitantly at first, but as he went on, he became more and more confident once again. After he finished, he remained silent to let the story sink with Helion and to allow him to draw his own conclusions.