Forbidden Bond: A Velthorn Tale

Birds chirped and sun beams shone through the green needles of the pines that surrounded them. Mikhail awoke to the soft wind blowing through the trees. The scent of pine sap filled the air. The up and down movement of Bakules breathing helped lend a sense of ease to the early morning as Mikhail looked up at the blue sky. It’s gonna be a beautiful day.” He thought to himself. Quickly though he became aware of some heavy and warm feeling on his left side. Mikhail looked down to his chest to see Anora still asleep, her head leaned against his chest, the blanket that he had given her to use now covering them both.

Panic surged through Mikhail as he looked up and then back down. He wasn’t sure what he should do. He could feel his cheeks growing hot and knew that he was blushing. He turned his head to Bakule, the elk had been awake for a while. It turned its antlered head, giving him a look as if to say. “Don't look at me bud.” Mikhail looked back down at Anora and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He tapped her on her shoulder, being careful not to hit any of her bruises. After a few taps she stirred, breathing in deeply and then looking up at her with her orange eyes. Mikhail was for a second mesmerized by them and forgot what he was going to say. Then Anora sat up and looked around, yawning and stretching her arms out.

Mikhail took the opportunity to pull the blanket off of them. “Good morning.” he said to Anora. Her eyes flicked to him and she nodded as she sat beside him. A ray of sunlight hit her and stopped Mikhail from getting up for a moment, the need to relieve himself momentarily forgotten. The sun shone brightly upon her green skin. It seemed to ignite her red curls and the freckles that dotted her face and arms. As she stretched her small breasts pushed out as she arched her back. Mikhail swallowed hard as he watched the beautiful spectacle unfold before him. Just as quickly as it had started it ended and the need to pee returned along with other desires.

Quickly he rose and ran off behind a tree, Anora curiously watching him.

Wondering why he had run off so quickly for a moment before she did nearly the same. After a few minutes the two returned to the small area that they had made their camp site. The sun was beginning its unending Climb through the sky as Mikhail walked around, grabbing limbs and other debris. Anora sat down on the log she had used the night before, watching him collect the fire wood. Mikhail stood up, satisfied with the load of wood he had in his arms he walked over to the hot Coals of the fire from the night before and started to place them down. Smoke began to waft up not long after, followed by flames. After another few minutes they had a good fire upon which to cook breakfast.

Mikhail walked over to the pack that contained their supplies and pulled a metal pan from inside. He then reached into a separate pocket and produced some eggs that had been wrapped in cloth and placed on a bed of soft hay. He had only been able to get four of the eggs at the supply store in Arendale and now seemed a good time to use them. He wondered to himself as he reached in another pouch for some tallow to fry them in if Anora had ever had them. He returned to the fire and using the metal pan he leveled out the coals and placed a bit of tallow in it. Anora's curiosity had now been peaked and she walked over to the fire and kneeled down to watch him cook.

Mikhail noticed, and looked at her as she kneeled down beside. A nervous excitement filled his gut, his thoughts going back to earlier when they had woken up. He wondered when she had gotten up in the night to cuddle with him. Had she heard something that had scared her? Or had she gotten too cold as the fire died overnight? Why did he feel nervous around her now? He had been nervous around other girls before but they had been human. Not a goblin. “Ah well, I'll think about it later” he thought to himself. After all it was easier to think when your stomach wasn't grumbling and trying to eat your back bone.

Before he knew it he was explaining things to Anora. He explained that the pan was made from black iron that some of the people in his village had mined in Aldernhor. He noticed that she listened intently. Her large pointed ears twitching every so often. she watched as he grabbed one of the eggs and tapped it on the rim of the pan. Then using the same hand he pulled the egg open and the yolk and egg white came out, squelching and popping In the hot melted tallow. He grabbed the second egg and did the same. Again Anora watched intently. Seemingly Fascinated by the way that He was cooking the eggs. As the second egg merged into the pan with the first one Mikhail looked at her. Her red curls lay perched behind her green pointed ears, her orange eyes intently studying the cooking eggs. “By Aran she is beautiful, '' he thought to himself. Miikhail briefly forgot about the eggs as he studied her. There upon her head was a faint orange shape that looked like an arrow. It was barely visible but now That he was up close he could see it. “Has she always had that mark?” He asked himself. He didn't remember seeing it when he had saved her or after as they sat by the fire that night. But then again she had been very dirty so it could have been covered up with as faint as it was.

Grease splashed Onto his arm, burning him and snapping him back to reality. He cursed himself for being distracted then pulled his knife from his belt. He attempted to flip the eggs over using the flat of the blade but only succeeded in tearing them. “Blast it.” he cursed. He could feel his anger rising within him as he continued to try to flip the eggs. He was about to toss the knife down when Anora reached out and grabbed his hand holding the knife. They made eye contact, the look on her face indicating that she wanted to try it. Mikhail hesitated for a moment but was then more than happy to let her do so. He moved away and watched with amazement as she flipped the eggs over without tearing them anymore than they had been. “Well ain’t that something.” he said and chuckled. Since she seemed to know what she was doing he stepped over to the pack and produced the wooden plates again. He then walked over to Anora and handed them to her. She took the plates and scooped the broken eggs up and placed them on one of the plates then handed it back to Mikhail. He took the plate, sitting back down upon a log. He watched as she grabbed one of the two remaining eggs and mimicking him she tapped the egg on the side of the pan, then split it open with both hands instead of one. Mikhail ate the eggs, trying his best to not burn his fingers but failing to do so and after another twenty minutes or so Anora had eaten hers.

After breakfast was over the two of them gathered all of the supplies and packed them up. Mikhail was happy for the help although as he slid the now cleaned out pan into the leather pouch he thought to himself just what he was going to do with Anora. He knew that while it wasn’t forbidden to have someone accompany you on your pilgrimage it was still looked down upon. More of a sign of weakness. Then again how would they know unless his uncle told them. Now that he thought more about how he had taken Anora from old Amdol’s charge he was sure that his uncle would do so if only to just complain and demand compensation. “Screw it.” he said aloud.

He continued to set up the pack for their journey. Soon he had the saddle on the back of Bakule and the pack tied down. Bakule snorted at the added weight but made no other complaints. Anora stood by waiting as Mikhail stepped over to the fire and made sure it was out by kicking dirt onto it. With that he turned and walked back up to Bakule and placing his foot into the stirrup he swung onto the back of the elk. Once situated he leaned down to Anora and offered his hand. She merely looked at him, to Bakule, then back at him and shook her head. “Come on. He won’t bite.” Mikhail said jokingly.

Anora shook her head again and stepped back. Mikhail shrugged and sat up. “Suit yourself.” he told her and urged Bakule forward. Anora followed, quickly jogging to catch up and walk beside the Bakule. Mikhail looked down at Anora who steadfastly looked ahead. Her red curls bounced as he was sure that she was walking fast to keep up. He pulled back on the reins a bit to slow Bakule much to the protest of the Elk. After a few minutes Mikhail sighed to himself and stopped Bakule, and slid from the saddle. Anora looked up at him, confusion on her face. “Listen, I can’t in good conscious ride while you walk.” he told her. “So since you won’t ride, I’ll walk with you.” Anora seemed to understand and nodded to him.

Together the three of them walked down the winding road. Mikhail internally anguished at the slow pace that they moved along with Bakule. The Elk seemed to be agitated at the slow pace also but the two of them kept their complaints to themselves. The tall pines on each side of the road swayed and bristled in the breeze. Mikhail listened as the wind seemed to whistle through the pine needles, only distracted from the music of the pines when a deer or some other wild creature skittered out in front of them. To his surprise no one was traveling to Arendale and they had the road all to themselves. Then again it was very early in spring and most of the merchants that would be coming here would just now be getting their trade wagons ready. He had chosen to leave Aldenhor early, eager to start his adventure. Anora walked beside him, seemingly lost in the beauty that surrounded her. Mikhail watched her also, glancing over at her from time to time. She seemed amazed by how tall all of the tree’s were. “Surely she’s seen tree’s before.” Mikhail thought. He watched as her Striking orange eyes seemed to take in all of the surroundings. Things like the small flowers that lined the road or the pine cones that fell from on high, bouncing as they hit the ground. Even laughed when she jumped out of fright when a particularly large rabbit burst from underneath a bush, running in a zigzag line to the other side of the road.

Anora had quickly hid behind Mikhail, peeking around him as the rabbit ran. Mikhail had stopped and looked down at her, twisting to do so. “It’s alright. It’s just a rabbit.” Anora looked up at him and seemed to accept the words that he told her as truth, stepping from behind him. They continued onward, increasingly going down hill as they descended the mountain. Just after noon they stopped for a rest, Mikhail tied Bakule to a tree, allowing him enough freedom to chomp at the grass and pine needles. He then pulled some dried meat and bread from the pack and walked over to a small spot with a few large rocks rested. The birds chirped and flittered around in the tree’s above them. Anora watched them as she sat on the rocks only breaking her concentration when Mikhail handed her some of the meat and bread.

“Pretty aren’t they?” Mikhail asked.

Anora looked at him then back at the birds, then nodded.

“There’s some really pretty ones in my village, Aldenhor.” he said. “Maybe one day you can come there and see them.”

Anora looked back at him, chewing on a chunk of meat. She smiled and looked back up, watching the birds. Silence settled between them, making Mikhail a bit uncomfortable.

“There’s goblins there also. So you wouldn’t b….” He stopped as Anora’s head snapped back to face him. Her face was set with a look that he hadn’t seen before. Hatred. Her orange eyes burned with it, her mouth set in a frown. He had clearly said something that he shouldn’t but wasn’t sure what and why.

“Sorry.” He said, holding his hands up. “I suppose you don’t like other goblins.”

Anora looked down at the ground, shaking her head. Taking another bite of the meat she looked back up at the birds. Seemingly enraptured by them. Mikhail thought to say something else but felt that she had had enough for now. So he sat in silence, tearing off a piece of bread. He glanced over to her, noticing something from the corner of his eye. Something he hadn’t caught before. He could see a small scar on her neck, where her windpipe and voice box would be. It seemed to have been made with surgical precision. He tapped her on the shoulder. “What happened to your neck?” He asked.pointing at the scar.

Anora put a hand over it with a gasp, looking into his eyes. Tears seemed to be clouding her vision as if she had just revisited a terrible memory.

“Is that why you don’t speak?” Mikhail asked. Concern in tinging his voice.

Anora sat still for a moment. Her eyes not leaving his, a tear falling down her face., then nodded.

“How did it happen?” Mikhail asked again.

Anora looked at the knife on his belt, then in a surprisingly quick move she grabbed the knife and pulled it out. She then mimicked the cut and then pointed at her throat, making a grabbing and then pulling motion. Mikhail watched, shock on his face as he understood what she had meant.

“They cut open your neck and pulled out your voice?” He asked in surprise and disgust.

Anora looked back at him and nodded. She handed the knife back to him, sorrow now painting her visage. Mikhail sat in shock. Who would maim someone like that? For what purpose?

“Who did this to you?” He asked. Anger rising.

Anora now held the meat and bread in her hands, her head held low, tears falling from her eyes. Mikhail wondered if she had ignored his question until she reluctantly pointed at herself. “You did that to yourself?” Mikhail said.

Anora shot him a look that seemed to say “Why would I do this to myself?!” she then pointed to her skin and realization dawned upon Mikhail. Other goblins had done that to her. He could see now why she had reacted as she did when he had mentioned that there were other goblins surrounding his village. She turned her head slightly towards him and watched him. Mikhail felt a wave of disgust and anger run through him as he looked down to process the information. Silence once again filled the air between them. Anora returned to watching the birds chirp and flitter between the tree branches. She watched red birds and blue ones seemingly fight over their small portions of territory.

“I’m sorry.” She heard. Anora looked back at Mikhail. Now it was her turn to be surprised by the look on his face. An anger filled his eyes. “I’m sorry that happened to you.” he told her. “If you stick by me then i promise to make sure that something like that will never happen to you again.” he said with such conviction that Anora actually believed him. Anora smiled, fresh tears falling down her cheeks as she surged forward and wrapped her arms around his torso.

Mikhail held up his arms in shock, looking down as Anora hugged him with a strength that he didn’t think her thin and malnourished frame could muster. Soon he felt something wetting his tunic as he realized that she was sobbing. He tentatively placed his hand on her back and rubbed gently. Not sure what to say.

The two of them had sat upon those stones, enjoying each other's company for another hour or so. Anora had been so caught up in watching the birds that Mikhail had just simply let her watch them for longer than he had wanted to. He still felt conflicted about what she had told him about the small scar on her neck and now understood why she never said much. They had returned to walking down the road late into the afternoon and now the sun was setting as they made camp for the night. He oddly felt closer to her and he even noticed that as they walked down the road that she now walked much closer to him. Now only a foot away at most times.

The night passed much as the first one did. He had started a fire, brought out some raw, preserved meat to cook. He had placed a pot on the fire this time, filled with water from a nearby stream. Then adding the meat and some vegetables he had bought he made a stew. That night they had eaten the stew, enjoying the sounds of the forest and looking at the stars as they laid against Bakule. Mikhail figured that she would come lay against him in the middle of the night and beat her to it by asking her if she had wanted to sleep beside him. Anora had agreed and so they leaned against the Red Elks stomach, rhythmically moving up and down as Mikhail pointed out stars that he could see to her. Naming each one. Before he knew it she was fast asleep, her head resting on his chest.

The next morning they arose and went about the routine of relieving themselves, packing Bakule, and breakfast. Resuming the journey after they had filled their bellies. The pines had begun to become more sparsely grouped as they neared the end of the road down the mountain. Mikhail opened and closed his jaw as they descended, the pressure change causing his ears to pop. He could only imagine the discomfort that plagued Anora with her much bigger and longer ears than he had. Together they descended the road and by mid day they came to the bottom. Before them was a sight of majestic beauty. Vast rolling plains stretched out in front of them for as far as the eye could see. Stands of trees muttered here and there. Mikhail could see a forest off in the distance to his right and off to the northeast. He was flabbergasted at the vastness of it all. He had seen plains in his home valley, sure, but it paled in comparison to what lay before his eyes. Anora too seemed to be lost in its vastness.

Mikhail whistled. “Man, that's huge. It’s gonna take forever to get across.” He said as he looked down at Anora. She smiled back at him. After a few more moments of staring at the plains they returned to descending, soon coming to an intersection in the road. They stopped, Mikhail reading the words on the wooden arrows that pointed in opposite directions. One pointed south and said “Sablewood 30 leagues”, one pointed back the way they came and the other pointed northwards saying “pine forest of the giants 50 leagues”

“Pine forest of the giants huh. Never heard of it. But it seems that Sablewood is going to take a few days to get to.” He said, looking at Anora. She seemed not to mind the distance or the time it would take to get there. Mikhail figured that now she was just along for the ride so to speak. For a few minutes more Mikhail studied the sign and the map that his uncle had given him. Anora watched as he explained where they were and where they needed to get to. They took a quick lunch break and soon were off. After nearly another hour of walking Mikhail finally decided that it was time for them to utilize Bakule. Even on his back it would take five days to get to Sable wood unless he ran him hard and there was no need to do so. After all, he wasn’t tasked with getting to Rivertown in a hurry and he also had seven years of time to fill.

He stopped walking and walked to the left side of Bakule, he placed his foot in the stirrup and pulled himself up, swinging his leg over as he sat into the saddle, The leather groaning from the exertion. Anora watched as Mikhail reached down and held out his hand.

“Come on up, you’ll love it.” Mikhail said.

Anora looked him in the eyes. Apprehension on her face. She backed away, shaking her head. Slightly annoyed Mikhail sighed, saying “It’s ok. Bakule won’t hurt you.”

As if agreeing with Mikhail the elk looked back at Anora with a large brown eye, snorting and then motioning towards his back. Mikhail smiled and said, “See, he wants you up here. Says you’re too slow.”

Anora still looked apprehensive but her resolve faltered when Mikhail asked her something she hadn’t expected. “Do you trust me?”

Mikhail watched as she glanced down, her eyes twitching back and forth, then looked back up at him. She nodded then reached out and placed her hand in his. Mikhail pulled her up into the air, blushing as she felt his hands around her torso as he placed her in the saddle in front of him. Bakules antlers now filled her vision along with the added height. She looked around warily, excitement and fear filled her. She turned as Mikhail placed his arms around her, grabbing the reins. He grinned from ear to ear and she felt instantly that he had played a trick on her, her instincts screaming at her to return to the safe ground now. Her vision swam with unease as she looked at the ground, it seemed a thousand feet away now.

Mikhail muttered in her ear. “It’s going to be ok.” Then he clicked with his tongue and placed his heels in the small areas of where Bakule’s belly met his hind legs. With a sudden lurch Anora was thrown into Mikhail's chest as the elk now burst from a standstill into a full galloping. Soon the wind was rushing through Anora’s hair and past her pointed ears. The elk underneath her beat the ground with its hooves, seemingly floating above it. She tried to lean forward and grasp the creature’s neck but could not as Bakule’s head bobbed up and down with the graceful movements of his legs. Mikhail hollered behind Anora in pure joy, she dared to turn her head and saw him laughing and grinning from ear to ear as the world sped past. “He’s mad.” she thought to herself. Mikhail looked down and winked as he threw his arms open wide and closed his eyes, the wind blowing his blond hair. Then he grabbed the reins and urged Bakule faster. “Come on Bakule, Faster, What are ya some old field goat?!” The Elk seemed to take that as a personal challenge and to Anora’s surprise poured on more speed, causing her to once again be rocked back into Mikhail's chest. Anora felt Mikhail's arms back around her. She grabbed hold of one and hung on tightly, hoping that the madness would end soon.