The Albino

CLANG….. CLANG…. CLANG…

Benjamin was currently hammering away at a particularly special piece of metal. The revelation of steel had forged an instant connection between himself and the Farie Forgemaster, and Varris quickly became exceedingly busy forging new weapons and armor for the Royal Guard. Benjamin had personally converted the armor of Vailin, the Queen's personal Captain of the guard. He still felt a pinch of remorse at causing her pain the night they arrived and added a Majik forged sword and lance-head in addition to her new armor.

His current project was for the two closest people in this new life. Just over a month had passed since their conversation with Queen Mother Victoria, and unfortunately, Sol was less than forthcoming. The Avatar of Earth’s Star remained absent this last month. That was a quiet relief to Benjamin, but her words were partially to blame for the urgency of his current hammer falls.

The three of them were keeping a grueling schedule. They were in the training grounds from early morning until mid-day, followed by forge work that often lasted deep into the evenings. Benjamin spent the first week at the forge building a second forge room. In truth, there was nothing terribly wrong with Varris’s forge, but it was build for a Farie. Benjamin had drawn heavily on Cosmos. It took him a full day to rip the silicone, calcium, and other components from deep inside the earth. Luckily, the gravel media to complete his rudimentary concrete foundation was an easier acquisition, and Benjamin was able to create a smooth foundation from which to build from.

The rest of the first week saw Benjamin ripping massive amounts of clay from the surrounding area, flash cooking it into square bricks for the walls. Varris had finally understood, enlisting the help of a group of craftswomen to help raise the building. No doubt the change of interest came as Benjamin revealed that he would be departing in the spring, and the new extension to her business would be hers upon his leaving in the spring.

Benjamin slipped the metal he was currently beating into submission back into the Forge, reheating the bar to begin yet another fold to the metal. Both women insisted on making their own armor, and had spent the last few weeks polishing their steel working skills alongside Varris. The Farie Forgemaster, in turn, taught the sisters how to traditionally make armor.

Currently, Benjamin was banned from entering the smaller original forge. This morning, the Aereesin sisters decided that they were going to surprise him with their creations. He was not allowed to see their armored creations until they were finished.

Benjamin, instead, was forging a weapon’s set for each of them. Valtrya had taken to the short lance and shield during her training, and her official present was already finished, safely hidden in the back of the armory. Viola, on the other hand, was becoming adept with the long sword, but she tended to struggle with the balance of the type of iron broadsword that appeared to be common here. This lump of steel would eventually be forged into a light, nimble, and fast single-handed weapon. Benjamin was drawing on a combination of his memory of his few visits to various museum visits from his youth, and what he had learned since his arrival. He affixed his mind on light, fast single-handed design, and His plan was to combine a basket hilt grip and handguard with a blade that would be considered an early rapier instead of a longsword.

Benjamin pulled the glowing metal from the forge bending and beating it several more times before being satisfied with its composition. He was not using Majik to actively manipulate the metal, but he could see deep into the molecular construction as he worked. Sometimes it just felt good to beat on something. Now was the time, however, and Benjamin simply picked up the still glowing metal with his bare hands. No searing of flesh followed.

The scars on his right arm began to glow along with his emerald eyes, and he willed the metal into shape. It took but a moment to shape the blade, but Benjamin took his time in distressing the metal properly before forcibly cooling the blade down to a safe room temperature. He already constructed the hilt previously, and now the two were joined properly. Benjamin slipped the cherry-colored hardwood handle panels in place before driving in the thick tang pins to hold everything in place.

He channeled Cosmos once more, compressing the pins until they acted as rivets to hold everything together. His hand waved over the grips themselves, perfecting their shape and adding gripping textures. “There, done” he mumbled to himself. He had not been able to find an acid strong enough to permanently etch the blade with folded pattern he had forged into the metal, and Benjamin had drawn the intricate Damascus design from the metal with Majik.

He wrapped the sword in an oil-damp cloth before slipping it into a storage cabinet. He was just finishing up when Valtrya came bounding in from outside. She rushed up to him, “Ben!” She half whispered,

“Come! Ben Come. The sky is flaking!” Benjamin smiled down at her and reached for his coat. The weather had grown bitingly cold over the last month, and Benjamin had purchased some winter clothing for the three of them. He had gone for a thick woolen overcoat with a hood. The girls had each chosen long fur trench coats, made from some kind of fox, “flaking hmm? What color is the sky flaking?” Ben asked, pecking Val on the cheek. He tried to show her little bits of affection every time she spoke. It was bribery, he knew that. He suspected Val did too, but She was coming out of her shell because of it.

“White! And it’s cold!” She exclaimed and began tugging at his hand, half dragging him out of the forge. Benjamin looked back, ripping the heat out of the lit forge with his mind before doing the same to the candles. They stepped into the evening air into a sparkling wonderland of falling ivory flakes.

The two of them met Viola outside. Val joined her sister in staring up in wide-eyed wonder, and Benjamin watched them in amusement. Vilora reached out, palm up, and a singular pearlescent falling spec landed in her hand. It dissolved instantly against her warmth, and she turned to Ben in wonder, “You’ve never seen snow, have you?” Ben asked gently. Viola shook her head and attempted to catch another one. It too melted in her grasp. Valtrya attempted the same before Benjamin pulled on a pair of woolen gloves. With the fabric protecting the falling flakes from his body heat, he held out his hand.

Several snowflakes slowly wafted down to rest on his glove and his girls leaned in to stare at them, “Snow is what happens when water gets really cold, up there.” He pointed up to the sky. “It turns solid and clings to itself in a crystalline pattern.” Valtrya reached a single finger toward one of the white specs on his arm, and it disappeared into a water droplet on her finger as she touched it. “Snow…” She whispered softly. Benjamin nodded, “Yeah. Your body is much warmer than it is, and it melts when you touch it. He looked up “I didn’t think we would get cold enough for snow. I hope it gets to stick for a few days.” Viola wrapped around one arm and shivered, “It’s getting cold, Can we go home?”

“Sure.” Benjamin nodded, and the three began walking back to the Mother Tree. Their stroll was not a lengthy one, and Benjamin noticed the weather dropping its temperature drastically as the snowfall began to increase in both flake size and severity. The first whisps of drifting white were just beginning to stick as they reached their destination. Ben quickly headed for the terrace door, closing it against the biting cold. “There, that ought to do us for the night.” Vi and Val slowly shrugged off their forge clothes, wiping the worst of the grime of the day with wet rags that accompanied a wash basin in their quarters. Ben noticed Viola rubbing her kneck, trying to work out the kinks, and he slipped up behind her and began kneading her shoulders and neck. “Tough day?”

“Hmmmm, that’s nice.” Vi moaned slightly at his touch, “Yeah, making armor without your gifts is… hard.” She leaned back against his touch, wincing slightly as he found one of the bigger knots in her shoulders. Benjamin worked her muscles over in his hands for a few more minutes before he cleaned up as well. Val followed him, and Ben gave her the same message as he gave her sister. Val had many of the same knots, but hers seemed deeper than her sisters. Benjamin worked her shoulders over for a few minutes, as well, before calling it quits, “If I overdo it, I can hurt you more. Common, I’m beat.” The three of them crawled into bed. Viola curled up ‘round behind Valtrya, harkening back to when Ben first met them. Ben slipped up behind Vi and wrapped his arms around them both as the sisters wiggled back against him slightly. They were asleep in seconds.

The next morning, Benjamin was awoken by a positively vibrating Valtrya, “It stuck! It stuck!! It stuck!!” Viola was awake as well, staring stock still out through the windows of their room. Benjamin groaned but sat up and trundled out to join them. “How much did we… Whoah.” Benjamin came to a halt next to Viola. The entire forest was covered in drifts of white. The snow was still descending with wild abandon, but it lacked the blowing wind to create a true blizzard “Can we… go see?” Val asked. Benjamin raised an eyebrow at her and then laughed, “Sure, why not. Put an extra layer on under the coat. It’s going to be freezing out there.”

Vi and Val scrambled for their warmer clothes with a burble of laughter from Ben, and the three of them quickly dressed for the cold. Benjamin was practically dragged down the corridors by the two. Their exuberance continued up until they reached the main entrance. The girls skidded to a halt when a wall of positively frigid wall of air slammed into them. “I did say it would be cold.” Benjamin joked, casually stepping into the biting weather and walking out into the still-falling snow. “It’s freezing!!!” Viola cried out, but followed him out anyway. Valtrya proved to be

more timid, but she too stepped out into the falling white wonderland. “It’s cold.” She murmured just loud enough to be heard by the two, and Ben smiled internally. “We’ll be ok.” He responded, pulling her into a quick embrace. “Go ahead,” he bent down, cooping a hand full of fluffy ‘fresh powder’ like snow, and poured it into her hands. Val’s eyes widened when it didn’t melt instantly, “When this much snow falls, it can’t melt fast enough, and you can hold it.” Viola scooped up a handful for herself in wonder before throwing it up in the air, showering the three in extra powdery downfalls. “Why does this make me happy?” She asked, giggling.

Ben laughed, “Donno for sure, I spent winters with relatives in Scandinavia. It can get much colder than this. Always loved fresh powder though.” He picked up another hand full, packing it gently into a ball of snow. He kept it just firm enough to stay together, but soft enough to break apart on impact. Viola looked at him in curiosity until he casually tossed it at her. The snowball thumped against her coat and exploded in a shower of white, “Wha! What’d you do that for!!” She looked at him in mild shock. “It’s called a snowball. We used to throw them at each other in massive snow ball fi.. oooof!” Benjamin was rudely interrupted by a round clump of snow to the back of the head. Val had ambushed him with a volley of her own, and soon Benjamen was embroiled in a running three-way snowball fight all the way to the training grounds.

Yilarran turned to watch the three laughing and hollering as the snow flew. They entered the training yard and slowly settled down. “I see you three are enjoying yourselves. Care to explain?”. Benjamin breath to stop laughing, only to get clouted in the back of the head one last time by an excellent throw from Viola. “Snowball fight.” He finally got out. “What is the plan.” Ben asked, brushing off the last remnants of the icy battle Royal. Yilarran smiled unpleasantly “Armored duels. You vs each of them. We will begin after you arm and armor yourselves. NO going easy on each other, or you’ll duel me.” The four-armed titan of an Elf Growled.

Benjamin looked over to the sister, recognizing their quickly paling expression, “It will be ok. Common, let's suit up.” Vi bobbed her head in a cautious nod, and Val took her sister’s hand to follow. Benjamin dressed quickly in one half of the Armory, donning the extra full-face helmet and a thick hybrid Gambeson/chainmail neck guard he learned was called a Coif.

He picked up a one-hand broadsword and dagger. The weapons were quite dangerous, being all metal, and with the same weight and balance as real sharpened versions of the same type. They were still quite capable of breaking bones and causing concussions. However, their tips were rounded, and the edges were heavily blunted. Benjamin would have been appalled by the significant risk of serious injury that still remained, but he forced himself to remember that this reality relied heavily on more supernatural forms of healing.

There were several fairies he recognized from the infirmary huddled under an overhang. They had their own roaring fire to stay warm, and they were obviously here to save any would be casualties. Benjamin sighed as he realized the Vilora was indeed among them. ‘Still keeping me a secret, I see’. He settled his weapons on the table next to the ring, shifting and fiddling with the extra bits of armor that were not his usual practice attire. They were, however, standard fare for soldiers and war; and Benjamin knew he needed to get used to the added weight and hindrance. Vi and Val slowly emerged from the armory, wearing their standard training breastplate with all the extra bits of core body protection. Viola was wearing a steel-plated pauldron with a neck deflector on her left shoulder, and a sequence of articulating plates sheathed her left arm down to her wrist in iron. Ben could not see her hand, as she was carrying a modestly sized buckler that Ben estimated to be no more than a foot in diameter. Her left hip had a dagger riding in a scabbard strapped to it vertically to her belt. Her right hand held more of Benjamin’s interest. She was holding a single-handed long sword, but not. The blade had been crudely thinned and beaten back into shape. She walked over to Ben with an embarrassed smile, “It’s not my best work.” She hefted the modified sword, handing it to Ben. “It was broken in the back of the armory, and they let me have it. I’m trying out some blade shapes to go with my armor.” Ben held it in his hand. “Feels fast” he said, mentally comparing it to her gift hiding in the forge, “What’s with the arm?”

“I wanted Val’s shield, but I don’t actually want to carry one. The Buckler fits on my belt, nicely. And the arm is to protect the rest of me, that’s the theory at least.” Viola looked over the arm. “I’m not so sure if I like it, yet.” Benjamin was about to respond when Valtrya tapped on his shoulder.

She was wearing her standard practice breastplate, but with the added protection around her neck. She carried the same full-face helm as the other two but sported an armored skirt that went to her knees instead of pants. Her arms were bare, but she carried a large round shield in her right hand. Valtrya was the only of the three who was left-handed, and she carried a lancer spear with a “safe” broad headed tip installed. The Vin lancers were short of stature, so their spears tended to be just a touch over 6 feet long instead of the 10 to 12-foot spears used by Orc and Elf. Valtrya had taken to the shorter spear with abandon, and quickly pared it with a shield in what Benjamin did not have the heart to tell her was far from unique in his human history. She was in the beginnings of developing a fighting style that was very much reminiscent of ancient Rome or Sparta, if significantly less flashy than Hollywood tended to portray. Her right hip bore the weight of a short cross-guarded sword, an emergency backup in case her spear was lost. “An interesting choice” Ben responded, looking her over in mild concern. Valtrya tip-toed up to whisper in his ear, “Move… need to, move.. more.” She said softly before stepping back to warm up. She bounced lightly on her feet despite the armor’s added weight and began lunging side to side as she stretched.

Benjamin and Vi joined her, properly warming up for a few minutes before a pointed cough interrupted them. “Are you three love birds ready? Or do you need some more foreplay?” Benjamin blew a snort through his nose and turned to step out into the snowy ring. “Alright, Viola. You’re up first. There is only one rule, I call the points. You will fight until I call a point, and not before. There are no other rules. War is brutal, and battles are unforgiving. When you step out into that ring, you are enemies. If I even catch a hint of mercy before I call time, I will personally pound you into the ground myself. After all, we have excellent healers.” Benjamin watched as both girls shrank back at that. He slowly pulled his helmet back off and glared at the Elf before walking back to a terrified Vi and Val. “Hey, look at me. I know what she is doing, and it sucks, but it is a good thing to learn.” He pulled both of their heads to his and planted a kiss on each of their foreheads. “I had to fight my friends in boot camp, you won't be hurting my feelings, ok? If you need it, you have my full permission to beat the ever-loving tar out of me, ok?”

“But, what… what if…” Val trembled slightly, and Benjamin unfortunately knew why. “Ssshhh. You're covered in armor; you are the strongest you’ve been in your life; and you're capable of fighting back this time.” He whispered, holding her close. “It’s better to face those fears with someone you trust, than in a fight where your panic might kill you. I’ll be right there the whole time; do you trust me?” Val looked into his eyes and held his gaze for a moment before nodding. “I do..” She whispered. “Good” Ben responded, giving her a peck on the lips. He knew their instructor was scowling at them, but he also knew Val needed the attention to help calm herself, “Just watch me and Viola, if you decide you don’t want to. I’ll talk to Yilarran.”

He turned and stepped up to the Titan of an elf and she raised an eyebrow at his serious expression, “I know what you are doing, and I don’t disagree with it, but I need you to listen to me, and understand.” Yilarran narrowed her eyes at his hard tone, but did not immediately reprimand him, “Those two were rendered helpless, and then ruthlessly tortured both emotionally and physically for over a century. Some serious psychological traumas might present themselves. That means, they may have a flashback, or start to panic for seemingly no reason.” Yilarran nodded slowly in understanding. “I will go all out as you request, but if one of them has an episode; especially Val, the fight is over. I don’t care if you’ve called a point or not.” He didn’t bother waiting for an answer, stepping out into the training ring. He turned to face the entrance of the dueling area just as Viola stepped up and slipped her helm down over her head. She nodded once, then raised her guard. Benjamin returned her nod and donned his helm.

“Combatants! BEGIN!”