Chapter Text
There was a certain comfort that came from feeling the weight of a sword on your hip. Walls and guards were all well and good but walls could be destroyed and guards could be bribed or even just plain evil to start with. Talon had learned the hard way not to put her trust in either. There was also something to be said for remoteness. It was the reason that she was at a far flung outpost in what was essentially the middle of nowhere in the first place. It was possible to hide in plain sight in a major town or stronghold, even the capital if you were good enough, but that was a whole lot of work that she didn’t feel like getting herself into. There were certain conventions and laws that applied in populated areas that didn’t apply at the edges of civilization. Remoteness only went so far too though. Just because you were out of sight of the authorities or whoever was after you didn’t mean you were out of mind. If someone wanted to find you bad enough they would eventually. A sword on your hip was something you could control, something you could rely on, and in her life on the run she had never found a better substitute for providing real protection when it was most needed.
The sword on her hip these days was a custom made work of art crafted by the man who saved her from certain death and gave her a home, a man on the run from something himself, a man she still only knew as The Blacksmith though she had heard The Wolf whispered on hushed lips in his direction on more than one occasion. She wasn’t going to pry, he never had. The sword was much better than any other blade that had ever fallen into her possession. Well-balanced, sturdy, and light it was just the kind of weapon she had always dreamed about having. On the run you had to make do with what was available and often that wasn’t much. If you were skilled enough you could still survive with a subpar weapon, but what she had had the good fortune of acquiring here was the kind of weapon that really made a difference in whether its wielder lived or died. She itched to draw it as the situation in front of her rapidly spiraled out of control.
“You can’t just barge in here like you own the place,” that was Marshal Wythers. “This is my outpost.”
As debatable a statement as that actually was she couldn’t find much argument when it came to the three newcomers who had just walked in the gate. One was a military man through and through and was wearing the armor to flaunt it though still with enough boyish charm not to give her the impression of a total asshole. He was the one Wythers was currently directing the brunt of his anger at. The blonde woman behind him wearing a flowing blue dress that she wouldn’t exactly consider traveling attire practically screamed upper class. An older man with a thick beard that also bore the armor of the military stood back and watched the whole scene with as much curious inquisition as she was. If Talon had to guess it was a noble or diplomat of some kind and her bodyguards. Wythers would be best served to watch his tongue if he knew what was good for him. In her experience he never did.
“You read the order,” boyish charm said. “Gwynn needs protection and your outpost has the means to provide it.”
“My outpost isn’t a charity,” Wythers replied.
“Neither is my patience,” boyish charm wasn’t backing down. “We can do this together or I can take it over your head.”
“You and I both know which you’d prefer,” he continued.
“You have your mother’s fire you know that,” Wythers said. “Fine, but we’re not exactly the lap of luxury here.”
“Thank you for your hospitality Marshal,” the woman spoke for the first time. “I’m sure we’ll find everything we need.”
Whatever she was that voice was certainly disarming. With the commotion looking like it had died down Talon took her hand off her sword and made her way over.
“Is there something going on here,” she said as a way of greeting.
“Nothing that concerns you,” Wythers sneered at her. “Just doing my job.”
“And who are our guests,” she questioned.
“Captain Garret Spears,” boyish charm introduced himself with a smile and an extended hand. “Pleased to meet you.”
“Likewise,” she shook the offered hand. “I’m Talon.”
“Just Talon,” he said.
“Just Talon,” she confirmed. “Though if you ask the Marshal here I’m sure he can give you a list of titles he thinks suit me.”
“Thorn in my side for one,” Wythers said.
“See,” she said. “He’s much better at that than I am.”
“This is Lady Gwynn and that is General Calkussar,” Garret introduced his companions.
“Captain, Lady, and General,” she said. “You certainly aren’t short on titles.”
“What’s your business here,” she continued.
“Well,” Garret rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “There have been some threats to Gwynn’s life recently and it was decided that she’d be better off getting away for a while.”
“Uh huh,” she said skeptically.
“Anyways,” he said suddenly. “We should really be getting settled in.”
“It was nice meeting you Talon,” they were already making their way deeper into town.
“Something’s not right there,” she said mostly to herself.
“For once I agree with you,” Wythers said.
“What do you know about them,” she questioned.
“No,” he said quickly. “No way I’m having this conversation with you.”
He walked away almost as suddenly as the newcomers had. Curiouser and curiouser. She needed to gather more information and if someone was going to have answers she knew who it would be. She turned and headed back into town.
“Janzo,” she said upon arriving at her destination.
Janzo’s lab was the very picture of what one would call organized chaos. If you asked her to find anything in particular she wouldn’t even know the first place to start looking, but she was sure Janzo knew every nook and cranny like the back of his hand.
“Yes,” Janzo said from where he was leaning over a vile of something green. “What is it Talon?”
“Are you hurt,” he added on suddenly.
“No, nothing like that,” she said. “I’m actually looking for information on some new arrivals that just came through the gate.”
“People aren’t really my area of expertise,” he said adding a pinch of some gold powder to the mixture.
“Well they aren’t mine either,” she said. “But you’re the best I’ve got.”
“Fine,” he said spinning around and lifting goggles from his eyes. “Who is it?”
“A Captain Garret Spears, a Lady Gwynn, and a General Calkussar,” she said hoping for a flicker of recognition in his eyes.
“Garret Spears,” he said in disbelief. “You’re sure?”
“Yeah I’m sure,” she said. “He shook my hand and everything.”
“The prodigal son returns,” he said. “How interesting?”
“Prodigal son,” she questioned.
“The Marshal’s son,” he said. “Estranged, left for the army after the death of his mother.”
“I didn’t know the Marshal had a family,” she said still trying to process the information.
“Before your time,” he said. “A messy business to be sure.”
“He wouldn’t have come back here without a good reason,” he continued. “Not sure who those other two are though.”
“Lady is a title that could mean anything so no help there, but generals don’t just wander around amongst us commonfolk without good reason either,” he finished.
“Spears said there were threats on Gwynn’s life and they were bringing her here to keep her protected,” she relayed the information.
“Why here though,” he asked mostly to himself. “This outpost is nothing special and there are better fortified areas closer to the capital.”
“Remoteness,” she said. “We are in the middle of nowhere out here.”
“Which makes it the perfect place for someone like you to hide out,” he confirmed. “But someone under official protection would be kept closer to home for easier communication in the event of them needing to be moved again.”
“Which means this isn’t that,” he said confidently.
“That leaves only one option,” he continued. “They’re on the run too.”
“On the run from what,” she questioned.
“Don’t know,” he said. “Nothing good I’m assuming.”
“You don’t think it could be the Prime Order do you,” a shiver went down her spine at the thought.
“That is certainly a likely possibility,” he said.
It was suddenly becoming harder to breath and her heart was racing.
“Thanks for your help Janzo,” she managed to get out before turning and quickly making her way back outside.
“Anytime,” she heard him call out right before she hit fresh air.
She leaned herself against the nearest wall, closed her eyes, and began working to get her heart rate and breathing back under control.
“You’ve been training your whole life for this,” she whispered to herself. “You’re ready to face them.”
“That scared little girl that ran away from the village isn’t you anymore,” she continued. “You’re strong.”
“Stronger than they’ll ever know,” she could feel everything slowly returning to normal. “And you’re going to make them rue the day they ever fucked with you and your people.”
“You’re going to make them pay,” with that she opened her eyes and began making her way to The Blacksmith’s house, he needed to know.
He was in his usual position at the forge when she walked in the door.
“The Prime Order is coming here,” she said.
“What,” he said surprised.
“Or they might be,” she clarified. “We have some new arrivals that Janzo says could be people on the run from the Prime Order.”
“Which means the Prime Order might be coming here after them,” she continued. “And if the Prime Order’s coming here after them that means I have to be ready to strike.”
“I’m going to go ask our new guests some questions and hopefully I’ll get some answers,” she was already halfway back out the door. “I just thought you deserved to know.”
“Try not to get yourself killed,” he said before the door shut behind her.
A smirk appeared on her face at that. If she was going to die at the hands of the Prime Order she sure as Hell was taking as many of them down with her as possible. She needed answers first though and Garret Spears had them or one of his posse did at least and she intended to get them. Her hand moved down to the hilt of her sword again. A sword on her hip meant that she had a chance, even against the Prime Order. She hoped that it was enough.