Solo post - private
(continuing the previous flashback post with Gwestion)
Gladhron
Somewhere in the wilds, within a day's ride from the Forsaken Inn
At first, Gladhron was puzzled when Gwestion stopped in mid-sentence, but his confusion swiftly evaporated when he glanced back and saw what had happened. Before he could make a move to help his brother, he was surrounded on all sides as well. Orcs leaped out of the dusky forest on his left, moving swiftly toward him. Gaeroch reared in fright, and Gladhron nearly fell off, merely because it was unexpected, yet he managed to stay in the saddle anyway. Drawing his sword, he struck down the nearest orc before another one caught his leg, yanking him from the saddle. Gladhron yelled as he kicked and struggled, and managed to free himself. The horse, meanwhile, sustained a slash across her flank from an orc's sword. With a shriek of both pain and fear, the mare fled from the scene in great panic. Though Gladhron did worry about her a bit, his primary concern at the moment was surviving, himself. As four orcs began closing in on him, Gladhron glanced around for an opening to attack. He caught a glimpse of his brother fighting three others, some distance away, but couldn't go to his aid just yet. An orc made the first move, and Gladhron swiftly ducked as his foe swung at him, and was quite pleased when the blow meant for his neck caught the orc behind him, just as it lunged forward. Acting rapidly, Gladhron swung his blade around while the orc was busy trying to extract his sword from the body of his fellow, but another orc blocked the attack. Gladhron was sure that it wasn't for the purpose of rescuing his fellow, but rather attacking a common enemy; himself. He was glad, at least, that he was now facing only three foes from the front, rather than four, one on every side. His sword clashed and rang against the enemy's weapons as he defended himself frantically, grateful for all of the sword training in his youth.
As they drove him backward, Gladhron soon found his back against a tree, parrying and countering against three orcs at once, until at last he managed a thrust which impaled one of his opponents. Turning to the one remaining, Gladhron suddenly felt confused, realized that one of them had vanished at some point. He hadn't even noticed, and wondered where the other one had gone, but had no time to ponder on it. He was busy defending himself, though not as frantic as before. Seeing an overhead attack swinging down at his head, Gladhron brought his sword up to strike the other away, then swifter than the orc could dodge, swung it back forward, beheading the vile being. He spun around swiftly, searching for the third. Where did it go? Adrenaline coursed through his veins, and he couldn't make sense of this.
Then he remembered Gwestion. Running back toward where he had seen his brother, he intended to help him, but two more orcs appeared in his way. Gladhron swiftly blocked a strike to the abs, catching the orc's arm and pinning it to his side, then swung it around to meet the attack of the other. The bladed mace had been aimed for Gladhron's head; instead, it only grazed his forehead as he jerked his head back to avoid it, then crashed into the neck of the orc Gladhron had trapped. He shoved the dead orc at the live one, thus freeing his sword hand again, and backtracked swiftly as the orc came at him ferociously. A savage kick to the chest drove him hard backward, so hard he slammed into a tree. It jarred him a little, but he shook his head a bit and ducked as the orc swung the mace toward his head. The blades on the weapon stuck in the tree, and Gladhron took advantage of the opportunity to impale his foe, then slipped out from between it and the tree.
Time to try this again. "Gwestion!" Gladhron called, turning to search for his brother. He ran along the ridge, seeking Gwestion, fearing he may be too late to aid him. How many orcs had there been, anyway? He hadn't really counted, and didn't know how many his brother had fought, but he couldn't find any trace of him. "Gwestion?" He called, frowning as he listened for the sounds of fighting. All seemed silent, now. That worried him. Where was his brother? He turned his attention to the ground, trying to find a trail, but it was too dark. He wiped at the trickle running down his forehead, frowning at the blood that came away onto his hand. It wasn't that bad though. He turned back to his search, coming across dead orcs now and then. That was a good sign, at least. He checked each body to make sure it was an orc, not Gwestion, though there was little chance of mistaking the two. He might tease him later about that, but for now, he needed to find him. Hurrying back along the ridge, Gladhron called again, though he feared he might draw the attention of more orcs, or worse, he was too worried about Gwestion to care too much at the moment. At last, he stopped as he saw a glint in the moonlight, and knelt to investigate. Gwestion's dagger. The moon slipped out from behind a cloud, and he was able to make out the tracks at the edge of the ridge. His heart seemed to stop for a few seconds, staring at the evidence that lay before his eyes. Boot tracks, slipping off of the edge here... a chill swept over him, fearing the worst. No, not Gwestion, he thought in despair. He peered down the ravine, trying to see if he might spot him, but it was too dark, and too steep. "Gwestion!" He yelled, hoping for some reply. The echoes died away, and all was silent. "No, please, no.." He murmured.
He had to find some way down there. Gripping his brother's dagger, he stood, then sheathed his sword. After a moment, he tucked the dagger into his belt, and began searching for somewhere that he might be able to climb down the ridge. It wouldn't do to fall down there himself and share his brother's fate, after all.. whatever that may be. He traveled a long way along the ridge, noticing it gradually becoming less steep. After a bit, he was pleasantly surprised to come across a horse. Speaking softly, he approached. He was mildly disappointed to see it was Mael, not Gaeroch, but one horse was better than no horse, and he soon stood stroking her neck, speaking soothingly to her. She had been frightened by the ordeal, but was not harmed, it seemed. Gladhron led her along with him as he continued on with his mission. A couple of hours passed before he found a place where he and the horse could pick their way down to the bottom of the ravine. Though it was frustrating to have to waste so much time, he knew it was really the only way he was going to be able to locate Gwestion.
Once he'd reached the bottom, he had to backtrack and hope he didn't pass up the spot where he needed to be. And then there was the chance that Gwestion hadn't gone all the way to the bottom. What if he was stuck halfway somewhere, and Gladhron missed him entirely? He couldn't stop all of these worries from swirling around in his head as he traveled slowly, picking his way around rocks, trying to find steady footing, and also helping Mael to do the same. It was slow going, and every moment he felt more and more anxious about what might have happened to Gwestion. Dawn broke at last, and before too long, a grey light had begun to spread over the rocks. Gladhron felt a tiny bit of hope at that. Every so often, Gladhron stopped and called his brother's name a couple of times, then stood still and listened as hard as he could. No reply. That worried him more than anything. He tried to tell himself that perhaps Gwestion was only unconscious, but he feared it was another reason. "Don't worry," He spoke softly to Mael, patting her neck lightly. "We'll find him." The horse nuzzled his shoulder, and he imagined she might be communicating 'of course we will' or something similar.
The sun was high in the sky, past noon Gladhron thought, before he finally decided that he must have gone too far. But had he? He felt frustrated, being so uncertain. He climbed up to the top of the tallest boulder around, surveying the area closely. "Gwestion!" He called, hopeful. Still no answer. He sighed and climbed down. "Let's turn back, I think we went too far." He told Mael. He started back, hoping he was right. Another hour or two passed. Gladhron was traveling much slower, trying to make sure he didn't miss anything. He stopped now and then, climbed up the highest point he could find, and searched around, each time with no luck. Until at last, as it was growing later toward evening, he saw something that stopped him in his tracks. Birds of prey circling over a spot. He caught his breath, fearing what that might mean, then climbed onto the nearest boulder, peering around the area. He nearly missed an important sign, but then did a double-take, peering closer at a dark smudge further up the slope. "Mael, wait here." He scrambled swiftly toward the place, climbing over rocks and nearly lost his footing a couple of times, but soon he could make out a smear of blood on the boulder. The sight of it gripped his heart with fear for his brother. "Gwestion?" He called, urgent. "Gwestion, are you near? Can you hear me?" He looked around frantically. Then, at last, he saw a dark shape, lying hidden behind a tall boulder. There was more blood nearby.
Fearing the worst, Gladhron picked his way toward the figure, and stopped short. His blood ran cold at the sight of Gwestion, partially pinned beneath an orc, both red and black blood all around the area. Horrified and afraid to confirm his fears, Gladhron stood frozen for a moment, unable to move. "No..." He breathed, feeling despair sweep over him. But he had to know. Swallowing hard, he forced himself forward, gritting his teeth as he dragged the dead orc off of Gwestion, then knelt beside his brother, struggling to hold back tears. "No, Gwestion... no," He picked up his limp, bloodied hand, bowing his head down in grief. It took a second to dawn on him that Gwestion's hand was warm. Startled, he looked closer at his brother, hope flaring up once again. Then.. yes! he was breathing! Very faint, shallow breaths, but it was breath! Gladhron nearly laughed in relief, tears still in his eyes. "He's alive!" He looked up at the sky as if to thank the creator, then suddenly wondered.. how was he going to get Gwestion back up that ravine? His joy at discovering he still lived was somewhat lessened by the fact he had no idea how to get him any help. How long would he live, out here wounded like this, without a healer? Gladhron suddenly wished, more than anything, that he had paid more attention when his mother was trying to teach him about tending wounds.
Should he stay here until it was light again? Or ought he to try and get him someplace safer? He was torn, trying to think of what she would do, but his memories of his mother were faint, much to his regret. He had spent much more time with his father, since his teen years, and it saddened him that he remembered so little of his mother. Gwestion would've known what to do, of course, but that didn't help him any. After several moments of debating, Gladhron eventually decided it might he best if he got him someplace else. Those prey birds would be coming to feast on the orc's body before long, and he didn't want them mistaking Gwestion for a corpse as well. After moving the rocks off of the lower half of his brother's legs, he took off his cloak and wrapped it around his Gwestion, cringing at the horrific break on his leg. That.. that was going to take a while to heal. He struggled to lift him and get him over the rocks, to the horse. Then.. what? He frowned, unsure if there might be other injuries he couldn't see. But he didn't know how else to get him back up to the top, and so as gently as he could, he laid him over the saddle, hoping there were no internal injuries. Murmuring apologies to his unconscious brother, he secured him to the saddle with some rope, and then set out back the way he'd come, knowing nothing else to do. It was a long hike back, having to take it even slower now with Gwestion wounded, and trying to keep Mael from jarring him too much.
It was well into the night before he finally found a place where the slope was gentle enough that Mael could make the climb while carrying Gwestion. Gladhron led her, though he was utterly exhausted. He had not eaten nor slept since... whenever he last did such before the orcs attacked. He felt bad for Mael, too, for she had only had a few quick snacks on shrubbery, and very little sleep while he was searching for Gwestion. Nearing the crest of the hill, Gladhron grabbed a rock to pull himself up, eager to get out of this ravine and on his way to get help for Gwestion. But as he tried to pull himself up, the rock broke away from the ground. He yelped in surprise as he started falling. Panic flared up, thinking of how he had found Gwestion.. fearing he would soon be in the same condition. Then a large boulder stopped his progress back down the slope, his head slamming against it.. right in the same spot where the orc's mace had cut his forehead before. Intense pain blossomed through his head, and Gladhron crumbled to the ground, groaning as he cradled his head in both arms.
"Ohh.." He didn't want to move.. his vision was blurred and his head was throbbing violently. It occurred to him how very embarrassing it was that he survived all of that... only to get hurt because he got careless just as he reached the top of the ravine. The thought might have made him laugh, except his head hurt so much. With a great deal of difficulty, he finally struggled back upright, swaying, gripping the boulder which had wounded him for support. Gwestion. The memory of how badly hurt his brother was drove him to push through his own pain. He collapsed back down partly, then proceeded back up the slow on hands and knees, until he finally reached the top. Mael had finished the climb without him, and stood calmly under some trees.
It took Gladhron a few moments to recover himself enough to stagger toward the horse, leaning against her side. Snorting softly, she looked at him questioningly. He managed a weak smile. "If anyone asks..." He mumbled, as if she could understand, "I was wounded whilst fighting the orcs.. alright?" He had a ways to go yet, and he didn't like having Gwestion slung across the saddle like that. It was likely to cause him further injury, after all. After fumbling through his brother's saddlebags, he found some tools he knew Gwestion kept with him, and soon set about cutting some tree boughs. It was difficult, struggling to focus when he could hardly see, but eventually, he had fastened together a sort of stretcher, which he secured onto Mael's saddle. His head was pounding fiercely, and he struggled to focus as he carefully moved Gwestion onto the stretcher. He was exhausted, that was all. He told himself this over and over, reminding himself how long he'd been without sleep. Or food. He just needed to rest, and the headache would go away. That half of his face was sticky with blood, but he tried to ignore that as he tied Gwestion to the makeshift stretcher.
Once that task was complete, Gladhron fought against the temptation to just lie down right there and go to sleep. Gwestion might be in urgent need of help. Any further delay could cost his life, for all Gladhron knew. He felt sickening dizzyiness sweep over him as he stood and stumbled over to the horse, catching himself on the saddle. It took him a bit of effort to haul himself up into the saddle, and closed his eyes tightly, trying to shut out the overwhelming dizziness that followed. Just exhausted, he told himself, though deep down he knew there was more than that. If he just got some sleep, he'd be alright. "Forsaken inn," he murmured, figuring that was the closest place to take Gwestion. "I can manage that. We can do that, can't we girl?"
Nudging the horse's sides, he hoped she'd gotten a good nap while he was making the stretcher. She seemed unhappy to be dragging some big awkward thing behind her while also carrying Gladhron, but she started forward anyway. At the first, Gladhron tried directing her, but before long, he was in such a daze, he had no idea where she was heading, and could only hope they might end up at least close to where he wanted to go...
(continued
here)