Atlantic Roleplay Community Boards

[Ardashir]

---

Some years ago...

“Asettan se deor ongean þæt brine” Ardashir mumbled while chewing a loaf of dry bread. He indicated with his dark skinned hand towards the fire and his companion gladly set the lamb down to roast.

“You should speak Common Ardy. Not many people know the old Yewish tongue.” The lad said as he sat down across from the black monk. For a moment the soft breeze of Yew winds caught his locks and framed his face with a halo of gold.

Ardashir smiled widely at the handsome companion. The black monk’s hands returned to finger his book of souls. “We have traveled this road together for a few nights and I have not asked you where you are from.”

“Umbra” The handsome lad replied. “Likely you have heard of it darkling”

Ardashir could only smile. He did not let the buzzing of flies in his ear distract him from the pleasant company. “Ita vero est. I have heard the stories of a Matriarch that governs there. Ic cunnan learnian miccle ad her”

The lad grinned as he ran his slender almost womanly hands along his arms. For a moment he craned his slim neck to the left as if to glimpse upon the night birds that surely watched the curious pair from their high perches. The dark green of his shirt was patched with droplets of blood from the fallen lamb which now spun around the flames, rotated by the invisible will of the black monk. Only the buzzing of a fly brought his attention back to the black monk whom now quietly placed more bread into his mouth.

“She would take you Ardy. Ceinwyn is keen on mystics.”

“Would she?” Ardashir asked rhetorically. “I have had many masters, Azmoday, Azalin, Beleth, Fallai, but few mistresses.”

“Who was your first?” The lad asked with a slight stutter, was he cold? Ardashir smiled.

“I was six and by then my party going parents no longer cared for their Ardswalt. They had me placed in an abbey in Yew. My teacher there was not the normal virtuous sort. He was a secret Kinaidos and daemon worshiper.” Ardashir stared past the fire at his companion. “I was his eromenos and he was my erastes. One night he gave up his secrets in the thrills of passion and the next morning I was gone.”

The companion widened his eyes and shot the bearded monk a smile. “How right it is that monsters can be found in the most common places” He ran his hand along his hair, a clear sign of interest. “What secrets did you learn Ardy?”

Ardashir’s tone sweetened as he looked the blonde over. The distortions from the fire between them did nothing to diminish the stain the lad’s stain glass beauty.
“Let me teach you as I was taught.”

_ _ _ _ _

The next morning a small crowd was gathered…

The old villagers held tight to their dogs as they looked down to the corpse. “Who would do such a thing?” One of the other men asked over the barking of the animals. The women kept their eyes averted but a few would peek from moment to moment as the visage of the blonde haired corpse was pleasant to the eyes.

“All his manly parts be gone. Looks like he was cut from top ta bottom” One man said.

“The dogs, they can not pick up a trail” Another added.

“What a horrific way to die” One of the women said though the smile on the victim’s face told her different.