Staring at the Sun: A tale of the Northlands
Chapter 4 - Trouble in Paradise

Lalala?

Sybil sighed and picked up the basket of clothes she had just collected from their drying. Lucan had scrubbed them nicely against the river rocks, and laid them out to dry in the hot sun. He was in the river now, washing himself, after having picked some rather smelly plants up from the forest or his gardens, she wasn’t quite sure which, nor did she want to know.

“Syb, put down the clothes and come in, the water’s so nice.”

“Is it now? Not too cold?” She smiled as she knew he couldn’t see it from where he was.

“Not at all. I don’t remember the water being this nice since last summer festival.” Sybil thought back to nearly a year ago, when they’d all celebrated. It was a welcome relief from working to just have fun all day, and everyone needed it after working half the summer. The tradition of the festival time seemed to ground her, and make her feel like time did go on. A bad day would end, a bad year went by. They would bring good eventually, if she was patient and took the opportunties when offered to her.

The calm of the water soothed her mind as she waded into it.

She didn' like the obsession her brother had with not talking about Darian. Sybil hadn't wanted to stay behind this time. To watch Lucan suffer like this. She had wished to be out on the battlefield, where she could be more useful, and watch over Darian for Lucan. Not that he'd feel anymore reassured that she was watching over his slightly insane lover, but it would have made her feel better at least.

Even better was that it would have been her to leave instead. Darian was the chief's son though, and as such was expected to take over when his father was too exhausted in the field. He had been trained all his life for this summer, and the summers to come. She knew her talents were for teaching, but it still nagged at the back of her mind.

"What are you thinking about so hard?" Lucan's curious gaze was inches from her face, startling her out of her thoughts. His pale eyes sparkled with mischeif, but they also held a sadness that she had not seen before this summer.

"How they're doing out there..." She said, splashing a bit of water in her brother's face. He squeezed his eyes shut and moved away a bit with a light laugh.

"They'll be back soon right?"

"Within the month. Whatever will I do? Lucan will never be around to do any work anymore!" Sybil ran her fingers through his white-blonde hair, forming it into a strange spiky mess.

"Maybe." His face fell, and she forced Lucan to look her in the eye.

"He's coming back."

"I know that...I just...sometimes feel like I can't believe that. That it must be wrong. Fates have never been kind to me Syb. Nothing good stays, and I want life with him to stay...but it won't." Lucan stepped out of the water and found his clothes after a short search. Pulling the sun dried pants on he picked up one of Sybil's shirts instead of the heavy ones he usually wore. Lucan pulled the thin shirt down over his torso, letting it fall to mid-thigh. He didn't bother with picking up any of the other warm dry clothing and made to go back home. There were plants to tend to. Always he could find something to do, something to keep from thinking about...

No best not to even so much as think about thinking about it, Lucan thought to himself shaking his head slightly. There were endless tasks to keep both the body and mind busy, so the soul wouldn't have a chance to breathe.

And Sybil had ruined all that with her prodding to get him to think about Darian.

Lucan stumbled over a stone that he hadn't noticed and swore softly as he stubbed his toe again. It was from the pain of falling that he did not hear the first cry, but he heard the second.

Sybil's battle shriek.

Lucan turned back around and ran as fast as his memory could take him back down to the river.

------------

Darian surveyed te battlefield carefully. They had never expected that. Lucan was rubbing off on him a bit too much. Instead of attacking head on he had sent half the warriors around to the other side of the band sent to stop them, and they had blocked the retreat. This was much more effective, even if slightly less honorable.

Mari sat next to him on a rock, ignoring the blood on it and cleaned off her sword with her shirt sleeve. "We're headed back now?" She was one of the people that had proposed an alternative to attacking head on.

"Yes. Tomorrow we start back, the others will gather our prize. It will be nice to be home again."

"One would think the god's battlefire doesn't burn so strongly in you Darian. You pine for home."

"When there is battle I think of nothing but. When there is not battle I have time to think of home and all the people there I miss. Peace does have it's benefits, Mari."

"Can't think of any really. We'd never be able to get enough food if we didn't take it from them."

"Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"Maybe we could learn to make food like they do. Then we can live in peace."

"Until some other clan raids us and all we are is farmers too!" She laughed. "You have some strange ideas, Chief's son." Darian watched her leave. Finally, they were going home.