Wash Away The Pain (Sebastian)

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

Her feet were aching and she was cold. No, scratch that, not only her feet were aching, it was a pain that stretched from her tormented soles up her calves until it almost reached her hips. It was burning and aching at the same time. Yassia had always thought herself in good shape, but after one week of constantly being on her feet she had been thoroughly thought a lesson she most likely was never to forget. She simply was not used to be walking for so long, but there was no way she could help that. The horrifying storm that had hit their boat while crossing the channel had robbed Yassia of three most important things: Her horse, a decent amount of money (one that could help her out right now with getting her a new mount, even a mule would do!) and above all: Mircea!
Yassia had never thought anyone could ever feel so lost in his entire life, and the most part of her misery was due to the fact that her mind slowly had to work around the possibility that her half-brother was dead. Dead or washed ashore somewhere far from where she was, unable to find her.

The very thought of him once again brought tears to her eyes and she hunched her shoulders against the cold wind, glad to have at least her woollen cloak with her. This and her bag full of herbs and done remedies were her most precious belongings now. Nothing was left of Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha, the proud princess and queen-to-be. She had reached the bottom of the line and she was very well aware of that fact. With that little money she had left in her soaked purse and with such a great amount of way still before her, with no idea where exactly to turn, she was a pauper now and had to call herself lucky if she even reached Camelot unscathed. Before crossing the channel, being followed by her uncle’s goons and taken back by force had been her worst fear. Now that almost seemed like a good way to end it all, in her darkest hours.
Whenever she wanted to give up, she imagined talking to Mircea, as if he was still beside her. She told him of her sorrows and imagined to hear his voice, telling her in his calm and serious tone that she could not give up, that she was strong, that he knew she could make it. But that hurt so much, too, so she never could do it for long.

It was afternoon now and still Yassia dragged herself onward. As far as she could see, no village was near, and she hoped she would at least reach one by nightfall. The little coins she had left would suffice for a bed and some stew and that was all she needed. Interesting how basic your needs could become if you had to learn to survive by them. This, Yassia was sure, would be a lesson she’d never forget – ever assumed she lived to really learn from it.
The low murmuring of a little brooke nearby pulled her a little from her miserable state, and she pushed herself to a faster pace, leaving the road and half-stumbled towards the welcome distraction. Sighing almost comfortably, she pulled off her boots and put her aching feet into the cold water. Sweet stars, what a luxury! Slowly the burning pain died down, and that alone was enough to raise Yassia’s spirit considerably. It even banished Mircea from her mind for now, and without any conscious thought a hushed song found its way on her lips.


”En veure despuntar
el major lluminar
en la nit més ditxosa
els ocellets cantant
a festejarlo van
amb sa veu melindrosa… "

[Sebastian]

Gods alive, what a mess!! The Albrethian Prince shook his head as he dismounted his horse, wiping his face with his hands, sighing softly. That visit had been a total nightmare. An attempt to gain peace from a fellowing country which had only ended in the King insulting him and then threatening war if he stayed any longer! With an annoyed growl, Sebastian leaned against his horse, though he was careful not to do so too much, for he knew that the steed must be as tired - if not more so - than he himself felt, and they still had a long way to go yet.

Opening his bag, the brunette took out the water skin, unscrewing it, frowning as he realised from the weight that it was almost empty... he must have forgotten to refill it, for he had been so distracted by the King's unwelcoming words and mannerisms. Sebastian sighed, biting his lip as he looked about, unfamiliar with these woods. The trickling of some sort of... wait, was that a stream? Ah, perhaps all was not lost! The Prince gratefully capped the water skin once more, and took hold of his horse's reigns, gently walking the creature forward, hoping he could track the stream.

Through a glade, he eventually spotted the water running. ANd... what was that? A young maiden, soaking her feet in the water? Sebastian hesitated; he did not want to interrupt her solitude, if that was what this woman sought, but his horse needed water, and so did he. Necessity overlawed manners, and the Prince stepped forward, giving a soft cough so as to warn the lady of his coming. "Excuse me, lady," he began calmly, trying not to startle her. "Would you mind if I collected water for myself and my horse?"

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

It was a measure of just how tired and worn Yassia really was and how she still hadn’t gotten used to travelling alone that she didn’t notice anyone approaching, until she heard a voice right behind her. The water splashed as she darted up and turned her head, but then she felt slightly awkward for startling to much at a mere human voice. The song had died on her lips, and she was still holding up the ends of her worn riding dress with both hands, the cloth gathered over her knees, revealing her legs – how very unseemly! For a moment she didn’t quite know how to react, the man looked rather well off, nobility if Yassia’s schooled eye didn’t betray her. It was always said you could sniff out those of your kind.

What would he be doing here? Oh, right, he wanted water for his horse. Suddenly, Yassia felt even more stupid standing there like she was, and she quickly tried to get her act together. She hopefully would pass as a commoner if she showed him due respect. It was something Yassia had never been used to, but to hold up the charade she had gotten quite good in it during the last month, even at Mircea’s side.
”Oh, of course you can, Mylord!” she confirmed his request and bowed her head. “You probably own this brooke more than I do anyway.” After all, he could very well be the master of these grounds, however remote. How would she know?

All in all, he didn’t seem like company she had to run from right away, so Yassia slowly started to relax a little. You never knew, yes indeed, but there had to be some nice people in this island as well. Lorcan had been nice, he had helped her out. A few others had also been helpful so far. Come on Yassia, trust your stars!

[Sebastian]

Sebastian held back a small smile at the woman's seeming hesitance to his company, knowing that to betray amusement might make her feel more uncomfortable, which had been precicely what he had been aiming to avoid. As she spoke of him owning the brooke, he gave a small chuckle, shaking his head. "I must disagree with you, lady," he said politely. "for the brooks and nature Herself belong to no one but themselves, even if men are pompous enough to attempt to believe they hold the wills to such things," Dear Gods, what was he doing? He wasn't quite flirting with her, but almost. Mentally he berated himself, then dipped his head in brief respect. Peasent though this woman probably was, it didn't mean he should treat her with any less respect than he would a lady, though others might object.

"Though as to your question," though it hadn't really been a question, had it? "I am a stranger to these lands, and am just passing by," he smiled softly at her. "I'll not interrupt you for long, dear lady, just long enough to gather some water," he promised. Moving closer to the brooke, he pulled up his sleeves so as not to get them wet, and knelt next to the water, placing the mouth of the water skin to the running stream, letting it fill slowly. As he finished, he stood, capping the water. "Would you allow my horse to take some water from the stream directly?" he asked softly, not wanting to impose on her too much.

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

Sweet stars, this man, whoever he was, surely had a very elegant and yet truthful way to speak! Yassia couldn’t deny to be impressed, she might have stumbled upon a noble born and bred, someone who really held chivalry and justice in high regards. He had an almost royal streak to him, even, his humbleness was borne out of great strength and self-assuredness. All this was a thoroughly surprising revellation, but then what was it to her? To him, she was not Princess Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha, she could not be. She was nothing but a commoner to him, and as such she probably should feel a little less comfortable dealing with people of his kind.”Well spoken, Mylord, I should say”, she answered and lowered her eyes. “I am sure nature will appreciate your consideration and high opinion of her.”

Yassia was now torn between two prominent feelings. She had quite the mind to finally talk again to someone of her world, someone she understood and yet was not such a thug as Vortigern had been. Who knew if that opportunity would ever arise again before she reached Camelot? But then, she knew time was wasting in any way, and she could not allow herself to be held up, simply because she felt the need for a conversation. Her own needs didn’t have any say in this matter, and it was high time she learned that. For a moment Mircea’s face appeared in front of her inner eye again and she swallowed. He should not have died because of her. He would still be alive, hadn’t she given in to her personal need of company and comfort. Had she been more adamant, he would be back in Ailantha now, maybe fearing for her safety, but that would be the worst he went through.

Still, she found it necessary to be polite to this interesting stranger. “Please, take as long as you need, Mylord, and don’t call me a lady. I am a mere wanderer myself”, she lied. It went more smoothly with every time she tried. “I am of much humbler birth than you, I am sure.”
Stepping aside, she allowed him to lead the horse to the waterline, and as his mentioning directed her focus towards the animal, she took a few moments to examine and admire it. The stallions of Ailantha were said to be some of the finest on the continent, and as such, Yassia knew she had an eye for them. “That’s quite a fine mount you have there”, she commented. “Where was it bred?”

[Sebastian]

Sebastian smiled a little as she congratulated him, then sighed softly as she called him 'milord'. "Please, let us not use titles and such. I would be most honoured if you would call me by my given name, which is Sebastian." Giving her his name might be risky, but he couldn't help himself. This girl had a charming way about her, something in her made him want to speak more to her, to exchange opinions.

As she assured him that he could take his time, the Prince smiled. "My horse and I thank you greatly," he said softly. "It has been a long trip, and we've still further to go," he paused as she continued, saying she was nothign but a mere wanderer. "No person in nature's world is a mere anything, if you would presume me to say such words, my friend," He dipped his head briefly to her. "Each and every person is deserving of respect, no matter their birth or title."

He gently removed his horse's tack as he let the animal drink, intent on cooling the steed down a little. As Yassia complimented him, he smiled, turning to face her, stroking his horse's nose. "Indeed, he is a fine animal," he agreed softly. "He was bred in my homelands, Albrethia. We believe that for an animal to breed true and good they must be allowed to roam the hills freely, and so Aiden was borne freely, then coaxed into allowing a rider. If he had ever need to toss me from his back I would instantly let him be a free horse again," he assured her softly.

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

It was truly rare for a man of his obvious status to make friendly with the common crowd in such a way as to allow some random stranger he had only just met to use his first name and for a moment Yassia was truly speechless, not knowing how to deal with this unexpected turnout of things. But then, the person she was posing as would probably be merely positively surprised and view it as an unspeakable honor, and she would do very well in following that line of action, if she didn’t want to be found out all too quickly. So after raising her brow slightly, Yassia’s face broke into a smile and she inclined her head.
“As you wish Myl—Sebastian”, she corrected herself with a little awkward laugh. “I am… Remei”, she decided to give him her second name. It was still a long way to Camelot and she couldn’t risk being detected.

And he surprised her even more as he went on about certainly ‘liberal’ talk, saying that in his eyes every human being should be treated with the same respect, no matter how they had been born. Before leaving Ailantha, Yassia hadn’t thought much about these things, and only when starting to see life from the other side, from the view of those who had no rights, she had started to think about the common people more and had realized how differently they were treated in different realms. Some kings and rulers were more lenient than others, but fewest ever thought about treating them like they would treat their nobles and knights. Sebastian however seemed to think different.
“Your words are quite surprise for me, Sebastian”, she admitted with a smile. “As the realities I have seen prove that your words are a lone voice in a choir of common agreement. But I find your view of the world quite refreshing and positive.”

If she thought they were done with surprises now, she was proven wrong yet again. Apparently the ideas of liberty were not afflicted only on people, but on animals as well. Yassia’s people held horses in high regards, but they didn’t let them run free.
“He’s got that air of pride on him for sure”, she commented and hesitantly reached out with her hand, curious if the horse would let itself be touched by someone else than its rider. “But I agree with you: prideful horses that have their will broken are no good mounts. There has to be a certain understanding between horse and rider.” She had had a good understanding with her steed once, but now the fiery animal lay drowned on the floor of the Channel.

[Sebastian]

The Albrethian found himself more and more wishing that Camelot were not calling to him, that he could spend longer in this young lady's company. In his father's reign he had had very little chance to converse with people, and Yassia was one of those whom his father would have frowned upon. Added of course to the fact that his father had believed Sebastian was a mute, and therefore he would have been humiliated in front of the woman even before he got to exchange a greeting. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Remei," he stated softly, inclinign his head briefly in respect to her.

As the girl spoke of surprise, Sebastian found himself more and more curious as to her origins. The young lady claimed she was merely a wanderer, and yet... there was an air about her. Something that... whispered to him that she was not all that she seemed. The young Prince tried to push away the irrational warning that all here was not right; she had been nothing but curtious and friendly toward him, if she were hiding something... well, he was a mere stranger; what business of it was his? "I agree," he said softly. "My opinion drives from seeing how people can be treated by the worst of tyrants," he spoke of his father, but would not elaborate upon that too far. "It is us humans who have given ourselves titles and graces, not any unseeing power," he shrugged. "Although I know that not all people see it that way."

They turned back to the conversation of his horse, and the brunette nodded. "Aye, he's the best I've ever had the pleasure to ride," he admitted honestly. As Yassia reached out to touch him, Sebastian watched, curious as to how his horse would react. If it had been his father, the horse would have reared and kicked out, the same with anyone who meant Sebastian harm. But the horse merely gave a soft snicker, shook his head twice, and turned his neck nearer to Yassia's hand, as though to welcome the touch. The Prince gave a small smile, nodding with the girl. "I have seen broken horses," he agreed. "I could never bear to resign an animal to that fate."

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

By now Yassia had all but forgotten about her sore feet and her general misery, and that was not only due to the refreshing water that might have heightened her spirits to a degree at which carrying on with her journey didn’t seem so much like an ordeal. But then, journeying on just now was very far from her mind at the moment, she was far too intrigued by the conversation she was having with this nobleman who was unlike any of those she had ever met. Then again, she hadn’t met many noblemen of Albion before, except Lorcan, and he had been a slightly peculiar, different story anyway. She couldn’t quite fathom yet if Sebastian was simply unique with his opinions, or if that was a trait shared by many here. From what she had seen so far though, however little it might be, she couldn’t really call Albion an oasis from normal social customs.

”Well, where I come from it is said that the stars watch over our fates, and they guard and mold or ways of life. They can turn their faces away from certain people or even whole dynasties if they’re not pleased with what they see”, Yassia explained. “But I have also seen the opinion that the royals and nobles think their power has been given to them by some god or another and so that justifies them treating their subjects like they want to. I certainly cannot agree with that.”
Was she talking too much of things now she shouldn’t even show so much interest in? Did common nomads even think about the justification of rulers and the like? Yassia was merely elaborating the opinion that had been formed in her mind through years and years of discussion with her father who had always wanted to be a just and loved king, even though he would have never fraternised with lower folk.


”Do many people in Albion think like you do?” she asked curiously, simply unable to hold up the charade of being a local for much longer. Sebastian seemed trustworthy enough, as long as she didn’t tell him details that could spread, she would be relatively safe.
A fine smile played around Yassia’s lips as she felt the horse leaning into her caress. She had missed that, she realized, this special bond that could form between horse and man. Horses were proud creatures, but they were not judgemental. They treated you by the way you treated them, and didn’t care what you were supposed to do as long as it brought them no pain.
”I agree”, she replied, sighing. “Don’t you think that sometimes you can judge how people will treat others by the way they treat there horses? Whether they show respect or not, whether they exploit them or not?”

[Sebastian]

The Albrethian Prince nodded as he listened to her explain her beliefs, finding the idea somewhat... enthralling. He could certainly see how it would appeal to people; the idea of a seen entity coursing the fates of their people. "We all derive our beliefs from somewhere," he stated softly. "I suppose none of us can quite say that another is wrong or right; we must simply learn to live by what right we see fit," he shrugged a little. "The belief I hold may be contrary to many others, but I try in all things to uphold it."

Sebastian chuckled softly as the maiden asked if many thought as he did. "Alas, I wish it were so," he confessed softly, careful of what he said; for after all, he had only known her for a matter of moments; not even a day! "But nay; I am one of the few who think the way I do. But I would not change my opinion to fit with the more known crowd,"

The conversation turned to the topic of animals, and at her point, the brunette had to agree. "indeed," he agreed. "I have seen masters flog horse and person alike, and then turn into the crudest of politicians. They seem to forget that all animals, like humans, hold a soul." he shrugged. "Perhaps some men believe that the soul of mankind is patted above those of animal, root or tree."

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

It was hard sometimes to live the same tolerance you might like think yourself capable of with the words you spoke. Yassia had always thought herself pretty tolerant with nearly everyone, but then she had found out that this notion was not entirely true. You could always be tolerant from afar, when you had nigh to no point of contact with other styles of life than her own. Her journey had been mostly spent amongst common people for fear of detection, and there she had found her boundaries of tolerance seriously tested. In the beginning, it had all seemed so … wild and shocking to her, until she had learnt to accept their habits as their own, and also learnt so see beneath that to find more hearts of gold hidden under rough shells than she ever had found amongst her own kind. It had taken some while to be sure, and Yassia knew she was still in the process of learning and would stay there until she reached Camelot to rejoin her kind.
“Then you must have seen a great deal and learned even more from it”, Yassia commented, true admiration in her voice. Would she one day be able to transfer all she had learnt from believes into guidelines of actions, so it could benefit her people? Somehow she was sure, this man had already completed that step. She couldn’t be sure of course, if he was yet ruler of anything, but he would be a good one, if he one day was!
“Well, I am sure, you can convince some others to think like you do in due time”, she encouraged him with a smile. “One man is a start, and it needs more of your calibre to make this world a better place. Maybe you will find those with a similar mindset?”

Now they had delved deep into even deeper topics, religion, belief and the ways of life and mankind. It had been long since Yassia had last felt the leisure to think about anything but travelling, staying undetected and the like, let alone discuss such things. Doing so now seemed like a wonderful holiday from her pains and her hardship, and she felt like being in her own company again – even if that might be judgemental and unfair as well towards all those she had met so far. It didn’t even hurt that much to think of similar discussions she sometimes had had back in Ailantha, with either Mircea or her father. Both were no longer on this earth, one for sure, and the other almost for certain. But they watched over her from the stars above, of that she was sure!
”I know a few who believe that for sure!” Yassia agreed and sighed. “Even in my people’s belief, it is said that the stars watch over the fates of the humans most, but that we are given the animals and all the world for CARE, not for exploitation. They see everything you do, and if they don’t like what they see, they will make it known.”

[Sebastian]

The Prince shrugged, sighing softly. "I have done no more than my duties have commanded," he admitted, though this was not strictly true. He was not about to gloat, though, for as far as he could see, there was nothing to gloat about. "But I will agree that I have learned from my... experiences. " For how could one not learn from the cruedness and cruelty of their own family toward the people they supposedly governed? He chuckled softly as she complimented him, nodding his head to her in respect. "I thank you for your words, and I think you are right; I hope to find more who think as I do, though I am not sure how long this will take."

He listened to her thoughts, nodding softly. "I can see how such thoughts would comfort a man, or woman," he agreed quietly. "But I find it better not to believe in such fates, for then you begin to condemn them when things do not go to plan, when indeed it is simply your own doing that things are not the way you wish them to be."

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

Modest too, apparently. Without probably even wanting it, this man was collecting more and more on the good side of the weighing scale. Unless, though, it was all nothing but a game. Guifré could do that too, act the benignant, gentle and just soul, to whom everyone paled in comparison. But then, Yassia had always been able to see through that charade and the mask he had been putting on, and not only because it was convenient for her to do so, as he was not letting her have her will. In the beginning, she had hoped to find a good soul in her father’s brother, but even their first meeting after her father’s death had swiftly convinced her otherwise. The bad thing about that was though that he had been able to fool everyone else. He had that habit of twisting everyone around his little finger while they thought he made nothing but complete sense. Did that make her good in judging people? Yassia could honestly not tell anymore, even though she was inclined to trust this man right before her.


“Well, what do they say: good things come to those who wait”, she remarked teasingly and smiled at him. Patience truly was a hard virtue to learn, and she wondered if he was blessed with it as well, amongst all those other good traits. But nobody was perfect after all, it would even make him seem a little less scary if patience wasn’t one of his virtues. “And a better world with fellow souls is surely something worth waiting for, if you do your share to make it happen.”

Then, however, Yassia felt a little taken aback at Sebastian’s opinions about fate. Did he really mean to imply that everything in life was a mere matter of what one did wrong or right? What about the unexpected turnout of things? Could that all really be self-induced? If that were true…
Guilt started its acid work in her stomach again as she asked, almost too quietly: “Is everything that goes wrong really our doing? Say, for example, a storm unexpectedly rises, and a boat capsizes. A man dies in this storm, drowns presumably and his body is never found. Was that a twist of fate, or was it your fault, because he was on that boat because of you?” No… he couldn’t mean that, now could he? The sheer thought was unbearable. But he had been right about so many things before…

[Sebastian]

The Prince chuckled, for he could not help it. For some reason, Yassia's words made sense to him. He had been brought up in a world of confusion, lies and false-truths. And this girl, this wayfairing stranger, was telling him that he should not give into despair. He sighed softly, shrugging. "I have also heard it said that he who waits for time to change the tide is a fool." It was something his family often said; especailly his mother. But then... she was not exactly the sort one would want to believe the word of too easily. "Although I agree with you; a world with fellow souls is to be desired, and is worth the wait... as long as it eventually comes."

He paused at her words, analysing them quietly. It didn't take a genius to realise she was talking most likely of her own past. Hmm. Well, he would not mollycoddle her - he wasn't sure she would appreciate him placating her for the sake of it. But he chose his words with care, patting his horse's neck absentmindedly as the animal grazed at the lush grasses. "I think," he stated quietly. "That we are responsible for certain things, but you misunderstand me if you think I am pompous enough to believe we are in charge of everything. For who can control the weather, the storms, the sun itself, or, indeed, the seas?" He turned to face her. "I think we cast a die that starts events, but we canot control the outcome, the ending." He ducked his head, sighing "Forgive me if I have been too presumtuous, my friend."