[C] Freedom

Bryn stood amongst a crowd of people, giving off instructions as they set up camp.

Come of the new Elves were more eager to help and he sent them with his own men to collect fire would or to gather any food that was nearby.

Once the jobs were completed he sprawled out eagerly by one of the fires, biting into some rations he had gathered from the supply crate.

Fys had gone along with the men to collect firewood. It was an easy enough job. Something that he knew he could do.

He returned with his frail arms filled with twigs and branches.

The boy set the firewood down near the camp fire then took a seat, fairly close to Bryn.

He was the only one Fys was even close to trusting right now. The man had been gentle with him when he had touched him and talked to him when no one else had in the caves.

The boy's amber eyes flickered up to Bryn as he toyed with the hem of his pants idly.

Brynjolf kept a keen eye on everyone they rescued he made a point of knowing each of their names and caring for them all equally, making sure that either himself or one of his men tended to them.

His eye turned up to the boy as he chewed on a piece of jerky, a small smile appearing on his lips.

"You haven't eaten today, you should, we have a long way to go still and food will get harder to come by the further we travel."

They hunted when they could, his men had done well and were currently working of salting and drying some freshly caught meat so they could keep it for the week ahead of them.

The fire he was currently sitting at had a few rabbits slowly roasting above it.

"Help yourself."
He motioned, nodding toward them.

"Everyone else should eat first."

As little as Fys wanted to associate with the other liberated slaves, he did still care about their well-being.

The boy didn't move towards the roasting rabbit, but stared at it silently as he curled in on himself. He wasn't used to being given free range of food. He was used to being given a small ration of bread and sometimes rotting meat if he was good.

This was good meat. Caught and skinned and actually hot.

He didn't know how well his stomach would take it. He was wary of trying it.

"Nonsense."

He replied, shaking his head.

"We are all equals here and we all eat at the same time. There is plenty of food to go around.

If you don't like rabbit there is some jerky in the crate, might be a bit of fruit from the foraging team."

He replied with a shrug, the boy would have to look around for something he liked.

The older Elf was unknowingly foiling Fys' plans to avoid eating new things.

The boy hesitated before standing, padding over to the fire to tear a leg off one of the speared rabbits.

If he was going to eat, he'd start off small.

The boy returned to sitting at a little distance from the fire, sitting noticeably closer to Bryn. This was the first sign of Fys wanting to be in someone's company.

The boy picked at the meat, tearing small chunks off and chewing them slowly.

His mouth water as he continued to feed himself small strips of the meat. It tasted good. He didn't know meat could actually taste so good! he didn't go over-board, though. He continued giving himself small manageable strips.

Slowly coaxing them out of their comfort zone was all a part of the healing process.

He wouldn't bark orders at them or force them if they were hesitant, he hadn't freed them just to impose his own sense of authority onto them.

No, he made suggestions, if they didn't want to act then he didn't say another word until he thought it was time for another go.

A small smile graced his lips as the boy ate slowly, he seemed to enjoy it, do doubt he hadn't received such fresh food in a long time.

"If you like it then when you're feeling up to it I could teach you to hunt and prepare your own rabbit properly, we will still be on the road for a far few days."

For the ones who went off on their own they needed the skill set to be able to survive, whether that be hunting or learning the merchant trade.

When the boy was done, he tossed the bones into the fire, watching them crackle and burn.

He licked his lips and wiped his fingers off on his tunic.

His eyes turned up to Bryn when he was given the offer. He would teach him how to hunt? That would probably save his hide in the future if he was ever caught out in the forest alone.

Fys nodded. "I'd like that."

Hunting was a skill that he would definitely learn now he was out of that hellish place.

"Have we....Are we in Kunla yet?" he asked softly. They had met forests so they were either close to the border or had already passed it.

He hoped it was the latter.

Brynjolf chuckled softly.
"Smart boy."

He hadn't told any of the ones he had rescued where they were heading, he never did just in case they had anyone that would double cross them and give away their location before they were safely in Kunla.

"It will be another hour or two before we cross the border, I didn't want to stop before we passed it but the horses need a break, we covered a lot of land last night, that and everyone needs to eat and drink."

The last thing he needed was for people becoming ill because of overexerting themselves.

"We will rest until nightfall then we will set off again."

It was easier getting across the boarder under the cover of night.

Enfys shook his head at the compliment. "Just observant. This sort of shrubbery doesn't grow in the mainland. Only around the borders."

He knew the mainland of Aedan well. He'd been passed around it countless times. The further you got into the mainland, the less most plants grew. Fys could probably tell where a person was in Aedan just by the type of plants that grew there.

The boy nodded, eyes turning up to the canopy. The light that filtered through glowed with a greenish hue, creating a sort of ethereal sense to the area. Most of the slaves probably didn't remember what it was like to see light like this. They were used to the darkness of their cells or the harsh light of the desert areas.

It was a beautiful sight. One Fys hoped to see plenty of in the future.

Brynjolf gave a nod of his own as his gaze looked over the plant life that surrounded them.

"Very true, the lands of Kunla are very kind to those living out in the wild, the terrain isn't as harsh as Aedan, it's not as barren."

There was plenty of game to hunt, more than enough food to forage if you knew where to look.

"Have you been to Kunla before?"

He asked, many slaves had never seen anything bu the mainland of Aedan, it was a tragedy really, there was so much more beauty in the world than that.

The boy nodded in response.

"Yes. A long time ago."

He'd been a tiny child when he was last in Kunla. He hardly remembered  it. He had very few hazy memories of being there.

"I don't remember much."

The boy began toying with the hem of his pants again, picking at a loose thread.

"Is it true there's equality in Kunla? Elves get treated like people?" He'd heard whispers about it when he worked in the tavern, but he hadn't let himself believe. He didn't want a hopeless dream to cling to.

But these people had bought him hope.

If they were freeing them, they wouldn't take them to a place they wouldn't be able to be free.

"Kunla is very different from what you have experienced in captivity, I don't think you will believe me telling you about it until you see it for yourself.

Men and women are equal, regardless of race, an Elven woman can stand beside an Elemental male and be considered completely equal. A crime against and Elf is considered the same as a crime against an Elemental.

We may not have their magic but we are people, the people of Kunla understand that and there are Elementals that fight for our rights just as valiantly as we do. Our movement is only just beginning so there are those who are still racist against us but slavery has been completely abolished."

It was easy to see Brynjolf's passion for his cause, the fire in his eyes as he spoke of it.

"There is a town where we take all of the freed, it's a humble place but the folk there are kind toward us, they'll help all of you get onto your feet, teach you a trade so that you are able to continue on your own to large cities if you'd like."

Fys smiled a little.

That sounded incredible. It was true that they were equals. Fys couldn't quite get his head around that.

Equals.

The boy pressed a hand against his mouth as he yawned. The few short hours of sleep he had was finally catching up with him. He rubbed his eyes and yawned again but blinked hard to keep himself awake.

"Owning a trade rather than being part of the stock will be strange," he murmured softly.

"All I ask from those I rescue is that you make an honest living for yourself. Kunla is full of law abiding people and I want it to stay that way."

He wanted a good life for all of them, not one where they were stealing or selling their bodies to make ends meet. He gave them the best start he could and hoped they flourished.

"The first girl I saved."

Brynjolf shook his head slowly.

"Little thing was being sold on the black market to an Elemental with a taste for children. Got to her just in time though and you should see her now, all grown up, has a small dairy farm with her husband and two little ones of her own. There is hope for anyone.

You should try get some rest before we set off again, I'll wake you when we start packing if you like." He offered, handing the boy a bundled up blanket to use as a pillow.

The boy nodded. That was understandable. Something that he would quite happily live by.

He'd lived by rules all his life. Following the rules of Kunla would be a nice change to the rules that he had been living by over the past few years.

Fys gave a disgusted little noise. The black market was a terrible place. He had been in and out of it for most of his life before he'd been snapped up by the owner of the tavern and kept there.

"I'm happy you got to her," he murmured. "I'd love to meet her." He'd love to meet anyone that had been saved from slavery. He wanted to know how they adjusted to a new life of freedom. It would be difficult.

Fys shook his head, yawning again. "M not ti-" He cut himself off with another yawn as his eyes drooped shut. "Tired," he insisted.

"You might be able to when we get to Kunla, she welcomes many of the freed with open arms if they are looking for a warm bed and a place to work."

They all earned their keep, but it was a fairly easy life, it gave them something to do each day while they readjusted, place the company of animals was normally preferred over that of other people until they grew more comfortable.

"I know how hard it must be to trust us, but please, take a nap, you'll feel better for it when you wake and I'll watch over you and protect you."

He would guard the boy if it made him feel safer while he was vulnerable.

"Do you?" he asked, his amber eyes turning up to the man, giving him an almost accusing stare.

Did the man really know how hard it was for slaves like him to trust anyone? Had he suffered through the years of physical and mental abuse that they had?

He yawned again, cutting off his thoughts. He was too tired to care.

With a soft sigh, the young Elf moved to lay down. The crown of his head brushed against Bryn's thigh as he curled up into a small ball.

"Keep your hands to-" Yawn. "Self."

Brynjolf simply gave a warm smile in reply as he was accused.

No, he hadn't been a Slave but he had felt the effects of being a lesser creature, being abused by those who held power.

His own story wasn't important, he had gotten into this line of work, not for himself, but for them. They had become his life and their pain was his pain to bare as well.

"Sleep, I nor anyone else will lay a finger on you."

He would make sure of it, and so he sat, completely still as the boy rested, his gaze firmly holding guard, nobody would be allowed near the boy, friend or otherwise and as the day dragged on, it was simply to two of them, cut off from the others as the boy slept.

For a while the boy was still. His face was relaxed, not drawn into a hard expression of distrust.

Without his expression twisted, he looked relaxed. Serene.

The boy couldn't be any older than twenty four. Older than most of the slaves that had been saved, but still quite young. His face was round and his features soft. He really did have a feminine look about him. Even for an Elf, he looked almost too feminine to be male.

His expression twisted a little as his body twitched and he curled up a little more.

A nightmare.

Something Fys suffered with a lot.

He couldn't count the number of times that he had rushed into a room after hearing screams to find one of his Elves panicking in their sleep.

There had been many sleepless nights spent sitting beside them because they couldn't sleep without him in the room, that was the reason he created his squad, there was more of them to connect with the freed and act as guardians through their rough nights.

Byrnjolf didn't touch the boy, it was too soon for stroking to be able to quell him, not if he didn't like to be touched.

Instead he reached over for another blanket and gently covered the boy with it to make him feel more secure and hidden.

The boy's body continued to twitch and writhe as he slept.

It wasn't until a particularly bad moment in the nightmare that he jerked upright with a cry.

His body shook a little as he tried to calm himself down, looking around wildly.

When his eyes settled on Bryn, he relaxed sightly.

He was okay. He was in a clearing on the border of Kunla with freedom fighters. Not...not back there.

"Woah, calm down, it's alright."

He cooed gently, moving closer to the boy but not touching him.

"It was just a nightmare, it can't hurt you."

A small reassuring smile graced the man's lips as he looked down at the boy, his gaze filled with it's usual unyielding warmth.

"I guess resting didn't help as much as I hoped it would."

The boy's lips curled up into a sarcastic little half-smile in response to the man's murmur about resting not helping much.

But it fell soon enough and he gave a sheepish expression. "I get them a lot. Mostly memories of- well, y'know." He shrugged a little.

"I do feel better, though. Needed to sleep."

He got those nightmares so often that even with them, the boy felt well rested.

He ran his hand through his long hair, grimacing as it trailed over his shoulders and flopped in his face.

"Do you have a tie?"

"I hope they fade the longer you're away from your old life."

It could take months or years for the boy to stop having them, but hopefully the severity would decrease when he started to feel safe.

Brynjolf checked his pockets when the boy asked for a tie, he had one holding back his own hair but he didn't want to give it up in case it made his vision worse.

"Here."

He muttered, handing over a strip of clean cotton that was meant to bind wounds, the mission had gone well so he hadn't needed it.