Rojuun by John H. Carroll

Liselle’s garb. She was well prepared for
the road with woolen leggings and a green tunic she had made. They
were sturdier than most clothing found in shops throughout the
countries he had traveled. There was also a wool lined, hooded
leather jacket, which would keep her warm and protect her from rain
and snow. Though it was overcast, the weather was warm enough that
she kept the jacket off. A bow made by her uncle was tied to the
saddle along with a quiver of arrows.
    Liselle undid the ponytail in her dark,
curly hair and sat down on a fallen log to braid it. She took the
flower pin out of her hair. Tathan hadn’t realized that it had long
green strands with leaves. As Liselle re-braided, she wove the
strands back into her hair, making them disappear again. The purple
petals of the flower usually sat above her left ear, though he
remembered it being in different places on occasion.
    Tathan was worried for her. Much of the
world was dangerous for young women, especially attractive ones
like his cousin. Liselle was taller than most women were and had a
pretty face, which would be noticed by men. Long lashes highlighted
pearl grey eyes that originally seemed ready to challenge the
world, but had been filled with a sad tentativeness since leaving
home. As Tathan moved to check the horses, he decided that anyone
who took an evil interest in her would die quickly. Tathan would
not risk his cousin’s safety.
     
    ***
     
    As she sat braiding her hair, Liselle
studied Tathan’s garb, not realizing he had just done the same with
her. It was dark and foreign to her eyes. The leather jacket he
wore was pure black with runes down the front opening. It had no
other markings or even seams. It was the jacket he had worn when
fighting off the riders, yet there wasn’t a drop of blood on it or
even a stain.
    The leggings were dark brown, made of a
material she didn’t recognize. Thin bands at the ankles kept them
tightly wrapped. The tunic was black with brown leather sewn
throughout in a way that was alien to her eyes. His black leather
shoes fit his feet tightly. In fact, all of his clothing was tight.
She realized he made no noise whenever he moved.
    Other than that, he was tall with short,
black, curly hair. His face was handsome, she supposed, or could be
if he would smile occasionally. She wondered what had caused him to
be so dark and jumpy.
    “Tathan,” she called to him. “The way you
fought was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Where did you learn
that?”
    “That’s a long story, Cousin.”
    “I’d like to hear it. You can tell me as we
ride.” She finished the braid and moved toward her horse.
     
    ***
     
    He helped her onto hers and then got on his
own. “Alright, I’ll tell you as much as I can.” Once they were
moving, he began. “After leaving home, I traveled west along a
small trail down the mountains. While walking, I would swing a
stick thinking I was some great hero.” Tathan grinned wryly. “I
didn’t know anything of the world or how rough it was. In the first
big town I came to, a group of thugs ambushed me and left me for
dead in an alley. My mighty stick was useless in a fight. It lay
broken next to me.”
    “That’s terrible!” Liselle exclaimed in
astonishment. “Well, obviously you didn’t die. What happened
then?”
    “I was found by monks who took me to their
monastery and healed me,” he said. “I stayed with them for a year.
They taught me basic self-defense and meditation, which I
discovered to be a very useful tool.”
    Liselle shifted on the saddle to get
comfortable. “So you stayed with the monks for a year. Why did you
leave the monastery?”
    “They wanted me to join them and become a
monk.” His face twisted in displeasure. “I was not going to become
a monk. I didn’t mind working for them while they taught me, but I
didn’t want to join.”
    “Ahh, so where did you go then?” she
asked.
    “I traveled to a city in the Kingdom of
Swelth. It astounded me at the