A short fiction piece written for my friend, based on the roleplaying game Forbidden Lands.
They say love is a form of courage, even the love between Ivan and Joanne, is one of the greatest.
When Ivan first joined the Iron Guards, he was asked to remember three main principles of the Rust Brotherhood. First, do not question the authority of the God Rust and Hume; second, do not question the authority of the High Priest; third, the heretics must perish in this land. The boy followed every order given by the Brotherhood. He rode the demonic horses with his troops, slaughtering every man and woman who was declared as the enemy of his religion. With his crossbow, Ivan took away the lives of ogres, elves, humans in one-shot. Thus, earning the title of the Iron Crossbow.
The Raven Sisters were seen as the pricks in the Brotherhood's neck; a group of witches who brought nothing but trouble. They were on top of the purge list, no mercy should be granted to these women for they believed in a false god. Ivan was responsible for many of their deaths; their blood had tainted his hands in red and their agonizing face still haunted him in his dreams.
However, Joanne saved him from his nightmare.
Ivan met her in a village during one of his solo patrols, where she was tending a few sick villages. He was mesmerized by Joanne's golden hair that reflected the sunlight and her graceful demeanor when she fed the healing potion to the younger children. When she saw Ivan, she was not intimidated by his presence. Instead, Joanne gave him a cup of tea to refresh himself from the afternoon heat. Her unusual behavior and reaction caused Ivan to develop an interest in Joanne and sparked his desire to know her more.
The two of them started as secret friends. As a half-elf, Joanne was skilled in aqua-magic. She knew how to transmit messages through water droplets which he could read them in private. In return, Ivan would visit her during his solo patrols around the villages. They would surprise each other with wonderful gifts and stories from different places. This lasted for three months until Ivan realized his romantic feelings towards the other.
Ivan was paranoid about this forbidden love towards a Raven Sister. He was afraid of being found out by the other members of the Brotherhood. He would be stripped from his ranks, executed in public, then reborn as an emotionless and ruthless Death Knight. To prevent this, Ivan decided to keep this secret deep in his heart. Yet he did not realize that Joanne knew about his feelings, who then reciprocated him with a kiss on the lips.
The young lovers soon developed a plan to escape from their respective religions by eloping together. They decided to meet each other at Belifar, a country free from religion. Ivan was hesitant to leave the Brotherhood, but the thought of Joanne, his fearless lover who was waiting for him to arrive, lifted his determination to give up his title and lifestyle. On one mass prayer night, Ivan quietly sneaked out from the iron walls of the Church of Ruth and made his way into the woods.
Despite the area was well-known for dangerous creatures lurking out to hunt their prey, Ivan did not pay attention to any sound or movement around him. All he could think of was to unite with his beloved and spent their life together without worrying about death. Even if he might face a deadly Manticore or a poisonous Scorpions, Ivan would not stop his feet but go forward.
Ivan soon heard footsteps following him, yet he did not mind them. Probably some insects or beats, he thought. He was wrong. As the echoes of the noise got closer, Ivan felt a sharp sensation cutting through his abdomen. It was a Death Knight, wielding a longsword stained with fresh red blood. Although the Iron Guards was famed to be strong, a Death Knight was two times stronger than an average Iron Guard. Ivan was lucky that he still had his Iron Guard gear on him, otherwise, he would be split into two.
The undead was sent by the Brotherhood, who had known about Ivan's escape and betrayal. Ruth Brothers were not the forgiving and understanding type. The Death Knight was their cat to Ivan's mouse, defining the prey and predator relation. Ivan ran as fast as he could, trying to escape the sight of the dark knight. It was futile. The Death Knight's strong sense of smell on living creatures managed to detect him.
The chase led both of them to reach a cliff, placing Ivan's life at stake. In front of him was an indestructible monster who could kill him in one blow, there was no way he could go on a fight against the creature. On the other hand, his body would smash into pieces if he fell from the cliff into the pit of darkness. Both could take him to the gates of death, and separate him with his lover.
Ivan then realized the Death Knight had a flaw which could put him in an advantage. Smiling confidently, he waited for the undead to charge towards him, causing both of them to fall into the pit. As they were descending into the abyss, Ivan shot a rope-attached arrow to the surface above, successfully preventing him from sinking into the darkness.
When he reached back the cliff, it was already dawn. The light of the East showed Ivan the path to the border of Belifar. Even though there was still a long way to go, Ivan believed that he could reach his destination before sunset, joining his lover who was waiting for him.
Finished by, 28th April 2020