Realization of the Path Not Taken, pt 33

Twenty minutes later, they had checked out of the lodge and were on their way. They stopped at a general store and picked up some supplies. Rian was focused; a subtle thrill of excitement filled him. He kept his eyes peeled for a good spot to set up camp. Aubrey had been pretty quiet. She watched the scenery fly by. She still had a sharp barb of guilt. She had spied on him while he was at his most vulnerable. What would he think of her? The more that she grew close to him, the more mysterious he was.

Rian flicked a quick glance over to her.

“So I was reading that book I got at the New Age shop. Spirits and monsters play a huge role in the stories. Do you have any insight on that?” Aubrey looked over a puzzled smile,

“You want to hear this from me?”

“Yes. Out of the two of us, I am the novice and you are the expert.” He grinned at her, “So please teach me.” They discussed the topic until Rian spied a National Park direction sign.

“There we go! That was what I was looking for!” he exclaimed as he took a sharp turn. Aubrey let out a cry of surprise. Rian laughed as the SUV bounced a bit. “Good thing that this vehicle has four-wheel drive!”

Aubrey held on to the ‘oh shit’ handle as they sped down the unpaved road. She spotted a speed limit sign, it said 25 mph.

“Rian, can you slow it down a bit?”

“I’m good, I have this handled!” He grinned over at her and let his foot off of the gas a bit. His eyes sharply scanned the breaks in the treeline along the sides of the narrow road. The road curved as it led uphill.

As they came down the hill, Rian continued to search. They crossed a strong, reinforced bridge over a large creek. White water spilled and frothed over river stones. Rian stifled an exclamation of delight at the sight. A couple more turns and he found his campsite. He pulled down the driveway and parked. He let out a sigh of happiness and grinned like a schoolboy. Aubrey saw the look on her face and started to laugh with a mirrored joy.

“Well, we managed to make it!” she giggled.

They spent the next couple of hours setting up the camp. Rian was ecstatic that he had found a place that was so close to the creek. He chatted with ‘Bre and asked questions about indigenous metaphysics while they worked. By nightfall, they had both worked up an appetite. Rian raked part of the coals over to provide a stable space for the cast iron skillet that he had brought. In less than two shakes he had dinner sizzling. When it was done he served a plate to Aubrey.

“’Bre, the monsters, are they always evil?” Aubrey took a forkful of the hash that he had made. She chewed and savored while she thought about her answer.

“There are a few exceptions, but for the most part, yes all monsters are evil.” she met his gaze over the fire with a smile. “They are animals or people who through being wronged by people or by their simple nature are against the way of the world. They want to destroy the People.”

“I see.” he gazed into the dancing flames. Aubrey watched the reflection of the campfire in his eyes. He looked up to her, “Aubrey, you said in the dream that you had. I showed up as a monster.”

“Yes.”

“How do you think that you have that impression of me?” Aubrey looked down at her plate and scraped it with her spoon.

“That is what I have been trying to work through since that night in New Castle.” she answered honestly. “I saw something that happened to your face when you were fighting the skin-walker.”

“Is that what she was?”

“Yes,” she confirmed. He drew in a deep breath and shook the dregs of his dinner from the plate into the fire. The flames sparked and sputtered, as it greedily consumed the fuel. He heaved up off of the log. He packaged up the rest of the dinner he had made and set it to one side.

“That is all that I needed to hear.” that wan sad smile came back. He walked around the fire and stood over her and held out his hand. “if you are finished, let me take your plate. I will go wash them up.” She looked up at him and handed him her plate.

“Rian?”

“Yes?”

Aubrey rose to stand before him.

“Just because I dreamt that you were a monster, doesn’t mean that I think that you are one.” she tucked a curl of hair behind her ear. Tightness built in Rian’s chest,

“All of us have monstrous sides to us.” Aubrey bit her lip. He continued, “We are a mixture of light and dark.”

“I am sorry, Rian…” she started. Rian set the dishes down on the log beside him. She reached up and touched his cheek. He held himself still, even though at that for a split second, he had an urge to walk away. His eyes slowly closed as her fingertips brushed against his skin. “I was just scared that night and we haven’t had time to talk about it.”

“Some things about me cannot be shared.” he stated softly, unconsciously he felt the pull of the geas. Its tendrils, steel-like, wrapped around his inner being, causing him to lean into her touch, “Just like there are things about you that it would be inappropriate for me to learn.” She dropped her gaze to the ground. She felt the sting of tears form.

“I want…” she murmured, as she sniffed back the tears. “I want… to know more about you. I want to be in your company.” she clenched her teeth. “No matter the danger…” her breath hitched. Her hand fell away from his face. Rian’s eyes softened as he watched her standing there. He reached forward and with his fingertips lifted her face so she could meet his gaze.

“I would never willingly cause you harm, ‘Bre.”

“I know that. I just didn’t know what I was seeing.”

“Do you see me now? A part of me?” he asked as he took her hand and brought it to his lips, “The best of me that I can show you? Do you think that I don’t want you? To have you around?” Aubrey’s eyes shimmered with tears. Emotions clashed within her, elation fought with trepidation. One tear beaded and traced down her cheek. Rian reached with his thumb and stroked it away.

“What has hurt you so badly?” she whispered, “Was it me?” He let out a low chuckle.

“No, it was never you.” He smiled tenderly, “I was afraid for all of you that night, but most of all, I was terrified that you would be hurt or worse.” he let out a sigh, “As for what has hurt me, let’s see, the cliché is: I am my own worst enemy.” his eyebrows lifted, “In this case it is true, I am the one that is hurting me. You have never hurt me. You have challenged me.” His lips quirked up in a smirk. “I relish that you challenge me, confront me, ask me to do better, with or without words.” He reached up and ran his fingertips through her curls. He then pulled her into a hug. She closed her eyes, relaxing against him.

“I was so jealous at the thought that Josephine was going to entice you into her bed that night.” she muttered against his chest. A thrill filled her when she felt the deep rumble of his chuckle.

“She never had a chance. My attention was all for you.” he pulled away, “Besides, I think that Devin, poor guy, has a crush on her. I wasn’t going to complicate that.” Aubrey let out a guffaw of a laugh.

“He’ll have to tie her down.”

“More than likely.” He let his gaze fall over her, “Look, ‘Bre. We have had a long day and have had some exciting events over this trip so far. I really want to continue this conversation.” he smiled down at her, “but you need to get some sleep. I planned this part of the trip to be an oasis of calm in the midst of all of the excitement. Let me wash the dishes and do some clean up around camp. Go tuck into your bedroll.” Aubrey stuck out her bottom lip in a slight pout. Rian raised his eyebrows in mock warning and looked around quickly, “If you keep that lip out like that, some little bird is going to poop on it.” He picked up the dishes. Another laugh erupted out of her.

“How boyish of you.” she stated snarkily, “I am a grown woman, you can’t order me to bed.”

“Is that a challenge?” Rian countered. She laughed again, which extended into a yawn.

“No, I guess not.”

“Good. Get some sleep. I will be here in the morning.” He spied a spark of longing in her eyes as she waved and headed into her half of the tent. He felt a complementary pang of longing within himself. Once she zipped up her half of the tent, he knelt down and picked up the still warm dinner along with the dishes. He packed these into his backpack The sun had set an hour ago in the West. He snagged the lit lantern as he walked out of the campsite

Rian walked down to the creek. His spirits lifted as he heard the rushing water. Upon reaching the bank he noticed that there was a small path off to the left that led directly to the water. He glanced up and down the waterway. The rest of the banks of the creek were raised, showing the rapid erosion. The bed was a mixture of stone that had been carried down from the Rockies. Green grass, waist high was on the edges of the banks. The path that he stood on was evidently a fishing site. He spotted a large rounded granite boulder just to the right side of the path. He set the packaged dinner and the lantern down on the flattest part of the stone. There were still hints of twilight in the Western sky, the stars were beginning their slow dance of glory overhead. He smiled up at the stars,

“If you can hear me up there,” he called softly, “Please keep an eye out for my Beloved and let me know if she dances among you.” He washed the stainless steel plates and silverware in the cold creek water until they gleamed in the starlight. A feeling of peace fell over him, listening to the laughing babble of the creek and the sound of the evening breeze through the trees. He let out a contented sigh. Once he finished washing and stacking the dishes. He saw that a path ran back from the creek and into the woods. He retrieved his pack and the lantern.

The path wound its way around. Rian spied other campfires off in the distance. This trail that he was following skirted those areas and soon lead to a small clearing among the pine and beech. He walked around the clearing, getting a handle on his bearings. There were a couple of large boulders off to the north-west, a small ring of tiny brown mushrooms were to the eastern side.

“Perfect.” he murmured. He unlaced his boots and slid them off. They were followed by his socks. He let out a pleasant exhale as he wiggled his toes in the grass. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, feeling his connection to the wild around him grow.

He went about setting the space. Murmuring praise to the spirits of the forest around him. Rian set his pack on an old moss covered stump. Unzipping his pack he set out each item reverently; each was an offering. He picked up a small cake of shortbread. He broke it into four smaller pieces and gently placed them in the ring of tiny mushrooms. His whispers of praise soon blossomed into a song of invocation.

There was a trembling in the air. In the distance, the high shimmering ring of tiny bells was heard. Around him, many voices sang in harmony with his own. Rian’s feet found the beat beneath the melody, he began to dance. The atmosphere grew crystalline, vibrating with power. Harmony wove and ascended pulling the power with it. It hit a crescendo and broke, sending a breeze around the clearing. The wind whistle sharply in the trees, shaking the leaves. Rian slowly came to a stop, his very essence humming like a plucked string. Light giggles came from the mushroom ring and fairy lights darted around at the perimeter.

“Very impressive, my son.” Ogma greeted as he stepped into the clearing. A green woolen cloak with a golden solar knot work pattern fell from his shoulders. It matched the kilt that was wrapped around his waist. A white linen loose fitting shirt was tucked into the broad leather belt at his waist. A golden torc with fine scroll work glinted from underneath his collar. A large club hung at his right hip and an elegantly decorated leather scroll case hung on his left. His long golden hair fell to the middle of his back. He glanced back to the edge of the clearing. “Do you agree, Shan Ri Airgetlam?” A stately man with chestnut hair streaked with silver stepped out of the shadows. He was dressed similarly to Ogma, but it had the color pallet of light blue and dove grey. A silver sword hung in a scabbard at his waist. His blue eyes held inscrutable wisdom and compassion.

“Commendable.” he concurred. He glanced up around the clearing. “I haven’t been here before.” he then glanced over at Rian. “Where are we, Dobhar Chu’?” Rian bowed low,

“Yellowstone, Lord of the Sword of Light.” he replied reverently. Ogma stepped forward as Rian straightened back up. He clasped his son’s forearm in greeting. Ogma pulled him into a hug.

“So my son, from the way you sounded, it seems that you have a bit of the troubles.” Rian gave him a sheepish grin,

“Yes, but please, let us eat first.” He went and brought out all of the dishes that he made for dinner. He served up Lord Nuada first, then his Father. After seeing the spread, Ogma smiled over at his son,

“I see that your wife is rubbing off on you.” he said with loving amusement. Nuada smiled when he saw a slight blush come to Rian’s cheeks along with a smile of pride.

“I hope so.” Nuada looked at his plate with a bit of curiosity. He leaned over and whispered to Ogma,

“What’s this?” Rian handed both of the Gods a bottle of stout. Ogma grinned,

“That, my friend, is something that is truly special.” he smiled at Rian and then turned back to Nuada, “It is one of Pravasi’s specialties. Spicy Potatoes.”