Borderlands of Rhynland

At the borderlands, a small camp has been set up near the tranquil stream. In a form vaguely resembling something possibly human, perhaps elven, Ludwig sits, preparing a meal before setting out and finding tasks that he can do, enemies to fight. Ludwig pokes at the fire and crouches near it.

At a leisurely pace, a young man walked along one of the land’s many streams. For all Matthew knew, days could have gone by as he followed stream after stream as he took in the scenery. Though he was a little anxious to be getting back to familiar territory, he figured that there was no rush, that minstrels often traveled. Matthew was so caught up in his thoughts that he had almost carelessly walked through a stranger’s camp but luckily stopped himself just before he got close enough to be spotted.

He had planned to go much further today, but the sunset catches him while he is still figuring out how to pass a river flowing in the middle of the forest (probably people in that region would call it a stream, but to Feliciano it looks really broad).
It's fine for him, though; it's not that he is expecting to reach a particular town or castle tonight. He's kind of lost, if you want to say so, but you know, not having a real destination in his journey makes the forest a good place to rest as any other.
He drops his sword and his backpack, and starts picking up some pieces of wood and bark to make a fire. He soon gets bored of the job and sits down to rest, staring at the dancing flames in front of him. His legs are hurting a bit, but Feliciano's not complaining: it's been a nice and sunny day, and the air smells of a soft scent of flowers and leaves.
It doesn't take long until he changes his mind, though.
The night and its darkness come quickly, and Feliciano finds himself suddenly surrounded by the shadows. The small light of the fire isn't enough to keep them at bay, and the boy starts glancing around, nervous and scared. The smell of the forest has disappeared, and now from the trees is coming a strange and scary orchestra of unknown noises.
Feliciano sits closer to the fire. With trembling hands, he grabs his mandolin, touching the strings with maybe too much strength. He starts singing - there's nothing better than his own voice to fight the scary murmuring of the night: the lauder he sings, the safer he feels, and the only thing that he can think of singing about to cheer himself up is obviously food.
"Viva la pappa pappa col popopopopopopomodooorooo…."*



*= "Viva la pappa col pomodoro"

Not the average human that he appeared, Ludwig thought he heard the sounds of someone near his camp. He would stay prepared for the night, but would not disturb the other traveler, one he assumed, unless he heard additional movement from them. He could hear another not far off in the other direction, and he was beginning to wonder why suddenly this area was becoming so popular. In all of his time in the kingdom, he had never encountered more than one group traveling in the area.
He assumed that one or both would pass nearer his camp should they move on their current paths. Approaching them as they passed tended to work better in getting him a job.
He stripped down his armor only to what he absolutely needed to in order to get some sleep, and he pulled them into the small tent with him.
He had just begun to settle down when he heard singing at one of the other camps. He put his breastplate back on, strapping his mace and shield on as well. He didn't bother to pack up his entire campsite, just necessities he didn't want stolen.
Walking to the other camp, the source of the singing, he saw the young man singing, attempting to make enough noise in his approach to alert him that he was there and not scare the boy to death.

After a while, Matthew realized he was being paranoid. Knowing the kinds of people who lived in these lands, he was almost certain the man in armor had heard him. Matthew decided to go into a clearing and make his own fire, reasoning that if the man hadn’t done anything yet, he, a simple lute player, was less likely to be in any danger. But he knew the potential was still there and he nervously walked into a clearing with an armful of wood, thinking of all the things that could go wrong and what this stupid action could cost him.
He feels a little safer when he sees the light of a second fire not far off from the armored man’s. Though when he’s making his own fire, he drops everything in surprise when he hears the faint sound of a voice and the strum of a mandolin. With a laugh, he wondered how anyone could play so loudly in a situation like this and looked up to see the closer man walk towards the farther campfire.
Though he hoped the singing man wouldn’t be attacked or anything and as much as he wanted to see the man who was performing to himself, Matthew knew it was safest to just stay put. After a minute or so, his curiosity got the better of him and he gave up building a fire for gathering up all of his belongings and walking towards the sound of the song.

He had almost reached the end of the song, when, over the final chords of his mandolin, he heard the unmistakable noise of steps approaching.
With a gasp, he suddenly started playing and singing again, even lauder than before.
He had learned how to cast some defence spells through his magic, back home. Sadly, he had also never practiced any of them.
So he restricted himself to strongly hope that the mysterious steps would simply fade away, and kept singing hysterically.
"Go away go away go awaaaaay...!" he desperately thought, concentrating all his will-power in that request.

Ludwig winced as the song grew noisier. "Excuse me," Ludwig said loudly, trying to be heard over the young man's singing. He was trying very hard not to react to the noise of someone approaching behind him. It was fairly obvious the boy was frightened. "Hello?"

He raised his hands to show he meant no harm. "Please, can you stop playing?"

As he heard the voice right behind him, he leapt immediately on his feet, grabbing his mandolin and holding it in front of him like a shield.
"P-please do-don't kill me...!" he started pleading as he turned to face the monster - which wasn't exactly a monster, but a tall blonde man in armor - not that this made any difference from Feliciano's terrified point of view, anyway. He glanced at the raised hands of the warrior, thinking that he was probably going to hit him.
"I'll do anything, aaaaanything you want, but please don't kill me don't kill me don'tkillmeeeeeee..." he cried loud, trying uselessly to hide behind his instrument.

Ludwig sighed. "I don't intend to kill you. I was just asking you to be a bit more quiet so that I can sleep at my camp nearby." He stepped nearer to the smaller man and placed his hand at the neck of the instrument, lowering it. "If you are this worried being in Rhynland, why do you travel alone?"

There was a hint of concern in his voice, which he hoped sounded genuine, but he was already planning on offering his services to the young man, should he need them. A little extra money as a body guard never hurt, and he preferred, as a rule, protecting someone rather than killing someone on orders. "You would be welcome to come to my encampment if you would like some company for the night, particularly company familiar with the area."

Matthew was close enough to see the taller man grab the neck of the mandolin while the smaller cowered in fear. He frowned and moved more quickly to the site. Although he was close enough to see their mouths moving, he couldn't make out what they were saying. Slightly concerned for the fellow musician, he called out.

“Everything alright over there?” he asked. Not that he’d be the best help if everything wasn’t alright. But the other two didn’t have to know that at the moment. As he said this he tried to appear as intimidating as possible just in case, which wasn't much for him. Matthew was pretty tall, maybe as tall as the armored man in front of him but he was lanky enough to give away his lack of physical strength. But it was dark, so he hoped that it didn't show much.

Ludwig glanced over, his left hand moving up just a few inches until he could see the stranger. "I believe so." A right-hander by nature, he could still be deadly with the mace at his back if he needed to be. "I am just to calm this man down."

He tried to allow his eyes to adjust not only to the natural darkness, but to being in an area lit up by the small stranger's fire. It made the new stranger appear in darker shadow than he would have otherwise and Ludwig was able to at least make out a figure similar in height to himself. "What brings you to Rhynland?"

He glanced down at the other man behind his instrument, wondering if he'd get a coherent answer out of him or if his fear of Ludwig would keep him nonsensical for some time.

Feliciano had stood frozen in his place, too scared to answer to the warrior's question, until the second stranger appeared.
This new guy seemed less scary than the warrior, and his voice sounded firm but at the same time, somehow, gentle.
He calmed down a bit - after all, the tall man in front of him wasn't hurting him, and was even showing some concern towards him.
They were probably travelers like him, Feliciano thought, allowing himself to breathe deep, and lowering the mandolin.

"I'm sorry for the noise, but the forest is so scary in the night..." he told with a humble and still trembling voice, glancing at both of them.
"I can't help but traveling alone - he answered, sighing - they sent me in this journey all by myself... my only company is my mandolin. - he caressed the strings of the instrument, producing a sad chord. - But it's nice to see that there are other people out there too." he added, smiling to the two of them, like he had suddenly forgotten that the other traveler's appearance had just scared him to death.

Nodding, Matthew now more sure that the armored stranger didn’t mean the other traveler any harm. The man even seemed to want to help the mandolin player and although this may have been for a different reason, it didn’t seem like a dangerous one. Besides, things never ended well for Matthew when he got overly paranoid in the past, so being suspicious of everyone would do him no good.

He was about to ask the smaller man what he meant by ‘they’ and the journey he talked about but hesitated, realizing that he would end up appearing suspicious as well.

“That was more than just noise, you play excellently,” he said. Though he said this to assure him, it was true, the man had talent. He himself was probably average. Matthew found the last part the stranger said funny since he experienced the opposite; he was perfectly fine and unafraid until he encountered others on his journey.

"What journey?" Ludwig asked, grateful the other man was finally calm enough to answer him. He released the neck of the mandolin and looked at him. "And do you have to necessarily travel alone? I am always willing to travel, with a bit of compensation for my time." He eyed the two men closely.

He folded his arms at his chest and waited for an answer, trying to look imposing enough to act as a guard, but not so intimidating that he frightened the prospective client. For all he'd learned during his experience as a mercenary, one might have thought that was all he had been raised to know. But a noble and a mercenary alike both had to know how to understand, occasionally play on, the emotions of others to gain trust and success.

"Eeeh, do you really think so? Thank you sir!" Feliciano cheered up, bowing gratefully to the second stranger. He already liked that man, his kind and discreet attitude made him feel reassured.

He glanced at the warrior: earlier, he had mentioned something like being a "company familiar with the area"; he was probably a mercenary of some sort.
The blonde had looked terrifying to him, with that big armor and those weapons, but now that Feliciano had calmed down he thought that having such company by his side would have helped him for sure.
"Would you really come with me? My family said I was too useless, at home, so they kicked me out. They said I should go back only after I've learnt how to live on my own." he explained, with a sort of embarrassed smile on his face. Well, hiring a bodyguard was a sign of self-sufficiency, wasn't it?
"Ehm, because of that, it's not that I have so much money with me now, but my family will surely be happy to pay you back if you keep me safe all the way through these scary places..." he pleaded, trying to sound convincing.

It wasn't quite as good of an offer as he'd hoped, but it was something, he supposed. It wasn't as though he had to have the money. It was the adventure, mostly, for him. "If you can provide enough for us both to eat, that will be enough until I can get payment from your family. But we'll have to do things my way."

He looked around at the young man's encampment. "Why don't we pack all of this up and you can join me at my camp site." He looked to the other man. "You may as well if you would like."

Not really waiting for an answer, he began to pack up. "The name is Ludwig, by the way."

Matthew accepted Ludwig’s offer before helping him pack up. Just then, something occurred to him. Why would a man who had a sword hide behind his mandolin? He chuckled softly, thinking that maybe he did need a bodyguard. But Matthew could relate to him, he had only just started traveling further from home than usual a little over five months ago. He probably would have acted in the same manner not to long ago.

“Oh, and I’m Matthew Williams,” he thought for a moment, “If you need the money, I can give you some.” Back home, his family had often given him things to keep him occupied, often ignoring him for a great deal afterward. He never really bought anything for himself so when he left home he brought along with him a nice sum of money. However, after living as a minstrel for a while he realized that money only weighs people down—and not in the literal sense. So ever since, he’s been giving it away haphazardly.

(I'm pretty sure your intro said he had a sword. If I'm wrong, feel free to kick me for being an idiot, haha)

He hurried up and picked up his backpack and his sword, fastening it at his belt.
"My name is Feliciano Vargas, I come from the Kingdom of the Sun!" he said, going closer to the warrior, ready to follow him wherever his camping site was. He didn't mind at all that someone took the lead of his journey. He had left home less than two weeks before, and he had already had enough of thinking and deciding by himself.

"Speaking of food, I can cook for you at your camp, to repay your kindness!" he suggested cheerfully, smiling at both men.
Now that the fear was gone, he had suddenly regained his appetite.


(yes you're totally right. He didn't even think of using it; not that he can use it properly, anyway)

"Nice to meet you both. If you can provide me with enough for food, we can work out payment some other way or at a later time." He gathered a few items and carried them over to his camp. "Follow me. We should get all of this easily in one trip, maybe two."

Having the two others with him would mean he would have to stay in a human form, but it wasn't as though he hadn't stayed in a human form for a long period before, or that he wouldn't be able to sneak away on occasion to stretch his limbs, the real ones. "So, where are the two of you headed? Is there anywhere in particular? Or are you merely traveling and exploring?"

Although Matthew would have wanted to pick up more, he still had his own supplies on his back to consider. But considering his spine was more important than his pride, he picked up some light items and followed Ludwig. The other man’s question had him pondering for a moment. When he left home, he remembered walking away with a goal. The only problem was he was never sure what that goal was, exactly. At the moment, he couldn’t think of anything better to tell than just that.

“I don’t really have an exact destination,” he said. Not yet, at least, he silently added. “So I’ll be fine whichever direction we go in. Was there anywhere either of you two were going?” Throughout Matthew’s traveling he had only ever gone alone. He figured that a group would be an interesting experience, if nothing else.

"I didn't have anywhere in particular. I mostly work for hire." He was hauling some of the heavier items. "It passes the time."

He could have been like the other spoiled noble youth, though he wasn't entirely a youth any longer. Still, those who were not classified as young adults often acted out of their own pleasure. Ludwig knew that his work as a mercenary could only help his skills, should somehow he manage to become next in line to the throne.

Or that someone decided to keep him out of the running. Scandal and intrigue stories about royalty didn't come from nowhere, after all. "Is there anything else left?"

There was nothing let in the small clearing next to the bench, a part from the ashes of the small fire he had made. A part from his backpack, sword and mandolin, the other two had already picked up almost everything.

"I don't have anywhere to go either... but I was wondering if there are any nice places to go to in this area, I have a map but I don't know which of the towns are worth seeing." he answered, trotting after them.

"So why are you traveling, sir?" he asked, as he got closer to the kind one - Matthew.

“Well, I guess I’m out here to live on my own like you, although for me, it was my choice. And I may or may not go back,” Matthew answered. “I don't even think they knew I was leaving. Maybe if they weren’t so preoccupied over their other so—“ he stopped, suddenly aware that was muttering to himself, which he did every so often. It was a bad habit he had picked up when he was a child when he occasionally murmuring complaints under his breath to control his stress. Now that he was older, it was just an embarrassment.

“So anyway, I thought it’d be best to escape the mundane life I was leading,” he said softly, his smile half nervous and half apologetic. Mentally, though, he was kicking himself for almost spilling out his personal life to people he hardly knew.

Feliciano mentioning a map reminded him that he had lost his own not long ago. He really hadn’t meant to go to Rhynland, but his mistake seemed to be paying off.

Ludwig raised an eyebrow at the taller of his new companions' murmuring. Family issues, he assumed. For the most part, he got along with his own family members, but of those closest to him, he had so little in common. He understood culture and arts, but he wasn't the type to devote himself to it, and he preferred quiet and order to the insanity and noise that the other family member provoked so easily.

"There are a number of beautiful cities in Rhynland, and for the large part, the people here aren't too abrasive. Though if you get on the wrong side of a native, you won't stand much chance against their strength. I would be willing to travel with you in these lands. Unless you would rather explore elsewhere."

Traveling elsewhere would meal less of a chance of getting recognized, but given that he'd kept to himself since reaching adulthood, the odds were fairly good that he could mingle in a crowd without attracting attention.

"However, if the two of you would like to make a name for yourselves, we could ask around about any treasure or legends that could be a start for a mission of sorts."

Feliciano glanced at Matthew when he heard him mumbling, but thought better of asking.
He had always got along well together with his family, though his brother could be a bit of a nuisance, sometimes - but he loved him nevertheless. He wasn't even vaguely angry at them for having sent him away; he thought they had their reasons for doing this, in the end, and he was used to obey without questioning too much.

Ludwig's answer to his earlier question brought the conversation away from personal issues, so he trotted closer to the warrior.

"That would be awesome! - he said happily - If you can show us around those places, I'll be definitely glad to follow!"
He wasn't that scared at the perspective of meeting the natives; Ludwig seemed the kind of guy that one really wants to have on his side in a fight.
"I've never been into a mission before, but it could be funny!" he added, patting the warrior on his shoulder - or rather, on the armor that covered it.
Feliciano had grown up reading poems and stories about heroes and adventures, they were scary at some times, but eventually everything turned out to be okay, and the hero went on living happily forever and ever.