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"Reunion of the Warriors" (Sajah Village) Marguerite My love How could a beauty Turn into a nightmare "Sir, wake up!" a high voice called. Georg groaned, then opened his eyes to find the young innkeeper standing over him, with a concerned look on her face. < What was her name? > Georg thought. < Flora? Oh I remember, Rose! > "I'm alright Rose, I just had a nightmare. Nothing to worry about." Georg said shaking his head. Rose played with her auburn hair. "If you say so sir. By the way, I found this on the floor. Does it belong to you?" In her tiny hand, a crystal heart necklace laid, reflecting the morning sun, into rainbow prisms. Georg stared at it intensively, then reached over and grasped it in his huge hands. Memories came back to haunt him, almost crushing his soul. He bowed his head and trembled slightly. "Sir?" Rose asked. Georg removed himself from his fantasy world and focused his attention on the young woman. "Yes?" he replied. "We have some breakfast for you downstairs, when you're ready." Rose said. Georg took Rose's hand in his and gently pressed his lips against it. "Thank you for your hospitality." he said softly. The auburn haired woman started to blush furiously. "Uh-uh I better go check on the food." she stuttered. She ran down the creaky stairs leaving Georg alone. The former knight stared at the necklace, hoping to bring back Marguerite. Humphrey walked into Sajah Village, taking in the rural setting. He preferred countryside to bustling city life. One could take life slowly without rushing forward with any purpose. As he entered, Humphrey absorbed everything about the small town. The only establishments open were an inn, an item shop, and a few wooden houses along the main road. Now Humphrey proceeded to walk into the small in. The atmosphere suggested comfort and hospitality. Behind the wooden counter, a young red-haired woman frantically ran around trying to finish cooking breakfast. A pleasant aroma wafted through the room. Five tables were strategically positioned in front of the window, which overlooked the lush greenery and colorful flora. The young innkeeper finally noticed Humphrey and walked over to greet him. "Greeting sir! Welcome to the Highwind Inn! Would you like something to eat?" she said pleasantly. "Sure." Humphrey said, his answer barely audible. The innkeeper directed to a table in front of the window. Humphrey settled his massive form onto a chair, placing his khopesh next to the wall. In a few minutes the innkeeper reappeared with a tray full of breakfast foods. Scrambled eggs were complemented by sizzling bacon. A huge stack of pancakes was covered by thick maple syrup. Finally a cup of steaming hot coffee finished off the meal. She placed the tray on table, along with serving utensils. "Enjoy your meal." the woman said, walking back to the counter. Immediately, Humphrey started to devour his meal. He realized that the eggs were rather bland so he stood up to ask for some salt and pepper from the innkeeper. As he crossed the base of the staircase, he bumped into another person. Upon hearing the sound of a sword being drawn, the war veteran immediately responded by grabbing his khopesh. Without thinking, Humphrey grabbed the man's cloak and threw him over his shoulders. The man crashed into the far wall, dazed. Humphrey walked over and placed the tip of his khopesh on the man's exposed throat. Quickly, Humphrey's opponent grabbed his two-handed sword and pushed it against Humphrey's chest. For the first time, the two pairs of icy-blue eyes met. Humphrey recoiled, for the man he had just attacked was Georg Prime. Shocked beyond belief, Humphrey double-checked to be sure. The features were exactly the same, except that Georg looked older and more worn out. Georg hoisted himself to a standing position. "Humphrey?" he asked. "Georg?" Humphrey replied. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Then Georg reached over and slapped the younger man on the back. "Humphrey, my friend! What are you doing all the way put here?" he exclaimed. "Let's sit down first, then we can discuss business." Humphrey said, placing his sword back into its holder. The two men walked over to the table near the window. Rose reappeared with another tray piled with food. She placed it in front of Georg. "Is everything alright?" she asked. "I heard some commotion in the kitchen." "Don't worry." Georg said confidently. "We've worked everything out." "Can I have some more coffee?" Humphrey said, indicating his empty mug. "Most certainly." Rose replied, disappearing into the kitchen. Georg took a swig of his black coffee. After swallowing, he leaned over and asked Humphrey: "So my friend, what have you been doing for the past seven years?" "I fought in the Toran Liberation War three years ago. Now I am taking my friend Futch on a journey to find a dragon." Humphrey said, nibbling on a piece of bacon. "And you?" Georg ran his hands through his raven-black hair. "Well I served as a Royal Guard in Falena for two years. After that, I wandered through Harmonia for the past four years, living the life of a hermit." he laughed hoarsely. "Quite a lonely existence, but anyway why are you here? Were you looking for me?" Humphrey slowly nodded. "Yes." Georg drank some more coffee. "Really? Why?" Before the blond haired man could answer, Rose returned with Humphrey's refill. She placed it beside the pewter plate. Georg sat up and winked at her: "The food is delicious. You are truly a great chief." Rose's cheeks turned bright scarlet. "Uh-uh thank you sir. I'll-I'll go get your bill now." The young innkeeper ran to the back of the inn. Humphrey shook his head. "Always the ladies man." he commented. Georg grinned, then preceded to devour his eggs. Humphrey continued. "Anyway, Lepant, the current president of the Toran Republic, wants you to reclaim your position as one of the 6 Generals. I was sent to find you and bring you back to Gregminister." Georg's fork stopped midway to his mouth. "Really? Who are the other generals?" Humphrey pondered the question. "Kwanda Rosman, Kazil Hasim, Milich the Flower General, Sonya Shulen, and Valeria." After chewing his eggs, the older man sighed. "I don't know my friend. I'm getting old; my body can't take much more abuse." The raven-haired man stood up to stretch his tired limbs. An object dropped from beneath his tan cape unto the floor with a clunk. Curiously, Humphrey picked up the object and examined it closely. It was a blue crystal heart necklace connected to a silver chain. < What is Georg doing with such an exquisite item? > Humphrey wondered. Noticing his empty pocket, Georg snatched the necklace from Humphrey and stuffed it back into his pocket. Before the younger man could open his mouth, Georg said abruptly: "Don't worry about that; it was nothing." Then Georg shouted to Rose, changing the subject. "Hey, can we have our bill please?" Surprised by his friend's moodiness, Humphrey decided to keep his mouth shut. A commotion from the entrance of the inn distracted the two warrior's attention. Two Highland soldiers had entered the building and started to harass Rose. "Hey baby, you want to go upstairs and have a good time?" a soldier leered. Rose kept her eyes downcast, fixed on the tray of food she was preparing. "I'm no that type of girl gentlemen. Now please leave me alone!" "Come on baby. I can show you what true love is" the guard said. "Yeah, we'll leave you with a few minutes that you'll never forget." the other guard chimed in. Georg and Humphrey exchanged glances, and then drew their swords, Kumo and Murasama, mutually. They walked over to the guards and glared at them. The bolder guard asked nervously: "What do you guys want?" Georg replied, "Leave the woman alone. Don't you have a job to do?" The two guards looked the older men up and down. Between Humphrey's chiseled features and Georg's hardened eyes, the guards were easily intimated. "Come on, let's get put of here." one guard muttered. The Highland soldiers slithered out of the inn to the cheers of the patrons. Rose ran over and rewarded the two heroes with a kiss on the cheek. Blushing, Georg asked: "Can we have our bill, please?" "It's on the house sir!" Rose said, beaming through her cedar brown eyes. Georg motioned for Humphrey to come to his side. "Alright Rose, thank you for your hospitality. We'll see you later." he said, winking at her. "It's no problem. Have a nice day." Rose said dreamily. The two warriors exited the Highwind Inn into the brilliant sunlight. They sat under the shade of a giant oak by the main road. Humphrey turned to his friend and commented: "You have a way with women." Georg smiled. "Yes I do. However it causes me more heartache than pleasure." Heartache that lasts a lifetime. Humphrey noticed that Georg was fiddling with the necklace in his pocket. What is he hiding? He never acted this way before. The older man stood up, lifting his hefty body off the ground. "Humphrey I need to buy supplies in L'Renouille. When we reach there, I'll tell you my decision regarding Toran." Georg said, polishing his sword on his cape. "Okay." Humphrey said, as he stood up. The two men enjoyed the fair weather for a while, and then Georg sighed. "Let's go to L'Renouille." The war veterans walked out of Sajah Village, determined to travel to the Highland capital before sundown. Beams from the golden sun reflected on the men, attempting to reach their hardened souls.
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