Chapter 5 Chapter 6 A Sort of Homecoming

It was dusk when the exhausted envoy made his way back to Maddenhold Castle.It had been raining since the afternoon, and the tired horses trudged along the muddy road.Arden, sullenly leading the small detachment of knights and infantry, looked back at Tirion worriedly.Tirion slumped in his saddle, not paying attention to what was going on around him.His broad shoulders drooped weakly, his head bowed sadly.The constant rain trickled down his emaciated face like a stream.It broke Alton's heart to see his former lord, and his master, in such a state.He was forced to look aside.Looking at the castle earlier, the captain saw Tirion's advisors gathered at the gate to welcome their returning lord.

Tirion's stomach felt knotted.He is blocked from the Light. In the 30 years he had served as a paladin, he never expected that the blessed power would be taken from him.He felt completely drained from his body.Throwing with despair and pain, he couldn't even raise his eyes to see the sight of his former home. Alton rode slowly forward to the gate and dismounted.Seeing Tirion in a near-comatose state, the advisors asked the captain what was wrong. Alton made a pained expression. "Something has changed," he said curtly to them.The advisors looked at each other in bewilderment.

"What do you mean, Captain? Where have you two been these days? What happened to our lord?" one of them asked eagerly. Alton bowed his head in shame and sadness. "Our Lord Tirion has been found guilty of collaborating with the Alliance," he said with a heavy heart. "The High Court has ordered that he be exiled from our lands." The advisers gasped in shock. "You must be mistaken. Impossible!" said one advisor tremblingly.He looked into Alton's eyes and saw that it was obviously not a lie. "I can't," said the advisor blankly.Alden nodded menacingly, and helped Tirion dismount from his horse.

"Then, who is our current lord, Alton? Who will manage the entire Hearthglen?" asked another advisor.Alton shook his head, and he replied with contempt, "Barthilas will be your new lord, right now." It sounded like a bad joke, he thought so .He hugged Tirion and started to lead him in. "I ask the guards to be on alert tonight. Tirion is to remain here under house arrest. I will escort him to the border with a troop of foot soldiers at dawn. Until then, neither of us can be disturbed. Clear? ?” the captain demanded in a hoarse voice. The frightened advisors just nodded in agreement.Arden dragged Tirion into the house for shelter, and led him to his private chambers, hoping he wouldn't be forced to face Kalandra before morning.More than once, he wondered if there was something he should have done to prevent this from happening.

Alden leaned Tirion against the wall outside his private chamber, and opened the door. "Thank you for your help, Arden. It's... tough. I just want you to understand that you're a good friend of mine. I'm sorry for what happened," the former paladin said. Alton nodded and slowly turned to one side. "If you need anything, just let me know," said the captain and left. Tirion watched him go, finding just enough strength to close the door behind him before collapsing in his chair.Emotion overwhelmed him, and he covered his face with his hands.His limbs trembled uncontrollably, and the tormenting void within him swallowed up what was left of his soul.He couldn't face his wife and tell her what he had done.Ironically, after all these years of refusing to lie to her, he found he couldn't allow himself to tell her the truth now.

The door to the room adjacent to Tailan opened, and Kalandra came out quietly, closing the door behind her back.She looked surprised as Tirion sat in the shadows. "Tirion, what's the matter?" she asked urgently.She lit a decorative lantern, and its soft light bathed the room.Shadows danced on the walls, and she knelt beside her husband. "Where have you been? I'm dying of worry." "I followed Dathrohan back to Stratholme," he murmured, his head still bowed. "You know, Tirion, you've been slipping away so often lately. If I didn't know you best, I'd take it for granted that you're off to another woman," she said teasingly.Tirion looked up at her.Looking at his numb eyes, she knew he wasn't amused at all.

"Tirion, dear, what's the matter? What's the matter with you?" she asked worriedly.He looked carefully at Tyran's room. "Is the child asleep?" He asked softly.Kalandra frowned and replied that he was asleep. "I don't quite know what to tell you about this, my love," he began gloomily, "but I have been branded a traitor and stripped of my title." Her eyes widened in shock.He wasn't kidding, she realized.In fact, when she got a close look at him, she was surprised by how defeated and deflated he looked.From all the years she'd known him, he'd never acted like this.This terrified her.She shook her head, unable to grasp the depth of the situation.

"How did this happen, Tirion? What did you do?" she asked in a choked voice. He closed his eyes for a moment, held his breath, and tried to calm the beating of his heart. "Do you remember the secret I didn't tell you earlier?" he asked.She nodded, her eyebrows furrowed anxiously. "The orc with whom I fought saved my life, Kalandra. If it were not for him, I would have been crushed under a collapsing tower. In return for his saving me, I swear, on my honor, Keep his existence a secret." Kalandra covered her face.She shook her head as if she didn't want to hear any more, but Tirion continued.

"I was forced to hunt the orc on direct orders. But when it came time to capture him, my conscience overwhelmed me. In my honor I fought to free him. I was caught on the spot and brought to Strathor Mu's trial," he finished. They sat there in silence for a while.Kalandra sobbed, wiping tears from her eyes. "I can't even begin to imagine you thinking that way," she gasped. "That orc is a beast, Tirion! He has no sense of honor! You have risked our family's life with your stupid waywardness!" she spat, keeping her voice careful.She didn't want to wake Tyran to watch his father in this state.Tirion just sat there with his head bowed.For some strange reason, seeing him so weak only made her more anxious.

"So what happens to us now, Tirion? Did you consider this when you staked the sacrifice?" she said softly, with uncontrollable disappointment in her voice. He got up and went to the window.The night lay thick and heavy over the fields outside the castle.The rain was still pouring, as if nature were trying to shake off its own filth in the world. "I have been exiled, Kalandra. I will be escorted to the frontier at daybreak," he said heavily.She blinked in shock. "Exile?" she whispered. "Damn you, Tirion! I told you your precious honor would end us!"

He turned to face her. "Without honor, woman, all we have means nothing!" he said, looking around their rich possessions. She waved her arms dismissively. "Can your honor feed us well and give our son decent clothes? How can you still have such stupid thoughts in the face of an accident? The trustworthy man I married is What's wrong?" she asked. He gritted his teeth and turned to face her. "I've always been like this, Kalandra! Don't tell me how accidental it seems! You understand that marrying a paladin requires certain sacrifices." "But I've made a lot of sacrifices. Willingly! Every time you ride out to fight, I keep my mouth shut. I sit here, alone, for countless hours - waiting to hear whether you live or die Did you ever wonder what I was like? I never complained that you left us for bureaucratic duties in those days. I understand you have a job to do. I understand people count on you. But I count on you too, Hell! I take my words to heart so that you can 'do your duty' with honor. I know all about sacrifice, Tirion. But this time the price is too high." "What do you mean by that?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.She grabbed him and stared with burning eyes. "I love you, Tirion. Take my word for it. But I cannot go with you...and neither can Tyrann," she said softly.Kalandra turned away, unable to meet his eyes. "I'm not going to let our son grow up an outcast, or be the object of ridicule and ridicule for the rest of his life. That's not what he deserves, Tirion, and neither is I. ,"she says. Tirion felt that his life no longer had any meaning.Losing the Light was painful enough; he wondered if he could bear to lose her.His head was dizzy. "I know how you feel, Kalandra. Trust me, I can," he could barely speak. "Are you sure this is what you want?" "You've ruined my life. I'm not going to wait while you're going straight down the drain, and I'm not going to let you ruin ours!" she said almost furiously.She hugged herself, trying to steady her stinging nerves. "I hope your precious honor keeps you warm at night," she said. "Calendra, wait," Tirion said, and she left.She walked quickly to her room, slamming the door behind her.Tirion heard the latch lock, and the faint sound of her whimpering. Unable to comfort her, Tirion pressed his head against the cold glass of the window.Absently, he watched the raindrops splash against the glass.He knew her well enough to know that she would not change her mind.He's lost almost everything he's ever cared about in the past.The only thing left of him in this world is his honor.He even believed in it. As if in a trance, Tirion walked into his study and sat down at his large, shiny oak desk.He lit a few candles and found a piece of parchment, ink, and a new quill.Not knowing exactly what he really wanted to say, he began to scribble down his thoughts on the parchment.His hands shook as he wrote, and the ink smeared a lot.He took out what was in his heart and wrote it on parchment, expressing everything he felt and explaining everything he did.He sat at his desk and wrote late into the night. It was still an hour before morning when Tirion entered Tyran's dimly lit room.Kalandra herself had been crying and had gone to bed hours ago, so Tirion knew no one would bother him.He went to where his son lay, and the child was soundly asleep.Cozy up in his blanket, the boy breathed steadily.Tirion watched him sleep for a while, awed by the child's innocence and purity.He understood that what his son deserved was not a lifetime of forced exile.He deserved all the good things life had to offer. With a trembling hand, Tirion reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out the rolled parchment on which he had written.Tears filled his eyes as he carefully placed the letter under his son's pillow.Maybe one day, the child will understand what I did, he hoped.Maybe somehow, he'll remember me and be proud.Tirion patted the child's head and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodbye, my son," he said, trying to hold back his tears. "Be a good person." With that said, he left quietly and closed the door behind him. Dawn fell on the quiet fields of Hearthglen.The oppressive storm clouds had blown away and the sky was bright and crystal clear.In a few hours, the old orc Eitrigg will be hanged in Stratholme.Tirion had decided he would not let this happen.No matter what else happened, Eitrigg could not die.He had a little trouble getting around the castle's straggling guards and reaching the stables.As fast as he could, he saddled Mirada and prepared his meager provisions for the journey to Stratholme. He put his feet in the stirrups and pulled himself up towards the horse. "This is the second time I've caught you trying to sneak away, Tirion," said Arden, standing by the entrance.Tirion's heart froze.He looked around and found that there was no guard with the captain.In fact, the guards were nowhere to be seen. "I expected you to try something like this," said the captain. Tirion gripped his reins tightly and cleared his throat. "Are you here to stop me, Alton?" he asked firmly. The captain stepped forward and tightened the straps of Mirada's saddlebag. "Even if I wanted to, I doubt I have the ability," Alton replied earnestly. "I sat all night thinking about what you said at the trial. I thought maybe I understood what you felt. You've been doing what you think is right. You've always been. So I can't condemn you. " Tirion nodded, leaning forward.He put his hand on Alton's shoulder. "I beg you to do me a favor, old friend. This is the most important thing I can ask of you," he said breathlessly. Alton looked up gravely. "Anything I can do, I'll help," the captain said. "Take care of them for me, Arden. Keep my son safe," Tirion said. Alton raised his arm and took his friend's hand. "I will," was all he could say. Satisfied, Tirion nodded to Alton and looked towards the edge of the woods in the distance.He thrust his spurs into Mirada's side and rushed out of the stable like lightning.Stratholme is only a few hours away.If he rode as fast as the wind, he'd make it in time to stop the hanging.He rushed down the path, urging the faithful Mirada more often than he had ever done before, at a dangerous speed.