Library: Waiting

He sat at a crossroads, fidgeting with a buckle on his leggings. He had forgotten how long he had been here, but he knew he would continue to wait. Call it muscle memory. Call it routine. It?s hard to break some habits, he realized, but today was not the day he was going to start. He leaned back against a nearby stump, remembering days past. This was always their meeting spot. Every night they would gather here. Often with others, sometimes just the two of them. There was always a village that needed help, a warlord that needed reminding, a dragon slayed. They had been in their share of scrapes. Sometimes all of them didn?t come back. But those who did forged a bond stronger than any forged iron, one that he had never foresaw weakening. Yet all iron will succumb to the tides of time. The old welds weaken and fail. Piece by piece the fraternity degenerated. Some were called home to biological families, some left to seek their fortunes elsewhere. Others came and went, but he knew he could always count on Him. The Keystone. Some ties are stronger than blood, and they were bound forever. It had been a few weeks since he last saw Him. The stories were around for anyone to hear. About the testing, and the ascension. Jerking angrily at a leather strap, he turned and spat into the dirt. He knew what they were, just stories. He would know if there were any truth to them. Why would anyone put themselves through that voluntarily? Ascension was for cowards and broken old men, with nothing left to give. A pasture to be put out into. It was not for Him. Not for Them. He flexed his forearm against his bracer and looked back up the road for the hundredth time tonight. There was still so much to do. Others had traveled by and called out for him to join them, but they knew he would not. They knew who he waited for. Time slipped by and soon another night had passed. He dragged himself up and started to make his way back home. Walking down the dark road he wondered again how long he would put himself through the ritual of remaining, but he knew that was not a decision to be made tonight. Maybe tomorrow, while he waited.

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