Rusted Sorrows on Taeleeran Stories

Prologue

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Trees rose above a fog, holding the midnight sky on coniferous pillars. Within the forest maze, Varith collected fallen twigs for the campfire.

He took his time, finding damp twigs, not too wet, but not completely dry. The perfect amount of moisture for the perfect amount of irritation. A smile grew on his face as he thought of it, warming him unlike any fire. Plucking a few more off the ground, he composed himself and walked back to camp.

The Ironrite

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Before, Lysandra loved the Ironrite. The way the sunset painted the trees. In the fields, the way the grass swayed with child-like excitement. Now the breeze whispered like a dying wish, and the grass shriveled under its weight.

When they traveled to the Ironrite festival, they passed through echoes of Neoreus’ evergreen nature. This year, a blackness stained its trees. It crawled through towns and crops before harvest. Grass that once danced had been reduced to thin roots.

Dunmouth

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Taliesin had been awake before the other two. He let the fire simmer down to an ember until Leiren woke.

“Dunmouth, hm?” he asked. His voice was coarse, as it always was on rough mornings.

She stared blankly at him for the first few seconds, and then inhaled sharply. Pulling herself quickly out of her bed, she scanned around, taking her time between the shadows beyond the tree, and above for any movement in the branches. Eventually, she stopped, and looked back at Taliesin. “Sorry? I didn’t hear what you said.”

The Contract

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Cold air stirred Lysandra. She woke near the crackling embers of last night’s fire, and underneath her head, Rex slept. His heart thumped a steady rhythm and his breath blended in the breeze. She kept still, hoping he’d stay asleep for a few hours more. A few hours more of selfish comfort.

Dawn took its time rising, but unfortunately, it still came. In the horizon, hints of orange dyed the sky—lifting the night blanket.

Viewpoint

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The morning came with a sharp pain; the bed’s headboard dug itself into Taliesin’s back. Last night he gave up finding a comfortable position in the chair, and decided to move to the edge of the bed. But while he stayed upright in his slumber, Leiren had shifted over and laid her head on his thigh. She faced the footboard and curled herself into the blanket.

He scooted more into the bed, being meticulous with his shifting, careful not to disturb her.

Chaos Converged

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Dunmouth’s forest leaves fell like unfletched arrows; a cascade of erratic specks of brown and orange lulled Taliesin into a daydream. Just in the past few days, the air had become crisp. Back in Dunmouth, the inn’s fire called for him.

Leiren tapped his foot with hers, giving a faint smile when he turned.

He reciprocated with a tap.“ Sorry, I know. It’s not glorious work, but… ” he said, bending to pluck an herb. The edges of its leaves were spiked. Both the edge and its midrib were a subtle pink, forming an outline of an oval. “At least we can breathe now,” he said, showing Leiren the aetherleaf.

Unmarked Graves

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A dawning sun burned its presence into the cave entrance. Songbirds and morning calls found their way in too. Karevets and passing deerling interrupted the gleaming beams, casting shadows that mocked the corpses below.

He had woken moments after killing the other Steelbrites, only to endure the night. And now, the morning continued—only to scorn Taliesin.

With frozen ears and weathered eyes, he kept still on his lifeless lover. The warmth of her corpse quickly withered through the night. Even the copper stench of her blood diminished over time, and its chilling stains on his tunic remained.

Washed

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Rex woke up to a faint sizzle followed by the scent of seared meat. A sharp pain smothered the rest of his senses. His arms stayed limp regardless of the desperate attempts to stop the burning sensation.

“Oh, he’s awake.” The voice was gruff. “Keep the knife on there, hopefully the bleeding stops,” the voice continued.

Another voice started singing near him. “Burn the skin, burn the skin. Trying to rescue him.”

Frozen Dream

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Lysandra’s hands cramped. She stopped polishing the bracelet to inspect her work. It shone against the sunlight. The resin curing emphasized the L&R—a fresh seal on the once grainy wood.

It was barely three days since he left. No word.

She lost track of the daylight. When she glanced at the window, clouds followed the sun as it stretched towards the horizon. Thin streaks of white tore through the sky, and grass bowed to the whimsical demands of the wind.

Stay

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The sun hid into the horizon, and a gray sheet of clouds blanketed the stars. Dunmouth’s homes slept in the silence, and the inn remained as the single dying light.

Taliesin limped over to the inn. His wounds were healed, but it still felt as if the sword kept itself impaled in his ribs. A night of rest could soothe his superficial wounds. He could curl up in the mess of blankets they left—and pray that Leiren’s scent remained.

Death’s Journey

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Sunlight beamed into Rex’s eyes. When he tried to cover his face, his wounds screamed at him to stop. Instead, he just groaned, grabbed his side and turned onto his shoulder. Hay poked into his face and mouth as he did, and wooden wheels creaked as they bumped over soft ground.

“How was the nap, Steelbrite?” A stern voice outside the wooden cart.

Rex searched in the bundle of hay, looking for a weapon.

The Fire

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Lysandra’s stomach pulled with hunger. The jerky had run out, and the stale bread she nibbled on wasn’t enough. The last waypointer gave her a few sea-biscuits, but without water, the chewing on rocks seemed more appealing.

Dunmouth waited five miles away, but she trailed a bit off the road and kept an ear out for a wagon, in case the Durlesian prince rode down the road in his wagon.

The Stranger

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Midday sun peered through a frosted windowpane. Distant blacksmith clinking and townsfolk chatter seeped through the walls.

Taliesin found himself in suffocating sheets. He shoved them off himself, then searched for a bearing.

A cup of water waited near the bed, and Taliesin sucked it down, easing his dry throat.

Bryndall cracked the door open. “You’ve slept most of the day,” he said, “not sure if you were still with us.”

Soul Harvesting

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The scent of burning meat crackled nearby, and its smoke poisoned Seren’s lungs. It fed a growing headache. A blindfold pressing into her eyes worsened the headache, and the walking made it unbearable. Eventually, uneven ground grabbed her feet and yanked her down. Sharp leaves and twigs pierced into her cheeks. With her hands bound, she wormed forward until a hand jerked her head back, and lifted her onto her feet. Her blindfold loosened from the attempted escape.

The Prince

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Night quickly fell once the harvesters fled, and darkness flooded around Lysandra. The prince tripped over high roots and large branches. A pathetic attempt at feigning clumsiness. His eyes should’ve adjusted by now.

His foot tripped over a rock this time, causing him to fall face-first into the dirt. The ground pushed the blade out of his chest. He groaned, a weak excuse for a groan.

Lysandra pushed her hilt deeper into the prince’s back. “Get up,” Lysandra said.

To Soneley

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Reve pointed. “Soneley’s beyond the croplands.” Dried grain-crops spread out in all directions, until disappearing into the sun-kissed horizon.

“We’re not gonna make it before sundown,” Rex said.

It’d been only a day since leaving the healmaster. The pain had subsided since, but the bramphians insisted that he’d travel in the cart.

After some time, they slowed near a small hill. It rose out of the ground around standing height.

Sunset

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Her dad stumbled into his bed, grunting to hide away his pain as he did. “Water, please,” he whispered.

Seren scrambled to the clay water jug. The sun had set before they made it home, and the night settled. She wove through the home, letting her memory guide her. Once she bumped the table, she patted it down until finding the clay jug and her dad’s mug. Her hands trembled as she poured it into his mug. Once the mug overfilled with water, the jug slipped out of her fingers and shattered on the floor. She yelped.

Absence

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

As Taliesin and Lysandra approached Dunmouth, the autumnal wind warmed with the rising sun.

Townsfolk today slogged at the morning chores, some of them dozing off, and some homes never woke.

Laying ahead like before, Gryfalcon’s Perch marked the center of the town. The home still waking, while Borus waited.

“There.” Taliesin pointed.

Lysandra inhaled sharply. The bird tilted its head and studied her as she walked. “Amazing,” she muttered.