An Unwanted Passenger (2)

Writers: Kaysea, Eimi, AL
Date Posted: 26th November 2008

Characters: Eliste, Fog, Xerxen, Helvar
Description: Helvar sneaks onto the riverboat and comes after Eliste.
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 13, day 7 of Turn 4

He could feel her hands on his back, but didn't show a sign to her that he was aware she was still there. His eyes didn't leave Helvar who was still in front of him. He was like a tunnelsnake, not to be trusted. "You want to be locked up?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"I want what's rightfully _mine_!" Helvar scream as he pulled his head back before slamming it forward against the skull of the man in front of him. It stung and left him a little light headed, but at least it got the man's hands off him.

Fog rocked back, his hands clasping his face as a sick feeling of nausea washed over him and the coppery taste of blood flooded his mouth and throat. He couldn't see for a moment, but could hear yelling and screaming and felt himself being dragged backwards as a body buffeted into him. "What the frag is going on?" he yelled, trying to open his eyes to ward off Helvar again. "Eliste!?" his voice carried his concern when he couldn't see her, and hoped Helvar hadn't taken her from his side.

"Fog!" Eliste threw the bundle of clothes at Helvar, for all the good it would do. She reached out, tugging at Fog, trying to pull him away from the man. More people were gathering. Why didn't anyone _do_ anything?

Helvar wrenched the man away from his wife and threw him down on the deck. "She's no man's but mine! Do you get that?" he spat, giving Fog one more swift kick to the ribs before turning back to Eliste. "And now _look_ what you made me do, woman! You go about, whoring yourself, making a mockery of me and shame your own self!" He grabbed her violently and pulled her to him. "Now where is the babe!"

"Leave her alone!" Fog called out from the deck floor. He held tightly to his ribs with one hand, while forcing himself upright with the other. He couldn't let Helvar hurt Eliste again, he would never break his promise to her. Anger sizzled beneath the surface as he slowly stood upright. "Unhand her, NOW!" He dragged a hand across his face, swiping at the blood that still ran from his nose; preparing for a final attack on Eliste's husband.

"Hey!" The call came just before something moved and Helvar felt a tug at him. Xerxen had made his way through the crowd that had gathered, his dark eyes flashing in anger. "Leave them alone!"

"It's okay Xerxen, I've go-" Fog began, but his words were taken as Helvar made a sudden move.

Reaching into his belt Helvar pulled out a small dagger. Even as Xerxen leaned him back up against the side of the rail, his hands curled into his lapel, Helvar pointed the weapon menacingly straight at the man's eye. "My quarrel's not with you, but make no mistake, I will blind you if you don't unhand me this second!"

Xerxen jumped back and put some distance between him and the knife. "Take it easy." He stated. His eyes didn't rest upon the knife, but stayed right upon Helvar's. "Just leave and there will be no trouble."

"I don't want trouble," Helvar agreed, his knife still at the ready. "But I am not leaving without my wife and child, and any man who stands between me and my own will find trouble of a grievous kind."

"She no longer wants to be your wife." Fog ground out, between gasps of breath. Two of the passengers had stepped forward and were helping him to his feet, while one of their wives took hold of Eliste's arm and pulled her backwards.

Helvar turned his knife towards the woman who grabbed Eliste, though his eyes darted between her and the rest of the crowd. "Be you man or woman, make no mistake, I will put you down if you don't take your hands off my wife and step back now." He glanced quickly towards Fog and gauged him to be of little threat. The man could hardly breathe, let alone see. "Is this how you want it to be, Eliste? Would you have me hurt more people? I don't want to hurt anyone, but I will if you make me."

"You're not hurting anyone." Xerxen stepped in between Helvar and Eliste, blocking his path to her and to Fog. "You're going to put down your knife and go to your room and stay there until we make port. Then you will leave and not set foot on this boat again."

Xerxen barely got the words out when Helvar lunged, knife flashing in the lights from the boat. The black man stepped to the side, hand shooting out and, instead of stopping Helvar's movements, guided them further - further than the attacker intended, causing his balance to teeter. Xerxen guided his hand up as Helvar pulled back, extending it more, moving with his whole body. Instead of catching his balance like he meant to, Helvar found himself off balance a second time and unable to compensate. The man fell to the floor, hand smacking against it and knife flying then sliding in between the feet of the crowd. Xerxen himself never let his gaze wander, but kept his focus on Helvar as he put a little distance between them.

The growing crowd gasped as Helvar and Xerxen tussled. Fog was struggling to keep his eyes open long enough to see what was going on, only the noise from the crowd alerting him to what was happening. "Eliste?" he asked, as the crowd quietened. "Has anyone come to break this up? They need to contain Helvar..."

"I...n...no." Eliste stood there, staring wide eyed at the scuffle, her entire body trembling. She kept trying to tell her feet to move, but they refused, glued stubbornly to the floor of the riverboat.

"Eliste!" he reached out and took her arm, "Come back where its safe." he ordered her a little more harshly than he intended, but the worry was obvious in his voice.

Eliste didn't resist at Fog's pull and she stumbled back, falling against his side and still staring at the two men circling one another.

Helvar was not young, but he certainly was not unfit or untrained. He circled around Xerxen, his hands held up defensively just waiting for his attack. No matter who tried to get in his way, he was leaving this boat with Eliste or not at all. "You really want to go with me, boy? Then come on."

"I don't want to fight." Xerxen had a feeling it wasn't going to be as simple as telling the man _that_. "Just leave the boat peacefully."

"That is totally up to Eliste," Helvar growled, taking a step back towards the railing to make sure no one could come up from behind him.

Xerxen motioned for those who seemed to be creeping closer to step back and they did so without protest. He moved with Helvar, but kept enough distance between them so that if he threw a punch, he couldn't do so easily. Fog's grip tightened on Eliste's arm, "You stay with _me_." He said, his voice rough with emotion. "Xerxen can take care of himself."

Though Helvar was an experienced fighter on land, his sea legs failed him as he lunged forward to try to throw a punch and instead found himself unbalanced. Xerxen simply used the upset to his advantage. He ducked and crouched down. The momentum of Helvar's movements sent him into the air. For a moment, time seemed to slow as the man flip right over the railing to plunge down to the deck below.

Fog waited to hear a splash as Helvar hit the water, but instead he heard a sickening thud on the deck below and knew the momentum of the man's weight against Xerxen's shoulder hadn't taken the man far enough out from the boat to hit the water. He grabbed a tighter hold of Eliste, to stay her movement, she didn't need to see her former husband on the deck below to know he would be badly injured or possibly dead. "Stay here." He said, his voice determinedly cold and unemotional. Quiet murmurs from below told him that Helvar was dead and not injured, someone would have called for a healer if he had any chance of survival.

Xerxen stood at the railing, staring down at the body below him. His jaw was set, his expression lacking any regret. Like the others on the boat, he had come to know Eliste's story. He looked up at Fog and nodded slowly "It's over." Fog said finally, to Eliste.

Eliste stood there for a moment frozen. Her hands clutched at one another and she seemed to be trying to decide whether or not to believe it was done. Finally she nodded, face pale and whispered, "It's over." Over. Done. She was free.

Last updated on the November 27th 2008

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An Unwanted Passenger (2)