Challenge: SMARTALIENQT's Poetry Prompt Challenge
Rating: K
Summary: One-shot about Kel and the paths that she has chosen to follow in life. Set to Robert Frost's poem 'The Road Not Taken'.
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Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both.
At the head of the column of tired travelers, Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan reined her brown mare in, slowing from a trot to a walk. Her companions gave her questioning looks as they rode past, but no one made an attempt to speak to her, though that was partly her own fault. Maybe if she hadn't been so withdrawn, so depressive, she would be in the midst of a happy conversation.
Lord Wyldon had been more than understanding, almost to the point that it was unbelievable, when she had returned from Castle Rathhausak and Blace and Stenmun. She had been so sure that she would be hung on Traitors Hill or forced out of Tortall. She was still sure that she was about to meet her end or be declared a traitor as Lord Wyldon stood over her, arms crossed and eyes hard. She was so sure until he forgave her, and still she had tried to argue back. Thank the gods that Neal had been there, otherwise she might be back in Scanra instead of on her way home.
The ride home had been a long one, and Kel was aching to have a warm bath, climb into bed and go to sleep. With those thoughts on her mind, she rose slowly in her stirrups to catch a glimpse of her new home, New Hope, over the crest of the hill they were riding up. Peachblossom tugged on his lead rope and snorted as she let out a soft sigh and sank back into her saddle, gripping the pommel to keep her balance as Hoshi pranced anxiously beneath her. Jump lifted his head over the rim of his basket and gave a low whine as he watched his mistress with worried eyes.
"I'm fine," she said in answer to her friend's unspoken questions, "I just need some time to think."
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
It was not until the next day that Kel was able to have some time to herself. She had not slept well the past night and she was sure that she would not sleep well for a long time yet. As soon as a free moment had arisen, Kel had hurried to the stables, saddled Peachblossom and ridden him out the back gate. Had she not been thinking so much, she may have noticed the concerned looks that she gained from a squad of the Own who were nailing planks of wood down to a new infirmary building. Nor did she take any notice of Neal, when he ran out into the road behind her, and shouted for her to come back as she disappeared down a trail into the forest.
It seemed like an age had passed, but her daze was finally broken when Peachblossom stopped, rather abruptly, and she went tumbling over his head. She thought to glare at the gelding who was now cropping grass and looking very happy with himself, but how was he to know better? Instead she found a soft patch of grass, beneath an old oak tree, and lay down in the shade.
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
Her mind wandered aimlessly for a while, marveling at the brightness of the sun before her, or thinking about the yellowed leaves above her, blowing in the gentle afternoon breeze. It was easy to forget that her country was still at war. That she was still at war. Of course her thoughts could not remain untroubled; they soon began to examine the way that the twisted and gnarled bark of the trees resembled burnt and melted skin. How the flattened grass at Peachblossom's hooves resembled squadrons of soldiers, lying squashed before an overwhelming enemy force. Even the stream running beside her, innocent at first glance, turned into a red river, a river of blood.
And yet her thoughts taunted her, how easily she could have avoided all of this. If she had chosen to stay with her parents, and learnt to be a proper young lady, she would be married to some plain, happy man and have had plain, happy children and would be living in a plain, happy house, not running around on the Scanran border, losing her sanity and pining after handsome soldiers. Or maybe, just one handsome soldier.
She had always had two roads to choose from, one well-tread and unexciting, one unknown and dangerous. How was she to decide which was right?
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
By choosing the second road, the dangerous and unknown one, she had committed herself to a life of hardship and loneliness. Though some would argue that she was never lonely, Kel would beg to differ. All other girls of her age had a family, be it their own or one they had made for themselves. She too had a family, but not a human one; she had a flock of birds a lunatic dog and a grumpy horse. Her own family, her blood family, where miles away, and in more ways than one.
The last time she had heard from her parents was in a letter, near a month before she rescued her people from Scanra. Her mother had written that her father was unwell but she should not worry for he was a strong man and they had the palace's healers at hand. Kel had taken her mother's word and had not worried, until the previous night that was. As she lay, tossing and turning, trying desperately to go to sleep, a messenger had knocked on her door. He had word from Fief Mindelan, her father was dead. She had not told her friends, they would just pity her and ask her repeatedly whether she was 'alright' for the rest of the month.
Instead she had ended up here, pondering her past decisions and the decisions that would lead to her future. She could see now that she had two roads to choose from and yet only one choice that she was allowed to make.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
The sun had set by the time Kel opened her eyes again, though they were still wet from the tears that she had shed for her father. She sat, listening in the darkness, though for what she was not sure. When she finally thought to look for Peachblossom she noticed that the large horse was nowhere in sight, he had gone. Kel felt like shouting out in frustration, too many things had happened all at once, and now, to make matters worse, her horse was missing. The knight in her took over for a moment, calming her rampaging mind and putting some sense back into her thoughts. She was alone, in a dark wood, with no shelter and no way of getting back to camp without finding Peachblossom or walking. It was too much for her, for the knight in her even. Finally her mind buckled under the weight of her situation and she sank to the ground, sobs wracking her body.
For how long she lay, helpless and sobbing, she did not know. Though she was mildly aware that she was shaking from the cold and her teeth were chattering noisily of their own accord. It took her by surprise when she felt a woollen blanket being drawn around her body and a gentle arm wrap around her back. She had drawn her knife and clasped it to the man's neck before she looked up and recognized who it was. It took her less than a second to drop her knife and slump against the man, his arms cradling her to his chest in her moment of absolute helplessness.
It was in that time that she realized, though she walked her road alone, roads are bound to cross.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
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