Character Study - Theuderic

The first few pale shafts of sunlight cast flickering streams of white fire onto the smooth floorboards, brought to life by the shivering of trees in the crisp zephyr that bore birdsong. The heavy curtains were unable to keep the morning at bay but it went unnoticed as the sleeper tossed and turned against the bonds of a bad dream. Judas’s beady black eyes couldn’t tear themselves away from the struggle as a shimmering sweat broke over his skin, as a torrent of anguished murmers broke through into reality, as the strong, confident man was reduced to a powerless child plagued by vivid nightmares. Night was never a peaceful time in the house of Gaunt, it was instead a time when fortunes were told and when the stars spoke of the destiny they spelled out across the velvet sky. Judas knew better than to try to wake him, as painful as it was to watch the dream’s grip tighten iron-like and unbreakable, but it would subside as surely as the sun would rise. And it was only a few heartbeats more before the torture came to a sudden end with a gasp that ended the drowning.

“She is coming.” The voice was deep but strangely normal for one that had just endured eight hours of helpless horror. Theuderic’s eyes opened slowly, taking a few moments to adjust to the level of light in the room before settling on Judas. You had to look closely to believe it and many had put it down to a trick of the light, but Theuderic’s eyes were mismatched – one a watery blue, the other a green that only the faintests of emeralds could boast. This was all that marked the man as any different to the scores of others that had once roamed the city. He was pale, almost unhealthily so but living this far north of the mountains had delivered everyone that cold curse. His hair was a true black, not a shade of dark brown, but definitely devoid of any sort of colour. His attire, as he dressed hastily, caring little for his rugged appearance, was nothing to set him apart either. The weave of the thick shirt, the embroidery across the top of his trousers was something only good money could buy, but they were both as black as the ebony hair that fell almost to his collarbones. They were simple riding clothes, made for a purpose not idle decoration, and as Theuderic of Gaunt threw back the curtains and held out a hand to Judas, it was easy to see why. Judas, a common magpie with uncommon obedience, obliged his master by taking a grip on his forearm and settled his feathers as the torment ended for another night.

As Theuderic descended the stairs into the main room of the house, he addressed the seemingly empty air with a tone of cool collection. “So we are alone at last.” He strode straight through the dim room, weaving between armchairs and stepping over a pair of dogs that were making the most of the dying embers of the night before’s fire. It was the girl that knelt beside them that he was heading for and as she looked upon him there was a fierce grin set upon his strong features that sparked a flame of exhilaration rather than fright. Recently something had plagued the strong figure she so admired, and seeing his bold character at home once again lifted a weight from her shoulders. He watched as a shadow faded from her face at that smile and realised just how little the poor creature knew about what was going on and also about him, but it was better that way.Theuderic was as much a scholar of his own actions as he was of his beloved books, and this young girl would never know what haunted him each time the moon carved a scythe across the heavens. It was a weakness, he knew it, but one that made people fear him nonetheless. “Have you slept?” He softened for a moment as he took in the haggard, exhausted look of his only other weakness, this one different as he bore it willingly and enjoyed every second.

“I couldn’t bear to. What if they had come in the night for us?” She was still a child by most’s standards, but Theuderic had always been able to see the light that danced in those brown eyes with the spirit of one who was greater than those she walked amongst. It would only be a matter of time until someone else’s blindness was lifted and when that moment came he would make sure he was there to protect her.

“Then go now, get some rest. We leave tonight.” With a smile of boyish excitement, he pulled her to her feet and pushed her gently towards the stairs. “Hope has not abandoned us just yet.” He kept her questions at bay with a single raised finger as her mouth started to form a stream of inquisitivity and instead watched her drag her heavy feet off to bed. Only then did he turn to the bird that now perched on the edge of the window, silent and watchful as a ghost. The bird would let him know if someone were to approach, he could trust him that one duty and with a nod more to himself than anything else Theuderic sunk down into one of the armchairs. Its comforting relief immediately engulfed him and he closed those wonderful eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose between fingers that were covered in a spider web of the scars that were the evidence of years of swordsmanship. He only had a few hours to collect his thoughts, to make sense of the omens that had pummelled his sense as he slept as she would want to know everything the moment she had him in her sights. Usually her undivided attention was a blessing, but speaking of the troubles would somehow make them feel more real and that was something he could have done without. Afterall, wasn’t ignorance supposed to be bliss?

Theuderic was a man armed with little more than wisdom, and treading through a wizard’s world without a wizard’s skill was fraught with danger. The gift that the darkness had given him was double-edged, but it was all that he had. His men had abandoned them, fled like cowards to the lands further south where it was still safe, taking their families with them. He had given them the choice before marching them to their certain deaths, but he had not believed none would share his determination to see this end. A fool’s mistake, he saw that now. The house was therefore empty except for the two of them and the wolfhounds that now stirred to curl around his feet in a heap of warmth and fur that brought him little comfort in his worrisome thoughts. At least it was easier this way – he would only have to worry about getting two of them through this safely. He would have preferred to do this himself, to not bring the girl into water that was above her head and churned storm-swollen, but she was deaf to all suggestions or commands that meant leaving him. It was his own fault, and he was more aware of it than anything else, but love was a chain stronger than any metal and it was one he was powerless to break with all his sharpened steel and pretty words.

Their fate was etched in the stars, and Theuderic had experienced the bloody end that night in a dream so real it had left him thoroughly shaken. Recounting it now in clear thought brought a chill of goosebumps up the back of his neck. Love always came at a cost, but he was determined to change this one. It was not in his power to do so but it was certainly in hers, and she had a debt to settle.