Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2019 11:44:36 -0500
From: Purple Jubliee <purplejubilee17@gmail.com>
Subject: After Earth Went Dark; Part II: Chapter 6

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After Earth Went Dark; Part II
Chapter 6

       "Was this from your fight with Hermod?" Elliot asked, tracing one of
the newer scars that decorated Tyr's abdomen.
	Tyr nodded stoically. The two of them lay together in the slightly
lumpy bed. Elliot's head rested on Tyr's chest as he listened to his
heartbeat and ran hands across Tyr's muscular frame.
	"He fought well." Tyr replied eventually. Although it was all but
impossible to tell with Tyr, Elliot got the impression that there was a
note of sadness to Tyr's voice.
	"I'm sorry." He said softly. "Sorry that you had to do it."
	Tyr squeezed him gently. "So am I."
	The two had lain together quietly for a long time after their
sexual adventures that night. Tyr had slipped his pants back on, but Elliot
remained naked, cuddled against Tyr, with the bedsheet draped over his
lower half. It had been in that state of bliss, with Elliot resting close
with Tyr, that Elliot came to realize that, despite his affection for Tyr,
he knew very little about him.
	"Where are you from?" He eventually asked, shifting positions so he
could look up at Tyr.
	Tyr raised an eyebrow. "I spent most of my life with Aesir."
	Elliot poked him gently. "Come on. Tell me. I wanna know."
	Giving him a vexed look, Tyr sighed. "I was born in the state of
Maryland. I didn't really have a family. That was a large part of the
selection process for Aesir. It had to be children that no one would miss."
	Elliot frowned sadly and hugged Tyr. "I'd miss you."
	Tyr chuckled quietly and patted his lower back.
	"How old are you?" Elliot eventually asked. He had wondered about
that since reading Tyr's journal and learning more about Aesir. It didn't
seem possible that someone as young as Tyr could have so much training no
matter how young they started.
	Tyr appraised him thoughtfully for a moment before
responding. "It's a complicated question."
	Elliot snorted a laugh, thinking that Tyr was making a joke, but
searching Tyr's eyes he found no trace of humor. He frowned. "How can it be
complicated?"
	Collecting his thoughts, Tyr began, "The facility that housed Aesir
was, is, a hub for experimental technologies. Things that have been in
development for decades. One of those experimental technologies was a
device that distorted the mind and body's perception of time."
	Elliot wrinkled his nose in confusion. "Like... A time machine?"
	"Not exactly, no." Tyr shook his head. "Are you familiar with the
concept of a virtual reality?" Seeing Elliot shrug, Tyr continued. "This
system allowed us to live multiple lifetimes studying drills, committing
scenarios and actions to memory, and over all increasing the speed of our
thoughts all over the course of a few days or weeks. It's... complicated."
	"So..." Elliot's mouth twisted trying to make sense of what Tyr had
said. "So, you just think faster than everyone else?"
	Tyr sighed. "Again, not exactly. And not all the time. Enough time
spent in these machines, called chronopods, and your brain can adjust to
moving at that speed all the time. That is when Aesir loses most of its
recruits. It's like an addiction, and when they take it away, you find
yourself sitting, trapped in your own body for what feels like years, only
for a minute or two to have gone by."
	"That sounds horrible..." Elliot could only imagine the boredom and
loneliness. "Why didn't you talk about that in your journal?"
	Tyr inhaled deeply and sighed again. "Because I never meant for
anyone to read it. And I always knew that if the wrong person found it
there would be... consequences for being too specific."
	Elliot didn't know what to feel. On the one hand, Tyr had never
been this open with him before. He felt a special sense of closeness,
getting to know the real Tyr. On the other however, he felt a deep sadness
for his friend, hearing the kind of torture he must have been through. "You
were afraid." Elliot eventually said. It was a strange thought. He could
hardly imagine Tyr being scared of anything.
	Looking down at him, Tyr nodded slightly and squeezed him tight. "I
guess I was. It is difficult not to be sometimes."
	"What did you mean about losing recruits?" Elliot had a feeling he
already knew, but he hoped he was wrong.
	The immediate far-away look on Tyr's face told Elliot that his
suspicions had been correct. "Most people aren't made for that. After
spending months in a chronopod, then being forced out of one for weeks at a
time, weeks that can feel like decades, most Aesir recruits go
mad. They... kill themselves. Or others. Anything to get away from the
eternity of being lost in your own mind."
	To Elliot's surprise, Tyr shivered. Just that small indicator of
emotion was enough to make Elliot want to cry. He wrapped his arm around
Tyr's chest and hugged him close, feeling for the very first time in their
relationship like the comforter instead of the one needing the comfort.
	"You go through that process dozens or hundreds of times. Into the
pod, then out, then back in again. Until something in your mind splits in
two. Graduated Aesir soldiers live in the same speed as everyone else. But
we're trained to `engage' the part of our mind that's been dominated by the
pods when the need arises. The world moves more slowly. And although we are
limited by the physical speed of our bodies, we are taught to see the
outcomes of every action before it happens."
	Elliot lay dumbfounded. The idea that Tyr could basically slow down
time when he wanted sounded crazy. Yet the things Tyr had done made it fit
perfectly.
	"It must have been hard, being there for that long." Elliot said
sadly.
	Tyr's hand traveled down his back to rest on the round curve of his
butt. "At times. I like it better here."
	Elliot giggled. He enjoyed Tyr's hand resting there. "So... do you
have a name besides Tyr?"
	Gently pinching Elliot, Tyr looked down at him. "You're full of
questions tonight. Maybe some sleep is in order."
	Elliot pouted but didn't object. Tyr put out the kerosene lamp by
the bed and held Elliot tight. Sleep didn't come right away for Elliot
though. He lay awake, thinking and listening to Tyr's breathing.
	This had been by far the most intimate conversation they had
shared. Elliot was glad that Tyr was opening up to him. It helped him
understand some of the hurt that Tyr had been through. He wondered if all
the scars had come from the rigorous training, or if there were more fights
like the one with Hermod that Tyr had not told him about. Elliot decided
that, if Tyr had told him all this, he didn't need to be afraid to voice
his curiosities anymore. Even if Tyr wouldn't give him an answer, he
thought for sure it was the best way to begin to understand him
better. After some time, Elliot was finally able to calm his thoughts
enough for him to slowly drift off to sleep.

	There was a surprising chill in the bedroom when Elliot woke up. It
was an early warning that the seasons would soon begin to change. He had a
momentary flash of panic when he saw that Tyr was no longer in bed, but
immediately dismissed the idea of anything unpleasant happening. It wasn't
uncommon for Tyr to disappear like that, but he always returned.
	Elliot hopped out of bed and shivered as the cool morning air
enveloped his bare skin. He quickly dressed, deciding that he would step
across the hall and see how Jay and Marcel were doing. When he opened the
door however, he saw that Marcel and Tyr were standing in the hallway,
talking quietly. Marcel had an uncharacteristically serious look. They
turned when they saw him, and Marcel smiled.
	"Good morning, sleepy head. Did you have a... fun night?" He winked
slyly, and Elliot blushed.
	Tyr either missed the implication or decided to ignore it. "Your
friend is looking well." He told Elliot. "The most dangerous time has
passed, and his wound seems to be healing properly. We've been discussing
bringing him back to the camp."
	Elliot smiled at this news. It would be nice to see Jay on his feet
again. Part of him hoped that the troupe would be on its way again and away
from this dingy little town, but leaving town also meant less alone time
with Tyr.
	"Ida will be gathering the troupe together for an announcement."
Marcel said. "Elliot, would you be a dear and help me get Jay moving?"
	Elliot nodded. "Sure. What about you?" He asked Tyr.
	"I've got something I need to finish. I will meet you all back at
the camp."

	Getting Jay up and moving proved to be a formidable task. He
groaned and winced as the movement stretched his still tender abdomen. When
they changed his bandage, Elliot noticed that the wound looked noticeably
better than it had the day before. It seemed to have dried up into a
painful-looking, but not quite so gross, black streak.
	When Jay was on his feet, he walked carefully so as not to do
anything that might bring set off his pain. It was very slow going, and he
leaned on Elliot and Marcel for support as they inched their way back to
camp.
	They found the troupe waiting expectantly, and they received calls
of encouragement when they came into sight. Ida smiled at Jay as they
approached.
	"Good to see you up and about." She remarked, touching his shoulder
gently.
	Jay smiled weakly at her "Thanks for your help."
	Marcel broke away and nimbly climbed up on top of the carriage. Ida
took his place in helping to support Jay. All eyes turned upward as the
effect of Marcel's commanding presence fell over them.
	"My friends! My companions! My family!" Marcel gestured out over
them. "It makes me so happy to see you all here, and unharmed. The attack
the other night was not enough to break your spirit!" Scattered murmurings
of agreement could be heard. "We all owe a great debt of gratitude to the
man called Tyr. Myself especially." He looked down and gave Jay a
wink. "The purpose of this band has always been to spread cheer and smiles
wherever we go. But I have come to realize something since the attack."
Marcel paused for effect and his face took on a pained look. "The world
suffers in darkness. And though we might bring a smile for a time, when we
go on our way those poor people go back to fighting each day for their
lives. They won't ever know what it means to smile without fear looming
over them."
	Marcel took another long pause before continuing in a bolder
tone. "This is why, my friends, the Traveling Theater of Cheer is no more!"
Several gasps accompanied this statement before Marcel continued. "It is
not enough to simply entertain for a few hours and then forget the poor
people we leave behind. No. We must do something more. We were told that
the sun was what destroyed the world we knew and cost the lives of so
many. We were lied to! Tyr, our hero, has shown me that there is a great
evil at work in this world. And while this evil flourishes smiles will
always be tempered by fear. Cheer will always be soured by loss. The only
thing that I can hope to do to bring joy and love back to this drab world
is to try my best to bring down this evil. Bringing justice to the fiends
that killed the world!"
	Elliot saw a couple of heads nodding but mostly he saw looks of
confusion.
	"I intend," Marcel went on. "to make it safe to smile again. But it
is not a task I can accomplish alone. This is why the Traveling Theater of
Cheer is hereby disbanded! In its place I will create the Army of
Cheer. The Soldiers of Smile. Those that choose to follow me on this path
commit to bringing down this evil for good. By any means
necessary. However, this is not the journey that you signed on for when you
joined the Theater. I ask that you consider carefully if you would like to
simply walk away. There is no shame in it, and you will be fondly
remembered as a brave member of our little family. But now I must ask, who
will join me?"
	Silence dominated the camp for a few tense seconds. Quietly, Jim
raised his hand. "We're with you." Carlos who stood near him nodded an
affirmative.
	"As am I." Heads turned as the powerful voice projected over
them. Tyr stood at the back of the assembly. He had cast aside his usual
attire in favor of the showy leather armor he had stolen from the
tournament. In his hands, he held two axes. His axes. Fitted with new
wooden hafts, sanded smooth and carved with runes. Tyr had cut his hair
back and cleaned it to eliminate the shaggy woodsman look. Elliot was
reminded just how handsome he was. The group parted for him as he made his
way to the front, standing by the wagon that Marcel stood on.
	"You've all been deceived." Tyr spoke quietly, and all leaned in to
hear him clearly. "There was never a flare. No act of god caused the
destruction you see daily. Men did this. Men that should see justice. You
don't know me, and I'm no speech giver. But Marcel, in the time I've known
him, has shown to be a man of character. If he has decided to fight this
fight, then I will follow him."
	This statement surprised Elliot. He had always considered Tyr a
leader and not a follower. The troupe however seemed to be swayed by his
words. A few at a time, a general chorus of agreement went up.
	"I'm here to the end." Ida called out, adding to the group's
enthusiasm.
	"They're going to have to stab me more than once!" Jay's ragged
voice earned laugh from those near enough to hear.
	Marcel beamed down from atop the carriage and Elliot saw a tear
shining in his eye. "My friends! You are the only people in the world I
would have at my side for this. But we will not be alone. The Traveling
Theater will now be our pretense. We will perform. We will grow. And we
will fight when the time comes!"
	For such a small crowd, they produced an impressive cheer. Elliot
liked this idea very much and added his voice enthusiastically. Now he knew
what Tyr and Marcel had been discussing for all that time.
	"Tyr and Ida have agreed to teach us to fight. We all have seen
what they can do, and we are clearly in good hands. We will not be
unprepared when it is time to fight back. We are strong now. You are all
strong. You showed me how strong you were when you all returned after the
attack. Now we will learn to be even stronger!"
	It was a strange feeling, looking around and seeing the light in
the eyes of the troupe members. Many of them had been ready to give up only
a short time ago. With just a few charismatic words, Marcel had brought
them around and inspired them to a higher calling. Elliot felt it too. The
Traveling Theater had given him a purpose, but it had always seemed like a
slightly hollow one. This was different. They would be fighting back
against the people that had tried to take everything from them. Finally, he
had a target. Something that he could help with that could accomplish real
good in the world.
	Over the next few hours, the camp was abuzz with excitement. People
greeted the news with surprising enthusiasm. Most were eager to begin
learning to defend themselves. Others hoped to learn some of the field
medicine that Tyr was familiar with. Marcel had declared that they would
not move yet, and give Jay another day to recover, so Ida began immediately
with physical training for the group. Even though most of them were already
relatively fit, she told them that a regular fitness regime would keep them
ready at all times.
	Elliot sat with Jay, already being one of the more hardened members
of the group he wanted to keep Jay from being lonely. Tyr had gone off in
search of tools and weapons, and the rest of the group was either working
with Ida or attending to their daily duties.
	"You think they can build an army?" Jay asked him doubtfully. "Like
a real army, not just a mob like the guys the other night."
	Elliot had to laugh as he considered the question. "Honestly, a few
months ago I would have said no. But Tyr... he can do anything. And people
want to follow Marcel. I dunno how to explain it. He gets so excited about
things and it makes you want to be excited about it too. You know?"
	Jay laughed and then winced as it stretched his sides. "Oh, I
know. Trust me."
	It had, Elliot realized, been a silly question. Jay would know very
well how enticing Marcel could be. "Yeah." He blushed. "I didn't think
about that."
	"It's ok." Jay assured with a friendly smile. "You and Tyr... how
long have you been...?" It was Jay's turn to blush.
	Elliot couldn't meet his eyes. "Umm..." He fiddled with the sleeve
of his shirt. "I guess not that long after we met a few months ago. He
saved me and my family... Most of my family..." Elliot corrected with a
rare pang of remorse for his father. It felt like it had been years since
that day.
	Jay nodded sympathetically. "Where are they now? Your family."
	"On a farm, not far from the town where I saw you all." Elliot
explained to Jay how he had found what he thought was Tyr's grave and made
the decision to leave. "What about you, do you have anyone?" Elliot asked
quietly.
	Shrugging with only one shoulder Jay shook his head. "Probably
not. My brother might be out there somewhere still but... I kinda doubt
it. Our parents died right after the flare... I mean the attack. He kept me
fed and everything but never really liked me very much."
	"I'm sorry." Elliot regretted asking.
	"It's fine." Jay said with a smile. "I've got Marcel now, and the
rest of the troupe. I'm happier than I thought I'd be."
	Elliot smiled too. "Yeah. I guess so am I."
	Jay took a quick look around to make sure no one was listening. His
tone turned conspiratorial. "So, have you guys... you know... yet?"
	Frowning, Elliot leaned in. "What?"
	"You know." Jay insisted. "Like, have you... done it... yet?"
	 Elliot shuffled nervously. Jay's tone made it clear that Elliot
was missing some important information, and Elliot didn't want to look
stupid. "Done... what?"
	Rolling his eyes Jay continued. "Like, have you and Tyr..." He
motioned with his arm trying to coax Elliot into the answer, when that
failed, he finally supplied it. "Had sex?"
	How could he have been so dumb? Elliot's face heated. Of course,
that was what Jay had been talking about. "Oh umm... Yeah!" He paused,
"I... think..."
	"You think?" Jay's eyes went wide. "Oh my god, you don't know what
I'm talking about! How old are you that you don't know about sex?"
	"I know about sex!" Elliot retorted, a little louder than he had
intended. He looked around, embarrassed, making sure no one had heard his
little outburst. "I know about sex." He repeated more quietly, not at all
liking the knowing smirk on Jay's face. "I just... I thought it was... what
men and women do to... have kids..." He was blushing bright red by the time
he finished and staring down at the ground.
	Jay whistled. "You've got a lot to learn buddy. Wait a minute
though. If you weren't having sex, then what were you doing across the hall
last night that had you being so loud?"
	If possible, Elliot's blush deepened. "You could hear that?"
	"Half the inn could probably hear it." Jay laughed weakly. "Those
walls weren't very thick."
	Elliot shook his head. "I didn't know." He wanted to curl up in his
bedroll and hide.
	Sensing his discomfort, Jay changed his tone. "It's fine. Everyone
does it. Especially now that the world ended, everyone fucks everyone. It's
just part of life."
	Still embarrassed, Elliot just nodded.
	"So, what WERE you doing then?" Jay pressed with a knowing grin.
	Elliot didn't know if he really wanted to share the details of his
intimacy with Tyr. But on the other hand, he wanted Jay to like him, and
also saw that this might be a chance to learn more about how he could make
Tyr happy. With a great deal of awkward stuttering, and coaxing from Jay,
Elliot explained the intimate encounters he'd had with Tyr in the past,
culminating in the experience from the previous night.
	He was grateful that Jay took all the information in without
commenting or passing judgement. Surprisingly, it felt good to talk about
it. The weight of his clandestine relationship was suddenly lifted from his
shoulders for a time. By the time his story was drawing to a close, he was
filling in more intimate details than he had ever dreamed of doing. And, he
noticed, he was beginning to become aroused by talking about it.
	When he was done, Jay looked up at him with a knowing smile. "You
know that you guys have like just started, right?"
	"What do you mean?" Elliot frowned uncertainly.
	"I mean," Jay smirked. "That there's way more stuff that you
haven't done yet that will feel even better."
	That was an interesting thought. The idea that the things he and
Tyr had done was only scratching the surface both frightened and excited
Elliot. He felt a little bit of brief resentment toward his parents for not
being more thorough with his sexual education.
	"Like... What?" Elliot eventually got up the courage to ask. He
looked around once more to be sure they were still alone.
	"What are you two gossiping about?" Elliot jumped nearly a foot as
Marcel popped out from behind the wagon. His startled reaction caused Jay
to flinch, an action which the boy immediately regretted as he gasped in
pain.
	"I'm sorry!" Elliot cried out, rushing back to Jay's side. "You
scared me!" He looked accusatorially at Marcel.
	Marcel regarded him with a raised eyebrow that made Elliot think of
the way Tyr often looked at him. "Well, if you two weren't talking about
such naughty things, you'd have no reason to be scared, right?"
	Finding that Jay was only annoyed and not seriously harmed, Elliot
scowled up at Marcel, blushing. "You were listening to us?"
	"Of course not!" Marcel said cheekily. "But you just confirmed it,
didn't you?"
	Elliot's jaw worked to form words as he realized he'd been
tricked. He stuttered a few times before shaking his head in frustration
and storming off to go sit by the horses. It wasn't real anger, he
rationalized. It was just embarrassment. Even so, he wanted to be by
himself to recover some of his dignity. A large part of him wondered
however about what Jay would have said if they hadn't been interrupted.
	That afternoon, Elliot found time to join Ida with her physical
training lessons. He managed to impress her with how easily he kept up. For
that, he thanked his time on the road with Tyr, as well as his strenuous
hours spent working the farm. It left him winded, however he still managed
to spend some time practicing with his knives.
	To his surprise, two or three of the group members came to watch
him practice, then asked if he would show them what he was doing. Elliot
had never been asked to teach anything before, he had always been the
student. With some confusion, he passed around several of the knives that
Marcel had given him.
	In as few words as possible, Elliot demonstrated some of what Tyr
had taught him. He described how to aim for an enemy's vitals and showed
them parrying and a series of swift cuts and stabs. After a time, he looked
up and saw that Ida was watching from a short distance away. She gave him a
respectful nod when she saw him looking.
	His techniques were nothing compared to what he knew Tyr could
teach them, but it was a start, and they seemed grateful for the
opportunity. As he worked, he became more confident, making small
corrections to form or congratulating good technique. An embarrassing but
empowering thought struck him that to most of these people he probably
seemed like an expert, even though he was only a few steps ahead of them.
	Elliot had just begun to talk about footwork when a familiar voice
interrupted him.
	"Don't shift your weight too early."
	Looking up with a bright grin, Elliot saw Tyr striding toward
them. He gave Elliot an approving lift of his chin before taking in the
small group that had gathered around. "You've acquired a following."
	Proud but embarrassed, Elliot didn't know whether to smile or
blush, so he settled for both. "Well, I was just practicing, and they asked
if they could join."
	"Very good." Tyr nodded his approval. "Let's see how you're doing."
	Elliot gulped. They had been training for barely an hour. They had
made progress, but it still was nothing particularly impressive. "Right
now?"
	Tyr responded by waving Elliot on with a hand.
	"Umm... alright..." Elliot turned to his companions
reluctantly. "Ok... just like we did before." Receiving nods of
acknowledgement, he took a deep breath before beginning to call orders.
	"Ready!" The group dropped into a springy fighting stance Elliot
had showed them. "Parry high! Step in! Shoulder to chest." Slowly, the
group mimicked Elliot's actions of blocking an imaginary weapon strike and
giving their invisible foe a solid bump with their shoulder.
	"Rib!" The group stabbed viciously upward where their enemy's ribs
would have been. "Axillary!" The same motion, only higher aiming for the
underarm. "Throat!" A sweeping slash with intentions that were abundantly
clear.
	A nearly invisible smile touched Tyr's face that only Elliot
noticed. High praise indeed. "Not bad." He commented. "We've got a long way
to go, but progress is progress."
	Elliot beamed. He could tell where most others probably could not,
that Tyr was proud of him. It made him glad he had spent all that time at
Uncle Mark's practicing what he had been taught.
	"Maybe you can help with instruction in the future." Tyr said,
making Elliot's grin even broader.
	"We'd need more weapons though." He pointed out, but Tyr shook his
head.
	"I've found some in town. Not enough yet, and not high quality,
but... progress is progress." He smiled down at Elliot who had to resist
the urge to hug him in front of everyone.
	Dinner that night was an excited buzz of conversation. Everyone
seemed to have found a new sense of purpose. Marcel had transformed their
fear into resolve. To Elliot's surprise, he saw several unfamiliar faces
among the dinner crowd.
	"They came from the village." Tyr informed him when he asked. "Ida
and one of the others went recruiting. It's already growing."
	Elliot could hear the note of pride in Tyr's voice, and he felt the
same himself when he saw one of the members pointing in their direction
while talking to another and swinging imaginary knives. The gravity of it
had not quite sunk in yet, but he knew that something important had started
today. Elliot realized what it was he was feeling deep down that made him
so giddy. For the first time in a long while he felt hopeful.