Disclaimer: While the ideas of the Four Horsemen is an old one, the characters presented here, there names, and personalities are my creations. As such they are copyright to me. I don't really care if someone out there wants to use them or even to write in my Four Horsemen Universe, I just want to know that you are using them. Well with that out of the way. Read on:
The sun was low on the horizon when Conaire Breanainn left the fields to head to his home. It had been a long week and the harvest was almost done. Conaire was the only young farmer of Adar that was of yet unwed. He knew that he would be returning home to a dark home and a cold hearth. He was thus surprised to find that his home was cheerily lit and the wonderful smell of a fresh roast emanating from it. Quickly tiring his field horses to the nearby hitching post, he entered his home, curious to see which of his neighbors had been kind enough to cook him dinner.
When he opened the door he was surprised to see a complete stranger sitting in the chair by his hearth. The old man stared at him with bright brown eyes for a long moment. Then chuckling he muttered under his breath, "Now this is something I never thought to see. Conaire Breanainn, a farmer." The old one paused looking as if he could see all the way into Conaire's soul. "I made you dinner, my boy. Caught it myself, will you have some?"
Conaire was shocked speechless at the sight of the little of man who, apparently knowing him, had taken over his home. His first reaction was to make a strategic retreat. "I ... I have to tend to the horses in the stable, old man, I'll be back in a while," with that said Conaire beat a hasty retreat from his own home.
He took his time leading the horses to the stable and removing them from their harnesses. Conaire spent the acquired time trying to figure out who this man was and where he came from. All Conaire could think of was that this man looked familiar to him, but where he had seen him he could not remember. So distracted by his own thoughts was Conaire that he didn't even know that the old man had joined him in the stable until his name was called out. Startled, he turned around quickly, right onto the sword the old man held out in front of him. Conaire watched through clouding eye sight as the sword slowly slid out of the center of his chest before everything went dark.
The world was very fuzzy, when it started to come back into focus. He knew for some reason that there should be pain and he knew about where the pain should be coming from. Slowly as though it was independent of his control he watched through blurred eyes as his hand came into view. He felt it touch the spot where the pain had been before, but was not overly surprised to find that there was no pain there anymore. As his hearing came back online, he heard someone singing to his horses, and realizing that he wasn't alone, he forced his was back into full consciousness. The old man was sitting on the stable floor not ten feet from Conaire singing to his horses. When he should have been dead he found himself on his stable floor while the old man who had killed him sat around singing old bard's tales to his animals.
The old one noticed that Conaire had awoke, "You're awake!" He cackled gleefully, "So how do you feel?"
Conaire looked at the strange old man carefully before responding, "For a dead man, I feel fine. Would you tell me what happened, I don't understand how any man could have survived what you did to me. Are you a demon who raised me from the dead to join your army of evil?"
"I'm no demon," the old man responded, sounding as though he was offended being called such. "I was sent to free your soul."
"Well, does freeing me include releasing my insides to the out?" Conaire replied tartly. He looked at the old man closely, "Just who are you and why do you seem so familiar to me. I know that we never have met."
"Ah strait to the point, my boy, that's more like the Conaire Breanainn that I know. I am someone that you met in another life. I have been guided by the fates to release the Four Horsemen into the world again. You are the second of the seals I have to release." Surprisingly enough Conaire did not react with the vehemence that Rowena had shown. He seemed to accept what fate had thrown at him.
"Was there a less painful was of releasing my soul. That really hurt old man, is there a reason that I shouldn't return the favor back to you?"
"I like you, Conaire," The old man said with a smirk. "No questions about what it is that let you live through that, just strait to the why. I'll tell you the answer then. No, there is no less painful way. Look at it this way, my boy, you will never have that pain again, you are in essence immortal now. I want to be the first to welcome you back then."
"Where exactly is back? I don't understand you at all old man." Conaire stood as if to leave the old man and his ramblings. "The Four Horsemen boy, didn't you hear me the first time?"
"I heard you claim you are going to release them, but many a crazy man has claimed that before and nothing has ever come of it. What makes you so sure that you are going to do it?"
"You, my boy, are the second seal, War." Conaire paused before rejoining the old man on the floor, truly listening for the first time to what the old one was saying. "You know of the Four Horsemen. Renown for their great evil, these four rampaged across the known earth. Destroying the world as they came. The heavens called upon them to balance the great and overwhelming good of the world with their evil. For it is the will of the heavens that the world always be as close to balance as possible. In the end their evil was laid to rest by the blessing of the good of the heavens. The horsemen were allowed rest of their souls under the ideals that they could be called upon again should the balance tip too far in one direction.. Now evil has taken a new foothold in this world and the four are again needed to restore the balance. How you go about that is up to the four of you."
"So I am the second seal, War?"
"Correct, your soul is now whole. You need to find the other four. Your sister, Pestilence, has been released also, but you have a brother and sister still sleeping. I have to awaken them next." Reaching under the nearby pile of hay he pulled out a large bag. "Here this stuff is all yours. Go on, put it all on." Conaire hesitated. " You will feel better when you do, my boy."
Taking the bag, Conaire Breanainn changed into it's contents. Conaire stood before the old man in an old wheat colored tunic, brown breeches, and knee height brown leather boots. A copper washed steel breastplate covered his chest and matching greaves graced his legs. His wrists were encased in copper bracers encrusted with crushed rubies. Conaire's flaming red locks were held in check by a copper circlet set with rubies. To complete Conaire the old man handed him the sword that he had run Conaire through with. I was a magnificent broad sword with a pattern of flames carved into the hilt, pommel, guard, and even running onto the blade itself.
"Now you seem right Conaire Breanainn. Horseman of War you must join your sisters and brother. First you must reclaim, Taisen. You must bring to flame that which you hold closest to your heart and then he will come to you." Having said that the old man turned to leave.
"Wait! Old one, how will I know the other seals?"
"Look to your memories. If all else fails see to the horses and seek the symbol on your own head and wrists."
Conaire was then left alone in his stable. He spent the better part of the day thinking about all the things that he held dear. In the late light of the setting sun, he released his working horses and set his stables aflame. It had taken him two years to build a place suitable to place his wonderful horses and he had done it almost all on his own. It hurt to see it go up in flames. He was watching it burn when out of the flames walked a Sorrel. "Taisen?" Conaire called and the horse walked up to him, gave him a great huff and the two watched the flames.
When there was nothing left of the stables but ash, Taisen lead the way to the center of the remains. There sat a set of tack worthy of a great war horse. The dyed red worked saddle was trimmed with copper and ruby trappings and charms. Conaire carefully saddled Taisen and mounting the two headed off to search for the other three seals.
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