Ekumene (An Original Fantasy Quest)
- Thread starter 4WheelSword
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
- Location
- St. Petersburg
Another blade? Isn't she a civillian?
Ester isn't very rational in the aftermath of the slaughter, what with telling not to be too trusting of a stranger after letting them in and alternating between accusing us and appealing to our authority as a Housecarl... but help will not be easy to come by, so sure.
[x] If you insist. We'll leave at first light. (Uncertain, yes).
Ester isn't very rational in the aftermath of the slaughter, what with telling not to be too trusting of a stranger after letting them in and alternating between accusing us and appealing to our authority as a Housecarl... but help will not be easy to come by, so sure.
[x] If you insist. We'll leave at first light. (Uncertain, yes).
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Teloch
ಠ_ಠ
- Location
- The middle of nowhere
[X] If you insist. We'll leave at first light. (Uncertain, yes).
If she's so oblivious to the risk to own life and integrity that her fiery temper imposes, it would be rude for us to prevent her from gaining some life experience, wouldn't it?Besides, she would make a nice meat shield
If she's so oblivious to the risk to own life and integrity that her fiery temper imposes, it would be rude for us to prevent her from gaining some life experience, wouldn't it?
Hykal94
Orange Estus Kitteh
- Location
- Firelink Shrine
[X] Inquire about her skills and capabilities, if they are sufficient to make the journey, let her come, if they are not, tell her no and inform her why.
"Did you put any points into Healing?"
"No."
"Crafting."
"No."
"Inventory management?"
"No."
"THEN WHAT GOOD ARE YOU?!"
"Did you put any points into Healing?"
"No."
"Crafting."
"No."
"Inventory management?"
"No."
"THEN WHAT GOOD ARE YOU?!"
4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
Souunds like someone's trying to play Mount & blade
Hykal94
Orange Estus Kitteh
- Location
- Firelink Shrine
Souunds like someone's trying to play Mount & blade
ymira is best girl fite me
Teloch
ಠ_ಠ
- Location
- The middle of nowhere
would you like some HAVE AT THEE, bro?
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4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
You are correct
Chapter 1, Awakenings: part 4
4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
Martin's face dropped, a scowl of frustration crossing it.
"You're not going anywhere, Ester. We have few enough hands to rebuild as it is, without you wandering off to see a king who's as likely to ignore you as he is to refuse your request."
He paused a beat, looking from Josephene to the girl, to the priest. All were silent.
"Father, you surely agree it's folly?"
"The blessings of Frijja are not the realm of men, for the most part. A woman who takes a worthy road is worthy in turn in Her eyes." The young priest said vaguely, stroking his chin.
"Aye, and she'll be worthy of Katma's touch as well when the bandits find her," Martin growled. The girl's face was a picture of stubbornness, stony indifference to the old man's words. She said nothing in reply. "My Lady Housecarl, surely you agree shed be better off here?" He asked, searching for some agreement.
Josephene turned to the girl - Ester, she corrected herself - and looked her up and down. She was that sort of rangy youngster who so often appeared at recruiting time looking for some way off of their parent's farm or out of a workshop. The girl seemed nothing special, not by looking at her, but by the determination in her voice and the spark of something in her eyes, Josephene wasn't willing to immediately discount her.
"Can you fight?" She asked a simple opening question. Perhaps there were some talents hidden beneath the unassuming surface that would make this girl a more serious prospect for a travelling companion, rather than just another dead-weight risk.
"Do you think anyone living here can't?" She answered, patting the butt of the sword that hung from her belt.
Where she'd found such a mark of prosperity Josephene couldn't begin to think, but the confidence she'd answered with was something at least. Sword's were expensive, usually the mark of nobility, and the training to use one moreso.
"You've had formal training then?"
"Well…" Ester looked from Josephene to the old man and back again, "My father did his best."
"So no,"
"Not as such,"
Untrained, but confident. Injured, but driven. Some company certainly wouldn't go amiss, if only to keep her mind off of all her other troubles, but what if they were ambushed. At least she'd have someone to watch her back.
"Can you hunt, at least?" While Josephene had been carrying a bow all the way from the fort, it had proved near impossible to draw with the injuries to her chest.
"Of course," Ester almost scoffed, "traps and snares both."
"What about plants, herbs?" Asking if she could cook would be like asking a baby if it could draw breath, but knowing how to gather and procure the right ingredients for different things would make her a worthy companion.
Ester was silent for several seconds, chewing her lip. Her eyes darted across the floor as if seeking some divine answer in the dust.
"She has been helping me to make the poultices since the attack. I would say she has more learning than she would admit to." The priest cut in, drawing a vicious look from Martin and a thankful one from the girl.
"And what of your injury? Your burned arm. How do you expect to act as a blade if you cannot fight."
"I can fight." She almost snapped. Again, that defensive snarl, like a cornered cat. Every answer, even the least accommodating, gave Josephene another insight into this girl who asked to travel with her.
She was not trained but carried a sword. She was hurt but had a fire that could take her far so long as she wasn't cut down before she worked out how far that was. Skilled with herbs and perhaps even poultices, but unwilling to admit how skilled - She was hiding something, a factor of her past that she wouldn't like to see the light. In others that might be found untrustworthy, but the way she had held the secret showed Josephene that it was not to be a dangerous one.
Whatever it was, the girl held enough hidden talents within her to make her valuable for the next few days journeying. Josephene would need a hunter and a cook if nothing else. It was not like she could resupply from this village, after all. They would have to find forage on the road.
"I'm not planning on taking an easy road to the Capital." She said.
"I can walk mountain trails as well as I can the lowlands," Ester replied.
"It will be dangerous."
"I'm not afraid."
"The city is not a nice place."
"I've seen my village die, Housecarl." The way she said the last word, it was like a bitter fruit, sharp on her tongue and barbed as it landed in Josephene's ears.
Another beat, another pause. Ester's eyes were wide. The old man stared at the floor, the priest gazed at the rooms low ceiling. Everything hung in the air, an intensity with no depth, an atmosphere that couldn't be cut even with the sharpest blade.
"We leave in the morning." She said finally. The girl grinned, the priest sighed. Martin stood and cast a baleful eye around the huddled group.
"I'll not support this. You-" He said, jabbing a finger at Josephene, "-You take my girl from here and you'd best hope we never meet again."
He walked away into the darkness beyond the fire's light. The young priest smiled at the two women.
"I'll speak to him. He'll want to see you off come morning, even if his heart won't let him think that now." He stood and followed the older man, leaving Josephene alone with Ester - At least, as alone as could be possible in that long, low building.
"I'm grateful-" The girl began eventually, after a silence, but Josephene held a hand up to stop her.
"I don't need thanks. I need sleep." Josephene gathered her pack slowly and pulled herself to her feet. The pain in her ribs was reduced somewhat, but not so much that she could hide the wince it caused. "We'll be setting out at dawn. It would be best if you prepared for that."
Turning her back on the girl, Josephene found an empty space close to a wall. Sleep settled over her quickly, the exhaustion of a day's travel on top of the restless unconscious blankness of the night before becoming overwhelming. The darkness was welcoming.
-------
It wasn't dawn's light that woke her, but gentle hands on her shoulders and a soft voice in her ear. She opened her eyes to find the young Father smiling down at her.
"If you plan to make much progress, I imagine you'll want to be awake before the sun is too high?"
She blinked, only then noticing the sunlight streaming through the boards that covered the windows. An attempt to sit bolt upright brought only a lancing pain and a growl of frustration. By the amount of light, she was awake much later than she had wanted.
"Why didn't you wake me." She demanded, pulling herself up more carefully this time.
"You're still hurt. You needed to rest."
"I need to be on my way." She looked around, hunting for her equipment. "Where is the girl."
"My name is Ester." Ester said from where she was sitting by the door. "And I've been ready for hours."
"And you couldn't have convinced the good Father to wake me?"
"Nobody convinces me of anything." The priest chuckled in good humour. "Let me change your bandages before you leave, at least."
Josephene nodded her assent, turning to lean against the wall as the man gathered his salves and wraps and everything else with which he intended to heal her. Her tunic came up and he slowly undid the wrappings he had wound around her the night before. As they came undone she took a full breath for the first time in hours and had to control the burning pain that washed over her right side. However much the priest's work was helping, it wasn't helping particularly quickly.
Rebound, and with her pack on, she finally stood by the door with Ester.
"You're ready?"
"As I said. For hours." Her expression was one of annoyance and even a little distaste.
"Make your farewells then."
"They're long since done."
"What are we waiting for then." Already their relationship was proving to be antagonistic. As much as the girl was going to be helpful, she might quickly prove more trouble than she was worth. The door was un-barricaded and slowly the two women picked their way out into the sunlight. It was bright enough they had to squint. The town looked even worse in the daytime, Josephene realised, as they stood in silence. It was entirely ruined, only a handful of buildings left standing. She wondered if Monfleur would ever be rebuilt to the size it was again.
"Are we leaving or what?" Ester asked, "I'd rather not stand around in the ruins of my home, thank you."
What route to take?
[ ] Bounce from village to town until you reach the capital
[ ] Avoid settlements which may attract the raiders.
[ ] Find the river, there may be river traffic.
Is there anything you seek to learn?
[ ] Martin seemed overly protective of Ester. Why?
[ ] Has Ester ever travelled beyond her village.
[ ] Silence is the most productive topic.
[ ] Write in.
"You're not going anywhere, Ester. We have few enough hands to rebuild as it is, without you wandering off to see a king who's as likely to ignore you as he is to refuse your request."
He paused a beat, looking from Josephene to the girl, to the priest. All were silent.
"Father, you surely agree it's folly?"
"The blessings of Frijja are not the realm of men, for the most part. A woman who takes a worthy road is worthy in turn in Her eyes." The young priest said vaguely, stroking his chin.
"Aye, and she'll be worthy of Katma's touch as well when the bandits find her," Martin growled. The girl's face was a picture of stubbornness, stony indifference to the old man's words. She said nothing in reply. "My Lady Housecarl, surely you agree shed be better off here?" He asked, searching for some agreement.
Josephene turned to the girl - Ester, she corrected herself - and looked her up and down. She was that sort of rangy youngster who so often appeared at recruiting time looking for some way off of their parent's farm or out of a workshop. The girl seemed nothing special, not by looking at her, but by the determination in her voice and the spark of something in her eyes, Josephene wasn't willing to immediately discount her.
"Can you fight?" She asked a simple opening question. Perhaps there were some talents hidden beneath the unassuming surface that would make this girl a more serious prospect for a travelling companion, rather than just another dead-weight risk.
"Do you think anyone living here can't?" She answered, patting the butt of the sword that hung from her belt.
Where she'd found such a mark of prosperity Josephene couldn't begin to think, but the confidence she'd answered with was something at least. Sword's were expensive, usually the mark of nobility, and the training to use one moreso.
"You've had formal training then?"
"Well…" Ester looked from Josephene to the old man and back again, "My father did his best."
"So no,"
"Not as such,"
Untrained, but confident. Injured, but driven. Some company certainly wouldn't go amiss, if only to keep her mind off of all her other troubles, but what if they were ambushed. At least she'd have someone to watch her back.
"Can you hunt, at least?" While Josephene had been carrying a bow all the way from the fort, it had proved near impossible to draw with the injuries to her chest.
"Of course," Ester almost scoffed, "traps and snares both."
"What about plants, herbs?" Asking if she could cook would be like asking a baby if it could draw breath, but knowing how to gather and procure the right ingredients for different things would make her a worthy companion.
Ester was silent for several seconds, chewing her lip. Her eyes darted across the floor as if seeking some divine answer in the dust.
"She has been helping me to make the poultices since the attack. I would say she has more learning than she would admit to." The priest cut in, drawing a vicious look from Martin and a thankful one from the girl.
"And what of your injury? Your burned arm. How do you expect to act as a blade if you cannot fight."
"I can fight." She almost snapped. Again, that defensive snarl, like a cornered cat. Every answer, even the least accommodating, gave Josephene another insight into this girl who asked to travel with her.
She was not trained but carried a sword. She was hurt but had a fire that could take her far so long as she wasn't cut down before she worked out how far that was. Skilled with herbs and perhaps even poultices, but unwilling to admit how skilled - She was hiding something, a factor of her past that she wouldn't like to see the light. In others that might be found untrustworthy, but the way she had held the secret showed Josephene that it was not to be a dangerous one.
Whatever it was, the girl held enough hidden talents within her to make her valuable for the next few days journeying. Josephene would need a hunter and a cook if nothing else. It was not like she could resupply from this village, after all. They would have to find forage on the road.
"I'm not planning on taking an easy road to the Capital." She said.
"I can walk mountain trails as well as I can the lowlands," Ester replied.
"It will be dangerous."
"I'm not afraid."
"The city is not a nice place."
"I've seen my village die, Housecarl." The way she said the last word, it was like a bitter fruit, sharp on her tongue and barbed as it landed in Josephene's ears.
Another beat, another pause. Ester's eyes were wide. The old man stared at the floor, the priest gazed at the rooms low ceiling. Everything hung in the air, an intensity with no depth, an atmosphere that couldn't be cut even with the sharpest blade.
"We leave in the morning." She said finally. The girl grinned, the priest sighed. Martin stood and cast a baleful eye around the huddled group.
"I'll not support this. You-" He said, jabbing a finger at Josephene, "-You take my girl from here and you'd best hope we never meet again."
He walked away into the darkness beyond the fire's light. The young priest smiled at the two women.
"I'll speak to him. He'll want to see you off come morning, even if his heart won't let him think that now." He stood and followed the older man, leaving Josephene alone with Ester - At least, as alone as could be possible in that long, low building.
"I'm grateful-" The girl began eventually, after a silence, but Josephene held a hand up to stop her.
"I don't need thanks. I need sleep." Josephene gathered her pack slowly and pulled herself to her feet. The pain in her ribs was reduced somewhat, but not so much that she could hide the wince it caused. "We'll be setting out at dawn. It would be best if you prepared for that."
Turning her back on the girl, Josephene found an empty space close to a wall. Sleep settled over her quickly, the exhaustion of a day's travel on top of the restless unconscious blankness of the night before becoming overwhelming. The darkness was welcoming.
-------
It wasn't dawn's light that woke her, but gentle hands on her shoulders and a soft voice in her ear. She opened her eyes to find the young Father smiling down at her.
"If you plan to make much progress, I imagine you'll want to be awake before the sun is too high?"
She blinked, only then noticing the sunlight streaming through the boards that covered the windows. An attempt to sit bolt upright brought only a lancing pain and a growl of frustration. By the amount of light, she was awake much later than she had wanted.
"Why didn't you wake me." She demanded, pulling herself up more carefully this time.
"You're still hurt. You needed to rest."
"I need to be on my way." She looked around, hunting for her equipment. "Where is the girl."
"My name is Ester." Ester said from where she was sitting by the door. "And I've been ready for hours."
"And you couldn't have convinced the good Father to wake me?"
"Nobody convinces me of anything." The priest chuckled in good humour. "Let me change your bandages before you leave, at least."
Josephene nodded her assent, turning to lean against the wall as the man gathered his salves and wraps and everything else with which he intended to heal her. Her tunic came up and he slowly undid the wrappings he had wound around her the night before. As they came undone she took a full breath for the first time in hours and had to control the burning pain that washed over her right side. However much the priest's work was helping, it wasn't helping particularly quickly.
Rebound, and with her pack on, she finally stood by the door with Ester.
"You're ready?"
"As I said. For hours." Her expression was one of annoyance and even a little distaste.
"Make your farewells then."
"They're long since done."
"What are we waiting for then." Already their relationship was proving to be antagonistic. As much as the girl was going to be helpful, she might quickly prove more trouble than she was worth. The door was un-barricaded and slowly the two women picked their way out into the sunlight. It was bright enough they had to squint. The town looked even worse in the daytime, Josephene realised, as they stood in silence. It was entirely ruined, only a handful of buildings left standing. She wondered if Monfleur would ever be rebuilt to the size it was again.
"Are we leaving or what?" Ester asked, "I'd rather not stand around in the ruins of my home, thank you."
What route to take?
[ ] Bounce from village to town until you reach the capital
[ ] Avoid settlements which may attract the raiders.
[ ] Find the river, there may be river traffic.
Is there anything you seek to learn?
[ ] Martin seemed overly protective of Ester. Why?
[ ] Has Ester ever travelled beyond her village.
[ ] Silence is the most productive topic.
[ ] Write in.
NothingNow
Corpse Wrangler
- Location
- Tampa
[x] Find the river, there may be river traffic.
[x] Has Ester ever travelled beyond her village.
[x] Has Ester ever travelled beyond her village.
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
That's a question. Needs a ?
"Look, kid. You're coming along at all as a favor in return for your village putting me up for the night, and because I think it will help my mission to have support due to my injuries. But if you're more trouble than you're worth, there's little reason for me not to just leave you here. So chill the attitude, or I go on alone." >:|
[X] Find the river, there may be river traffic.
Which is faster than walking.
Is there anything you seek to learn?
[X] Has Ester ever travelled beyond her village?
Hykal94
Orange Estus Kitteh
- Location
- Firelink Shrine
[X] Find the river, there may be river traffic.
River means water and hopefully fish.
[X] Has Ester ever travelled beyond her village?
Also @HMS Sophia can you insert the most voted choice at the beginning of each chapter? I forget most of the choices given last time.
River means water and hopefully fish.
[X] Has Ester ever travelled beyond her village?
Also @HMS Sophia can you insert the most voted choice at the beginning of each chapter? I forget most of the choices given last time.
[X] Find the river, there may be river traffic.
[X] Martin seemed overly protective of Ester. Why?
[X] Martin seemed overly protective of Ester. Why?
4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
Yeah, I usually do, but the tool was being wonky this time.
4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
Inserted tally
Chapter 1, Awakenings: part 5
4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
We left the village behind us in silence, the smell of charred dreams quickly replaced by the more pleasant scent of fields approaching harvest time. Josephene found it darkly refreshing, to be away from that place. She watched Ester glance over her shoulder half a dozen times before she said a word.
"It will not disappear if you walk away from it, girl," Josephene said, trying to be reassuring. it must have been difficult to walk away from a place that had been safe for so long, even if it suddenly had become less secure than she had grown up with.
"I'm remembering what it looks like." Ester replied, "I have to remember what we've lost. Someone has too."
There was a note of anger in her voice, a twist of anger that hadn't been there before. Josephene turned and looked for a moment. They were climbing a slight rise, giving them a dramatic view of the extent of the damage to the village's buildings. She wondered how often Ester had managed to walk so far from her home that she could see it like this. Josephene had never lived in small villages, used to the overwhelming scale of the Capital instead, and she couldn't see how anyone could be content to live out their existence in such diminutive little places. But she still understood the importance of home and hearth, however minuscule they were.
Ester took one last look behind her as they crested the hill they had been climbing and looked down the path. The village of Monfleur would soon be left behind, not even visible to the two women walking side by side. If she was to remember it, now was the time.
The girl turned, mouth open to form the first words of a question.
"We're heading North." She said. It was a statement, not a question.
"Yes." josepehene answered.
"The Capital is South-East of here. I know that much from the travelling merchants who come to town."
"Yes, it is."
"I'm not a fool." Ester scoffed, covering up the first shreds of betrayal that were spreading across her face with an offended tone. "If you're not going to the Capital, you can say and I'll go back to the village."
"I'm going to the Capital. Going by the fastest route." Josephene nodded almost to herself, shifting the straps of her backpack so that they sat more comfortably across her chest. "The river Abudun is North of here, isn't it?"
"Aye, but I don't see-" She stopped, a blush of realisation crossing the woman's face.
"Riverboats. If the Raiders haven't spread that far, we'll be able to barter a ride all the way to the Capital. It'll be a sight more comfortable than walking all that way as well."
Her ribs were still screaming agony under her tunic, even with the fresh bandages and potions applied by the priest that morning. She could only imagine how badly Ester's arm was feeling, even strapped down as it was. Walking the days upon days of travel all the way back to the Capital would be hell on those injuries, but travelling by boat would be much less stressful even if she had to pay through the nose once they returned to her home.
At least she was carrying less than she had been the day before, she thought. She still had her shield strapped to her back and her sword to her belt, but even with the extra supplies that the old man and the priest had worked out the village could spare Josepehene had still managed to spread what she had been carrying the day before between her own pack and Ester's. It had made all the difference as they walked the miles between Monfleur and the river banks.
She knew that if they didn't manage to find a boat, she was adding a huge distance to their journey, a journey that would be more dangerous if they followed the river banks as well. An army needed to water its men and it's horses, and if the raiders had brought the strength she had seen at the fort into Atria's lands then they would need a body of fresh water the size of the Abudun to do that. Following the river banks increased their chances of running into the enemy, and neither of them was in much of a state to fight, however much the girl protested that she was more than capable.
They would just have to hope that a boat found them.
"is this your first time outside the village?" Josephene was bored of silence, however much it might protect her from the acid tongue that Ester seemed to have developed since the night before. The girl would have to work on her attitude if they were going to reach the river together, she thought.
"No." Ester half snapped, a bite in her voice. "My father used to take me hunting. Deer and boar for the most part, in the mountains and the plains to the south."
"That's where you learned to trap?"
"I killed my first rabbit when I was six." She said with a nod, and the pride almost radiated off of her.
It was slowly dawning on josephene that, however confident this girl was, she was still a girl. Prone to fits of pique, emotional to a fault, she would have to be handled more delicately than perhaps the Housecarl was used to. Rough treatment had been a fact of life for as long as the swordswoman could remember, but here was a girl only a little younger than her who, though used to the hard life that any rural existence would bring, did not have the fortress walls around her mind that were so vital at court. She wore her feelings on her sleeve, her heart as well the older woman assumed. It was inspiring, in a way, this innocence that held no naivete.
"So your father was a hunter?" She asked.
"Of a sort." Ester answered vaguely, suddenly reticent, "He kept us well fed and sold the rest. There wasn't a person in Monfleur who wasn't pleased when he came home with another kill."
The forests of Atria were ripe with wildlife that could be hunted for its meat, Josephene knew. She'd spent long enough training with bow and spear by bringing down her own share of boar in the woods near the capital, a dangerous training regimen that brought its own rewards in the form of rich meat and the long tusks of the older beasts,
The more she learned about the girl, the more she struggled with the feeling that there was more to her story than she had been told. A father skilled in hunting such that he regularly brought down boar alone, and took deer in the rugged terrain of the mountains. A sword on her belt which no village girl should have.
"There'll be no more of that now, I guess." Ester finished.
Whoever the man had been, she'd made it clear that he'd died in defence of the village. Josephene stayed quiet, unsure of what to say in response.
------
The silence lasted several hours until the sun started to sink behind the tree's they walked amongst. It was in no way a pleasant silence, instead the sort of quiet that held a tension. Neither of them was finding the journey pleasant, struggling with both pain and the rough terrain of the path they had chosen. The forests border had begun shortly after they had left the village and since then they had walked in that strange twilight that thick cover created.
Stopping to find shelter and make camp was, eventually, a necessity rather than a choice. Under those thick boughs, the light faded even faster than Josephene had expected and soon it was simply a case of finding the nearest suitable spot and waiting for sunrise.
Between them, they made quick work of putting together a shelter and finding enough dry wood to start a small wood, even with the impediment of their respective wounds. They barely spoke again before they were sitting by the fire, warming salted meat in the hopes that it would become slightly more chewable in the heat.
"So," Josephene broke the silence with a single word. The other woman started, eyes wide when she turned them on the warrior. "The old man."
"Martin?"
"Aye, him." She paused, formulating a question, "He's… protective."
"Is that a question?" Ester was watching her across the low fire, eyes bright. Josephene nodded. "Yes, he is. He had a son a little older than I am. We were friends."
"You're not friends anymore?"
"He wasn't seen after the raiders came. We assumed he went the same way as my father."
Of course, she chided herself, that was a stupid thing to say. Ester had lost enough without some fool probing into still fresh wounds.
"Martin was good to me, the first night. I guess he thought he needed to look after me." Ester finished.
"I don't think you need much looking after."
Ester gave her a look that was somewhere between shock and gratefulness. It was strange, wide-eyed and innocent layered on a hard face. It was quickly shed for one of doubt. The sharpness made its return.
"Maybe. Maybe not. I-"
She stopped as Josephene held up a hand. There was a cracking sound, loud, but not close. The forests hid direction. Josephene stood slowly. Ester was watching her, hand nervously resting on the hilt of her sword.
"What's out there?" The girl asked in hushed tones.
"Hush." Josephene had to keep herself from snapping. She was straining to hear something that gave away what had broken a branch. The nicker of a horse, the grunt of a boar, even the rattling clink of chainmail, just something that could tell her whether she should be reaching for a blade or just running for her life.
Another crack, another broken branch. Another frustrating moment, listening to the darkness.
What should Josephene do?
[ ] Douse the fire and hope whatever it is goes away.
[ ] Seek it out, but tell Ester to stay with the camp.
[ ] Shout a threat or warning.
[ ] Write in.
"It will not disappear if you walk away from it, girl," Josephene said, trying to be reassuring. it must have been difficult to walk away from a place that had been safe for so long, even if it suddenly had become less secure than she had grown up with.
"I'm remembering what it looks like." Ester replied, "I have to remember what we've lost. Someone has too."
There was a note of anger in her voice, a twist of anger that hadn't been there before. Josephene turned and looked for a moment. They were climbing a slight rise, giving them a dramatic view of the extent of the damage to the village's buildings. She wondered how often Ester had managed to walk so far from her home that she could see it like this. Josephene had never lived in small villages, used to the overwhelming scale of the Capital instead, and she couldn't see how anyone could be content to live out their existence in such diminutive little places. But she still understood the importance of home and hearth, however minuscule they were.
Ester took one last look behind her as they crested the hill they had been climbing and looked down the path. The village of Monfleur would soon be left behind, not even visible to the two women walking side by side. If she was to remember it, now was the time.
The girl turned, mouth open to form the first words of a question.
"We're heading North." She said. It was a statement, not a question.
"Yes." josepehene answered.
"The Capital is South-East of here. I know that much from the travelling merchants who come to town."
"Yes, it is."
"I'm not a fool." Ester scoffed, covering up the first shreds of betrayal that were spreading across her face with an offended tone. "If you're not going to the Capital, you can say and I'll go back to the village."
"I'm going to the Capital. Going by the fastest route." Josephene nodded almost to herself, shifting the straps of her backpack so that they sat more comfortably across her chest. "The river Abudun is North of here, isn't it?"
"Aye, but I don't see-" She stopped, a blush of realisation crossing the woman's face.
"Riverboats. If the Raiders haven't spread that far, we'll be able to barter a ride all the way to the Capital. It'll be a sight more comfortable than walking all that way as well."
Her ribs were still screaming agony under her tunic, even with the fresh bandages and potions applied by the priest that morning. She could only imagine how badly Ester's arm was feeling, even strapped down as it was. Walking the days upon days of travel all the way back to the Capital would be hell on those injuries, but travelling by boat would be much less stressful even if she had to pay through the nose once they returned to her home.
At least she was carrying less than she had been the day before, she thought. She still had her shield strapped to her back and her sword to her belt, but even with the extra supplies that the old man and the priest had worked out the village could spare Josepehene had still managed to spread what she had been carrying the day before between her own pack and Ester's. It had made all the difference as they walked the miles between Monfleur and the river banks.
She knew that if they didn't manage to find a boat, she was adding a huge distance to their journey, a journey that would be more dangerous if they followed the river banks as well. An army needed to water its men and it's horses, and if the raiders had brought the strength she had seen at the fort into Atria's lands then they would need a body of fresh water the size of the Abudun to do that. Following the river banks increased their chances of running into the enemy, and neither of them was in much of a state to fight, however much the girl protested that she was more than capable.
They would just have to hope that a boat found them.
"is this your first time outside the village?" Josephene was bored of silence, however much it might protect her from the acid tongue that Ester seemed to have developed since the night before. The girl would have to work on her attitude if they were going to reach the river together, she thought.
"No." Ester half snapped, a bite in her voice. "My father used to take me hunting. Deer and boar for the most part, in the mountains and the plains to the south."
"That's where you learned to trap?"
"I killed my first rabbit when I was six." She said with a nod, and the pride almost radiated off of her.
It was slowly dawning on josephene that, however confident this girl was, she was still a girl. Prone to fits of pique, emotional to a fault, she would have to be handled more delicately than perhaps the Housecarl was used to. Rough treatment had been a fact of life for as long as the swordswoman could remember, but here was a girl only a little younger than her who, though used to the hard life that any rural existence would bring, did not have the fortress walls around her mind that were so vital at court. She wore her feelings on her sleeve, her heart as well the older woman assumed. It was inspiring, in a way, this innocence that held no naivete.
"So your father was a hunter?" She asked.
"Of a sort." Ester answered vaguely, suddenly reticent, "He kept us well fed and sold the rest. There wasn't a person in Monfleur who wasn't pleased when he came home with another kill."
The forests of Atria were ripe with wildlife that could be hunted for its meat, Josephene knew. She'd spent long enough training with bow and spear by bringing down her own share of boar in the woods near the capital, a dangerous training regimen that brought its own rewards in the form of rich meat and the long tusks of the older beasts,
The more she learned about the girl, the more she struggled with the feeling that there was more to her story than she had been told. A father skilled in hunting such that he regularly brought down boar alone, and took deer in the rugged terrain of the mountains. A sword on her belt which no village girl should have.
"There'll be no more of that now, I guess." Ester finished.
Whoever the man had been, she'd made it clear that he'd died in defence of the village. Josephene stayed quiet, unsure of what to say in response.
------
The silence lasted several hours until the sun started to sink behind the tree's they walked amongst. It was in no way a pleasant silence, instead the sort of quiet that held a tension. Neither of them was finding the journey pleasant, struggling with both pain and the rough terrain of the path they had chosen. The forests border had begun shortly after they had left the village and since then they had walked in that strange twilight that thick cover created.
Stopping to find shelter and make camp was, eventually, a necessity rather than a choice. Under those thick boughs, the light faded even faster than Josephene had expected and soon it was simply a case of finding the nearest suitable spot and waiting for sunrise.
Between them, they made quick work of putting together a shelter and finding enough dry wood to start a small wood, even with the impediment of their respective wounds. They barely spoke again before they were sitting by the fire, warming salted meat in the hopes that it would become slightly more chewable in the heat.
"So," Josephene broke the silence with a single word. The other woman started, eyes wide when she turned them on the warrior. "The old man."
"Martin?"
"Aye, him." She paused, formulating a question, "He's… protective."
"Is that a question?" Ester was watching her across the low fire, eyes bright. Josephene nodded. "Yes, he is. He had a son a little older than I am. We were friends."
"You're not friends anymore?"
"He wasn't seen after the raiders came. We assumed he went the same way as my father."
Of course, she chided herself, that was a stupid thing to say. Ester had lost enough without some fool probing into still fresh wounds.
"Martin was good to me, the first night. I guess he thought he needed to look after me." Ester finished.
"I don't think you need much looking after."
Ester gave her a look that was somewhere between shock and gratefulness. It was strange, wide-eyed and innocent layered on a hard face. It was quickly shed for one of doubt. The sharpness made its return.
"Maybe. Maybe not. I-"
She stopped as Josephene held up a hand. There was a cracking sound, loud, but not close. The forests hid direction. Josephene stood slowly. Ester was watching her, hand nervously resting on the hilt of her sword.
"What's out there?" The girl asked in hushed tones.
"Hush." Josephene had to keep herself from snapping. She was straining to hear something that gave away what had broken a branch. The nicker of a horse, the grunt of a boar, even the rattling clink of chainmail, just something that could tell her whether she should be reaching for a blade or just running for her life.
Another crack, another broken branch. Another frustrating moment, listening to the darkness.
What should Josephene do?
[ ] Douse the fire and hope whatever it is goes away.
[ ] Seek it out, but tell Ester to stay with the camp.
[ ] Shout a threat or warning.
[ ] Write in.
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- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
Did I miss a word, or does this not make sense?
[X] Seek it out, but tell Ester to stay with the camp.
If it's an animal, fine, maybe it's dinner. If it's a human, we want to see it before it sees us, if it hasn't spotted the fire already. We should tell Esther to grab a knife and find some concealment, too.