TheStartOfAJourneySupperAnd [Niko] certainly had the rabbits, which would make a good meaty stew for the small party. As he approached, the Septa - talking to Derron Thorne - raised an arm in greeting. Aerin was seated on top of the wagon; Ranulf and the two giuards were walking back from the river. All three were wet; the guards were carrying pails of water. It took another hour and a half before supper was ready - time enough to go and bathe in the river if any of them wished. At last the rich rabbit stew was ready. The bread was still good, having been baked that morning in Clearwater, and Aerin and the Septa between them had prepared fresh green leaves to eat (the Septa was a great believer in fresh leaves and fruit). Ranulf was still wary, sitting at some duistance from everyone else - his bowl was carried to him by one of the men at arms. The Septa saw that everyone was served and them settled down with her own bowl. Overhead the sky was darkening to navy blue velvet, pierced by stars. Derron leaned back against a large stone and ate the stew. It was tasty. He even fished out a small piece of meat to handfeed to Lancer. The big hound wagged his tail in appreciation. Derron should have felt at ease, but the whole situation had him restless. He did not know exactly why. He resolved to do his best to perform his task quickly and efficiently. Then he could return to his place, and hopefully his forge. He let the others talk for now. Aerin sat on the edge of the wagon, a sated Shade lounging behind her as she slowly picked at her food. From out of the darkness there came a sudden sound - someone near at hand was singing - a traveller's ballad, such as the minstrels who wandered from village to village might sing. Shade raised his head and sniffed the air with languid interest. As had everyone else, Niko tended towards silence during supper, enjoying the stew and the darkening night. But at the sound, he was instantly on his feet, spilling the last bit of his supper as he looked for the source of the sound. Though he did not have his blade drawn, his hand was over the hilt as he moved between the approaching party and his own. "Are there friends at the fire?" called out a voice. "Might a stanger beg a meal in return for a song and a goodly tale?" Derron looked down at Lancer, who's head was off the ground, though his tail was wagging. If it were a very large group, he would have gotten to his feet, so Derron called out, "Come forward and be recognized." Aerin looked up curiously into the darkness. She knew her bow wasn't far from her. And Shade's reaction calmed her into not reacting and going for it. A man strolled forward, a young man, tall and fair, with a lock of golden hair falling into his eyes. He was dressed in the simple homespun any smallfolk might wear for travelling, but the pack on his back had the end of a lute visible at the top. Despite this encumbrance, he swept a creditable bow. "My thanks, sweet people all. My name is Jack o'Lantern - but to my friends, Lantern, for they say I assuredly bring light to dark places. "And who might I have the honour of meeting?" Derron set down his bowl and levered himself to his feet. He said, "My name is Derron Thorne. I am the Steward at Clearwater. We are journeying to Marsh End." He paused, his countenance looking ominous, then added, "If you care to demonstrate your skill with yon lute, we will gladly offer you some stew." A slight grin appeared on his face. The stranger grinned back. "Willingly!" he said. He swung off his heavy pack and set it on the ground, struggling with the fastenings for a moment before drawing out the lute. "And what would you hear, gentles all - a merry song or a sad one?" he asked, seating himself in a gap in the circle around the fire. Derron firmly said, "We've enough sad times as it is, don't you think? A happy song, if you please." "Certainly, my Masters," and he launched into a cheery song that extolled the virtues of begging, and the tricks that beggars would play on their unwitting victims: Of all the trades in all the lands, a-beggin' is the best For when a beggar's tired, He can lay him down to rest. And a-begging I will go, a-begging I will go. And a-begging I will go, a-begging I will go. I got a pocket for me oatmeal, and another for me rye. I got a bottle by me side to drink when I am dry. And a-begging I will go, a-begging I will go. And a-begging I will go, a-begging I will go. I got patches on me cloak, and black patch on me knee. When you come to take me home, I'll drink as well as thee. And a-begging I will go, a-begging I will go. And a-begging I will go, a-begging I will go. I got a pocket for me meat and another for me malt I got a pair of little crutches, you should see how I can halt. And a-begging I will go, a-begging I will go. And a-begging I will go, a-begging I will go. I sleep beneath an open tree, and there I pay no rent. The Seven they provides for me, and I am well content. And a-begging I will go, a-begging I will go. And a-begging I will go, a-begging I will go. I fear no plots against me. I live an open cell. Who would be a king then when beggars live so well. And a-begging I will go, a-begging I will go. And a-begging I will go, a-begging I will go. Of all the trades in all the lands, a-begging is the best. For when a beggar's tired, he can lay him down to rest. And a-begging I will go, a-begging I will go. And a-begging I will go, a-begging I will go. The chorus was so simple and inviting that any could join in. He finished with a flourish and looked round at them all, his eyes adjusted to the firelight. "Well?" he said. "Have I earned my supper?" Derron smiled, not having heard the tune in many years. "Aye, that you have." He turned to the Septa and asked, "Can we spare him a full bowl?" "We can indeed," said the Septa warmly. "Come you, and sit you down." Ranulf was watching with wide, open eyes. Shade was licking his paws, content. Aerin gave Shade a curious look. It was rare he was so relaxed around a stranger. She turned back to the newcomer, curious. "Where are you from?" she called to fair man with a measuring gaze. "Highgarden has the honour of being the place of my birth, lady," said Lantern. "After that - the whole Seven Kingdoms have been my school and my training guard - and I can tell you tales of any of the, from the Wall to the sands of Dorne." He did not look old enough to prove the boast. Derron looked slightly skeptical. But then he glanced at Niko. The lad was quite young, especially considering all he had seen and done. Maybe it wasn't so far-fetched. Aerin gave the bard a skeptical look. Her father had taught her to measure a person by their deeds, and not their words. And the idea of this young man having had deeds as he declared seemed improbable to her. "Tell us a tale about shadowcats!" she called to the youthful bard. He paused in restringing his instrument. "By and by," he said. "I'd be a poor merchant to lay out all my wares at once. Perhaps one of you might tell a tale or sing a song to gladden all hearts." Shade gave a low rumbling in his throat, and Lantern looked startled - perhaps recognising the young shadowcat for what he was for the first time. "By the Father, are you like one of the warrior queens of old, to sit so easy with a shadowcat beside you?" he demanded. Aerin actually giggled at that. "No. But were there Warrior Queens with Shadowcats once?" she half demanded, her eyes bright. "Indeed," said the bard. He struck a chord on the instrument and it sounded true. "And I'll tell you of them after your tale, my lady. Aerin blanched. "I have no tales to tell, and I have no way with words.." She looked to the shadowcat lounging next to her, as if somehow Shade would suddenly grow a tongue with speech and assist his companion in her plight. "Once... there was a kit," she started, hesitant. "A shadowcat cub. His mother died trying to save him from hunters. But the hunters found him behind its dame's body. And they took him, thinking they could fetch a pretty penny for its fur once it had grown. For his fur was the color of the sun, and not the color of shadows and night like his brethren." Aerin reached and slowly stroked Shade's neck fur. He growled appreciatively. "So he was caged and sold to a merchant, who had dreams of a trip north and a quick copper after selling the cat to furriers. But the trip was hard, and the cat was not a willing passenger. And the merchant began to realize he had more on his hands than a fierce beast. He began to realize the cat had a mind and a will of its own." Aerin smiled at Shade. "And then the merchant and the cat arrived at Clearwater. And the merchant had decided that the scratches he'd suffered at the claws of the cat outweighed any thoughts of compassion for the feline. Understandibly, of course," Aerin half said to Shade directly. "After all, his claws are very fast and sharp." Shade, as though entering into the spirit of this, flexed a wicked set of claws. "But the merchant had not counted on Fate. And at the keep was a lonely warrior girl who'd needed a friend as fierce and bold as herself," she announced proudly. "And when the girl and the cat saw each other they knew they were meant to be. And much to the amazement and worry of the rest of the keep the girl kept the cat and they have been together ever since." Aerin looked at the bard. "Now tell me of warrior queens and shadowcats!" she demanded eagerly. Lantern nodded and struck a note on his instrument. "Now hear the tale of Latvina, Queen of Dorne, and of Fangfit, her great Shadowcat who raced beside her chariot into battle." And he began to sing ... but all the while he was glancing around the camp, watching not only Aerin, but also Niko and Derron, as though to gauge their response. As he had not settled after the man had come upon their camp, Niko also did not settle once the man seemed benign. For if there was anything that he had come to know, it was that looks could be deceiving, and there were more questions than answers surrounding this 'troubadour'. Derron finished his supper and leaned back against the stump he was using as a backrest. He listened toi Aerin and the bard swap tales, then the bard's singing. He was curious as to how the bard came to be traveling alone, this far from a town, when the area was known to harbor bandits and wild animals. He looked to Niko and nodded his head, indicating he wished to speak with him. Niko surreptitiously returned Derron's nod, and after it seemed that the bard was in conversation with others, slipped over to Derron. He said nothing, waiting for the older man to speak, but the whole while, he kept the bard and his young charge in sight. Derron said softly, "Very few men have the courage to travel these lands alone, when bandits and other dangers are common. Even a foolhardy bard wold hesitate. Maybe a scout around before setting the watch would not go amiss." Merely nodding in reply, for his thoughts had surely followed the same track, Niko milled among the men, selecting Tyek and Eron to accompany him, with only a few whispered words and a nod towards the bard. That done, they slipped off into the darkness to patrol the area. (continued below) Aerin in the mean time was listening to the Minstrel with rapt attention. She had pulled her feet up on the wagon and was half curled against Shade as she listened to the tale of the Queen and her Shadowcat. Lantern gave no sign that he had noticed the departure of Niko and the guards. He continued to speak and sing smoothly - and all his tale was of the bravery of the Queen and her Shadowcat - and how they had triumphed over great odds (not the least of which was her father's reluctance to see her matched with a Shadowcat). Then he began a new section of his song - telling how the King her father wished to marry her off to a foreign prince. Aerin was obviously less comfortable with this piece of the tale. Her fingers reflextively curled in Shade's fur as she listened with a less pleased expression than before. But this was merely the prelude to the Queen's escape to freedom with her brave Shadowcat who held all would-be suitors at bay while the Queen climbed down a rope from her bedroom window and rode away into the moonlight, singing a cheerfully taunting chorus that they were all invited to join in with. "I had also wondered about his sudden appearance," Tyek said once they were out of earshot. Niko looked at him askance, waiting for the older man to continue. "The perimeter guards," Tyek said after a pause. "Though I know we aren't really expecting anything, someone should have said something before the minstrel approached the fire. It was passing strange, it was." Niko nodded thoughtfully. "Keep a close watch, then. Something strange is amiss." They came across one of the perimeter guards under a tree. He greeted them cheerfully enough - but claimed to have seen no traveller, nor any bard. Niko frowned, thinking, but it was Tyek who voiced the words. "Is anyone missing, late to come in?" Niko merely nodded agreement with the question, his discomfort growing. "No," said the guard, growing a little uneasy in his turn. "Is something wrong?" At that point, another figure hoved into view - the stout outline of Grahem, universally known as Grahem the Grim from his fixed expression. He, it seemed, had been patrolling the boundaries of the camp. "Grahem," Niko called, motioning for the man to come over. "Did you see anything in your patrols? Or perhaps come across a wandering minstrel on his way in to camp?" "There was a minstrel," said Grahem. "Looking for supper. Not armed. I told him to try his luck at the fire." Niko visibly relaxed. "Was he with anyone? It seems rather strange for an unarmed minstrel to be travelling these roads alone in the dark, do you not think?" Grahem shook his head. "I saw no-one - and he had no horse." Niko's curiousity was aroused, but he was still more at ease than he had been on the way here. "Your thanks, but keep a sharp eye out- there is still more here than we currently see." With that, he headed back towards the fire, heading towards Derron to tell him what he found out. The minstrel was no singing a rousing chorus that told of a queen who had escaped a suitor with the aid of her Shadowcat. Several people seemed to have joined in, casting glances at a loftily indifferent Shade. Niko crouched beside Derron. "He seems to check out, though I did alert the perimeter guards. There is still the unusual way he arrived that leaves unanswered questions." Derron nodded and whispered, "We'll leave him be for now. But it's a good thing they've been alerted." "So," Niko asked, "asking him how he came to be here would not be a good idea?" Derron shrugged. "Later, when things have calmed down a bit." The song seemed to be drawing to an end. As the song ended, Niko said, "I have a request for minstrel Lantern." His voice was barely loud enough to be heard as he looked intently at the young bard. "Tell us the story of your coming to this place. Though our travels have been quite peaceful, a lone bard alone in the dark along bandit strewn roads is bound to be a better tale." Lantern smiled good humouredly. "No epic then, but a comic song you're wanting. For to anyone else, it would be a night of comedy, but it felt not like that to me, chased from the mountains by a band of robbers - my horse throwing me at the site of a boar and leaving me to face my fate alone - the coward! "Shall I sing of that?" Derron grinned. "Aye, that'll do. Then we'll need to get rest to continue on tomorrow. Where are you headed?" Lantern grinned back. "Any nearby town that you might know. I escaped the robbers with my coin intact - mostly - but I lost most of the necessities of life such as food, my bedding roll - oh no, that went with my horse. Well, at all events, I need to replace my gear. Where are you headed?" Derron said, "We are on our way to Marshend. Perhaps the good folk there need their spirits lifted." Niko looked sharply at Derron, finally taking his eye off of Lantern. But he said nothing, looking back ot the minstrel. "Then Marshened it will be," said Lantern easily, and at once he went off into the promised comic song that told of his misadventures in the mountains - doubtless with some exageration. |
