Day 18 -
An Afternoon Romp!
During the course of my meal, the common room started to get busy as others came to lounge on chairs, benches and stools. The sweet smell of a recently picked flower held my attention until the floor creeked and a gentleman I'd never seen before approached the table.
"What is your name sir?"
"Uh." I glanced up from smelling the rose and looked over a shoulder. The tavern was filling up! "... oh." Was this guy talking to me, or that larger fellow with the eye patch?
"Oh...that is a funny name," he replied.
"Wha-? Uh. I thought you were talking to the big fellow. I'm Noal Dagar."
"What sort of skill set do you have?"
My shoulders offered him a weak shrug. Me? Mr. Useless? "Can't fight well, no training in weapons."
"Well that's not all I need. Can you negotiate?"
"Nope. I was studying in Songhall once ..." but my words trailed off as the man shifted his gaze over the common room.
"Is that all that is here?" he asked to himself, although all gathered heard him well enough. "Gather 'round and grab a seat if you would."
As I shifted around in my chair and tucked the flower away, I spotted my Lady Kelda and her brother Edvard, Bors, even my Lady Kallian, along with many others I did not recognize. I had no clue what was going on, and getting up to leave my table would be rude, so I sat there to listen to what all of this was about.
"Alright ... some of you may already know me ... I am Zalton Eskbar ... I work for Lord Sizar Kaldun. We have a bit of a precarious situation that needs handled carefully. Do we have any diplomatic sorts in here?"
Zalton Eskbar looked slowly across the common room at all of those gathered, waiting for a finger twitch or a hand to raise at his query, and he grated his teeth before letting out a sigh. "Fine ... There is a particular merchant in the area who has had a great misfortune fall upon him. This merchant's wife and daughter were both kidnapped less than a night ago. He came to my employer seeking aid ... sadly we have no free men and must call on who we can." He gave a long gesture to those gathered in the common room. "My task I offer you is rather simple ... return the mother and daughter."
There was a sudden ripple of questions from a number of those gathered all directed toward Zalton, and he did quite well in answering each one in turn.
"And the reward?" that beast of a towering man with his double blade resting off a shoulder rumbled.
"Do ye know whoi they were taken, 'an by who? Or can we tolk to ther' merchant 'imself fer that?" Edvard slurred.
"Was there any demands from the kidnapper?" called another.
Zalton nodded slowly before speaking. "If you can do this ... I will give you 150 copper each. If you fail to do this and only bring back one ... I can only give you 100 copper each. If you fail to bring back either but manage to figure out who did this, I can offer you 100 copper. Anything less and you get nothing. The demands from the kidnapper was a ransom of 2 Balons, which is a large sum."
Quite puzzling, the reward. I scratched my head and pondered his words. Return both alive and receive 150 copper, bring only one back and receive 100 copper. The chair creeked as I leaned back to get a better look at the fellow addressing the common room.
"Uh. Which one is only worth 50 copper then, if only one returns?" Did Zalton value the mother or the daughter more?
"They are equally valuable," Zalton responded.
I shrugged. "Figure it would be two hundred for both, at least." Why wouldn't it be, if they are both equally valuable, so why make returning one less than returning two.
As Zalton spoke, everyone gathered learned the mother and daughter were being held near the Outentown Orchard, and that Bors would be leading the negotiations. A number there seemed shocked to hear it, but Bors stood tall when he learned he would be the one in charge. With my Lady Kelda going along, I knew I would have to go as well to keep her safe.
My Lady Kelda stood from her chair about the same moment I stood from mine, both heading toward the back room to gear up for the journey ahead.
"I need to get changed. I'll be right back," she said heading for the door.
"Me too," I added also approaching the door.
It was difficult to keep the smile down, or even a playful wink as my words stopped my Lady Kelda in her tracks. She blinked at the door, and then blinked again at me. I stood there, blinking happily in return.
"You can go first," she finally added, brushing down her robe with slender fingers.
On my way out, we brushed past one another and it was then I took the opportunity to shoot her a wink as I struggled with a final buckle and leather strap. Maybe next time I'll call her over for some help!
From the corner of my eye, I could see Edvard mouthing Zalton's name to himself over and over again, just as Zalton made the announcement that the ransom was to happen in ten minutes! That didn't give us a lot of time to get into position. Thankfully, the Outentown Orchard was nearby. The slender figure of my Lady Kallian lured my gaze from Edvard. Her elbows were leaning against the bar, her athletic legs crossed at the ankle made her pants hug that elven frame. I couldn't stop myself from smiling warmly.
"My Lady Kallian, good to see you again."
She offered a smile back in return and I swallowed the lump growing in my throat. What an exotic sight, but our own smiles soon slipped from our faces as the group began moving out. Business was at hand, and my Lady Kallian shifted into gear the moment her boots started walking. I'd have to catch up with her another time.
Outside the beautiful afternoon had turned cloudy while I sat inside, and a straight downpour had soaked the land well enough, and was still falling heavily. With Bors in the lead, he took a longer route, in an attempt to keep such numbers hidden and to prepare before moving into the orchard.
As the group came toward a flowering clearing, I recognized its location as a way to the spider den I had helped clean out weeks before. Flowers! Right! I'd have to get a fresh one now for my Lady Kallian, and if there was a moment, I could tuck it into her hair, if she'd allow it. A cracked and loud voice broke through the patter of rain then.
"Who the hell are you?"
I spotted what must have been one of the men for the ransom, and here we were, such a large armed group in such a vast open space. Some members of the group had already made their way into bushes, not bothering to stop to pick flowers like I had. No way would I be responsible for ruining this, and I dove into the wild flowers and flattened myself as well as I could while Bors parlayed with the fellow.
"We've come to ask for proof that the women are alive! Otherwise, no payment!" someone said. I tried to shift to see, but all I could do was listen.
"The blasts you have ... you came to pay for them!"
There was rustling up ahead, and murmurs too as the fellow who came for the ransom made his demands very clear. Bors would need to pick two others to go with the fellow, so they could examine the mother and daughter before any coins would be exchanged. Thankfully, I was hidden quite well, so Bors didn't even notice me and instead picked my Lady Kelda and a fellow named Tamlin. I fought the urge to beg Bors to allow me to come too, so I could keep my Lady Kelda safe, but I bit my tongue. Bors would take care of her just as well as I would.
"You'd better not be up to something. Let's go quickly," the fellow who had come for the ransom coins said to Bors.
I poked my head out of my excellent hiding spot, and watched my Lady Kelda, Bors and Tamlin head off as they followed the fellow. Looking about, there were still a handful of folks around, including that very big towering fellow, Edvard and the gnome Orryn whom joined us in the spider den some time back. It wasn't until I was waved over that I joined them, cautiously staying away from the hulk of a man Gareth.
While standing about talking on how to handle the situation if muscle was required, another member of the party that I did not know, returned from scouting the Outentown Orchard.
"Don't know if we should attack straight away, but we could always wait on the other side of the farm, to cut off their likely escape route."
"We can stand further at the back, ready to be waved in," Orryn added.
So off we went to find some bushes and trees to hide in while we watched the farm that my Lady Kelda, Bors and Tamlin were taken to. With my past experience hiding in bushes at the bandit camp, and in the flowers, this would be nothing for me.
The scout that alerted us to the farm location, then headed back out to keep an eye on the situation while we all remained hidden in the bushes near a bundle of trees.
"Are we hiding...?" a woman's soft voice whispered from one of the bushes not too far off.
"Oi think so," Edvard rumbled.
"Waiting," responded that hulk Gareth.
"Sshh... yes" came a sharp reply from another bush.
What a rush this was! The excitement of breaking through to save my Lady Kelda if need be took me back to those bandits we had hunted before. "You know, the last time I was in the bushes was with my Lady Kelda. We were watching some bandits off the road to Songhall."
"Where are the bloody scouts already?" Edvard rumbled from his hiding spot.
My voice offered a comforting whisper to take Edvard's mind off the situations. "...hey ... any of you want an apple?"
"Oh.. Sure. I.. I like apples," came a soft female voice. I tossed an apple toward the sound.
Edvard would have nothing of it. "Never kill on a full belly."
"Will you all shut the blasts up?" Gareth grumbled between clenched teeth. I guess he didn't want an apple either!
"sshh! they'll hear you!" I whispered back toward Gareth's bush. Just what we need, this guy ruining our hiding spot because he can't keep his voice down.
Only the scouts voice made a sound near our location, I never even heard them approaching. "Anyone close to Kelda, we need some to stay watching the house, but two or three able bodied men with me."
"Finally, let's kill these bitches," the hulking Gareth added, then looked down into the bushes, "Edvard, Noal, stay here."
"My Lady K-Kelda n-needs me!" I added, rustling out of my hiding spot to follow them. "Edvard, stay here."
Just as I shot up, did Bors come into view with Tamlin a few steps behind.
"psst. bors. bors! something is g-going on with my L-Lady K-Kelda," I whispered back, starting to move and follow the scout that warned us in the first place. I'm coming my Lady Kelda. Just you hang on my sweet apple!
Suddenly voices caught my attention and I turned near a large rock when blades were drawn and curses spat. A large gathering of men had followed Bors and Tamlin, pinning everyone against trees and from escape! I poked my head from around the rock to count their numbers, but I couldn't see all of them.
"What have we hear? GRAB 'EM BOYS!"
"Blasts it, kill 'em!" I heard Bors shout.
My eyes grew wide at the scene unfolding before me, as blades came out from the bushes and blades went into the bushes! Shields rattled and swords clashed. What could I do? There must be something! A snarling looking fellow darted my way, his blade held high when he caught me standing there, and I froze!
"N-no! N-not the f-face! N-not the f-face!"
Darkness engulfed me as my head slammed up against a nearby tree.
I'm not sure where I was then. The sound of footsteps in the distance, followed by a chirping bird, the ripple of nearby pond. It was peaceful. So this was death. My Lady Kelda would weep for weeks, and I sighed deeply at the thought of those blue eyes glistening, her lower lip quivering, holding my cold body in her arms rocking gently in sorrow.
"I just saw his chest move. He's barely breathing, but he's alive!"
What was Bors doing here! Did he die too? In an attempt to look around in the surrounding darkness, I felt my head start to spin, then coughing fits took me as liquid was poured down my throat. I gasped loudly as my skin tingled and became chilled from the healing power of a potion, and my eyes squinted at the bright light from the sky. Gingerly, I removed my hat only to stagger at the sight of all the blood on its brim. I opted to sit, while the others headed off to a building where my Lady Kelda still was.
The fellow Tamlin remained behind to keep an eye on me while my senses recovered. I had such a splitting headache too.
"You look like a grim wanderer. Val-deri valder-don't. But I have the goodtouch and I will have you singing like the lark. Will you take the blessing the gods granted me, fellow?"
"S-singing ... uh ...Uh. W-what are y-you going t-to do with this g-granted blessing?" I asked then while feeling the back of my head. My fingers felt sticky and wet.
"The goodtouch? Well, -good- I suppose."
"Uh. O-okay, if i-it makes me f-feel better."
Tamlin then took both hands and pressed them against my head. The surge that flowed through Tamlin's fingers into me, felt very similar to my Lady Kelda's touch when my left cheek was sliced open. A useful blessing to have.
Now back on my feet again, and feeling quite refreshed from Tamlin's blessing, did we make our way to the building that everyone else had darted toward that my Lady Kelda was at. It was there we met up with another from the group as she climbed out of a nearby window.
"W-where is e-everyone?" I asked the woman wearing the most unusual helmet I'd ever seen!
"Inisde. Some... with the child, and Loud Skull, and Kali."
"W-where is m-my Lady K-Kelda? Is ... is s-she alright?" She had to be! I couldn't bear the loss.
"Oh.. they left earlier, ser..."
Her footsteps came running up toward us, her hands and face covered in blood, but she frowned when our eyes met.
"Orryn, you said he was injured."
"As I said, he was knocked out pretty bad, but Bors tended to him," Orryn offered.
"M-my L-Lady!" Oh thank goodness she was alright! I darted over to her, wincing slightly from the bump on the back of my head.
"Uh, hello." Kelda back off slightly.
"Y-your o ... you're h-hurt!" I gasped, my lower lip quivering.
"I am fine now ... where is my brother?" she added looking around.
"A-are you s-sure?" I had to make sure myself, and my eyes examined her from top to bottom!
A screaming and crying child, obviously the daughter and one we had come to save, was being held closely by my Lady Kallian. The young sobbing girl turned my attention toward her, but she looked perfectly fine from the ordeal. Quite the scare for her though, but my Lady Kallian soothed her as we returned back to Outentown. Tamlin was humming next to me as I walked, and that brought up my spirits considerably.
On returning to town, I felt a welt growing in my throat and my stomach didn't feel as it should.
"Uh. I've got to use the outhouse."
Tamlin seemed to understand, and even offered to play and sing outside the door, to mask the sounds I'd be making once I got inside. The rotten smell of the outhouse helped move everything along quickly, and soon I had my head stuck in the hole as I emptied out the meal I had earlier in the day. His voice danced through the thin wooden boards of the outhouse.
"When you're sitting in a chair, and you feel something tear..."
Tamlin was well into his third song by the time I had cleaned myself up and exited the outhouse and good timing too, for my Lady Kelda came out of the tavern to fetch us so we could receive our reward. Nodding a thanks to Tamlin, we headed inside.
Word spread quickly through the common room that mother and daughter had come out alive, and both were reunited and resting at the local shelter. My Lady Kelda and I took a table at the back of the room so we could watch everyone and hear what Zalton Eskbar had to say. She gave me glance as I pulled out a flower, before her gaze fall toward Zalton.
After collecting some coin for my part in the rescue of the mother and daughter, I left a flower at the table my Lady Kelda and I had been sitting at, before making my way to Sarshel. With this extra coin, I'd be able to pay for the rest of my coat!
