Echal drew Catrin back to their shelter. There wouldn't be much in the way of sleep tonight but the comfort of holding her there helped them both.
By the greying light morning, Sha was asking each for energy. She would leach it from the healthy and drain it into Pavel as healing.
Catrin came running over to give Echal and Jayen the news just as the sun had hit mid day. "He's awake! He's sat up and is in a lot of pain, mostly from the shoulder but Jan has already fed him."
Jayen grinned, his body coated in blood from the bear they were skinning and butchering. "Broth of the bear that bit you! Works every time!"
Echal grinned over at Catrin, dad jokes are dad jokes but they seemed a small concern now that he knew his brother would be ok.
Safe Haven
Exploring
The next few days were demanding. There was a lot of bear meat to cut into strips and dry before it went bad. Fat to be rendered and a hide to preserve, so they could take it for tanning. With Pavel out of commission and Sha bound up in his care, the load on the rest was greater. So it was that scouts had not been sent out, nor the area properly explored for several days.
The morning of the fourth day, Pavel was whole enough to travel and some basic scouting was determined to be in order. Jayen and Pavel would explore down the slope, looking for a good spot for a more permanent camp. While Echal and Catrin would head further up the slope to see where that bear had made its den. Unlikely it had anything of value in it but something that showed as little fear of men as the bear had, might have dragged one or two merchant guards back home to snack on. Weapons and armor still had value if they weren't rusted away to nothing by now.
Sha and Jan spent the morning putting the camp back to rights. They may only spend one night here, but after the general neglect of the last week, it looked more like an orc village than a human camp. Sha also spent some time speeding up the drying process. If they really would need to get moving, this meat needed to be ready to be packed away. Without her giving it the proper nudge, that could take up to a week. They really didn't want to remain here exposed on the mountainside for that long. Sure there had been no signs of pursuit but if they remained out in the open like this, the curious kobolds from the next valley were bound to trip over them, eventually.
Pavel and Jayen returned first. Late in the afternoon they came back to camp and reported that there was no sign of any pursuit from the town, but the only spot down the slope that looked to be a good spot for a home, already had the ruins of a burned out little village on it. The ruins looked like they had been abandoned for a couple of years, but it had all the earmarks of an orc raid. Without more people, their little family really couldn't afford to clash with an orc tribe. Even a small tribe often had thirty warriors and more than a hundred members total. Something that size could move quickly and would represent an overwhelming force for any frontier family living alone. They had found the ruins of an old road going up and over the saddle of the mountain right past the small village. Perhaps further along that road they would find what they needed.
The day wore on and while everyone stayed busy with this little chore or that one; it was a good day to relax and recover from what had been a very trying couple of weeks. It wasn't until the sun was nearly behind the mountain that everyone started to wonder what had happened to Catrin and Jayen. That they had wanted some alone time was obvious, so no one was surprised that they didn't come straight back, but being gone overnight was not in the plan.
Jayen and Pavel were just in the process of readying some fresh horses to go find them, when the two came racing into camp with big grins on their face. "We've found it! You'll never believe!"
Unexpected Fortune
Sure enough, both Echal and Jayen were correct. Echal had found where the bear had been holed up. It was the start of a dwarven mine. Oh, long abandoned and from the looks of it abandoned before the bear moved in, but with some repair work to the main gate and massive cleaning of the interior it could be a quite comfortable home for all of them. There was no way to get the wagon and horses all up there from this side of the mountain, but with Jayen's discovery of the road by the village, well it was two days travel out of the way but with a bit of repair to a washed out bridge the whole family found themselves looking at a beautifully inlaid stone door. Unfortunately, it was half off of its great hinges and half buried in debris of a decade of seasonal erosion.
The cleaning was almost more work than mining a new home would have been, Pavel thought as he carried in another armload of sage brush. Jan wasn't happy until every inch of the place had felt the cleansing fire. Lice, and fleas could live on surfaces far longer than people would be willing to camp outside with winter coming on. This was the only way to make the space livable in a reasonable time.
Echal and Catrin had pitched in for weeks, but Catrin's mind was elsewhere. She had had no word from her father in months. Finishing the last project of rehanging the ornate ten ton stone door that took all of their combined efforts and a full team of horses, Echal broke the news to Jayen. He and Catrin would take the wagon and most of the horses back down toward civilization. They would make contact with Savon if possible and pick up enough straw and hay for the horses they were keeping to last the winter.
After just being reunited the thought of splitting up again didn't go over well with Jan but at least this time, Sha and Catrin had made a schedule. They would share dreams one night in three so that those at home would not needlessly worry. Plenty of work left to do, but early one cloudy morning, Echal and Catrin rattled back down the little track that would join the abandoned road to civilization.
Time alone on the road.
They hadn't had much time to talk on the first leg of the journey. Echal had to be scouting ahead as this stretch of road was unfamiliar, and it wouldn't do to stumble into an ambush like a couple of foolish merchants. Catrin had drove the wagon all day. She was glad she didn't have to spend this time on horseback, as the wagon was uncomfortable enough.
Nor did dinner bring much in the way of conversation over strips of dried bear and a half a loaf of Mamma Smith's finest bread. It would have been better this morning fresh from the oven but it was still fairly fresh. The other half in the morning would probably do better as toast. Catrin, exhausted just crawls into the bed of the wagon and is almost instantly asleep.
Echal has a bit more time on his hands as he has volunteered for first watch. He wonders why Catrin was being so grumpy. He couldn't remember anything they had fought over for the last few days. He knew he was feeling better since Sha had gotten the hot water bath working the night before they left. It was an amazing way to relax after all the stresses of getting the old mine put back to useful status. Wishing he was back there soaking away the miles in the saddle wasn't making it so, but maybe a short walk around the camp will help.
The banked fire doesn't give off much in the way of light, but his eyes had adjusted to the pale light of the crescent moon. The horses were all calm. This would probably be an uneventful night. Then he stopped himself, don't even think like that. It is the quickest way to have things go south in a hurry. Still the night wore on as the moon completed its transit over the sky it was getting time to wake Catrin for her shift. Echal smiled to himself, they were in the woods here all alone... Maybe it was time to help her explore some other things that they can do without risking becoming parents. So it was with a growing excitement that he climbed into the back of the wagon. She shifted slightly in her sleep. He smiles down at her and wraps his hands in his cloak for a few minutes, making sure that his hands aren't cold. The gently he slips the fingers up under the hem of her gown. The cool soft flesh of her ankles felt like sparks under his fingers. As he glides up to her calves, he spends the time massaging with small circles he can hear Catrin's breathing change. He smiles inwardly and moves slowly up past her knees and she jumps and catches his hands in hers pushing his hands away.
"What?" Echal asks honestly confused. They had go
ne farther than this in their nightly exploring so far.
Catrin sighs. "My monthly visitor showed up mid morning." She watches amusedly as her words register on him. Men are always so odd about things like this she reflects. She remembers the first time she was traveling with her father and needed money for the basic supplies. His reaction was priceless. Echal was less shocked and more just cursing fate's timing.
Echal groaned and banged his head gently on the sidebar of the wagon. "Ah as ever it's always about the timing."
Catrin got an evil smirk, "Guess all of your pregnant mistresses never had this problem."
Echal shook his head and laughed. "You're not going to let that go, are you?"
Catrin chuckled, "Not likely."
"Well then, just be glad you get the benefit of my experience. In the last week or so, when normal entertainments are sometimes uncomfortable..." He takes up one foot and begins to massage it. Catin felt her body just explode with relief. She had had no idea how badly they were cramped until slowly and gently Echal worked each foot joint by joint very deliberately. As each muscle unclenched and relaxed to its natural state, Catrin could feel the calm warm assurance in the hands that knew exactly what to do. Gently he kissed the top of the foot he had just finished with and took the other into his hands.
Catrin groaned in pleasure. "I'll give you exactly six days to stop that."
Echal chuckled and spent the next few minutes just enjoying watching her relax and let the rigors of travel fade away.
Catrin hated it but it was her watch, so forcing herself to her feet she kissed Echal longingly. "You really should sleep, you've only about four hours before it's light enough to travel."
Barely had her feet touched the ground before she could hear his soft snoring coming from the wagon bed. She smiled, as tired as he was, he still took time for her. She spent a lot of very frustrated hours that watch thinking about how it could be if only he weren't so insistent on not having children until he could be certain he wouldn't have to leave them. She understood what drove him but life had no guarantees, even for those who weren't in their particular situation.
As she took her last trip around camp, she noticed the grey light in the predawn sky. She coaxed the fire back to life and put the morning tea on to boil. Then she got the idea of at least giving him what he had sought to give her last night. No reason he should miss out on the fun just because timing was bad.
Echal was having a great dream. It took him a moment to wake enough to realize that it wasn't just a dream. He grinned. "Oh, I see it's going to be a great morning."
Her laughter vibrated things making it feel even better. He just wished he didn't have to take a piss. Morning wood was a thing all men understood but so was the need to relieve oneself after being asleep all night. These warring urges made this morning a mix of pleasure and torture. He certainly didn't want her to stop, but if he lost control of the other, in the middle of this? That didn't bear thinking on. He tried to just concentrate on the sensations Catrin was giving him, and focus on getting there as fast as possible. His bladder kept breaking his concentration, threatening severe retribution for being ignored. Finally he felt his entire body go rigid and the top of his head felt like it would explode. Catrin sat up giggling at his reaction, but was almost knocked over as he nearly levitated off of the bed of the wagon and just vaulted over the side. He landed hard and off balance with his breeches still bunched about his knees, Echal didn't notice. He just let out another loud groan and released the other build up.
Catrin was in shock as he ran from her so abruptly and was beginning to get concerned until she heard him groan and release. The look on his face was too much; she had a giggle fit. Echal's face reddened, "Well I didn't want you to stop, but other things were demanding my attention too." The giggles started again.
"Well, since you're up, you can pour me a cup of that tea that should be just about ready." She just shook her head as she watched him waddling toward the fire trying to pull up his breeches as he went.
Civilization
The Kingdom has Changed
As they approach the borders of the kingdom, they notice that a check point has been placed on the border. As Catrin pulls the wagon to a stop, it is surrounded by a dozen armed men. "Welcome to the Kingdom of NoVas. What is your business here?"
"Just coming to do a little trading. Mostly to pick up supplies before winter makes the mountain passes impassable." Catrin said calmly. Echal isn't thrilled with taking on a dozen guardsmen, in the open and without a plan. His hand went to the new weapon Sha had given him before they left. He had wanted an opportunity to test it out on this trip but not this soon. If his plans went right, he would have need of it.
"Long journey for such a pretty girl," the gap-toothed Sergeant leered at her. "Especially to go unguarded." He glanced meaningfully over at Echal.
Echal felt his face fix with a thin smile, and almost involuntarily his right hand moved toward his sword. Before anything could escalate beyond the ability to pull it back a younger man in more expensive armor called the grizzled veteran to task. "Seargeant! You are not paid to molest travelers on the road! You WILL collect the King's tax and nothing more! Is that clear?"
"I was jest makin an observation, m'lord," mumbled the Sergeant.
"Don't! Or I will let that young man finish his plan to impale your head with his sword, before I have him shot from the saddle by the crossbowmen." The younger man met Echal's eye.
Echal grinned for a dangerous moment his hand still flexing slightly, then he nodded. The young officer had settled the issue, even if not to his complete satisfaction. "I suppose he isn't free to answer any considerations of..." Echal hesitated dramatically, "I was going to say honor but that word obviously doesn't apply." It was the Seargent's turn to become grim.
The young officer grinned, "No M'lord unfortunately any insult to him would be considered a challenge upon the authority of the King and would need be resolved by me."
Echal froze for a moment, the young officer didn't know how close he had come to making this a justifiable attack in Echal's mind, but while he would insult the authority of the King any time and any place, he would prefer to do it when the odds were better tipped in his favor. So instead of issuing the challenge he simply nodded, "Killing you wouldn't improve the problem." He stated as flatly as he could.
The look on the young officer's face was mostly unreadable but he could tell by the brisk manner he pushed the search and confiscation of the "tax" that the officer's calculation of the situation had altered.
As they rode away, Catrin hissed at him. "What are you doing?! Are you trying to draw attention to yourself?"
Echal sighed, "No but the casual assumption that everything would go their way... Well it really grated on me. These bastards are the reason we are on the run, and they casually oppress anyone they think they can."
Catrin shook her head. "It's what occupying armies do. No one wants to go to mercenaries because of this problem, but unless you have an overwhelming army, everyone eventually resorts to mercenaries. One thing about mercenaries is they need to be paid, so the tax squeeze starts." She shook her head. "You are one man out here. If you want to challenge for the crown, I will support you. If you want to live in the frontier, I love our little home. Don't be a dumb ass and run off starting a one man war, that you cannot hope to win."
The rest of the way to town they rode in silence.
After checking themselves into the inn and getting a real night's sleep, Echal pulled her to him and kissed her deeply. "You are almost right. I shouldn't start a one-man crusade against a King I care nothing about. I have a few things to handle here in the lowlands. Hire some guards to see you through the rest of your circuit. I will handle these things and meet you before we reach the checkpoint on the way out of NoVas. My father's life was here, that doesn't mean mine has to be."
"Why do I still think you're about to do something stupid?" Catrin asked him her voice barely above a whisper.<
br />
"Because you worry too much?" He quipped and kissed her once more before selecting two horses and going his own way.
Tying Up Loose Ends
Echal made his way back to the small town that had turned on his parents. Jayen and Jan may be willing to forget it all but Echal couldn't stand the thought that those who would do such evil to such good people would be allowed to enjoy their ill-gotten gains. Camping in the surrounding fields, Echal had taken to walking the streets at night. How many paces from the edge of town to the mayor's house. How many paces from the smithy to the newly rebuilt garrison.
So it was during one scout that he noticed the rival smith returning from the tavern. Settling that score was easy but it wouldn't do to leave it to look like a petty mugging. Dragging the body back to the front of the smithy he shoved the smith's pouch into his mouth and hung him from the spikes of his own wrought-iron fence.
Heir's Legacy Page 7