by Travis Kerr
"You should talk to the girl," Tara commented, chuckling. "She wasn't nearly as friendly with me before you got here. I'm willing to bet she's game. The worst she can do is say no, right?"
Roland refused to comment, though his sun-burned face turned even redder than it had been already. He knew exactly what Tara was suggesting.
Yeah right. As if a girl like her would ever be interested in an ugly troll like me.
The girl returned a few minutes later with his ale. He thanked her awkwardly, keeping his eyes directed at the table the entire time. The young girl lingered longer than perhaps was necessary before simply telling them to call her back over when they were ready to order.
"You probably should have said something," Tara told him seriously as the girl walked away. He had pointedly refused to look at her as she left that time. "I'm pretty sure she was flirting with you, just a little bit. She looked like she felt rejected when you didn't look at her. I would guess she knew you had watched her walk away the first time. She might even have walked so provocatively on purpose, and probably thinks that you saw something you didn't like. You would think that you've never talked to a woman or something."
He once again refused to speak, his face somehow managing to turn an even deeper shade of red. He stared at his drink as if there was nothing else in the room. Tara watched him for several seconds, managing, just barely, to stifle a laugh.
"You never have known a woman, have you?" she asked softly once she had completely regained her composure.
Of course not, he thought.
"The only people around me growing up were from neighboring farms, and I wasn't very popular with any of the women there. I never met any human girls until, well, just now really, and the sorvinian girls thought I was ugly. They wanted big sorvinian brutes, not someone, some thing, like me. I just figured the human women would think the same way, only interested in their own species. I met you and Malik in the first place I went once I was away from the farm. I never had time to talk to anyone else. I hadn't really thought about looking for a woman."
"Sorry. I didn't mean to tease you. I didn't realize that you really hadn't...well, you know. It doesn't matter. You're not on the farm anymore, and it seems like this girl might be interested, even if it's only for a night."
"I'll think about it," he said noncommittally.
Yeah right. As if she would ever be interested in me.
"Good. Just be careful not to give away your true identity. You're a human right now, at least that's how you look. Try not to do anything that will make her think otherwise."
Malik returned a few minutes later, looking from one grinning face to one embarrassed looking one. Before he could ask what was going on the waitress returned to take Malik's drink order and to see if anyone was ready to order their meal.
"Might I recommend the garlic chicken and the spiced potatoes? The garlic is fresh picked today, and we're starting to become famous for our potatoes. We just hired a new cook two months ago and everyone loves him. You've missed the rush so you won't even have to wait long for your meals. The breaded steaks are good too, but I prefer the chicken myself." Her voice had a resonating quality to it that reminded Roland of the reed flutes one of the merchant workers used to play while his employer haggled with Roland's father.
"I'll try the potatoes," he ventured. "A plate of greens and a side of cooked carrots if you have them as well." He looked the girl straight in the face and tried to give her what he hoped was his best smile. It was a clumsy attempt at best, he believed, though the girl's eyes flashed merrily and she awarded him with a bright smile in return.
Could she really like me, like Tara suggested?
"What would you like as a main course?" she asked.
Of course. She thinks I’m a human, so she would never in a million years guess that I’m a vegetarian. Very few humans would chose to be.
"I'll have the chicken you suggested," Malik cut in when Roland didn't offer an answer. "I'll also take a few pieces of jerky for later if you have it. If not I'll just get some in the market tomorrow. We've been on the road for some time now, and we've had nothing but meat for the past several days, so my guard here probably doesn't want anything but his vegetables. I'd imagine he might want some jerky for later on though. We're so used to posting watches on the road that we'll probably all be awake and hungry at different times of the night, so something to keep with us is always a good thing. I'll take a plate of those potatoes too."
"A guard huh. That sounds incredibly exciting. You're all by yourself too. You must be really good with a blade. Most guards I see go through here are in groups of four or more. Only the best ever work by themselves, or so I've been told." There was no question now whatsoever that the girl was flirting with him, but Roland still wasn't quite sure what to say to her. He shyly smiled back at the girl as she looked down at him.
"Oh, he really is that good," Tara cut in. "We only hire the best, or the best we can afford anyway, and Roland here doesn't want to work for anyone disreputable. We were able to hire him at a price we could afford, even though he already had offers for twice that. He doesn't like to brag about it, but he's one of the best I ever heard of. When we ran into some bandits on the road he chased them off just by his name alone. One of the guys said he had heard of him and they ran off. He didn't even have to pull his blade."
What is she talking about? I’ve never even used a blade!
"That's incredible! I've never heard of anything like that before. For someone so young to have a name that brings fear to the hearts of cutthroats, you must be truly remarkable. You must have started training while you were still just a small child. How old were you when you first picked up a blade?"
Roland stammered, unable to come up with a reply. Tara's tall tale had put him into parts of his background story that he hadn't invented yet. He had only gone into the basics, not into details like his companion had been providing. Had he added those details they certainly wouldn't have been anything as unbelievable as the story that Tara was telling about him.
What should I say?
"He started training with the blacksmith in the town where he grew up when he was still only five," Tara added for him. She was much better at making things up on the spot than he was. He didn’t have the foggiest idea what answer to give. "Even then he was a powerful child, or so the smith had told us. He was the one that introduced us to Roland. I haven't seen him use a blade yet, but I have seen him pick up a log that was in the road and throw it back into the woods. That thing must have weighed five or six hundred pounds at least, but he picked it up and threw it as if it weighed no more than a thin spear."
Well, I am strong at least, he thought. If this girl decides to test my strength I can prove that boast.
"Wow, you must be really strong!" Tammie exclaimed, putting a small hand on one of his broad shoulders and boldly giving the muscle a soft squeeze. He suppressed a shudder from the unexpected contact. "There's not too many customers today, so maybe we can talk a little more later. Most of our regulars are fishermen, and won't be back for another day or two, so I shouldn't be very busy. Maybe after you've eaten you can show me a little of that strength if you want. I should get your orders in for now so that the cook can get started. What would you like miss?"
"I'll have the chicken too, though no potatoes for me thanks" Tara answered. Her order took Roland by surprise. He had expected her to order fish, but of course she had already eaten enough fish on the road for five women her size. Chicken, on the other had, wasn't something they were likely to find in the wild very often. "And another pint of ale," she added, sliding her empty mug to the end of the table.
"Sure thing. Your meals should be ready soon, and I'll be right back with your drinks." As Tammie turned to walk away she softy ran a finger across the back of Roland's neck. This time he watched her as she bounced away, her long hair swinging back and forth playfully.
"OK, so what was that all about?" Malik asked once she was out of hea
ring. He had said little during the exchange. Now he wanted answers.
"Just helping our boy here grow up," Tara answered, then broke down into peals of laughter.
She must have been holding that in for some time, Roland thought, wishing he could crawl away without being noticed.
Malik looked from her to the kitchen door where the waitress had disappeared. For only a second he appeared perplexed, then chuckled softly with sudden realization. It only served to make Roland feel all the more embarrassed.
I wonder if anyone would notice if I just curled up into a little ball in the corner and died?
"Well, she's cute," Malik said once he stopped laughing. "Certainly worth getting to know a little better if that's what you want. Just try not to be too loud. We are sleeping in the same room after all." His joke made Tara, who had just managed to stop laughing, start up all over again. Roland buried his head in his thick arms awkwardly, wishing all the more that he could just disappear.
Poof, abracadabra!
As the girl returned with drinks, Malik slid across to the other side of the table to sit next to Tara, leaving the seat next to Roland unoccupied. With a small gesture Malik indicated that she should take the empty seat.
"I have a bit of work left to do in the kitchen, and I have to take care of the other two customers first, but I can sit for a minute once I'm done," the girl said. "We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other later. We might have a few people wander in before the bar closes, but we won't be that busy today. Our rush hour is a couple of hours before sundown. Only a few locals come here this late, and as I mentioned, most of them are out for the next couple of days. Most of the travelers go to one of the more popular bars to drink." She looked at Roland and flashed him a bright smile. "I'll see you again soon," she said suggestively. Leaning over she gave him a quick kiss on his cheek, then went back to her work.
"What am I supposed to do now?" Roland moaned after she had left.
"Well if you don't know I could give you a few suggestions, though I'm sure you could figure it out on your own," Malik joked. "Just do what come naturally. If you're not doing it right, I'm sure she won’t wait long before letting you know."
"That's not what I mean. Tara made me out to look like some great warrior, but I'm just, well....me. How long do you think I could keep up with the story she told? This girl's going to figure it all out and I'll end up looking worse than I already do."
"Is that all you're worried about? Tara didn't say anything about you that isn't at least partially true. You really can lift more than most other men could hope to. You know your way around a sword well enough, and it's not like she's going to ask you to show her your blade. Well, not the steel one anyway. Even if she does suspect that you're not everything that Tara claimed you are, it wouldn't be anything the girl doesn't expect. You wouldn't be the first man to exaggerate a little to get a woman into his bed, and most of what she said you can do wasn't a lie. She just gave you a different story about how you learned it is all."
Roland glanced behind him, hoping Tammie didn't overhear their conversation. Thankfully she was busy with the other two customers in the room, a tall human man with dark hair and a thin, wisp-like woman. Roland couldn't tell for certain what race the woman might have belonged to. She had features that somewhat resembled human, though there were others that were decidedly not.
It was likely that she was a cross-breed between humans and one or more other races. He wasn't certain which ones. While all the races could interbreed they rarely did, but it was still possible. It could have been a combination of nearly anything. Thin, light grey hair covered her face, and her jaw extend longer than would have been normal for a human.
Even with her unusual features she’s still rather attractive, Roland decided. She’s lucky. She could have turned out like me, the worst of both my races.
After only a moment Tammie bounced away to the kitchen again, presumably to fill the couples order. Thankfully his companions decided not to tease him further about her, at least for a few moments. Roland watched as his Malik's face grew serious. Apparently there were more pressing issues that needed to be discussed before the girl returned to their table.
"Tomorrow we'll head into the market and purchase you some new clothing and a sword like we planned," Malik said, sliding a small bag across the table. It stopped right in front of Roland. When he picked it up the bag jingled softly through the cloth.
"What's this?"
"That's the fifty gold coins I promised you when you joined us. You can buy the things you need with that. I'll take you to the blacksmith first. I know a man who will give you a great blade for a fair price. I've bought blades from him before, and I've always been happy with the work he's done. In fact he made the blade that Tara's wearing now. We can purchase clothing afterward. What you want to buy will depend on what you wanted to do from here. If you stay with us the clothing you buy will not be the same as what you would want if you stayed here. The blade might be different too. You should make your decision before we leave in the morning. Don't let the girl distract you so much that you don't make up your mind."
"I've already made my decision," Roland replied. "You were right. Meeting with your client, seeing part of why you do the things you do, really did make a difference. When I first met you I thought you were nothing more than a cold-blooded killer. I don't think that's true anymore. I won't pretend to know what motivates you, but I think that at least a part of why you do this is to help people. You brought that family hope when they had none, and when you couldn't save that woman's brother you at least avenged him, which is more most people would have done. You don't just do it for the money either. If you did you would have taken the entire two thousand, but instead you only kept half of that. I never thought an assassin could have a heart, but you seem to."
"Not all of the jobs I take have such benevolent reasons behind them," Malik admitted. "I just try to do good where I can. There are plenty of jobs I take that are nothing more than what they appear to be."
"Even still, I'm convinced it's at least worth sticking around a little longer. I can always change my mind and go off on my own later. I think you know me well enough by now to know that even if I decide to leave at some point you won't have to worry about me turning you in or anything. Any secrets you tell me are safe with me."
"Alright then, as long as Tara doesn't have any objections, you can stay with us for now. You'll be training as one of us, and once you've trained enough I'll give you a job that I think you can handle. I'll also help you pick out a blade tomorrow that will fit in with your personal abilities. You have a few unique traits that I think we can do some interesting things with."
"What did you have in mind?" Roland asked. He never had the opportunity to receive an answer. Malik gestured behind Roland, and at that moment Tammie returned with their meals. She set down the plates in front of each of them. Roland couldn't help but notice that the plate of potatoes in front of him nearly spilled over with the amount of food the cook had piled on it, possibly at her request, Roland suspected. Malik gestured to the empty seat.
"I can only stay for a little bit," she informed them. "The other customers will want their meal soon, so I'll have to go once they’re ready. I should have at least a few minutes. So Roland, your friend was telling me that your father was a blacksmith? What was that like growing up?"
Roland paused for a moment before answering. "No, my father was a farmer," he admitted, wanting to make the story somewhat more believable at least. "My strength came from working on the farm. The blacksmith I worked with was in the town nearby. I always had more of an interest in blades than plows, so it made sense for me to spend time there when I could. I would have taken an apprenticeship with him but my father wouldn't allow it. He wanted me to stay on the farm. I learned how to use a blade well enough, though I never really did get the hang of making them. Once I was old enough I left my father's farm and headed out on my own. That's pretty much my entire
story.”
Or close enough that I won’t screw things up anyway.
“What about you?” He asked her. “You haven't told me anything about yourself."
Tammie briefly told them of her past. Her father had been the captain of a fishing vessel, she explained. When she was ten years old her father's ship had disappeared without a trace. A few storms had gone through the area so it was believed that his ship had gone down in one of them. Her mother had spent all of the coin her father had saved in only a year, and so she was forced to remarry or fall into poverty.
The man her mother married worked for Bloodheart, the mage that ran the city. She didn't know what he did for the mage. Probably something unsavory, she suspected. It paid enough that her mother was well provided for at least.
Tammie would have been provided for as well, however it quickly had become obvious to the girl that the weasel of a man was more interested in her than he was in her mother. She didn't go into details, but Roland could easily guess what an evil man might do with such an attractive girl, even though she would have been nothing more than a child at the time. Anger welled up inside him. It took everything in his power not to show it.
"So when I was thirteen I tried to turn him in to the guard for what he had done to me, but no one would believe me. Even my mother thought I was lying. Even if they had believed me, I don't know if they would have done anything to him. He was too powerful a man. So I left home and found myself here. Though I was only thirteen at the time, John took me in. He's the owner here. He gave me a job waiting tables for him. Now he watches over me and makes sure I don't get into any trouble. Our bartender, Silus, watches over me too, and makes sure that no one gives me any unwanted attention. I have my own room here, a decent wage, and I can come and go as I please, so long as I do my job."
"I don't want any trouble with your guardians," Roland said quickly. "They won't be upset about you spending so much time over here with us, will they?"