Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Chapter 2
Meh the heading says it all.

Enjoy

Chapter 2 – The Hunter’s Quarry

The sun was just rising and it was quiet. Almost too quiet, the deer twitched its ear, no indication of a predator but was still weary. The stag picked its way out into the clearing, constantly looking about, when it was sure it was safe he lowered his horned head and began to graze. Then there was barking. The hounds rushed though the undergrowth, close behind where the mounted hunters, a horn blew and the deer took off. It was a small deer but still easily seen from the horse’s backs the excitement of the hunt thrilled the men. The deer had lost ground, the hunters were gaining, the strain of the run was showing on the deer, in a last desperate attempt it cut a sharp left, an arrow whizzed past and grazed the stags ear, it jumped a small stream, it was enough to confuse the hounds but the hunters were still far enough back to react to this move and gain ground by cutting a sharper turn. Another twang rang though the air and the deer fell. Dead. The arrow stood quivering from its neck. The hounds surged around the fallen prey, howling and yipping and summoning their masters to the kill. The horsemen stopped nearby and one dismounted to chase the hounds and stop them from eating the deer, the hound master even had to pull one of the hounds off the small deer. Another three remained mounted, one, the taller of the men, stood high in his stirrups to see his prize over the dogs.
“It was a good shoot m’lord, right though the neck” said the hound master from within the mass of growling and barking hounds as he retrieved the arrow from the neck of the animal and lifted its head by the antlers. A good sized stag, it would make a fine addition to the table tonight.
The taller man grinned; it was a fine kill, an excellent shot from horseback.
“Then tie it to your horse we must take such a fine stag back home with us, it would be a shame to let it go to waste out here, squire, aid him”
He beckoned to the young boy who rode behind him, he jumped quickly from his horse to help the hound master. The fourth man did not move from his horse, but keep close to the hunter, and surveyed the area, keeping a hand on his bow and an arrow close doing his job as bodyguard. The taller man sat back down on his steed and watched the man and boy labour with the awkward deer.
Now that the deer was out of reach the hounds sniffed around for some thing else to chase, an unfamiliar scent filled their nostrils, one by one the hounds locked on to the strange odour.
“The hounds have found something interesting, look m’lord” the hound master pointed to the unsettled dogs when he finished with the deer and the squire struggled back up onto the horse which was too large for him.
“Aye, what say you men, shall we hunt another?” in truth it didn’t matter what the other men felt they would have follow him anyway.
“Very well then, mount up and blow the horn we have another quarry to hunt!” the man shouted happily.
The hound master forced a smile as he mounted his own horse, he would rather head home, he blew on the horn which gave the dogs the signal to track the scent, they sprinted off into the underbrush and the horses crashed after them.
The dogs led the hunters to another smaller clearing, the tall man already had an arrow at the ready but he saw no target within the clearing, he assumed the hounds would continue but they swarmed around some dark object on the ground. The horses slowed and he turned to the others.
“Did any of you let fly an arrow?”
“No my lord, it was not I” answered the hound master, the bodyguard and the squire both shook their heads.
“Then someone has been hunting on my land,” anger surged though the taller man no one was to hunt in these woods without his permission, which he rarely gave, the deer was too few at this time of year.
“Well…see what it is and how old the kill is” he snapped at the hound master, who jumped and drove his horse forward a few steps and dismounted. He waded into the hounds to search for an arrow on the carcass, when he had cleared the hounds and had a clear look at the body, he gasped.
The taller man was impatient now.
“Well, what is it a deer or a wolf or something else?”
“I think you should see for yourself Baron”
“Fine if you are unable to tell me” the Baron grumbled as he pulled himself off his horse and strode into the hounds, kicking more than one. In the centre of the circle of hounds was a boy. It was the Barons turn to gasp; the lad was dressed strangely and had a wound on the side of his head.
“my lord” shouted the squire; the Baron looked around at him to see the boy pointing up into the trees. The Baron craned his neck to follow the boys finger, above the boy on the ground was a hole in the roof of tree branches, they all looked snapped and broken, and sure enough when the baron looked back down to the lad there was broken branches poking out from under him.
“What happened here, did he just drop from the sky?”
The hound master looked up looking confused at the Barons statement then he followed the baron’s eye line and understood.
“It’s what it looks like” the baron started as his body guard appeared at his side, he was good at his job but had a terrible habit of sneaking up on the baron and his gruff looks and voice didn’t help.
“Is the lad still alive?” asked the baron
The hound master, who was crouched next to the body, looked up to the baron he held the boys head in his hands.
“Aye, he is, but he’s hurt bad, we should get him to the castle quickly”
The Baron looked at the boy, now that his head was turned a large wound was evident on the side of his head. He finally nodded. He turned to his body guard.
“You are the fastest rider, take the lad and ride on to the castle.” He held up his hand to stall any arguments, “I will be safe for half an hour without you, we will be right behind you, take him to the nursing woman and have him cared for, I want an explanation from him when he wakes”
“Very well” the body guard offered no argument, he crouched down and wrapped a length of cloth around the boys head, It quickly turned red, but it slowed the bleeding. With the aid of the hound master he got the lad into the saddle in front of him. The lads head lolled to the side and looked near death, he galloped off, leaving the other three behind. The baron turned to his squire. “Did you recognise the lad from the town boy?”
“No sir, I have not seen him before, he does not live in the castle or town and I have not seen such strange clothes before either”
“Nor have I”. The baron mounted his waiting horse and gave the hole in the trees above a last look, the hound master mounted his own horse and blew a recall whistle, the three horsemen started off towards the castle and the dogs followed behind.
Back at the castle the baron was enjoying the deer in the dining hall when his body guard came to him.
“My lord the nursing woman is here to speak with you; it’s about the lad we found during the hunt.”
The baron grunted he hated being disturbed while he was eating but this time his curiosity got the better of him. The lad was to well fed to be anything less than a land owners son.
“Fine, send her in Senus” the baron wiped his face in an effort to remove the grease, while Senus his bodyguard fetched the old woman, but all he did was spread it around. The nurse entered, a stern but kind woman, she took no nonsense from any of her charges; the baron learned that when he broke his arm a few years back.
“Well what have you to tell me about this boy we found?”
“First of all it’s not a boy, you found a woman in the woods, second of all her wounds are not life threatening, a nasty bang on the head and a broken ankle and a rib or two, apart from that just cuts and bruises although she has not regained consciousness yet.”
“A woman!” the baron nearby choked on his mouthful of deer meat, a small bit landed on the nurse’s apron. The squire rushed to the baron with a goblet of wine.
“She does not appear to be of these lands, my advice would be to take her to Ter Bonin” she spoke while she wiped the meat from her apron when she was happy it was all gone she continued, “The doctor there knows more than I when it comes to foreigners”, she paused to allow the Baron to finish choking, then continued, “Him and that elf assistant of his could offer a better suggestion.”
“That man is a quack!” spluttered the dumbfounded baron “besides I can’t spare anyone to take a lost woman to the capital”
The old nurse addressed the Baron in a tone now that scared even Senus who was standing next to the baron. “The doctor in Ter Bonin is the most learned man in Yeratod he is also the king’s advisor, there is some thing unsettling about that woman, and you are going there in a few days anyway so take her with you!”
The old nurse was red now and on the verge of shouting, the Baron seemed to swell, his face turned purple, the young squire backed away for fear of being in the crossfire.
“If a man had addressed me in such a manner he would have been beaten and imprisoned!” the barons voice was raised, the old woman lowered her head and gave a look that only a woman could, Senus smiled, he knew the baron respected the old nurse and feared her like a child would a mother.
“But yet again your logic is undeniable,” huffed the Baron “very well if she is well enough I will take her with me”. The baron slumped back into his chair, defeated.
The nurse smiled and nodded, she left the large room to return to her charge, there was indeed a strange feeling about this young woman, she looked to be in her seventeenth year, an age where most would have a husband and a child and yet there was no union band or evidence of child bearing, also her clothes were like none she had ever seen before, her under-shirt bore a strange picture, formed with a stranger material. It depicted flames and men with strange instruments, the meaning of which she did not know, in truth she did not believe this strange woman to be of this land, the old nurse had a bad feeling and her feelings had a habit of being correct.

Senus turned to the baron, “well, she does make a lot more sense than many of the court men I know”
“True, and she makes a good point too” the baron was playing with his knife
“How so” asked Senus
“I may not like the doctor but the king and prince trust him and he is smarter than us it would be worth finding out about this lad.. well woman and where she came from” the baron fell silent and stared into the fire, he called for wine, which the squire quickly supplied, and fell back into his own thoughts. Gottol made a point of not trusting her or anything she said. The deer lay forgotten on the table.

This was rewriten god knows how many times....everytime i look at it i change it. i should stop that.....

what ya think?
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