[Continued from here]
It
was a pleasant journey back through the forest. The shade under the trees was
cool and buzzing with life - birds darted ahead of the horses, insects hummed
around their heads, and underbrush rustled as small animals ran from their
approach. Occasionally, the sun broke through and flooded them with warmth
before disappearing back behind the canopy. And the knowledge that they had won
out kept the conversation light and cheerful.
Quinton
and Stan got on like brothers. With Stan's forgetfulness and Quinton's innate
idiocy, they were very well matched, and if Beranwen had to step in
occasionally to field a difficult question, it was only occasionally. Stan
seemed to learn pretty quickly which questions would be beyond the young lord.
There
was a black mark on the perfection of the afternoon, however, that the two men
couldn't see. Happy ending notwithstanding, the quest had not gone as well as
it should have done. She had embroiled Quinton in a conflict over a man that
Nereus would have had no thought for in her place, and - if Quinton and Derryl
didn't meet and make up soon - had probably started a family feud that could
last for the rest of Quinton's life. Mad Men were quick to anger and quick to
forgive, but if the opportunity for forgiveness didn't present itself quickly,
the quickly-ignited anger would fester. For simple minds like Quinton's and
Derryl's, it wouldn't have to fester long before it became an engrained part of
the two lord's lives.
"You're
very quiet, Master Win." Stan seemed to have adopted Quinton's title for
her.
"I'm
just thinking, Stan."
"Master
Win is good at thinking." Quinton told him. "She had all sorts of
good ideas."
"What
are you thinking of?"
"I'm
thinking..." Something occurred to her then, in the midst of trying to assemble
her thoughts into spoken words. If she'd had something stolen from her and had
the ability to get it back, she wouldn't just go home...
"I'm
thinking, Stan, that we're getting close to the edge of the forest, and we're
probably going to run into some familiar faces when we get there. How would you
feel about hiding in the trees for a bit?"
"Why
would he need to do that?" Quinton asked.
"Because
Master Lucan knows what side of the forest we'll be coming out, and will
suspect that we have Stan. He'll be waiting for us. But if we don't have you
with us, Stan, he'll assume you woke up and wandered off by yourself. He'll
have to. And then, Quinton, you and Derryl can be nice to each other, and maybe
we can avoid a feud."
"But
Derryl was mean. He thought Stan was an object."
"That's
not Derryl's fault, though. Master Lucan said it was okay, so what was Derryl
to think?" Beranwen put on her most serious face. "Quinton, can you
do this for me? Can you be friends with lord Derryl again?"
Quinton
struggled with the idea for a moment, then sighed and nodded.
"If
it's for you, then okay. I'll be friends with him."
"Thank
you, Quinton. You have a good heart."
Quinton
blushed.
"And
Stan, are you okay to hide in the trees until the coast is clear? We might have
to ride on, for the look of the thing, but we'll ride slowly. You can see the
house from the forest, so you shouldn't get lost catching us up."
"Do
you really think they'll be waiting?" Stan asked.
"Master
Lucan strikes me as the sort of man who takes things personally. Being bested
by a lord on his first quest and his inexperienced advisor is the sort of thing
that would stick in his gullet."
"If
you think it's necessary, I'll hide. And I'll catch you up quickly once I can.
I'm a fast runner. At least, I think I am. I don't remember running."
Plans
laid, they rode carefully until the trees started to thin, at which point Stan
jumped to the ground and snuck cautiously to a good vantage point. With a quick
aside to Quinton to remind him not to give Stan away, Beranwen led the way out
of the trees.
It
didn't take long to spot the watchers. As the emerged, there was a cry of
recognition, and two riders approached along the tree line.
[Part 20]
[Part 20]
Comments