The Princess Switch

New Meetings

Chapter 28: New Meetings

 When I woke up, every part of my body ached with a pounding pain.  Now this was probably because of how I slept of the sharp, pointy wheat strings.  Down below me, Francis had already woken up and was now preparing breakfast.  I don’t know where he got the food, but somehow he had produced a lavish feast for the two of us.  

There was nothing that me not trust him, but on my journeys I had become quite paranoid.  I knew he was probably just a happy old man--maybe a bitter old man--living alone in the middle of nowhere.  

I knew that I couldn’t remain out here with him for long, for the longer I stayed here, the further away Jean got.  I mean, Derrick, of course.  I decided to just stay until after breakfast; I would ask if I could take some provisions with me.  Hopefully he would have some kind of a heart under all of that blubber and would see how much I needed his assistance.

He grunted as he set a dish on the table, which I interpreted as ‘time to come and eat.’  I complied, and happily squashed my hunger with the gruel-like substance.  I had no care to know what it was, I just knew that it was food, and that was good enough for me.  If I knew what I was eating, I would probably not be so eager to chow down on the liquid-solid mix.  

“So, Francis.  I was wondering if you would be so kind as to possibly supply some necessary provisions for me?  I am going to need to set off soon, and it would be an absolute blessing if you would maybe send me with a little goodbye gift?” I said, trying to sound as official and diplomatic as possible.  Hopefully I could win him over with my manners, and then go in for the supplies.  “How about it?  I don’t have any money on me right now, obviously, but when I do get some, I will give you a generous amount for whatever you could scrape up in an hour.”

At this, another grunt emitted from his mouth.  It seemed that grunts were the only way to get emotion out of him: it could either mean that he consented or disagreed.  Soon he would actually use words, I hoped.  He waited a moment or two, and then he finally replied to me plea.

“You get whatever I can give.  I have to eat, too.  I will expect payment soon, pretty girl.  You seem quite assured that you will come to some money soon, don’t you?  What are you planning on doing to get this money?” He asked, now looking at me suspiciously.  

I tried to think of how I could answer this question quickly; several hours had now passed since the sun rose.  If I planned on getting anywhere today I would need to leave quite soon.  “I just have to go get the money; I’ve already earned it.” I hoped that this reply would be enough to quench his suspicions.  Somehow I doubted this would be ample explanation, but hopefully he would not ask anymore questions, at least.

He made no noise, so I assumed that his questions would stop coming for now.  He gestured for me to go elsewhere; he was quite a loner, and I guessed that he would want to do this by himself too.  Instead of leaving immediately, I stared at him for a long moment.  Slowly I turned around, trying to be as quiet as I could while I walked outside.  

Because we were on a mountain, I could see around me for quite a ways.  In the distance I could make out a small shape that looked like the village which sat under the castle.  Knowing this information, I could see a basic map, excluding trivial details like huts in random woods.  Never had I thought that those ‘trivial’ details would now be so important.  While in the castle, I had tried to keep  myself busy by reading whatever books I pulled off of the massive rows of shelves in the expansive library.  Several of them had been books of lodging from the nearby lords, recording their number of serfs and how much they had received from each one.  They also included detailed maps and the area’s native plants and animals.  I had learned quite a bit about this new country, and I knew the area even though I never approached this area before.