Carack

Carack Ch11 p2

Gerent sat and waited, ate a cake from the backpack and huddled against the wall; he didn’t want to be seen or to leave the alley, as Brunnstan would not be able to find him. Eventually, as the sun began to sink in the west, Brunnstan made his presence known with a discreet cough.

‘Ahem! Hello Lordling, Well I have watched the cages and all remained as you saw it last, I tried to get any of those bears to react to me, I tried talking, scaring, tickling, it’s as though they were not at home, no response whatsoever. Those bears are rugs!’

‘What do you mean rugs?’

‘I mean I have seen more life in a carpet! Sure, they’re alive, but what are they being fed? Must be a pure mix!’ Brunnstan said hopelessly. Gerent sighed if the bears were drugged it would be difficult to find out which one was Meendhu before the auction.

‘What about the bear seller, where’s he?’

‘Oh yes, sorry, he’s just gone off to the inn, looks like he’ll be in there a long while and that it would be a good time to get back to the cage. You may have better luck.’ Brunnstan replied. Gerent slowly got up, stretching his sleepy limbs as he did so, he picked up the backpack and wandered casually back to the bear cages. There was no sign of the bear seller and the dancing bears had all settled down, the cage with the four listless bears in it was just as Gerent had seen it last. He crouched beside the cage.

‘Meendhu, Meendhu, please it’s me Gerent, Sancret sent me, Meendhu, we need you, come on speak to me.’ There was no response from the bears, no movement to indicate that any of them recognised his voice. Gerent could think of only one other way to get some response, he went over to the barn and called Brunnstan.

‘Look I have an idea, play along with whatever I do and act helpless, Ok?’

‘Helpless? Helpless about what?’

‘Doesn’t matter, just follow my lead. Come on!’ Gerent went back to the cage relying that the invisible Brunnstan was with him.

‘Meendhu,’ he said crouching, ‘Meendhu, we have to go, Brunnstan and I, we have to get to the King, we hoped you’d help us but if you don’t care any more – Sancret said you were better than that and would forgive him, but I guess he was wrong. We have to – oh no, help me Brunnstan, the pain, I – it’s my chest.’ Gerent fell forward on his knees and groaned. Brunnstan immediately cried out, ‘Oh no, don’t die Lordling, I can’t help you here, oh no!’ Gerent fell forward on his face with another groan and Brunnstan started crying, sobbing and wailing.

‘Turn him over you fool,’ came a gruff voice from the cage and Gerent glanced to see one of the bears looking at him, he sprang up and caught hold of its arm.

‘Got you!’ he said with triumph,’ I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist saving me yet again! Why didn’t you answer us earlier? Boy but I’m pleased to see you.’ Gerent felt his emotions tripping over themselves to get out. ‘We have to get you out of here.’

‘No point’ said Meendhu in a hopeless voice.

‘Of course there’s a point! We need you, I need you and Sancret definitely needs you. You don’t know what’s happened. We came here to get you, risked our lives and Sancret risked his sending us here, he nearly came himself but we wouldn’t let him.’ embroidered Gerent. Meendhu seemed to straighten up and pay more attention at this, so Gerent went on to explain what had happened since Meendhu’s departure.

‘And so you see you have to get out of here and come with us!’ he finished.

‘Hmm’ the bear pondered for a while and Gerent waited anxiously.

‘Do you think he will come with us?’ asked the invisible Brunstan of Gerent, Gerent was about to hush him when Meendhu spoke.

‘He will.’ Gerent almost cheered but instead he squeezed the arm he had not let go of since identifying the bear.

‘How are we going to get you out of here, I mean I could bid for you but what if someone else bids higher, or the seller decides not to put you up for sale?’ worried Gerent.

‘I have an idea about that,’ said Meendhu, ‘listen, you too Brunnstan.’ And he proceeded to tell them what they should do the next day.

Gerent and Brunnstan, who became visible, spent the night in the deserted barn where they had hidden earlier with the ponies and in the morning wandered out among the crowds who were gathering to celebrate Widewithenday. Gerent bought a large hot pastry from a baker and he and Brunnstan shared it for breakfast. Tthey saw the bear seller coming out of the inn, rubbing his eyes and yawning in the morning mist. He went across to the cages and rapped each cage with the handle of his whip, the cubs all cowered but the elder bears just looked round laconically. Gerent couldn’t watch as the man proceeded to poke pieces of meat into the bear’s cages on a pointed stick, which he also used to stimulate the bears. Gerent felt that they should rescue all the bears from this treatment but Brunnstan asked what they would do with eight bears while heading to the castle, Gerent had to admit that it was not feasible to just let them go free, he would just have to hope that their new owners would treat them well.

They wandered off to look at the fair, Gerent felt a little odd being accompanied by an invisible friend and so if he wanted to talk he knelt and pretended to tie his bootlaces, so that people would not get suspicious. They wandered into an open green area where there were several striped tents erected with banners flying in the wind from the tops, Gerent watched as several horsemen practised jousting at targets, he had only seen such things on the TV back at home before this. He wandered over to the huge tent that was a stable and looked at the horses the knights used.  One, which was a large dappled grey with soft grey eyes, caught his attention and he stroked its nose, which felt like velvet. Gerent had grown very fond of horses since he had ridden from Hugh’s knoll with Wampa and he thought this one was exceptional. Even Brunnstan liked it and said it could be related to one of Sancret’s ponies. A tall knight dressed in long yellow robes with a wide belt came striding into the stable and came right up to the mare Gerent was stroking, pushed him out of the way and entered the box saying:

‘Don’t fool with my horse western child, she will bite. I have warned you.’

‘I wasn’t fooling, I was just stroking that’s all and she seemed to enjoy it.’ Gerent stepped back and began to walk off, noticing that the knight watched him go while tending to the mare. Back out in the sunshine Gerent headed for the stalls that he could see erected across the green and found himself among an increasing crowd of people who were being entertained by jugglers, clowns, fire eaters and gaming stalls. Gerent passed the morning quite happily watching the stalls and people. When he felt hungry he bought a large slice of spit roasted hog and went to sit with Brunnstan back at the barn, in readiness for the afternoon auction.