The Unknown Princess

Chapter Five

We rode for the rest of the way, making our way deeper into the forest, blindly following the trail. I couldn't see the sun, so I had no idea what direction we were actually going in, but Imogen seemed confident that we were going the right way. Occasionally I'd snack on more of the jerky, dried fruit and nuts and kept drinking lots of water to make sure I had my energy. Despite Imogen's assurance that the wyrms didn't normally venture this far south, I was convinced that we'd see one at any time.

And a tiny part of me kind of wanted to see one.

How could I not? Every child grows up with tales of dragons soaring through the air, so to see one of their relatives had to be thrilling. Okay, and terrifying, yes, but still! Maybe there was a way to see them from a distance, and yet stay nice and safe.

Without warning, the forest opened up into a large clearing, with a ten foot tall wall made out of clay bricks surrounding a small village. I could see the tops of some buildings within the walls, and the scent of delicious cooking meat made my stomach growl. I may have had some jerky on the ride, but it has been over a day since I had anything warm in my belly, and the prospect of it made me salivate. Overhead, I got my first look at the sky in many hours and was unsurprised to see it was only dimly lit, as though it were sunset. That was yet another reason I was hungry!

"Is this where your wife lives?" I wondered, trying to stand in the saddle to see more over the walls.

She nodded with a chuckle. "It is, yes. Welcome to Shroudwood, the only unaffiliated town in the land. Most people don't even know this town exists, so we're perfectly safe here."

"Except for the creatures in the woods?" I asked in jest. Of course, the walls had to be there for something. The clay bricks didn't look likely to stop a determined attack, so I had to imagine the wyrms would get past it too. Having heard a few things about the other creatures in the forest, it was likely it was for the smaller ones.

"That's true. But mostly it is to keep the few animals that are in the town from wandering out of the woods if they get out of their pens. There aren't many to begin with, mostly just some goats and chickens, so losing them would force us to trade for more."

"Trade?" I looked over at her in surprise, since she'd just mentioned that most people don't even know it exists.

"There are a few traders that know the town is here. On the far side of town there is a small river. We can take flat bottomed barges and pole them down to where the river is deeper and trade there. We trade mostly for wood and animals to replenish anything we lose. But we have a lot of unique things to trade, so we make do." She led the way to a strong wooden gate and thumped her fist against it.

"Who's there?" called a gruff voice on the other side of the wall.

"Open up, Sophus! It's Imogen. If you don't let me in, I'll tell my wife to turn you into a frog!" I could tell she was joking by the smile on her face, and I was glad to see her in such a good mood. Maybe she could spend more time with her wife now that she no longer had to spend time with me in the tower?

"Hold on, hold on!" the unseen Sophus grumbled. Some grunting and clanking of metal on the other side of the gate preceded the heavy wood cracking open for us. Sophus turned out to be a balding man with a heavy beard and kind eyes who looked surprised to see both me and the additional horses that Imogen had with her. "You brought a lot today!" When his eyes saw the suits of chainmail, they widened even more. "Oh! Alba will love seeing all that metal! Damn, it's great to see you!" He reached up, grasping her hand and pumping it. "Go see that wife of yours."