ᴀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ꜱᴏ ɢᴏʟᴅᴇɴ, ᴀ ꜱᴜɴ ꜱᴏ ʙʀɪɢʜᴛ

iii. we're only re-stealing, no need to worry

┌─── ∘°❉°∘ ───┐

"I just wish we were able to do something against him!"

Elle slowed her movements, the carrots resting in the basket beside her. Her open hair fell into her view, the golden-brown strands glowing in the sunlight. Dirt coated her hands.

She had heard the talk in the town over the past few days. Under the pretence of war expenses, the lord had raised the taxes once again and immediately sent his men to collect what he was owed. And everyone who couldn't pay was arrested on the spot.

"And what, Will? We aren't fighters, and we have no coin to hire someone to fight him for us. Our dear Lord Toadface saw to that."

This was the fifth town Elle stayed in and yet it seemed to become the first where she could do something besides build and farm.

"And what if you took your coin back?"

The men looked at her.

"What?"

"I said, what if you took your coin back?"

She stood up and faced the men properly. They were in a group of three, and although they all shared the same light complexion, none of them seemed related, which was odd for a town of this size.

The one on the left, Will, a tall and lanky guy, spoke up. "And how would we do that?"

She was too bored not to convince them of this.

"It has not been too long since the sheriff last came here, correct? Meaning he must still be on the road - with your coin. If you want your money back, then go and take it."

The men shared glances between them.

"It would also send a message to this Lord Toadface."

"It sounds like you already have quite the plan," the man with the ash-blonde hair said. "What's in it for you?"

"I simply do not like tyrants." She grinned. "And I have a weakness for good adventures."

- -☆- -

Luckily, the men agreed with her proposal quickly, their need for revenge too big.

Elle got handed a green cloak by the man with the blonde hair, who had introduced himself as Tuck, with the justification that he could not possibly allow her to venture around in nature without one. The cloak covered her neck in its entirety, and she was grateful for that.

Before they set off on their journey, Will's sister, Maria, had come up to them and demanded to join. Her brother had tried to dissuade her, telling her it was too dangerous for a woman, but she would have none of it.

"Elle's coming with you, why shouldn't I?"

Finding the sheriff and his entourage was neither difficult, nor very exciting.

They had chosen the most direct route to their lord's castle, one which wound through the lush woods of Tauernberg Forest. Their carriage had left noticeable tracks in the still wet earth - easy to follow and even easier to intercept.

Elle sat on a branch high above the ground. Her cloak was lighter than she had expected, which she greatly appreciated, having made her climb that much easier. Tuck and Maria had hidden themselves not far from her tree, while Will and John had stayed next to the tree they had felled.

It felt strange having her hair back into its normal half-up style. She had not worn it that way since she had left Sunspear, having relied on a simple braid the way Nymeria had always done it. Now having her - uncomfortably short - hair back how it was before... She did not know how to feel about that.