The Shadow Assassin

Chapter 10

~Author's Note~ If you feel like it, read chapter nine again before going on, it's been edited. Also, my sincerest apologies for not updating in eons! And my sincerest thanks to all of those who are reading, commenting, and voting.
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Rowan woke before dawn in the surprisingly luxurious comfort of the four poster bed in Meregryn's Tavern. She donned the clothes she normally would wear in the village near the castle and concealed her weapons about her before going downstairs.

"You're up awfl'y early lad." Meregryn said as Rowan walked down the last few stairs. "Looking for breakfast I presume?"

"Yes, please." the faux boy replied. "I was wondering Meregryn, do you happen to have anything that you need help doing around here?"

"Are ye askin' for a job son?" Meregryn asked.

"Umm. . . well. . . Yes. . . if you can spare one I mean." Rowan answered a bit uncertainly.

"Well in that case I can use a young'uns help in the stables, we've got a lad workin' there already but there's always more chores to be done."

"I didn't see anyone working in there yesterday."

"The lad we've got ain't always in." Meregryn explained. "Should be out there now though. Here's ye breakfast, when yer done go on out an he'll tell ye what we need done."

"Thank you ma'am." Rowan said and went to the nearest table to eat the breakfast Meregryn had given her. The tavern was much calmer in the early mornings than it had been the previous day. Most of the people were out working or hadn't yet awoke.

After she'd finished eating Rowan went around to the stalls and checked on Daisy. Just as she was opening the door to Daisy's stall a she heard a voice behind her.

"I already fed, watered, and groomed her this morning." A boy who seemed to be a couple years older than Rowan herself said as he shoveled soiled hay into a wheel barrow in the stall across from her.

"Oh," she said slightly surprised "well thanks. I'm Rowan, Meregryn told me to come out here and you'd tell me what I need to do."

"Gave you a job did she? Well my name's Sevrin."  the navy-blue eyed, dark red haired, boy said. "Have you worked with horses before then?" he asked.

"Yes, of course, do you think I lead my horse all the way here?" Rowan replied.

"Well no, its just that a lad your age normally doesn't have his own mount, 'specially one as fine as she." Sevrin countered her sarcastic remark.

"I didn't steal her if that's what you're implying." she said testily. Rowan thought up a quick lie and added "My master gave her to me."

"Oh did he now?" Sevrin said over his shoulder, still shoveling hay.

"Yes, he did." Rowan replied, now thoroughly insulted.

"Calm down, no need to get your knickers in a knot. I was only jesting." the boy laughed.

"Well in any case, yes, I am quite familiar with farm and stable work." Rowan said trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Are you going to just stand there then or can we get to business?" he asked.

"Lead on." she mock bowed exaggeratedly.

Sevrin leaned the pitch fork against a stall and rolled the wheel barrow out the back double doors of the stable. Rowan followed behind as they round the corner to a pile behind the barn where it seemed the ground had never known anything but the large pile of dirty hay.

"This is the scenic view from the tavern, the prettiest pile o' horse refuse you'll ever see this side of the woodlands. And what I'm holding here is a highly coveted piece of machinery used to transport hay to add to the scenic mountain." Sevrin explained using dramatized gestures of his own to show off the roughly eight foot high pile of manure and hay and the big rusty wheelbarrow used to haul it.  

"Well isn't that a lovely sight, and I privileged enough to bear it witness." Rowan appraised.

"Good, I'm glad you like it as most of your work'll include addin to it." And with that Sevrin dumped his load out of the wheelbarrow and headed back towards the barn.

"That's it?" Rowan called after him.

"Well I can't very well show you where the important stable hands work (such as mi'self) an the whole production in one day now can I?" Sevrin chuckled and continued into the barn.

She hefted the wheelbarrow onto its wheel and walked in after him.

"Just make sure all of the stalls are cleaned out every morning and the horses are well groomed and fed every day." He called over his shoulder as he walked through the barn.

"And where are you going then? Important stable hand business?" She inquired after him.

"You could call it that." And with a shrug he walked out the front doors.

"Well, look at us now, working." Rowan muttered to herself. Daisy nickered from her stall. "Not YOU of course Ms. Daisy." She called over to her, laughing a little at the thought of Daisy having a plow strapped behind her purebred back.

Rowan walked down the row of stalls to see how much Sevrin had left her to accomplish that day. The barn wasn't enormous, certainly not as vast as the King's stables, but there were six stalls down each side, a tack room, and of course the entire upper floor for storing hay. Only three of the other stalls had occupants besides Daisy; a big gentle looking chestnut, a long legged dapple, and the last one had a black-almost-blue coat covering muscles that rippled as it twitched off the flies.  She could see they'd all been carefully groomed and their stalls had been meticulously cleaned out and refilled with new straw. The troughs were full of water and the horses had fresh hay. Rowan had four stalls on Daisy's side of the barn and the other four to do on the opposite side.

It was a bit after midday by the time Rowan had finished cleaning out the empty stalls and refilling them with straw from the barn's attic. Sevrin hadn't returned that day to give her more things to do so she went back to her room to formulate her plan for the king's brother's "accident".