Somewhere I Must Be

Chapter 1: In which a new companion is acquired

   The air in the pub was thick and smelled of sweat and wine. The stench of it made Naji cringe. He was meeting someone, and this meeting in particular, could not be postponed. His eyes, trained well from many years of archery, scanned the picture of chaos. Could he really have forgotten? He did say the Armed Steed Pub, didn't he? He walked up to a bartender behind the counter. Naji could see his reflection in the mug he was cleaning, his long, tangled, black hair, his foggy blue eyes. His tanned skin and sharp jawline. He looked very little like his elven ancestors, with the exception of his pointed ears.
    "What can I do you for?" The bartender eyed him suspiciously.
    "Actually, I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of a man by the name of Bram." Naji’s voice was deep and course, as if he’d been yelling, and yet somehow, musical.
    The bartender pointed a gnarled finger at a burly, red bearded man who was singing loudly.
    "My thanks." He bowed his head politely and started towards the man called Bram.
    "Naji! Come, sit down!" Bram was a stout dwarf with a bushy red beard and no hair on his head. He slurred his words as he talked, rather too loudly at that. Naji sat down to a table circled by drunken, singing dwarves with physiques similar to Bram. "I suppose you're here for your bounty."
    Look like the wine has not yet made him stupid. He nodded his head. "Why else would I have come?"
    Bram reached into his brown suede bag and pulled out a little red sack that jingled as it moved. "There. Fifty gold pieces, as promised."
    Naji accepted the sack without hesitation. "Thank you." He rose from the small wooden chair.
   "Not leaving already, are you?" Bram looked disappointed.
   "I'm afraid there is somewhere I must be."
                             *******
   Naji breathed in the fresh, early morning air. The sun was still a fluorescent orange on the horizon. He didn’t really have anywhere important to be, but he had to get out of that god forsaken pub. So many people made him anxious and such a small room made him claustrophobic. A rather large oak tree caught his eye. That would be a very nice place for a nap... it is still morning, after all. So, he lay down on the dewy grass, put his hands behind his head, and fell asleep. 
                            *******
    Something stirred, waking him suddenly. Something was tugging on the sack tied around his wrist. Feels like small hands... He sat bolt upright, nocked an arrow and fired it, all in a fraction of a second. There, pinned to the tree by her tattered brown sleeve, stood a small girl. She was only about thirteen, had dark, matted blond hair and dark green eyes. She struggled as she grabbed at the arrow.
    "What was that, just then? Trying to steal from me, were you?"
    The girl just looked at him.
    "Come on now, out with it." Naji raised his bow.
    Fear shown clearly in the girl's dark eyes. "My name is Clover." Her voice was not low, but it was heavy with sorrow and pain.
    "Clover." He repeated, lowering his bow. "Naji. Mind telling me why exactly you were trying to steal from me?"
    Clover lowered her head sadly.
    "Ah." He pulled the arrow gently from her sleeve. "Here." He said, pressing one of the gold pieces into her hand.
    She stared at it, dumbfounded.
"Th-Thank you! She stuttered.
    "Don't mention it." Naji picked up his bag and started in the other direction.
    "Wait!" Clover caught up to him and trotted by his side.
    "I said don't mention it."
    "But..."
    "Listen, girl. I don’t have time for this. There is somewhere I must be."
    "I can go with you!" Her green eyes were wide with hope as she grabbed at his sleeve.
    Naji sighed and turned around. "There really is no getting rid of you, is there?"
    Clover shook her head fervently. "I'm coming with you, no matter what you say!"
     Ah well, a little company couldn’t hurt. "Hurry up, then."
     Clover beamed at the coin in her hand and followed Naji into the market square.

A/N I'm afraid I don't update very much, so it will be a little while before the next chapter is published.