Figurehead

ten

It seems as if I slept very little when first light illuminates the 'room'. I pack my things quickly, more quickly than I can remember ever having done so. I have my things on my back and I'm ready to leave even before Reis can show up with some food and a shallow dish of water. "Thanks." She leaves with a little giggle after hearing a mumble from behind the other side of the 'entrance'.

I wring out my hare's pelt cloth and step out of the 'room', prepared to give the shallow dish back to the girl. Instead, I see Gri in an uncomfortable position on the ground, mumbling in his sleep. I gape at his sleeping figure before kneeling beside him to get a better look.

I chew on a piece of flatbread from beneath the cloth over my face before carefully reaching forward to untie his from around his neck. The feeling of the cloth moving must wake him. "Janf?" I dip the cloth into the water, rinsing it twice before handing it to him as he sits up groggily, wiping his face and then taking the dish of water himself.

I hesitate before giving him a brief hug. "Thank you," I say, pulling back to hand him the bowl of food before standing. He stands, too, smiling.

"It's alright."

I shake my head, frowning. "It's not. You're an Escatin guard, you need your proper rest." I am far more thankful to him than words can express. He was the answer to my prayers.

"It was worth it," he shrugs a shoulder, stretching with a grunt.

"Thank you," I repeat. "Thank you so much."

He laughs quietly. "You're a beautiful woman who may one day be queen. Of course I'd do what I could to protect you. Besides, no woman should be treated that way." I stare at him, utterly speechless, completely missing half of his words. What? Queen? No. He laughs again, shaking his head with a yawn. "I'll take you to the stables."

I follow him out of the shelter in wordlessness, relieved to see last night's guard replaced by another in the shelter's entrance. Puit. That was his name. He hadn't been so.. He hadn't been like this last time. Maybe he'd been influenced by Jur. I don't know.

I give Gri another brief hug when we stop at what must be the stables. "Thank you, really," I say, as sincerely as I can. It is hard to thank him in a way that shows how truly grateful I am, but he doesn't seem to mind.

"The Lord be with you, Janf," he smiles. And in the rays of first light, he looks beautiful. One day. One day I will show him my full gratitude. Somehow.

"The Lord be with you and your kin forever, Gri." For now, the only thing I can do is bless him. Bless him wholeheartedly before the Lord.

I'm surprised to see Fik in the stables. There are barely any stable-hands here; three at the most, probably. And there are few stalls available, only six. Fik and another horse I don't remember the name of are the only ones here. I don't know if I would describe Fik as pleased when I lead him out of the stall. Pleased to be chosen, perhaps. But probably not to see me.

Either way, he isn't too jittery as I prepare him for the journey ahead and strap my things to his back.

Gri isn't there anymore when I walk the dark-coated horse out of the stables. Fik walks slowly in the sand, because it sinks beneath his hooves and beneath my feet, but he doesn't care all that much, tossing his head and flicking his tail, requesting attention from the few people outside their shelters. And the attention, he gets.

"You're so conceited," I mutter to him, patting his neck with something akin to begrudging affection.

Slowly, as I lead him on what appears to be a track or trail or path, the sand shifts to dirt beneath my feet. We move at a quicker pace, although the growing warmth of the air can't be particularly pleasant for the horse.