Lunette and the Pendragon

Chapter 3

Lunette woke with a start. For a moment, she couldn't recall where she was, but slowly the events of the past few weeks came to the forefront of her mind. The birds were chirping, but it wasn't quite yet dawn. Lunette pulled the thin blanket around her tighter to no avail. The nights were getting colder; it would be autumn soon.

Taking a deep breath, Lunette sat up and let the blanket fall. She was greeted by a chilly breeze. Her body shook, but she fought past it. The sun had not yet appeared on the horizon, but it was bright enough to see fairly well. She folded the blanket and reached for the bag next to her. She pulled out the last of the bread a kind priest had given to her. She ate it slowly, trying to savor every bite, but it did little to sedate the hunger inside. She hadn't passed a single person since the priest. How many days ago had that been? Three? Four?

The time she had spent traveling since leaving Landuc was beginning to blur. Day after day, she had walked. She had packed little supplies before leaving and had quickly ran out of food. Thankfully, she had come across strangers who offered her food, shelter, and the occasional coin. Her dress was covered in dirt and filth from the journey and her well-worn shoes were almost in tatters now. It wouldn't be much longer and she would be walking across Britain bare-footed.

Lunette drank the last of the water in the skin, hoping that she would come across a stream or small pond soon. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her beloved rosary. She thumbed the wooden cross. Sighing, she shoved the blanket into the bag, stood, and began walking.

"In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti," she began, thinking only of Amee and her need to find Owen as soon as possible. "Credo in Deum Patrem..."

She continued to recite the prayers she had long known by heart as walked down the dirt path. After the first decade, sunbeams were pushing past the horizon, bringing a spark of warmth at last. After she had completed her rosary, the sun was sitting fulling in the sky and she finally felt warm.

She recited the rosary again, and then again for a third time, as she walked down the road trying to ignore the ache in her stomach. She slipped the rosary into her pocket and began reciting all the poems she had memorized over the years of reading through Landuc's private library. The sun was now high in the sky; just past mid-day.

Lunette's legs and feet ached, but she had no choice but to continue walking. Looking ahead, she could see what appeared to be a forest. She thought about the possibility of foraging for berries or hunting rabbits. It would cost her precious time, but she would only make it so far without food. Her stomach growled again and she made her decision.

Determined to keep going, she started singing the only song she knew by heart besides a few hymns from church. Alone on the road, she let her voice ring out with its full power. She closed her eyes as she walked, lost in the familiar song. Her feet gracefully slide down the road as she fell into a dance more so than a walk. She spun around gently at the end of the verse, letting her voice sail into the higher notes of the refrain.

Her stomach roared again causing to Lunette stop singing and concentrated on pushing back her desire for food. Her body shook as the growl grew louder and more painful. She squeezed her eyes shut as she waited for the moment to pass.

"Hungry lass?" a voice called out to her. Startled, Lunette glanced around and noticed that she was no longer alone. A few feet to her left, sat a man under a tree, on the outskirts of the forest. "I have some extra food if you would like."

Lunette watched him closely as he reached into the pack next to him. He produced a piece of bread twice the size of what she had eaten for breakfast. Her mouth began to water at the sight of it. He stood slowly and held it out to her.