Goodbye to the Knight✔️

9. The best place to keep a knife is tied to your leg

The day gradually begun to heat up, and quickly too. Clear skies, with only a light dusting of white clouds in the far distance lay above us. Yet another unusually warm Autumn day. By the time we had passed the last village cottage and were finally out on the open track, our morning dragons breathe could no longer be seen; quite a disappointment to us as we'd been trying to make circles, but to no success.

"If the weather stays good we shall make it to Burnsley late tonight," Sage says.

"Fingers crossed, we need all the head start we can get,"

"Yeah, usually people do this trip in two days,"

"Do you reckon it'll take them one or two days to search the entire village?" I ask.

"Depending on how thorough they are, if they go round checking every single house then three maybe even four days, however if they only rely on asking and listening to the village gossip to see if you're there, then only a day."

"So worst comes we have only a days head start, and unfortunately their horses will be of good breeding so will be fast." I sigh. Will this be enough?

"Hey!" Exclaims Sage, "Do you not believe in my horses!"

I laugh, "It's not that I don't believe in them, just the knights have the money to get the best of the best horses."

Sage laughs, "Yes, they mostly have the best breeding, however those horses often get raised and taught in such a tight strict routine that they lose their individuality, my horses have the freedom to think for themselves, they are a companion not a slave."

"You're meaning to tell me that if both yours and a knights horse went head to head in a variety of challenges your horse would win, win over a knights?" I say in disbelief.

"Yes." Sage says without missing a beat.

"Wow, I'll hold you to that if the opportunity ever arises."

A pause.

"Ell..."

"Yes?"

"You do realise you're on the run from knights,"

"Thats beside the point! You never know, we could steal a knight's horse and then you can prove it!" I laugh at myself.

"When pigs can fly!"

We continue riding all day, mainly along dirt tracks through forest.

A beautiful array of colours fills our vision. Light gusts of wind send orange and red leaves tumbling in spirals to the ground that are often promptly stood on and mushed into the ground by Winnie and Griffin.

We stopped a few times. Once for a quick lunch break in which the horses could graze for a bit and we could all have a break. The others to stop and fill up waterskins and have pee stops.

The shadows are now longer, and the horses plodding with less enthusiasm. Even I'm tired, and all I've done is sit, but my torso and butt are aching.

The trees are thinning now though, which is a good sign.

At Gandrick Castle, apart from helping in the kitchen, a lot of spare time was spent sneaking around the passageways of the castle with Anne and Maud, a place we had found a secret passageway to, was the library, and using it we'd borrowed multiple books of random, some of which had been geography ones.

If I remember correctly Bellrial Forest is what separates Tanhorpe from Burnsley.

"How many times have you been home since you joined Uncle Fred?" I ask, curiously.

"Only once and not for long, it was to celebrate my sisters wedding."

"Ah! That sounds like it would've been an enjoyable trip."

"Yes, it was a very special time."

"I remember when my sister, Cecily got married, it was celebrations all night long. Nine year old me decided it was a good idea to try a piece of everything which by the end had come back up."

I shake my head at the memory.

"I cannot imagine you eating to the point of throwing it back up!"

"Ahaha I love my food!"

"Lassy, your body says otherwise, you literally have no meat on your bones!"

"I know, and it's a nightmare! I need to build up my strength," I hold my arms out in front of me and take a look at them. "my arms have a little muscle!"

"...A tiny bit?"

I slap his hand, "It's a bit!"

"Whatever makes you happy!"

I groan.

It was then the horses ears pricked up and became alert.

Sage and I immediately fall silent.

Whatever the horses have heard is coming from in front of us which rules out the chance of the knights behind having caught up.

"It could just be more travellers coming," Sage says in a low voice.

"Probably, but I don't hear voices."

"Horses can pick up sound from a lot further away then us, however this also could mean that what has caught their attention is awhile away, in fact it's probably coming from beyond the forest."

"So we continue on as normal?"

"Yes, but stay on high alert, there is also a very small chance it could be bandits."

"Bandits?" I whisper.

"Yes, but chances are very low, this forest is often used by people of high rankings for hunting in, meaning its hard to keep under the radar here."

Sage reaches for something tied to his leg under his tunic, I watch on curiously as his hand comes up holding a knife.

"You've had a knife tied to your leg this entire time!" I exclaim.

"Shhhh!"

I lower my voice.

"You've had a knife tied to your leg this entire time!"

"Well yes, you never know when you might need one, to protect yourself or to chop up food, either way having it tied to my leg is the best place for both secrecy and accessibility."

Wow.

Sage clicks his mouth and we continue on, scanning the area all the time now.

A little bit more time goes by before I break the silence.

"Hey Sage."

"Yeah?"

"Any chance you can teach me how to use a knife to defend myself as well as how to ride?" I smile hopefully at him.

"I can try."

A/N:

Another chapter finished! Whoop whoop! So in last A/N I said we'd be meeting new characters in this chapter... this chapter accidentally decided to go on for longer and so I split it into two chapters! I promise next one will hold new characters!

SouthernAlps over and out...