Golden Swords

The Hunter and the Tailor

She tired faster than she used to, and was panting by the time she reached the path that led to the ruin. She almost stopped and walked, but she knew she didn't have the time to train gently. Twisting her fingers into her tunic to quell a tearing stitch, she gritted her teeth and jogged on. The pain was both glorifying and horrible, her tongue ached from lack of oxygen, and she felt horribly unfit. Every breath was like inhaling chips of glass, but it was better than spending another day doing nothing.

Her steps were small and stumbling by the time she reached the ruin, but she lifted her head and lengthened her stride just in case the hunter was awake and about.

He wasn't. When she walked into the ruin, legs aching and chest heaving, he was lying beneath the last chunk of roof, wrapped in blankets and a leather sleeping sack. She gasped. The lock of hair she'd seen fall from his hood last time really hadn't done justice to the rest of it. The strands fell at least to his shoulders, mussed with sleep, and were the same colour of gold. Yet with hints of fiery red, and streaks of cinnamon browns. Beneath the silken mass of phoenix feather, his face was young and innocent. Suddenly, Mycena realised he couldn't be hardly any older than her. He had been so hard and cold before, there was no space left on his face for the youth to shine through. But in sleep no expressions of anger marred the perfect peace upon his features.

She suddenly realised she was staring, and quickly backed away from the ruin and round to greet Ebony. Her horse was delighted to see her, and pushed her braids around with her nose. Mycena scratched her strong neck, and looked around to see that there was new hay and fresh water in the small trough. The hunter. She would thank him when he woke up. But for now, riding.

She and Ebony flew along in perfect harmony, the trees flashing past. Mycena couldn't have said where her horse ended and she began, they raced as one being and with one mind. She hardly had to touch the reins, instead allowing Ebony to lead wherever the horse wanted. A fallen tree rushed towards them, then rushed away beneath as Ebony leapt like a deer and hit the ground running. Mycena stood in the stirrups, whooping her joy to the early morning sky. The sun had risen a while ago, it being summer, but pink was still washed across the horizon. Clouds were picked out with hints of flamingo, and when they burst out of the forest they were greeted by a sea mostly blue but with flashes of brilliant rose.

They stopped in a clearing and Mycena went through half an hour of sword practice. Her arms still ached, but the moves were flowing and felt more natural. She was just packing up when her stomach rumbled loudly and she realised something. She'd forgotten any food. She had been relatively used to going a little hungry before her marriage, certainly after what little money her parents had escaped with ran out, and she had gathered wild foods occasionally to fill little gaps when they were particularly hard pressed. She scanned around for berry bushes, it was late summer and wild berries should be plentiful.

She was just about to give up and ride back when she saw a bramble thicket out of the corner of her eye. The small fruits were her favourite, and as a child the thorns only posed a more exciting challenge. She scrambled over and started picking the berries, quickly staining her fingers bright pink.  Some weren't quite ready, but there were plenty that were plump and delicious. She ate until she could eat no more, glorying in the feeling of stuffing herself after always having to eat like a lady at Dastar's palace. When she started to feel sick, she swapped to picking into her undershirt, which she decided to sacrifice to the pink stains in favour of having some more food for later.

The thorns and tangled thicket made for slow picking, but she persevered for what felt like nearly an hour, until her shirt was stuffed so full she could hardly tie it at the top. She stowed her berries in a saddlebag and cantered Ebony out towards the village.