A tale of song, swords, and flowers

Chapter 2

"I can't believe I let him talk me into this!" Tristan thought incredulously, as he watched the bard's blue eyes flicker over The bustling market crowd from his position on the makeshift wooden stage in the midst of the chaos. He looked right at home despite the borrowed clothes and lack of a loot in his grasp, posture confident and smile dazzling.

"Hello good people of Tasadia! My name is Pansy and I'm a bard, or at least I was until a bunch of sniveling cowards decided to attack and steal my loot. This is the tale I sing for you today!"

Without further ado, the bard set to stomping out a rhythm with his good foot and his voice rose clear above the den. Slowly but surely he whipped the crowd into a clapping and dancing frenzy, song filled with enough ridicule and disparagement towards his erstwhile attackers to have them positively seething. Tristan Half expected a burly man with an ax or a deadly hail of arrows to come flying out of nowhere, yet nothing happened. Florian simply limped off stage with his makeshift crutch, empty pockets quite a bit heavier. Almost immediately a Young lass with black curls hurried over and thrust a bouquet of colorful wildflowers into his hands, which he accepted gracefully before gallantly kissing her hand and placing a small pink blossom The same shade as her dress behind one of her ears. He said something that made her giggle timidly, afterwards linking their elbows together and setting off down a side street.

"Bards!" Tristan chuckled, sound freezing in his throat upon remembering a particularly disturbing piece of Intel he'd been given several villages ago.."oh... fuck!"

Cursing Tristan made his way toward where Florian's ginger ponytail had disappeared as fast as the crowd would allow, cursing under his breath when there was no sign of the little barred. "Please just let this be no more sinister than a hastily contrived dalliance."

Upon glancing into the first alley he could find, Tristan's eyes immediately fell upon the white faced form of the bard, held against the wall at knife point by the trembling hands of his supposed paramour.

"I'm sorry!" She sobbed, her voice filled with despair. "If I don't do this they will kill my boy! He's all I have left!"

On silent feet Tristan glided forward until he was practically on top of the woman, simultaneously clapping a hand over her mouth and grabbing the wrist that held the knife. Instantly the blade tumbled from her already tenuous grip and she struggled, but was ultimately no match for Tristan's strength.
"Shhh!... it's all right! i'm not going to hurt you."

At these words the woman struggled even harder, leaving Tristan no choice but to practically hug her to his chest in a death grip. He could easily feel that she was far too thin, ribs digging like daggers into the arm wrapped about her middle. She was also weakening fast, thrashing less forceful by the second. "Easy, now I just want to talk! I give you my word as a Knight on my Life, sword, and crest that I will not harm you!" Swiftly the women stilled in his arms, but did not relax.

"It's true I can vouch for him!" remaining vigilant, Tristan focused his attention on Florian who peeled himself away from the wall on shaking legs. " I mean I haven't known the fellow for very long, but Tristan really is a good sort. He rescued me after I was attacked on the road by some rather unsavory characters that he's been chasing after for weeks."

Only upon feeling The woman soften in his hold did Tristan release her, almost immediately snatching her up by the arms in order to keep her from collapsing into the dirt.

"They killed my husband..." She whimpered, carefully twisting around in order to look up into Tristan's face with glistening eyes. "Him, and his father, and his brothers. They took his ma and my boy, and me. She... She tried to stop them from hurting me, but they beat her and did what they would, but now if I don't do as they say... they said they'd kill my boy!"

Feeling equal parts disgusted and horrified, Tristan pulled his knight's crest from beneath the collar of his tunic and held it out to show the crying woman. "I'll do everything within my power to get him back to you alive! But I need you to tell me where the Bandits are hiding, there's no way I can find them and all this madness!"

The dark-haired woman sniffed, hesitantly reaching up and running her fingers over the Rose shaped medallion inlaid with a charging Griffin and crossed swords. "I can't! They'll know!"

"Not necessarily!" Florian piped up, mischievous smirk back in full force. "You and I dear lady are going to take a leisurely stroll through the festivities back to the nice fruit vendor I saw. I'm going to purchase one of those quaint little baskets of strawberries and we're going to continue on our way. When we get close to the hornets nest you are going to casually pick up a berry and offer it to me as if we were any other pair of summer love birds enjoying the fair. That way you'll be doing your job and keeping the bandits happy, while I do mine and figure out where they're hiding. Then we head off to the stone water and meet up with noble Tristan Who will be collecting his armor and other things necessary to give the scoundrels a thorough ass kicking! Is that alright with you?"

The woman nodded silently, expression determined. Gratefully she accepted the handkerchief that Tristan offered her, afterwards wiping her eyes and once more allowing a Florian to link their arms together.

"I never agreed to this!" Tristan grumbled, giving Florian a look that would frighten most people., but simply caused the bard to chuckle.

"Do you have a better idea Noble night?"

Tristan simply shook his head. " If you're not at the inn by the second bell after midday, I'm coming after you, location or no!"

Florian smiled as he trotted past. "I would expect nothing less, oh golden haired upholder of justice, nothing less at all!"

A/N

OK so yeah another chapter, which I miraculously managed to post on time despite my crazy college schedule(Damn coronavirus) anyway I hope you enjoy and constructive criticism is welcome.

Sage