Rotheston came into view around a day and a half after leaving Kandelden. The town massively dwarfed by the nearby city, surrounded by fields of crops rather than a wall of stone, its entrance nothing more impressive than a rock decorated with its name. Gytha breathed in a sigh of relief at the familiarity and urged the horse to go faster, cringing back when the beast flung up onto its back hooves and kicked angrily into the air.
Many times along the journey she'd had to stop to allow the horse to breath, and although she understood that she was pushing the mare beyond its limits, this knowledge failed to extinguish the flare of impatience that burned brighter within her at every feisty buck and nip the creature laid upon her.
It was akin to riding a demon – the way the messenger-boy's horse stared back at her with eyes wide and seeing, a jaw quick to catch the edges of her leather armour as it was to eagerly drink the water offered. Without the light and gentle hand of its previous master to guide it in the journey, the mare had returned to the feral nature of its mountain-hardened ancestors.
Calmed by the sight of her hometown, and not wishing to be thrown out of the saddle, Gytha slackened the reigns and slowed the horse into a trot.
Not many turned at her appearance, used to her frequent coming and goings, though few waved as she rode through the streets, recognising her for her signature dark armour.
She would have stopped and greeted the odd familiar face, but a sense of urgency pounded behind her eyes. Instead, Gytha kept riding, straight through Rotheston til the bundle of markets and richer houses gave way to wooden buildings, unstable despite their rock foundations, and rode til even those thinned out amongst the farmland - slowing, but not truly stopping, until a woman appeared ahead, running along the path.
"Laela!" she yelled, jumping from the horse to scoop the blonde into her arms.
"Oh, Gytha. It's been too long," the smaller woman said with a smile that Gytha found it was hard to look at.
"The letter, is it true – about Ulmer?"
Laela's arms tightened around Gytha's shoulders and the larger woman drew back to see sorrowful tears in the other's eyes. "It's–it's not just him, other children too. Taken in the dead of night," Laela whimpered and tangled her hands in the hired-sword's hair, brushing her fingers through the dark locks and drawing out knots.
The brunette pulled them gently from her head and clasped them within her own. "And how is he...?"
The blonde shook her head sadly and wiped a tear from her cheek. "He grows weaker, Gytha, ever since we lost Ulmer... Hopefully you can bring some life back to him. He misses you dearly. He always does when you go away on your fighting trips."
"Those 'fighting trips' bring us money, Laela." She couldn't help the exasperation slip into her tone. "I know you don't approve, that you think it's too dangerous, but you have to understand, it's the only life I have left."
"Yes! I know, I know. It's just... I wish you would come back more often," her face crumbled as she spoke and flushed red with embarrassment. "Sometimes you're away for months at a time and half the time we don't even know where you've gone, let alone what you're doing! It's a miracle I heard news of the merchants in the market!"
"Alright," Gytha said, embracing the woman once more, sensing her growing sadness. "I understand, I'm sorry for snapping, it's just been a long journey."
Laela nodded into her shoulder and hummed understandingly.
The large woman turned her head so that she could rub it soothingly on the top of the others."Take me to him, okay? And then I can sort out this mess and you'll have little Ulmer back in your arms once again. Okay, Laela?"
Having calmed down, the blonde smiled up at Gytha and said gently, "Come," and grabbed her hand so she could lead the hired-sword along the path.
YOU ARE READING
A Borrowed Name
Historical FictionAs a hired-sword, Gytha is expected to face the ugly side of humanity and paid to protect the wealthy. However, nothing could have prepared her for the sudden news delivered in the form of a letter. Having to race back to her family home in Rothesto...
