The tall rider dismounted and set up camp must outside of Bef. He had come on a mission. An important mission. A risky mission. A life-changing mission. He didn’t make a fire to keep warm that night; he didn’t want the falfreys or the glips knowing he was staying there that night.
The air was crisp and the breeze was chilly; the rider used his cloak and saddle blanket to keep warm that night against the cold air. He would hopefully complete his mission before anyone went to work the next day. He had an idea, a good idea, of who the selected would be.
But he wouldn’t know for sure until… maybe even until they were all hard at work. That’s what he would do… he decided that he would wait…
***
Neither Jon nor Noble wanted to get up that next morning. Then again, they never wanted to get up. It was still dark outside and they had to be at the work yards as the sun rose in the horizon. Their backs were stiff and sore and their entire bodies ached in pain.
They had never known what it felt like to be painless; they were always tired and sore. They only had one day off each week, and that day never went by slowly.
The boys finally got up, though, and Arled had their food prepared for the, for the day. As they departed, the wind was cold and blew hard as if a storm was on its way. But a storm never bothered Akaidish, Guil, or any of the other falfreys and the glips were still ordered to work.
By the time they arrived at the yard, it was pouring down rain and the wind grew more fierce. The rain stung on the backs of those with fresh whip marks- Noble’s included. The ground was muddy and slippery and the stones were hard to carry in wet arms. And, once again, Guil and the other falfreys showed no mercy.
Jon slipped and fell down, landing on the rocks he had just been carrying. His blood mixed with the mud and stung the new wounds.
“Get up!” A large, broad-shouldered falfreys, named Meb, ordered, getting ready to smack him with his whip.
“I’m getting up, you get down here after going through what we go through and see if you’d…” but Jon never finished his sentence.
Meb grabbed him by his collar and ripped him up off of the ground with one arm, using his other one to grab his neck. Jon was a strong boy but his hands couldn’t get a strong enough grasp and break free from the falfrey’s strong grip.
Time stopped and everyone, including Guil, watched the scene as Meb held the boy by his neck as the boy struggled to get free.
“Now listen here, nobody talks to me that way especially a filthy, good-for-nothing glip. I don’t care how tired you are, you will move every single one of those rocks alone, and I don’t care if you die in the process.” Meb’s grip got tighter. “And if you ever get the nerve to speak to me like that again you will wish you had never been born.”
Meb dropped Jon and he landed hard on the muddy ground, gasping for air. Noble ran over to his side faster than he had run for a long time.
“Jon,” Noble put his hand on his friend’s shoulder carefully. “I’ll help you, come on.”
He began to help him carry the rocks when a falfrey shouted. It was Meb. He walked over, his shoulders back and his head held high like he was someone of importance.
“Leave him alone and get back to work,” Meb’s stare penetrated like a sword.
Noble looked straight into his eyes. Jon nudged his arm and said, “I’ll be fine. Go.” There was no tone in his voice, like Meb had crushed his throat completely. The two still stood there, staring, waiting for the other to make the next move..
“Go while you still can, Noble,” Jon advised.
Meb laughed.
“I’d listen to your friend, glip, before you’re in the same state as he is.”
Noble’s body felt glued to the muddy ground. He was afraid. But his fear looked like courage to everyone watching, including Meb. Then slowly, he walked away back to his work.
As the rain continued to pour down and mud caked their feet, Noble wished that he could’ve stood up to Meb and helped Jon. He wished. But it would’ve been worthless. Meb was twice if not three times bigger than Noble and that much stronger. He could never take Meb alone, and even if he could, he would’ve been killed for even attempting to.
A single tear fell from the boy’s eye as he knew that he would live in bondage for the rest of his life, and he could do nothing about it.
***
The rider stood behind a boulder, watching the entire scene of Jon nearly being strangled to death and Noble bravely attempting to try and save him. The rider smiled under his covered face. These two would be perfect. Absolutely perfect.
