Your arrival into Gotland is evident. The grassy, flat plains that you are accustomed to have ended and the roads are now wet and muddy.
The trees, if you can even call them that, are dead, and those that aren't, will be soon. Small pools and sinking sands are all around.
The air smells foul and angry. Mosquitoes and flies dominate the atmosphere. The messenger that rides among you and Judas inside the carriage, advises you to have the window curtains closed up so that you would not suffer from the biting and buzzing flies. When you have reached a certain distance within the borders of Gotland, he allows you to reopen the windows, promising that the insects that would have annoyed you have been passed by then. You ride past a few ponds that are not spoiled with mud or moss. You travel over a small, stony bridge that needs repairs. As you ride over, you can see that the waters below are clean and look refreshing. And the small Gots swim about in it. These are same fishes that dominate Gotland and that gives the province its name. This part of Gotland is a bit more open and airy. The air does not smell as awful as it had been a few hours ago. The sky is bright and clear and you can even make out a few promising clouds. Small lilies and poppies grow in this part and fresh green grass.
Just when you are beginning to think that Gotland isn't as bad as the travelers say, you arrive at a muddy forest, with tall, leafy trees.
You can hear the wheels roll and splash in the mud and the horse hoofs splatter in the dirt. All of a sudden, your carriage comes to a crashing halt. The coachman tries to ride out of the pothole, but is not successful. He tries harder, whipping the horses to move quicker, hence, to pull the carriage out. Alas, it turns out that it is impossible. Vradnik leans into the carriage and notifies you of the situation. You decide to see it for yourself. You step out into a pool of mud and your boots are soiled. Turning to the carriage you realise that it is truly stuck and looks almost unfeasible.
Observing the surroundings, you do not see any sign of a settlement nearby, and the forest is very quiet. Your bodyguards stare at you in an expected way. You must decide what happens here and now. The horses look weary from having to ride so far for so long, and even your guards look as though they could tumble over and drop into the mud.
"It appears we are left with just one decision", you announce to your armoured men.
"We must leave the carriage here and continue on to the capital", they all look uneasy and unwilling, but no man objects.
The coachman asks to be left with a guard so that they can work on moving the carriage out of the pothole and then rejoin you at the capital. You accept and then mount one of the horses that had been loosed from the carriage. Judas and the swampster messenger do the same.
You signal to the head knight that you are ready and and so you all ride off through the forest, leaving behind the coachman and a guard.
The ride through the forest does not last long. You come upon two tiny shacks, both of which belong to a huntsman. When he sees your party coming, he proudly rushes out before you can pass, and signals you to stop. Humanly, you obey. He is wearing a fine silver-like shirt with a small, light-brown pants and rough boots. The man greets you with a smile. Even though friendly, his teeth are not. They are completely spoiled and ruined inside his mouth, and despite being some chains away from him, his breath still manages to reach you, atop the steed. He tries persuading you to buy some meat from him. He offers you fox hide, possum legs, and even frogs. You do not know what kind of meat he is offering you, as surely no soul in the whole world could enjoy what the huntsman offers. You refuse and try to get on your way, but he continues to present you with numerous other options. You continue refusing, but the man continues to insist. One of your knights who seems to be all fed up with the man, advises you to just buy the meat and let you all get on your way. You do not feel as to accede, but then the huntsman falls to the floor and pleads with you. He tells you that he is quite poor and not many travelers pass by his way that he can make an honest living. When Vradnik interrogates him as to why he had not taken away to the capital, he replies that the road is weary, and bandits often attack. He does not intend to go that way. The man tells you that he is hungry, and he only has a small amount of food left and after that, he would just lay down and wait to die. Feeling compassionate towards hium, you finally give in. You buy the fox's hide and pay him, and then you freely hand him a 30 aurens. The man shows his gratitude well. He even went as far as to say that he would rather such a generous and patient ruler than the foolish and weak one that calls herself 'lady.'
YOU ARE READING
The Black Raven: plot of the three swords
Historical FictionLord Alexander has just come to the throne of Portswater, a province in the west known for aurens in times of trade, but steel in times of war. He thinks that being a lord isn't too complex, but what he doesn't know is that there are those cunning...
