The Solitary Arrow Ch. 13

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He refilled his and Hyandai's glasses; Harlen's was still half full. "Now, by accidentally, I mean Harlen was trying to kidnap him, and use him as ransom or to force the army to withdraw." He chuckled. "After he had clubbed the baron unconscious he was carrying the body out of the camp when one of the enemy's patrols happened upon him. They were suspicious of something, but they thought it was smuggling a woman into the camp. When Harlen protested that it was no body he carried, one of the guards pierced it with his spear. 'Ho ho,' says the guard, and laughs as he pulls back the blanket. Imagine the horror on his face when he realized he had just impaled his own lord."

The captain laughed again. "Well, they were so stunned that Harlen managed to knock them out, as well, and he escaped with the baron's corpse. Without the baron to drive his knights and captains to war, they sued for truce and returned to their lands." He snorted. "It was over with but a single death." He laughed some more and refilled all three glasses. When Hyandai spoke again, she had a noticeable slur to her musical voice. "Is there anything else about my beloved you can enlighten me with?" She asked, giving Harlen a wink.

The captain eyed both of them. "Not the kind of tales I'd speak to a lady ma'am." He said, and clapped Harlen's shoulder again. "Let's just say that it is fortunate that Master Harlen is faster than the merchants when they are chasing men away from their daughters."

Her lover blushed as Hyandai regarded him with a smile. This forced her to giggle a little. "Well, I, for one, am glad of the practice that those merchants' daughters provided." She said.

The captain and Hyandai laughed a moment, and then looked at a very uncomfortable Harlen. "Come, young Harlen." The captain bellowed. "What vexes you?"

The huntsman shrugged. "I do not know, captain Farridin. I fear this matter with the orcs is worse than it first appears." He filled the commander in on the goings-on in the mountains, studiously leaving out the part of an elf in the matter. The captain grew serious then, and listened intently to what was effectively a scout's report to the captain, something these two men had done many times in years ago.

"I will clear these beasts out, then." The captain rumbled. "It serves us ill to kill the ones in these hills, then have fresh orcs simply flow in from the mountains. He pondered things a moment longer, then begged leave to speak to his lieutenants. Harlen took Hyandai's hand and led her unsteady feet from the pavilion after farewells were exchanged.

A young man came up to them. "The captain has ordered quarters for you two, sir." He said, bowing slightly. He led them to a large tent and inside. "I am to provide any services you need, sir." He said, standing inside the flap.

Harlen looked at him a moment. "Can you bring us some warm food, and some beer? Then you can go." The boy left the tent and returned a few minutes later, laden with a large platter of food, mostly meats and tubers. He also carried two large mugs of beer in his other hand. The lad had a future in barmaiding, Harlen thought.

After they had eaten, Harlen asked a passing soldier if there were baths in the camp. He nodded and pointed toward a small enclosure of canvas. One had a crudely painted triangle on its flap; the other had a disturbingly shaped penis marking its flap. Harlen chuckled as he and Hyandai prepared to go take baths and relax after in the safety of the camp.

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3 Comments
SonomaLassSonomaLassover 18 years ago
Inconsistent

I got confused when you wrote that they ate the last of their food one night, and then later that their provisions would last for five days if they were careful. A little thing, but it took me "out" of what was otherwise a really good installment. Thanks for this overall excellent story!

msboy8msboy8almost 19 years ago
Great Chapter

A fitting follow-up to the previous chapter. You have a talent for telling a story carefully woven together with many different threads. !!!!!

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