Warrior

To his surprise, Mirabel was in the kitchen with her father. Goren held a tankard while she rolled out the pastry for a pie and told him of what had been happening in the village in his absence. Neither of them seemed angry or concerned that she had not been here when her father returned, and Tevin walked warily into the home.

"Ah here is the hero that saved me from my own daughter," Goren said seeing him approach. "This village is no place for heroes, laddie. Best you be getting back to the castle where the Duke can find you a position with an adventurous knight. I am well looked after here as you can see."

"With respect Sir Goren I have been placed in your service by the Duke and will remain so until he tells me otherwise," Tevin said stiffly not wanting to lose face any further in front of the young woman.

"Sir Goren?" Mirabel widened her eyes at her father and looked at the squire.

"A jest of the Duke. He knighted me during a long drunken night after the winning of Fort Fennec," Goren muttered uncomfortably. "It has no meaning up here. The mountains care only for hard-working men and women; they have no time for heroes. Go back to the castle where you belong laddie. It is for the best."

"It was no jest. You are a knight of the realm, and I am honour-bound to stay with you in case you are called to service again," Tevin said rigidly.

"No! Father, they wouldn't call you again would they?" Mirabel cried in dismay.

"I am far too old and tired now, sweet child. The Duke will allow me to rest, I have no worries about that," Goren soothed his daughter and gave Tevin a sharp look. "War is a young man's game, and there is peace for now along our borders."

"You have not resigned your commission," Tevin said grasping at straws. He wasn't sure why he wanted to stay with the warrior, but he knew without a doubt that he did. It was like a compulsion he couldn't shake.

"I did, but you were not there this morning to view the event because you were harassing my daughter and expelling her from my home," Goren growled and saw the younger man shrink slightly away from the comment.

"You never mentioned a wife or child," Tevin accused mildly.

"My wife's death is a painful subject, and I speak not of Mirabel so she cannot be used by vengeful men who feel wronged by my part in the war. Did you know Reagan had four sons and a second wife? The men of the mountains protect what is theirs by keeping their business to themselves. The folk of this town will welcome you but will tell you nothing about themselves until you have earned their trust. I am no different," Goren explained. "You were never meant to follow me home like a puppy, laddie. You should have stayed in the castle with the other warriors and found a new man to champion."

"I am content with my current situation," Tevin said in a calm but assured voice.

"Well, I am not!" Mirabel snapped. "You in your arrogance came and here and sought to unhouse me, treating me like some common strumpet to be thrown out into the night in her nightgown!"

"You cannot blame me for that. I knew not of your existence. I apologise for the offence I gave you but know that I would not have harmed you unduly," Tevin said with the same self-assured tone. "I hold to the code of the Knights of Matalan."

Tevin took the cold hard stare that the woman levelled at him and returned it. He did not blame her for hitting him and protecting herself. In fact, he was pleased to know she could look after herself because he doubted very much that the Duke would allow her father much rest. Just having him at court would make others sit up and take notice when they might not have otherwise. Goren did not suffer fools gladly, and more than one man had found themselves on the wrong side of his axe.

"For what it is worth I am glad you returned to your home safely, Lady Mirabel," Tevin said making her scowl at him.

"There is no title attached to my name. Miri will do while you are here. Not that you will be here long," she said with a dismissing tone.

"You are wrong Lady; your father is a knight of the realm now which makes you a Lady. I have no doubt that if the Duke becomes aware of your existence, you will be required to present yourself at court," Tevin said. "Of course, I am sworn to serve your father here which means no other could put me in a position where I would have to share my knowledge of the Lady Mirabel." He turned to look at Goren. "Perhaps it is in everybody interests if I stay where I am for now."

"Perhaps," Goren acknowledged the unspoken threat. "Perhaps you are not the man I thought you to be either."

"I serve the man I am sworn to with honesty and loyalty, my Lord. Be that you or the Duke himself. You cannot impugn my character for doing my duty, surely," Tevin said reasonably. He enjoyed wars of words. His father had been a consummate wordsmith, and he had never won an argument against him but now facing the giant hero of Fort Fennec he knew he could win his way through the argument with the lessons his father had taught him. Speak truly, and there is no need think about the words you use. Liars flounder while men of conviction speak as if from the pulpit.

"You do not want me for an enemy, laddie," Goren said gruffly.

"That much is true," Tevin admitted. "The choice, as I see it, is yours." He turned and walked out to where the horse gazed in a small clearing and took him to the small shelter to brush him down from this morning's ride.

"You need to make your peace with him, girl," Goren turned to his daughter. "Tevin speaks truly, and I would expect no less. Should I send him back to the castle, he would need to answer questions about why he had been forced from my service against his will. It is a matter of honour for him. He is a good man, but there are no battles in the Kayode for a young man to find excitement and adventure. He will find our world bores him and seek release from his service soon enough."

"Where will he sleep?" she asked plaintively seeing that her father had made his mind up and accepting she would have to put up with the young man's presence in their lives, at least for a season. She doubted a city man would enjoy the winters in the Kayode.

"He can use a roll before the fire until we add a small room to the cabin or a separate dwelling out the back. It will give us something with which to while away the time and keep my axe sharp," Goren said with a small smile for her. She too was a good girl, and he considered not for the first time that she was of marrying age and should be entertaining suitors rather than shying away from the village life of the young people.

Mirabel had taken after her father in all ways. She was tall for a woman, and although not stout, she was muscled in the lithe, athletic way of the forest archers. She was handsome rather than pretty but beautiful all the same, although she did not realize it. The few gifts she had received from her mother were her strangely violet eyes and dark hair with similar violet hues. Mirabel was equally if not better skilled than most of the young men in the village, and her father knew that intimidated lesser men. Now with a title, she would find it even harder to entice a man into marriage.

He looked out of the window at his squire Tevin. The earnest young man could be a good match for her if he were looking for a wife. Goren knew however that the young man had his own shadows that haunted him and would never look at Mirabel as a good match. Nor would he wish a loveless marriage on her.

"Winter is nearly upon us father; you had better make plans with haste if you plan to build for him," Mirabel commented and lay the pastry she had been rolling out over the top of pie she had made for dinner. "Make sure he knows dinner will be in an hour. If he is to stay, he should eat with us, not apart or with the animals." She dusted off her hands and went into the main room to rearrange the furniture to make room for him to sleep. Considering the space, she went to gather several sacks that had held the barley and oats she had used to brew the ale the town expected from her father's stores for special occasions and marched out into the forest.

With winter almost upon them, the pine needles made a thick carpet on the forest floor, and she spent time filling the sacks to brimming before hauling them back to the house. She saw the young man approach her and sighed, stopping where she was. Silently he took the sacks from her and started toward the house leaving her to follow.

"Just stack them near the rear door please," she said in a matter-of-fact tone and moved past him into the house to check her pie. "Thank you," she said as he followed her into the kitchen. "You should wash up, dinner won't be long," she said casually and went to wash her hands in the hand bowl on the small stand her father had made. She let out a breath as he left again moving out to the rainwater wash trough at the rear of the house.

After dinner, she would sew the sacks shut and make a small manageable mattress for the young man her father had decided to keep close for now. It would serve as a peace offering, and life could go on with no more said about their first meeting. What choice did she have? As independent as she may act, she was still at the mercy of her father. She was not a pretty girl with suitors in the village. She was plain at best, tall and awkward. The boys had always preferred to compete against her rather than show off for her as they did for the other girls.

She wasn't bitter. It was more that she was resigned to her life looking after her father. She found joy in the skill of hunting with the bow and reading the books the tinker would bring for her on each of his visits. She could cook well enough and sew well enough, but she was a mistress of neither. With the bow, however, she doubted any of the village boys could best her, and she would never have to be reliant on a man to provide for her.

Tevin had been surprised by the care Mirabel had taken making him a comfortable place to rest for the night. They had barely spoken to each other during the meal as Goren spoke about him staying for the winter and what would be required of him during that time. The man had a small brewery, and Tevin would be expected to assist in the felling of trees and gathering of firewood for the town.

"Your sword will be of little use in this village. We will see about an axe for you tomorrow," Goren pronounced. "Drink up, laddie for we wake with the dawn in the Kayode."

*****

The winter had been harsh in the mountain of the Kayode, and when spring finally thawed the ground and brought warmth to the mountain people, the village became a hive of activity. The women replanted kitchen gardens while the men returned to the fields surrounding the village. Trade began again between the near lying villages, and Mirabel watched the road each day for a sign of her friend Baric the tinker.

Mirabel has spent a great deal of time with the wise woman, Odell, as she often did during the winter months learning the craft of healing medicines, so she could hunt for the elements during her forays into the woods. She was happy as she walked through the village with the sun on her face towards the home of her friend. Despite being awkward and strange to most of the village people her own age, a small group of women had been her friends since they were small girls when her mother had been slain by bandits while her father was away at the castle. It was unusual for bandits to take a life, especially one of a woman, and Goren had gone into deep mourning refusing to discuss the death with anyone including Mirabel.

The wise woman had taken Mirabel in and ensured her acceptance and inclusion in the daily life of the other young women her age. She had continued to be taught to cook and sew during those early years while she came of age in the homes of her friends whose mothers had taken pity o, the motherless girl while her father mourned the loss of his wife. He father had encouraged the lessons to continue as he came out of his deep mourning and had also begun to teach her the life lessons and skills of the young men. She learned to hunt and fight and defend herself far away from the eyes of her friends who would not have understood why a woman would need such skills while the men were there to protect them. Both the wise woman and her father had also gone to great pains to teach her to read along with a small group of the village young.

She was passing through the village common green when a rider dressed in a strange mix of brown leather and green woollen clothing rode into the village at the head of three other men. Swinging down from his horse he looked around and pointed to a passing man.

"You there! Where will I find the home of Sir Goren the Axeman?" he asked in a cheerful, friendly voice.

"What do you want with the Axeman?" The man asked suspiciously eyeing the brightly dressed man.

"I wish to embrace my friend and taste the ale he talked so lovingly about during the war. If you show my fellows and me the way, you will be rewarded neighbour," the man said still keeping the cheerful tone in his voice. "Goren will be pleased to see me I assure you."

"I doubt that. Goren likes to be left alone. . . neighbour" he replied with an edge of distaste in his voice.

"How about this then," the man tried again. "I will wait here while you run along and tell Goren that his friend Sir Sieben is here to drink his ale barrel dry. I'm sure my friends and I can find something to amuse ourselves with while we wait." He waggled his eyebrows at a passing woman who couldn't help but stare at him while she walked.

"Cale!" The village man bellowed, and a young boy moved from one of the buildings surrounding the common. "Go find Tevin and bring him here." Several other village men came out to stand on the common and watch the strangers. Bandits did not, as a rule, announce their presence, but it was a rare occurrence for visitors to arrive in the outlying village in the deep mountains.

"Wait," Mirabel finally stepped forward from where she had been rooted to the spot, and she waved Cale over. "Tevin and Goren have gone to clear the springs of winter debris because they are running slower than usual they will not return before nightfall," she said in a hushed voice. Then she turned and fled back into the shadows of the buildings to seek out Odell, the wise woman. Her plans to meet her friends forgotten.

Would her father allow her to meet them? She knew he certainly hadn't told any of his friends of his plain and awkward daughter. This she knew for a fact after Tevin's initial reaction to her. Would he be embarrassed to introduce her to his friends? Perhaps she should stay with Odell for the evening and allow the men to talk without her inhibiting the conversation. The thoughts that rolled through her head made her sad, and by the time she reached Odell she had tears in her eyes, having convinced herself that she was nothing more than an embarrassment to her father.

"I have been waiting for their arrival, come Mirabel. Today is the day you will step from the shadows and prove your worth to men who do not have the narrow vision of the Kayode folk," she said pulling her shawl from the hook beside the door and striding out toward the common green expecting Mirabel to follow her.

"Hold your tongue, Joel," Odell said as she approached the men. The old woman held an air of authority that added height to her short, stout physique. She turned her lively blue eyes on the strangers and addressed them directly a secretive smile playing across her lips. "You have come to see Goren the Axeman I hear. It is a shame you picked a day he chose to walk the mountain peak. Still, I imagine you will not mind the wait to see your friend again." She stated as if it was fact rather than a question.

"Indeed, good woman. I was just inquiring about a tavern in which to find food and shelter while we wait, but your suspicious friend here is reluctant to let us enjoy the delights of your village," Sieben spoke in the same cheerful non-threatening tone.

"Perhaps a test of your skill and honour then? Should you win I will show you the way to your friend's home. Should you lose, you camp outside the village until Goren has returned to identify you as friend or foe," she challenged.

"A test?" he queried the cheerfulness dropping momentarily from his demeanour as he considered the woman. He knew of wise women, and he could feel the trick in her words. He narrowed his eyes as he considered her.

"Can you use that pretty ornament on your back?" Odell asked seriously.

"It is more than an ornament I assure you," Sieben relaxed. He could outshoot all but the most skilled of men and had no qualms about a test of skill with a bow.

"I offer a test of skill then, and to be fair as you are obviously not from the mountains where babes are born with bows in their hands I will let you shoot against a woman," she offered.

"That is not necessary, dear lady. I am prepared to shoot against your best in a true test of skill," he said easily.

"If you beat the woman then I will give you that chance if you like," she cackled "But you would need to beat her first. Are we agreed?"

"We are," Sieben nodded.

"Walk with me to the practise field," Odell offered, and Sieben fell into step beside her. "Go fetch your bow Miri," she instructed the young woman before turning back to Sieben and twisting her head to ensure his men followed behind them. "Bandits roam the woods, and we have become a naturally suspicious people. I can see that you have been honest in your friendship with Goren but indulge this test if you wish to be welcomed by the men here. Win or lose, how you compete will show the calibre man you are, and these men will judge you for every action and reaction as well as that of your men."

"I will take responsibility for my men," Sieben assured her. "Will we have the chance to prepare on your practice field?"

"If you feel you need it," she smirked.

By the time Mirabel returned to the field a small crowd of villagers had formed to watch the test of skill. Odell stood with one of her apprentices. The pale and lovely Alaina gave Mirabel a small, encouraging smile. The girl had visions of the future that invariably came to pass. The visions had frightened both her and her parents when she was younger, so much so that she had been sent from their village to Odell who had taken her in and honed her skill. In this village, her talent was seen as a gift from the Gods themselves, and people treated her as a valued village member along with the wise woman.

"So, what's it to be?" Sieben asked as Mirabel moved to the shooting line. "Targets or straw birds?"

"Do you have a preference?" Mirabel asked courteously. "You are the guest here after all, and I enjoy both forms of shooting."

"Well if you enjoy shooting, my lady. Let's move through the field until one of us misses the heart of the target," he indicated the closest and easiest targets. He was confident in his skill and had no cause for concern from a woman, even one brought up by the mountain folk in the wilderness of the Kayode.

"I would be happy to follow your lead," she said quietly.

"No, please, ladies first," he said taking a pace back to allow her room to shoot.

The four evenly spaced targets fell quickly each arrow hitting its mark at the dead centre. Sieben watched the girl carefully noting the movement of the muscles in her arms and shoulders. She was good, not as good as he was but still, more skilled than most of the men he had fought with in the war. Straw birds were not so easy however and should win him the day within a reasonable amount of time.

Once again, the shooters matched each other straw bird for straw bird as each of the slings was strung and released. The shooters stepped back preparing to declare a draw. Mirabel had not beaten the man, but neither had she lost to him. She prepared to leave the practice field and let Odell decide the outcome.