The Lord Son's Travels (15 page)

"Well,
he found your... horse just fine," she retorted.
 
"Since I am now officially a fugitive from Allè-dônian
justice along with of you, can I know now what you did to get us into this
mess?"

"We
committed treason," Adrien declared, "So..."

"So
you said," Elenna interrupted, "But what did you do?
 
What does it have to do with these
fights across the border?"
 
She switched to a seat on a chunk of old log closer to the men, daring
them with an angry stare to refuse to answer her questions.

Brendan
sighed, "We defied an order to remain in Allè-dôn.
 
The Lord King's order."

Elenna
leaned forward, chin in hand, as her elbows rested on her lap.
 
She regarded this admission
thoughtfully.

"Why?"
she asked.
 

Adrien
bit his lip, pondering his response.
 
"The Lord King's order was wrong."

Elenna's
eyebrows flew up. "He was wrong?
 
How do you know that?"
 
She watched as Adrien flushed red, his frown deepening to a scowl.

"You
know nothing of the situation.
 
Time for us to continue riding.
 
The guards could find us at any time."
 
Brendan, who had long experience with Adrien's current mood,
jumped to his feet and hurriedly repacked the horses.
 
Elenna remained where she was, her expression one of
frustration mixed with amusement. Adrien stormed off to toss the few items he
had removed back into Madoc's saddlebag.
 
When the men had finished their preparations, she still sat on her log,
gazing off into the woods in deep contemplation.
 

"Woman,
get on the horse," Adrien ordered.
 
His tone caused Brendan to scurry to Elenna's side to quietly urge her
to her feet.

"Wait,
I'm thinking," she said absently, not turning her eyes from their distant
focus.
 
She hadn't had time to tie
back her hair in their crazy escape, and it floated around her head in frizzy
untamed waves, darkened around her forehead with sweat from their exertions.
 
Absently she twisted a strand around
her pointer finger.
 
The tall man
stood in front of her, staring down with darkened eyes and thinly pressed lips.

"Woman,
I said move yourself!" he finally barked.
 
Elenna didn't move, but tilted her head to face him.
 
Her chin jutted out as she pursed her
lips.

"Don't
even try that tone of voice on me, man," she stressed the final word with
disdain.
 
At first, Adrien
flustered for a second at the ferocity of her carefully spoken words.
 
He gazed down at the obstinate woman at
his feet, who returned his gaze evenly.
 
Never before in his life had any person refused to follow his direct
order; but now this young stranger seemed firmly planted in her seat.
 
Brendan stood behind him, arms crossed
as he observed the interaction.
 
Part of him was secretly amused; he had never seen Adrien so
flustered.
 
Most of him was worried
about the guards searching for them in the woods.
 
Examining both of their faces, though, discouraged him from
interrupting the scene to urge them on.

"I'll
ask again, who are you?" she demanded.
 
He didn't respond.
 
"Listen, if my ass is going to be on the line too," she took a
little pleasure in his wince at her choice of terms, "then I need to know
what exactly I'm risking it for.
 
Can you understand that?"

"I
understand," he spoke slowly and as calmly as he could under the
circumstances, "that there are men somewhere behind us who would
cheerfully drag us in chains back to the Capital.
 
And my Lady, I doubt you would want to hear the descriptions
of what they would find pleasure in doing to you."
 
He was gratified to see her shudder
slightly in return.
 

"You
know as well as I do that they followed the river through the valley, not up
the hillside as we did," Elenna declared.

Adrien
nodded.
 
"So it
appeared," he was forced to agree.
 
"but what are you willing to wager on the truth of that
observation?"

"Speaking
of truth, Adrien…" she replied.
 
He grimaced, willing himself not to strangle the woman in front of him
with his bare hands right then.
 
She did stand, though, her smaller frame barring him from the path to
the horses.
 
Though tall for a
woman, he towered over her by several inches.
 
Brendan coughed nervously, watching the trees for the
movement of their trackers.

He glared
down at her upturned eyes.
 
She
continued, hands on hips.
 
"You are someone important to the King, that much is obvious.
 
I doubt any country would send an army
into their neighbor's territory for a peasant with a problem with
authority.
 
Now tell me the
truth."
 
Their eyes locked; grey
focused on green in an intense tango of wills.
 
Both remained as still as the trees around them, fixated on
the reactions of the other.
 
Brendan hovered in the background, waiting in anticipation for their
next moves. So they remained in their silent tableau for several minutes.

"I
am a commander in the King's Guards," Adrien stated truthfully if
obtusely. "I received the same limited information as the Lord King.
 
He has made decisions I feel put the
lives of many at risk, Allè-dônian and otherwise.
 
I want to correct these decisions by providing him better
knowledge."

Elenna
frowned deeply. Adrien noted the flicker of indecision, and decided to press
on.

"Either
you come with us now, or I will let you remain to try to argue your way with
the guards.
 
Your obstinacy will
not risk our mission."
 
With
one final glower, Elenna stormed past Brendan to the mounts.
 
She leaped up on Madoc, taking her
customary seat in the front.
 
Without a word, Adrien mounted behind her, and urged the horses on their
way.

Chapter 17

No one
spoke throughout the rest of the day's ride.
 
They covered rough country, through valleys and up hills on
paths of their own making.
 
The
horses picked their way the best they could, finding footholds in the thick
forest undergrowth as they journeyed through the beginnings of the foothills of
the Sharp Sky mountains. As night began to fall, Brendan made some
light-hearted attempts at starting conversation, but failed miserably.
 
Adrien stared straight ahead, the
reigns clutched tightly in hand.
 
Elenna retained her frown, sometimes chewing on her bottom lip as a new
troublesome thought would cross her mind.
 
For the first time since her arrival, she felt insecure.
 
The events in town troubled her deeply,
touching off fears of her companions and their plans.
 
She wondered if it had been so wise to leave the town with
them, and was angry at herself for her willingness to trust them so
quickly.
 
She was born and raised a
city girl, and was certainly not the type to rely on strangers.
 
But something about these guys had relaxed
those instincts, a nobility that had allowed her to toss her concerns and join
their party.
 
She had hoped Adrien
was going to give her a good reason for this decision.

Behind
her, Adrien was still mentally arguing with Elenna, giving their conversation
more elaborate and favorable endings.
 
In his mind, he listed eloquently all the reasons for her to follow him
blindly on their journey.
 
He
convinced her never to question his judgment again, but to put all her faith in
his honor and ability.
 
After
several different mental replays, he sighed as her pretend responses grew even
more convincing.
 
He had hoped
desperately to keep his identity a secret, even from their new companion, but
he recognized now the validity of her points. He cursed their pursuers, ignoring
for now the teacher's pride he still could feel deep in his heart.
 
He hoped that they were lost behind
them, and their coming visit to the destroyed city would be fruitful.

Finally
it was time to rest for the night.
 
Adrien had pushed them as far as possible, but they had reached the
point where the exhausted horses could not continue another step.
 
They were at the bottom of a valley
near a fast running stream.
 
Yawning, each completed their camping chores.
 
Adrien thought for a minute of fighting practice, but his
own drooping eyelids convinced him they could skip one day.
 
After a quick meal of bread and spring
water, Brendan and Elenna settled in for sleep, as Adrien took his turn at
watch.
 
He forced himself to walk
the perimeter of the fire's light, peering into the night for the sign of
anyone approaching.
 
No one
intruded on the peacefulness of the evening.
 
Finally, as the moon set, he woke Brendan then fell into a
dreamless slumber.

So
continued the next few days.
 
Adrien felt that a return to the main road would be risky, so they
continued on their rough shortcut through the forest. Because of the difficulty
of picking out paths in the dark, they continued to ride during the day. No other
people came into view; the only living things they saw were small game Brendan
was able to add to their meals.
 
Conversations between Elenna and their leader were short and for
information only.
 
Their practices
recommenced at the end of the daily rides.
 
Adrien was a demanding teacher, but Elenna didn't
complain.
 
She gritted her teeth
and did all of the ordered practices, and within a few days was actually allowed
to swing the sword.
 
They continued
using the brigand's sword, though the blade was too long for her reach.
 
At night, after Adrien fell into sleep,
sometimes Elenna and Brendan would banter back and forth about their homes as
he kept his watch.
 
They shared all
of the stories they had learned as children, surprised at how many of the old fairy
tales they had in common.
 
She
showed him the book she had found at the inn, and together they discussed some
of the old legends of Allè-dôn.
 
Brendan was careful not to discuss their quest, and Elenna was careful
not to ask.
 
She tried to describe
as much as she could of her home, but they quickly would become bogged down
describing strange technology or words.
 
During their daily rides all three remained quiet, watching the woods
surrounding them with thoughtful expressions.

One
night, Adrien and Elenna had found a practice area a few yards from the main
camp.
 
Adrien was teaching how to
block a simple attack.
 
Again and
again he would thrust his blade, and she would use hers to push it harmlessly
to the side.
 
Because their blades
were sharpened and battle-ready, concentration was extremely important.
 
Elenna sometimes wondered how she was
going to explain all of the scars on her arms when someday she returned to her
home.
 
Today she was still
unbloodied.
 
Grasping the sword
handle in both hands, she breathed deeply, her eyes locked on the tip of her
teacher's blade as he wavered back and forth, twisting the blade in a confusion
swirl of steel.

"Goodfolk,"
a high pitched voice called from nowhere.
 
In a second, both of the fighters were instinctively back to back,
blades held out in a defensive position.
 
"No harm to you, my friends.
 
Greetings!"
 
The
direction of the voice was towards the setting sun.
 
They blinked, shading their eyes, searching for the source.

A short
man walked out of the woods in their direction then honored them with a deep
bow.
 
At least, Elenna thought it
was a man at first.
 
Another look
changed her mind.
 
He was tiny,
maybe five feet tall, and reed thin.
 
His skin was pale; no hair covered his slightly oversized, rounded head.
 
His face was so smooth she doubted
he had ever been introduced to a razor, while his eyes gleamed an unbelievable
shade of blue.
 
Her gaze was locked
on these vibrant glowing orbs, which she was suddenly sure would glow like a
cat's in the dark.
 
She finally
pulled her attention away to her companion.
 
Adrien also seemed mystified by the newcomer.
 
He too stared at the short being, by
appearances not recognizing this new creature.
 
Elenna restudied the new arrival, and stumbled backwards
suddenly as she suddenly made a connection.

"Oh,
my God, it's an alien!" she cried out loud in wonder.
 
The being did closely resemble all of
the drawings she had seen of the infamous legendary visitors she had so
vigorously ridiculed, though its shape was more humanlike in form.
 
Except for the extreme slenderness and
baldness, it could have been a human child.
 
The creature stepped forward cautiously.
 
Elenna held up her blade even higher.

"Move
again and you'll be one sorry headless ET," she warned.

"Elenna,
what are you doing!" Adrien whispered, but he retained his sword firmly in
grasp.
 
The being only watched with
what could be a curious expression on its face.

"Bendelbert
told me to look for you," it offered meekly.
 
Adrien's sword lowered slightly at the familiar name.

"You're
his..."

"Cousin,"
the creature replied.
 
"Half
cousin.
 
He sent me to offer my
help.
 
You are being pursued, you
know."

"I
know," Adrien answered.
 
He
sent Arèal away with a flash of light, then bowed slightly.
 
"Sheath the sword," he
advised Elenna quietly, "He is a friend.
 
Besides, no one could ever harm him with a blade."

Elenna
obeyed, quickly drawing the traditional cut without thought and thrusting the
blade though the scabbard at her waist.
 
The tip of the blade nearly reached the ground.

"What
is he?" she whispered back, comforted by Adrien's relaxation.
 
Whatever his faults, Adrien never
underestimated a situation's possibility for danger.

"He's
an elf," he answered in the same low tone.
 
The being in question waited patiently for the results of
their conversation.
 
"I know
his cousin.
 
We can trust
him."

Elenna
snapped back, "He's a what?"

"Elf.
 
What did you think he was?"

"A
sign that I really need more sleep.
 
There are no such thing as elves!"

"Maybe
not in your land, but they exist here.
 
I had hoped Bendelbert would keep his word.
 
Greetings!" he called out loudly to the newcomer.
 
Feeling his welcome, the elf approached
the pair, though he watched the woman with obvious apprehension.

"I
am Berte," it said, bowing again.
 
"At your service,"

"I
am Adrien," he said, then pointed to his partner.
 
"This is Elenna."

Berte
gave the impression of a frown, "Is there not another man traveling with
you?"

"He
is at our camp.
 
Please, join
us," Adrien motioned for the elf to follow him to their campsite.
 
Elenna brought up the rear, obviously
uncomfortable with this chain of events.

As the
leader entered the camp sight, Brendan rose to greet him.
 

"Adrien!
 
I was about to start searching for
you.
 
Where is Elenna?
 
What by the Lady's own name is
that?"

"This
is Berte," Elenna introduced by pointing to the newcomer.
 
"What, you don’t recognize an elf
when you see one?"

"Berte
is Bendelbert's cousin," Adrien continued smoothly.
 
He smiled at the elf with a warmth
Elenna didn't recognize.
 
"Let
us offer you refreshment!"

"No,
my friends," Berte insisted.
 
"You must join my kin for our evening meal.
 
We would treasure your company."

"You
are kind," Adrien replied gratefully.
 
"We accept with humble thanks.
 
May we have a few moments to clothe
ourselves in the appropriate manner?"
 
The elf assented and gracefully withdrew to the surrounding
woods.
 
Adrien found himself stared
down by his two companions.

"What?"
he demanded.
 
Elenna rolled her
eyes.

"Whatever
happened to trust no one?" she declared.

"He
certainly doesn't look like Bendelbert!" Brendan added, pantomiming
shortness and plumpness with his hands.

"Listen,"
their leader responded impatiently.
 
"I have learned of the many great skills of the Little People.
 
Their friendship will help our quest
greatly.
 
And their anger would
make it much more difficult. So, Elenna..."

"Let
me guess. Keep my mouth shut?" she replied bitterly.

"That's
a good idea.
 
Now put on a proper
dress, while we find our better clothes."
 
They rushed to clean themselves to an acceptable level, then
reassembled next to the doused fire.
 
Adrien grimaced at their dusty wear.
 
He was no dandy of the type always hanging about the Court,
but his was to be the first meeting formal between
Allè-dô
nian and elf for generations,
and he was hoping for some propriety. The first meeting, which he admitted
honestly to himself, which in a fair world would have involved a royal much
more suited to diplomatic dealings than he.
 
But he was here now, not his family, so it fell to him to do
the best he could. “Elenna..”

“I
know!
 
Lady-like!” she retorted
brightly.
 
He should his head and
decided not to encourage her silliness.
 
He took the lead through the rough pass the elf had indicated.

 
"I'll never understand this place's
obsession with lords and ladies," she declared, as she followed Adrien
down the rapidly darkening path. Adrien replied, "What, have you no
standards for your nobility in your land?"

"No
nobility," she answered.
 
The
path had finally widened to something respectable, which they could see wound
through the woods still following the flow of the creek.
 
Here the trees were older and taller,
with much thinner undergrowth blocking their way, though Elenna often had to
stop and rescue her hem or sleeve from the clutches of a stray branch as they
passed.