LilBean visits Pt3
Guarinus was a gracious, very forgiving man.
Leaving with a diplomatic seal of a country was an offense not to be taken lightly. My sister had committed this crime. The punishment was not yet determined.
He allowed me to leave to look for her myself, giving me his blessings on the way.
I bid the knights farewell. Training had always been a good exercise, the techniques got never truly boring, reflexes should be trained at all times… and by now there were competitions and bets going when someone would finally beat me in an official fight. I was the oldest knight on the roster, after all. It was time.
For now, their bets were on hold, but everyone went to the tavern a lot, they would find others.
It… was not my favourite pastime, neither of my parents had handled it well, after all. But then again, the library in the castle was big. I knew almost every book in it. And those I didn’t know probably covered genealogy. There were a few of those. They got boring fast.
The ladies were carefully interested, though. And, while talking to me about them, made other intentions known. I told them there was always my sister to take care of first, though. They made a face, then. And were… understanding. Or whatever they thought they were being.
They received a few words of good bye as well.
When I took ‘Mǎ’ out the stables, the stable hands greeted me with a smile and a wave and the question when Michelle would come back. They kind of missed her.
I smiled at them, told them with a shrug I was not sure.
Ruger, my own - much sturdier - horse would come with me as well. I would not want to lose him. Mǎ would serve as a packing horse for now. She wouldn’t like it, but it would have to do.
I walked out and past all the nooks and crannies where Michelle had hid to escape one of the rules I’d given her. All the places where she had challenged others to fights. Saw some broken walls as well. Fights get out of hand, after all.
Memories of that came back, too. How I cleaned her wounds and bandaged her up and she declared me the devil once again.
The castle guards nodded at me, I nodded back. They were good people.
So were the people in the city. They respected my decorum, they didn’t even comment on my hair anymore. I knew almost everyone in this city by now, having made so many rounds over the years. I greeted every single person on the streets, knew most of them by name. They offered me the newest wares for special prices or gave me gifts. Mostly deeply thankful that I treated them – or one of their family – for an injury or sickness. Free of cost. I was not the most skilled healer, but they could always come to me.
It was the right thing to do.
The castle and the surrounding lands were deeply familiar, I knew where to pick healing herbs or mushrooms in the forest, I knew where to sit and wait for wildlife, was I ordered out to hunt. I knew where to look for honey, where it was best to fish, what kind of plants one could eat or where to hide from the rain.
I was intimately familiar with all of it.
My family’s history rested here and I had been raised in those walls, sometimes straying out in the wider area, trying to ease the pain there, through political moves at home or manual labour outside.
I was aware that I was privileged beyond measure. Had been told often enough. It had been an easy, but busy life.
And now I left. On an official diplomatic mission.
On a hill outside the city, I stopped. Next to me two healthy horses and enough riches to live comfortably if I would work for it, the armour alone made sure of that.
I took a deep breath. Michelle had left. My main… anchor here was gone.
One last look at the area and then I turned my back, following my sister, who once again had gotten herself in trouble.
A good thing, for once, I supposed.
If I never saw this place again it would be way too soon.
It still was a little surprising how much better I felt, leaving it all irrevocably behind.