David was stood next to Arrick, his slight, tanned muscular arms crossed in front of him, while the guard leaned against the wall opposite the inn, he was smiling once again much to Olive's reassurance. In the bright light of day she saw David much clearer, he was tall as she had noted earlier, tall and strong, he may not have been a big burley body builder, but he certainly wouldn't loose in a fight against Horace Warble, but then again, few people would unless it was out of pity.
He turned his head to look at her and his face became clear, a strong dark face with very defined features, a powerful cheekbone and a straight elegant nose that turned up ever so slightly at the end. His mouth was currently expressionless but she could tell, if he ever smiled, he would have a very calming smile indeed, no doubt as a baby he was simply adorable, but the adult stood before her, was more than distinctly handsome, he was unique, and Olive had a sudden glimmer of recognition pass through her with regards to his face, but it faded as quickly as it had sparked.
Arrick broke her train of thought.
"Are you all set?" he asked slowly in a slightly strained voice as he stood up fully and stepped over to his daughter, David stepped back slightly to allow the two a private moment.
"I think so, but what for, I have no idea" Olive replied quietly. Arrick put his hand on her shoulder.
"It will all become clear very soon, we don't want to deceive you child, but we also never wanted to confuse you, follow this man, he knows what to do" Arrick said quietly then opened his arms for his daughter to give him one final embrace before she set off to do…she had no clue what. There was something more in Arricks hug, it was a hug that in a way said 'Farewell forever' but Olive didn't think too much on it, she was convinced in her mind that she would be returning to the Daffodil as she always did when she left, but little did she know, that when she did return it would be under very different circumstances.
Petunia also hugged her daughter in a similar way and this alone should have been a red flag to Olive who was never hugged, but confused as she was, she paid no heed to it.
After her parents had embraced her, questioned her a few more times about whether or not she had everything and ordered her to stick close to David no matter what, it was silently but mutually agreed that now was the time she was to set off. David stepped back into the group and placed his large but gentle hand on her shoulder.
"We're ready when you are" He said finally. Olive nodded in reply, but wasn't entirely sure what she was supposed to be ready for. David nodded back and waited for his new responsibility to take the first step. Olive smiled once more at her parents then turned slowly on her heels and began to the long and confusing walk to the castle, a walk that was supposed to end everything, started something much bigger than anyone was expecting.
For Olive this journey seemed to go much slower than the one she had taken into town earlier, but that may have had something to do with the man walking beside her, she felt extremely uncomfortable and surprisingly wished she was at home with her mother despite her foul moods and to make matters worse, the castle was a long way off and there was only so long they could go without conversation before the mood got unbearably awkward, the only problem was; how to start a conversation with such a companion.
Olive racked her brain as to what she knew about pawns. She had been told they where dependant and completely useless if not told what to do, she had heard that they where thieves and vandals and she was sure there was an occasion where a beggar had been thrown into a canal…none where very good topics to raise in conversation with a pawn.
But what about that brief feeling she had had earlier, the feeling that she knew David from somewhere. Asking who he was would be rude if not put correctly and Olive had never been gifted with words, she could ask him if he had been to Gran Soren before, but that was an obvious question with an obvious answer that would obviously kill conversation as soon as it started it. Commenting on the weather was just small talk and wouldn't kill time for very long, especially when the weather in Gransys is pretty much always the same. She ran the conversation through her head.
"Isn't is sunny"
"Isn't it always"
"Yes, it is"
Silence.
'Hardly worth the words', she thought then turned her attention back to the roads she was travelling along.
"Have you ever been to the castle?" Asked David suddenly. Olive was caught off guard and nearly answered 'yes, I do like apples' but quickly caught herself before embarrassment ensued
"No" she answered, then abruptly realised that was too final and she had potentially ended the conversation with the first word that left her moth. She kicked herself mentally then elaborated on her answer before the silence dragged on. "not inside at least" she continued "my father took me around the gardens once or twice but I was very small"
David nodded and it dawned on Olive that she hadn't left him an opening to speak, she rapidly formulated a follow up question.
"have you?" she asked finally.
"Been to the castle?"
"Yes" she clarified.
"A while a go" he replied.
"Inside?"
"Oh yes"
"what was it like?"
"You'll see for yourself" he said simply then lapsed back into silence. They where still a little way off from the market and Olive couldn't let the conversation die off as quick as that so she took it upon herself to pose the next question as it was only fair.
"So do people always call you David?" she enquired not realising how ridiculous that must have sounded until quite a while later.
"Yes, since that's my name" David replied, keeping his eyes forward.
"So it's never shortened? You're never Dave? Davy? Dav…" she trailed off, running out of abbreviations for 'David'
"No, it's always David"
He had such a plain way of saying things and it worried Olive, perhaps she was boring him.
"And what about yourself, always Olive?" he asked with a slight hint of humour in his voice.
"I'm sometimes Ollie, but only when people are making fun of me"
"I don't see what there is to make fun of"
"You would if you knew me Ser" She laughed sadly, if a laugh could be sad.
"Well, I hope I will get the chance to know you better one day" David said with a kind smile even though there was something distinctly human missing from it.
Silence crept back between the pair until David spoke again, this time his tone completely serious.
"What do you know about the letter in my pocket?"
"that its made from paper and has writing on it" Olive answered honestly.
"I suppose you have that to your advantage" he mused.
She didn't want to make a big deal out of not having a clue what was going on so she decided not to mention it at all, rather she took the liberty of changing the conversation completely.
"Who's Barnaby?" she asked. David didn't even seemed phased by the diversion of topics and answered simply:
"He manages the Pawn guild, assigns pawns tasks and assigns people pawns; you might call him the 'Pawn overseer'"
"is he tall with longish mousy brown hair?"
"Indeed"
"Ah I know him"
"Really?" David was suddenly interested.
"He comes into town from time to time, most likely just to stretch his legs, but he must get bored because he never stays long"
"why do you ask about him?"
"Because recently he has been speaking to my father, what about I have no clue, but they talk for hours"
"He was probably negotiating a pawn, negotiating me" David chuckled.
"You make it sound like two farmers haggling the price of a cow" Olive said with a smile, not wanting to make too much of a joke at this early stage.
"It is very much like that, your father would have wanted the very best pawn, but Barnaby will be thinking practically, who is best for the task, who is busy and who is not etc etc, it's a very tiring job and one I certainly couldn't do"
"So why did he choose you?"
"I really have no idea"
The pair where now just emerging from a small road that ran off from the market, and since the sun was now at a different angle, they had been walking in shadow along the smaller pathways, but when they stepped into the town square they where greeted by the late afternoon sun. The town was slightly less busy but still crowded, Olive could even recognise a few people still milling around from earlier and it was as if the fight had never happened. Olive looked over to her left and caught sight of a familiar face grinning back at her. It was the old woman from this morning. The kindly looking grey headed woman nodded in approval at something behind Olive, who instinctively turned around just in time to understand that the woman was referring to David. Embarrassment flushed over her and she quickly moved on not wanting anyone else to get the wrong idea.
They hadn't travelled but a few yards forward when a second person made his presence known to Olive, this time in a more unavoidable manner. Horace Warble was strutting across the town towards them as if he had just one the prize pig at the fair, and he obviously hadn't noticed David.
"Who is he?" whispered David in Olive's ear.
"Someone I wish didn't exist" She sighed in reply, then tried to take a few steps out of Horace's line of fire, but just as she did so he had set upon her like a vulture to a corpse
"Seen you twice in one day Ollie, you truly are spoiling me rotten" he leered, getting a little closer than what was comfortable.
"I've got to go Horace" she mumbled, attempting again to get past him.
"Where in gransys can you go that's more important than being here with your future husband?"
"I have to get to the castle"
"Now now Ollie, Girls have given me some pretty limp excuses in the past, but tha…" He was cut off as if the maker had just removed his tongue which in itself would have been a miracle worth recording as young master Warble was never silenced.
"What?" Olive asked confused.
"Are you with him?" Horace stuttered, looking up at the tall dark and handsome figure that he had just noticed.
"He's escorting me to the castle"
"Him?"
"Yes"
"The Arisen's pawn?" He mumbled.
"Excuse me?"
"That's the Duchess's Pawn" he said, getting a little louder.
"I don't understand"
"Well you're a woman, you wouldn't" he snapped.
David, who had been silent throughout this whole encounter so as to better assess Horace's character now decided to speak.
"You must be confused sir" David said in his flat but formal way "If I was the Arisen's Pawn, I would not be here" He continued.
"Don't patronize me, I know you're the Duchess's Pawn" Horace said with a slight growl, lifting himself up to his full height in an attempt to square up to David who still stood a comical head above him.
"Can we leave?" Muttered Olive who wanted to crawl into a hole and sleep until everyone she knew was dead.
"Aww don't go Ollie, stay a while and let me show you how great a husband I would be" Horace hissed, grabbing her arm and pulling her closer to himself.
It was at that moment David's purpose shone through flawlessly. Any untrained eye wouldn't have noticed that he was on the defensive as soon as Horace approached, he had checked all his weapons where readily available should a limb or two need to be removed as well as never taking his eyes off of the threat, however after not even two words had left the Annoyance's mouth he had concluded that a sword really wouldn't be needed. David had promptly manoeuvred himself behind Olive, a strange position you may think, considering Horace was in front of her, but David didn't want to appear aggressive, as well as several other reasons. For example David wanted to watch how Horace interacted with Olive and vice versa, if he created a wall between them he would never be able to deduce what kind of a risk Horace's presence was to Olive.
All of which is incredibly boring and near impossible to watch as pawns are agile and sneaky creatures. What is interesting is how David reacted when Horace made contact with his new master. He didn't do anything. He didn't do anything but laugh ever so slightly, the kind of laugh that would make you nervous if you heard it in a dark ally. Horace looked up at him irritably
"Is there something on your mind pawn?" He hissed, tightening his grip on Olive's arm.
"I was just recalling what you said earlier"
"And what did I say?"
"That I was the Arisen's pawn"
"Because that's who you are" Horace growled shooting a look of ice at the man confronting him
"And what sort of power do you think that gives me?"
"You can't threaten me pawn, if that's what you think your doing" laughed Horace, still clutching at his prize.
"I was just thinking about the warning you received this morning"
"Only because those cells couldn't hold me"
"But their holding all your friends"
"So?"
"Don't you think they would be please to see you" David asked mockingly
"Well they won't, because I'm not going down there"
"Not with one warning no"
"Exactly"
"But with two?"
"I see what your trying to do" Horace said and let go of Olive, who instinctively darted behind David.
"And what's that"
"Get me arrested"
"Clever boy, and it seems to have worked" Laughed David, as Arrick appeared behind Horace and effortlessly clamped his hands into a pair of shackles. Olive looked on in amazement as Horace Warble, THE Horace Warble was handed to a second guard and led away.
"Thank you David, I've been looking for an excuse to chain him up for years." laughed Arrick shaking the hand of his new favourite Pawn.
"I am grateful for your thanks Ser, but we cannot delay any longer" Said David gently taking Olive's arm.
"Yes yes, off you go, and may the Maker bless your steps" Arrick said sincerely then walked away in the direction Horace had been taken.
David guided Olive a little way along before she spoke again
"Is it true?" she asked David quietly
"Is what true?"
"What Horace said, about you being the Duchess's pawn"
"To a degree"
"What do you mean" Olive was in no mood for inconclusive answers and wished everyone would give her responses she could easily understand.
"I was the duchess's Pawn" answered David "But I was released from her service"
Olive was shocked, he sounded so sad and alone, like he was just coaxing through a world he had no meaning in.
"I didn't know you could do that"
"You can do anything if you rule the world" He laughed then they fell into silence for the rest of the journey.
Olive thought for the rest of the way, she thought about her future and her past, she thought about David's past and his seemingly bleak future. She worried about her mother all alone in the Daffodil and she thanked the Maker for kindly ruining Horace Warble's life today. She continued thinking until David squeezed her arm.
"This is it" He said simply. Olive looked up and the looming structure before her. She breathed out then nodded.
"David;" she smiled with a slight feeling of confidence.
"Yes?" He answered, slightly confused by her change in attitude.
"Lets deliver this letter"