Part II: The Musician
Penelope Garcia guides her wagon carefully through the trees. Her horses pull the wagon with ease even though the road is rocky and full of ruts. She's traveled these parts for years and knows every bump as well as every hiding place of would-be robbers. She has no fear of robbers, confident in her ability to protect herself she moves around the country with ease.
Her travelling companion, Kevin, moves gracefully through the forest beside her. Kevin weaves in and out of the trees. Blending in with his surroundings, he rarely travels far from the wagon.
Penelope watches as Kevin races ahead, stops in the middle of the road and sniffs the air. She pulls the wagon to a halt and waits as Kevin circles a few times before darting into the trees. She locks the reins and climbs off the wagon, curious as to what he has found. She makes her way through the trees where she sees Kevin crouched next to something on the ground.
"What did you find?" she asks as she approaches.
Kevin rises and steps around the bloody mass on the ground. Penelope takes another step and gasps. A man, or what was left of him, lay on the ground. Tentatively, she edges closer and crouches down. The man groans softly.
"He's still alive," she says aloud. She looks at Kevin. "Looks like we're making camp here."
She surveys the area and makes note of an opening in the trees where she can ease the wagon thru.
"Stay here and watch over him," she tells Kevin.
He sniffs at the man then looks at her and blinks.
Penelope leaves them there as she returns to the wagon. She unlocks the reins and guides the horses around and back the way they came. She turns them off the road, the horses balk momentarily before pushing through the tight opening. The wagon bangs between the trees, branches scrape the top. Penelope turns them again, maneuvering them to the spot where Kevin waits with the man.
She hops off the wagon, rushes to the back and climbs inside. After a moment she returns with a cloth and a small bucket of water.
"Start gathering wood for the fire," she orders Kevin.
He heads off without question.
Penelope kneels by the injured man and begins tending his wounds. She rolls him on his back causing him to moan.
"Easy," she soothes. "I'm here to help you."
"Dragons," the man moans. "Have to… mother… where… have to… dragons. Ooh! Bad men… have to… have to…"
"Shh, it's okay. You're safe," she tells him.
Several hours later, the man stirs and opens his eyes to stare at the fire. He moans. He feels something move above him. He looks up to see a large, yellow animal hovering over him. It leans downs and sniffs loudly. The man freezes.
"Kevin!" Penelope says sharply. "You're too close."
The animal moves away and settles next to the fire, still watching Spencer.
"Oh! You're awake," Penelope gasps.
The man looks at her, wariness in his eyes.
"It's okay," she assures him. "We're not going to hurt you."
He glances over at Kevin. "What is that?" he croaks.
She looks at Kevin and chuckles. "I guess he is different than any animal you've ever seen. That's Kevin. He's what's called a lion. I freed him from a circus."
"A lion? He's huge."
"Yes, he is," she agrees. "He's also very docile unless you're a rabbit or a deer."
Spencer nods and moves to sit up. Penelope rushes to him.
"Easy. Don't rush it."
"I need my rucksack, have you seen it?"
"Aye," she smiles. She gets up and walks over to her wagon where the rucksack hangs on the side. She grabs it and brings it back, handing it over.
She steps back and squats by the fire still watching him. "I'm Penelope," she smiles.
He looks up at her. "Spencer."
"Nice to meet you," she says. She eyes him carefully as he digs through the rucksack. "I picked up everything I could find. If you had any money, it was taken by whomever beat you up."
"Hmm," he mumbles as he dumps everything on the ground next to him. He searches through the rubble until he finds the pouch. The ring falls into his hand.
She watches as he slips the ring onto his thumb and marvels as it turns silver. "Whoa! It turned green for me."
"You tried it on?"
"No," she shakes her head. "It changed color when I picked it up."
"Let me see," he demands. He holds out the ring.
Penelope puts her hand out and he drops the ring on her palm. They watch together as the ring swirls silver and green before turning fully green.
"Why does it do that?" she asks as she hands the ring back.
He shrugs. "I'm not sure. It belongs to my Mother."
Penelope stares at him as he tucks the ring into the pouch and frowns. "Why do you have it? Where's your Mother?"
He looks up sharply. "I'm looking for her. She disappeared. In fact, all of the women in our village disappeared."
"What do you mean, disappeared?"
He sits up, grimaces, and wraps his arms around his torso.
"Ooh, careful," she warns as she moves over to help him. "What happened to you?!"
"Some ruffians beat me up. Tried to steal all my stuff. Well, I guess they got my money. You must have scared them off."
"There was no one here when I arrived. Though Kevin may have scared them off," she laughs. "He arrived before I did."
"Well, if he did, I am definitely grateful. To both of you."
"You're welcome," she smiles. "Are you hungry?"
He shakes his head. "I am thirsty."
"Water or wine?"
"Water, please."
She nods as she rises and walks back to the wagon. Spencer stares after her.
"You're wearing trousers," he says in disbelief.
"I am."
"Women don't normally wear trousers."
"Well," she drawls as she returns with a cup of water. "I'm not a normal woman. If ye had seen me earlier, you would have balked at my presence."
She pulls a knife out of the side of her boot, shows it to him and puts it back.
"Why do you carry a knife?"
"Because there are ruffians in this neck of the woods and I travel alone," she explains playfully. "I'm also pretty good with a bow and arrow."
"Good to know," he smiles wanly. He sips at the cup of water. "I think my Mother was taken by a dragon."
He glances up and watches her face, other than raised eyebrows, her expression doesn't change.
"You're going unarmed to fight a dragon?" she asks. "You're braver than I thought."
"Thanks. Actually I'm looking for someone to help me," he tells her.
"Ooh, a quest?"
"I suppose," he nods. "I'm looking for the Black Knight."
She slowly sinks to the ground, her eyes never leaving his. "The Black Knight," she whispers, her voice filled with awe. "Can I come along? I offer my knife and bow to your service."
He smiles widely. "I would be honored to have you, a friend, by my side."
She smiles back.
He lifts the cup and grimaces.
"You're going to be sore for a while," she tells him.
He grunts and roots around through the stuff on the ground. He grabs a sachet of herbs, sniffs at it, then crumbles a piece into his water. He grabs another selection of leaves and adds it to the cup, stirs it with his finger then drinks it all swiftly. He grimaces then looks up to see her watching him. "It tastes horrible but works miracles," he tells her.
"I'll take your word for it," she laughs.
They settle in for the night, bedrolls near the fire. Kevin stretches out near them.
"Sleep at ease," Penelope advises. "Kevin will tell us if anyone treads nearby."
Spencer lays down and pulls the blanket she provided, over his shoulder. "Good night."