- Reliable Sources -
By TheRogue
Chapter 2: Keeping Up Appearances
Padduk didn't really have a whole lot to do, considering he was to leave on a journey the next day. A kindly servant had shown him to a vacant room that he could sleep in for the night. Padduk had slept in a bed before; that he was proud of. Most of caravan mates hadn't, since most everyone used hammocks. Padduk had slept in a bed the few times before when the caravan had kicked him out. They had accepted him back in, of course, after he had caught up with them. It was just a punishment, a joke to teach him a lesson. But Padduk was certain that this time it wouldn't be a joke to frighten him. They really would kick him out, and Padduk would be forced to settle in one place (which he hadn't done before) and get a normal line of work, other then the shepherding and thievery he was accustomed to.
The gypsy didn't want to think about that, and instead focused on remembering what one did in a room such as this. The bed was small, with a faded, hand-made quilt and a hand-turned bed frame. He suspected that the mattress was stuffed with horse's hair, as it was firm and giving, and Tortall had an abundance of it. There was a table that matched the bed frame, with a plain white pitcher, bowl and hand towel. The tan jute rug scratched his now bare feet, and Padduk vaguely remembered that the pitcher was filled with water, and should be used with the bowl to wash his face and hands.
He poured some of the lukewarm water into the bowl and washed himself, even the top of his shaved-bald head, because sometimes he secretly worried if birds had pooped on it from above. It seemed stupid to him when he really thought of it, but what if it did happen? It wouldn't seem stupid then! Turning from the washbasin, he noticed that the servant had dropped his saddlebags off for him, and they were on the ground in front of the bed. He also noticed something else had been dropped off with his saddlebags: his herding dog, Tré, was curled up and asleep behind them. Tré was a breed of dog known as a 'blue heeler', bred specifically for herding. This one was short legged and long-bodied, with upright ears and shaggy tan hair on his under-belly, legs and snout, and blackish-gray hair from his tail over his back up to his eyes. The coloring gave the dog a blue-ish look, hence the name. Padduk knelt over his dog and gave his head a scratch, glad that he hadn't left him with the caravan. They had other dogs, and Tré was his. Tré opened his eyes lazily at his master's touch, and then sat up and gave his master's face a hearty licking. When Padduk had arrived at the palace that morning, they had taken Tré away when they had taken his horse.
As Tré was licking his face, Padduk heard a knock at the door to his room, and stood to open it. At the door was a very tall woman whom he could not remember meeting.
"Hello, is there, um, something I could help you with?" Padduk asked, looking up at the woman. He was 5-foot, 5-inches, which was short to begin with for a male, but this stranger made him feel like a dwarf. Did all nobles make people feel inferior?
The woman smiled at him. "I am Lady Keldry, a knight of the real of Tortall. I'm one of the knights coming with you on the, um, trip to that gypsy caravan. And this is Sir Nealan of Queenscove, also a knight of the realm." Keldry stepped aside to reveal a male standing behind her that she had completely blocked with her height. Sir Neal was a man with a long nose and a widow's peak, and he looked as if he never outgrew the gangly stage of his teen years. Lady Kel was strong featured and sharp looking, but pretty with wavy brown hair, cut between her shoulders and chin. Both knights were dressed as plainly as Padduk himself.
Snapping out of his indecisive trance, Padduk opened the door wider for them and said "Oh, um, please, come in, I'm afraid I don't have a table or chairs. And I would offer you tea, but alas, I lack that as well..."
"Oh, that's all right. Besides, if I have tea after 4 o'clock, I'm up all night anyways," said Sir Neal, shrugging. Padduk just smiled and nodded, not really sure how to respond to that.
"Well, it's Padduk L'Petrie, right?" asked Kel. Padduk nodded. "Since we'll both be going along with you, we thought we'd stop by and hello and go over a few things." Padduk nodded again. "First of all, we do know why we're going; Lady Alanna informed us of that. Second of all, is your horse fit to ride tomorrow? I know it seems like a silly question, but we want to be prepared."
"I haven't seen my horse since I arrived, but I didn't ride him all that hard, so I can guess he'll be all rested up." It was Kel's turn to nod this time, her eyes focused on the ax at Padduk's side. It was a lovely weapon, she could tell, but it did not bear the mark of any armory as far as she could tell. She wondered if Padduk had gotten it from one of his fellow gypsies.
Neal rolled his eyes. He felt stupid and childlike, but was accustomed to it after so many years. Him and Kel weren't visiting Padduk to 'go over a few things' as Kel had put it. They had really gone because they had never seen a gypsy before, and in reality wanted to gawk at him like something at a sideshow. Neal had pulled Kel along with it, who had really gotten into it after a bit. Neal now realized how immature they'd been, and grimaced. Padduk didn't even look like what he'd thought a gypsy would. He was short, handsome and pale, while Neal had expected a tall, buff dark man with horrible facial distortions. There was the shaved-bald head, which neither Neal nor Kel had seen coming, and the earrings which now struck a chord in Neal. He remembered from his classes as a page that in gypsy culture, each piercing meant something. Padduk had one silver hoop in his left earlobe, two hoops in his right earlobe, two small hoops in the upper part of his left ear and a stud through the upper part of his right. The only one Neal could remember was that the stud meant that he was considered a 'man' among his people. He guessed that probably had a few hand-made tattoos on his back and arms, as well.
While Neal had been thinking, Padduk had introduced Kel to Tré, and they had gone over the time schedule for tomorrow. The dog came over to Neal, and showed his affection by sniffing his leg.
"This is Tré, my herding dog," Padduk explained, scratching the hound on the rump.
"Interesting name. Where'd you get from?" Neal asked, letting Tré sniff his other leg.
"I'm not sure, actually. It translates to something in a gypsy dialect, but I don't speak it. I just heard the word once and thought it was pretty and would make a good name."
===============
As Kel and Neal left, saying they all could use a good night's sleep, Padduk was relieved, if not joyous. Perhaps this trip won't be that bad, after all, he thought. Lady Kel and Sir Neal seem interesting.
===============
Kel and Neal walked back to their rooms silently, both relived and ashamed. Maybe this journey won't be as terrible as I thought, Kel mused to herself. Padduk seems interesting enough.
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Author's Note: By the by, Tré the dog's name is pronounced "Tray", as in "Bring me my breakfast *tray*."
By TheRogue
Chapter 2: Keeping Up Appearances
Padduk didn't really have a whole lot to do, considering he was to leave on a journey the next day. A kindly servant had shown him to a vacant room that he could sleep in for the night. Padduk had slept in a bed before; that he was proud of. Most of caravan mates hadn't, since most everyone used hammocks. Padduk had slept in a bed the few times before when the caravan had kicked him out. They had accepted him back in, of course, after he had caught up with them. It was just a punishment, a joke to teach him a lesson. But Padduk was certain that this time it wouldn't be a joke to frighten him. They really would kick him out, and Padduk would be forced to settle in one place (which he hadn't done before) and get a normal line of work, other then the shepherding and thievery he was accustomed to.
The gypsy didn't want to think about that, and instead focused on remembering what one did in a room such as this. The bed was small, with a faded, hand-made quilt and a hand-turned bed frame. He suspected that the mattress was stuffed with horse's hair, as it was firm and giving, and Tortall had an abundance of it. There was a table that matched the bed frame, with a plain white pitcher, bowl and hand towel. The tan jute rug scratched his now bare feet, and Padduk vaguely remembered that the pitcher was filled with water, and should be used with the bowl to wash his face and hands.
He poured some of the lukewarm water into the bowl and washed himself, even the top of his shaved-bald head, because sometimes he secretly worried if birds had pooped on it from above. It seemed stupid to him when he really thought of it, but what if it did happen? It wouldn't seem stupid then! Turning from the washbasin, he noticed that the servant had dropped his saddlebags off for him, and they were on the ground in front of the bed. He also noticed something else had been dropped off with his saddlebags: his herding dog, Tré, was curled up and asleep behind them. Tré was a breed of dog known as a 'blue heeler', bred specifically for herding. This one was short legged and long-bodied, with upright ears and shaggy tan hair on his under-belly, legs and snout, and blackish-gray hair from his tail over his back up to his eyes. The coloring gave the dog a blue-ish look, hence the name. Padduk knelt over his dog and gave his head a scratch, glad that he hadn't left him with the caravan. They had other dogs, and Tré was his. Tré opened his eyes lazily at his master's touch, and then sat up and gave his master's face a hearty licking. When Padduk had arrived at the palace that morning, they had taken Tré away when they had taken his horse.
As Tré was licking his face, Padduk heard a knock at the door to his room, and stood to open it. At the door was a very tall woman whom he could not remember meeting.
"Hello, is there, um, something I could help you with?" Padduk asked, looking up at the woman. He was 5-foot, 5-inches, which was short to begin with for a male, but this stranger made him feel like a dwarf. Did all nobles make people feel inferior?
The woman smiled at him. "I am Lady Keldry, a knight of the real of Tortall. I'm one of the knights coming with you on the, um, trip to that gypsy caravan. And this is Sir Nealan of Queenscove, also a knight of the realm." Keldry stepped aside to reveal a male standing behind her that she had completely blocked with her height. Sir Neal was a man with a long nose and a widow's peak, and he looked as if he never outgrew the gangly stage of his teen years. Lady Kel was strong featured and sharp looking, but pretty with wavy brown hair, cut between her shoulders and chin. Both knights were dressed as plainly as Padduk himself.
Snapping out of his indecisive trance, Padduk opened the door wider for them and said "Oh, um, please, come in, I'm afraid I don't have a table or chairs. And I would offer you tea, but alas, I lack that as well..."
"Oh, that's all right. Besides, if I have tea after 4 o'clock, I'm up all night anyways," said Sir Neal, shrugging. Padduk just smiled and nodded, not really sure how to respond to that.
"Well, it's Padduk L'Petrie, right?" asked Kel. Padduk nodded. "Since we'll both be going along with you, we thought we'd stop by and hello and go over a few things." Padduk nodded again. "First of all, we do know why we're going; Lady Alanna informed us of that. Second of all, is your horse fit to ride tomorrow? I know it seems like a silly question, but we want to be prepared."
"I haven't seen my horse since I arrived, but I didn't ride him all that hard, so I can guess he'll be all rested up." It was Kel's turn to nod this time, her eyes focused on the ax at Padduk's side. It was a lovely weapon, she could tell, but it did not bear the mark of any armory as far as she could tell. She wondered if Padduk had gotten it from one of his fellow gypsies.
Neal rolled his eyes. He felt stupid and childlike, but was accustomed to it after so many years. Him and Kel weren't visiting Padduk to 'go over a few things' as Kel had put it. They had really gone because they had never seen a gypsy before, and in reality wanted to gawk at him like something at a sideshow. Neal had pulled Kel along with it, who had really gotten into it after a bit. Neal now realized how immature they'd been, and grimaced. Padduk didn't even look like what he'd thought a gypsy would. He was short, handsome and pale, while Neal had expected a tall, buff dark man with horrible facial distortions. There was the shaved-bald head, which neither Neal nor Kel had seen coming, and the earrings which now struck a chord in Neal. He remembered from his classes as a page that in gypsy culture, each piercing meant something. Padduk had one silver hoop in his left earlobe, two hoops in his right earlobe, two small hoops in the upper part of his left ear and a stud through the upper part of his right. The only one Neal could remember was that the stud meant that he was considered a 'man' among his people. He guessed that probably had a few hand-made tattoos on his back and arms, as well.
While Neal had been thinking, Padduk had introduced Kel to Tré, and they had gone over the time schedule for tomorrow. The dog came over to Neal, and showed his affection by sniffing his leg.
"This is Tré, my herding dog," Padduk explained, scratching the hound on the rump.
"Interesting name. Where'd you get from?" Neal asked, letting Tré sniff his other leg.
"I'm not sure, actually. It translates to something in a gypsy dialect, but I don't speak it. I just heard the word once and thought it was pretty and would make a good name."
===============
As Kel and Neal left, saying they all could use a good night's sleep, Padduk was relieved, if not joyous. Perhaps this trip won't be that bad, after all, he thought. Lady Kel and Sir Neal seem interesting.
===============
Kel and Neal walked back to their rooms silently, both relived and ashamed. Maybe this journey won't be as terrible as I thought, Kel mused to herself. Padduk seems interesting enough.
===============
Author's Note: By the by, Tré the dog's name is pronounced "Tray", as in "Bring me my breakfast *tray*."