CHAPTER 7 - A Fourth for Travel
Kero explained the town of Rufley, as he knew it. "It is on the outskirts of Maghin rule, but although technically within its borders, they don't like to consider themselves anything but their own nation. They raise their own military, and have their own leader who rules like a king, although he has to swear fealty to Maghin. And they don't pay much tax money to Maghin. For their part, Maghin doesn't want to expect much, because war with Rufley would be costly. So Rufley is very independent."
"Who rules here?" asked Sakura.
"I don't know."
"It doesn't matter. We're only here to pick up more food and move on," said Syaoran impatiently. "But, I think we may sleep at an inn here. It'd be nice to sleep on an actual bed, since we have some money from that work we did in the farm just outside of town."
"Not a lot of coin," said Kero, eyeing the bag of money that hang from a loop in Sakura's breeches. "Probably enough for a small room with one bed. Especially in this town, at this time of year. Prices are high right now since the merchants are in full force, traveling through the area."
"One bed?" said Sakura, eyeing Syaoran. "I don't think..."
"Well, Sakura should have the bed," said Syaoran quickly. "I can see if I can sleep in a hayloft or something."
"That wouldn't be fair," said Sakura, just as quickly. Kero rolled his eyes at the pair.
"Doesn't matter," said Kero. "We need to use the money to buy food. We can't be stealing it like in other towns. This place has an excellent military force, and the soldiers are the ones who patrol the streets and protect from thievery."
"Fine," said Syaoran. "I won't steal any food here."
"Good," said Kero.
"Can we at least have a little money to maybe get a hayloft?" said Syaoran. "They're actually rather comfortable, once you get used to the straw jabbing at you through your clothes."
"All right," said Kero. "You take a little money and find yourself a hayloft, and Sakura and I will buy the food we need."
"Hey, that straw doesn't sound too inviting!" complained Sakura. But Syaoran was already on his way to an inn. "Ugh," she said. Resigned to sleeping in the straw, she said, "Okay, let's fill these packs back up with food."
"Are you absolutely sure you'd be against sharing a bed with him?" asked Kero slyly, elbowing her for effect. She became very flustered.
"No. Yes. I mean, I don't know." She shook her head to clear it. "I think it's too early for that, and besides, we shouldn't be worried about things like that yet." It sounded good enough to her.
"Of course," said Kero. "We shouldn't be worried about things like that yet," putting emphasis on the last word.
"Let's just get the food, okay, Kero?" said Sakura, turning away from him as she felt her face become hot.
"Someone looks a little red around the cheeks," teased Kero, refusing to let up. Sakura stalked off in the direction of a fruit seller. "Hey, where are ya going, Sakura?" Kero was now struggling to keep from laughing out loud.
"Glad you can keep yourself amused, making fun of me," said Sakura. Kero continued to laugh, only stopping when people came near, so no one would hear.
**************
Syaoran didn't seem to find the hayloft troublesome, as he was soon fast asleep, as was Kero. But Sakura could not shift into any position without feeling a sharp piece of straw poke her and cause her to jump up. Finally she gave up and went below the inn's hayloft to the horses that were stabled there underneath it.
Horses had always intrigued her. She found them majestic and beautiful creatures, no matter what kind of horse. One time a horse trader had laughed and mocked her when she told him all his horses were perfect, and pointed out one who had high shins and a thin build. Sakura couldn't see many differences between the horses, and to her eyes the build didn't seem much thinner than any other horse, and the shins the same height as any other horse. That man had always bothered her.
She pet one horse, a mild-mannered chestnut one with a thick mane. It accepted her immediately, and didn't nip or fight when she stroked it. "Such a good horse," she cooed to it, and was amused to hear it neigh softly.
Footsteps came into her hearing, and she remembered the innkeeper demanding a promise that if they were going to sleep in the hayloft, they could do so for a cheap price, but they couldn't come down and touch the horses. Sakura panicked and scampered back up to the hayloft, trying to hide and finding herself just settling in when someone in a dark cloak entered the stable. Sakura felt a particularly long piece of straw pierce her in the ribs, and she held back her squeal of surprise and stayed unmoving, not wanting to attract attention from the person in the stable.
The person removed the cloak, and Sakura saw a girl about her age with a long black ponytail. The girl seemed to be in a hurry, and worked quickly. She grabbed the reins of the chestnut horse Sakura had just been petting. The girl looked around, and her eyes met Sakura's, who suddenly wanted to shrink back into the straw, but who couldn't seem to move.
"Who's up there?" the girl called to her, moving toward the hayloft. "I know someone's up there, now show yourself, or I'll come up there." She removed a small dagger from a hilt around her waist and waved it around. Sakura saw it and became even more nervous than before. "I mean it. And I know how to use this dagger, too." Her actions with it, the waving and fumbling as she almost dropped it, seemed to suggest otherwise, but she had more than Sakura did in terms of weapons, and at least as much skill, since she herself had very little it was almost none. "I can see you. Now come down, or I'll throw this at you." Sakura knew she had to come down, so she did, slowly.
"I won't do anything to you!" she said as nonthreatening as was humanly possible.
"You don't look dangerous," the girl said, slightly insultingly. "I don't think you were hired by that innkeeper to guard these horses."
"No, I'm just sleeping here to save money."
"Alone?" asked the girl suspiciously, still holding the dagger ready to stab at Sakura, who was acutely aware of its presence.
"Well, no, my traveling partner is asleep. And he's very hard to wake up."
"You and a boy are traveling alone? What, were you in love but your families didn't approve?"
Sakura decided that sounded plausible and was better than the truth. "Yes," she said, trying her best to sound in love, however that was supposed to sound. She wasn't sure, but the girl seemed to buy it. She looked triumphant.
"I can usually tell what people are doing," she said.
"Well, you certainly have me pegged," chuckled Sakura, silently wishing one of those numerous guards Kero was raving about would make an appearance, what with the dagger dangerously close.
"I am leaving my family myself, because they make me dress in ugly frilly dresses and uncomfortable heels instead of good wool and stout boots."
"Oh, a dress. I haven't worn one in so long."
"You are obviously not from a noble family like myself."
"I was," said Sakura sadly. Suddenly she snapped up. "Hey, if you're from a noble family, you probably don't have any horses here, at an inn!"
"Yeah, yeah, okay, okay, I'm stealing the horse!" admitted the girl heatedly. "I'm going to leave enough gold to buy three more of the same quality, so its okay."
"No," said Sakura, "that horse's owner might have an attachment to it, that money could not cover."
The girl looked at Sakura searchingly. "I doubt it. I chose this horse because the owner likes to abuse its kind nature. I'm doing the horse a favor."
"But, as Syaoran explained to me, stealing is only okay if you have to do it to survive. I'd be willing to bet you have horses of your own, if you have a noble home."
"Great, I come here trying to get a horse and this goody-goody tries to stop me," the girl lamented. "Well, it isn't going to work. Now, promise you'll tell no one!"
"I can't not tell anyone!" The girl brought the dagger closer to Sakura, who took a step backward. "You can't bully me with that thing," she said, sounding a lot braver than she really was.
"Oh really?" the girl said, her tone turning dark. She moved closer to Sakura, who kept moving back until her back was against the wall of the stable, the hayloft above her. The girl walked right up to her, face to face. "No one knows."
Sakura could feel herself being bullied. Also it seemed she was sweating. "Fine, fine!" she said. "I won't tell anyone."
"I don't believe you." the girl said. "I think you have to come with me."
"What!?"
"Come on, get on the horse, we're leaving now." The girl grabbed Sakura's shirt and attempted to drag her to the horse, but Sakura held her ground, and the weak muscled girl gave up.
"You don't even know what you're doing," said Sakura, trying to keep herself and the girl calm. It seemed both were getting tense. "You can't kidnap me!" So much for keeping calm. But it seemed to work on the other girl, who had stopped shoving the dagger around Sakura's face.
"Okay, that's true. This isn't my normal personality. But I'm leaving with the horse, and it doesn't matter who you tell, because I'll never return!"
"What's going on?" demanded Syaoran, standing behind the girl. Sakura guessed he must have jumped down from the hayloft. When he saw the girl's dagger, he jumped at her, sword in hand, but Sakura stood in his path, causing him to halt. "Sakura?"
"Don't hurt her, she's just confused," said Sakura, oozing empathy. Then she stopped. The girl had threatened her with a dagger!
The girl, for her part, instantly tossed the dagger aside. "Don't hurt me!"
"She's not that threatening, that's for sure," said Syaoran, eyeing the pleading girl. "I won't hurt you, since Sakura doesn't want me to. But I want to know what you are doing here."
"My name is Tomoyo Daijoudi, and I'm running away from home because it is so boring and oppressive!"
"Okay..." said Syaoran, obviously having received too much information. "Wait, did you say your name was Daidouji?" Tomoyo nodded. "Maybe fortune has shone on us."
"How?" said Sakura.
"We need to look like we come from a noble family, other than the Li one of course," he added sordidly, "and the Daijoudi family is one of the most powerful. At least, it was when I last heard."
"It still is," said Tomoyo. "My mother is the ruler of the city."
"Well, then, Tomoyo, you should come with us."
"I don't think I want to travel with a lovestruck couple of runaways like you. I'd feel like a third wheel," said Tomoyo, sticking out her tongue. Syaoran looked to Sakura, who shrugged innocently. "Besides, I don't even know where you're going."
"Turento," said Syaoran. "It's a beautiful city, you know, and well out of the way of Rufley, so you don't have to worry about your parents finding you."
"Syaoran, you aren't seriously trying to convince her to run away from home!" shot Sakura.
"She'll leave either way, and we could use her help," he replied sensibly. To Tomoyo, "It's a difficult world out there for a girl traveling alone. Especially if you can't tell them you're a noble and they think you're a commoner. They won't exactly be rolling out the red carpet. And they find out you have money with you, well, then, there'll be thieves crawling all over themselves to steal it. And don't forget the people out there who will manipulate you for your money if they don't outright steal it. And..."
"Okay, Syaoran," said Sakura. "You've painted a bleak enough picture, I think..."
"All right," said Tomoyo. "I'll go with you. But don't think pretending to be nobles will make me believe we are equals. You are still commoners."
"You will be too, if you leave with us. I will not let anyone here think he or she is better than anyone else," said Syaoran, clinching his teeth as he said the last part.
The girl eyed him, and assented. "Fine, I will consider myself a common person as well. I suppose I am, leaving my family."
"Okay!" said Syaoran excitedly. "Sakura, prepare to become a Daidouji, if only on a piece of paper. We're going noble."
*****************************
Continued in Chapter 8
Kero explained the town of Rufley, as he knew it. "It is on the outskirts of Maghin rule, but although technically within its borders, they don't like to consider themselves anything but their own nation. They raise their own military, and have their own leader who rules like a king, although he has to swear fealty to Maghin. And they don't pay much tax money to Maghin. For their part, Maghin doesn't want to expect much, because war with Rufley would be costly. So Rufley is very independent."
"Who rules here?" asked Sakura.
"I don't know."
"It doesn't matter. We're only here to pick up more food and move on," said Syaoran impatiently. "But, I think we may sleep at an inn here. It'd be nice to sleep on an actual bed, since we have some money from that work we did in the farm just outside of town."
"Not a lot of coin," said Kero, eyeing the bag of money that hang from a loop in Sakura's breeches. "Probably enough for a small room with one bed. Especially in this town, at this time of year. Prices are high right now since the merchants are in full force, traveling through the area."
"One bed?" said Sakura, eyeing Syaoran. "I don't think..."
"Well, Sakura should have the bed," said Syaoran quickly. "I can see if I can sleep in a hayloft or something."
"That wouldn't be fair," said Sakura, just as quickly. Kero rolled his eyes at the pair.
"Doesn't matter," said Kero. "We need to use the money to buy food. We can't be stealing it like in other towns. This place has an excellent military force, and the soldiers are the ones who patrol the streets and protect from thievery."
"Fine," said Syaoran. "I won't steal any food here."
"Good," said Kero.
"Can we at least have a little money to maybe get a hayloft?" said Syaoran. "They're actually rather comfortable, once you get used to the straw jabbing at you through your clothes."
"All right," said Kero. "You take a little money and find yourself a hayloft, and Sakura and I will buy the food we need."
"Hey, that straw doesn't sound too inviting!" complained Sakura. But Syaoran was already on his way to an inn. "Ugh," she said. Resigned to sleeping in the straw, she said, "Okay, let's fill these packs back up with food."
"Are you absolutely sure you'd be against sharing a bed with him?" asked Kero slyly, elbowing her for effect. She became very flustered.
"No. Yes. I mean, I don't know." She shook her head to clear it. "I think it's too early for that, and besides, we shouldn't be worried about things like that yet." It sounded good enough to her.
"Of course," said Kero. "We shouldn't be worried about things like that yet," putting emphasis on the last word.
"Let's just get the food, okay, Kero?" said Sakura, turning away from him as she felt her face become hot.
"Someone looks a little red around the cheeks," teased Kero, refusing to let up. Sakura stalked off in the direction of a fruit seller. "Hey, where are ya going, Sakura?" Kero was now struggling to keep from laughing out loud.
"Glad you can keep yourself amused, making fun of me," said Sakura. Kero continued to laugh, only stopping when people came near, so no one would hear.
**************
Syaoran didn't seem to find the hayloft troublesome, as he was soon fast asleep, as was Kero. But Sakura could not shift into any position without feeling a sharp piece of straw poke her and cause her to jump up. Finally she gave up and went below the inn's hayloft to the horses that were stabled there underneath it.
Horses had always intrigued her. She found them majestic and beautiful creatures, no matter what kind of horse. One time a horse trader had laughed and mocked her when she told him all his horses were perfect, and pointed out one who had high shins and a thin build. Sakura couldn't see many differences between the horses, and to her eyes the build didn't seem much thinner than any other horse, and the shins the same height as any other horse. That man had always bothered her.
She pet one horse, a mild-mannered chestnut one with a thick mane. It accepted her immediately, and didn't nip or fight when she stroked it. "Such a good horse," she cooed to it, and was amused to hear it neigh softly.
Footsteps came into her hearing, and she remembered the innkeeper demanding a promise that if they were going to sleep in the hayloft, they could do so for a cheap price, but they couldn't come down and touch the horses. Sakura panicked and scampered back up to the hayloft, trying to hide and finding herself just settling in when someone in a dark cloak entered the stable. Sakura felt a particularly long piece of straw pierce her in the ribs, and she held back her squeal of surprise and stayed unmoving, not wanting to attract attention from the person in the stable.
The person removed the cloak, and Sakura saw a girl about her age with a long black ponytail. The girl seemed to be in a hurry, and worked quickly. She grabbed the reins of the chestnut horse Sakura had just been petting. The girl looked around, and her eyes met Sakura's, who suddenly wanted to shrink back into the straw, but who couldn't seem to move.
"Who's up there?" the girl called to her, moving toward the hayloft. "I know someone's up there, now show yourself, or I'll come up there." She removed a small dagger from a hilt around her waist and waved it around. Sakura saw it and became even more nervous than before. "I mean it. And I know how to use this dagger, too." Her actions with it, the waving and fumbling as she almost dropped it, seemed to suggest otherwise, but she had more than Sakura did in terms of weapons, and at least as much skill, since she herself had very little it was almost none. "I can see you. Now come down, or I'll throw this at you." Sakura knew she had to come down, so she did, slowly.
"I won't do anything to you!" she said as nonthreatening as was humanly possible.
"You don't look dangerous," the girl said, slightly insultingly. "I don't think you were hired by that innkeeper to guard these horses."
"No, I'm just sleeping here to save money."
"Alone?" asked the girl suspiciously, still holding the dagger ready to stab at Sakura, who was acutely aware of its presence.
"Well, no, my traveling partner is asleep. And he's very hard to wake up."
"You and a boy are traveling alone? What, were you in love but your families didn't approve?"
Sakura decided that sounded plausible and was better than the truth. "Yes," she said, trying her best to sound in love, however that was supposed to sound. She wasn't sure, but the girl seemed to buy it. She looked triumphant.
"I can usually tell what people are doing," she said.
"Well, you certainly have me pegged," chuckled Sakura, silently wishing one of those numerous guards Kero was raving about would make an appearance, what with the dagger dangerously close.
"I am leaving my family myself, because they make me dress in ugly frilly dresses and uncomfortable heels instead of good wool and stout boots."
"Oh, a dress. I haven't worn one in so long."
"You are obviously not from a noble family like myself."
"I was," said Sakura sadly. Suddenly she snapped up. "Hey, if you're from a noble family, you probably don't have any horses here, at an inn!"
"Yeah, yeah, okay, okay, I'm stealing the horse!" admitted the girl heatedly. "I'm going to leave enough gold to buy three more of the same quality, so its okay."
"No," said Sakura, "that horse's owner might have an attachment to it, that money could not cover."
The girl looked at Sakura searchingly. "I doubt it. I chose this horse because the owner likes to abuse its kind nature. I'm doing the horse a favor."
"But, as Syaoran explained to me, stealing is only okay if you have to do it to survive. I'd be willing to bet you have horses of your own, if you have a noble home."
"Great, I come here trying to get a horse and this goody-goody tries to stop me," the girl lamented. "Well, it isn't going to work. Now, promise you'll tell no one!"
"I can't not tell anyone!" The girl brought the dagger closer to Sakura, who took a step backward. "You can't bully me with that thing," she said, sounding a lot braver than she really was.
"Oh really?" the girl said, her tone turning dark. She moved closer to Sakura, who kept moving back until her back was against the wall of the stable, the hayloft above her. The girl walked right up to her, face to face. "No one knows."
Sakura could feel herself being bullied. Also it seemed she was sweating. "Fine, fine!" she said. "I won't tell anyone."
"I don't believe you." the girl said. "I think you have to come with me."
"What!?"
"Come on, get on the horse, we're leaving now." The girl grabbed Sakura's shirt and attempted to drag her to the horse, but Sakura held her ground, and the weak muscled girl gave up.
"You don't even know what you're doing," said Sakura, trying to keep herself and the girl calm. It seemed both were getting tense. "You can't kidnap me!" So much for keeping calm. But it seemed to work on the other girl, who had stopped shoving the dagger around Sakura's face.
"Okay, that's true. This isn't my normal personality. But I'm leaving with the horse, and it doesn't matter who you tell, because I'll never return!"
"What's going on?" demanded Syaoran, standing behind the girl. Sakura guessed he must have jumped down from the hayloft. When he saw the girl's dagger, he jumped at her, sword in hand, but Sakura stood in his path, causing him to halt. "Sakura?"
"Don't hurt her, she's just confused," said Sakura, oozing empathy. Then she stopped. The girl had threatened her with a dagger!
The girl, for her part, instantly tossed the dagger aside. "Don't hurt me!"
"She's not that threatening, that's for sure," said Syaoran, eyeing the pleading girl. "I won't hurt you, since Sakura doesn't want me to. But I want to know what you are doing here."
"My name is Tomoyo Daijoudi, and I'm running away from home because it is so boring and oppressive!"
"Okay..." said Syaoran, obviously having received too much information. "Wait, did you say your name was Daidouji?" Tomoyo nodded. "Maybe fortune has shone on us."
"How?" said Sakura.
"We need to look like we come from a noble family, other than the Li one of course," he added sordidly, "and the Daijoudi family is one of the most powerful. At least, it was when I last heard."
"It still is," said Tomoyo. "My mother is the ruler of the city."
"Well, then, Tomoyo, you should come with us."
"I don't think I want to travel with a lovestruck couple of runaways like you. I'd feel like a third wheel," said Tomoyo, sticking out her tongue. Syaoran looked to Sakura, who shrugged innocently. "Besides, I don't even know where you're going."
"Turento," said Syaoran. "It's a beautiful city, you know, and well out of the way of Rufley, so you don't have to worry about your parents finding you."
"Syaoran, you aren't seriously trying to convince her to run away from home!" shot Sakura.
"She'll leave either way, and we could use her help," he replied sensibly. To Tomoyo, "It's a difficult world out there for a girl traveling alone. Especially if you can't tell them you're a noble and they think you're a commoner. They won't exactly be rolling out the red carpet. And they find out you have money with you, well, then, there'll be thieves crawling all over themselves to steal it. And don't forget the people out there who will manipulate you for your money if they don't outright steal it. And..."
"Okay, Syaoran," said Sakura. "You've painted a bleak enough picture, I think..."
"All right," said Tomoyo. "I'll go with you. But don't think pretending to be nobles will make me believe we are equals. You are still commoners."
"You will be too, if you leave with us. I will not let anyone here think he or she is better than anyone else," said Syaoran, clinching his teeth as he said the last part.
The girl eyed him, and assented. "Fine, I will consider myself a common person as well. I suppose I am, leaving my family."
"Okay!" said Syaoran excitedly. "Sakura, prepare to become a Daidouji, if only on a piece of paper. We're going noble."
*****************************
Continued in Chapter 8