Irulan walked proudly away from the racing grounds. She was holding the
little bag full with gold coins close by, in case anyone would follow her
out from the racing ground to steal it. Robberies like this were actually
quite usual in this district of the town and this time of the night, but
Irulan had similar encounters before and bashed enough skulls to discourage
any further attempts. And yet she needed to get rid of it as fast as
possible if she meant to get back to the castle before dawn. She tenderly
pressed her hand on her left side and felt the puffy flesh there. A
lightning of pain shot up immediately and she hissed. She had taken a
rather nasty blow on that side and had fallen off the horse during the
race.
The Obnox race was a rather brutal entertainment and such injuries were among the lighter ones - the races seldom ended without the death of at least one and customarily many more practitioners. Yet Irulan was a regular winner and she carefully avoided being hurt, since it was rather difficult to explain about the wound the next day in the palace. She literally had to throw herself down a flight of stairs a couple of times the following morning just because the failed to cover her wounds and could find no reasonable explanation for them. Fortunately this one was neither too bad and nor anywhere where she could not cover it. She just had to remember not to wince every time she bowed or sat down.
An Obnox race was mainly a bunch of crazy men on horses trying to snatch a sack filled with stones from each other and having the freedom to do anything during the process. The last man standing on his horse was the winner. Clubbing, kicking, biting, hitting, hair pulling etc was all game (most performed with said sack itself) and fallen riders were not even removed from the race area, so even if they did not wind up too badly hurt when they fell, they usually were stamped on too many times and broke quite a bit of bones if they remained too long on the ground. Irulan had become famous as the strange rider who managed to win over and over again. She smiled to herself - this part of the night had certainly made her forget about the rather distasteful events from previous. She sighed softly "It is a good night after all!"
After a long walk through dark alleys and narrow streets she arrived at a rather large building and started beating on the wooden door. "Who is it at this accursed hour!" ringed the voice of a man from inside. "Open up old man!" she yelled back as deeply as possible. After a few hustling footsteps the door opened a crack and a pair of suspicious eyes looked out. "It's you!" the fat man said and opened the door even further. Irulan nodded in agreement and slowly took out the bag of coins. "I have another deliverance".
The man moved out. He had a candle in his hand. His white hair had mostly fallen out. He was in his nightshirts and had a very tattered look about him. Yet Irulan knew him since her childhood. Acting as some sort of mayor of the city, he was true of heart and word and loyal to his king and his people. He knew everything going on in the city and every citizen in need. Irulan had discovered a long time ago that she could find the money this or that way easily enough, but had no idea where to begin when the issue was spending it for help. Harkey, on the other hand, knew exactly what to do with it, but had no sources to do it. They were a perfect couple.
He looked around slowly and after having fixed his gaze on Irulan again, took the bag from her. "I assume you won again" he said eyeing her up and down. "You know you really need to stop doing this". He weighed the bag tentatively in his hand. Irulan removed her veil and smiled up to him. "Ah, but whom would I have to beat up to release all this energy, my dear friend?" she said.
The old man sighed, stuffed the bag into one of the pockets of his nightshirt and scratched his bold head. "Irulan, what are you doing out there, killing yourself on a dusty field while your father is throwing the most important party of the year?". Irulan rolled her eyes. "Ah please Harkey, I WAS at the party. And frankly if I had to choose between dying during an obnox game or from boredom at a party, I would not hesitate to choose the former".
"Some day you will be caught and then you will lose whatever freedom you have"
"Ah well, that will only be another addition to a long list now, won't it?" Irulan patted the old man slightly on the shoulder and added "You know to whom to give it out to... to anyone who needs it, as usual. But please keep a few for the Gordimers. Their oldest daughter is getting married this Sunday and I know that they did not have enough to throw a decent wedding. Let it be my gift to her".
Harkey was scratching his ears now "Sure will, princess. I take it that you will attend?"
"Sure" said Irulan, "my father will be out hunting as usual, I will come by".
"Say, when are you getting married yourself?" said Harkey slyly, "any nice fellows on that party tonight?"
Irulan's eyes became two small slits. She took a step back and started to veil herself "See, that's why one can never talk to you too long. You get annoying and cruel after three sentences".
Harkey put up an innocent face, "Why my lady, I was only hoping that you will find your heart's true mate"
"Yeah yeah..." murmured Irulan from underneath her veil, "and that I have a child every year and cover all the walls of my castle with needlework that depicts the heroic deeds of my dear husband, I know" she said ruefully.
"Ah surely even you must feel need for a man, now" he pressed on, to her obvious displeasure. "Although what kind of man in his right mind would have you, that I do not know!" he muttered under his breath.
"I heard that Harkey" Irulan said with a tired sigh.
"Just testing if you are still sharp, princess" grinned Harkey brightly.
Irulan seemed to consider saying something else, but then shook her head and simply stated "I'll see you on Sunday" and jogged away quickly.
Legolas' sensitive ears had heard every word of the conversation. He waited for the old man to recede back inside and then started to run after Irulan. His curiosity seemed to be growing with every hour. He was more than surprised to see her skill on the race field and quickly found that she did not need his aid to intervene. So he had stood a bit further apart and watched her beating her way to victory. Her movements were graceful and deadly and it was easy to see that she was taught the art of combat. Yet by whom, he wondered. He knew that mortal women were not taught these skills and took no part in battle. He forgot himself when he saw her taking a blow to her side and falling of the horse and cut his way through the crowd to help her up. But when he reached the edge of the racing grounds she was back up on her horse again and Legolas had quickly receded once again to the rear ranks, in fear that she would spot him. Now as he was following this strange woman back to the castle, he felt a childish excitement and curiosity that he had not felt for some hundreds of years. He was upon an unusual case and nothing could stop him from further digging it up.
The Obnox race was a rather brutal entertainment and such injuries were among the lighter ones - the races seldom ended without the death of at least one and customarily many more practitioners. Yet Irulan was a regular winner and she carefully avoided being hurt, since it was rather difficult to explain about the wound the next day in the palace. She literally had to throw herself down a flight of stairs a couple of times the following morning just because the failed to cover her wounds and could find no reasonable explanation for them. Fortunately this one was neither too bad and nor anywhere where she could not cover it. She just had to remember not to wince every time she bowed or sat down.
An Obnox race was mainly a bunch of crazy men on horses trying to snatch a sack filled with stones from each other and having the freedom to do anything during the process. The last man standing on his horse was the winner. Clubbing, kicking, biting, hitting, hair pulling etc was all game (most performed with said sack itself) and fallen riders were not even removed from the race area, so even if they did not wind up too badly hurt when they fell, they usually were stamped on too many times and broke quite a bit of bones if they remained too long on the ground. Irulan had become famous as the strange rider who managed to win over and over again. She smiled to herself - this part of the night had certainly made her forget about the rather distasteful events from previous. She sighed softly "It is a good night after all!"
After a long walk through dark alleys and narrow streets she arrived at a rather large building and started beating on the wooden door. "Who is it at this accursed hour!" ringed the voice of a man from inside. "Open up old man!" she yelled back as deeply as possible. After a few hustling footsteps the door opened a crack and a pair of suspicious eyes looked out. "It's you!" the fat man said and opened the door even further. Irulan nodded in agreement and slowly took out the bag of coins. "I have another deliverance".
The man moved out. He had a candle in his hand. His white hair had mostly fallen out. He was in his nightshirts and had a very tattered look about him. Yet Irulan knew him since her childhood. Acting as some sort of mayor of the city, he was true of heart and word and loyal to his king and his people. He knew everything going on in the city and every citizen in need. Irulan had discovered a long time ago that she could find the money this or that way easily enough, but had no idea where to begin when the issue was spending it for help. Harkey, on the other hand, knew exactly what to do with it, but had no sources to do it. They were a perfect couple.
He looked around slowly and after having fixed his gaze on Irulan again, took the bag from her. "I assume you won again" he said eyeing her up and down. "You know you really need to stop doing this". He weighed the bag tentatively in his hand. Irulan removed her veil and smiled up to him. "Ah, but whom would I have to beat up to release all this energy, my dear friend?" she said.
The old man sighed, stuffed the bag into one of the pockets of his nightshirt and scratched his bold head. "Irulan, what are you doing out there, killing yourself on a dusty field while your father is throwing the most important party of the year?". Irulan rolled her eyes. "Ah please Harkey, I WAS at the party. And frankly if I had to choose between dying during an obnox game or from boredom at a party, I would not hesitate to choose the former".
"Some day you will be caught and then you will lose whatever freedom you have"
"Ah well, that will only be another addition to a long list now, won't it?" Irulan patted the old man slightly on the shoulder and added "You know to whom to give it out to... to anyone who needs it, as usual. But please keep a few for the Gordimers. Their oldest daughter is getting married this Sunday and I know that they did not have enough to throw a decent wedding. Let it be my gift to her".
Harkey was scratching his ears now "Sure will, princess. I take it that you will attend?"
"Sure" said Irulan, "my father will be out hunting as usual, I will come by".
"Say, when are you getting married yourself?" said Harkey slyly, "any nice fellows on that party tonight?"
Irulan's eyes became two small slits. She took a step back and started to veil herself "See, that's why one can never talk to you too long. You get annoying and cruel after three sentences".
Harkey put up an innocent face, "Why my lady, I was only hoping that you will find your heart's true mate"
"Yeah yeah..." murmured Irulan from underneath her veil, "and that I have a child every year and cover all the walls of my castle with needlework that depicts the heroic deeds of my dear husband, I know" she said ruefully.
"Ah surely even you must feel need for a man, now" he pressed on, to her obvious displeasure. "Although what kind of man in his right mind would have you, that I do not know!" he muttered under his breath.
"I heard that Harkey" Irulan said with a tired sigh.
"Just testing if you are still sharp, princess" grinned Harkey brightly.
Irulan seemed to consider saying something else, but then shook her head and simply stated "I'll see you on Sunday" and jogged away quickly.
Legolas' sensitive ears had heard every word of the conversation. He waited for the old man to recede back inside and then started to run after Irulan. His curiosity seemed to be growing with every hour. He was more than surprised to see her skill on the race field and quickly found that she did not need his aid to intervene. So he had stood a bit further apart and watched her beating her way to victory. Her movements were graceful and deadly and it was easy to see that she was taught the art of combat. Yet by whom, he wondered. He knew that mortal women were not taught these skills and took no part in battle. He forgot himself when he saw her taking a blow to her side and falling of the horse and cut his way through the crowd to help her up. But when he reached the edge of the racing grounds she was back up on her horse again and Legolas had quickly receded once again to the rear ranks, in fear that she would spot him. Now as he was following this strange woman back to the castle, he felt a childish excitement and curiosity that he had not felt for some hundreds of years. He was upon an unusual case and nothing could stop him from further digging it up.