Disclaimer: I don't own it, I've never claimed to and I have no intention of claiming to own it in the future….I really find this little formality pointless…..
It was still early morning, just before dawn as Daine lay in her tent wide awake. She had not slept well the previous night, something that had become somewhat of a habit since leaving Tortall. She found sleep to be such a luxury these past few weeks she had spent traveling and it had begun to take a toll on her.
She lay now atop her layers of blankets in her makeshift bed, hidden away behind the flaps and folds of her tent. In here, she could lock herself away from the gawking eyes and constant snickering of the Gallans who had come to accompany her from Tortall. Though they were sworn knights of the realm and a handful of them only squires, she found none of them to be honorable men. Even a few of them bordered on disgusting, to her great disappointment. She had at least hoped that if she had to leave her home behind, the least the gods could do was grant her passage with a decent part of people. These men she now traveled with were nothing like the Queen's Own and the Tortallan Riders that she had once ridden with.
If Daine were to say that there was not a single man in the Gallan delegation that was honorable, she would only be fooling herself. She did know of one, only a single man amongst them who was decent and kind. She had only bothered to meet him nearly a week ago, and she had slept soundly that night, relieved at having found friendly company. His name was Sir Edwin of Carmel. He was no more than twenty five years of age with long flowing blonde locks of hair and soft forest green eyes. He had told her when they had first spoken that he was a scout of the King's Guard and a well known one at that. He had bragged that he knew the wilderness of Galla far better perhaps than any other man. From what she had seen of him these past few days, she had little room to doubt his skill and his word.
But as she lay flat on the ground atop her layers of blankets now, her thoughts were not on Edwin of Carmel, nor were they on any of the others in the Gallan Delegation. Rather, her mind was bent on a small piece of folded parchment that sat beside where she lay. The parchment was wrinkled and worn and had even managed to get a tear in its upper corner. Daine had pulled it out from within her trunk on many occasions since leaving Tortall, for it alone seemed to give her the tiniest ray of hope. She had acquired the tiny bit of parchment on her last day in the home she loved. It had been given to her just before she left by Alanna. Alanna had given it to her saying only that it was a message from George, the lady knight's husband. George had been unable to see Daine off that day to offer her his goodbyes and though it had pained her, she assumed that the note Alanna had given her that day was nothing more than his best wishes to her.
As soon as Daine had bothered to unfold the piece of parchment though, she knew that it was more than just George's simple goodbyes. He had offered her something much more than that, and she had a feeling that she would be forever grateful to the baron for that gesture.
Lying now on her makeshift bed, Daine reached over beside the tiny candle lamp that lit the enclosed space of her tent and lifted up the note with gentle fingers. She held it in the light and unfolded it carefully, not wanting to damage it. Again she let her eyes fall over the words that were hastily scrawled onto its surface, wondering how they could help her, but all the while knowing that the baron had given her his word that they would. It gave her his apologies for being unable to see her off at the palace and his hopes that she would write both him and Lady Alanna as soon as she reached the Gallan capital. More importantly though, the letter told her of a man George requested she seek out upon arriving in Galla. He said that the man had at one time been his dear friend, and a good man at that. He said that this man would be sure to look after her, as George had already taken the liberty of writing him and telling him to do so. George had insisted in the letter that if she found the man, she would feel more at home in the strange place she would find herself in. He mentioned also that the man he wanted her to find was currently involved in a sort of business that George was certain would catch Daine's interests. George had not offered her more than that brief description of the man and that list of reasons to devote her time to finding him. Aside from that, he had left only a name; Thorvald Cutler.
Daine was still mystified at the letter, wondering what it was this man George spoke of could do for her. George had acted as though it was direly important that she find him, and for that she would try, but she still did not know why George had requested it. He had said in the letter that it would be to her benefit, but she could not see what this one man could do for her now. She was returning to a country that she had once fled and behind her she left the man she wanted so desperately to spend the rest of her life with. What could finding this one man do to change any of that? Daine could not begin to guess George's intentions, but because he had been one of her dearest friends in Tortall, she would try.
Her only question now was how she could possibly find this Thorvald Cutler. All George had given her was his name. Galla was a large country with countless towns and villages. This man could be from any one of them. How could she ever expect to find him when all she had was his name? She imagined it would be a lot like finding a needle in a haystack. With only a name, she knew that the chances of her finding this Thorvald Cutler were very small. She would need to first find someone who knew many people in Galla, for then there would be the slightest chance that that person would know where she could find Thorvald Cutler. She had not the faintest idea who she could ask about it though. Surely not Donovan or any of the other knights and squires that made up the Gallan delegation. Even if any of them did know who Thorvald Cutler was, the chances of them relaying this information to her was slim as they had already made their distaste of her clear.
And then she remembered Edwin. He was an experienced scout for the King's Guard. He spent his days traveling all over Galla, enough so that he could brag about knowing every inch of the land. He had also mentioned his interest in talking to the people of all the villages he passed through and how many of his dearest friends in Galla were not of noble blood. If anyone that she felt comfortable enough to ask knew who Thorvald Cutler was and where she could find him, Edwin would. Daine made up her mind then that she would ask him today, right now in fact as she knew he rose with the sun.
Peeking through the flap of her tent, Daine could see the sun beginning to rise over the horizon and she knew that Edwin would be awake by now. He always seemed to wake hours earlier than even she did. The rest of the camp would not rise for at least another hour.
Moving to her trunk of clothes, Daine quickly pulled out a pair of tan riding breeches and a loose, white work shirt. She then hastily pulled her cotton nightdress over her head, wriggling out of its confines. She dressed quickly, then moving over to the tin water basin that sat beside her trunk of possessions and splashing the cool water onto her face, washing the sleep from her eyes.
Daine cold feel the cold, wandering eyes of the few men that had drawn last watch the night before. They had risen early, even before the sun had shown its first rays to relieve the last shift of guards that watched over the camp at night. There were three in all, Daine sensed, though she did not bother to shift her position to look. She just continued to walk briskly to Edwin's tent, all the while wishing that the guards would turn away and spare her their stares. It seemed that all any of the other knights aside from Edwin did was stare and gawk at her. She was not frightened by this, but half of the time she could feel them undressing her with their eyes and that bothered her immensely. The knights that she had known in Tortall had been of a much more decent sort. Daine supposed that not all Gallan knights were like these, but perhaps she had just ended up meeting some of the bad sort first. She hoped not all of the noblemen and knights were of this sort anyway, though only time would tell her that.
Finally reaching Edwin's tent after what had felt like an eternity under the stares of the guards, Daine reached for the tent flap, but let it slide from her grasp when she heard the hardly stifled snorts and whistles from the group of men by the fire. Gods, couldn't they just leave her be? They were supposed to be noblemen, knights sworn to the code of chivalry, yet from what Daine could see, most of these men could hardly be distinguished from pigs.
"Edwin," Daine called as she pulled back the canvas tent flap and ducked her head to step through the door. She found that he was indeed already awake as she had expected. He sat in the center of his tent, legs crossed in front of him as he knelt down on a small travel worn rug. Daine noticed that he had not yet strapped himself up in his armor, and she had to admit that it was the first time on this entire journey to the Gallan capital that she had seen him without it. He donned only a pair of worn brown breeches and a loose fitted white shirt with fancy flaps and frills of white cloth at the cuffs. In his right hand he held a tight grip on his broad sword and in the other hand he held a flint as he sat sharpening his sword.
"Good morning, Milady," Edwin said cheerfully, pausing briefly from his work to look up at her. Daine noticed that all of his armor lay scattered in various places around his tent, freshly polished and shined from the looks of it, though it was hard to tell in the dim candle light that lit the room. As soon as Edwin's formal greeting registered in Daine's mind, flashed him a quick frown, which quickly faded into an amused smirk. "Fine then, good morning, Daine, if that's what suits you." Edwin corrected himself, placing firm emphasis on her name as he spoke. She could not help but emit a small giggle at this.
"What is all this for?" Daine questioned eyeing the armor scattered about the tent with curiosity. From what she had known of the young knight thus far, he had proven to be a very tidy person and one who had distaste for any sort of disorder.
"Ah, I see he hasn't bothered telling you…." Edwin commented, not lifting his eyes from where he had busied himself sharpening his sword. After a moment, he set the flint down lightly at the dirt floor around his bare feet and then lifted the newly sharpened blade to slice ever so lightly across the tip of his pointer finger. Even from the lightest touch, the blade immediately drew blood. Satisfied with the tiny blot of red that had appeared at his finger tip, Edwin kicked the flint aside and then reached instead for a worn rag and a jar of polish to continue his work on his sword. "We reach the capital in little more than a day's time if the road conditions permit us," Edwin paused for a moment and looked up from where his hands were busily polishing the steel blade as if to gauge Daine's reaction. She nodded, as if beckoning him to continue. "By order of the king, there is to be a parade in celebration of your arrival as soon as we reach the city gates. By this time tomorrow the entire camp will be scurrying about preparing for it. I myself choose to start early and avoid the rush."
"I had no idea there would be any sort of celebration…" Daine said nervously, biting her lip lightly as she watched his quick work. "I don't care much for this sort of thing…." she commented, continuing to shift nervously where she stood before him.
"Nor do I, to be honest with you," Edwin admitted, still continuing with his work, "It's all a load of folly, if you ask me. If I were the king of any country, I would not waste the people's taxes on such useless things. Its all for show, really. Nothing more than a bunch of pompous nobles strutting around and showing off their wealth." Edwin explained as he worked, noticing briefly that Daine had moved to sit beside him.
"We knights are required to be in full battle dress with the lavish banners of our fiefs flying behind us. I hate it; it's nothing more than a pile of expensive silk and steel and it is without a doubt a burden to wear." He grinned lightly as he heard Daine giggle at his comments. Just in the short time he had known her, he had learned right away that she held a great distaste for any lavish occasions such as balls or feasts, and this dislike only increased when they were all about making a fuss over her.
As he explained the requirements of the parade, Daine's eyes fell upon a large, brightly colored shield that rested against the canvas wall of the tent near the back corner. It was a long, oval shape that curved into a point at the bottom. It was made of a thick, almost impenetrable steel that had been dyed by delicate crafter's work to display the lavish colors. In its center was a metallic silver oak tree, its massive branches extending nearly to the edges of the shield itself. It was surrounded by a deep black circle, separating it from the forest green color of the entire shield. This must be the coat of arms for the fief of Carmel, Daine thought as she stared awestricken at the lavish shield. The forest green that occupied most of the shield was the same color as much of the clothing Daine had seen Edwin wearing these past few weeks spent traveling. She especially remembered the beautiful wool cloak she had seen him wear often enough that was the same color as the shield. The shield truly was a thing of beauty, she decided. She had not taken the time in Tortall to see the various shields the knights carried aside from the more rugged and well used ones they carried into battle. This shield, though it would no doubt be able to stand its own against oncoming attacks, had likely never seen a single day on the battlefields. It was one made strictly for show.
"Was there something you wanted, Daine? I have my doubts that you came only to talk about the parade," Edwin commented, seeing that throughout all of this Daine had seemed to have something on her mind. She had seemed to fidget openly throughout the entire time he had been speaking.
"Actually, there was," Daine replied, trying to think quickly of the best way to state her mind to him. She waited a moment until he looked up from his work and let his forest green eyes fall upon her, meeting her own blue gray orbs. "Before I left Tortall, a dear friend of mine asked that I find a friend of his that lives in Galla. He said that that friend would be able to help me," Daine explained, all the while struggling to keep eye contact with the young knight who had come to be her friend, hoping that he would understand and be able to help her. She thought that he might need further explanation, "You told me once that you knew many people in Galla because of your rank as the King's Head Scout. I thought perhaps you might know where I could find this man…"
Edwin nodded, briefly breaking eye contact from her and looking to the ceiling as if deep in thought. He looked thoughtful for a moment before turning back to face her and nodding, "What's this man's name? With luck, I might know him."
"Thorvald Cutler." Daine replied, her heart racing with the hope that Edwin might be able to help her. She did not know what excited her so about possibly being able to find this man. What could be so important about him that George would send her to find him? And how could this man possibly help her? It felt almost as if the gods themselves were urging her on in this matter, and that was perhaps what puzzled Daine about it all the most. Was it written in the stars that she was to meet this man? Was it part of the great gods' plans? In the back of her mind, Daine dreaded that the gods had once again chosen her to be the head of another plot of mischief. If there had been danger for her in Carthak, there would be equal danger for her here in Galla. She hoped that she was not to play errand runner for the gods once more, but in her heart, Daine could not help but think that perhaps this was part of her destiny. Perhaps the gods would call on her again.
Daine jumped as an audible clank filled the air. Edwin's sword had slipped from his grasp, clattering to the dirt floor as his hands stilled in shock at what Daine had said. "Thorvald Cutler?" he asked, voice rushed from surprise. Daine's confusion had multiplied by Edwin's sudden change of attitude. "Are you certain that is who you're looking for?"
Almost afraid to continue with this conversation, Daine nodded, confirming her answer by speaking, "Yes, that's the name. I'm certain of it…" Daine pressed, as if trying to convince herself that she had not made some kind of mistake. The mystery surrounding this man had grown to new heights in her mind and the curiosity she had felt since reading George's letter continued to bite at her very being.
At her response, Edwin emitted a light chuckle, his face contorting into an amused smile. Daine could not begin to think of what could possibly be so funny after he had shown such shock at Daine's questioning only moments before. "And what friend was this that asked you to find this man, Daine?" Edwin asked, a knowing grin plastered on his boyish face. He seemed all too amused about all of this for Daine's liking.
Daine hesitate for a moment, not knowing if she should trust him with the answer. What if there was something wrong with knowing? She would hate to send any sort of trouble to George. Mentally sighing at her situation, Daine decided that she was too curious now to do anything but trust the young knight. At this point, she could not leave Edwin's tent without having solved the mystery of Thorvald Cutler, the name that had been repeated countless times in her mind these past weeks as she mulled over George's letter. "Baron George of Pirates Swoop, the King's spy," Daine answered, praying to the gods that she had not made the wrong decision in trusting Edwin.
At this, Edwin began chuckling again, caught in helpless laughter. Daine glared at him in annoyance, wondering why he was not taking this seriously. "Ah, yes, well now that would explain things," Edwin commented, his eyes dancing with laughter. He continued to smile at Daine with amusement, briefly shaking his head. "Baron George was once the Tortallan King of Thieves, the most wanted man in all of Tortall," Edwin stated, merely reciting old information to Daine. She had known for a very long time now about George's past. Whenever she had visited the Swoop, she had always enjoyed sitting in his study sipping spiced wine and listening to all of his many tales about his past as a rogue. "That is more than likely how he came to know Thorvald Cutler. I should hope that was how he knew him at least, for it would not look good on his part if it was known that a well respected nobleman such as he consorted with such a man as Cutler."
Daine listened, puzzled by what Edwin was saying. She had not expected this sort of thing to come by her asking about Thorvald Cutler. If she was honest with herself, she would admit that she had not even expected Edwin to know the name at all or at most he would know in general where she might find him.
Edwin sighed, still amused at Daine's request. He was certain that she had not known what she was asking of him, but just to be sure, he would have to probe her further, after she knew the truth of it. There was a chance that she may know where to find one of Galla's most feared and dangerous criminals, and if she did he wanted to find out. His full lips twisting into a grim shadow of a smile, he reached a gloved hand up to stroke the rough stubbled skin of his face. "Let me show you who Thorvald Cutler is," Edwin stated, not yet looking up from where his eyes looked dazedly at the dirt floor of his tent. Looking up briefly to meet her eyes, he rose from where he had sat and moved lazily to the other side of his tent where he had thrown his saddle bags the night before. Sifting through several packs that he kept strapped onto his mount, he lifted a small, flat case made of soft, untextured black leather. At its center, the coat of arms of Carmel had been stamped.
He turned back to Daine, making his way back to her with the leather folder in hand. It was meant for carrying papers and letters without wrinkling or damaging them. When he reached her again, he silently undid the brass fastening on the folder's cover and opened it to reveal a stack of various pamphlets and letters he had collected throughout the years. He fumbled quickly through them, knowing by heart and by touch exactly what each was, for he had spent many a night studying them. They were lists and descriptions of various criminals and renegades that cursed Galla. It was his intention to one day bring each and every one of them to the king's justice.
Finally finding the one in particular that he sought, he lifted it out of the folder and into the dim morning sunlight that was beginning to flow through the flap of his tent. He offered the paper to Daine, extending an arm out so that she could reach it. He watched her as her fingers brushed over his, taking the piece of parchment in her hands. He could see her hands were shaking ever so lightly; almost unnoticeably. That at least was a sign that she had no part in this, and that made Edwin glad. He hated to think that such a beautiful and good natured young woman such as Daine would have any sort of connection to the likes of Thorvald Cutler.
Daine took the parchment Edwin offered her into her hands, lifting it up into the light so that she could read it. At the top of the paper the words 'Wanted by order of the King Jarlath of Jerkins Galla' and then proceeded to list the rest of Jarlath's other formal titles. As she read on, Daine found a seemingly never ending list of crimes that Thorvald Cutler was charged with committing. The king was offering immediate knighthood and choice lands and wealth to anyone who brought him Cutler, dead or alive. Anyone who could give any information about Cutler's whereabouts or plans would receive great wealth. Daine could not believe what she was reading. How could it be that the one man George had said could help her was a dangerous Gallan criminal? Daine sincerely hoped that George had no idea of this, though she doubted that the clever one-time rogue could ever be in the dark about someone that had once been his friend. No, Daine was certain that George had his reasons. There had to be more to this Thorvald Cutler. Her search could not end here. "He's……a criminal…."
"A treasonous one, at that," Edwin added, watching intently for her reaction to it all. She seemed slightly shocked, disappointed at most. There was an air of confusion about her, but to his dismay, also an undeniable sense of curiosity. He knew now that it was his duty as a knight and as her friend to convince her otherwise. She could not go looking for this man; he could not let her. "Over the years he's managed to elude us, he's rallied up well over half of the peasants, and even a good number of nobles. I might even wager that he's got nearly all of the peasants on his side, following this folly that he fills their heads with. He has them all convinced that King Jarlath is unfit for the throne and that they must all bid their time until they can destroy his line and start their own. They plot to murder the king and his son, Aidan. Its treason, plain and simple. The fool even allows all of his followers to call him Majesty. He's even got an heir, a young man that he intends to take over this treasonous gathering in the event of his death. Its madness."
"He's a rebel, then?" Daine questioned, hardly able to believe what she was discovering about this man. The confusion about why George would lead her to him still lingered.
"Yes, and of the worst kind. He's not just a rebel, Daine, he leads rebels," Edwin explained, thoroughly vexed at the mere thought of the spineless Rogue King, as the people called him, "Him and his lot are always robbing the King and His Majesty's wealthy loyals. Not to mention the countless amount of gold it costs every year to replace all of the supplies the man plunders by sending his men out to hold up our supply carts. We've doubled and tripled the guard on each one as it travels, but still his men manage to overcome the guards and take what they please. They've got no sense of honor, these rebels."
"If he was such a bad man, why would George have told me to find him?" Daine questioned, still not entirely sure that Edwin was right about Thorvald Cutler. She had known George for the better part of four years and in the time she had known him, he had proven to be a very honest man to his friends. She could not imagine that George would intentionally send her on the trail of a dangerous criminal unless there was something to it that she was not seeing.
"I haven't the slightest idea, Daine," Edwin stated, still angered about the subject under discussion. He had had more than his fair share of trouble with the Rogue King in his time as a knight and this never spurred kind thoughts about the man.
"Are you certain there isn't some other man with that name?" Daine asked hopefully, mentally exhausted from once again having her hopes burned to ash. Would the gods ever remember her and all that she had done for them? It did not look as if they even cared anymore.
"No man would be fool enough to bear that name, I'm sure of it," Edwin assured her, not breaking eye contact with her. She could feel his forest green eyes bearing down upon her as if willing her to believe everything that he had told her. She sensed that this matter was personal to him in some way and she would have to remind herself to ask him about it later. She wondered if this Thorvald Cutler had ever crossed paths with Edwin and what had been the result of it all. "No, they would fear being arrested for being the real thing. I assure you, no matter how far you look, you'll not find another man in Galla by that name."
The disappointment that danced in the depths of Daine's blue gray orbs was not easily missed. Edwin knew that the chance of finding Thorvald Cutler, for reasons that were beyond him, might very well have been the last shred of hope that Daine clung to. It was obvious to him that she wanted nothing more than to be back in her true home, Tortall, with the black robe mage she had mentioned to him on the many nights they had spent star gazing on this journey. It was a cruel thing that was happening to her. It was nothing more than politics, but it sickened Edwin to think that this form of politics dealt with the life of an innocent human being. He felt bad that he might very well have destroyed the hope that remained with Veralidaine Sarrasri, but it had been a vital act. He could not let her remain ignorant on the subject of the vastly growing group of Gallan rebels. It was too dangerous. He counted himself lucky that she had decided to come to him about Thorvald Cutler at all. If she had not, then he was certain that upon reaching the capital, she would seek out the man. The gods only knew what might happen if she were to find him. Edwin shuddered at the mere thought of it.
"Daine, you have to understand what you're dealing with here," Edwin said finally, knowing that he had to be certain that Daine would not go looking for Cutler. "Thorvald Cutler is without a doubt the most dangerous man alive in Galla. You cannot under any circumstances seek him out. Even if you were to find him, there's no telling what might happen to you. There is no doubt in my mind that he would be more than happy to take captive the new Gallan Wildmage."
Looking back at the young knight, Daine knew deep in her heart that Edwin was right. He was only trying to look out for her, and she was certain that he knew, probably from experience, exactly what he was talking about. But he did not understand; he could not understand her need to do as George had advised her. Throughout this entire journey that was rapidly coming to an end, Daine had only had one thing left to hold on to and that had been George's advice. It had given her the tinniest ray of hope in her world of doubt, but it had been just enough to give her the energy to rise every morning and continue riding closer and closer to her undesirable, yet inevitable fate in Galla.
She had spent countless hours on this journey thinking only of the note that George had given her. She could not begin to count the times that a phantom voice in her mind had repeatedly chanted Thorvald Cutler's name in her mind. Daine had spent so much time pouring over just how she could find this man in her mind that she could not begin to grasp the idea that she could never actually do it. She could not allow herself to believe that Thorvald Cutler was a dangerous criminal that would happily see harm come to her. Most of all though, Daine could hardly bear to let it cross her mind that that tiny shred of hope that she had held on tightly to this entire time no longer existed.
"Daine, are you listening?" Edwin's voice pulled Daine awkwardly from her thoughts. She had almost forgotten that he was still there. She looked to him, and remembered his warning to her about Thorvald. Knowing that he could never know of her plans to find the rebel leader, she simply nodded, flashing him a brief smile of assurance. "I understand…." Daine responded softly, her eyes darting quickly away from Edwin's. She did not want to look her newly acquired friend in the eye as she lied to him. Plastering the most sincere look on her face that she could manage and choosing the most believable tone she could muster, Daine added, "Don't worry about me, Edwin. I won't go looking for him." Daine felt her face burn as she directly lied, but in her heart, she knew it was necessary. Sir Edwin of the fief Carmel could never know her true intents.
A/N: Well, I'm sorry for the lack of events in these first 2 chapters, but I'm really trying to set the ground work here. I had planned on adding a few more things to this chapter that would have made it more exciting, but I decided to cut it off for the sake of being able to post tonight. I'll hopefully be able to post again soon. I think I'll start making my chapters shorter just so I can get more posted in less time. Also, the time period in between each chapter is going to start increasing, which means a lot more things are going to start happening, so I hope all of you stay tuned for that. Please don't give up one me! I'm really trying to get my act together with this….Anyway, I'd love to see some feedback from you guys, so please review! Its your reviews that inspire me to start writing the next chapter….
