A/N Hey guys. Just wanted to let you know I've started posting this story on Wattpad, for those of you who use that. No worries, the story will still receive regular updates here, I just wanted to present you with info that might interest you. Still in any case, thank you so much for reading this far, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story. God Bless.

A Questioning
Being forced to bed rest may very well be one of the most excruciating experiences a person can go through. Don't get me wrong, it's far from being stabbed or nearly freezing to death, but at least in those cases you still have some level of autonomy. With bed rest, you're stuck in one place, for hours or even days at a time, until some other person decides you're capable of literally anything else. In my case, even walking around was considered too strenuous, "could disturb the recovering injury" and all that mess. Eventually the attending physician decided that the stab wound had properly healed, and that I had returned to a healthy enough state that I could walk around without much complication.

All that to say I was glad to be up and moving again, and even happier to be back to some state of normalcy. My lute was in my hands, my fingers were strumming along to a gathered crowd of patrons, and they were enraptured by my performance. No dancing or jumping just yet though, I was still feeling a bit too stiff and sore to try any of that. Even after two full days of rest, I figured it was better to take it easy on day three. Besides, I wouldn't want to get another earful from the good doctor.

The patrons were just some off duty guards who had gathered in an empty corner of a dining hall, pretty standard all things considered. The whole thing only consisted of two decently sized tables, an open fireplace, and a crusty looking blue and gray rug that probably had its fair share of old food. Still, coin was coin, and any excuse to play was a welcome one for me. They'd heard two songs already, and I was just about finished with the third. It was an old song, written some several hundred years ago about a young queen who committed adultery, no points for guessing how that went for the poor girl. The song never mentioned that she was a good twenty years younger than her king, but that was neither here nor there. It was a favorite for its somber tones, and that was good for keeping audiences invested.

With a gentle exhale, I strummed the last chord of the song, letting it echo within the hall as I closed my eyes. A gentle smattering of applause followed as I adjusted a bit, being careful not to move my left side too much. When I opened my eyes again, the guards had settled, one of them even tossed a silver into a slow growing pile in front of me. The whole thing was maybe ten silver in total, hardly breaking the bank, but plenty generous from people who had no reason to give me anything. For that reason, I smiled and rested my arms on my lute, placing my head gently atop them.

"Well, that's always a fun one. Care for another, boys?" I asked, adding just a hint of playfulness in my voice. The guards took turns looking at one another before one of them sat straight, as though trying to appear taller. It was a cute effort, but all the armor and posturing in the world could only do so much for a short guy.

"Lady Bard, you've given us three well known songs, and while they've all been beautiful, I was wondering if you had anything original?" He said, his voice tapering off towards the end. While he tried acting confident, I could still hear the slight tremble in his voice. I knew the question was coming at some point, and the truth was I did have a few original pieces. But they were far from ready, half of them were more incoherent rambling than proper songs or epics. As for the other half, they were still in progress, with maybe a verse or two written. Certainly not something people would pay to hear, at the very least. So I smiled sweetly and shook my head at the man.

"Not today, friend. A lady needs proper rest before wandering into the unknown." I said sweetly. He seemed disappointed and pulled away a bit, but he stayed sitting down. I was glad to see him accept my response, more than once that explanation had driven away potential patrons, once it had even gotten me a tomato, and not in a nice way. The rest of the guards seemed to converse among themselves for a moment, until one that seemed older than the rest nodded and stood up. I raised my head a bit to meet him.

"There's a song we sing when marching to battle, we were hoping that if we gave it to you, you could sing it back?" His voice did not tremble, I could tell right away that he was the proper leader of these men. Before I could give a reply, however, we were interrupted by a new voice.

"That will have to wait, soldiers." The voice was deep and booming, like a distant crack of thunder muffled by hillsides. All at once, the guards stood at attention, slamming their fists into their chests as they turned away from me and towards the archway leading to the dining hall. Standing there, sword in hand, was the master of the castle. He was in his full armor, carrying his sword in one hand at his side, and had a long cloak hanging just down the back of his ankles. He certainly looked the part of a lord, I would give him that.

"Yes Master!" The guards said in unison. It was honestly pretty impressive, seeing them go from pleasure to business so quickly. For a minute or two, they simply held there as the Master made his way towards them, his steps echoing through the hall with each step. When he was about six feet from them, he stopped in place and held the sword tighter to his side.

"At ease, soldiers. I just need a moment alone with the bard, then you'll be free to continue listening to her, for now." He explained. I'll admit, I was a bit puzzled by that. What did the master of the castle want with a random bard plucked out of the woods? My first thought was a private session, which I suppose I was fine with, so long as it stayed listening only. Regardless, the guards eased up, and made their way out of the hall, though not without a few taking a quick glance back at me. I kept a smile on my face, hoping not to betray my thinking mind.

When the Master and I were alone, he strolled slowly towards the seat opposite me and set his sword gently against the table. I sat up straight and adjusted my lute to have it at the ready as he sat.

"Hello, miss Beuer, I am Master Jotham Angalium. Master and caretaker of Castle Nov Domas." He said, swinging his legs over the bench as he did. When he was comfortable, he laid his arms across the table, keeping them crossed, but at ease. His helmet left a good bit of his eyes visible, which I was rather grateful for.

"Well hello, Master Angalium, I see you've already learned my name?" I asked, strumming a few chords as I did. The Master leaned forward a bit as I played, only retreating when my brief show ended. There was an intensity to him, much like there had been with Liam. I wondered if all Wardens had this sort of aura about them, or if it was just these two.

"I have indeed, I learned it from Doctor Garrick. How does your recovery go, while we're on the subject?" He asked. I tapped the top of my lute and eyed him ever so slightly, wondering just what he was up to. I leaned back a bit and began strumming again, this time looking down a bit as I played. It was a gentle tune, more ambient noise than anything, but I thought better when I was playing.

"Rather well, but I suspect the lord of the castle hasn't visited me solely to check on my health." I half said, half asked. There was a brief acknowledgment in his eyes as he leaned back ever so slightly. He was just as readable as Liam, must have been something about the Wardens and their training. At least, as far as these two were concerned.

"An astute observation, Miss Beuer. I have a few questions I need to ask you, concerning yourself and your company." He admitted.

"Well, ask away then. I'll answer best I can." I said, letting my mind wander a bit. I wasn't sure what he hoped to learn from me, if he was worried about Liam or the Conqueror, I was certainly the wrong person to ask. Liam had only been able to visit a handful of times thanks to all the errands he'd been forced to run for the guy, and the Conqueror hadn't even bothered to check on me. Neither told me about any major plans or developments. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the Master tap the table a few times.

"Pardon my words, but you seem rather mundane to be the employer of a Warden. How did you manage that?" He asked. Well, just come right out and say it, why didn't he? It was a fair question, I suppose, I was just a bard, not a Lady or a fearsome warlord. Still, he could have worded it a bit nicer. I looked at him briefly with a raised brow, just to let him know I didn't appreciate the comment.

"First of all, there's nothing 'mundane' about me. Second, I found him in a tavern I was performing at. I asked him to be my traveling companion for coin, and he accepted. For far less coin than he was worth, by the way." I said. I didn't observe the Master's answer, instead I just focused on my lute, letting the melodies whisk me away just long enough to calm down. The last thing I needed was this guy having a fit over some mean words.

"How much coin did you offer?" He asked. Did that part really matter? What did my finances have to do with any of this? Easy, I told myself. If anything, this was a way to get this guy off Liam's back, maybe even give him more than five minutes of rest. I closed my eyes and acted like I was lost in the music before I answered. To be fair, that wasn't too far off from the truth.

"I offered everything I had, which at the time was roughly six gold worth. He took two gold and handed the rest back to me." I said, again not even bothering to look up at the Master. I did hear his armor rattling a bit though. I finally relented and looked towards him, still strumming as I did. He seemed contemplative, in a way, his eyes distant and present at the same time. I just kept smiling, hoping he couldn't get a read on my own thoughts. He allowed a few moments to go by before talking again, though I genuinely couldn't tell if that was intentional or not.

"How many times have you paid him?" He asked. This guy was awfully concerned with money, I thought.

"Just the once, he hasn't brought it up any other time. He's been very gracious to me, and he's a far better knight than any legion can offer, I'll tell you that much right now." I said. I hoped that singing such high praises of him would get him in his good graces, maybe even turn him into a potential ally. That would certainly be one heck of a start to his epic. Besides, Liam deserved a break after all the crap we'd gone through in the past week alone. Let alone whatever hell he's been in over the past three years. I blinked a few times and stuttered a bit in my strumming, but recovered quickly enough that I don't think the Master noticed. Where in the world did that come from? I tried to shake it off as the Master leaned forward again.

"And what of this Conqueror that you travel with? Do you know what crime he committed to be forced into their ranks?" He asked. Now there was a question I couldn't answer. I admittedly hadn't taken much interest in Liam's bash brother, let alone whatever story he'd had prior to becoming a knight. Any person willing to graft human bones onto their armor wasn't worth getting to know in my opinion. I knew Liam was on good terms with him, and that was enough. With a shrug, I looked back down at my lute, watching my fingers work.

"Couldn't tell you that one, friend. I've only known him a few days, and I certainly didn't want to know what he did to become a Conqueror. Still, he's a good friend to the Warden, and he's done nothing but look out for him and for me since he joined us. Can't be too awful if that's the case." I wasn't sure if I was trying to convince myself more, or the Master. Either way, that answer seemed to satisfy him.

"Do you feel safe with them? They haven't coerced you into saying this?" I almost laughed at him before regaining my composure. I knew that it was a fair question, for all he knew I was their hostage. But the idea of either of them being that villainous was so absurd to me that it was difficult to keep a straight face. I mean, sure, they were once Blackstone, but they were so far removed from those brutes that it wasn't even a doubt in my mind. So, looking deep in the Master's eyes, sure as ever, I said;

"Safer than I would staying in this castle. They haven't made me say anything I don't want, and quite frankly I think it'd be funny to see them try." That last part wasn't necessary, but I knew dismissiveness was a good way to make people abandon trains of thought in cases like this. Well, that or double down, but I had a feeling a bard talking like that about knights was a pretty good indicator of how genuine it was. The Master nodded and placed his palms against the table, then paused for a moment.

"Just one more question, and I'll let you return to your business." He said. I gave a sigh and crossed one of my legs over the other. On the one hand, I could see why he was so cautious about my companions, but on the other, we'd been here three days with no issues. Was all of this questioning still necessary? Well, at least it was the last one, for the time being at least.

"Ask away, Master of Nov Domas." I replied. I'm not sure what I was expecting the last question to be, but I certainly wasn't prepared for what he did ask.

"You seem far too young to be traveling on the road with no combat training. You don't look or act a day over twenty-five, if even that. So why? Why did you leave your home to travel the roads?" For a moment I found myself flashing back to a memory I'd been fighting to keep buried. It was as if I could hear daddy screaming all over again, momma crying as she rushed to im'… I swear I could still see his hand twitching. How many years ago had that been? Six? I guess that sounded right…

"Miss Beuer?" The Master's words almost broke me out of that trance, almost. Have you ever felt like you were in two places at once? Like your body is still in the present, and you can feel everything around you, but you're living something that already happened? It's not a pleasant experience, I'll say that right now. I could barely keep up my smile at this point.

"I have my reasons." Was all I could muster. I couldn't force any jovialness into them, no sarcastic wit, nothing. The Master seemed like he wanted to press me, eyes narrowed and suspicious. I wasn't giving him anything more. There was no way I was digging that back up. Not for him. He must have changed his mind about pressing, because without another word he pressed against the table and stood. Before he left, he grabbed his sword and clutched it tightly to his waist.

"I see. In any case, I pray for your swift recovery." I didn't respond. I didn't want to talk anymore. Still, as I watched him march away, and forced those images out of my mind, I started to feel sick. Had I just ruined our chances of staying, or made the lives of my companions that much more difficult?

Guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree then…