I AM PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE WINNER OF THE 35TH COMMENTOR!
Congratulations Writer-Rabbit-Newsie-Grace! You will get a PM from me soon. And thanks to all the other commentors as well, me and ElvenQueenLibrary owe you many thanks for helping this story grow.
Now, enjoy the chapter, as always.
Marissa sat in a different, more expensive Inn's table in the mess hall. She had sold Liam's horse to get money to pay for the Inn.
She drank slowly at her tea, trying not to let tears spill over.
She didn't know why it hurt so much. She had barely spent a day with him! Sure, he had promised some things too good to be true, but...her heart was still shattered by his betrayal. And it wasn't about her Inn.
She had never allowed herself to care for anyone after her sister was taken. It had proved to be too dangerous. She was afraid of the pain of losing someone she cared about.
So she vowed never to do that again.
And now that she broke her vow, look where it got her. Or did she break her vow? She didn't care for Liam!
...right?
She realized she had finished her mug of tea. She set it down, and she stared at it, her head down. Her eyes filled with tears against her command. She wiped them away angrily.
"Can I get anything else for you, miss?" asked a kind voice above her. She looked up and saw another girl, a waitress, sympathetically looking at her.
"No, that's fine," Marissa responded. The waitress left. But many other people were shooting looks at her.
I have to get out of here, Marissa thought. She got up and left her table, making her way to the front of the Inn and finding herself outside, on the streets of Torrboro.
He can be left to suffer, she thought angrily, wiping away more tears. But then she thought about the children he was going to rescue. They didn't deserve to suffer.
WHY IS THIS SO COMPLICATED?!
She fidgeted with her hair.
If she were to rescue Liam, who would even help her?
Suddenly, a flashback to the night they were escaping the Cozy Cuddly Dreamy Inn was shoved to the front of her mind. Liam looking at her and mouthing,
Do you know where we can find the Florid Sword?
Marissa sucked in a breath. She looked left and right, then she crossed the road to the same stall where the chubby man had taken care of their horses.
"Excuse me?" she asked, approaching him after he was done with his customer.
"Yes?" he grumbled, not even turning to look at her. Marissa took a deep breath.
"Do you know where to find the Florid Sword?"
The man looked up at her, eyes widening slightly.
"Well...nobody does, sweetheart. But...nah."
"What?" Marissa pressed.
"Well...you could start a rumor."
"What do you mean?"
"If word spread around town that the Florid Sword was needed, surely he would hear. You would just have to include that you would be waitin' someplace recognizable. Like...'And the fair lass would be awaitin' underneath the largest cat statue in Torrboro, until the Florid Sword came to aid her!' Type of thing. But, he hasn't been seen for ages. Probably died."
Marissa scrunched her eyebrows together. That...complicated things.
"Alright, well...would you help me spread the rumor? To your customers, perhaps?" she asked.
The man arched his eyebrows. Then he reached out his palm, wagging his fingers.
Marissa sighed, and put a bag of silver coins on his palm. He looked up at her expectantly.
"Please, sir," she begged. "That's all I have."
The man looked down at the coins, then sighed and put them away.
"Fine. But only because of that pretty face of yours."
Marissa breathed in relief. She might be able to get help.
"But you have to as well! Tell all the people passing by, or anyone you meet, that a lass is in need of the Florid Sword, and she will wait..."
"Under the statue of a cat licking its paw, next to an alleyway on Yarn Street."
"...for him to swoop to her aid there!"
Marissa nodded, then the man went back to his sorting apples. Marissa took it as a sign that it was the end of the conversation.
But a nagging voice in the back of her mind kept telling her,
What if he is dead?
She shook the thoughts off. She could think about that right now. Only about finding the Florid Sword and getting help for Liam. But she was only rescuing Liam so he could get the children back.
Nothing else.
A few days later...
A stranger sat at a bar, sipping at his cup of rum. His eyes were hidden behind his old farmer's hat.
He watched the merry men and women laugh and drink, and talk loudly.
"DIDN'T YOU HEAR?" One of the men said.
"About what?"
"About that lassy wanting help from the FLORID SWORD!" A burst of laughter from many different people rang out.
"He's dead!" spat a woman. "Hasn't been around fer AGES!"
The stranger tightened his grip on his cup, listening intently.
"They say she'll be listening...I mean, waiting..." Another drunk burst of laughter at his mistake.
"Under that old statue of a paw licking its cat...I MEAN-"
More laughter.
"Next to the ALLEYWAY!"
"Maybe we should go, see if it's true! Maybe she's still waiting there. We can tell her that he's dead, no use!" a woman shouted.
The Stranger got up and left his cup. He walked calmly out of the bar, and into the night.
Marissa sat against the statue, fighting the cold. She shivered. She had to keep herself from nodding off. It was very, very early in the morning. She had been staying up all night these past few days after the rumor started, and she could not stay here forever. One of these days she needed to rest.
Her weary eyes searched the night.
She thought she saw a cloaked figure approaching, but when she blinked, he was gone. She was going delirious. But when she blinked again, there he was.
She sat up.
"Are you...real?" she yawned.
He approached her, and he was standing over her now.
"It is said you need the Florid Sword."
Hmm...maybe he was real.
Marissa's weary eyes closed. "Yes...to save Liam...but only for the kids..."
She dozed off.
The stranger lifted her up in his arms, and carried her away, into the night.
Marissa woke up with a start. Her back ached. Her neck ached. Her eyes ached. But, the bed was comfortable...
Wait.
Last night hit her like a wave, and she did NOT remember going to sleep. In a bed. Much less this one. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She looked around the room, and saw blank walls. She sat up straighter. Now that she was awake, she smelled bacon.
Where was she?
She got up and ran her fingers through her blonde, wavy hair.
She opened the door and peeked about. She saw a man by the stove, cooking breakfast. She stormed out.
"WhereamIwhoareyouwhyamIhere?!" she shouted.
The man didn't even turn around.
"Thou said thou needeth the Florid Sword. So, tis' I."
He turned around.
He had a small, gray beard, long gray hair, and wrinkles adorned his face. He was pretty lean and muscular, for an old man. He was wearing a black mask, and an old farmer's hat. He had on a black shirt and pants.
But there was no glorious swishing of a sword, no long black hat, no cape, and not even his imprints of F S on his chest.
"You...are the Florid Sword!?"
"Indeed."
"But, but-"
"Indeed, I am oldeth. I shall sadly not be helping thou."
"Then why-?!"
"But my apprentice shall. He is youngeth, completely able. Thy is in luck, damsel in distress."
His crazy speech was not as impressive as it supposedly used to be.
"Um, why would you take me to your house?! In the middle of the night?!"
"Aha! Feisty, thou is. Tis' not meh house. Tis' a hideout."
"...okay...but. Your apprentice will help me?! I need the Florid Sword, not some kid who pretends to know how to wave a sword! We are dealing with Stranders!"
"Aha! My apprentice hath slain many a Strander. Thou must not worryeth, he is perfectly capable. He is...Shadowblade!" *
Marissa looked around the room. It was bare of anything except for a table with four chairs, a stove, and some cupboards. No windows. She supposed that was because it was a hideout.
"Aha! Here Shadowblade cometh!"
Marissa turned around and saw a handsome young man, about the age of Liam, approach. He was wearing a black mask, the Florid Sword's hat, a dark cape, black boots, black pants, brown belt, black gloves, and a black long sleeve with the imprints S B on his chest.
He was the spitting image of the Florid Sword. It was as if he had stolen most of the Florid Swords closet.
But, to Marissa's surprise, he took off his hat and mask, and grinned.
He had shaggy dark hair, and ice blue eyes. He bowed.
"Master, who is this beautiful damsel in need of my help?"
The Florid Sword rolled his eyes. "Fool. The boy prefers to show his faceth. To everybody. Thou wants fameth."
"And I would like the lady's I save to know the handsome face of their hero," he smirked at Marissa.
The Florid Sword set the table with bacon, cheese, and bread, and motioned for all of them to sit down.
Shadowblade skunk to his seat, placing his hat and mask on a hangar near the table. He also took off his gloves to eat.
"Join us, fair princess," he asked Marissa, flashing a movie-star smile.
Marissa rolled her eyes and sat down with them.
"So, what brings the fair princess to us, seeking our aid?" Shadowblade asked.
"My name is Marissa."
"What brings m'lady Marissa seeking our aid, her emerald eyes fraught with fear and wonderment of the good-looking Shadowblade?" Shadowblade rephrased.
"I'm not- it's not- Whatever. A... friend of mine was captured by the Stranders in a Strander burrow. I need help getting him back."
The Florid Sword shook his head and muttered, "Those foolish folk. Thou should have had sense not to go poking thou's nose into Strander Burrows."
Marissa glared at him. He didn't know what they were doing that for.
"I will help you, beautiful Marissa. Now, you shall bring me to the Burrow where he is," Shadowblade said.
Marissa nodded, too tired to argue.
* Yes, I know, Shadowblade was Maraly's name. But now that she was married off, she decided to leave the name, knowing she would not be the crime fighting person she was before because she would be Kalmar's wife and a mother. So the Florid Sword passed it along to his new apprentice. And sorry for the lack of Shakespearean words! And for the longish chapter...FORGIVE MEE
