The New Life

a novel by Mark Robert Whitten

Chapter 9

Jess awoke the next morning to the sound of laughter. The acrid tang of woodsmoke tinged with the sweet promise of bacon drifted to him from the room below. The previous night had settled his stomach and he was already hungry for a hearty meal. He yawned and glanced to Leslie's ruffled blanket. He knew she was on the first level, probably eating without him.

He pulled off his sweaty temple clothes and tossed them aside. He stood there naked and wondered how much fun it would be to head down for breakfast without clothes. Jess laughed at the idea, remembering that Leslie had already seen him naked. He wrapped a towel around himself and headed down, wanting to bathe before he ate.

He almost lost his towel when he reached the bottom. When Leslie saw him, she gave a confused frown. She knelt before the hearth, tossing into the pan a few things he was sure he liked. Her wheat-colored hair was tousled and held a stray bit of straw almost indistinguishable from the rest of her hay colored hair. Her new dress was nowhere to be found. She wore her old clothes, vest and all. She looked like a farm-girl again. Jess smiled at her confusion.

"I'm going to take a bath," he explained and headed out the door.

The pond came into view after only a few minutes, its dark surface sparkling in warm greeting. It was quiet, except for the ducks that swam about as he slipped into the water.

As he rinsed himself down, he realized he forgot the soap and cursed himself a fool. Just then, something struck him in the head and splashed into the water. Jess plucked it up surprised to learn it was the soap.

He turned back to look and saw Leslie standing by the shore. "You forgot that, Jess." She held a steaming plate in each hand and as he rubbed his head, he asked what she was doing bringing food out to the pond.

She shrugged. "Bringing you breakfast."

He thanked her as she sat down on the grassy shore. She crossed her legs and placed her chin in her hand as Jess rolled his eyes at her amused attempt to watch him bathe. He briefly considered pulling her in with him. He forgot about that notion as his eyes drifted to his plate. There was a large amount of bacon and eggs waiting for him.

"Maybe you ought to go back inside and eat," he offered. "It might rain."

She shook her head. "I promised your mother I would make sure you ate and bathed." She hooked some blonde hair behind an ear and positioned her own plate in her lap. "You better hurry or it'll get cold."

She sounded just like mother. "Girls," he muttered and swam over to the shore. He took up a forkful of eggs and stuffed them in his mouth, sucking air to cool them as he chewed. Leslie giggled around her own mouthful and prompted him to try the bacon too. He did and found it equally delicious. Jess scrubbed himself with the cake of coarse soap and continued to eat as Leslie scraped up her eggs into a pile and finished them off.

"What did you do to make the eggs taste so good?"

She answered him around a mouthful. "I added a few things: spices from the garden, cheese, onions, peas, and some chunks of ham. I figured you'll need to eat more, if you want to keep up with me.""

"Why?" he asked around a mouthful of eggs. "Where are you going?"

"Into town," she said. "Mother asked me to pick up a few things."

He didn't think she would want to go back to town, what with whatever scared her running around, but by the smile on her face Jess could tell she was all right with the idea. He finished scrubbing quickly and dunked his head in a few times to rinse out the soap. Leslie stood then and held out a towel. He took it and dried himself while she told him all the things they had to get. Jess wondered how she could remember it all.

As Leslie handed him a bundle of clothes, he sighed and began to pull them on. She obviously didn't want to waste time heading back to the house. Jess ran his fingers through his thick, wet hair and shook away the excess water as Leslie grabbed their empty plates and led him back to the house. Mother told him to get his shoes on and, in a minute, he was ready to go. Leslie led him outside then and they raced off to town.

When they arrived at the gates, Jess hesitated. He remembered the bullies. Leslie tugged at his arm. He swallowed and gazed along the town's wall. Made of rough-hewn timber, it was the sturdiest structure he had ever seen. Now it seemed a monster about to swallow them both. The gate was just ahead and he could see the people milling about, some entering, others leaving, and all too busy to notice the two of them.

Taking Leslie's arm, he fell into pace along with a small group of people. He hoped that by staying hidden, they wouldn't have to face Hoager or Fulcher again.

As they moved beneath the gatehouse, Jess felt a deepening sense of doom. It was like walking into a dungeon or the tomb of some evil warlord. Jess wondered if they would ever make it out. As they entered the town, Jess looked about. Everything about the place seemed subdued. In spite of the various sounds of workers and such, the place was oddly quiet. Jess figured it was because the festival had ended and the harvest approached. Everyone was always serious during harvest time.

Jess saw the sales people offering their wares, a few soldiers moving about the crowd and the occasional group of children chasing chickens or each other. No one seemed as anxious or frightened as he felt. Leslie stayed close to him as they made their way along the main street and they both kept watch for the stables and blacksmith's shop.

Hoager and Fulcher were nowhere in sight.

Most of the shops had what they needed and Leslie had a sack full of things in short order. When it seemed that they had everything they needed, Leslie decided they had time to shop for a few more things. Jess nodded. He wanted to go home, but he didn't think she would leave without seeing to the bullies. He still didn't understand why she thought it so important to show them that she wasn't afraid. They walked around awhile, heading down the street on their way out of town. Suddenly a large snout flashed before him, snorting dusty air across his face and making him jump back. Jess peered up the length of the horse's white-blazed muzzle to the armored soldier resting atop the beast. The soldier turned and spat before settling his uneasy gaze upon the two of them.

He waved his gloved hand dismissively. "Out of the way, little ones."

Jess rushed to comply. Leslie had her head down and he tugged her arm, leading her away from the mounted soldier. As he watched the man ride away, Jess let out a deep sigh. It was the most exhilarating experience of his entire life, being so close to a soldier.

Then he noticed Leslie watching the man depart. Her bluish-green eyes were wide, her fair face more than a little red. As Jess looked closer, he could almost see her trembling.

Jess frowned. Leslie always seemed fearless and Jess really didn't remember seeing her afraid very often. The only times he could think of were the few times in town when…

The realization hit him like his mother's wooden spoon.

"Leslie," he whispered in sudden comprehension, "You're afraid of soldiers!"

Leslie spun to him, her almond-shaped eyes even wider. Her mouth hung agape. She could not have looked more shocked if he had struck her. Her jaw worked, looking like she was trying to say something but it wouldn't come out. Jess tried not to seem too concerned about this discovery.

He had just discovered her secret but he still had questions.

"Why… would you be scared of them, Leslie?"

She said nothing for a long time. Jess waited, listening to the sounds of people talking, laughing, and arguing mixing with the inconsistent drum of horses passing through town as she considered her answer. At last she closed her eyes and sighed. "Yes, I'm afraid of them. I'm afraid of them for the same reason you were scared of those bullies." She hiked the burlap sack onto her shoulder and started away. "Some people are best avoided."

Jess didn't understand. He always thought of soldiers as something akin to knights of the realm; heroes protecting the people. He tried to ask her why she would be scared of people who protected them but she wouldn't answer. He scratched his head. "Leslie, I don't believe it. You're not even scared of my father and he's punished you."

Leslie gave him a worried glance. She bit her lip as she looked about, as if expecting more soldiers. Jess didn't see any and as she turned back to him, he asked one more time why she would need to fear men of the law. To his surprise, Leslie turned into a nearby alley and beckoned him to follow. Jess sighed and, convinced he would finally have the truth, obliged.

Leslie gently lowered the sack, letting it settle on the ground as she looked around at the passersby. None seemed as interested as Leslie seemed to think they would be in a couple of children. Jess folded his arms and heaved a sigh, prompting her to get on with whatever it was that she was doing. She looked around and without explanation stuffed her hand into a pocket. Jess looked about too, seeing nothing of interest, and when he turned back to her, Leslie drew something from the pocket of her trousers. Jess squinted at the object as it gleamed brightly in the noon light, winking at him like a secret promise now revealed. Leslie held it carefully in front of her as if it were a snake about to strike.

Jess loomed closer and peered into her open palm.

As he recognized the nature of the coin, he blinked in shock.

It was gold.

She dropped it into his hand. He flinched as if it would burn. Jess reasoned it might not be real gold, just an old copper coin somebody painted golden to fool people. But the weight of it and his own experience told him it was real. Jess had held real gold only once before. It was five years ago and his mother had taken him to market. Jess loved going to market at that age, looking around at all the sights. His mother stopped to buy some fruit and as he watched the road, a wealthy merchant passed by. He noticed that a coin had been dropped. Leaving the safety of his mother's side, Jess rushed to pick it up and was surprised by the heft of the little thing. He held it up to the merchant to return it and the man, thinking Jess a thief, tried to club him. His father had intervened, and while Jess came away unharmed, from then on, he knew that in the hands of the poor, gold was trouble.

Now, here he stood, not far from the site of the original incident, holding another gold coin and feeling chills run through him at wondering what trouble it would bring.

"Leslie," he gasped, "Where did you get this?"

She grinned. "I stole it."

Jess was dumbstruck. How could she have stolen a gold coin? "I-I don't believe it," he whispered, wiping a hand back through his thick brown hair.

"You'd better believe it," she whispered back. "I took it from the castle when I ran away. I knew I'd need money and, well, they had so much I didn't think they'd miss a few odd coins."

"A few?"

She nodded and shrugged. "I took more—"

"How much more?"

She scratched her blonde head and grinned sheepishly. "Just a purse."

Jess closed his eyes. His heart came into his throat. He felt dizzy. This couldn't be happening. There had to be more to it. "Leslie, don't you know what they do to thieves?" He didn't really know himself, but he reasoned that she would know and that it wasn't anything she wanted to happen to her. He looked about, now fully expecting to be nabbed at any moment as people passed by without looking their way.

"That's why I'm careful around soldiers—I don't want them to recognize me."

Jess glanced back to the street. He didn't think anyone could see them but he still felt completely exposed. "Why don't you just give it back? Maybe they would let you be if you returned what you took." The look she gave him made him realize what a naive notion it truly was. Then something else occurred to him. "Where's the rest of it?"

"Rest of what?"

He rolled his eyes. "You said you stole a purse, right?" She nodded. "Well, where's the rest of it?"

"Oh." She lowered her almond-shaped eyes. "I kind of… lost it."

"What do you mean 'lost it'? How'd you lose it?"

"Well, it was my first night out of the castle and I thought to move quickly, so I hired a man with a wagon to take me far away." She gestured with the coin. "I paid him most of my gold but…"

"He left without you."

Leslie nodded. Jess groaned. She seemed embarrassed but he couldn't feel sorry for her; she should have had more sense. "Now you can't return what was taken from you."

"That's about it."

He wiped a hand across his face. "Well, what happened after you found out he cheated you?"

"I met you." She grinned and gave his shoulder a playful shove.

Jess didn't think that was all that happened to her, but he figured she might be too embarrassed to tell him the rest of it. He returned her smile. She pushed his shoulder playfully again and as he laughed, Jess snatched up the sack. They were friends and he realized that was all that mattered. He didn't approve of her foolishness, but he figured it didn't hurt anyone and since she wasn't spending the money, the soldiers would never get suspicious. He knew better than to try to spend it either. Peasants—especially ones their age—with gold coins to spend raised too many questions. He decided they could bury the coin in the woods or give it to the Vanderholts.

Then they would be rid of it forever. Leslie would stay safe.

As they turned to leave, Leslie took the coin and slipped it into his pocket. She gave him a wink. "Just in case," she told him.

He was about to ask what she meant by that when two voices interrupted. Neither sounded pleasant.

"Nice pants, dancing girl." Hoager crunched into an apple and used it to gesture to Leslie's rear. He gave her a gruesome grin. "Love the view."

Jess felt his face burn as Leslie turned her backside away. He kept his eyes on the approaching Hoager as he whispered to her. "Leslie, get behind me."

Leslie slipped behind his back without arguing. Jess stood firm. He could hear Hoager's hollow laughter as he sauntered closer. "She still owes us a dance, Aarons."

As Leslie cried out, Jess spun around to see Fulcher wrap his fat arms about her. Jess' eyes went wide but as he took a step forward, he felt someone shove him. He hit the ground with a grunt, the wind almost blasted from him as the sack spilled its contents over his shoulder. He tried to stand, but felt a kick in his side put him back down.

"Wait your turn, Aarons." Jess looked up to see Hoager leering at Leslie. "I'm next in line."

Jess ignored Hoager's taunts as he searched for the source of his amusement. Fulcher was swinging Leslie around as she struggled, begging him to stop.

In spite of the pain in his side, Jess climbed to his feet and ran toward Fulcher. He felt a hand grab his shoulder and he spun, landing a hard punch right on Hoager's smug face. Hoager flew off his feet, landing hard on his back and as Jess smiled at the wonder of how easily he had defeated him, he heard Leslie cry out his name.

Energized by the defeat of Hoager, he twisted around, clenching his fists in anticipation of his next fight.

What he saw made him blanch.

Fulcher was fleeing the alley and in his place, lifting Leslie by the scruff of her neck was the biggest man Jess had ever seen. Jess swallowed in terror as the world fell away. He saw Leslie kicking her legs, as he held her aloft. Leslie's hands scratched frantically behind her neck as she tried to pry the man's thick fingers loose. She screamed in terror as he hoisted her up with one arm, handing her to a mounted companion, as stern-looking a woman as Jess had ever seen. She placed Leslie on the saddle in front of her, holding her tightly in place. Leslie's panicked eyes found him and just as he saw the desperate plea etched on her face it erupted into a cry that chilled his bones.

"Jess!"

He was on the big man in a second. Grasping at his bulging arm, he scratched and kicked, trying to get him to stop. The man looked down at Jess, but it wasn't a grim look he received; if anything, the man's bearded face looked almost amused.

"Away boy," the man grumbled. "Our business is none of yours."

He shook him off and as Jess fell hard on his bottom, he watched the man turn around to mount his huge black steed. Jess sprang up and grabbed at the man again.

This time the man was not amused.

"I said away, boy!"

Planting his huge hand on Jess' chest, the man shoved him back hard. The power in his simple gestured was astounding and as Jess flew through the air, he felt his back smack into something solid. His head took a worse impact. The world dimmed.

The thunder of hooves shook through him as the strangers departed and the last thing Jess heard before the darkness consumed him was the fading sound of Leslie's desperate scream.