Chapter 2 – "In The Name Of The King"
The dwarf shifted his gaze from the stranger to where his piled gear lay. He'd put weapons and armour aside when he set to helping the human repair the well's pumping mechanism. He suddenly felt exposed, standing in an open field unarmed and clad only in work leathers.
Looking back at the newcomer he saw that they sat slouched in their saddle, apparently at ease. Relaxing his shoulders, the dwarf nodded at the rider.
"If it weren't for me an' the lad here, ye'd be very thirsty. Yer horse, too. Jest completin' our repairs. So, it'll be a minute yet before yer thirst's slaked."
The dwarf made no attempt to hide his irritation at what he considered to be the newcomer's rude speech.
Stefane squinted against the westering sun, peering at the rider. The stranger's dark red cloak covered their upper body and the cloak's hood, pulled low, hid their face. He could discern neither race nor sex. But he recognized the bright bronze sigillum pinned to the cloak's left shoulder.
"Well met, Herald", the young man said with a small bow. "We would be honoured to have a Court Herald be the first to taste the results of our work".
Turning to the dwarf, Stefane hissed. "Behave! It's a Herald!"
The dwarf shrugged and went back to completing the repairs. In the space of several long breaths, he had completed setting up the pump.
With a flourish of dirty hands, the dwarf stepped aside, bowed and stated, "All yers, Herald."
"It is a warm autumn day and you workmen look thirsty. You may drink first", responded the stranger.
The dwarf 'harumphed' something about generosity and started working the pump handle. A clear stream of water soon gushed from the spout, filling a wooden trough set at the base of the well.
Satisfied with the pump's performance, Stefane and the dwarf lifted the well cover and set it back in place. They then each filled a bucket and water skin, collected their tools, and moved to one side to allow the Herald easy access to the well.
The newcomer, dressed in tooled, reddish-brown leather armour, which matched the colour of their leggings, dismounted and pulled two water skins from their saddle horn.
The Herald's horse moved forward and began drinking from the trough while it's the Herald, after a few strokes of the pump handle, filled the skins.
Throwing the cloak's hood back, the rider nodded to the two men, raised a waterskin as if offering a toast, and drank deeply.
"Bloody Elf", observed the dwarf, quietly.
Transfixed by the Herald's appearance, Stefane nodded, only dimly aware that the dwarf had spoken.
The Herald was indeed an elf.
Her skin was a deeper blue than most Moon Elves of Stefane's acquaintance. Shaved hair on the sides of her head revealed long, delicate ears. A ridge of braided black hair extended from high on her forehead across the crown of her head and down her neck, disappearing beneath her cloak.
After finishing a long pull from the water skin, the elf turned to the two men.
"Thank you, sirs. Just what a thirsty traveller needs on this warm afternoon. I am, as the young man has noted, a Herald and I must inform you that, that", the elf pointed to the roadway running past the clearing, "Is a Royal Road. All lands, appurtenances and structures within one-hundred yards of the roadway are also royal property, made available to the Kingdom's citizens. Said lands, appurtenances and structures are not to be disturbed."
She pointed to the well. "In the name of the King, and as an officer of the King's Council, I place you under arrest for interference with, and damage to, this well."
The elf stood tall, hands on her hips, smiling at the two men. The smile held no warmth.