Ok, so... I know I have no actual schedule for this, and I'm sorry about that. the only thing I can say is that I want to finish this story because I want to see how this will change the timeline, but I'm at the point that I just want to read it, not write it, lol. I'M NOT ABANDONING THIS, though, I promise. I've just had quite a bit with school lately. Please be patient with me. :)
I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Thanks for reading!
-owl
Rollan wandered along the streets of the town, between houses and shops. He was hoping to see that blond boy, Conor, again. Essix flew above him, within sight for once. No one that he passed seems to be concerned with the large falcon following the 11 year old boy.
After nearly two hours, as the sun was starting to set, Rollan was about to give up and return to Isilla's house for dinner, he saw a flash of yellow hair and faded blue. Conor seemed to be determined to get something done, because he was rushing with no apparent sense of his surroundings.
Just as Conor was about to get trampled by a horse that had gotten loose and was galloping through the street, Rollan launched himself at the younger boy and knocked him out of the way of the stampeding beast.
When they sat up, Conor pushed Rollan off of himself angrily. "I didn't need your— oh." His harsh words died in his mouth as a look of recognition flashed through his eyes. "Thanks, Rollan."
Rollan shrugged. "Are you normally that annoyed with people helping you?"
Conor also shrugged. "There are some people who only help others for what they will be repaid. I try not to need help so I can't don't need to repay anyone."
"Why are you rushing around?" Rollan asked.
Conor rolled his eyes. "Devin demanded that he wanted fresh apples for a snack. Of course the kitchens had run out of those apples yesterday, so now I've been sent to fetch them from the market."
"Why can't he get them himself? Or at least one of the cooks from the kitchen?" Rollan muttered.
"They don't go to the market more than once a week. I think the next times that they will be doing so will be three days from now. And if you think Devin will walk all the way to the market when he can instead send me to do it, you clearly don't know him very well. Not that I'd expect you to!" He added quickly.
"I guess that makes sense." Rollan looked up at the sky that was slowly getting darker and darker. "I think I should be getting back, It was nice to see you again, Conor," Rollan said.
Conor followed his gaze to the sky. "I didn't realize it had gotten so late!" He exclaimed. "I need to get those apples and return to the manor. It was nice to see you too, Rollan. Will I see you tomorrow?"
Rollan shook his head. "No, Tarik wants us to leave early in the morning. Maybe the next time I'm in Trunswick, I'll have to find you again."
Conor nodded and with a wave, the two boys split up.
When Rollan woke up the next morning, he found Tarik talking quietly to Isilla in the sitting room. Next to him was his traveling pack, filled with everything he had brought along with on the trip. He handed Rollan a warm bread roll when the boy approached him.
Rollan took the food happily and smiled as he chewed. "So," he asked with his mouth still full of food, "what is the plan for today?"
"We are going to be continuing on with our journey," Tarik replied. "Did you pack your stuff last night?"
"Yes."
Within a half hour, Rollan and Tarik were once again mounted on Flit and Zig, riding away from Trunswick. They rode at a fast trot for most of the day. With as much riding as they had been doing in Eura, Rollan was actually starting to get used to riding a horse, for the most part at least.
Essix seemed to be happy to be on the move again, and flew nearby, screeching happily all the while. Tarik had Lumeo out of passive state, and the otter was curled around the man's neck as he had been the first time Rollan had met Tarik.
"What's our plan?" Rollan finally asked Tarik after they made camp that night and were cleaning up their meal.
"We are going to head back to Surtin, where we'll wait for Nicolai to pick us up, then sail back to Greenhaven."
Rollan nodded and laid out his bed roll. Essix perched on a low-hanging branch about him. A few feet away, Tarik did the same. Lumeo, as he was out of passive state, curled himself immediately into Tarik's bed roll.
They both fell asleep quite quickly.
Three days later, as dusk was gathering, Rollan and Tarik entered Surtin. They went directly to Jon's house. People on the streets around them paid them no mind as they passed silently. In fact, they had no interaction with anyone until they reached Jon's house.
Now, there was no way that Jon could have known they were coming, however, for whatever reason he was waiting outside for them, smoking a pipe. He gave them a hearty wave and a large smile as they approached and dismounted the horses.
"Hello again, Tarik and Rollan. How did your journey go?" He greeted them.
Tarik returned Jon's smile. "Our journey went well. The goal was to meet with the Earl of Trunswick, which I was able to, after a fashion."
Rollan, meanwhile, had been studying Jon's appearance, because there had been something that had been bothering him since he had met the man when they got the horses. "Why do you look so familiar?" He blurted out finally.
Jon turned to him with a small chuckle. "Yes, I have a brother, Jordan, who also joined the Greencloaks. He's a ship captain."
That explained it! Rollan recognized Jon because his brother was Jordan, the captain of the Mulop! "I met him when Tarik brought me to Greenhaven from Amaya."
Twenty minutes later, after they had finished talking to Jon and had gotten Zig and Flit back into the stables, Tarik and Rollan got a room at an inn. They would be staying in Surtin until Nicolai returned to the port, after all.
