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Old 08-31-2003, 11:15 AM   #6
Susan Delgado
The Perished Flame
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: behind my eyes
Posts: 1,096
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Sting

Thorgil rose before the dawn, knowing the first thing he had to do. There was a large group of people camped on the lake shore; he had to find out who they were and why they were here. He quickly prepared and slipped out of camp before the sun had fully cleared the horizon. He didn?t miss the girl, Alearindu slipping out after him, but he would let it go as long as she remained silent and hidden.

He watched the crowd set up camp along the lakeshore. They must be settlers, why else would they come in such numbers, and with women and children? He was not without a touch of bitterness at the thought. Travelers were one thing and easy to protect from the hillmen, but a settlement, an actual town, would be something else altogether. He glanced at the sky; the light was brightening quickly. He watched them and waited for them to stir for the day. He did not have long to wait; before long, women began stirring up the coals for cooking fires and men rose and stretched and gossiped about their neighbors. To a man they seemed in high spirits and he wondered how long they had been traveling for their arrival to induce such jollity. He shook his head at their antics. They would learn soon enough what a harsh land this could be.

At last the seeming leader of the camp appeared at the entrance to his tent, stretching and scratching himself in places that would make a woman or a younger man blush. Thorgil ignored it, however, and approached the man as a near equal, for even in his undergarments he had the bearing of a soldier, and did not seem surprised at the appearance of a stranger. He was missing a leg; his body was propped up on a wooden post attached to the stump. Thorgil would never trust himself to such a flimsy substitute.

After introductions and formal words of courtesy, Thorgil got down to business, warning Borgand and the crowd that had gathered about the presence of dangerous hillmen in the area and promising the aid of the Rangers in protecting the settlement. Borgand was appreciative and assured Thorgil that there were quite a few ex-soldiers among the settlers and they would gladly aid the Rangers. He also asked for one or two Rangers, if they were willing to help, to aid in defense until the settlement got on its feet. Thorgil told the man he would ask his men for a volunteer. Borgand nodded in appreciation. There were murmurs of assent from the crowd, and all seemed relieved. Thorgil nodded around and slipped back to the Rangers' camp to apprise the men of the situation and elicit volunteers to stay in the settlement.

When he arrived and gathered them together, there was some grumbling from the men about how it wasn't their job to be protecting settlers like that, and what were settlers doing here anyway? What did they think they were doing here in this dangerous northern waste? Thorgil waited patiently for them to be quiet and ten told them he would need one or two volunteers to stay in the settlement until it had established itself. There was silence for a moment as they considered this. He glanced around the group; they seemed unlikely to volunteer when a voice came from the back of the crowd. "I'll go, I'll do it."

He looked up, surprised. The voice was Awyrgan's, the last person he would expect to volunteer. As he watched the man, Awrygan added, "I'll watch them, but from the outside only unless circumstances require otherwise," Thorgil nodded, still bemused, but willing to let the man go to the settlement, though he was still fairly young, and unproven. He glanced around one last time and noticed the girl Alearindu watching Awrygan with an expression he could not identify. He considered for a moment. Two heads there would be better than one, though these particular heads could each be more reliable, and it would keep them both still in the same place and easy to keep an eye on. He said to Awrygan, "Alearindu shall accompany you." Both seemed startled, but made no objections. They went off to prepare and the rest of the men dispersed.

[ September 28, 2003: Message edited by: Bęthberry ]
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