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littlemanpoet · 08-22-2007, 05:29 PM

He was just a child, of course. Rowenna's words had done what they were supposed to do, see what he was made of. And of course he revealed far more than he meant to. She jumped back when he kicked the bucket, but not enough to miss getting wet. She shook her head at his antics, now full of woe for his misdeed. He was more a slave than he could possibly understand, but it would do no good to explain that to him. Maybe some day he would break free of some of it, enough to choose his enslavements.

When he lifted the hem of her skirt in his hand and realized that his cloth was in fact her skirt, the look on his face almost made Rowenna lose control and fall into a fit of giggling again. Silly boy. She sighed, forced the smile off of her face, and spoke quietly.

"Javan, look at me." Slowly the boy raised his hanging head and met her eyes. "Come with me to the kitchen and ask Frodides for towels. I'll need to refill the bucket now. The water was getting too cold at any rate."

"But your skirt is all wet!" He was close to tears.

"What of it? Skirts dry after a while." She rose. "Come with me."

She led him down the hallway and to the kitchen, wondering about Javan's claim that she was feeling sorry for herself. It could not be right, but she found it hard to shake it from her thoughts.

~*~

Eodwine had been listening from around the corner. He had feared that he would be found out by Léof, but he had passed the other way also. Eodwine had been intrigued by the oddity of the boy striking up a conversation with the young woman that most everyone else left alone; she seemed to prefer being left alone. So when she had become almost conversational, Eodwine had been curious to find out what she would say to such a boy. Her replies had been strange, while Javan's had been exactly what one might expect from such a high spirited lad. Did Rowenna really view herself as an escaped slave and orphan? Doubtless, her two years among the outlaws had been harmful. But how much so? There was no way to know without having known her before it happened. Eodwine shrugged and came out of the shadows. He walked by the wet floor and followed the pair, some way behind now, toward the kitchen, to break his fast.

08-22-2007, 05:29 PM	#864
littlemanpoet Itinerant Songster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Edge of Faerie Posts: 7,066	He was just a child, of course. Rowenna's words had done what they were supposed to do, see what he was made of. And of course he revealed far more than he meant to. She jumped back when he kicked the bucket, but not enough to miss getting wet. She shook her head at his antics, now full of woe for his misdeed. He was more a slave than he could possibly understand, but it would do no good to explain that to him. Maybe some day he would break free of some of it, enough to choose his enslavements. When he lifted the hem of her skirt in his hand and realized that his cloth was in fact her skirt, the look on his face almost made Rowenna lose control and fall into a fit of giggling again. Silly boy. She sighed, forced the smile off of her face, and spoke quietly. "Javan, look at me." Slowly the boy raised his hanging head and met her eyes. "Come with me to the kitchen and ask Frodides for towels. I'll need to refill the bucket now. The water was getting too cold at any rate." "But your skirt is all wet!" He was close to tears. "What of it? Skirts dry after a while." She rose. "Come with me." She led him down the hallway and to the kitchen, wondering about Javan's claim that she was feeling sorry for herself. It could not be right, but she found it hard to shake it from her thoughts. ~*~ Eodwine had been listening from around the corner. He had feared that he would be found out by Léof, but he had passed the other way also. Eodwine had been intrigued by the oddity of the boy striking up a conversation with the young woman that most everyone else left alone; she seemed to prefer being left alone. So when she had become almost conversational, Eodwine had been curious to find out what she would say to such a boy. Her replies had been strange, while Javan's had been exactly what one might expect from such a high spirited lad. Did Rowenna really view herself as an escaped slave and orphan? Doubtless, her two years among the outlaws had been harmful. But how much so? There was no way to know without having known her before it happened. Eodwine shrugged and came out of the shadows. He walked by the wet floor and followed the pair, some way behind now, toward the kitchen, to break his fast.