[littlemanpoet]

"Where were you?" Thornden demanded, for Falco had just led Garmund back into the circular enclosure.

"Exploring," Falco answered with a tip of his head in the direction from which they had come. He winked at Garmund, who flashed a smile.

Thornden saw the wink and scowled, turning to the boy. "Garmund, I told you to stay here! And Master Boffin, you were supposed to stay and watch him!"

Falco raised his head and stood straight, pulling himself to as much height as he owned. "You've no call ordering me around, Master Thornden, almbudsman or not, as I ain't beholden to you for nothing but my word. And my word is that I'm beholden to Garstan for they boy, as much as you, and here he is safe and sound and never out from under my eye. I just wish I could say the same for your care of him, leavin' him all alone to be stumbled on by anyone at all. Lucky it was for us that it was Trystan who found him and not some scoundrel we don't know from an orc."

"I-" Thornden began to protest but Falco cut him off.

"Now I won't go tellin' on you to Garstan that you left the boy all alone, leastways not lest you do somethin' so tweenish again!"

Thornden was beginning to turn a strange color in the face, which Falco took for pent up dander. He admitted to himself that he was having more fun riling the almbudsman than he ought to, but there it was.