Lord T’emlin Carayn turned in his saddle and looked back at the guards, who were urging their horses onward in an attempt to catch up.

“You shouldn’t leave us behind, my Lord,” the one guard shouted.

“I can take care of myself,” T’emlin huffed. “I don’t see why Avrinly insisted on sending you people along.”

“You are carrying extremely valuable documents, to an area in close proximity to hostile territory,” the second guard replied, drawing near enough to his charge that he no longer needed to shout.

“I am just going home, don’t be absurd,” T’emlin replied.

“Your home is very near to the Maaskalan border; it isn’t safe, for you or your wife,” the guard frowned.

“My wife can take care of herself, too,” T’emlin muttered under his breath.

“You are a key member of the queen’s military command. She strongly suggests that you consider moving closer to the capital.”

“The queen was strongly suggesting that the entire time I was in Ayveness. But the Lady Carayn loves her home and will not consider moving. There is no more to say on the matter,” T’emlin replied with finality.

The guards exchanged looks, but wisely said nothing further.

“How far are we now?” T’emlin asked.

“We should be there in a few hours, if we continue without resting,” one guard replied, shielding his eyes as he surveyed the horizon.

The two men looked so similar in their armour that T’emlin didn’t even bother trying to tell them apart. He had never even asked their names, honestly. He didn’t like having guards shadowing his every movement, and so he did his level best to ignore their presence.

“Well then, what are we waiting for?” he spurred his mount on and cantered off down the dusty road.

Lord T’emlin Carayn was eager to get home. He had much to discuss with his wife. Things would be coming to a head soon, and he needed her counsel. The exasperated guards drove their heels into the flanks of their own horses and gave chase.

As the little group crested the hill, something caught T’emlin’s eye, and he reigned his horse in abruptly. There was a burst of cursing and neighing behind him as the guards frantically yanked on their own reigns to avoid a collision, but T’emlin kept his eyes on the ground before him. Dismounting, he approached until he could finally identify what had drawn his attention: there, lying in a ditch beside the road, was a woman. She was sprawled on her stomach, arms stretched out in front of her, long black hair spread out around her head. Her once fine clothing was torn and muddied, though some of that ‘mud’ may have been blood, and she appeared to be unconscious. T’emlin swung down off his horse and cautiously approached her prone form. Brushing the hair away from her face, he noticed a bloody gash running along her hair line. She was alive, as her skin was warm and he could feel a pulse at her neck, but she did not stir in response to his touch.

“Come over here,” he shouted to his escorts. “Help me with her!”

Both men dismounted and rushed over. Bending down, one grasped her arms, one her legs and lifted her up onto the road, turning her onto her back. T’emlin grabbed his bag and knelt down beside her; carefully he wrapped her head in gauze, though the bleeding did not seem serious at this point, it was better to be safe than sorry. That done, he swung back onto his horse.

“Lift her up here,” he instructed. “We’ll take her back to the house. Avrinly will be able to tend to her wounds better then I can.”

“Are you sure this is wise, sir?” one guard asked. “We don’t know who this woman is.”

“What would you have me do, leave her to die here on the roadside?” he asked hotly. “She is obviously injured, she needs help.”

The guards hesitated, but they knew better then to argue with their superior, so they relented, lifting the woman up onto T’emlin’s horse. He adjusted his position so that she wouldn’t fall, then nudged the animal into a gentle trot. His bodyguards scrambled for their own horses and followed after him. He knew he should play the role better. He was supposed to be a brilliant strategist, a ruthless commander, a military genius. Some would consider this to be directly opposed to that: dangerous, foolish and overly sentimental. It may seem a strange contradiction, but T’emlin knew that for the most part, people would just accept it. That was the way of genius, after all: unpredictable. So, he did what he wished.

They rode hard, T’emlin allowed them to stop only briefly when the horses were overtaxed. They made good time, and by dawn the manor was in sight, looming in the distance, obscuring the rising sun. It was only a matter of time now, but the girl was still unconscious and T’emlin was worried. If she had a serious injury to her brain, every moment could be bringing her closer to death. Encouraged by the site of his home, he redoubled his pace. Avrinly would be waiting.

By the time Lord T’emlin arrived at the manor it was near noon. The servants arrived to greet him and take his horse but instead he passed them down an unconscious woman.

“Go get my wife,” he told the nearest stable boy, who immediately scampered off into the house.

T’emlin swung down from his mount and handed the reins over to another boy. A few moments later his guards finally caught up, their horses lathered with sweat. T’emlin ignored them and knelt next to the girl; he peeled back the wrap around her head and was pleased to notice that it had bled very little. As he rose again, he saw Lady Avrinly Carayn stepped out into the yard, her long hair bound in braids that encircled her head and clothed in an elegant silk gown that brushed the ground as she walked.

“Darling, how was your trip?” she greeted her husband affectionately.

T’emlin turned to meet her; he reached out and lifted her chin, kissing her tenderly.

“My trip was fine, but that can wait a moment. I have someone I need you to have a look at, my dear.”

Avrinly glanced over and saw the woman, lying prone on the grass, dried blood crusted on her face and clothing.

“What happened to her?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” T’emlin replied. “I found her by the road, less than a day’s ride from here.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Just like this?”

“Well, I bandaged her head.”

“That’s good dear, you did the right thing,” she patted his arm reassuringly.

She knelt and studied the woman for a moment before nodding briskly.

“Alright,” Avrinly turned to address the servants. “Give the Queen’s guards fresh horses and send them on their way, please. Thank you for your service gentlemen.”

The guards knew a dismissal when they heard one, and despite the softness of the lady’s voice, it had obviously been a command. They handed their reins over to the servants and followed them towards the barn.

“They are an odd couple, aren’t they?” one commented.

“Oh yeah,” the other muttered, not quite as quietly as he thought. “I hear he doesn’t take a breath without her approval.”

“Some commander,” the first man snorted.

T’emlin wasn’t surprised by their feelings, but he did wish they at least deigned to hide it a bit better. Hopefully, Avrinly hadn’t heard that. As the guards disappeared from sight, his wife reached a hand out to touch the mystery woman.

“How bad is it, Avrinly?” T’emlin asked gently.

“Well, if she’s been unconscious for hours, then I’d say it’s quite bad,” Avrinly replied.

“Can you do anything for her?”

“Of course I can,” she rolled her eyes. “But T’emlin, it’s dangerous to pick up strangers on the road. You shouldn’t be taking such risks.”

“I know,” T’emlin hung his head. “But what did you want me to do, leave her there? Besides, the guards were with me, what could happen?”

Avrinly’s expression softened,

“You are a too kind for your own good, T’emlin, has anyone ever told you that?”

T’emlin just smiled. His wife was usually a brutally practical, even cruel person, but she could refuse him nothing. He often tried to use his influence to teach her a little compassion, even if she was just pretending for his benefit. She placed her hand lightly on the woman’s forehead and closed her eyes.

Avrinly focused on the young woman before her, trying to find and mend her injuries. It was more difficult than it usually was, as she was having trouble identifying the source of the woman’s unconsciousness. Still, head injuries could be tricky like that, so she pressed on, enhancing the woman’s natural healing in a more general way. It seemed effective, because after several moments, the stranger’s eyes fluttered open. She stared up with a blank lack of comprehension for a moment, then as she regained her senses, her eyes widened with fear. Panicked, she tried to push herself away from them, but Avrinly placed a gentle hand on her arm, to calm her.

“It’s alright, we just want to help you,” T’emlin said softly. “I am T’emlin, and this is my wife, Avrinly. I found you by the side of the road. Can you tell me what happened to you?”

His words didn’t seem to calm her.

“I…I don’t remember,” she stammered.

“How about your name, dear?” Avrinly prompted.

The girl paused, blinking slowly for a moment before she shook her head softly,

“I don’t know,” she covered her face with her hands and began to sob.

“It’s alright,” T’emlin tried to sound soothing.

“Why don’t I remember my name?” she whimpered, her breath coming in short, frantic gasps.

They let her weep for a moment, tears streaming from her light grey eyes. After a time, she composed herself enough to speak.

“What am I going to do?” her voice was heavy with despair. “I don’t even know where my home is. Where will I go?”

“Don’t you worry about that right now,” T’emlin said reassuringly, patting her shoulder. “Consider yourself our guest. We will get you a room and you can put on some clean clothes. You’ll feel better in no time. I’m sure your memory will return.”

She looked up at him with shimmering eyes.

“Thank you,” she breathed. “Both of you, you are so kind.”

“It is no trouble,” Avrinly said, motioning for a servant to approach. “Go with this girl, she will take you to a guest room and find you some clothes. We will talk more when you have freshened up.”

The mysterious woman nodded, brushing tears from her eyes. Rising to her feet, she followed the servant into the house. Avrinly and T’emlin watched her go.

“What do you think?” T’emlin asked.

Avrinly crossed her arms over her chest,

“It is strange,” she replied. “When I healed her, she didn’t seem that badly injured. Certainly nothing that should have left her unconscious for so long. And what would she be doing all the way out there, alone?”

“Well, young people do foolish things. It is perfectly reasonable to think that she was out riding alone, maybe she met with an accident, maybe her horse bolted. There are a dozen innocent reasons for her to be out there. And perhaps she had mostly healed on her own, during the journey. Maybe she would have woken shortly, with no intervention at all.”

Avrinly considered for a moment. That was a lot of ‘maybes.’

“It’s possible,” Avrinly sighed at last. “But we should still keep an eye on her, just in case.”

“You are too suspicious, my darling,” T’emlin smiled fondly at his wife. “People are rarely plotting against you.”

“And you are too naïve,” Avrinly returned his smile, trying to keep the tension out of it.

She would be kind to the woman, for her husband’s sake, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. And it didn’t mean that she wouldn’t keep a close eye on their new guest. Whatever she was here for, Avrinly would find out soon enough. She had also couldn’t help but notice how attractive the young woman was, and she didn’t want her husband’s eyes straying from her. Resolving to keep him occupied and away from their mystery guest while she recovered, Avrinly lead T’emlin into the house.

**

Av’ry gave his home one last glance. He wasn’t sure how long it would be before he would be back. But there was no time to be sentimental, so with a sigh Av’ry heaved his pack over his shoulder and walked away quickly. After reviewing more of Fox’s notes, he had reaffirmed his decision. It seemed that the next logical step would be to head to Maaskal and find this K’ivin, as quickly as possible. With that plan in mind, Av’ry walked down the street to the stable; he had purchased a horse yesterday, and it was already saddled and waiting for him. The trip to the Maaskalan border would take about 3 days, and then it would take another 2 days to reach the capital city, Telvanar. If he pushed hard enough, he might be able to make it faster and faster was definitely better. According to the rumours, the invasion was going to start as soon as Istaria’s armies were moved into position, they weren’t even planning to officially declare war. Dirty pool, but then, he would expect nothing less from Istaria. Arriving at the stable Av’ry paid the owner, threw his bags on the horse, and led the animal out of the stable. He had a lot of rough days ahead of him, and frankly, Av’ry wasn’t sure that he was up for it. He wasn’t exactly in great shape, at least not like he used to be, and spending a solid week on a horse was not easy on a body. On the plus side, he reflected, it would be a good way to get back in the swing of things, jump in with both feet. And the physical activity would be a good distraction from… other temptations. He hoped. He swung into the saddle and kicked his horse into a trot.

He left the town behind and moved into the open fields that lay beyond the gates. It was nice to be on the road again, like old times. Back when Fox had been alive. Life had made sense then, when they had only worked for money. Well, he had only worked for money, anyway. Av’ry had initially been attracted to the work of a Hound by the money on offer. The pay for investigative work was good, especially if you could find a wealthy patron. He’d originally sought out Taevyn Fox because she was reputed to be the best in the business. He had planned to shadow her, learn the tricks of the trade and then strike out on his own and make some real coin. Av’ry couldn’t help but laugh, thinking back to it now; he hadn’t been prepared for someone like Fox, someone with true passion and dedication. It was something he had never really experienced before. She genuinely loved what she did, and it was contagious. It didn’t take long for him to realize that he loved the thrill of the hunt too, and he was even pretty good at it. Fox became his mentor, then his partner, eventually his family. Somehow, he never got around to striking out on his own.

Smiling as he rode across the hillside, Av’ry reflected on just how much he had changed in the years since he’d met her. They really had helped people, back then. Poor people, desperate people that he wouldn’t have given a second glance, before. Of course, that wasn’t to say he had changed completely; he had fought with her almost constantly about money, always trying to convince her to take on more lucrative clients. He usually lost. It seemed he was going to lose one last time, because here he was riding into the middle of a war, and he certainly had no client to compensate him for it. But some things were worth more than gold.

Putting the past aside for the moment, Av’ry reached into his bag and pulled out a map. It had been some time since he had been to Telvanar, so he spent a moment orienting himself and checking his route. That done, Av’ry kicked his horse into a gallop, and headed east. He wanted to reach the highway before nightfall, so he didn’t have to camp out in the plains. As much fun as bandits and highwaymen were, he wasn’t really in the mood today.