The Charlatan

Chapter Four

| Chapter Four |

I awoke the morning of the quest with Tandy's face in view. She was smiling grimly, both her hands on my chest, shaking me awake. I groaned at the pain of her hands on my sore body and she called me to get up and get dressed, it was time to leave.

The world was a haze of leftover dreams and interrupted sleep. I wanted to roll back over and pretend to be asleep, praying she would leave me alone. But I knew Tandy well, and that was a prayer that would never be answered. I sat up and pulled up the woolen shirt I'd fallen to sleep in, seeing immediately a dark bruise across my chest horizontally. I grimaced and Tandy gasped, but there was little I could do about it.

"Can you fix this Tandy?" I asked her and she nodded, disappearing behind the doors of an armoire and coming towards me with a small glass jar of white cream. She pushed me back down onto the bed and pulled up my shirt. I closed my eyes tight, trying to stifle a blush as she pushed aside the wraps I used to hide my breasts and applied the cream onto my bruise.

"If your ribs are broken m'lady, this quest will be nigh impossible," she murmured to me, carefully running her fingers on my darkened skin. I thought she was beautiful when she was concentrating, and I told her so.

"You keep you eyes off me, Whalen," she poked my rib and I groaned, painfully holding my chest. "You've got a princess to rescue, so worry about her, not me," she told me curtly and put the cream away, throwing my clothes on top of me. I got dressed gingerly and asked her what she knew about the black witch and the land of Devon.

"Nothin' more then the stories we've all heard," she replied, dismissing my inquiry. "This is a fools errand, I suspect the king hopes you'll never return."

I had guessed as much myself. We had packed for the trip in short order, taking with us only that which would be vital. My suit of armor stayed behind, and I opted instead for my leather and chain mail shirt over a cotton blouse, and the sturdiest pair of breeches I had. Tandy of course would never be persuaded to ride in pants or wear them at all, and I rolled my eyes at her indigence when I suggested it. In that respect she was a total woman.

Dennison was waiting for us at the stables, already mounted on his mare, saddle bags packed neatly. He was holding the reins to three other horses, one which was weighed down with our provisions, food, weapons, clothes, another bay for Tandy and my horse Firestone, who neighed when I came near.

Firestone was my Fathers first gift to me when I became a knight. I'd grown up learning to ride and fight on that horse, and although it took my father years to be proud of what I had accomplished for his name and the kingdom, his giving me Firestone as a gift said more to me then he had in words.

I rubbed the horses side and cinched her saddle, tightening the straps before climbing into the stirrups.

"Goodmorn, Sir Dennison," I nodded to the man who was watching me with a hard face but soft eyes. "Are we prepared to depart?"

"Ah, enough of the formalities, Whalen' let's be on our way," he smiled and I laughed. I never addressed him as a sir. Tandy wore a worried expression as she followed is through the caste's market side saddle. Men and women and children stopped to wish us farewell, soldiers under my command raising their swords to me, Dennison's men wishing him safe travels. I knew Tandy hated to be the center of attention.

"My Lady!" I heard a voice call over the din and turned in my saddle, assuming the call was for me. A tall lean man made his way through the gathering crowd towards our party of three, a bouquet of flowers in his hands. I rolled my eyes, praying to everything that was holy that he wasn't about to approach me with his gift.

"My Lady Tandy," he said when he was close enough to speak. Tandy looked down at him in surprise and I grinned. This was the last thing she would have expected. He held up his bouquet to her, placing one hand on his chest. "Please my Lady, take this token of my love for you, and come home soon, unharmed," he wished her farewell, reaching up to hand her the flowers and take her hand.