XXIV - Bellmare

30 3 0
                                    

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

The Kingdom of Nithalandia - BellmareOctober 1138 (present day)Elizabeth

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

The Kingdom of Nithalandia - Bellmare
October 1138 (present day)
Elizabeth

Elizabeth and Baltaire had been walking for days. They had crossed over the hills where the shepherds ran their sheep, passed through the wheat fields surrounding Alderdeen which helped provide bread to the people, and were currently traveling through a forest. 

After her last experience in a forest, Liz's nerves were fried. She kept expecting bandits or wild animals to jump out at them at every turn. Baltaire on the other hand seemed to not share her concerns. He was currently whistling a tune that she had heard many a times from the bards that would sing at Gadleigh Castle. He held his bow loosely in his right hand, his sword swung gently at his hip. 

Over the past week and a half or so, Liz had finally gotten used to carrying the sword at her hip. It didn't seem to weigh her down as much as it had before and now she was in the habit of walking with her hand resting on its hilt. 

Liz and Baltaire had spent their days walking and hunting. Baltaire had done a good job of providing rabbits, squirrels, and several other smaller creatures for their meals. He'd told Liz that he wouldn't shoot anything too big because the meat would spoil before they could eat it all, unfortunately that meant they had to hunt for their meals everyday.

In the evenings, Baltaire had been giving Liz sword fighting lessons. In the beginning, she could barely even lift her sword, but as the days progressed and her muscles started to become used to the work, she slowly started to notice subtle improvements. Her arms didn't shake as much when she parried Baltaire anymore, and while she had never beat him, she was noticing that their sparring matches were becoming longer, meaning she was beginning to hold her own. 

For the most part, things had been going well. They had only come across peasants on the road and none of them paid any attention to Liz or Baltaire besides a nod or wave in passing. Liz had noticed that her dresses were becoming a little looser than they had been to start with, however. All of the walking and sword fighting seemed to be toning her muscles and her skin was tanning from being out in the sun so much. She was starting to look more the part of a peasant herself, and less like a princess cooped up in a castle all the time.

From Riches to RagsWhere stories live. Discover now