Before I thought we were doomed. But now we are actually doomed.
"How will you travel?" Sage asks, "Your horse is not healed enough to travel a long tedious journey, he must rest."
"That will not be a problem, Leo can take care of Zuri for me, and we can stop in Burnsley and I can buy a new horse,"
This is getting worse and worse, Sage and I were going to pass through Burnsley without much interactions except with the inn. As soon as transfers of money takes place you become remembered much more easily.
"What good thinking," Sage smiles, "we should be leaving as soon as possible if that works with you?"
"Yes, of course," Killian nods slowly, "I shall go speak to Luther and let him know about my change of plans."
Sage and I bow as he walks off and I let out a deep sigh.
"Ell, what are we going to do?"
"I don't know."
I look at the receding back of Killian walking away and my throat tightens. He's definitely not a man to cross.
"Sage, I don't think we're going to be able to walk away from this problem,"
"You mean we actually take him with us?"
I nod, grimacing, "I think it's our only option without drawing way too much attention to ourselves."
Sage lowers his voice, "And are we going to keep you as Leon?"
I pause, I think me staying as Leon is the best way to continue without raising unwanted questions.
"Yes, and we stick to the same story, everything stays exactly how we told it."
Sage runs a hand through his hair.
"This is going to be really difficult,"
"Agreed." I sigh.
"At least though we do have extra protection," he raises he hands up, shoulders lifting, as if offering up the good, "I am slightly concerned that we could run into some bad people,"
"Yeah, and I mean his company wont be all bad," I pull a face, "we hope."
"And hopefully God is looking upon us and blessing us with good luck," Sage adds.
I nod. What ever can help us, or at least give us hope that we can get away with this, is good, whether I believe in God or not.
"We too however, should also grab our things and be ready to move out." Sage says, starting to walk around a tent, "I'm thinking that at our next opportunity, when Killian isn't around, I will need to teach you basic riding, before he gets his own horse and finds it odd that you can't ride."
"Wait, speaking of horses, do you know where ours are?" I glance left and right, not seeing them.
"Leo has been tending to them well, they should be tied up just around here," We round the corner of the tent, and I see that he is right. Griffin and Winnie are both munching happily on a patch of grass, loosely tied to a post and also all tacked, near to them
We both go over and greet them.
"Hello Griffin my handsome boy," He lifts his head and sniffs me, his soft muzzle snuffling at my hand, I laugh "I'm sorry boy, I don't have any food for you."
"But I do!" Chirps up a now familiar voice from behind me.
"Leo!"
"I brought them each a carrot, as a goodbye from me," Its then that he notices Sage grabbing the bags and his eyes drop to the ground, "you guys are leaving now aye?" he says, the energy dropping.
"Yes, we are," I go over to him and squat, "but we will meet again little dude,"
"Really?"
"Yes, I know we will, at some point,"
But maybe I'll be Novella next time instead of Leon.
Leo straightens his back, "Until next time then,"
I smile and he goes over to say his farewells to the horses and Sage. Both horses happily munch away at the goodbye carrot gift as Sage attaches the final bags and then gives Leo a fist bump.
"All right time to go, lets hope that Killian is ready."
"Killian will be ready, he is always on time," Leo chimes in.
Suddenly an idea strikes me, "Leo, do you want to ride Griffin around to Killian?"
His eyes widen and he points to himself, "Me? Ride Griffin to Killian?"
"Yes, thats a brilliant idea!" Sage wanders around to Griffin, "Come here and I can give you a leg up."
He forms a small platform with his hands and Leo almost flies over the top of Griffin as he swings his legs up with much enthusiasm.
"Wow, its high up here!" He peers down at the ground, "This is wonderful!"
"All right, time for you to get on now Leon," Sage says.
I walk over to Winnie and hoist myself up into the saddle, my mounting skills have been improving. Once sitting upright in the saddle I groan, "Laddy, you didn't warn me about how sore this would be," I wriggle around and the ache is still there in my lower body, "I am so stiff!"
"Don't worry, after the first few days of riding it should get better,"
My eyes widen, and I echo him. "Should get better?"
"Yes, your body just needs to adjust, you have probably been using muscles that have never been used before, just give it time and once we get going it should stop acing as much."
I groan again, my legs feels so weak but hard and painful.
Sage just laughs at my pain, "Suck it up laddy,"
"Well, let us see how you feel when you get up here," I smirk.
"Haha, I will be completely fine, I'm used to riding daily, its part of the job description." He winks, "And plus, I'm not getting up there till we find Killian."
"Wait, what?" My voice rises in tone, which I quickly notice and I take a deep breath, "that means I'm going to be riding up here, alone,"
"Why would that be a problem?" Leo asks.
"Oh no," I exclaim, shaking my head and quickly thinking on the spot, "not a problem, just Winnie is Sage's horse, not mine,"
"Oh, well she seems like a lovely horse when I've been tending to her, I don't think you have anything to worry about."
Nothing except I have never ridden before.
I gulp but smile to Leo whilst running a hand through Winnie's grey mane to cover up my trembling hand.
"Let us go find Killian."
Sage nods, "Walk on."
A slight lurch and we're off, at a slow walk. Sage is holding both horses on a lead rope, thankfully, so the worry of Winnie bolting and me falling off has lessened slightly.
My racing pulse has also calmed down, the further we go, the more it gets back into the rhythm, my whole body does actually and before I know it, I'm relaxed.
"Leo, I can already tell you're going to be a good knight," Sage looks up at Leo, "your balance on Griffin is incredible."
"Thank you Sage for the belief you have in me, maybe," he pauses, "when it comes to the time of me having my own horse, and if of course you wanted to, you could help me choose and train it?"
Sage stops and bows, "I would be honoured."
"I'm so glad to hear that! How will I find you?"
"You will find me either in Tanhorpe or Sanlowe, and if in neither of those, probably somewhere in between. Just ask around and I will listen to the words of men. Talk as you know, gets around."
"I will find you, for I trust you, and your horses."
For someone of such a young age, Leo is incredibly wise,
"And of course, Leon, carrier of almost the same name as mine, I hope we run into each other again and go on some daring adventure and slay a dragon!" He chirps, "And then I can rescue a princess and then — Oooo look, there is Kai!" Leo points to two men.
I look and see that he his right, Killian is embracing another man, but then they break apart, laughing.
"Farewell fine knight, go be a hero!"
"Of course my friend, you know me!" I see a true smile lit up on Killian's face.
"See you some time in the new season then! I expect you, at the latest, to be ridding over the hills to celebrate and drink wine with me again when the new born lambs are prancing in the fields and the daffodils are sprouting."
"Oh Henry, don't go getting all poetic on me, that's for your wife,"
"Oh begone with you, your ride is here," Henry jokingly shoves him.
They share one more embrace and then Killian turns to us, face serious again, and then spots Leo up on Griffin.
"I'm thinking that you, little Leo, have been saving my spot up on this fine horse."
"Yes!" Leo then slides off Griffin and goes to Killian. "Sage said I'm already a good rider!"
Killain places the sack he's carrying beside him and crouches down in front of Leo, "I think then, once I'm back, we shall begin serious horse riding, but in the mean time, look after Zuri well, I'm trusting him with you."
"Of course Kai!" Leo lurches forwards and wraps his small arms around the much larger man.
"Goodbye little one, be safe and make sure to dodge the plague."
"And you also, look after my friends, they are good lads!"
Leo then untangles from Killian and stands to the side as Killian stands up and goes over to Sage.
"Which horse should I add my belongings to?"
"Here, pass them here and I'll attach them onto Griffin," Killian passes the sack over to Sage and then greets Griffin who eagerly buffs his head into Killian and starts snuffling around for food.
Oh what a food obsessed horse I seem to have.
"Feel free to now get up on Griffin," Sages comes around the side of Griffin, "bag is now safely attached."
And then both men swing themselves up onto the horses, Sage right behind me.
"Onwards," Sage clicks his tongue and we are off once more, walking away from the camp that seems as though it was almost never existent as they have packed down so well.
"The weather is still on our side, and God bless us in the future with good weather," Sage says from behind me.
"Yes, we have the weather on our side, for now." Killian replies.
And then there is pause, no one talks and all I can hear is the horses hooves on the dusty track and birds singing in the skies. What a crazy journey this will be.
"Thank you for lending me your horse," Killian makes eye contact with me, his piecing gaze making me want to look far away but I don't, I look right back and nod.
"Leon here doesn't like to talk much," Sage puts in.
"Yes, I noticed," Killian replies slowly, his eyes turning back to the track. Its then I realise, we must be extra cautious, because not only must we be covering our tracks behind us, but also all the time, not even the slightest slip up, because Killian is smart and a powerful figure.
A/N:
And they are off once more, on their way to Burnsley. I'm thinking of putting in a map of Ardonshire at some point when I get around to making one, then it would be a lot easier to picture their journey :)
Any how, hope you enjoyed this chapter, saddening that we have to say goodbye to Leo for now, he's a fun character to write but we will cross paths with him again, I promise ;)
SouthernAlps over and out...