We followed the trail back to the small village at a slow pace. With my guest tied up, he couldn't ride very well. I could see no trace of the caravan on the trail, Sir Paljin had gotten to them before they got too far along the trail. That was good news, but if a scout had checked the crossing, they would surely be moving towards it by now.
"Are you sure you didn't see any rides coming along this trail?"
"Yes, We saw no one."
Something was wrong. If the scout saw the two men, he would have held returned and reported to Sir Jacob. He would have sent a small group to take the men and clear the crossing.
"It seems we are going to be riding alone together for a longer time than I had thought. What is your name?"
"My name is Rolf."
"How old are you Rolf?"
"I just saw my 17th winter."
"What is the name of the village you come from?"
"I haven't seen my village since my fifth winter. I don't remember the name of it."
"Where do you call home then?"
"I don't have a home. I travel with the army from place to place. I've done that for as long as I can remember."
"You've been with the army since you were 5?"
"Yes, I traveled with he support caravan and helped wash small clothes and prepare meals When I was old enough to carry a sword, they put one in my hands and had me battle in the infantry. Once I learned to ride a horse, I became a scout."
"Why did you leave your village so young?"
"I didn't leave. The Raiders came and destroyed my village, and took me with them. That is what they do. They destroy villages, kill the adults and take the kids to become soldiers when they are old enough."
"Why did you stay with them once you had a horse and could ride away?"
"There is no getting away from the Raiders. They never stop. They are always marching and fighting, and if they catch you trying to leave, then you aren't killed right away. You are tortured and used as an example in front of the rest of the soldiers. They keep you on a wagon attached to a cross during the day, and they torture you at the evening meals as dinnertime entertainment."
"That is terrible. Would you really turn? You are away from them now and I can't promise that they won't catch you, but I will help you to try and get away. You could fight with us."
"I would turn. I have no loyalty to them. They have treated me like an animal since they took me, but fighting is still fighting, and I don't want to fight anymore."
"Even if it's for your own freedom? You would be fighting for something instead of someone."
"Yeah, but aren't you still fighting for someone? I mean, you do have a King that you live under don't you?"
"Well, yes, but he doesn't force us to fight for him, we want to fight for him. To protect the Realm and all the people who live here. This is a nice place when Raiders aren't killing everyone and invading our lands."
"I can see your point, but in the end, you are still doing all of this at the whim of one person. Your King very well may be good and just, but does he fight alongside his men?"
"I can't tell you that, but I do know that he fought alongside his men many years ago, when his father was beginning to be the very type of king you are talking about."
"Hmmm, maybe your King is different then."
We rode in silence for the rest of the way. The small village came into sight and there was no sign of Sir Jacob and the caravan, nor any sign of a scout that was left behind to guard their rear. There were plenty of tracks here. They were scattered about with no form of direction, It wasn't until rode further along the trail that I could see that the caravan had turned and rode in the opposite direction. They were going back the way they came.
It was beginning to get late in the day, so I decided to stay at the village again. This time I took the horses and Rolf to the village center. It wasn't much more than a smoothed over patch of land with huts surrounding it, but it would protect us from sight from the trail. I tied the horses after getting Rolf down, and tied them in a small stable off the side of the common area. I kept Rolf's hands tied but let his legs free No sense in leaving him untied yet. I couldn't trust him yet, despite his story. They could be just that, stories.
"Do you have any rations in your saddlebags?"
"Yes, I have some dried meat, and bread."
"I'll get it for you. Don't try and run. I will catch you, and if I have to do that, I can't promise that you will remain alive."
"I have no need to go anywhere. What would I report. that a lone rider got the better of me and my partner and then took me captive for the day?"
"I guess that is exactly what you could report."
"They would kill me on the spot for failure to perform my duty."
"Well, that is a deterrent then isn't it?"
I walked to the stable keeping my eyes on Rolf to see if he would run, but he never made a move, other than to sit on the ground leaning on the wall of a hut. I checked his bags and all he had was a bed roll, a small wrapped sack of dried meat, and a small loaf of bread bundled in a second bag. They really didn't expect him to be gone long, or they didn't expect him to live.
I return to the common area, and Rolf was fast asleep. He must have stayed up the entire night before on the march and then was told to hold the crossing. I put his supplies near him and let him sleep. the quiet was deafening in the tiny village. There wasn't even the song of a bird. The horses didn't make a sound either, it's as if everything was keeping us hidden.
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