Sir Osis
This was not the most noble decision he had made, but he wisdom should trump nobility. Sir Osis didn’t look back as he led his horse away as quietly as possible. He had not gone far when he heard shouting from the camp.
He reminded himself that he had made the best choice and that this was be better than none of them being freed. As he quickened his pace to make distance between himself and the camp, he even told himself that he would lead a rescue mission once he returned to the castle.
The shouting grew continuously fainter, and Sir Osis gave a prayer of thanks that they did not have hounds. Now it was just him, alone in the forest. Well, his horse was there too. This wasn’t right. He was supposed to protect the caravan, and here he was abandoning them to save his own hide.
“Ughhhh….”
Then there was that feeling in his head that he decided was akin to that of his brain being juiced like a lemon. More than anything, he wanted to lie under a tree and close his eyes for a while, perhaps forever, but he knew he had to keep going. He didn’t escape to die in the forest.
For what seemed an eon, he lumbered through the forest. Endless wandering. Nothing but trees and woodpeckers. Woodpeckers pounding at his brain. Endlessly pounding for hours and hours. All sounds were an indistinct drone in the presence of the woodpecker’s. Had he seen that tree before? No matter. They all looked the same anyway. Just a little farther, and he would be home. If only that cursed woodpecker would…
Sir Osis fell onto the carpet of brush and weeds. He was lost. Nobody was going to expect him home tonight. Thoughts of his lord’s son finding his remains while on a hunt passed through his mind before he realized such thoughts were silly. Wild animals would surely tear him apart before then.
He gripped his head and sat up. There was no way he could succumb to such dishonorable fate as that. Now if he only used the setting sun as a guidance, he could find his way home. If the sun sets in the east, and home lies northward, then I must go…this way.
Course in mind, he hurried through the brush as quickly as he can while he still had light. Before long, he heard a familiar sound, and it was no blasted woodpecker. Sir Osis let go of Alphonse’s bridle and stumbled towards the sound of the running water. When he reached the source, he gave a shout in excitement. Just across this stream and through a few trees was the castle, or was it? After he had taken a moment to actually look around, he soon realized that this was a very different part of the creek than the one near the castle, if it was even the same one.
This was fine. He could take this in stride. At least he would have some much-needed refreshment before he continued his journey tomorrow. Animals that he could hunt would probably come to drink too. Of course, that included animals of all sizes and levels of aggression, and he had neither sword nor bow, but that was fine. He was going to be just fine.
“A lovely evening, is it not, milord?” a feminine voice called.
“Huh?” Sir Osis turned to the source of the voice, a pale woman with what seemed to be the most striking blue eyes in the world. She was sitting on the bank of the stream with unbound, auburn hair joining her feet in the water.
“Oh, uh, good evening to you too,” he stammered. His being unaware of her presence until did not speak well of his current state of mind. He would have to be more careful, or next time he may not get a chance to see them.
“Thou seemest unwell. Did something happen to thee?
Sir Osis walked over to his horse and grabbed the bridle again. “Many things.”
The woman smiled and patted the rocky bank next to her. “Sit a while and tell me about it.”
Sir Osis hesitated a moment before tying Alphonse to a tree and walking to the bank.
“Go on. Sit,” she said pleasantly.
He looked around before sitting a short distance back from the water.
“Now, go on. What ails you, sir? Thy secrets are all safe with me.”
“Well I…I abandoned my duty to protect myself.”
The woman raised her eyebrows and smiled. “If thou hadn’t, would thee have been able to fulfill thy duty anyway?”
“Yes. Well, I don’t know. Likely not, but maybe. There was a chance I could have helped everyone, but I won’t know now.”
“I see. Well, what’s done is done. There is naught thou mayest do by dwelling on the past. Thou shouldst set thine eyes on what thou mayest do in the future that thou wouldst not have been able to do.” She moved closer to him and rested her head on her hands. “Thou must thirst. Wilt thou not take some water? Then stay a while and rest until the morning.”
He reminded himself that he had made the best choice and that this was be better than none of them being freed. As he quickened his pace to make distance between himself and the camp, he even told himself that he would lead a rescue mission once he returned to the castle.
The shouting grew continuously fainter, and Sir Osis gave a prayer of thanks that they did not have hounds. Now it was just him, alone in the forest. Well, his horse was there too. This wasn’t right. He was supposed to protect the caravan, and here he was abandoning them to save his own hide.
“Ughhhh….”
Then there was that feeling in his head that he decided was akin to that of his brain being juiced like a lemon. More than anything, he wanted to lie under a tree and close his eyes for a while, perhaps forever, but he knew he had to keep going. He didn’t escape to die in the forest.
For what seemed an eon, he lumbered through the forest. Endless wandering. Nothing but trees and woodpeckers. Woodpeckers pounding at his brain. Endlessly pounding for hours and hours. All sounds were an indistinct drone in the presence of the woodpecker’s. Had he seen that tree before? No matter. They all looked the same anyway. Just a little farther, and he would be home. If only that cursed woodpecker would…
Sir Osis fell onto the carpet of brush and weeds. He was lost. Nobody was going to expect him home tonight. Thoughts of his lord’s son finding his remains while on a hunt passed through his mind before he realized such thoughts were silly. Wild animals would surely tear him apart before then.
He gripped his head and sat up. There was no way he could succumb to such dishonorable fate as that. Now if he only used the setting sun as a guidance, he could find his way home. If the sun sets in the east, and home lies northward, then I must go…this way.
Course in mind, he hurried through the brush as quickly as he can while he still had light. Before long, he heard a familiar sound, and it was no blasted woodpecker. Sir Osis let go of Alphonse’s bridle and stumbled towards the sound of the running water. When he reached the source, he gave a shout in excitement. Just across this stream and through a few trees was the castle, or was it? After he had taken a moment to actually look around, he soon realized that this was a very different part of the creek than the one near the castle, if it was even the same one.
This was fine. He could take this in stride. At least he would have some much-needed refreshment before he continued his journey tomorrow. Animals that he could hunt would probably come to drink too. Of course, that included animals of all sizes and levels of aggression, and he had neither sword nor bow, but that was fine. He was going to be just fine.
“A lovely evening, is it not, milord?” a feminine voice called.
“Huh?” Sir Osis turned to the source of the voice, a pale woman with what seemed to be the most striking blue eyes in the world. She was sitting on the bank of the stream with unbound, auburn hair joining her feet in the water.
“Oh, uh, good evening to you too,” he stammered. His being unaware of her presence until did not speak well of his current state of mind. He would have to be more careful, or next time he may not get a chance to see them.
“Thou seemest unwell. Did something happen to thee?
Sir Osis walked over to his horse and grabbed the bridle again. “Many things.”
The woman smiled and patted the rocky bank next to her. “Sit a while and tell me about it.”
Sir Osis hesitated a moment before tying Alphonse to a tree and walking to the bank.
“Go on. Sit,” she said pleasantly.
He looked around before sitting a short distance back from the water.
“Now, go on. What ails you, sir? Thy secrets are all safe with me.”
“Well I…I abandoned my duty to protect myself.”
The woman raised her eyebrows and smiled. “If thou hadn’t, would thee have been able to fulfill thy duty anyway?”
“Yes. Well, I don’t know. Likely not, but maybe. There was a chance I could have helped everyone, but I won’t know now.”
“I see. Well, what’s done is done. There is naught thou mayest do by dwelling on the past. Thou shouldst set thine eyes on what thou mayest do in the future that thou wouldst not have been able to do.” She moved closer to him and rested her head on her hands. “Thou must thirst. Wilt thou not take some water? Then stay a while and rest until the morning.”