What followed was a day of travel and a night of casual conversation around a cozy campfire before they arrived at the village in the morning.
Aegis made sure to make an entrance.
The stagecoach rolled into Lenninsale’s main square at a leisurely pace, giving everyone plenty of ti to notice it. And notice it they did. Farrs stopped mid-stride. Children pointed and tugged at their mothers’ sleeves. A few old n sitting outside what looked like the local tavern squinted at the fancy vehicle like they weren’t sure it was real.
Aegis stepped out first, dressed in her best traveling clothes, the Valdria Sigil Ring glinting on her finger. She swept her gaze across the gathered crowd with the kind of serene confidence she’d practiced in the mirror about a dozen tis.
"Good people of Lenninsale," she announced, projecting her voice across the square. "I am Lady Aegis Starcaller. I’ve co to deal with your griffin problem."
Silence.
Then, murmuring. A lot of murmuring. Aegis caught snippets here and there.
"Starcaller?"
"The Winter Trials champion?"
"She ca all the way out here?"
"For us?"
[Perfect. Exactly the reaction I was hoping for.]
Rosalie climbed out of the stagecoach behind her, looking significantly less comfortable with all the attention. She clutched her bag of alchemical supplies to her chest.
"I need to speak with your lord," Aegis continued. "Take to him."
One of the villagers, a middle-aged man with dirt on his hands and shock on his face, stepped forward and bowed awkwardly.
"R-Right this way, my Lady."
He led them through the village, past simple wooden houses and fields that had clearly seen better days. Aegis spotted scorch marks on a few rooftops, claw gouges in the dirt, a pen that had been smashed to splinters. The griffin had been busy.
Lord Helmin’s house was the largest building in town, which wasn’t saying much. It was a two-story structure made of stone and wood, modest by noble standards but practically a mansion compared to everything else around it.
The lord himself was waiting at the entrance. He was an older man, maybe late fifties, with grey hair and tired eyes and the kind of permanent frown that ca from dealing with too many problems and not enough solutions.
"Lady Starcaller." He bowed, stiffly. "I... wasn’t expecting soone of your stature to answer our petition."
"I aim to exceed expectations." Aegis smiled. "Tell about the griffin."
Helmin led them inside, to a cramped study filled with papers and maps and half-empty cups of cold tea. He explained the situation in grim detail. The griffin had appeared about three weeks ago. It nested sowhere in the hills to the north, ca down every few days to hunt. Livestock at first, then it got bolder. Attacked a farr who tried to defend his cattle. The man survived, barely.
"We’ve sent requests to every lord and guild in the region," Helmin said, rubbing his forehead. "No one’s responded. They all have bigger problems, apparently."
"Well, I’m here now." Aegis leaned back in her chair. "I’ll need a few things. Maps of the northern hills, any reports on the griffin’s movent patterns, and a quiet place to prepare."
Helmin nodded quickly.
"Of course, of course. I’ll have my steward gather everything. As for lodging..." He hesitated. "We don’t have much in the way of guest accommodations, but you’re welco to stay in my ho. There’s a spare room upstairs."
"That’ll do."
A servant led Aegis and Rosalie up a narrow staircase to the guest room. It was small but clean, with a window overlooking the village square and a washbasin in the corner and—
Aegis blinked.
One bed.
There was exactly one bed in the room.
Rosalie noticed at the sa ti. Her face went pink.
"I, um." She cleared her throat. "I can sleep on the floor, my Lady."
[Or.]
Aegis grinned.
"Don’t be ridiculous. We can share."
---
The tour of Lenninsale took about an hour.
Lord Helmin walked her through the village himself, pointing out landmarks and introducing her to various important people. The head farr, who managed most of the crop rotations. The tavern keeper, a stout woman with arms like tree trunks. The village healer, an elderly man who’d apparently been treating griffin-related injuries for the past three weeks.
Aegis nodded along, asked questions at appropriate intervals, and made sure to smile warmly at everyone she t.
[The actual information isn’t really the point here. The point is making sure every single person in this village knows my face before I kill that thing.]
She shook hands. She complinted people’s work. She crouched down to talk to a group of children who’d been following her since the square, answering their questions about the Winter Trials and pretending to be impressed when one of them showed her a wooden sword he’d carved himself.
By the ti the tour was halfway done, half the village was trailing behind them like she was leading a parade.
[Good. Very good.]
The blacksmith was a broad-shouldered man nad Durran. He had soot on his face and calluses on his hands and he gave Aegis a look when Helmin introduced them. Not hostile, exactly. More like... skeptical. Like he was sizing her up and hadn’t quite decided what to make of her yet.
Aegis didn’t make anything of it. So people needed to see results before they believed in you. That was fine. She’d give him results soon enough.
---
Later that evening, Aegis and Rosalie sat at a corner table in the village inn.
The place was packed. Word had spread about the noble lady who’d co to slay their griffin, and apparently everyone wanted a look at her. Aegis didn’t mind. She’d ordered drinks for the house, which had earned her a round of cheers, and now she was enjoying the warmth of the fire and the pleasant buzz of attention.
Rosalie, anwhile, was trying very hard to focus on her notebook.
"You know," Aegis said, leaning closer, "you’re cute when you’re concentrating."
Rosalie’s quill slipped, leaving a jagged line across her notes.
"M-My Lady, please. I’m trying to calculate... things."
"Co ooooon, the numbers can wait." Aegis propped her chin on her hand. "Have I ever told you how much I appreciate you?"
"You... what?"
"I an it. You’ve been working so hard lately. The potions, the shop expansion, all of it." Aegis smiled. "I don’t say it enough, but I’m really glad you’re part of House Starcaller."
Rosalie’s face had gone from pink to red.
"That’s— I— Thank you, my Lady, but—"
"And you look really pretty in this lighting, by the way."
"Please stop."
"Make ."
Rosalie buried her face in her hands. Her ears were practically glowing.
Aegis laughed and leaned back, giving the poor girl a mont to recover. Then she stood up and started pulling on her coat.
Rosalie peeked through her fingers.
"Um. Where are you going?"
"The hills." Aegis fastened the last button. "I need to gather so ingredients for those potions you’re making."
"Wait, what? Now? It’s almost dark!"
"Best ti for it, actually. So of the stuff I need only blooms at night." Aegis checked her belt, making sure Ruby and Sapphire were secure at her hips. "Don’t wait up. I might be a while."
"My Lady, that’s— the griffin is out there!"
Aegis grinned.
"Don’t worry. I’ll be fine."
User Comments
0 comments from readers