"Do as she says!" Rennard's face was twitching. "Make haste!"
The guards reflexively broke up their formation and distanced themselves from the squire. The one who held Roderick by the collar followed suit by letting him go.
'What an interesting turn of events!' Roderick smirked while he nonchalantly brushed off his shoulders. His reaction made those around him suspect that someone had plotted this.
The mysterious woman released the Rennard Olwin and silently looked down at him for a moment. Rennard avoided her gaze.
She got nearer to him and said, "Thank you, Sir Rennard. Do to tell your father that your squire was forced to change employers." Her scent made him lower his guard and her voice sounded clear and sincere. It didn't sound threatening like when she ordered Roderick's release. Rennard felt both comforted by her words and excited by the nearness to her.
She then pushed his chin to the side, got closer to his ear and added, "and there was nothing you could have done about it..."
He felt like he was given a free solution to his problems and believed the beautiful stranger to be his personal saviour. He rapidly nodded, "Yes, yes! Do with him as you please!"
The woman straightened her back, put her hood back on and walked towards the squire. Roderick examined her unique attire. She wore a fine, white, hooded cloak over a light, white dress. 'I can't tell if the elegance is supposed to hide or complement her intimidating aura.', he thought.
Everyone followed her with their eyes. Still, none dared to move.
She finally reached his location.
Roderick respectfully bowed. "Thank you, my lady, I am..."
[Bash!]
"Argh!"
He gasped for air after being heavily hit in his midsection. His whole body became heavier and heavier as he dropped to the ground.
"Sorry..." was the last thing he remembered hearing.
[Boff!]
[...]
[Splash!]
"Ah! Sacré Bleu¹!" Roderick was again awakened by water. He was laying on the ground, in an unknown forest.
"Sorry, hm hm... my apologies." She giggled while apologizing. The woman who had knocked him out was sitting on her knees, by his side with an empty bucket in hand.
"Punched in the gut, drowned, getting water thrown on my face... what is up with all this?!" He mumbled.
She dropped the bucket to her side. Roderick stopped talking, surprised by the sudden movement.
"Don't be dramatic. You weren't going to drown."
"Right... right... never mind..." He lightly slapped his cheeks and rubbed his eyes.
The woman examined him closely before looking to the side. "And... sack... sack... ray? What did that mean?" She tapped her elbow with her fingers.
"Oh, it's just a meaningless phrase I loved to use as a kid..."
He sat up, crossed his legs and scanned his surroundings. 'I would say each time I saw a total beauty ' Roderick grinned as he rubbed his nose.
She stared at him silently. "I see..."
"Huh?" He quickly turned to her with a furrowed brow. Her gaze didn't flinch as their eyes met.
"By the way", he looked away, "I had wanted to introduce myself, Roderick Green's the name... thank you for saving me."
He stood up after saying that and bowed. "Is this... where is this? And why did you take me here?"
"You're welcome, Roderick." She said.
"Right... again, thank you..." He took a halfhearted bow. "Can I at least get your name, if you don't want to explain the situation,...".
"Aoife²."
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Aoife." Roderick bowed deeply this time. 'The name is beautiful too...' He thought to himself.
"Listen closely, Roderick, and think wisely." She stood up after saying this. "I can't tell you where we are until I deem you trustworthy."
"Figures..." He mumbled.
Aoife stood up, waved her left hand and showed him the shiny, translucent pearls he had retrieved from the lake.
"You!?"
"You did me... a great favour, Roderick. But first, I must ask you why you went along with that old lady's unusual request..." Aoife faced him with serious eyes.
"She... I felt like I had to... like I wanted to" He sincerely tried to answer but could not find the words. "She had helped me out before once... in the past, within the Kingdom of Dawn... and I've always felt like I could... like I should trust her..."
"Whatever your reasons", she had been assessing his character with great attention. "I was half-serious when I said you would be changing employers..." She started walking around while her gaze was fixed on him.
Roderick felt his body stiffen.
"But, after you... uhum, passed out..." She softly coughed. "I insinuated that my employer wanted you dead... your new job was to die..."
"And that of course, was a ruse to save me... right?" He crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows.
Aoife paused her steps before looking away. "Of course..."
'Why didn't that sound convincing... don't tell me you're a femme fatale³, Aoife? That would be such a cliché!' Roderick chuckled.
"You say of course, but sound unconvinced! You want to know whether or not I'm trustworthy, right?" He uncrossed his arms, and let his hands rest on his hips as he awaited her response.
"Yes... mind you, I also did it so that they wouldn't think of seeking after you..."
"Thank you, again." He sighed. "Let's cut to the chase, what would you need me to do?"
"I need you to locate a witch." Aoife replied.