Over the next few days, Gerig realized that the only way he could safely carry Marrec back home would be to use a small wagon. This was convenient for Gerig because it would allow him to bring a few of his personal belongs with him in case he didn't return. Gerig didn't have a horse or pony, so it was up to him to pull the cart the entire trip. He adjusted the harness to make it easier for him to pull without having to hold onto the arms that much. Gerig didn't pack too much anyway so compared to the plow that he pushed every year to harvest his fields, the cart was actually very light. He was a strong man and had very broad shoulders, so he was confident he would be able to make the trip without hurting himself. With Marrec comfortably secure and hidden away from sight, Gerig was able to start their journey to take his new friend home. The lord's men had taken their share of the crops and all the horses back the day before and Gerig didn't even bother to barter for a better deal. He put up a small fight and gave in easily, letting them have whatever they wanted. Gerig had a feeling he was only going to need enough supplies to make it to town.
It was the first time Gerig had ever wandered away from the only village he had known. He had lived there his whole life but he accepted his meeting with Marrec as fate. Someone or something was telling him that it was time to move on and helping the little dwarf back seemed like the right way to start over. All Gerig left behind was a town that never liked him and never really wanted him there to begin with. He didn't know where this journey would lead him, but anywhere at the moment seemed a lot better than the place he was leaving behind. Half way through the day, about several hours into the trip, Gerig needed to rest. The first few steps were a little tough, as he walked away from the cabin in the tall grass. Once he made it to the road, the cart didn't put up as much of a fight and he was able to travel with ease. When the sun was above his head, Gerig picked a quiet and very isolated spot off the road so that Marrec could get a little air and something to eat.
"So what did you do in that village?" Marrec asked as he started to nibble on something.
"I was just another farmer, raising crops for a Lord who didn't appreciate or even know who I am." Gerig said as he poured the little man a glass of water. "I basically earned my way through back breaking labor. Originally, I wanted to travel to one of the kingdoms to become a Knight, to serve our King."
"You are a strong and compassionate chap." Marrec said with a grin. "I have seen many knights who would pale in comparison to your strength and character. You would make a very noble and distinguished Knight."
"I might have." Gerig concurred, "But I can't. The King and the Church only allow men of legitimate birth to serve as protectors of the monarch."
"I don't understand what that means." Marrec confessed.
"Bastards are not allowed to become Knights." Gerig said as he seemed a little ashamed. "I'm only good enough to break the land that makes their food."
"I see." Marrec said as he felt bad for bringing it up, "You have a good heart and a brave soul. It's their loss lad."
"Thanks." Gerig said as he stood back up. "We need to keep going. I want to cover a few more leagues before nightfall."
"Alright." Marrec hopped over to the cart and tucked himself back into his little hiding place. Once ready, Gerig picked the arms of the cart back up and was on his way. He went back to the road and because of the cool fall weather his walk was a lot more pleasant than it could have been. The sweet breeze kissed Gerig's brow and prevented the sweat from rolling down and into his eyes, which made the next few hours not as back breaking as it could have been much to Gerig's appreciation to whomever was responsible for it. Yet he had a small scare a short while later when someone almost knocked his cart over. He was walking close to the side but someone riding a horse came scrambling out of nowhere, almost running into Gerig and his cart. The horse stopped and jumped up in defiance of Gerig's presence, but the big man responded by dropping the cart to have it fall forward and grabbing the horses reigns and dragging him across to the other side of the road. There was no one on the horse, which lead Gerig to believe it was spooked and ran away from its master. Gerig was going to take this as good fortune and strap him to the cart but seconds later he could hear someone calling from a distance.
"That's my horse!" he called out. "Stop right there!"
"I'm not stealing him." Gerig called out. "I just stopped him from running over my cart." When the man arrived, Gerig was more than happy to hand the reigns over, knowing the man must have been frantically running after it for some time. "Here had go, sir. Please try to be more careful next time."
"You have no idea what you have done." The man said as he climbed back onto his mount. "I carry a very urgent letter for the King. You have saved me a lot of time by helping me with my mount." He looked around and then back at Gerig with a confused look. "Where is your horse?"
"I don't have one." Gerig confessed.
"Then who is pulling your cart?" he asked.
"I am." Gerig confessed. "It's not that heavy."
"How far are you going to pull it?" the rider inquired.
"As far as I need to." He cryptically answered.
"Such strength." He complimented. "We could use chaps like you in our ranks. I am in a hurry but should we ever met again, we continue this discussion over mead and give it serious consideration."
"I look forward to that." Gerig said as he let go of the reigns. "Farewell."
"To you as well my friend." The rider said and with a quick kick of his feet, the horse thundered away down the road.
"Who was that?" Marrec said as he finally stuck his head out.
"No one really important." Gerig said as he walked back to the cart.
"Alright," Marrec said as he looked over. "How much longer do you want to go today?"
"I'll keep going till I get tired." Marrec confessed. "That way I'll sleep better and we'll get as far as we can. You get as much sleep as you can in the meantime because you'll be on first watch tonight."
"I'll do my best." Marrec huffed as he hid back under the tarp.
Gerig picked the cart back up and started to walk down the long and winding road. Walking towards whatever fate had in store for him, but at the moment Gerig could live with just getting to Marrec's town and dealing with everything else later. He kept walking while he still had light to work with, knowing that it might take days, maybe weeks to get to wherever he was going.