Miklian and Wynessa did not want to stay in town to witness the execution so they began packing the cart Trian had arranged for them, the huge black and grey ox ready to pull the giant cart onward as soon as they were fully packed. Even with buying supplies for the road, the cart was less than half full, which appeased Wynessa just fine, it meant they would move faster.
"Ah, my friends! Good show out there! Good show!" Their elfish compatriot strode towards them with a haversack and two other bags in tow, still shining brightly in colourful blue and red patterned clothing. The hat he wore boasted a set of two large feathers, green and purple respectively, and was otherwise matched to the rest of his outfit. "I apologise for the delay, my sister is an absolute heartbreaker. They want her to become the new Alderman! How spectacular is that! Smashing, I'd say!"
He pulled his bags up into the cart and set his haversack carefully to the side before standing and presenting himself to the pair, finally on equal footing. Standing beside him, Wynessa couldn't help but chuckle: he was as tall as her shoulder when he took off his hat and bowed respectfully to the pair.
"I realise I am filthy with errors for our meeting, so please allow me to make it up to you now! I am Timias Le Muur, entertainer, cheese enthusiast and wine connoisseur!" He bowed so low the pale tufts of his messy hair nearly swept the grass below before standing upright and twirling his hat a moment. "Please, alert me if there is any way I can be of any service to either of you! I owe you both my life, after all!"
Wynessa waved a hand gently and chuckled as he paraded around the cart towards the front to admire the beast accompanying them. The smile stayed with her as she rearranged the last of their supplies onto the cart, making sure the ropes holding the barrels and larger cases were tightly laced down. She did not seem to notice Miklian's eyes watching her, mesmerized by the small joy her smile brought to him. He almost didn't feel the gentle jabbing at his arm from Timias.
"You are staring, my friend." He whispered in the giant's ear, causing the larger of the pair to jostle in his seat. The deep blue blush that graced his features only made the elf smirk jovially before waving to their companion. "We're ready if you are, my lady!"
"I'm not a lady." She replied, still smiling as she pulled herself into the cart and tapped the side, letting them know she was ready. Miklian clicked his tongue to the ox who stepped forward proudly, heaving the large cart into action and beginning their motion toward the denser forest that surrounded the town and the road they would be following.
All three sighed in relief as the town vanished around a bend behind them and was fully obscured by the trees.
-----------------------
"I don't care how many slaves vanished! I just want to know HOW they did it!" The general bellowed angrily from where she sat on the cliff above the remaining slaves who now worked ceaselessly unless they dropped dead. She had barely had a day to fully understand the extent of the revolt that had crippled her mine, but still those who followed her had seen her limp to the tower where the Warlocks hid themselves away. It seemed they were angry with her, so she in turn took out her anger on her subordinates. "Send in that lieutenant. We are done here, Captain."
Her elder son, Camledan was unused to his mother's brutality. It had always been directed at his brother, so his heart was hurt far more by her handprint than his face. He assumed the whole camp had heard the resounding slap that still rang in his ears. As he stood, he saluted her respectfully before turning to step out of the tent. His brother's right hand stood waiting, her hands trembled as she nodded and stepped past him, ignoring protocol in lieu of giving him some space to come to terms with what had just happened.
Lieutenant Liennan stepped into the sun-lit tent and saluted from a safe distance away from the general before standing at attention. The general was quiet for a moment as she looked the woman over, assessing her as thoroughly as her piercing grey eyes could.
"So... You're the lieutenant to my younger son. Liennan, right?" Her voice was softer, kinder than it had been moments before, but it also held a danger the young lieutenant knew far too well.
"Yes, general." She stood stock-still and stared at the wall above and behind the intimidating figure that occupied a grand throne of a chair before her. The king himself couldn't command such a presence.
"How long have you served under him?"
"Two years, general."
"And in all that time, did you ever once question his orders? Did he ever give you reason to doubt him?" The weighted questions dug deeply into the young giantess who fixed her gaze more intently on a small button on the far wall, avoiding the icy stare that bore into her and sent shivers down her spine.
"No, general. I have always trusted Miklian. I mean, the captain!" She corrected herself quickly, but not fast enough to stop her saying it in the first place. She closed her eyes resignedly, she knew she had messed up.
"Oh, so you are on a first name basis with him? Good. That will serve you well." The mother noted cryptically, pouring herself another goblet of wine from the barrel beside her. "Tell me, have you ever tracked a moving target? I heard you're quite good at it, actually."
"Yes, general. I was top of my class in tracking and trailing high profile targets." Liennan's voice wavered in confusion causing the elder woman to chuckle deeply.
"Don't worry, child. I have a job for you." She tossed a folded paper towards the younger, landing it at her feet. "If you return my son to me, I will give you my blessing to become his wife."
Liennan's heart leapt hearing these words, she quickly stooped to pick up the paperwork which turned out to be a contact for her to use any resources necessary to find the man she wanted. She stood straight again, paper clutched in her hand behind her back as she could barely contain her happiness. "What would you have me do, general?"
"You will be my agent. Find him, return him to me, kill anyone who stops you. Start with the nearest towns. He can't have gone far."
In her elation she almost missed the meaning in what the general said, but something finally clicked.
"General, you don't believe he was kidnapped by the rebels, do you?"
"No, I do not. I think he helped them. I am willing to give him leniency if he is returned. Otherwise he is a traitor. Go. Save him from himself." Waving a hand to dismiss the young woman, she sighed as though regretful. As soon as the younger giantess saluted and left, she let a sadistic smile creep across her face. At this time, a burly human male stepped up beside her to replace her wine barrel with a full one. "Do you think she believed me?"
"Of course, mistress. You are persuasive and she loves the boy... Mistress, do you truly intend to show leniency? He is your son, after all." As her favourite slave, she had allowed him some freedoms, to speak and ask certain questions, but he was taken aback by the sudden outburst of cold laughter that chilled him to his core.
"Of course not. He deserves every punishment he gets. He is a traitor, so he is no son of mine."