It was about noon when Therrick awakened, his ocean blue eyes cracking open as he sat himself up, almost forgetting about the young bard he had in his arms. He set down the sleeping Freyja gingerly, careful not to wake her up just yet. Wearing just leather pants, he walked over to the window and pulled back the dusty curtain to find that the sun was indeed out. He sighed in relief, now he wouldn't be so dreadfully cold. The Dwarf made his way over to the bed, nudging Freyja gently. "Time to wake up. Get ready." He stated, his gruff voice stirring the girl awake.
"Now..?" The bard yawned, and sat up to stretch out her stiff body. "But I don't want to yet, the bed is so warm.." She stopped her complaining when she felt Therrick's icy stare on her.
"I told you already, I am a warrior, not a babysitter. I know you were unwell, but you should be fine now. Now get moving, we have to leave." Therrick started to put on his silver armor, used to the weight of the incredibly bulky metal.
"Fine, fine.." Freyja started to brush out her hair, the long red strands spilling well over her shoulders. As she began to braid her cleaned hair, she looked over to Therrick, who was still putting on his armor. "Therrick?"
"Hm?" The paladin didn't look up as he slipped on one of his silver gauntlets.
"May I braid your hair? It looks like it gets in your face a lot." Freyja requested, giving Therrick her signature puppy eyes whenever she wanted something.
"What?" Therrick grunted, looking up at her now. "Why are you so worried about my hair?"
"..because it's pretty."
Therrick stared for a moment, rolled his eyes at her, and smirked, sitting in a chair in front of her. "Fine. You can braid my hair." He gave in, mentally cursing himself at how easily he let her push him around.
Freyja squealed happily and stood in front of him, grabbing the strand of hair in front of his right ear. After sectioning the hair, she began to weave the strands together gracefully, humming an Elvish tune as she took a gold bead from her pouch and tied off the hair with it. The other side received the same treatment, and it too was braided, and tied off with an identical gold bead. Therrick was curious where a bard, even a Dwarvish bard, could get access to gold beads such as these. He could tell by the craft, and the markings, they were tailor made. He didn't think much of it, maybe it was a gift from a friend. After all, bards were given lots of gifts such as these.
Once his hair was done, he looked down at Freyja. "Now let's go. We don't have anymore time to waste. I'll meet you downstairs, and you better be ready soon or else I'll personally kick your ass." He told the bard before tromping downstairs, the clunk clunk of his armor being heard even from several feet away.
After tying her hair back into a braid down her back, Freyja came downstairs, to see Therrick stuffing his face with mutton. "Ah, Freyja! You should eat before you go, the mutton here isn't that bad!" He said with his mouth full of half chewed mutton, which he gulped down with a sip of mead. Freyja sat at the table with him, and flagged down the barmaid. "Some bread."
Therrick looked surprised, and noticed that Freyja looked a bit skinny. Dwarves were hardy creatures and ate well, sometimes a bit too well. "No, no, are you sure? Just bread? Put some meat on your bones, lass! We're about to be walking for miles, I promise you don't want to eat bread." He furrowed his brow, taking another bite of mutton.
Freyja opened her mouth to argue, but instead was met with a sigh. He was right, she couldn't survive on bread if she was expected to be an adventurer. "Fine, fine. Bring me mutton as well! And..water." She declared, eyeing his mead a bit too hard. Therrick only laughed, patting her on the back. His booming voice could be heard throughout the entire tavern, despite quite a few locals being here for a meal before work begins.
"Learned your lesson I see! You're about as wise as my brother." He set down the mutton bone and took another sip of his drink.
"Oh, you have a brother? Why didn't you tell me before?" Freyja eyed him curiously, taking a bite of her own mutton.
"Now, lass, we met last night. Do you really expect to get my whole life story?" Therrick asked, almost slightly condescendingly. Now it was Freyja's turn to laugh.
"Oh, gods, you're right! How stupid of a question!" Freyja's olive cheeks turned a bit of rosy color in embarrassment, and Therrick just patted her on the head.
"Worry not, lassie. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you a bit more." Therrick chuckled, before taking in a more serious expression.
"His name..is Lavinicus. He-"
"Never heard of him." Freyja cut him off, looking a bit apologetic when she saw Therrick glare at her. "Sorry."
"Anyways." He cleared his throat. "He's my older brother, and despite being the eldest in a line of Paladins, he's a wizard. The black sheep of the family, if you will."
Freyja started with big puppy eyes, and Therrick wasn't sure if she was listening or not. "Because of that, he thinks he can do everything on his own. I'm going to find him and give him some help whether he likes it or not. He probably won't." He chuckled a bit, then looked over to Freyja, giving him the same look. "Are you still in there?"
"Yup!" She smiled, blinked a few times, and looked up at him again. "Sorry, what was that?"
"Don't worry about it. We're going to Arrowfall, to find my brother." Therrick explained, to which Freyja understood.
"Sounds easy enough. I'm going to Arrowfall as well, as I told you last night. Someone stole something of mine, and I want it back." Freyja got a bit more serious, her expression hardening. Therrick could see she meant business, and did not want to stop her.
"By all means, lassie, let's travel together. I never wanted to stop you from going." Therrick was already obligated to, but he had a slight suspicion before that she was only wanting to come because he said he was.
"Right. Are you finished eating? Should we stop at the market before we leave?" Freyja asked, not meaning to bombard him with questions. She just wanted to make sure everything was in order.
"I have all of my supplies. Now let's get moving, we're wasting sunlight, and who knows how long it is until we stop at another town." The dwarf stood up, and Freyja did as well, trying to hold back a small giggle as he clunked out of the dingy tavern.
The cold hit Therrick and Freyja in the face, like a sheet of ice slicing their cheeks. Freyja had to break out her fur cloak, and Therrick himself was shivering in his armor. He even wore two extra layers and his bear skin pelt. He could see the little bard was having a bit of trouble adapting to the harsh weather. Speaking of..
She was by far the worst companion he ever had. Nonstop complaining, she got tired too easily, and she had already eaten all of her rations before evening. And she was getting on Therrick's last nerve.
"Therrick, how much longer until we stop? I'm starving!" She whined, breathing a bit heavily as she trudged through the two inch thick snow.
"Sundown." Therrick grunted, continuing to move forward. He was no longer clunking, but instead a satisfying crunch of the snow under his boots. At least, to Freyja.
"And when will that be?" Freyja asked one more time, and Therrick could feel his eye twitch.
"Gods dammit Freyja, I don't know! For the love of Moridan, can you just shut the fuck up for two seconds?! For fuck's sake, woman, all you've been doing is complaining! I should've left you in that other village, I knew I shouldn't have brought you-" The only thing that cut him off was the look on Freyja's face, and that's when he knew he fucked up. "Fuck, Freyja, I-"
"No, I get it. You wouldn't be the first one to tell me I talk too much." The poor girl had tears welling up in her emerald eyes, which Therrick would realize he shouldn't have been so harsh. He would heave a sigh, and put a hand on her shoulder.
"I shouldn't have been so mean. It's been a long day. I'm hungry, tired, and freezing. Now cheer up." He would give a slight smile, though it would be hard to see under the bush on his face he called a beard. "Let's just stop for the night."
Freyja wiped her tears away, looking back at him. "You sure?"
"Yes. By the time we set up camp, it will be sundown anyway. Let's stop, and get some rest. We will be better off tomorrow." Therrick gave her a pat on the back. Stopping a little early wouldn't hurt.
A little later, Therrick was finally finished gathering up firewood. "Know how to start a fire?" He asked, looking over to Freyja. The little bard would smile, and extend her open palm.
"I sure do. Ignus!" A small flame would come from her palm, and would set the kindling aflame.
Therrick was..most surprised to see that she was capable of doing that, and not miss too. Freyja was the type of person to hurt herself like that. "You know magic?"
"Just a little. I had to teach myself ever since my lyre went missing." She would say, glancing over to him. Therrick would smile a bit, before realizing.
"I caught a decent sized boar. That would be a good dinner for the two of us." He would say, sticking the dead pig with a large stick, holding it over the fire.
Freyja wouldn't have too much to say, just looking around a bit awkwardly. Somehow, Therrick had the strength to lift an entire boar, and all she did was make the fire. Before she could really curse herself, Therrick would notice. "Freyja, is everything alright?" He asked, looking over to the young girl out of a bit of concern. She would offer a faint smile, but nothing more.
"Oy, lighten up lassie! Why don't you play me a tune? I thought you were a bard!" Therrick laughed a bit, patting her on the back. A smile would creep on the little bard's face, and she pulled out her flute.
"Gladly." Just like that, Freyja was busy playing her flute, her fingers flying up and down the wooden instrument skillfully. Therrick smiled to himself, feeling a bit warmer now that Freyja was her bubbly self again. Now he could cook the boar without worrying about his companion.
A little while later, the boar was finally finished cooking. Therrick tore off a leg and took a huge bite, feeling the hot fat dripping into his beard. "It's not bad. Come and eat, Freyja. I know you haven't eaten in a while." He invited the young bard to join him, and she would sit cross legged on her bed roll. She took the boar leg, sniffing the meat curiously before taking a bite.
The meat was hot, and she made a face as she felt her tongue begin to scald. She swallowed the meat before it could burn her too badly, and she took a breather. "That was really hot, Therrick." She would say, and Therrick only laughed.
"Well, it did just come off the fire!" He chortled, finishing the leg and throwing the bone into the fire. Freyja watched the bone get eaten up by the flames before charring. "You know, something tells me you aren't used to this. I thought you were a traveler. You tire easily, you seem like you don't know how to set up camp, and while entertaining, you make faces when you eat."
"I do not!" Freyja yelled, standing up now. "It was hot, that's all!" She would say, though she was surprised at how inquisitive he was at everything. He knew much more than she realized.
"Suuuure. That's why you still ate a boar leg when it was red hot." He pushed her even further, his laugh becoming infectious. "You're a strange one, Freyja. I'll give you that."
"And you're strange too, Tea Kettle." Freyja shot back, laying down onto her bed roll. "I think I'm going to get some sleep. I'm really tired.." She yawned, stretching out a bit. "Sleep well, Therrick."
"Right. You too." Therrick shrugged, before curling up into his own bed roll. Not another moment passed before both the tired dwarves drifted off to sleep.
In the bushes, near Freyja and Therrick's camp, a few tall figures could smell something. Something tasty. "That's definitely pork. Cooked pork. Humans were nearby." One said, licking his lips. He grabbed a club, and followed his nose. Then.. he stopped.
"What is it, Mog?" Another asked, and Mog stopped him. "That's not humans. That's dwarves..and they're about to be dinner."