In early spring when some snow was remnant, a man trotted on horseback with his little daughter along the foothills.
Under her short cloud-white coat, sky-blue jacket matched a dark olive skirt.
The clothes were not in a child's form, but she snuggled in her father's arms, which never covered up that she was just 12 years old.
It was an overcast and drizzling day, and was the first time she got her own hunting trophy.
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"Mama never comes here."
"You miss her dishes?" It was an elegant man with a curled up moustache and a cloth hat decorated with a piece of black swan feather. He lowered head and smiled slightly, and gently touched his daughter's little nose tip.
"You miss her too, daddy? She prefers to live in the town."
"But you prefer the countryside, our château, and hunting in the mountains."
The man didn't respond, avoiding to answer if he miss his wife. He shook the reins lightly to get the horse run down from the hill path. The château was in sight.
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"I love hunting." "I'll teach you when you get older."
"I know well how to hunt." The girl raised her fists in protest.
"Oh, isn't it? You got a bunny today." The man smiled and looked into her face with the doting eyes, "I'll make a small bow for you."
"Really? I want a standard one."
·
The horse briskly crossed the grassland, and bypassed the fence into the château. While the man tied the horse in the stable, the girl couldn't wait to drag the rabbit out of the bag, and took down a bow and arrows.
The rabbit was shot by her daddy, but struggled to hop away lamely with an arrow. Then it was she who lifted the skirt and ran after the bunny carefully avoiding the ponding and icy mud, and finally seized it.
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"Why doesn't mama want to be with us?"
"She hates the visitors here." He looked at somewhere far away, "Good time for homing. The rain is getting heavier. Come in, my kid."
He urged his daughter to come home but himself ran to the front courtyard because he seemed to see some 'visitors'. Right, they are towards here. After confirming that, he pushed the door and got into the house, and pretended that nothing had happened.
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"Stoi!"（Dwarf's word, Stop）
A blond young man who was hit by two arrows prostrated over the horse's neck, beared the pain and galloped into the château.
Four dwarves riding the goats ran after him. They were the troops of Archduke, hunting down the warriors who fought for the independence. The improved goats, which were the dwarf's traditional mount, were more flexible than the horses when in the mountains.
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The boy hid himself under a wall, and tried his best to produce a flame from his palm, which was really hard because of the wounds and the rain.
The dwarves with war-hammers, and one with half-sword, told each other to be cautious and got closing from flanks.
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"Mister." The boy said hard when the man stood under the eaves.
"Daddy." The girl clinged to the door frame, and looked outside from the house.
"Back home." It was the only words daddy replied to her.
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"Lord Partner, as you can see, we arrested a rogue who broke into your château." The headed dwarf was full of smiles, ugly and chubby, talked with a broad accent.
Lord Partner replied with a cold simile, "Well thank thou, thank you. Leave the rogue to me, and here are your tips." And threw out two golden coins.
In this way, in this land, in the means of bribery and corruption prevalent in recent years, Lord Patner saved the life of that young man.