Vera's coming home 15 1/2 years old Early spring
"Father, after we unhitch the horses and unload the wagon can I go see if Dan is at the wall?" Vera asked excitedly as the northeastern wall came into view again as they crested the last hill.
"Can't wait till tomorrow?" her father asked? It was noon now and they had just eaten lunch, but it would be dinner by the time they made it all the way back to their shop, then they would still have to unload.
"I've been waiting for months, and I haven't gotten a letter in weeks. I have to know what happened and I have so much to tell him."
"You're not worried he's grown up, found a woman, and forgotten about you?"
"No, we'll still be friends when he gets married. Nothing can change that. There has to be a good reason the hawk never returned. Besides I can't wait to tell him how I dominated in the winter games amongst the unbloodied this year. I wish he could have been with us. We would have had so much fun, but his new job as a diplomat assisting the second prince is much more important." she said wrinkling her nose.
"He might be too busy to see you."
"Maybe, but if he's not there I'll write him a note and he'll visit me when he gets the chance."
"You are not so easy to rile up anymore." her father commented disappointedly. Then ever so nonchalantly added, "I do believe that black horse heading in our direction is likely him." He nodded to the southwest where the wall stood guard over the kingdom. They rode the main road as it was easiest for the horses and cart, and it led to the main entrance to the city. But the rider came from the hills and followed no path.
"No, that man is too well built, Dan is much lankier."
"Did you really not notice how his thin wiry frame finally started to fill out last year?" her father asked incredulously.
"He was just putting on weight from too many cookies. Cookies can't make shoulders more… hey, that is him, how'd you recognize him before me?" she said standing in the rocking cart to wave.
"Because you still see Dan the boy and I don't. But I do still see you as my little girl," he grumbled as if that was somehow a grave problem.
"I will always be that father; but when I turn 16 in half a year, I'll be an adult. Since there is no war do you think they'd ever hire a mercenary to go on diplomatic missions? Even diplomatic missions must have some fun. Or maybe I could go as a translator, I've gotten quite good."
The rider got closer and called out "Vera! Your back!"
"Of course, it's spring!" She shouted back smiling from ear to ear.
"The snow still on the ground disagrees," Dan said gesturing at all the snow as far as the eye could see but he too was smiling.
"A little snow never stopped us before. How come you never responded to my last letter? I haven't received anything in a month" she complained.
"My brother shot Pepper down when I sent my last letter, then attempted to read it and called me an idiot when none of the northern script made any sense." He added with a smile.
"He didn't even suspect it was all in code?" she asked laughing at his brother's stupidity. "Wait, is Pepper Ok? He didn't kill him, did he?"
"Unfortunately," he said grimly, pulling up his horse beside the carriage.
"That murderer! Pepper was a good bird." She said outraged.
"That he was." he agreed solemnly. "Mr. Smith, do you mind if I steal your daughter for a few hours? We can meet you back at the smithy to unload and I'll bring dinner since you've been on the road so long." he offered pleadingly.
"Why you just become more sly with every year don't you?" her father complained.
"Please, father?" Vera begged. "Just a few hours, it will take you at least that long to get the wagon home."
"Exactly! Sly I say... Fine, but you better be back before dark, and dinner better be delicious! I hope I can still trust you to keep your word." He said with a father's threatening glare. Vera was already climbing over boxes to hop onto the back of his horse.
"I will keep my word and your daughter safe." Dan pledged with his hand over his heart.
"You better!" he yelled. As they took off at a gallop across the fields bypassing the main gate for a closer less known entrance guarded by only two men.
Men vera recognized as she got closer. "Hi, Bret! Hi, Mark!" she said waving as they thundered past when they should have been stopped and questioned. "My father is right, you are getting sly. How on earth did you manage to get your friends on guard duty for this secret entrance?"
"It's no secret, and it really wasn't all that hard. They just lost at a game of cards with the regular guards and couldn't pay up," he said with a shrug.
"Bret doesn't gamble; his wife won't let him. And Mark, Mark never loses because he cheats. Why would they agree to a scheme as boring as guarding a seldom-used door all day?" she asked as they slowed down to a trot, the old east wall coming into view.
"They... may have agreed under the influence of wine and pastries." he shrugged.
"And how did you procure the wine and pastries?" she pestered.
"A man needs to have some secrets."
"You are far more devious than any respectable person has a right to be."
"My respectability has often been in question." He declared.
"You wish. You've never done anything remotely bad since you skipped sword practice the day we met, and your idea of a party is when the book merchant comes to town. You are more likely to stay up all night reading than you are drinking or gambling. You are the definition of respectable," she said with a laugh.
"Would you like it better if I wasn't?"
She smacked the back of his head. "What kind of silly question is that? You're my best friend, I like you just as you are." She squeezed his waist a little tighter unable to give him a proper hug on horseback. "I've missed you." She said resting her forehead on his back. "I have so much to tell, you, and I can't wait to hear all about your last month of winter."
"I've missed you too. There's no one to smack any sense into me when you're gone." He mockingly complained and they both laughed.
They got to the old wall and he took out a crossbow and some rope. After some fidgeting, he shot the rope up to the window on the fourth floor.
He'd started to have trouble fitting threw the small opening a few years ago so, he orchestrated a small... remodeling... during one of the summer training sessions. He'd gotten both praised and scolded for his minor destruction of the old wall. Now the hole could easily fit a grown man.
He hopped off the horse and tested the rope and then began to climb hand over hand, not even bothering to wrap the rope around his leg for added friction or slip protection.
"Show off!" she shouted at him.
Maintaining her upper body strength had gotten harder for her over the last few years and easier for him. She could do the climb without knots, but she was slower and needed the added friction of rapping the rope around her leg to keep her arms from tiring.
When she got close to the top Dan grabbed her wrist and hauled her in. "I'm not that slow," she complained.
"No?" he asked teasingly and dodged a playful punch. "Either your slower or I'm faster because you used to be able to hit me," he said grinning.
This started an all-out attack that lasted several minutes until he held her pinned underneath him. "You're definitely slower," he whispered in her ear. She head-butted him but since his head was to the side it didn't do much.
"I'm stiff after a long ride is all, but you have definitely been eating too many cookies, you weigh a ton." She complained wondering how he could gain so much weight and still look relatively thin.
He got up and held out a hand to help her up which she took. "Fine, we'll have a rematch in a week, so leave your excuses at home."
She punched him in the arm and was satisfied with his slight flinch. "So, what have I missed?" she asked.
He told her about the last month and the talk he had at the border, he was to have another next month. Apparently, a few of the top warlords of the Wild Lands arrived seeking peace and an alliance three days ago.
She told him about her adventures in the mountains and how she won in the combat games against all the other unblooded; there had been quite a few boys and girls her age that were still unblooded so she hadn't been the only one. She let him know that they blamed the second prince, and his peace delegation for the lack of wars to be fought. They laughed and talked, and the sun began to set.
"Do you have a plan for this delicious dinner?" she asked as they made their way to their rope.
"Of course, I do. I plan on stealing it from the palace kitchens! I've made sure to befriend the dinner chef, and I may supply him with the occasional fresh game that I make sure to take credit for," he added slyly.
"Mark does the hunting doesn't he?" she asked looking up from wrapping the rope around her foot before sliding down.
"Yes, but I did catch a rabbit in a snare… but it was just a little one, not much meat." he said sliding down after her. "So, I gave it to my sister, and she promised not to tell father it was me," he added once he'd reached the bottom.
"He was too cute, wasn't he?" she asked with a knowing grin, and they walked towards his horse.
"It's the wide eyes and wiggly nose!" he complained exasperated. "I'm convinced the only reason those animals have survived so long in the wild is because the predators all feel too guilty eating them."
She laughed, "So how are you going to get to the palace and back in time?" she asked.
"Bret's wife," he answered. "She's been stopping by to bring lunch to them while they're on guard duty and when you showed up, she was to tell the dinner chef she was told to bring me and my friends their dinner because something came up and I wouldn't be attending with my family. Then she'll bring it down to the smith's shop and we'll meet her there," he said stroking his horse's neck as he happily grazed just a few yards away from the wall.
"Well, that's nice of her. You didn't con her into helping you too, did you?"
"No, she just wanted to meet you," he said mounting and offering her a hand up behind him again.
"Why? I'm no one special," she said as she let Dan help pull her up.
"Because Bret and I have mentioned you a time or two and she's curious, that's all."
"Well, I'd like to meet her too so let's go." Dan kicked his horse into a gallop, and they raced down to the smith's shop threw the still snow-crusted fields.