The young woman who was Mireya's apprentice was at Moss's door. She looked upset to be there. Moss hesitantly asked what she was doing there. "Is there something that you need? Or is Mireya asking for me to stop by?"
She shakes her head, "I'm here for a house call. Mireya told me to come by and see what I can do about your arm. She takes pity that you can't work with a broken arm. She also said I need the experience." The woman let's out an exasperated sigh.
"I'm sorry I've forgotten your name. Please, can we start over?" Moss wracks his brain, but nothing comes.
She looks at him determined and shakes her head, "we're not starting anything with you standing in my way of going into your house." She peers around him to see a mostly empty house. "What? Can't afford a place for guests to sit?"
Moss suppresses his annoyance and frustration, "please, do come in. I'm grateful for your house call. You know my name, it's Moss. What shall I call you?"
The girl walks in and sits down on the hearth. "You can call me the Queen of Greenfields." She gives him a smile and quick bow of her head. She looks around. "Or, I guess the princess of Teglholm."
Moss has an image flash through his mind. Had he seen her before? A young girl who liked to refer to herself as the Queen of Greenfields. Were her parents the landowners he was thinking of? They were freeman that were fairly well off. It was years ago. He couldn't get any of their names past the tip of his tongue. "Your family. They lived on the outskirts of Liebe, where the Big Sticks are located. They have a decent number of peasants and freeman working their land."
She gives a big smile. "You remembered something?" Then frowns, "They don't have anyone working any lands anymore. Their lands were seized by Lord Melvin. There was a huge misunderstanding that led to it."
Moss remembered a few more things, but they didn't make much sense so he dismissed it. "I'm sorry, I still don't remember your name."
The woman pats a spot next to her on the hearth and he sits. She gingerly grabs his arm and checks the splint and Moss guesses she uses her magic to check the condition of his arm. "It seems to be healing okay. It's hard for me to tell since I wasn't there yesterday when Mireya treated you. The bone does seem to be knitting fine though. How is the pain?" Moss nods and she continues, "I suspect it won't be too long before you're working again. I'll use some magic to speed it along even more. Mireya is the one who saves a bit in case someone is seriously injured." She grabs hold of his finger tips and elbow to get skin contact and the soreness lessens a little. "Hopefully you'll have full use right after the splint is removed. Some have trouble after arm has been immobilized for a period of time."
He hides a smile. Her hands are very soft and he gets a warm feeling from it. "Thank you, I'll not forget you Queen of Greenfields and Duchess of Teglholm."
…
The day was going by very slowly. Moss sparred with an imaginary opponent in his front room. It was almost time to head over to Mireya's home. The Queen of Greenfields had told him that the healer was inviting him over for dinner, since he couldn't work. Moss didn't have the finances to refuse, so he hesitantly accepted.
After washing his face, he put a light coat on and headed out into the summer heat. The days were still hot, but the solstice had passed. That gave Moss hope that fall would finally come, with it, cooler days. Then icy winter would be here.
During the walk over to his dinner engagement he tried remembering more of the young woman. She was very young back then. Moss was 16 at the time and She was probably only 13. He vaguely remembered her asking him questions while he moved stuff around for the guild. She seemed very impressionable at the time.
At the door to the Baronetess's house Moss hesitated before knocking. He saw the young woman quickly looking through the window before opening the door. It looked like she had just finished washing up when she opened the door.
She smiles. "I was just about to help Mireya finish up in the kitchen. I've been out in the garden most the day." Moss looks at her clothes and sees that her dress is a bit dirty, but her apron is fresh. She raises an eyebrow, and says in a dull voice. "Good sir, are you checking me out?"
Moss quickly brings his eyes back to her face. "What? No. I was just looking at your dress." She smirks and Moss continues. "I wasn't. I was just… I noticed that your dress was a little dirty from working and you had put on a fresh apron. You've also washed up a bit."
The woman's smirk stays while she says, "uh, huh. I believe you."
Sir Greenston was inside already seated at the table. He looks up at Moss as he enters the dining area. "Moss, good to see you. I was just talking about you to…"
He's interrupted by the young woman, "ahem. No giving my name away. Remember?"
The knight shakes his head, then shrugs. "Fine, have it your way. I think you're a little unreasonable though. Well, actually, I don't know." He shrugs again.
Moss bows his head quickly and says, "Sir knight. It's good to see you. I suppose you've heard about my arm. I am embarrassed by how it happened. I've been around horses most my life, and I let this happen." He raises his arm to show the knight and sits next to him. "What brings you here?"
Sir Greenston smiles. "You. I'm interested in what you're about. Your skills. Why did you decide to settle here and not in Liebe, where your old guild is?"
The retired adventurer remembers the conversation he had with him about a young woman and looks at the one working in the kitchen with Mireya. "I couldn't afford to buy a house in Liebe, and this was the next town over. It was closer than any other town."
The knight keeps his face expressionless. "What do you really think of the Big Sticks and what they've done while you were working with them."
Moss almost shrugged but had the sense that maybe it wouldn't be the appropriate thing to do. "To be honest. I didn't really know much of what was going on. I mostly just did what I told and took part in what battles they needed me to be in. We mostly took on brigands and ogres who decided to wander over from their lands past the march east of here." A march being the border lands in the kingdom.
Sir Greeston nodded and asked, "and how is it that ogres can sometimes make their way all the way across that march without being noticed, or why would they even want to?"
The young man thought for a moment, but couldn't come up with anything, "I couldn't even begin to answer that Sir Greenston." That question really got Moss thinking. There were more cases of ogres wandering over, or army deserters wandering around than would seem normal for an area such as Greenfields. Places here were either too well-fortified, or not worth robbing. There were also too many barons and their Knights.
The questioning kept on. "How are your skills in combat. I know you can shoot a crossbow with good accuracy, what about speed."
Moss answers quickly. "I'm good with a crossbow. I'm also good with a bow. But a longbowman is paid more, so I was contracted as a crossbowman. I still practice with the longbow weekly."
Sir Greenston nods, "Spear or Lance? What about the sword and shield, or other hand weapons?"
The not so retired adventurer hesitates a second. "I am good with spear, while in formation, but only about average compared to other members of Big Sticks when it comes to one on one. I can use a lance, but I'd be lying if I said I was good. I'm proficient with sword and shield, but I'd probably have a very difficult time against the average knight or man-at-arms. I don't really have a sword to practice with. I keep an axe with me when I'm in full kit. It's an axe purpose built for combat. Sir Greenston, may I ask what the interest in me is?"
The knight thinks for a moment. "I'm not looking to recruit you as a squire, if that's what you're wondering. But you would do well as a man-at-arms, I think. Well, with some training perhaps. You're still young enough for that. You are a freeman trained to fight. You could possibly earn some decent land as a yeoman." A yeoman being a title given to freemen after they've served honorably as a man-at-arms on campaign. Some of which are given some land to work and pass on to their children.
Moss pauses to think for a moment. "Are you looking to hire me as a man-at-arms full time? If I remember right, the pay is decent and most lords or knights provide most the food. The pay while on campaign is standardized by the king though, is it not?"
Sir Greenston shrugs. "I'm mostly just making conversation right now. Lord Becker does believe you are a skilled enough man to hire though. So, in the near future there may be job offer. I suspect your skills may be better than you realize. You spent much of your days growing up around men training to fight. A long time ago I had met the Company Master of the Big Sticks. He mostly hires men who've trained to fight for a long time. He holds them to a good standard as well."
The young woman is walking in at this time and interjects. "Before you consider taking any new jobs, you'll need your arm to recover."
The knight answers right away, "I'm sure he'll be back to work in no time, with the help of an angel, such as yourself." Moss, notices how Sir Greenston's eyes soften at the sight of the young woman and how he smiles, reminding him of how the girl's mother smiled at the young woman.
The woman gives an abbreviated curtsey, "Yes, sir knight. According to you, I should be able to do anything." She laughs letting Moss know she's teasing, then says to Moss, "Sir Greenston and I have known each other for a long time. He used to frequently visit my parents before I moved here."
Moss thinks for a second before asking, "What made you move here?"
She shrugs. "Mireya's cousin talked her into taking me on as an apprentice. Her cousin is Terrance Hill, the guild master of A Few Good Men. He's also Sir Greenstons half-brother."