The family say goodbye and follow a knight that will show them to their new home for the time being we hitch the horse I was on I turn to barg and Zul.
Whitney:"alright let's spread out we can cover more ground that way ask if anyone from a north village has come looking for safety shelter an older man his name is Benjamin he's got grey hair not overly tall a very kind face"
Barg:"alright we can meet near the tavern and don't forget we will have to practice before night fall"
Zul:"yeah let's hope they don't show up whoever it is" we all nod in agreement and head off in different directions. I start asking anyone that passes me by if they had seen anyone come from the north because of their village being attacked I go and ask as many guards as I can find I spend the rest of the afternoon asking anyone who will listen eventually we return to the tavern I go inside and go to the bar it's a Minotaur who's running the bar I take a seat he walks over I can hear his hooves clanking on the wooden floors
Minotaur man:" what can I get for you miss?"
I look up at him and sigh
Whitney:"you wouldn't happen to have seen anyone coming in from a north village that was burnt to the ground, he's an older man"
Minotaur:" sorry no I haven't if they have they haven't come in here"
Whitney:"thanks" I put my head on the counter and let my arms hang down at my sides the hopeless feeling is flooding my chest and head
Minotaur:"uh perhaps they just haven't arrived yet to the city, it is a very far walk and if he is older it could take longer"
I don't move as I hear him talking
Whitney:"they had at least two weeks or more head start.."
Minotaur:" what is your name, if anyone comes in I can tell them they are being looked for by a very beautiful curvy woman, my name is Charlie by the way"
Whitney:" my name is Whitney and thank you but I'm not exactly in the mood to be flattered or flirted with but thank you for the help"
Barg and Zul walk in looking no more successful then myself they each sit on either side of me
Zul:"I'm guessing you haven't had any luck"
Whitney:"does it look like I've found him"
I snap back and immediately regret being rude to him but I'm to stubborn to admit it and keep my head planted on the counter
Charlie:"are these guys bugging you Whitney? I can kick them out if you need me to"
Barg:"who the hell are you!? We are with her actually"
Charlie:"I think she'd rather have me around then you two greenies" he chuckles at the two of them Zul stands up ready to fight him
Whitney:"that's enough, they are with me they are my friends if they leave so do I now can you all shut up"
I snap at all three of them as they all look shocked at my outburst Zul sits back down looking like I killed his dreams and barg says nothing
Charlie:"I apologize I was rude here three beers on me and we can all forget this happened"
They agree and take the beer I stand up push out my stool
Whitney:"I need to be alone for a while have my beer I'm not in the mood to drink"
Zul:"wait you shouldn't be alone it's going to be getting late soon"
Whitney:"the sun isn't even setting yet I will be fine Zul"
Barg:"be careful okay don't go to far"
I nod and leave the tavern i head to the back where most of the live stock are kept in the fields I jump the fence and walk to some trees where I can sit and watch the cows, horses and sheep grazing there are a lot of babies playing around with each other. I sit trying to think if Benjamin could be anywhere else, all the while blaming myself for being to late and running away when I should have stayed and tried to help him what was I thinking he is an older man he couldn't have defended himself again a gang of them, I hit the ground with my fist.
"How could I leave him he was the only one who cared for me who gave me a place to sleep when no one else would" I talk to myself hoping to make myself feel better but the only thing I can feel is sadness my eyes fill with tears as I look at the animals grazing in the field, why did my parents have to die, why did my village need to be the one to get attacked, why did it have to be Benjamin to save me he should have saved himself. I sit leaning my back on the tree for hours watching the sun get lower and lower, I cry until my eyes are sore and face is soaked by tears I can't even believe that this is my life what did I ever do to deserve this.
Barg and zuls Pov
We watch Whitney leave the tavern before looking at each other not knowing what to do or say.
Barg:"I've never seen her like this before she's usually the positive, calm one"
Zul:"me either I think we may have miss judged just how important this Benjamin guy is to her, if we don't find him she's never going to forgive herself for leaving him"
Charlie:"I'm not sure what's happening but she is feisty and damn sexy what are you two doing with a woman like that"
Zul:"I saved her she ran from her village when it was attacked and burnt to the ground, she got attacked by wolves I helped her took her to my village and so on"
Barg:"then he had sex with her took her virginity and decided to distance himself he hurt her and I picked up the broken pieces and put them back together"
Charlie:"oh well zul is your name right"
Zul:"yes"
Charlie:"you are an idiot for breaking her heart and barg, you prayed on her when she was already hurting I'm guessing now you both have feelings for her and she is confused on who to trust and who to love did I get that right?" He smirks at me and zul as we nod
Barg:"I didn't pray on her tho I was helping her to get to a village to the west to get help we had sex but she wanted it just as much as I did"
Charlie:"whatever I'm still right, I'll ask some of my friends if they have seen anyone come in but does that mean you guys think these bandits are coming here next"
Zul:"we aren't fully sure but it seems they are going from one place to another taking out everything and everyone in their path we figured we should come and warn you guys as well as try to find Benjamin"
Barg:"apparently in her village there was no corpses so either the villagers fled or they took them"
Charlie:"damn what kind of monsters do that and why"
Zul:" we aren't sure she didn't see anyone but whoever or whatever they are it isn't good"
We all agree drinking our beer hours pass and Whitney still hasn't come back to the tavern
Zul:"we should go look for her you know"
Barg:"I know but she wants to be alone right now she can take care of herself she needs time"
We eventually leave the tavern and go walking through the town
Zul:"do you love her"
Barg:"what?"
Zul:"do you love Whitney or is she just another kill for you"
Barg:"don't you ever say that She is not just something to fuck to me! I want to be with her she's different then anyone else and you are the one who decided to bail on her after you two had sex"
Zul:"It's the right thing to do she's a human and well we are just orcs even if she doesn't see us that way at least I'm thinking of her and not myself!"
Barg:"bullshit you are scared to be with someone that you do love and that's why you ran to Dura so fast or maybe you did just want to fuck Whitney and then leave her!"
Zul:"what do you know you've never even been in a relationship you just jump for whore to whore"
Barg:"that was a long time ago Zul and I do remember you also being pretty good at jumping from girl to girl"
I walk away from Zul heading off into a random direction away from Zul
Whitney's pov
I finally collect myself and stop crying I get up wipe off my butt and head back into town the sun is now setting I get back to the tavern and go inside it's busy but I don't see Zul or Barg anywhere I go to the bar counter
Whitney:"Charlie where did Barg and Zul go? It's getting late I suggest you close and make sure everyone gets home safely"
Charlie:"they left a while ago probably an hour ago, I wasn't lying when I said you are beautiful either, I did ask my friends and they haven't seen or heard anyone coming from a north village I'm sorry maybe they kept going further south"
Whitney:"they left.. i probably deserve that do you know if they left the city"
Charlie:"I'm not sure honestly"
We hear shouting outside guards are closing everything down making everyone go into their homes and lock their doors i stand outside watching them all ride by on horse back with torches and swords some with bows,
Knight:"miss you must go inside we are shutting the city down and preparing if anything is to happen, Charlie give her and her two friends rooms upstairs every else go home and stay there!"
Whitney:"wait barg and zul aren't here I have to find them!"
Knight:"I'm sorry I can't let you if we find them we will keep them safe or send them to the tavern"
Before I know it the tavern is empty and I'm pulled inside by Charlie
Whitney:"those idiots they better be okay or else I'll kill them myself!"
Charlie:"here room number 3, is yours 6, and 9 are your friends you should try to get some rest I'll be here all night if they show up I'll let them in"
Whitney:"I'm not sleeping when the city could get attacked and burnt to the ground I'll sit down here with you"
Charlie:"alright fine would you like something to eat I'm going to have some dinner when is the last time you actually ate a good meal?"
Whitney:"uh I'm not sure I really haven't been thinking about it honestly finding Ben is more important"
Charlie:"you'll never find him if you starve to death or end up blacking out to exhaustion"
Whitney: I stop and roll my eyes slightly realizing he is not wrong "alright you aren't wrong so yes please"
Charlie nods and walks into the back he brings out a pot with stew in it some bread and water for us to drink the soup smells amazing, it makes my mouth start to water and my stomach rumble making me realize just how hungry I was we both sit eating waiting for someone to knock or something to happen, we finish eating leaving plenty of stew for leftovers we clean up I offer to help him clean up we get done and sit back down near the window we see guards walking around in groups as well as some of the men in the village going around with buckets of water.
Charlie:"you know those two orcs you are friends with I don't think they would have left you"
Whitney:"I don't know but I generally hope they are okay I snapped at them when I shouldn't have.. I wouldn't blame them if they did leave me behind"
Charlie puts his hand on my head messing up my hair
Charlie:"trust me they wouldn't leave without you they probably just got shoved into the first house they where near to spend the night hey maybe they will meet some of the other orcs around some of the women are pretty hot"
He says that just to annoy me and he is successful I give him a sharp glare as I push his hand off my head he chuckles at me leaning back in the chair
Charlie:"I'm kidding they probably got shoved into a random home and are worrying about you just as you are worrying about them"
Whitney:"I don't care who they are with as long as they are safe, waiting for something to happen is terrible"
Charlie:"maybe they are only attacking small villages"
Whitney:"maybe but if nothing happens these guards are going to throw me in jail for lying to them and making the city panic"
With that we keep waiting