lionheartwitty wrote:
I'm on neither side of this affair," she thought to herself as she ducked and weaved from tree to tree.
...
Perhaps she was hired by the true parents of the Prince, sent to protect him?
((I just felt I needed to point out that the Prince's parents are from the Tserrian clan(I assume, since Rune was with the woman and baby John), and if Mantis was sent to protect the prince, that means she
would be on one side of the affair if she was helping them. Besides, they already have Rae and Eric for that, they should know that the Prince isn't to be killed, because he still needs to learn the teachings of the clan.))
Eric leaned back against the side of the wagon as it started moving out of the cave. He grimaced as old memories surfaced.
((Flashback time))
Eric's mother wrung her hands anxiously as she heard the knock on the door. She bit her lip as she flung the door open. The young boy at the door announced stiffly, "Letter for Guinevere Beaumont." The woman hesitated for a moment, then held out her hand. The boy pressed the slip of paper into the waiting hand, and walked off. Eric toddled after his mother, who'd held the paper to her chest and sank into a chair. Tears rimmed her eyes as she read it aloud. "The army deeply regrets to inform you that your husband, James Aaron Beaumont was lost in action in the performance of his duty... and the service of his clan..." At this point, she burst into tears, and the servants bowed their heads respectfully.
((In case you didn't understand, that was when Eric's father died. Yes, he served in an army.))
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Aminta edged away from Eric and behind what seemed to be a short wall of hay. She lay down and sang, this time so only she could hear it.
"In Norowa a lady bade, a bonny lass in muckle gear, and it was soothly sung and said she was a lady sweet and fair. Them cam' fae east and west i' pride an' some cam' sailan owre the sea an' a' tae win her for a bride. But never a bride wad the lady be. She bade them gang heem an' mend their claes that they had worn in comin' sae far. She ca'd them fules, she ca'd them flaes, set stooks on them and gae them a skar. There was a man baith stoor and strang, an' he wis neemed Odivere. He lo'ed the sword, he lo'ed the sang, but aye he lo'ed the ladies mair. This Odivere fell on his knee, an' vooed a voo upo' his life, and swore b' him that hang on tree to mak' this lady fair his wife..." Aminta continued on, singing the rest of this ballad quietly.