Gadolor

Entressa

Entressa walked down a stony path’s slope, toward a trading town. Her two boots made crunching noises on the gravel with each step. She peered out from the shadowy hood of her cloak, sizing up the town’s stone wall, the gate, and the soldiers lounging on either side. Joining the traffic that passed through the gates, she entered the busy place. More soldiers populated the streets, identifiable by their chain mail, visible weapons, and rude demeanor. This place housed one of Sombron’s garrisons.

“We need a tent,” Andel had said, as they hiked along a cliff that day, “Or if heavy snow comes it will kill us.”

“I don’t suppose there are any friendly farmers nearby who wouldn’t give us to Sombron?”

“I doubt it.”

“Maybe we can do without. You keep saying we don’t have far to go.”

He shook his head. “It will get colder once we start climbing. And the weather could turn bad any day. We need to buy a tent here,” he pointed downward. The bustling town lay spread below them, at the cliff’s bottom.

“Do you see this place?” she said, “It’s crawling with Sombron’s men. It’s like they’re waiting for us there.”

“I’ll go. You needn’t.”

She was silent a moment, pondering the rooftops and the wall that circled them. “No, I’ll go.”

“What?” He looked at her.

“You’re right—only one of us need go. I can stay hidden down there. I know how. I know everything about avoiding people’s eyes.”

They stopped walking and faced one another. Andel frowned. “Far be it from me to put you in danger, while I stay behind.”

“I’m already in danger,” she insisted, “And I’ll be hopeless if you get caught. I don’t know where to find the Pass. And here, you can’t hide as well as me.”

Entressa threaded her way through the crowd, eyeing each building she passed, holding close the coins that she planned to use. She walked beside a cart with large rolling wheels, hoping any wandering eyes would notice the big cart instead of her. Her gaze swept the sea of feet through which she swam, never looking anyone in the face.

“Now, what’s this?” a voice said, “Some girl just wandering about?” A rough hand bumped her chin. She put on a stupid face and looked up. A soldier stood before her with the posture of a man who might have had some beer. “What’s yer business in my town, little woman?”

She focused on the man’s dark hair, which was plastered to his head by a helmet. “Madam said t-tell nobody,” she said in a toneless voice.

“Leave alone, Lester,” a voice came from the side.

The soldier shrugged expressively. “I was just question’n.” He let go of Entressa and moved off. Resisting the urge to watch where he went, she walked on. She had to tell herself to unclench her fists. Her heart raced, ready to fuel a sprint for freedom. A half-dozen escape routes jumped into her mind, and she instantly chose the best. Can I get out before they close the gates?

“I can’t let you walk into that pit,” Andel had cried as they argued, “I couldn’t bear it if they caught you.” His voice was angry—this meant he knew she was right.

“They won’t,” she said. “And what if you went, and they caught you? Could you bear leaving me out here? Andel, just say you can do it better than me, and you can go. But remember how I survived before you found me.”

He stood, deflated for a moment. “I can’t lose you again.”

“Then send me,” she said gently. “You’re always talking about the adventure of this journey. Let me do my part.”

Slowly, he sighed and nodded. Waving toward her belt where she carried their money, he begged, “Go get us a tent. Step surely, my lady.”

Eventually, Entressa found a tailor’s shop and bargained for a large square of oilcloth. The small place was full of men who cared little for a hooded servant girl, but she managed to get what she needed without great trouble. The tailor tied it up with string into a lumpy, folded brown package.

Then came the task of leaving town with the bulky bundle. She hugged the thing to her belly, ignoring the smell of linseed oil. Making for a different gate than the one through which she’d entered, Entressa almost got lost in the town’s twisting streets. She made it out. Tall bushes surrounded her like protective friends. She found Huan browsing for food and Andel pacing back and forth.

“Ah,” Andel cried, “Thank heaven you’re back.”

“I got it,” she grinned, holding the tent out to him.

“Good. Well done.” He sighed as if a whole mountain had been crushing him. She eyed the place where he’d been pacing. A strip of grass was trampled flat. “You got it! Well done. Well done, my lady. You are magnificent.”Bowing formally, he kissed her hand. She laughed, but her mind lingered on the feeling of his tough hand across hers.

“Let’s get away from here,” he said, tying the tent to the saddle and taking Huan’s reins.

“No one followed me,” she assured him.

“Yes, I mean, of course not. But Entressa, while you were in there I saw three units of soldiers come up the valley and enter the town. That’s about sixty men. They look geared for scouting.”

She stared as she realized what this meant. “They know we’re in the area. They’ll be combing the valley floor.” She glanced northwest. “We’ll be cut off from escape.”

“Maybe not for long: I didn’t see any supplies come in with them. I think we should fall back for a few days. We know the country behind us and can move fast. We can find a place to hide.”

So because of the soldiers hunting them, Andel and Entressa turned aside to a secluded village that had heard little of the fugitive royalty. In that part of the valley, the crops were greater than the people, so harvest work remained after the first snow. The royal pair came as this was finishing, and spent several days helping the people with the last of it.

After this, as was their custom, the people threw a feast to celebrate autumn’s last days. Soon there would be no warmth for them to all gather outside, so they partied while they could. The feast was to begin when the sun dropped below the western peaks and end when the moon rose from the East. This gave them a handful of hours to feast in twilight.

The town’s daughters brought Entressa into their circle that day as they prepared one another for the feast. Each braided her friend’s hair how it would look best while dancing. It took several of them an hour to choose a dress for Entressa to wear, comparing her colors and form to the different ones they had with an expertise that men do not understand.

And all the time they got ready, they talked. She told them the truth about Andel, that he’d asked for her hand, but said nothing about Astor. “If the way is far, why not marry now?” the girls asked Entressa, “Then you could enjoy one another on the road. And if anyone from your town wonders about you, they would come here, and we would tell them.”

“No, we must be married in our own place,” Entressa said, “Our people would want to see it.” She thought then about the wedding that was being planned when she left Esthena. She wondered what the people would think if they saw it after all. She pondered the prince of Astor, the kind strong Andel who had found her so far from home. She found herself wishing these new friends could come along and dress her hair for a wedding that could still be planned.

When the feast began, all the daughters skipped out together and circled a big bonfire. It was the kind of blaze that would scorch your face from three cubits away, lighting the whole scene like a miniature sun. Not until someone blocked its heat for a moment did Entressa realize how much it displaced the cold. They all knew the dance except her, but they taught her quickly, and the whole thing was such a frolic that mistakes didn’t matter.

Then the daughters danced with the sons, each in turn, spinning one another around until the whole ground became a mass of wheeling wool. All the while, flutes and tambourines raised a fierce tune over the revelers. Now and then, a boy would dart through the dancers to toss a branch on the blaze, causing sparks to flare up. Once, a burning log rolled away, and someone kicked it back without missing a step.

Soon the royal pair was whirled together, and they caught hands. Somehow Andel had already learned the dance, so she followed him as best she could. It was a wilder kind than the dances she knew, the experts being the ones with no shame. When the song ended, and everyone dissolved into gasps and giggles, she kept hold of his strong arm and they stood panting, blowing little puffs of steam at one another. “Yes,” she said, “I want to marry you.” A smile stole over Andel’s face. His eyes shone. He took a breath to speak, then the next dance began and they were whirled apart.

At last, when starlight ruled the West and the moon pushed her head above a mountainous East, the people retired to their homes, calling to the moon that she could now rule the winter night. Each family had its store of food prepared. Each man would turn to the tasks of fixing and making things that he put off until the cold months. Andel and Entressa rested with the people that night. But the day soon came when they had to move on, up into the mountains.