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@Hungry Hippo !
Knowing it was foolish, its why she chose that route, and suffered nearly a month living inside a crate with barely a thing to eat or drink. The man she had paid to get her out of Connlaoth wasn't eager to oblige until she gave him a bag full of gold, which had been the most money he had seen his entire life. The same could go for her. But it wasn't
her money, and it was the first time she had ever stolen anything. But it had come from her fiance's pocket, more or less, and that alone kept her mind clear of any guilt.
And he was a greedy old thing, the cart driver, obviously having grown up on the wrong side of town, and because of the way she looked, she could only deduce why he hadn't a wife. It also was the reason,s he presumed, he kept looking at her with a hunger to his eyes, which was almost as unsettling as the look her fiance tended to give her when he'd push his limits before they were officially wed.
Perhaps in all men, she suspected, there was an ounce of animal, for the moment they were in another country, Winifred awoke with the man watching her- and the rest of what occurred she'd rather forget. She had to hurry now, to move in whatever direction she could to get away from the trail she had been taking. She didn't trust the man wouldn't go back to inform her fiance just where she was running to. After all, he had figured out it was her fiance she had gotten the money from, and her fiance from who she was trying to leave. And despite hoping she'd be heading another direction, when she finally saw a town in view, her heart sank- for despite her attempts, she still arrived in Hyoite.
Tired and hungry, the woman stumbled into the city. And she wished she had dressed more appropriately, for she could no longer feel her fingers, or her toes, and feared she could have lost them to the cold. But sensations were heightened in her desperate state, and she needed water, needed rest... food....
Perhaps it was foolish of her to travel in this unforgiving wilderness alone, but little did she realize how lucky she was to even survive. But even that was debatable, for as she pushed her tired body into the town, she began to feel the weight of her journey upon her before she collapsed.
And to think, she had been so close to her destination it was cruel. But it seemed fate liked to play with her, to torture her for 'being a mage'- or so it was drilled into her mind from the church. Magic, to them, was wicked. And as she moved a hand to clutch onto the enchanted necklace that held captive her 'tainted' voice, she realized it was gone. And despite the growing heat of her body, and fever that consumed her strength, she felt a chill run through her blood before the world whirled around her and she passed out.
And the dreams she had were unsettling as she lay there in the dark, her fallen form collecting snow as it began to fall, and quickly as a snow storm rolled in.
Shivering beneath his furs, Garrett smiled to himself as he saw Hyoite appear in the distance. It was a cold day even for someone used to the unforgiving temperatures of the tundra, and as night drew closer it was becoming colder still. He had known he was pushing it when he decided to track that second fox, knowing it would be difficult to return home before dark. But he needed money, and he wouldn't get money without animals to sell.
Having only recently arrived in Hyoite Garrett did not yet have a home of his own. Fortunately for him, the owner of the inn he was staying at had known his uncle, and after being told the tale of what happened to his village had agreed to give him a discounted room until he found more permanent lodgings.
Hefting the sack he carried over his shoulder, he judged it a worthwhile day of hunting. Three rabbits and two arctic foxes. One of the rabbits would go to the innkeeper as payment for the room, and the rest would go to market tomorrow. It should hopefully earn him a pretty penny.
He would have to hurry though. It looked like a snow storm was on the horizon, and it wouldn't be long until they shut the town gates for the night. Getting stuck outside in a blizzard was not how he wanted to spend the night.
Speeding up, he reached town just as the snow storm arrived. "Cutting it close there Garrett." Looking over to the side he saw Barry, one of the night guards, approaching. "I was just about to shut the gates."
"Well thanks for waiting for me," he replied, with a smile and a wink. "Looks like a snow storms setting in, try not to freeze to death out here." Barry pulled a face at him, and Garrett turned away laughing to himself.
But the laugh died in his throat as he saw what looked like a body lying in the snow at the side of the road. Hurrying over, he crouched down beside it, and realised it was a young woman. Judging by her clothes she was a foreigner, and completely unprepared for the harsh north. This may have proved fatal for her, because she looked deathly pale.
Pressing his fingers to her neck, he felt a weak pulse. She wasn't dead, just unconscious. Hopefully there was time for him to carry her somewhere warmer. The inn wasn't too far up the street, so he should be able to get her there quickly enough. He would have to leave his hunting haul, but most people had gone inside to hide from the storm, so he should be able to run back out and collect it later.
Dumping his sack on the floor, he dusted the snow off of the lady and gathered her up in his arms.
OOC: Hope it's okay to presume he took her to the Inn!
Nator Shyloh was the owner of the White Cloud Inn- appropriately named for the skies around these parts were always filled with clouds. Snow was ever abundant, though patrons, perhaps, were not. This season especially since a lot of Connlaothians weren't coming north, due to the war. So even getting only half for a room to an acquaintance of an acquaintance was worth something. He had even contemplating offer even less than that. The poor young man seemed to have had quite the ordeal he suffered through, but all thoughts were lost the moment the door was kicked open and a man stepped in, holding what appeared to be a bundle of snow caked furs. But upon further inspection, the Innkeeper gasped.
"Land's sakes, boy, is that a woman in your arms?" he exclaimed, for even in the dim lighting of the common room he could see the pale woman cradled in his arms. And she looked anything but well. "What happened?" And he too, could tell by her clothing she was a foreigner, and from how it seemed, Connlaothian (for he'd seen far too many red heads from that land).
"She looks awful. Is she-" Alive? He couldn't say it, fearing the worse. He had just buried his niece for a similar fate, and though it was a month past, it still made his throat tighten as he blinked back the threats of tears.
After hours spent outside in the snow, the warmth of the inn felt like a blessing from the gods. Had it not been for the girl unconscious in his arms, Garrett probably would have paused in the doorway to let out a sigh of contentment. As it was, he hurriedly tried to find a table big enough to lay the woman on. Being designed for nothing more than holding people drinks and meals none were large enough, so he simply lay her on the floor beside the fire.
Nator, unsurprisingly, was confused and worried about the unconscious woman that had just been carried into his establishment. "I found her just lying there in the snow," explained Garrett. "I wasn't sure what to do with her, so I brought her here." Pressing his fingers against her neck, he let out a sigh of relief. She still had a pulse. "She's still alive, thank the gods."
Looking at Nator, he saw the moistness in his eyes only just being held back by furious blinking, and remembered what had happened to his niece. "What do you think we should do?" he asked carefully. "Do you think she just needs warmth and rest? Or should we try and find a doctor?" Hopefully if he could get Nator to focus on helping the girl in front of him it would hold back thoughts of his niece.
Releasing a sigh of relief, the innkeep focused on the problem at hand. He.moved to get a better look and gestured to Garrett.
"Doc is up in Yurich, Mrs. Zo"if is giving birth. He won't be back til the week's end." He frowned.
"She'll need warmer clothes. These are too damp and cold to be of any help in her recovery." And he looked up at Garrett, "We can only pray warmth, rest and some meals , if she awakens, will be enough. She appears too cold to be with fever, but that doesn't mean she won't get one. Come, let's undress the girl and get her in a warm blanket so we can have her get warm and dry up by the fire."
And to Garrett, he gave a nod.
"Whoever she is is lucky to have found you."
Nodding in return to the innkeeper, Garrett assisted Nator in removing the woman’s damp clothes. He tried not to let his eyes linger on her undressed state, but it wasn’t until Nator coughed pointedly that he moved out of the way for him to wrap a blanket around her.
His face flushing slightly, he suddenly remembered the sack he had left out in the snow. “I left my hunting sack out there when I picked her up,” he told Nator. “If you’re happy to look after her on your own for a minute I’ll quickly run outside and get it."
With that, he turned and hurried back out the door. Wincing as the biting cold wind suddenly whipped into his face, he realised that the storm had picked up and was now quite strong. Reaching the place where he thought he had left the bag he found it to be gone. Unable to see very far in the heavily falling snow, and not wanting to stay out in the cold any longer than he had to, he was about to turn back when he heard a dog growling off to his left.
Looking in that direction, he saw two of the animals circling each other, with the sack between them. “Hey!” he yelled at them as he ran over and kicked snow at them. “Shoo! Leave my stuff alone!”
One of the dogs ran away immediately, but the other turned and bared its teeth at him. But a face full of snow soon caused it to turn tail and flee alongside the other one. Picking up the sack, Garrett found one of the rabbits had been half eaten, but the rest looked untouched.
Dropping the spoiled rabbit, he hurried back to the White Cloud Inn with the rest. After everything that had happened today, all he wanted now was a nice hot meal followed by a warm, comfortable bed.
It seemed Nator read his mind. Soup was on the hearth, soon filling the room with its smells. And it would be a heavenly welcome. Though while Garrett had gone off to find his discards, the innkeep tending to the fallen woman. She was a lot heavier than he expected, but managed, despite his age, to carry her up to Garrett's room. Once there, he was catching his breath while tucking her in and starting a fire in the small fireplace near the bed. Once the fire was roaring and the room warmed, he moved back down the steps to tend to the soup. No doubt if the woman woke up soon, she'd be hungry, and Garrett- he'd probably be famished.
"Have a seat!" he told Garrett on his return. "No doubt you're exhausted. Soup is just about ready and the lady is secure in your bed. I have a fire going in the room and extra blankets for her. And I'll be happy to check on her periodically until you retire for the evening."
OOC: I completely forgot about moving her upstairs. Probably should have done that first rather than change her out of her damp clothes downstairs where anybody could have walked in!
The smell of delicious hot soup hit Garrett the moment he walked through the door. It was almost as though Nator had read his mind. He felt his belly begin to rumble almost as soon as the scent hit his nostrils, and he wandered over to the nearest table in an almost trance like state.
"I don't know what I'd do without you Nator," he told the innkeeper as he placed a bowl of hot soup in front of him. Trying a taste of the soup he couldn't help but let out an appreciative groan of satisfaction. "This is delicious. You are a life saver my friend." He worked his way happily through the warm meal. "And thank you for the help with the girl. Although, if you've placed her in my room, where am I to sleep tonight?"
OOC: it's okay, I'd think her life over modesty would dictate that as a necessity, or at least that's what I presumed :D
The innkeep was proud his soup perked the boy up, and gestured with a large hand, "Eat as much as you'd like." But when the question came back in regards to his bed, he simply shrugged.
"She needs someone to keep an eye on her. And I trust you wouldn't take advantage of a young lady in such a predicament, so I've set up a cot for you. It won't be as comfy as the bed, but it makes more sense to allow the young lady to have it and hopefully by tomorrow, our efforts will be rewarded and she'll come around."
Slurping up the last of his soup, Garrett pushed the bowl away before leaning back to let out a contented sigh. "I should probably copy our new friend and get myself some sleep. I'll leave my hunting sack in the kitchen, feel free to help yourself to one of the rabbits."
He stood up and wished the innkeep goodnight, before heading upstairs to get some well earned rest.
Nator nodded.
"Yes, after a day like this one, you'd best. I should retire myself, but the bell will be available for you to pull to wake me if anything's urgent. Either way, I'll see you come morning. Sleep well." And he nodded to Garrett before making his way behind the counter, setting up the latch for the calling bell before disappearing down the back steps to where he slept.
And when Garrett would return to the room, he'd find the girl still asleep.
OOC: Feel free to time skip if you want! Or I could have her wake up before he gets to sleep, but let me know! Either option is fine to me!
OOC: thought I'd skip ahead to the next morning, and Winnifred could wake up shortly after him.
Slowly retreating from a deep slumber, Garrett let out a large yawn and stretched out his arms. For a moment he was confused as he realised he was lying in a cot instead of his normal bed, but then he remembered the girl he had found in the snow. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes and glanced over at the bed where the girl still lay.
Although still pale, she didn't look as dangerously pale as she had the night before. Garrett frowned as he realised he couldn't see her moving, and for a moment he was worried that she might have passed away during the night. But then as he looked at her her eyes snapped open, quickly meeting his.
"You're awake!" he exclaimed in joyful surprise. "How are you feeling? We were worried you wouldn't make it through the night."
At the sudden realization she was no where at home, and in a room with a strange man, she sat up suddenly and went to scream- but when nothing came out, she grasped suddenly at her chest and fumbled to grip where her necklace had once been. But to her horror, she found it was not there. Paling, she backed away, pressing herself up against the wall of the room and glared at him, like a wild cat cornered by a huntsman.
But as her mind began to comprehend what he had asked (for her first worry was her loss of voice, which was still rolling around within her mind at a rapid pace- after all, what could she do now!? That necklace held her voice, and whatever 'powers' she possessed. ) Now she was far from home, was probably permanently mute, and was in some strange man's room. And despite he was asking how she was, when she then further realized she was without clothing, her eyes lit up like a wild fire and she grabbed the closest thing to her-
and threw it at his head, gripping the bed sheet around her protectively and continued to grope for anything to use as a weapon or some sort of offensive projectile to keep this pervert at bay!
At the sound of his voice the girl suddenly animated, pushing herself backwards into the corner of the room. "Hey, hey there. It's alright, I'm your friend. I- Ouch!" Garrett's attempts at calming her down were interrupted as a candle hit him in the face.
"Look, I...'" he dodged out the way as another candle went sailing past his head. "I'm not your enemy! I found you passed out in the snow last night and brought you inside to stop you from dying." Pausing for a moment, he decided she'd calmed down enough to talk to. Or at least she'd run out of candles to throw at him.
"I understand that you're scared and confused, but I'm here to help you. My names Garrett, what's yours?"
Winifred stopped, exasperated at the whole ordeal but as he began to explain himself, she thought back to her journey. It made sense, and the small room, warmed by an even smaller fire, only revealed the idea she was in someplace like a tavern or inn. She shuffled her grip on the sheet that clothed her, and gave it a tighter grip as she frowned after trying to give her name but her voice was lost.
Her eyes burned with the threat of tears, as she looked around, as if embarrassed. Soon dropping her gaze, she tried to figure out how to explain to him her dilemma as well as give her name, and perhaps find a way to ask about her necklace. Perhaps he had removed it? Or had it on his person? She could only hope so.
Her other hand still searched her neck before she sighed, giving up on the of finding the necklace before looking down at the clothe that covered her and shuffled beneath it uncomfortably. She saw his look, he was probably confused, which only made her frown deepen.
Tapping against her throat, she opened her mouth and shook her head, before closing it. Hopefully he would understand she was mute. The complicated part, however, would be to explain as to why. And her eyes began to search desperately for her clothes.
The girl stayed silent for a moment, before tapping her throat and shaking her head. Did she mean she couldn't talk? Perhaps she was a mute. Garrett noticed her glancing around the room and realised she was probably looking for her clothes.
"Tell you what, I'll go see where Nator put your clothes, then you can a nice hot meal and we'll try to figure out what to do with you. Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back," he told her as he left the room.
Hurrying downstairs he found Nator was already up. "Nator, our friend is awake! What did you do with her clothes?"
Nator gestured towards the hearth.
"See the line of clothing there? The jacket, dress.. all of it's her's." And before Garrett would get a chance to collect them, Nator grabbed him by the arm.
"So the lass is awake? Did you get her name? Her clothing looked awfully fancy.. We might be dealing with some sort of nobleman's daughter or some such." And his eyes went to the stairs to make sure no one was eves dropping.
Garrett shook his head. "She wouldn't speak. I think she might be mute." Picking up the clothes, he noticed for the first time that they did indeed look like something a noble would wear. "If she's a nobleman's daughter then there must be a nobleman somewhere looking for her. I'll bet there's a nice little reward waiting for anybody who returns her too."
He grinned at Nator. "We may have just struck gold here my friend."
Nator was trying not to grin over the scenario- but it was what it was.
"You spoke what I think, Garrett. However.." and here, he leaned forward and lowered his voice further. "We should not count our eggs just yet. Who knows the story here, eh? Though helping her is wise either way. It's the right thing to do," he affirmed with a nod, and tried to look as heroic as he could, but the exciting sensation of getting money for this simple act was creeping in tickling chills through his veins and even bones.
"If she's mute... perhaps we ought to offer her quill and paper? She could explain to us her situation."
"That sounds like a sensible idea," agreed Garrett. "Well I'll go give her her clothes. Once she's dressed and had something to eat I'm sure she'll be willing to explain who she is." He flashed another excited grin at Nator and hurried upstairs.
Knocking on the bedroom door, he pushed it open slowly, not wanting to walk in on her naked. "I've got your clothes," he told her, laying them on the bed. "Once you're dressed feel free to join us downstairs and we'll give you something to eat."
He turned to leave but then paused. Turning around to face her again he half bowed awkwardly. "M'lady," he said, before backing out the door, closing it behind him.
When Garrett returned, he'd be able to hear a sharp creak from the bed. The woman remained where he had left her, and she was gripping the bed sheets something fierce. Her eyes still held a fierceness likea fire, and she thought nothing peculiar until the way he addressed her when he left. It elicited a small, surprised glare is way, and the second he left, her eyes dropped to her clothes. She had tried to dress more commonly, but regretted she had nothing simpler than what she wore.
Sighing hotly, she moved to stand, and with a silent cry, her legs got entangled on the bedding.and she fell.forward with a loud crash to the ground.
Garrett sighed to himself as he walked away from the room. She still seemed to be angry with him, and had only looked even more furious at his attempt to treat her like a noble. He could understand her initial surprise and anger towards him, but thought that after his explanation of where she was she would be more grateful. Perhaps he had made some mistake in the way he behaved around her. He'd heard they had all sorts of strange rules to do with behaving around nobles down south.
As he walked away from the room he suddenly heard a loud crash behind him. Spinning around he rushed back through the door to find the girl laying on the floor, bed covers tangled around her legs.
Hurrying over to her he tried desperately not to look at anything inappropriate as he crouched down to help her up. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned that she had survived the snow only to injure herself now.
Panicked, she tried her best to get herself out of the sheets, but in the thick of things, her knee caught hold of the sheets keeping her modest, and down they went. At the angle, he might have caught a glimpse of her, or perhaps she was lucky and her long red hair offered some modesty. But the second she was able to, she snatched up the blanket again and covered herself, and lifted her head to look at him, face red and eyes wild.
A moment of silence fell upon the room as they looked at each other awkwardly. The girls long red hair had managed to hide some of her body when the sheets went down, however Garrett had still seen too much for her modesty to remain intact.
Clearing his throat, he managed to break the awkward silence. "Umm, sorry about that," he said as he stood up. "I didn't mean to... err... see anything." He held out a hand, offering to help her to her feet.
Thoroughly offended she had been seen, Winifred reared back from the offered hand and clutched the bedding tighter.
Deciding he should leave before he caused any more embaressment, Garrett backed away towards the door. "I'll leave you to get changed. M'lady," he said, remembering to give another awkward bow before turning the leave the room.
She waited a moment to ensure the man wouldn't return before quickly picking up her clothing and finally letting the bed sheet drop. Wasting little time, she slipped into the layers of her dress and began to (or rather, attempt to) tighten the corset in the back.
She found it ironic she was even still wearing one. Perhaps she could exchange these fancier clothing in for something less flashy. With her corset now half tied, she huffed and abandonned the mission to complete this herself and moved to throw open the door as she glared at the man before turning around and pointing to the unfinished and loosely tied laces.
It was the least he could.do after seeing her naked!
Garrett looked at the lady in surprise as she flung open the door, still only half dressed. But as she spun around and pointed at the loosely tied lases he quickly realised what she wanted him to do.
He hadn't much experience with tightening a corsets laces, but it seemed fairly straight forward and only took him a moment. "How's that?" he asked, hoping he hadn't made it too tight enough to suffocate her.
It was tight, but she'd had them tighter, and she sighed once she was secure in her dress. Slowly, she smoothed a hand down her skirts before peering over at him, then looking away. She was still quite prissy in the moment, but had no idea what to do now. Communicating would prove difficult, and she had no idea how to go about asking if they had seen her necklace...
Or was it forever lost in the snow?
"How about some breakfast?" suggested Garrett now that the lady was clothed. "I'm sure Nator has some delicious hot food ready and waiting for you." He moved towards the stairs, assuming she would follow him. "Once you're fed we can get you a quill and paper, and we'll try and see if we can help you."
As embarrassed as she was, breakfast sounded heavenly. She nodded in agreement, and felt impressed at his suggestion to write her thoughts on paper. At least that meant he could read. It could have proved awful without this alternative.
And so she waited for him to lead the way.
Leading her down the stairs, Garrett breathed in deeply as he smelt the telltale scent of breakfast. Nator had not wasted any time in preparing food.
"I bet you must be hungry," he said, looking back at the lady as they walked into the kitchen to find Nator slaving over the stove. "You're in for a treat. Nator here cooks heaven on a plate." He grinned at the innkeep.
Winifred felt strange and stiffly followed after the man. As they neared the steps, she could already begin to smell the heavenly aroma of food. And though her voice was 'gone', her stomach rumbled, as if agreeing with what Garrett said.
And at the sight of Nator, her foot falls slowed.
"Mornin' lass," but as he lifted his eyes to get a good look at the lady in her dress, he ended up dropping one of the eggs off the plate while he gaped. To think the little crumpled red head was now this beauty standing before him made him wish he were younger!
Garrett raised his eyebrows in surprise as Nator dropped the egg. It wasn't like the innkeep to waste good food, yet he made no reaction to the spoilt egg as he stood gawping at the lady.
"So, how about that food?" he said, hoping to bring him back to reality. "Our friend here must be starving. I know I am."
Blushing, Nator put the plates down.
"Forgive me!" And he made quick work to scoop the egg up with a towel. "Please enjoy . I'll bring more out if you wish. Just give a holler." And though he had forgotten the girl couldn't speak, he was too flustered to even notice as he moved back towards the kitchen.
OOC: Sorry for the lack of response recently, I've been a little busy irl. Will try to reply more frequently from now on.
Sitting down next to the lady, Garrett dug into his food. He wasn't sure what the rules were for eating with a noble, so he just went with the manners his mother had taught him when he was young. This didn't go much further than just keep your mouth closed and don't talk whilst your chewing. But hopefully that would be good enough for her.
"Dig in," he said to her. "After you're done we can get you writing for us. My reading isn't great, but I'm sure we can figure it out."
OOC: No worries! I've been busy too! Still adjusting to my new job, so my own posts will be slower than usual!
Winifred took a seat, her eyes darting around the place like some sort of animal taken out of its surroundings. Though homely, the place was still very foreign to her- though, after a moment, she sighed and relaxed a little, deducing this place was far better than what she had run away from and observed the food set before her before lifting her green eyes to the man.
Writing? Oh! What a good idea! And she had so much to say.. so much to write about...
What should she tell them first? ANd as she thought over the possibilities, she hadn't realized her food was probably getting cold.
As he continued wolfing down his food, Garrett looked up to see the lady still hadn't touched her food. She appeared to be deep in though, and had completely forgotten about the plate in front of her.
"Nator will be disappointed if he sees you haven't touched your food," he said to her, catching her eye before glancing down at her plate.
It wasn't until she was reminded of the food that her eyes dropped to her plate. And her stomach growled hungrily as she blushed and looked the food over. Though it looked simple, it smelled divine and she moved hastily to take her first bite.
Smiling to himself as she quickly began to eat, Garrett looked down at his own plate and was disappointed to see that he was almost finished. As he munched on the last view mouthfulls he leaned back in his chair and patted his belly contentedly.
"Well," he said after swallowing the last of his food. "I'll go see about that quill and paper. You stay here and enjoy your food. I'll be back in just a moment." With that he stood up and went looking for paper. He hoped the innkeeper had what they needed, otherwise it would make communicating with the girl much more difficult.
Seeing Garrett approach, Nator pulled the man aside. Making sure the young woman hadn't followed, he asked, "so... Hows she doing? She eatin'? She look okay? She try to err, talk?"
"She's eating," Garrett reassured Nator with a smile. "Seems to be doing well enough after being left out in the snow. She hasn't said a word though, so I think we need to get her writing stuff for us. Do you have a quill and paper we could use?"
Nator's brows raised.
"Of course, of course!" But he shot Garrett a look. "But can you read, though? If not, hey, I could read it." He was very interested to know more about this woman. After all, it could be a profitable endeavor for them both!
Garrett nodded his thanks at the offer. "I can read a little, but I'm no scholar. Some help might come in handy."
He gave a nod and handed over quill and pen.
"Now, hurry on over to her. I doubt she woke up and wants to be alone!"
Garrett took the quill and paper from Nator before hurrying over to the lady. Sitting down opposite her, he gave her a big grin as he handed her the quill. "Here you go," he said cheerfully. "Now we can find out who you are. Why dont you write your name down first so we know what to call you?"
Relief washed over her the moment she saw the quill, and the second it was in her hand she began to write down her name when the pen jerked to a halt, and she was suddenly scratching out her name.