Page 41 of I Ran Away to Evil 2
Her audience of one listened, captivated.
“The newly elevated Duke Francis was an idiot—and didn’t realize that a pretty face likeminewasn’t the birthday gift.”
CHAPTER 21
Bronwynn’s Third Encounter
Rufus
I knew that the first thing Knight Commander Havork had done when he’d stepped up as the regent of Drendil was to throw Duke Francis into a dungeon … but that didn’t stop me from wanting to go to Drendil and personally drag the young duke back tomydungeon.
And not the one with the comfy chairs.
Maybe it was my upbringing, but I took freedom and consentverypersonally. And the lack thereof was a sure way to raise my hackles. Literally. The hairs on my spine stood against my tunic, and only [Natural Poise] kept me from bristling about the edges.
“I’m just glad you were alright in the end,” I told the minstrel after she regaled me with a tale that included her leaping over a table, drinking a tankard of ale, jumping through a window onto the outer stairs, tripping three knights down that flight of stairs, pinning Francis to a wall with five daggers, and then riding off into the sunset on her trusty companion, Donna.
In fact, Donna had come out with a much higher take down number as she broke out of the stable and crossed the castle to get her bard. My respect for the horse, already high, rose even higher.
Bronwynn shrugged. “All in a day’s work for a minstrel.”
“I don’t think escaping out of castle windows is normal for most musicians,” I stated. We’d turned onto the main road a while ago and were happily moseying along.
“If the need arises,” Bronwynn assured me, “I’m very good at throwing myself or others out of windows. If defenestration were a skill, I’d be at expert rank.”
Her enthusiasm worried me, but I was sure that onthistrip, there would benodefenestration needed … and if it was, I’d trust her to handle herself.
Bards always landed on their feet.
The sun rose over the Dark Enchanted Forest as we trudged forward. Donna was tireless, though sometimes, she would wander off to the side of the road and inspect something.
The trip was peaceful. We passed three catkin female adventurers on their way to Green Oak, and a giant wild boar the size of the wagon. The boar snarfed and snorted when it saw us, but Donna actually saved us from any confrontation. When she saw the boar wasn’t moving out of her way, the mare raised her head elegantly, chin in the air. She looked down her nose at the creature andwhinnied.
She sounded like a princess dressing down the staff for getting dirt on her horseshoe.
The boar’s eyebrows shot up comedically high, and he chuffed. He was making excuses.
Donna stamped her foot and started walking straight for the beast, who promptly got out of her way. The mare didn’t even look at the boar again, simply passing it by and continuing down the road.
Bronwynn didn’t think anything of it, acting like a rabbit had just crossed our path.
She was the same when we rode past a group of tiny mice wearing jackets and wielding swords fighting a hawk in a field later that afternoon. And the time we saw two elves ride by on unicorns, heading back the way we’d come.
Finally, I asked, “How often do you travel the woods?”
Bronwynn opened her eyes; she’d been relaxing in the sun. Her red-tipped hair caught the light beautifully. “Depends on the year. I don’t reallylikesailing, so if I have the time, I’ll choose the extra few days it takes going through the forest. I prefer encounters here than on the ocean.”
“So it’s not always in the Dark Enchanted Forest? It could happen in Servalt?” I did a Perception check, finding nothing. The forest had its own magic and its own personality. It would probably delight in sending encounters to a bard.
“Anytime, anywhere. From the moment I ‘start the quest’”—she made air quotations around the last part—“which in this case was the second I left Henrietta’s wedding.”
“So we have until you arrive at Heatherfeld?”
“Yep.” She glanced around and sighed. “I think Gerda’s bridgeandKith Bog have moved, so we’ll see what comes our way.”
“The boar didn’t count?” We’d certainly come across a number of things already, and it was barely midafternoon.
“Donna handled that.” The minstrel shrugged.
