Correl of Otley
Correl was hurried along after her talk with Lord Wren, with Yurick leading her to a cart that would take her into the nearest town to Caer Wren, where Lord Brighid had said she would wait and gather supplies for their journey. At first, Correl was scared to go by herself, but placed aside her fear for just as much time as it took both of her feet to be planted in the cart and to see the grand Caer Wren fade from sight. From that point on, her stomach dropped, flopped, and stalled the less she was able to see her home in the distance.
For a good moment, there was nothing. No great buildings breaking the skyline, and Correl found she had time to think. See, Caer Wren was pretty isolated from commoners, and the closest town still under Lord Wren’s protection was almost three miles from the Caer itself. Correl watched rolling fields of wheat, watched passengers in carts like herself, or walking idly by on the same road… she was like them now,, a wanderer. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever be “home” again. She would be wandering and discovering new places, having new adventures…
Correl couldn’t help the smile on her face as she thought of it, nor the tears threatening to stream from her face. In an effort to save face, and avoid the worrying of strangers around her, Correl pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her head into them until she could here the driver announce her destination. The town of Loeb was not always so busy, nor did it get foot traffic often, especially as it had no nearer neighbors… but today was different.
Correl had only recently, within the last six months, gone to Loeb to buy herself more clothes, and the town’s atmosphere has changed significantly. There were dozens more people than before, all of them buzzing and flitting about. Correl rubbed her eyes as much as she could, and got ready to depart from the cart. She was told to head towards an inn going by the name, Loeb’s Hall. Correl thanked the cart driver and made her way through crowds, trying not to push or be pushed back. If the outside of the inn was packed, then the inside was overly so. Hardly any foot room for anyone to stand, the crowds seemed to surround someone. When Correl saw the crowded figure, everything else began to make sense. Standing tall and proud was the marvelous knight, Lord Brighid of Gauwynn.
Lord Brighid was nearly seven and half feet tall, broad shouldered and incredibly muscular. She had a sharp and angular face and very even facial features, with short brown cropped hair and soft, striking grey eyes. She was considered very handsome universally, and she usually doesn’t have free time for dawdling, so it was understandable that everyone and their mother wanted to be close with her as she took a rest in the inn. Correl wasn’t sure that she’d even be able to get her attention herself. And she was one of the few people who actually had business with her lordship.
Correl, in that moment found herself settling against the barest wall she found, to wait out the flowing crowds. Just until she found the perfect-
“Correl of Otley!”
The loud, booming and joyous voice took her off guard, causing her to slip from her place against the wall in order to stand to attention. Lord Brighid, was now looking directly at her (not a hard feat, considering her monstrous height) and waving her over. Correl could barely eek out the words to respond, having to settle with just nodding and sheepishly making her way through an easily parted crowd of now incredibly curious faces. When she was in front of Lord Brighid, her breathing only became more stilted, and any attempt to start conversation died in her throat.
“I have been looking forward to meeting you in person.” Lord Brighid said as her booming voice had softened to more of a smooth velvet tone.
Correl could only nod again, and tried to bow, but before she could, Brighid’s hand slapped around her shoulder and pulled a tad bit closer, “If everyone could excuse us we have important business to attend to.” said Brighid, earning several disappointed moans, which was met with Brighid almost pulling Correl along in her grip so they could leave the building.
On the outside of the building the crowd still persisted, and for a moment Correl thought she heard the Lord of Gauwynn curse under her breath. Correl had no choice but to listen as Brighid once again asked for privacy to discuss important information with their colleague. Though, in comparison to the previous statement inside, this one felt more tight, forced and constrained… as if Lord Brighid had something else she wanted to say. As the crowd ebbed out began to try occupy the rest of Loeb, Brighid finally released Correl’s shoulder and stood in front of her once more.
“That was annoying.” She mused, accompanying her statement with something between a hiss and laughter.
Correl didn’t know what to say still, but again nodded. Brighid continued to turn around, whistling into the open air and creating a sound akin to banshees cry, earning a wince out of Correl. “I thought we would be able to discuss business here and perhaps earn a good night’s rest. However, I see now that will be impossible with all the busybodies around. We should keep moving instead.” Brighid muttered, watching as a motley-colored horse cut through and around the remaining people to stop in front of them.
Correl, finally able to find her voice, asked in a near desperate voice, “W-where are we heading?” She… well, to say she was a bit caught up in the moment was an understatement. Usually you don’t meet one of your heroes and get whisked away. Besides she needed some agency as well, this was to be her new Lord after all, she needed to make a better impression than “quiet girl who nods along though life”.
“Ah? You’re not mute.” Brighid looked away from her horse and held her hand out to Correl, “Your bags please, Correl.”
“My b-bags?” Correl questioned, hesitant to remove them, “Why?”
“For the horse. The horse is going to carry your bags, and you, really. It’s just easier.” Brighid returned coldly.
“And, w-where are we going, Lord Brighid?” Correl stammered out again.
Brighid seemed to roll her eyes, waving her hand again in front of Correl, who quickly if not clumsily removed the two bags from her person. Correl couldn’t help but feel that the person in front of her was completely different rom not only the person who had just addressed the common people, but also different from the letter she’d been given. Different from any other version of Lord Brighid that had ever been described to her.
Kind. Caring. Soft.
These were words, that across the entire continent were used to describe everyone’s favorite knight. No one, noble or common, had an ill word for her or her behavior. And yet, right in front of her, Correl could see a very different person, fussing over straps and muttering curses to her horse. She wanted to ask if something was wrong, but didn’t know how. But wasn’t it, as Brighid’s squire her job to know? Her right to ask? Swallowing the lump in her throat, albeit poorly, Correl decided to risk it.
“Is something wrong, Lord Brighid? Y-you seem… agitated?”
Brighid stopped fussing and looked up from her task, she turned to Correl with a sharp gaze in her eye that did in fact look angry, until it softened, “I… I’ve not been my best these past few days…” She stepped away from Correl and from her horse, holding a hand against her temple, “I-I’m sorry… we need to keep moving.”
Correl looked at Lord Brighid for a moment before turning to the horse and getting on. Call it a gut feeling, but she felt that there would not be anymore questions or answers right now. Brighid seemed to recover and led the horse out of town by its reigns.
Just as soon as she entered town, she was back out again and back on the road. Correl tried not to be disappointed but the sudden events. But she was hoping to talk more with Lord Brighid. Either the Lord picked up on her disappointment or noticed all the sideways glances Correl had been casting her direction. “What is it you need?” Brighid asked, once sounding distant and far away.
“I-I didn’t say anything.” Correl responded.
“I know.”
Correl turned to steal another look at Brighid and found herself staring straight into soft grey eyes, locked in a stare down. “…Uh, well you said we needed to leave? Why the urgency? Especially with the original plan being to stay in town or the night.”
“I thought we could afford the brevity, and it would give you time to adjust before pulling you into the situation on the deep end.” Brighid’s words came as a calm reply, “But in reality it was always a time sensitive matter.”
“Ah…”. mused Correl, “…could you tell me about the issue now?” She hadn’t even realized there was an issue. Had she known there was a reason for her tutelage under Lord Brighid she sure as hell wouldn’t have wasted all morning in Caer Wren.
“Ah, the sun is setting.” Correl noticed, would they be traveling all night? And when was the last time Lord Brighid had rested? She’d hinted at a moment of resting, but Correl had practically been asleep all day.
“It is, we’ll need to get off the road and hide somewhere.”
Hide somewhere? The word choice stuck out on its own. But especially with the shadows of the day growing longer and the oranges and purples of dusk covering everything the light once touched. It felt eerie. She felt the horse being pulled into a brisk walk, whereas Brighid was near breaking into a run. The look on the older knight’s face was serious.
“What are we hiding from?”
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