After the Escape

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Once the honey was added, the tea tasted much better, and Jasille was able to drink it without trouble. In fact, he came to enjoy its rich, dark flavor, and would have to ask Henley if he could have another later.

As he listened to Henley's story, he frowned at how the man's fellow humans had shunned him so for a reason so trite as loving another man. It wasn't right, by any means.

When Henley asked him if he had any great loves, he blushed some and looked down into his teacup before answering. "Before I was knighted, I was squire to a knight with another boy. We were closer than brothers, and eventually we became lovers. We were knighted together, but our country and our king needed us elsewhere. I was to be the king's personal guard, he was to be sent to the other side of the country in order to assist his father, a lord of the northern territories. The king died soon after, and I was Dimaethor's knight..." Jasille seemed to look down in shame for a bit, focusing on the dregs of tea in his cup. "Dimaethor was troubled after his parents died, and...he came to my chambers one night. It was sweet, for a while, until the rest of the king's council grew to learn of what we did together at night. They forced us to stop, and quickly betrothed the king to a noble's daughter. I still love him, but more of an old friend than a lover now."

Jasille gave a soft smile, his eyes distant with memories of sweet nights spent with his past loves. Setting his tea cup on the end table, he relaxed against the chair, feeling more at ease now thanks to the tea.
 
Henley sighed, thinking of the kinship he had with the knight. They both had loves taken from them...no matter the reasons for it, the pain of loss and the joy of the memory still was the same.

"I am afraid we have a task set before us. You must know the way we see your kind. The alluring beauty you all possess, even those that are prejudice against elves, love to look at them and desire them. Thea is a young, innocent girl with a big heart. Whether it is you or your king, I cannot tell, but I fear she may look upon one of you with more than friendship at heart. She needs to know that it is an impossibility before she believes in a fairy tale that will only hurt her. Coming from me, it may seem overprotective. But, perhaps you can explain to her that you and the king... well... that neither of you would see her in that way." Henley got up quickly, walking to the kitchen. He felt bad for Thea, no matter where her life seem to lead her, it was not a happy ending in her sights... not yet anyhow.
 
Once Henley left him, Jasille put his head in his hands. Humans were curious creatures, he decided, running his fingers through his dark hair. Still, he knew the dangers of a broken heart, and would need to find a way to tell Thea what she needed to know. Sighing, he decided that he should go to sleep, so that he would be able to wake early in the morning.

Taking the cup of tea and the jar of honey to the kitchen, he asked Henley, "Where should I put these?" He smiled at him, wanting to try and be helpful. After all, he, Dimaethor, and Thea were suddenly occupying Henley's home which had previously only housed one person. The least he could do was help.

"Also, is there anything I can help with? I am quite capable..."
 
Henley couldn't help but be startled by Jasille's presence behind him. Elf or not, how long had it been since he'd shared a cup of tea with a man that he found interesting and intriguing? Perhaps the warning about Thea should have been explained to him as well. He had to get up and walked into the kitchen to give himself some space from the situation. Now he realized, his gaze lingered on Jasille too long. He shook his head for a moment.

"I have no doubts of your capabilities. I'm afraid I am no better than any other human with the infatuation of your kind. I find it hard to look away at times, I am embarrassed to admit, Ser."
 
A light blush came to Jasille's cheeks as Henley admitted that he sometimes caught himself staring at him. Looking away, he said, "I...you flatter me," he said, a small smile coming to his face. Looking back at Henley, he murmured, "I have never met a human quite as interesting as you, Henley..." He knew it was weak compared to what Henley admitted to him, but he was too nervous to say it out loud.

Before Henley could call him on that, he asked, "Now, where may I put these? I will feel bad if I leave your house a mess..."
 
Henley felt the warmness spread from his cheeks all the way through his body. For whatever it was worth, it was a compliment and Henley would not forget it for some time. "The tea... leave it out, if you don't drink any more, I am afraid it will never get used. The honey... the small cabinet there." He pointed it out and watched Jasille walk over and put it away.

"I should get some rest. We will be up early and have a long day ahead of us. Goodnight, Jasille." Henley said with a nod and a smile. It seemed silly to him to think that the kind words of an elfish knight meant more than just that...kind words. All the same, it made him feel good.
 
Jasille followed Henley's instructions, setting the tin of tea on the counter and the jar of honey on the counter. "Goodnight," he said as Henley left. Deciding that he should get some rest as well, he took off his shirt and lied down on the couch he had been sitting on earlier. With a sigh, he closed his eyes, turning on his side as he fell asleep.
 
Thea was up early, she crept through the room, seeing Jasille still sleeping on the couch, and out the door. She made her way to the stables and began readying the horses. It was the plan to leave this morning and she felt the earlier they did so the better. The jeweler's guard would be up, either he would be accused of stealing the emerald or they would look for someone who did. The first thing they would think to do would be to pay a visit to who had sold it to the jeweler in the first place. That would lead them straight here.

The sun wasn't quite at the horizon yet. It was still the light blue twilight and the air had a slight chill to it. She checked the shoes, fed them, blanketed and saddled each horse and then readied a fifth horse to carry some supplies. She wasn't the greatest on a horse, but she knew enough of caring for them. Being on horseback for the next several hours was quite possibly the most daunting task ahead of her.
 
Jasille awoke a bit after Thea did, his shaggy hair disheveled and his eyes bleary. Groaning, he slowly sat up, yawning deeply. After he had stretched, he found Thea at the stables with the horses. "Anything I can help you with?" he asked, gently running his hand along a horse's flank.

He smiled over at Thea, still looking like he would rather still be sleeping. "Or I could help make breakfast, if you would like."
 
"I think I have things pretty much done in here. Breakfast would be nice, I could take you to the coop for some eggs... Henley should have some meats in the cellar as well. I don't really know what you or your king like to eat." She looked over at him and smiled. He usually looked perfect, even in his dire state when they arrived at the inn, Jasille looked well put together and elegant. His mussed hair and wrinkled clothes made Thea laugh a little, it was nice to see him no so perfect.

She led him over to get some eggs, along the way she spoke about their upcoming journey, "I'm afraid I've only ridden a horse once and it did not go well at all. I know a lot about caring for them, I cared for many in the stables for travelers at the inn, but not so much about riding them."
 
"Well," Jasille said as Thea told him that she had only ridden a horse once, "I'm sure that with some practice you will prove to be a natural...and, given the length of the journey to Proste, we will be atop horses for a long while." He smiled gently, carefully taking eggs from the chickens, not wanting to disturb them. Once he had enough eggs, he took Thea back out of the coop, cradling each one as if it were a precious gem. Before he had been a squire, he had been a farmhand, and knew his way around a farm. If he dropped an egg, it meant a cuff at his ear. Jasille had learned well, and even now, knighted and exiled, he remembered his past teachings.

Once inside, Jasille started a fire in the stove and set a pan on its top. Cracking open a few eggs, he spilled their contents on the pan, listening to them pop and sizzle. "Do you suppose Henley has any bread?"
 
Thea put her hand on his upper arm and smiled, "Yes! I delivered some to him the other day. I will get it." She left his side, running down into the cellar and came back with the bread and a small dish. "Butter." She said as she sat the dish down beside the bread.

She cleared off a place on the counter, far enough to give Jasille room to cook and place items he needed, but closer than sitting at the table would have warranted for conversation. Her eyes looked in front of her, not at anyone or anything in particular. "I have always wondered what it would be like to leave here... to go anywhere for any reason. I begged and begged to go to the larger markets, but he would never let me. Even hunting, I never could get far enough away...I was too afraid. Afraid of what Henley always said, that the world outside this town wasn't the place for a woman alone. " She looked at Jasille, her optimism and innocence plainly on her face, "But, now I am not alone!"
 
"True, true," Jasille answered, cooking the eggs carefully. "Could you slice the bread, please, my lady?" he asked, glancing towards her momentarily. Setting the teapot on the stove, he waited for it to boil, deciding that some more tea was warranted. Soon, everything was done, and Jasille was placing plates on the table. "Proste is...a unique country...I have visited it once before, with His Majesty's father. The elves there hold to the old, tribal ways, and their king is elected through combat, rather than lineage. Women are treated as equals, as long as they can hold their own, and the country is open to all kinds, as long as they swear fealty to the king and his ways. If...if Ashanti falls, and His Majesty cannot return, I expect that we will have to stay there..."

Jasille looked down, silently spooning eggs onto slices of bread for everyone. When the tea was done, he poured himself a cup and added honey before setting his cup on the table. "I think we should wake Henley and His Majesty," he said, smiling at her. Walking to the bedroom, he gently woke Dimaethor, making sure not to startle him awake. "Good morning, Your Majesty," he said, helping him sit up. "Breakfast is ready...afterwrads, we're going to leave, alright?" Dimaethor groaned tiredly and nodded, his eyes bleary.

"Get dressed and meet us in the kitchen," he said, smiling gently.
 
She jumped down from the counter and went to wake Henley. She knocked gently on his door, not wishing to enter his room unannounced. She heard rustling and his voice called out, "Who is it?"
"Thea. Ser Jasille has made us breakfast and I have readied the horses. We should eat and head out as soon as possible." She heard his bed make noise and his feet shuffling about.
He opened the door as he pulled his robe on, "I'll dress and be along in a moment."

As they all made their way to the table and sat together, the mood was solemn. Thea tried to hold back her excitement in starting an adventure that would lead her far from this place. She was too young and naive to understand the dangers that lie before them. She could not know the difficulties that could presented to her simply because she was a woman. As terrible as her life was at the tavern, there were certain securities she had.

Henley was nervous for the journey. He was leaving behind a very lonely life, but a life of relative safety. As he ate, he looked across to Jasille and found his mind was excited for that part of this, to know more about the exiled knight. He enjoyed his company, he liked his quiet and precise manner and he respected his loyalty and love for the young king. There was also comfort and fear of Thea going with them. Comfort in the fact that he did not have to face life without her friendship, but fear for what things the girl may learn along the way. This long trip was likely to leave any of them unscathed by the conclusion and the two younger ones had much to learn about cruelty, even with as much as they'd already seen of it.

Henley cleaned the plates and washed up after breakfast. He took one long look at his place and closed the shutters, then barred the door. He helped Thea on her horse in the stables and then mounted his own. "And so it begins." He said quietly to himself.
 
Jasille ate silently, making sure that Dimaethor ate as well. He was looking a bit sicker today, and was propping his head up with a hand as he ate with the other. He looked tired as well, and the knight wondered if his king had gotten any sleep the night before. Soon, however, it didn't matter. They were outside with the horses. Jasille helped Dimaethor get on his horse before he got on his own, a bit worried for his king. "Let's go," he said, turning his horse towards the road.

As they traveled down the road a bit, Jasille rode behind Dimaethor, making sure he wasn't swooning or was about to fall. Overnight, it had snowed again, and the road was mostly covered with it, something that might become a problem as they got further from the town. Hopefully, the horrible winter hadn't affected Proste as much as it had here.

Yawning, Jasille raked his fingers through his hair, wishing that he could fall asleep.
 
Thea rode behind the others, she was not as sure on horseback, as expected. It was cold and she worried that the king was not yet strong enough for a journey in this weather. They stopped only a few times through the day and finally, as the sun was just getting low in they sky, they all decided to stop for the evening. Henley had packed two tents. He knew the king would like be unhappy with sleeping near to Thea or himself. It would be awkward for Thea to sleep with him, but he was sure that it was the likely sleeping arrangements.

Thea split off from the men and took her bow and quiver. Henley and Jasille began setting up the tents, making a fire and Henley checked on Dimaethor. "Majesty, if I may check to see how you are holding up and have you take some of this medicine. I've warmed it for you." The young king allowed him to sit and check him over. Henley resisted the urge to pat him on the back and reassure him.

He walked over to Jasille, "I think a slower pace would be better tomorrow, but if we pushed on... we would sleep at an inn and not in the wilds again. It is up to you, Ser knight."

Before he could answer, Thea had come back after being gone a bit over an hour. She had two rabbits and a huge smile on her face. "I'll clean these and get dinner ready!" she said and looked over at Dimaethor. He didn't seem to notice her return and Henley saw her disappointment. She then gave the same hopeful look to Jasille, who was deep in thought, likely over his king's health. But that disappointed her as well, the girl obviously wanted approval of the elfish men, he hoped very much that was all she sought from them.

"Thea! Great job! We will have a nice, warm meal tonight thanks to you." Henley said and she gave him a weak smile as she walked to the edge of the woods to clean the rabbits.
 
Jasille could tell that the day's long ride was taking its toll on his young king. When they finally stopped for the night, Dimaethor practically fell off his horse. He was not used to riding so much, and his thighs were raw and burning. Jasille, sighing softly, got Dimaethor's bedroll from his horse. Setting it up, he let Dimaethor lie down before going to Henley, deciding to help him as much as he could.

Soon, they had the tents set up and a fire going. As Henley offered Dimaethor medicine, the king nodded, sitting up some. "Thank you," he whispered, taking it graciously.

Jasille glanced up at Henley as he asked him what they should do the next day. "I...I think that we should press on tomorrow...an inn will do His Majesty good. He's much more used to beds and hot meals, not the road..."

He was still conversing with Henley as Thea returned, and gave a soft smile as Henley praised her for the rabbits. "Thank you," he said warmly, not wanting her to think him ungrateful.
 
A hot meal was soon served to everyone and Henley helped clean up after. Dimaethor had taken off to bed soon after the meal and Thea also retired just after that to the other tent.

Henley and Jasille were both by the fire. Henley's face lit up as he stood with a finger up. He returned with a small kettle, two metal mugs, a small honey pit and the tin of tea. " It would go to waste staying at my home. At least I will know it was enjoyed this way." He set about getting the tea ready and moments later they both had a cup of tea to enjoy.

"i think the riding and pace was a bit much for both of our younger companions. Perhaps, if we rest a couple days at the next inn the two of them can work on getting used to riding this much. Thea's going to act as if there's nothing wrong, but I know her better than that."
 
Jasille thanked Henley graciously as he handed him a cup of tea, spooning some honey into it a second later. Settling down near the fire, he nodded at Henley's words. "Yes...I do not like the idea of stopping, but it is necessary. His Majesty has never ridden more than a few hours at once, and then it was for pleasure, not a serious business such as ours."

He took a long drink of tea, savoring the wondrous taste for a while. "I will take first watch, if you want to sleep," he said, smiling over at Henley. "I can wake you in a few hours."
 
Henley sat for a few moments, hoping for a conversation with Jasille, but after a few moments, it never came. He finished his tea and excused himself to his tent. Thea was still awake as he entered the tent and laid down on the other side. "You need to speak up if the pace is too great." He said to her.
"I would if the pace was too great for me. I am well, Henley." She said drowsily.
"I know you are not used to riding at this pace nor are you accustomed to horses much at all. So, you don't have to put on an especially brave face in our company. I am not as strong as you or Jasille and the King is not used to this either. No one will think less of you." He hoped she would at least attempt to be honest about any pains she was having, but he doubted it.
She fell asleep soon after Henley left her alone, as did he. A few hours passed with deep sleep, but Thea woke up as she was not accustomed to sleeping for long periods of time. She stepped out of the tent to see Jasille's form sitting by the fire. She walked over to him, "Ser Jasille? You need some sleep too. I can stay up and watch our company while you get some rest. I'll wake you if I need any help." She looked intently at him, half of her wanting him to stay up with her and the other half wanting to prove her worth to him as a good companion.
 
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