Beloved Escort|New Anarlina

[Kender Bard]

"It's just a saying," Nonna remarked tossing her hair over one shoulder with a shake of her head. "You're the first self-professed bastard I've ever met and it reminded me of that. I heard a Soahcian mention it once. But you can't really trust anything they say too much. The priests seem to take an almost perverse love of twisting truths and lying in honor of their twisted lord."

"Your parents must have been quite proud when you joined the Beloved though. It is an honor."

[Darastrix]

"That it is," Haldor agreed. "And that they were. We weren't very far from Kalina on Old Anarlina, so we actually got to see one or two Beloved riding down the road every now and then. Farming's a fine thing, but the first time I ever saw a knight, I decided that's what I was going to be."

[Kender Bard]

"I wanted to be a sailor," Nonna said quietly. "I wasn't so lucky. Kind of strange really. You aspired to a lofty position and reached whereas I aimed low and was denied. Etaf's hand works in mysterious ways. Or something like that."

She cleared her throat. "The Beloved don't have much to do though, these days."

[Darastrix]

"That's no bad thing," Haldor remarked. "I'll take being a little bored due to peace over excitement and war any day. I'm glad the General hit on these escorts to keep us occupied, though; it's nice to be doing something. Especially for those who haven't gotten to see a great deal of the land outside of Maelstrom and Ronduin."

[Kender Bard]

"I would have liked to have gone back to Ronduin," Nonna sighed. She seemed to run out of things to say after that and rode in silence for much of the rest of the way.

As it was beginning to edge closer to dusk, she suddenly spoke up again, "We'll be doing some camping but I was given an allotment of money for supplies and places to stay. Do you know how to make a camp?"

[Darastrix]

"Indeed I do," Haldor replied. "Did you want to start looking for a spot to settle in for the night? I think we might be able to get to a village before true dark if we push it, if you'd rather. I don't really mind either way while the weather's good."

[Kender Bard]

Nonna considered it for a bit before saying, "Let's camp. We could make a village, aye, but the coin we have is not a great amount."

She began to look around before shifting uneasily in her saddle and admitting, "I don't know how to camp. What's a good spot? What should I be looking for?"

[Darastrix]

"Ideally, someplace flat with a bit of protection from the wind," Haldor said as he kept an eye out. "I can cheat and make the ground to our liking just about anywhere, though, so that's not so important. Being near water's always a plus, too. Spots that look like they've been used as a camp before are usually pretty good, too."

[Kender Bard]

"A lot to remember," Nonna said. But she dutifully kept her eyes out and after another hour of riding, she suddenly pulled her horse up and pointed. "There," she said. "I think I see an old campsite." There were certainly the remnants of a campfire still visible.

[Darastrix]

"Excellent!" Haldor peered in the distance and nodded. "We'll camp there tonight." He prodded his horse and headed for the old site. "And that'll be a bit less work that needs to be done in setting up, I think."