A Bard's Tale (x Bakara)

[BitterChalice]

The sun was setting now, as soon as the bard had stopped the wagon, Farin, a very young half-elf with curly red hair, had jumped off, starting to unhook the horse to feed him.

He wasn't a fanatic of physical work, on the contrary, at times he tried to avoid it every way, but after days of marching on the wagon he couldn't wait to stretch his legs.

After tying the horse to a tree and feeding him, he stretched, feeling the seams of his clothes begin to pull.
He didn't know exactly how old he was, even though popular judgment said he was about eight when the bard had decided to take him with him, a little over a year earlier.

He had made a deal, after all. He had gone from being a gaunt kid to having at least one hot meal a day. He was starting to grow tall and was no longer skinny as he used to be. He was extremely grateful to the bard and began to grow fond of him much more than he had anticipated.

He tied his hair into a ponytail, starting to gather branches to make a fire for dinner.

While he was working Farin could not help but think about the fair they were going to.
The great spring fair seemed like a very important event. He had never been to big fairs. With the bard he had shot a few, yes, but not that important.

A dangerous thought, about how many things he could have stolen, crossed his mind. He couldn't help it, with his little treasure trove of junk well hidden among his things, Farin couldn't do without the thrill of theft. He never stole anything serious, an apple, a few copper coins bracelet.
Before he did it to survive, now he had the challenge left.
So far no one had ever found out.

[Bakara]

Lariel, an older half-elf, beeing in his early 30s, left the front row of the wagon. His dark hair was cut on shoulderlength.

After stretching his legs for a moment, he observed his little apprentice taking care of the horse. It was a good idea to take him in as an apprentice. Not beeing alone on the longer trips was a plus, having someone to help him with the horse. Even if he needed a little motivation at certain times.


After the horse was taken care of, he took a table from the inside and placed it on the clearing he choose for tonights rest. He started to cut some potatoes and onions for dinner.


"Farin, keep in the areas where I can see you", he shouted after the little boy who was going to the woods.


He knew Farin outgrew his clothes, and he needed to buy new ones at the fair. He liked the little guy. After the year they spend together he couldn't think of living without him.

[BitterChalice]

"Yes, boss," Farin snorts.
As if he were going to slip into who knows what dark forest full of dangers.

Sometimes the bard was too apprehensive, he thought.

He put down the bundle of branches and went a little further into the bushes to pee.
It was a very pressing need after hours of travel.

Judging by the sound, there must have been a stream nearby. Good to know. He lingers for a few moments to identify its direction, as Larin taught him, then turns to get out of the bushes and retrieve the branches to go back.

[Bakara]

Lariel shook his head and smiled. The little guy could be a handfull. But he knows that a day of traveling was a source of boredom.

"Can you collect some water from the stream nearby?", he shouted. "We need it for the soup. And don't give me this attitude. These woods can be dangerous. So there's no debate about the rules right now!"

Lariel knows that boys could be stubborn, but he was very strict whenever they are in wild areas. Even if he could be overprotective, he knows that some areas were dangerous. And he doesn't want to take any risk.

He continued to cut the vegetables. The winter was a little harsh, and the people in the villages didn't have much money to spend. He hoped for a better income on the fair.

"We are not out of money, but we need a good perfomance", he thought to himself.

[BitterChalice]

Farin deposited the branches for the fire and took the bucket.
"Yes, yes, I'm going there," he replied, a bit bored to tell the truth, that place seemed extremely quiet to him.
He was also full of rodents in the undergrowth, from what he could see...
That gave him an idea.

They had been eating only vegetables for days now, and not even of the highest quality. He could only imagine Lariel's face if he brought him a rabbit!
Farin wanted to impress him, in the end.

He filled the bucket at the stream, which he had easily reached, then hunkered down on the bank. As he suspected, there were a lot of little animals passing by, perhaps even badgers.
Very carefully he began to look for branches, seeds that could serve as bait, putting it all together with some string that he had found among the junk he had in his pocket.
It didn't have to be too different than catching the big rats from the slums where he was before, right?

He was completely absorbed in his work, after all he was not even far from the bandwagon

[Bakara]

After thanking Farin for the water, Lariel finished the vegetables. He then started to build a fire using the branches Farin brought him, taking care of not leaving anything flammable near the wood.

It took a few minutes, but during his walk back to the wagon he realized that he hadn't heared Farin for while. A quiet boy could be dangerous, espacially after a day of staying inside a wagon. And Farin still have to practice his instrument for today. He planed of playing a duett with Farin for the first time during the fare.

He found Farin sitting on the front bench. "What are you doing there?", he asked nicely, not trying to give the boy the feeling that he's in trouble or something like that.



[Btw., what instrument do you want to play? And do you want Farin to sing, too?]

[BitterChalice]

Farin, concentrated, gave a slight start, then placed a finger to his lips, gesturing to the bard to be quiet. He points to an articulated system of branches and twine.

Suddenly a slight click and the sound of something falling.
"Ah!" Farin exclaimed, straightening up. "Here, I'll get dinner. I got a rabbit," he said, with a proud smile. Something had triggered the trap, entangling itself in that mass of twigs and twine.
The kid started pulling him towards them, frowning.
And from the noise it didn't sound like a rabbit but something bigger, maybe a badger or a raccoon ...
"No, maybe it's not a rabbit," he sighed. "I was hoping for it."

[Bakara]

Lariel was a little shocked.

"Farin, what do you think you're doing? You can't just walk around and try to catch something like that! I know, it's not a monster, but even wild animals can be dangerous if they are put into a trap.", Lariel scolded the little boy.

"Now go to the wagon and get your flute. You still have some practicing to do before dinner. I try to open the trap without hurting myself or the animal inside."

Lariel shoot Farin a sharp look. His voice was getting more stern and serious now. "And I think we will have a talk about your little stunt before bedtime.", he said. To give Farin a good idea what that talk would be like, he gave the boy a sharp slap on his behind, sending him in the direction of the entry of the wagon.
Lariel sended his mind toward the animal, trying to convince him that he means no harm and using his spell "Animal friendship". He then opened the trap and shooed the badger, which had gotten under the trap, away.

[BitterChalice]

Farin's expression, since he was triumphant, almost proud, slowly changed.
He got confused at first, then when he realized that not only Lariel wasn't positively impressed, but he was probably also angry, his face turned a slight blush.

"I was just looking...", he tried to justify himself, but the bard's words were rather lapidary. "Yes, Lariel," he said alone, retracing his steps.
No "boss", no nonsense.

Once in the camp Farin got on the wagon, retrieving his flute and then settling himself cross-legged on the grass, his back leaning against a fallen log, starting to play his exercises.
Sure, he knew what the bard meant when he said "talk about" about what had happened.
However, skipping the exercises or not doing it right wouldn't improve the situation. And thinking about it too much would have started to make him sit up uncomfortably ahead of time.

Lariel would have found him very focused and immersed in what he was doing.

[Bakara]

"Good boy", Lariel praised the little half-elf. He then got two pipes and a chain to hang their pot over the fire. He fixated the pipes to the ground and hung the chain between them. After hanging the pot on the chain, he put everything inside it and ignited the fire.

The man sighed to himself. Yes, he is very strict, because he knows just too well what could happen. But Farin just wanted to help. And his flute-play was impressive, for being 9 years old and just started it a year ago.

He went over to the boy and sat down on his side. He then put his arm around the shoulder of the young boy.
"You play the flute very well now, Farin. Do you want us to play together until dinners ready? Or would you like to sing with me, while I play my l lute?"