Losing The Battle

Writers: AmajoS, Estelle
Date Posted: 14th March 2019

Characters: Leofren, Rothen
Description: Rothen rescues Leofren from near disaster and then fights a losing battle.
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 10, day 8 of Turn 9

Leofren jogged down the road to Amber Hills Hold, every now and then
taking a little skipping step in his excitement. He had been asked by
one of the Masters to run a message to the Hold, to tell one of the
residents that the case of wine he'd ordered was ready for collection.
He felt very smart and important in his new tunic, in the colours of his
craft. For the first time, he was going to the Hold on official Vintner
business.

When he arrived, he stopped for a moment to stare in wonder at the huge
building complex and the tall towers, rising high above the craft
buildings and cots that surrounded it. He hadn't thought anything could
possibly be bigger than the Vintner Hall! Off to the right he could see
the Gather Square. Leofren closed his eyes and imagined the crowds of
visitors thronging the square, the music of gitars and drums, the
cheering of spectators from the race track, the market stalls, the
delicious scent of hot bubbly pies...

Lost in his daydream, he wandered towards the Hold, not paying much
attention to where he was going.

"Woah there, lad," Rothen caught the boy by the shoulder just before
he stumbled into the path of several drudges carrying an unwieldy load
between them. The men would have been less than pleased if they'd
collided and the... whatever it was, was dropped or broken.

"Oh!" Leofren's eyes went wide as he realised first, that he'd almost
walked into an accident, and secondly that he'd been stopped by one of
the Hold Guard. "I'm sorry, sir! I didn't see them coming. I was just
imagining it was Gather Day and I was walking around the stalls and
thinking whether I was going to spend my marks on a bubbly pie, or bet
them on a race. I hadn't really decided yet."

Rothen managed to keep a straight face in response to this only great
effort and replied, "Well, if you want my advice, go with the pies. At
least you'll have something tasty to show for your marks. Of course,"
he added in a tone that was more stern, "you might not get to see the
next Gather if you don't take a bit more care with where your feet are
taking you."

"Yes, sir, my Mama used to tell me that when I was back home. She said
that one day I'd be going along with my head in the clouds and I'd walk
straight off the edge of a cliff. Or into the mouth of a hungry feline.
But I don't think that one's very likely. I think I'd notice a hungry
feline no matter how interesting my thoughts were. Don't you agree?" the
boy asked. The man was a guard, maybe he'd hunted felines!

Rothen regarded the vintner apprentice, by the device and knots he
wore, with some astonishment. Had the boy even breathed the whole time
he was saying that? Still trying to control a bubble of laughter that
wanted to escape, he replied, "Well, no. Probably not. Hungry felines
are very good at not being seen until they're ready to pounce."

"You're right! I expect they are," Leofren said earnestly. "But if
they're very good at hiding, then it wouldn't matter whether I was
looking out for them or not. In fact, it'd be better if my last thoughts
were about Gathers and bubbly pies, instead of worrying about being
stalked and gobbled up. Still, maybe the best thing is not to go where
there are hungry felines lurking in the first place. I don't think
there'd be any around here, do you? Not when there are so many guards
about."

Finally losing the battle with his grin, but managing to keep ahold of
the laugh, Rothen replied, "I'm pretty sure we're safe here, yes.
Speaking of here, is there a reason you are? Or are you just playing
hooky from your duties?" This time of day, there weren't many
apprentices strolling about without having anything to do.

"No, sir, I have a message, for someone at the Hold. Name of Istrane, a
harper. His wines are bottled, and Master Trevall sent me to find out if
he wants them to stay in the Hall cellars or move them up to the Hold."
Leofren glanced at the message he carried. "It's this season's red from
the northern vineyard. A very good choice," he said approvingly. "I've
heard the journeymen saying it's going to be a fine Turn for reds. Of
course, harpers are known for their taste. Do _you_ like wine?"

"I prefer ale, myself," Rothen replied, still grinning. He wondered if
there was some trick to being able to spout that many words on a
single breath. "Come along, I know where your harper is." He gestured
for the boy to follow him. "Maybe together, we can keep you from
wandering into disaster."

"Thank you!" Leofren said cheerfully, hurrying along after the guard. If
he found the harper quickly, he would have all the more time for looking
around. "We make ale at the Hall too. Well, I don't, I only arrived a
few sevendays ago, and I haven't got on to ales yet, but the others do.
We're doing wines at the moment, like the different types of grapes, and
how to weed the vineyard and check for diseases. Did you know that there
are some wines in the cellars at the Hall that are more than twenty
Turns old? That's older than me!"

"They're supposed to taste better when they're older, right?" Rothen
asked, doubtfully. To be honest, he knew nothing about wine. The wines
he could afford didn't impress him very much when compared to simple
ale or stronger spirits. Maybe the expensive ones, the Lords and
Ladies enjoyed were better, who knew?

"That's what they say. Apprentices aren't allowed any of those," the boy
sighed. "We got to try the tiniest sip of wine at one of the first
classes, but it wasn't an old one. I don't know how we're supposed to
learn the vintner craft if we can't drink hardly anything. It's like
learning to be a harper with wool stuffed in your ears. Or being a
guard," he continued, looking at Rothen for inspiration, "and not having
any weapons, and one hand tied behind your back."

"Maybe they're thinking that you'll learn better if you're thinking
clearly," Rothen replied with another barely suppressed grin.

Leofren thought about that for a moment. "Maybe! You might be right. I
mean, you should have seen what people got up to at the tavern at
Diamond Springs. That's where I used to work, before I was an
apprentice. After a few drinks, they would sing, even the shy ones, and
tease the barmaids, and make silly bets with each other, like hopping
around the room with a full tankard on their heads, or having contests
to see who could stuff down the most pies. It was pretty funny to watch,
except that I was the one who had to clean it all up afterwards. But I
can see how it wouldn't be a good place to study."

And that was when Rothen finally lost the battle with his laughter.

Last updated on the March 22nd 2019

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Losing The Battle