Lady of Nyv

The sun was high in the sky as Ona and her men left their make-shift campsite at the side of the mountains. Ona could feel the sun’s rays radiating down onto her heavy clothing. She wondered how the people of the South could stand being this warm all of the time. She ran a finger along her collar, trying to pry the sticky fabric from her neck. She wondered how she was ever going to survive here.

The men walked in a large crowd, as opposed to a narrow line, taking advantage of the vast amount of space the South had to offer.

Ona walked in front of the pack of men, despite struggling from time to time with her make-shift cane. She refused to allow any of her men to aid her as she walked, forbidding them from even helping her when she stumbled or started to trip. After the events that had taken place whilst she was in a coma, she knew that she had to take care of herself. She could no longer rely on anyone else for support. T’was foolish for her to have thought that she could rely on someone in the first place.

Her thoughts were clouded still by the thoughts of Dom, Nix, and of course, Kol. Her mind raced with ideas of how to resolve these problems, but it always came down to the elimination of Kol.

She knew that Raf would be upset to learn of the loss of another man, but Ona also knew that she had to be strong for her men, and if that meant executing the danger amongst them, then she would have to do it.

She decided that she couldn’t make any decisions now, though. Her mind was still foggy from her accident, and the pain in her leg was causing her to make rash decisions. She did not want to do something she would regret. She had far too many regrets.

As the men walked, they no longer sang or jested, they simply walked. There was minimal chatter, and the area around them was heavy with exhaustion.

The sun had slowly made its way around them, and was now resting atop a hill to the west of the pack of men and their maimed leader.

Just as Ona had contemplated stopping to make camp and search for food, Qua spotted something in the distance.

“What is that?” He shouted, pointing slightly to the east of the men.

Ona turned immediately and saw that there was something rising up toward the sky.

“Smoke.” She announced.

“Shall we travel toward the smoke, m’lady?” Qua asked.

The men waited patiently for her response.

“Yes. Mayhaps it will be a place in which we can rest.”

The men changed their direction slightly, heading directly for the smoke in the sky. As they walked, Ona drew her dagger from her belt. She did not think that they could be in danger, but they were in an unfamiliar kingdom, and for once, they were the foreigners. She had no idea how this potential encounter would turn out.

As they closed in on the smoke, Ona realized what the source of it was.

As Ona and her men reached the top of a small hill, they looked down toward the smoke, which was coming from a small valley at the base of the hill.

Ona gazed upon the valley, realizing in no time at all, that they had reached a small village. The smoke was rising from what appeared to be an inn, and there were small shops and houses scattered about, with a small pond in the lowest point of the valley.

The men all looked toward Ona. Without a word, she continued down the hill, leaning heavily on her cane now.

As they walked down the hill and through the small village, they were greeted by many southern folk. They did not approach the men, but they waved from their homes, cautioning their children as they tried to run to the strange foreigners.

The men did not wave back, they were too focused on reaching the inn, and Ona doubted that they even knew that they had been greeted.

As they reached the inn, the pain in Ona’s leg was nearly unbearable. Sweat beaded on her forehead and the cane looked as though it could snap in two because of the pressure she had put on it. She leaned against the stone structure, catching her breath and wiping the sweat from her brow before they entered the inn.

She took a deep breath and motioned for Qua to open the door. He opened the door immediately, and Ona stepped through the wooden frame and into a dimly lit eatery.

As she stumbled through the door, every face turned to watch as she and her men entered the stone structure. One of the men who was serving ale at what appeared to be a bar ran over to help her.

“Can I be of any assistance to you, miss?” He asked, reaching to offer her his arm.

“I am Lady Ona of Nyv, a town in the North. My men and I require nourishment and shelter for the evening.” She said crisply.

“My apologies, M’Lady.” He said, correcting himself. “Your men are welcome to stay her for the evening.”

“How many rooms are available?”

“I have 2 rooms available, M’Lady.”

“That is fine. We will take them.”

“As you wish. My name is Nikola, I own this inn here in Brooks. It will be my pleasure to have you and your men here for the evening.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Nikola.”

Ona and her men exited the inn briefly, so that they could decide who would be sleeping where.

“Ona, you will need a room.” Qua stated. “The rest of us can sleep outside.”

“No.” She stated firmly. “I will share my room with Kol. I do not trust anyone else to watch him. You will share your room with Dom for the same reason. The rest will sleep in the barn.” Ona said, gesturing to a wooden structure beside the inn.

“Are you sure that is wise?” Qua asked.

“Do not question me.”

Before Ona and her men could discuss their plans any further, Nikola exited the inn followed by two other men who were carrying mounds of food and glasses of ale.

“I thought you Northern folk might be hungry.” He said with a smile.

“Thank you.” Ona replied. “How much do we owe you for the food and shelter?”

“Nothing. It’s all taken care of.”

“I insist. How much?”

“It’s free. We don’t get many Northerners around her. It’s a pleasure to house you for the evening.”

Ona sighed and then nodded, accepting the gifts of free shelter and food for the evening.