The Beginning of a Journey (Terrel & Belneth)

The morning sun shone brightly over the countryside, a new day in the fields outside of Darunia. Strolling across the open fields was a young, colorfully dressed man. He whistled a happy tune as he stretched his arms, hoping to make Darunia before noon. As he walked, he caught site of something off in the distance. Another person was also in the fields today, leaving Darunia in his direction, probably towards Castle-Town, but that was only a theory.

As the figure marched forward though, the gap slowly closing, he caught sight of another person though. This figure wore black leather and hugged the side of a bush opposite of the walking figure. Belneth raised an eyebrow curiously, but then he caught the glint of steel as he saw the dagger in the shadowy figure's hand. His eyes widened as he realized what was going to happen and quickly broke into a run, waving his arms and shouting as he did.

"Watch out! Behind the bush!"

Terrel glanced up at the sky with a bit of disappointment at how hot the sun was in the day already. By all accounts one could call the morning beautiful, but when you were weighed down by travelling equipment, regardless of how lightly you packed, things could get very warm. Well, once the fields passed underneath her feet, the Lost Woods wouldn’t be too far off, though the shade would be the only welcome thing there. She had considered going out of her way, cutting north into Woodfall, but the size of that detour simply to avoid old company wasn’t excusable.

Sighing, Terrel took in the surrounding area, wondering how long it would be before she walked this path again, except coming the other way. She had gone this far plenty of times, but she had never really left Darunia as a whole. Maybe it was just the notion that she was leaving now, for quite some time potentially, brought the slight bits of nostalgia she felt now. There was regret mixed in with that too, but that was nothing new.

Part of her was excited, though; excited at the prospect of finally getting out of this part of the world and seeing the rest of it. It wasn’t a vacation or anything, but you might call it an adventure. She doubted people wrote songs or poems about walks like these though. No, the only thing notable about this day was the spring heat in the sun. Soon this whole region would be transformed into a beautiful area as the flowers came in and the days grew longer, but time didn’t stop for responsibility.

Mostly out of boredom, Terrel began to check her possessions again while she walked, able to feel most of them where they lay and make sure they weren’t misplaced. Crossbow on her back, pictobox safely in her bag along with the notes she had begun accumulating recently. All of her possessions were there, she knew that, but something stole her attention.

A man, clothed in some of the most ridiculous colors, was walking toward her, in the distance. Not walking toward her, walking where she had come from. Well, there was nothing else to keep her attention, so she kept an eye on him, getting closer with every step; now he was running, though, and flailing his arms. Was there someone behind her that he knew? She half turned to look behind her, not able to distinguish what the man was saying, but her eyes caught something as they scanned past the bushes.

Was there someone…?

Before Terrel knew it, she was sprawled on the ground, a knee jabbed sharply into her ribcage and the wind knocked straight out of her body. She tried to snarl at the man who was on her, tried to push back, but she wasn’t particularly large, especially compared to a fully fit man. Maybe she could’ve fought him, given some warning, but pinned like she was, there was little she could do besides thrash hopelessly. A strong blow connected to her jaw, sending a jolt of pain throughout her face, and she grunted in pain.

She wasn’t particularly worried about her life, at this point; the man was likely a cutpurse, not a cutthroat, but for Terrel, her possessions could be as important to her as her life. They were worth fighting for just as hard, anyway. For a moment, she thought she had finally managed to budge the man, but she realized a moment later that he had sprung from his perch over her. Pushing herself up onto her palms, the assaulted woman found the dark, leather-clad figure sprinting off the way he had come.

The colorful man was much closer now—that would explain it. Those colors would scare even the fiercest serial killer away. She laughed at that, despite everything.

Has Belneth caught up, panting and breathing deeply as he pressed his palms into his knees, doubled over. Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself straight again, waving his fist, "you better run you good for nothing cretin!" As he finished shouting insults, he heard the sound of laughter and turned his head to glance at the woman sitting on the ground. "Are you unharmed, miss?" he asked curiously, before sweeping his hat off his head, wiping his brow of sweat in the process, before bowing deeply while swinging his hat past his chest.

"Where are my manners. My name is Belneth Finder, teller of stories and singer of songs. What might your name be?" He finished, placing his hat back on his head and extending an arm to help the lady up. It had been a while since he last met a fine lass such as herself, having been traveling alone since his departure from Castle-Town ages ago.

Listening to the introduction and pleasantries without rolling her eyes was an act of effort in itself for Terrel. She'd been wooed by 'gentlemen' many times, and sometimes she had fallen for it. All for the same result. She didn't hate men, but she'd grown up past being impressed by them; they had their uses, at any rate. Balancing herself for a moment, Terrel reached up and took the arm Belneth offered just long enough to get back on her feet before dusting herself off. She supposed that whole thing could have gone much worse, and while she didn't care much for the company of a gentlemen who would as soon offer an arm as leer at her figure, he had helped her out of a rough spot. Not that it had been his plan, likely, but here they were.

Checking her posture to make sure she had every fraction of an inch she could gain, she gazed her brown eyes into his blue ones, addressing him sincerely, "Looks like you showed up just in time, Belneth. I'm Terrel Strong, seeker of..." She trailed off, not really wanting to be specific. When she finished her sentence, though, it was with a laugh, "Seeker of things worth seeking, I suppose. Some of those being songs, actually. You said you're a singer?" That would certainly explain the colors, were the man a musician or perhaps a travelling performer. Well, at least she could have a polite conversation without being entirely opaque. He had saved her purse, after all.

Belneth helped the lady up and then stood, glancing her over while she introduced herself, again with a laugh most becoming. Belneth smiled, chuckling, "sounds like your search is much more important then mine." He couldn't quite understand Terrel at the moment though. She seemed cheerful and tough, but he felt like he was missing something. Either way, he kept smiling.

"I sing, play the lute, flute, drums, piano, and much else. Art of the trade really. But enough about me," he told her while looking around the countryside. "With a pack like that, I can tell you're traveling somewhere. If it isn't rude of me to ask, where might you be going?" Belneth was definitely curious about the motivations of the woman and her travels, and while he had been heading towards Darunia, he was toying with the notion of joining this stranger in her trip, if only because he thought it would lead to a great tale to tell in the courts.

Art of the trade, was it? Well that explained it, then. She'd met bards and the like before, usually in the forest, but she didn't know too much about them. Strange bunch, they seemed. But now the man had declared they were done talking about him and were going to talk about her now, a proposition she didn't find particularly enticing. How long was she going to have to stand here and be polite with this man? That smile never faltered from his face; she did her best to remain unnerved by it. He had gone beyond just making sure she was all right, and that had been about all she had been prepared to endure. She was grateful, to be sure, but, after a point, chasing a lecherous bandit across the countryside sounded more appetizing than putting up with a man who thought he was being charming.

"And if it was rude to ask?" she questioned him with the slightest hint of a grin. Terrel doubted the man had much of a spine to speak of, though, she so dared to perhaps shoo him off by simply answering his question, "I'm going to the Lost Woods, Belneth Finder, and from there I do not know, though I certainly will not stay." She thought about mentioning her desire to castrate every man she found in there, but that impish thought faltered. What was she doing, fooling around with this boy on the road? He wanted something she wasn't going to give him, and she wanted something he would not have. That was the end of it, as far as he was concerned.

With a sigh, she turned in the direction she had been going, hoping the body language would be an indicator that she was done here. "I'm looking for a Song that I lost in Darunia. I don't know where it's floated away to, but I will sing it once more. Thanks for your help, but I need to go now."