Chapter Nine

Rose and Rowen setup camp and learn about each other.

The Game 

by omegax45

Chapter Nine

The sun was starting to reach the peak of the sky as Rose and Rowen made their way through the forest, the shadows of the trees giving them shade from the warm rays.  The ground felt soft on worn area, barely a stone upon it, and the poor girl mused that the stones were removed to prevent one from tripping upon them.  She was grateful, for the stones would push through the thin soles of her shoes and be rather painful on her feet.  Rowen seemed too have no problem leaving the dirt trail, pulling and pushing away stray branches while appearing to be searching for something.  He would find a few sticks and tucked them under his arm before continuing onwards.  Rose realized that he was gathering firewood, a smart idea in case it begins to rain.  Wet wood was no good for starting fires.

“Over here,” Rowen called, and Rose followed him through a few bushes before they stopped before a clearing with a small stream nearby, “We’ll set camp here.  Can you check the bag to see what other items we have?”

“Okay,” Rose took the bag from him and she opened it up to look inside.  She pulled out two bed rolls, two tin cups, a pot for cooking, two metal plates, utensils, and a pair of flints.

“This is good,” the head butler inspected the items,  “Do you know how to start a fire?”

“I have when I had to stay a night in the forest sometimes,” the poor girl answered, “The hunters taught me how to with using sticks, but not flints.”

“Very smart.  Flints are not so easy to find, as they blend in with other stones.  You simply take the flints and scrape them against each other, or use a blade if you only have one.  The flints will make sparks when scraped together or with a blade. 

“I’ll start making a shelter.  Can you start a fire for us?”

“Yes,” Rose nodded.

“Thank you,” Rowen smiled softly at her, then set out to collect materials.

Rose grabbed a nearby stick that was thick and cleared a small area of leaves and twigs and grass, then began digging a hole.  She took the dirt and placed it into a pile nearby in case they need to put the fire out for any reason.  She grabbed a few clumps of dry grass and small twigs to set into a ball and placed it on a flat stone.  She then scraped the flint stones together, making small sparks near the ball until she saw smoke coming from it.  Setting the flint stones aside, she began blowing gently on the ball until a flame was produced.  She set the ball of flames into the home and began covering it with some more dry grasses and the sticks Rowen had picked up earlier.  She began to feed the fire until she had it going to where she wanted it, setting up stones around the hole to keep the embers from fluttering out and setting fire to the forest.

Rowen, meanwhile, had collected long pieces of vine and stripped them of their leaves before leaving them in a pile.  He then grabbed a long and thick branch that had fallen off at some point and set it straight between two trees, using their branches and the vines to tied it in place.  He then grabbed other branches and set them up on the first, lining them up as best as he can so there were little-to-no holes in between them.  Once satisfied, he tied the branches together before grabbing dry leaves and grasses to cover the branches.  Rose came over and brought over patches of moss and tree bark that was peeling away from a nearby tree.

“These work best against rain,” she explained as the head butler looked at her in confusion, “I learned this during the rainy season when there was no shelter in town.”

“Ah,” Rowen replied, gathering some moss and peeling bark.  

They spread the items evenly until they felt satisfied.  Rowen then took the hatchet and chopped several long branches before setting them up over the fire and tying them together with vine.  Rose took the pot and filled it with water, handing it to Rowen and he tied the handle onto the branch over the fire, the pot dangling above the fire.

“Have you ever learned how to fish,” Rowen asked as he began working with the vines.

“No,” Rose shook her head, “I know how to make snares for catching rabbits or squirrels, but none of the hunters I learned from ever taught me how to fish.”

“I’ll teach you,” the head butler smiled, “I learned this trick while staying in a village for a few days during my war years.

“You make a ball out of vines, small sticks, and dry grasses.  You leave a small hole here so the fish can go in.  The ball is set so the fish can go in, but can’t get out.  We’ll use these balls to catch dinner tonight.”

He demonstrated on making the ball, then watched Rose as she tried to make a ball of her own.  She struggled a few times and he helped her a bit before she finally had her ball finished.  They took the balls and placed them in the water of the stream, tying them to sticks that they anchored to the ground.  They returned back to their camp and set up their bed rolls and collected more sticks for the fire and made a small table out of flat stones.  Rowen checked the balls several moments later, finding them with a few fish inside, and took one of the balls back to the camp.  He took the fish out onto the table and scraped the scales off each one with the hatchet before cutting the meat off the bones and placing the meat into the pot to boil.  Rose went and found a few herbs, including garlic and basil, and Rowen cut them up before placing them in the pot as well.

“I also found bloodroot and mayapple in case we need them,” she showed him the herbs, “There are other medicinal herbs out here, but we have to go farther for those.”

“You sound like you have been living in the forest for a long time,” Rowen commented with a smile.

“Not in these parts,” Rose replied with a slight blush, “Not everyone can afford a healer when ill, so they searched for herbs to at least help alleviate certain symptoms like stomach aches and headaches.  But we would have to head near town for the herbs.”

“Which we can’t do without incurring the wrath of our queen,” the head butler pointed out, “There’s no need to worry.  We shall be fine without them.  Come, let us eat.”

Rowen strained the pot of the water and placed the fish into the plates.  Rose filled the tin cups with water from the stream for them and they sat around the fire to eat, watching the sun set.  The fish tasted good to Rose, the basil and garlic giving the fish an unique flavor.  She wondered if she could find basil out in the forest near town when the game was over, even show Joseph how to fish so he had a means to keep his family fed when he fell on hard times.  She missed him, and she tried not to let it show on her face.

Once they finished eating, Rowen took their plates and washed them in the stream before leaving them on the table to dry.  Rose stoked the fire and they sat in silence, watching the fire and hearing the running stream and crickets chirping in the distance.  The scene around them became more surreal when fireflies came out, their tiny light glowing like twinkling stars in the night sky.  

“We should set up snares in the morning,” Rowen said as he stoked the fire, “I’m certain we can survive on fish for three days, but I am certain you would grow weary of it overtime.”

“I don’t mind eating fish for three days,” Rose replied, “Anything is better than nothing.  I have gone days without eating and I wish not to go through that again for a long time if I can help it.”

“I had days like that during my soldier years,” the head butler mused, staring at the fire,” I know how you feel, and it wasn’t fun.”

“What was your soldier years like,” the poor girl asked, curiosity getting the better of her before she realized what she said, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pried.”

“I do not mind,” Rowen smiled softly at her, “It is good sometimes to reminisced of the old times.

“My fellow soldiers and I would march for long hours in the daytime to reach our destination, only sleeping for a few hours during the night.  We would take turns patrolling the perimeter of the camp, which could take an hour or two before our shift would be over.  While we were on patrol, we would look for fruits and vegetables to restock our supplies, as it would take a long time before the kingdom would send us supplies.  Even then, the higher ranked soldiers would always get the larger portion of the supplies than the lower ranked soldiers like I was.

                        “At times, when we were fighting our enemies, we would have to resort to rationalizing what we had to the point we were barely eating at all.  Getting hurt on the battlefield was almost a death sentence, as we didn’t have the means to care for grievous injuries or had a healer to help us.  I only learned about the healing properties of plants thanks to a dear friend that had been a gardener before being drafted.”

“It sounded so horrible,” Rose uttered, horrified, “I am so sorry you had to go through that.”

“It wasn’t always bad,” Rowen replied, “I got to meet wonderful people and learn so much from them.  I even traveled far and wide and seen so many places.  You do not need to be sad for me.  I have lived well.”

“Do you ever meet with your friends after you returned home?”

“We would keep in touch through writing to each other, but no I have not seen them in years.  They live in villages far from here, and it would take them weeks to come and visit.  Not many can afford such a trip.  And since I became the head butler of Redreu Castle after my… retirement from military service, I had less time to send letters to them.

“But enough about me.  What about you? I know you were living on the streets and was being protected by that young shoe shine boy and your fear of fighting crowds, but I know nothing else.”

“There really isn’t much to say,” Rose lowered her head, trying to keep the painful memories at bay, “I was orphaned at a young age and my relatives kicked me out.  Claimed my inheritance wasn’t even enough to pay for my parents’ funeral, let alone help take care of me.  I had wandered the streets until a man offered to take me in.  I was so scared and depressed that I was willing to accept his kindness, but a prostitute stopped me.  As it turned out, the man was collecting children to take out of the kingdom and sell as cheap labor to other kingdoms.”

“That is horrible!  Do you know the man’s name?”

“No.  He never gave it to me.  I have not seen him since that day, so I am not certain if he is still around or had left for other kingdoms.

“The prostitute took me back to the house she and the other prostitutes lived in and I learned to mend clothing in order to pay for my food and bed.  I lived with them for a few years before I was thrown out.  I had thought I had done something wrong to anger them, but the next day the soldiers had raided their home.  I learned from gossip that one of the prostitutes turned down one of the soldiers because he was abusive, so he brought his friends to assault them all and make them ‘remember their place’.  They were beaten, raped, and later dragged to the dungeons on charges of assaulting a soldier of the queen.  All I heard about them afterwards was that they were hung later.  I have nightmares even today of what possible horrors they had went through before they died.”

“I have always known the soldiers to be dishonorable curs,” Rowen nearly snarled, “Ever since Queen Usio took rule, she lets them do whatever they wish so long as they don’t get in her way.  I had no idea it had become this bad.”

“That isn’t even the worse of it,” Rose revealed, “The soldiers have been known for taking bribes from certain merchants that want their competition gone, and would arrest them on false charges.  They tend to chase Joseph and I off from our usual spots, although there are some soldiers kind enough to watch over us and give us some business.  Sometimes, the soldiers would chase the poor people back to our district, and even destroy whatever they had on a claim that they didn’t deserve to have anything.  They, like the nobles and rich merchants, think of the poor people are mere insects that need to be taught their place.  And that place is to never rise higher than their current position or even try to.

“I met Joseph when he chased off several noble girls that were harassing me,” the poor girl smiled softly at the memory, “His father had just passed away and he had taken over as man of his house.  The soldiers consider him a favorite target because of how mature he acted for his age.  I was a target for the noble girls due to my fears.  We decided to work together and watch each other’s backs and help each other out.  Sometimes, we would look through the garbage for anything useful if we either ran out of supplies or didn’t make enough coin for day old bread and meats.  The hunters that I tend to would teach me the basics of hunting small prey or making tools out of wood or rock.  At one point, I had thought of living in the forest and not bother returning to town.”

“What made you decide against it?”

“Joseph.  He would’ve been left all alone if I had left.  He has a ill mother and two younger siblings.  If anything happened to him, then no one would be able to help them.  Also, no one would be able to help me if I was attacked by wolves or any other predators… or even hunters with no quarrels in assaulting a young woman.”

“I see your point.  Most of the soldiers are curs, but as you said, there are still some that still remember the old code.  They would come to your rescue.

“You’ll soon need not to worry about that anymore,” the head butler placed a hand on Rose’s own, “As Her Majesty said, you will be wed to whoever you chose to be Dios.  Win or lose, we will marry and you will live in Redreu Castle with me.  If you wish, I can arrange it so Joseph and his family can live with us in the castle.  He can be taught another trade, one that will help provide for his family more.”

“I appreciate it,” Rose smiled gently, “I am uncertain if Joseph would accept, though.  He has no love for Her Majesty as much as the rest of the poor class, but he is a smart child.  I know he will do what he feels best for his family.”

They fell into a deep silence afterwards, staring into the fire.  Each were lost in their own thought of what each had revealed to the other.  Rose wondered if she revealed too much, knowing she did kept a few things from the man that would soon be her husband if Queen Usio allowed it.  The queen had been known for changing her mind or not following on her word if it no longer suited her needs.  Rowen noticed the troubled look on her face, but said nothing.  He didn’t want to pry if she wasn’t ready to let him know.

“We should sleep,” he finally said, “It is late and we will need to be up by dawn to set the snares.”

“Okay,” Rose nodded.

They unfurled their bed rolls and laid down, Rowen placing enough sticks into the fire to keep it going for awhile.  He then joined her and they soon fell asleep to the sounds of the fire and the nearby creek.