20 Little Girl with Golden Eyes (1)
From that point on everyone in the party was friendly with each other. The guards found the little lady cute and sweet. She had a lively personality and was curious to learn new things. She was also a great listener. Whenever they spoke her full attention was on them. Having an enchantingly beautiful, wide-eyed female look up to them really made their male egos expand.
A-Narah also didn't make any impossible demands nor complain about the fall in quality in her lifestyle. She properly experienced the daily life of living on the road from the cooking to bathing, sleeping, and dressing, all done with little privacy.
She was also very well behaved. And the guards were surprised by this. They had thought that she would be unhappy with the sudden lifestyle change and lack of luxuries. They were ready to be her verbal punching bag to take her frustrations out on, but it never happened. They realized that they had thought to much, and that this little girl wasn't just any average young miss.
When they saw her being so agreeable, they thought that she might be holding back her feelings and trying to put on a brave front. They sympathized with this little girl who had lost everything and been thrown away, so the agreed to treat her better.
At meals times Elon would always serve her an extra helping, telling her that she needed to eat more so she would grow faster. Uri acted as her maid, helping her keep things tidy, and made sure that her clothes were always clean.
Lael, Uzzi, and Launch all took turns hunting and guarding. They would share some childhood anecdotes with her to keep her entertained.
The guards had also unanimously decided to slow the pace, so that the road would feel to be less bumpy and jarring for the inexperienced traveler. They had more rest stops so that A-Narah could stretch her legs and take care of her personal matters, which ended up benefiting Launch too.
And they left later in the mornings so that she could sleep longer. They knew that travel was tiring, so they could only imagine how wearying it would be for a weak girl who could get exhausted from just walking.
A-Narah wasn't aware of the consideration that the guards were giving her. She thought that all of this was just normal. After the first few days of flight, it was like they were now on a leisurely stroll.
There was just one problem, they were running extremely behind schedule.
But no one in the party seemed to give this any thought.
Way ahead of them on the road was the missing captain of the guard, Ira. He believed that his subordinates would be just a few hours, or at most a day, behind them, but unbeknownst to him, it was closer to a week.
If the leader were to learn of this snail like pace you could imagine how hard he would beat the hides of the silly guards. He would thrash them until they learned some sense. The slow pace might have offered them comfort, but that comfort came at a cost. It increased the risk of discovery. There were dangers everywhere and it was best to arrive at the designated destination, sooner rather than later.
But the party was happy with the pace and had gotten quite chummy. At night A-Narah would now eat around the camp fire with guards and from them she learned of fascinating stories and jokes. Things that would never have been appropriate for a noble lady to hear. And A-Narah, who had been plagued with millions of questions, now found an audience who was willing to answer them.
When she tried asking about the gods and ancestors, the guards couldn't answer though. Such things were not taught to those of the general populace. But A-Narah did learn common knowledge. Like at what time shops opened. What wares people sold on the street. Where the best shops and restaurants were. All the things that a common person would know and overlooked, but what an overly sheltered lady would not have been exposed too.
That night after dinner the guards were speaking jovially. A-Narah had just come back from a quick bath and sat down to watch them, listening to their silly game.
She caught on fast enough to what they were doing. They were just making nonsense rhymes, but she wasn't really sure of the rules that they were using.
"I need a front door for my hall,
The replacement I bought was too tall.
So I hacked it and chopped it,
And carefully lopped it,
And now the dumb thing is too small."
All the men cheered and clapped and then the next one went.
"There was a young person called Arty,
Who sent out cards for his party.
So exclusive and few,
Were the friends that he knew,
That no one was present but Arty."
"Wait Uri, you can't reuse a word. That is cheating!" complained Uzzi.
"It's not cheating, I just made it easier on myself. No one said anything about it in the rules."
"That is true," Lael agreed, "it's a pass." Uzzi grumbled about Lael being biased, but didn't complain again so that they could continue. It was Lael's turn next.
But before Lael could take his turn A-Narah cut in, "What game is it that you are playing?"
"Would you like to join little lady?" Lael asked. A-Narah came closer and sat down by his side. She gave him a decisive nod.
Lael smiled gently at her and explained, "We are creating short limericks, or short rhymes. We go in a circle and if you can't come up with one fast enough then you are out. Well it might be hard for first timers, but you can go ahead and try."
"Yes, go ahead little lady."
"Good luck!"
The guards all encouraged her with smiles.
"Here I will go first to give you an example," Lael said. He sounded considerate, but really, he just wanted to show off. He looked over at Launch and gave him a devilish grin. Launch frowned, he had a bad feeling about what was coming.
"There once was a man named Launch,
Who could throw a nasty punch.
But after he ate,
It wouldn't be very late,
Before he would upchuck his lunch."
The men whistled and laughed, clapping their hands. Launch just sat back, resigned, he had accepted that his weak stomach would make him vulnerable to teasing from his friends.
A-Narah giggled as well, wanting to be a part of the fun.
"I see. Then let me try one." A-Narah lightly cleared her throat, sat up straight and pulled her shoulders back, giving the perfect image of a young lady despite her common dress.
With a lofty voice she began,
"There once was a poor young lord,
Who found himself quite bored.
So he picked up a stick,
To beat a large tick,
And left the collector on the floor."
The men were quiet for a moment and then loud clapping followed.
"Well done little lady!"
"Didn't think you would do so well your first time-round!"
A-Narah blushed at the honest compliments. She didn't find it all that hard. Part of her lessons was writing poetry, and making limericks was a simple matter for her. But in front of these men, something she had thought to be an easy thing became a wonderful talent.
"Thank you," A-Narah humbly said.
"Okay Launch, you're up," Uzzi urged.
"Okay, okay I have a good one. It was always a popular one back home," Launch said proudly.
"There once was a man from Nass,
Who's nu-"
Before Launch could continue, he was hit by Uri in the face with a bar of soap.
"What was that for?" Launch asked, aggrieved as he rubbed his head.
"You can't say such crass thing in front of a Lady!" said the quiet Elon.
Launch seemed to then realize just who he was speaking in front of, having forgotten that their little lady, was in fact the daughter of one of the most powerful men in Middle Kingdom.
Launch got on his knees and repeatedly hit his head against the ground, begging for forgiveness, "My Lady, I meant no disrespect! I beg you to punish me. Not even 100 floggings could clear me from this crime."
A-Narah sat there with a confused face. She really had no idea what Launch had been about to say or how it could be so horrible.
"Please rise. Nothing was said, so there is nothing to forgive."
"Please my lady, give me some punishment. I deserve it," Launch said. His face was pale, but his forehead was red and bruised from hitting it too hard.
Was this man a masochist?
"Shh! Launch stop your nonsense. Everyone quiet."
Lael had stood up abruptly. His hand now rested on the hilt of his sword as he slowly searched the surroundings with his gaze. All the other guards also changed at Lael's words, becoming serious. They arose slowly and had their hands on the handles of their weapons, ready to draw them at a moment's notice.
A-Narah was stunned at the change. Gone were the silly guards she had gotten used to, and in their place were competent warriors. She had almost forgotten that the men escorting her were in fact experts.
Lael's gaze finally fell in one direction. He stared into the dark shadows of the forest. A-Narah could see nothing, but apparently there was something dangerous there.
"Little lady, move very slowly into the carriage, and don't come out until we give you the order, no matter what you hear. Understood?"
"Ye-yes." A-Narah said with shaking limbs and wide eyes.
"Good. Now go."
A-Narah did as Lael ordered. She moved very slowly and stepped inside the carriage, closing the door softly behind her. Something bad must be out there. She hadn't seen the men act like this since they had been in the capital. The scent of her fear was thick and hung in the air around her.
