Departure

Finn closed her eyes against the embarrassment as Riley moved forward to hand her the crutch.

"You're welcome. Don't worry, I didn't strain my head too hard being 'thoughtful.' I'll make sure to take such actions sparingly for the sake of my image." Riley's voice struck a playful tone for the benefit of his audience, but his eyes held a hint of something else. Irritation? Hurt? Anger?

It was hard to tell, because he moved on quickly. "I think I made it the proper height, but you should test it. The part here is for you to hold with your hand, and the top should fit under your shoulder to lean on. If you're unable to use it quite yet, I'll of course carry you the whole way to Klain in my arms." By the end of his little speech his face had settled back into the familiar smirk Finn knew so well. Her father cleared his throat at the phrase 'in my arms,' but of course Riley was only saying that to make Finn squirm. Imagine having to take Riley's close-up-and-personal help for days straight!

Finn gingerly moved her legs over the edge of the bed, scooting to the side of the table she'd been using to pack her bag. Taking her father's hand on one side, she used him and the crutch to rise to a standing position. She winced but didn't buckle as she stood. She lifted her eyes to see several concerned faces observing her every move. Mayra and Gabriel had come back from loading the cart and were standing in the doorway waiting for some sign that their help was needed.

Finn slowly let go of her father's hand and put all her weight on the crutch and on her good leg. She hobbled forward a step, then two, and awkwardly made her way towards the door.

"I'll be back in a few minutes to change clothes," She said, realizing just how long it had been since she'd relieved herself. "If I call for help, please only let Mayra come help me up!" She ambled faster, ducking her head before her complexion could flush too bright a shade of red.

Thankfully, she passed the minutes with awkwardness and tripping, but no serious problems. Once she returned to the house, the men vacated so she could rinse herself with a basin of water and put on a clean, intact dress. Finally, she brushed and braided her hair for the journey ahead. All in all, her ablutions and preparations took only a few minutes, but when she and Mayra emerged from the home, Riley was pacing anxiously.

"Daylight's burning," he said, "Let's get going!"

"What daylight?" Mayra shot back, "the sun's barely up at all."

Finn kissed Gabriel's head and gave Father as good a hug as she could manage with the crutch under one arm. "Love you both. Be good."

"We will," They replied, making eye contact with each other as if wondering whether they really could behave without Finn's watchful eye and constant presence. Father's mouth formed a firm line as he gave Gabriel a confident nod. Gabriel's expression remained skeptical.

"Time to get on the road." Riley stated again, more firmly. "Don't worry, we'll take care of Finn." He shook Phillip's and Gabriel's hands, then came up behind Serafina as she prepared to attempt a climb up into the cart. He gently but quickly scooped her off her feet and deposited her gently in the back, covered section of the cart.

As a former peddler's cart, the back had been mostly filled with cabinets and trunks of various sizes to hold the wares and products a peddler might have, with space down the middle for a bedroll since the peddler would often have to sleep in his cart between towns. He, being a paranoid sort of fellow, also didn't dare leave his precious possessions in a barn or unguarded outside an inn, and thus the bedroll area benefitted him greatly. Riley, on taking custody of this cart (the peddler finally got a new one with various locks and hiding spots for goods he didn't want the authorities to find), had cleared out much of the storage. The change made extra space inside for ease of movement and room for multiple people instead of just one.

"Oh!" Finn exclaimed, caught off guard by her sudden presence in the air and then in the cart. "I kind of..."

"Wanted to sit on the front bench with me? I'm flattered, but Mayra is better with a bow and arrow in the event of aggressive wildlife. Since you're not able to run straight at them anymore, we'll have to make due with our second-best defense." Riley smiled over his shoulder as he climbed onto the front bench with Mayra arranging herself beside him.

"That's not what I... never mind." Finn couldn't imagine that bouncing around in the back of the covered cart would make for a pleasant journey, especially unable to see the surrounding countryside. Truthfully, there was enough room for all three of them to sit on the bench together, but Mayra wouldn't be effective with a bow if she were squished between Riley and herself. And Finn knew she didn't want to be squished beside Riley. She'd barely had a second to process being lifted by him before he'd set her down again. It was startling and unnerving to suddenly be out of control of your elevation and destination. Maybe back here she would enjoy a reprieve from his badgering and his touch.

"Hya!" Riley snapped the reins and the horse, Peach, started forward. Finn guessed Riley and Mayra must have said their goodbyes to their mother and brothers before coming to retrieve her. She was confident in Amelia's promise to look after Father and Gabriel, but she still wondered what level of worry could prompt the usually even-keeled woman to propel Finn out of the village with such haste.

The road was too bumpy to remain sitting without some sort of backrest, and Finn couldn't easily bend her legs without brushing her wound, so she settled for scooting backward until her back rested against the front of the cart. The seat where Riley and Mayra perched was higher than the cargo area, providing an adequate place to lean against. At least, it would have if the road were not so rough.

Frustrated by the third time her head bonked the wood behind her, Finn searched around in in the nearby storage until she found a blanket to cushion the area. Stuffing it behind her back, she realized that the bumping was also quickly becoming uncomfortable on her backside. She rarely even rode a horse; she walked almost everywhere she needed to go, which was never far from her home until now. Her body was not prepared to endure jostling not of its own making.

Trying again, she lifted herself with her good leg and one arm, stuffing part of the blanket underneath her. The part behind her back slid downward, frustrating her original purpose in using it. She sighed heavily and rearranged it again to try and be as cushioned as possible against the bouncing of the hard wood against her injured body. After several minutes, and multiple efforts with various techniques, she finally was as comfortably situated as she imagined she could be. She felt exhausted. She'd just slept all night after sleeping much the day before, why in the world should she be tired now? It added to her frustration of being a burden that she hardly even felt awake enough to assist should some opportunity to do so arise, unlikely as that might seem at the current moment.

"Comfortable, your hero-ness?" Riley asked with a chuckle when Finn finally stopped her war with the uncooperative blanket.

"I really wish you'd stop calling me that, Riley." Finn responded tersely. "It's not kind to mock an invalid, after all."

Riley lifted a hand to his chest in a show of being offended. "Me? Mock our champion, slayer of hounds, protector of innocence? I would never! Besides, you're not an invalid. You're... mostly valid." His expression changed into a caricature of calculation as he turned to assess her. "A few of the things about you are suspect, but, yes, I would say you're at least 80% valid as a person."

Finn rolled her eyes, "I didn't slay anything, but I appreciate your generous estimation of my validity."

"Leave her alone, Riley, she didn't do anything to you." Mayra said. In truth, Mayra was enthralled with the sights around her and would prefer to enjoy them in silence rather than listen to her brother's bickering. The cart was almost to the edge of Mayra's known experience, and the city of Klain was Northeast towards the mountains. Mayra had studied enough to know the capitol was located amongst the foothills, and she delighted to know she would see something beyond the fields and forest of her village.

"Leave her?? ALONE? How cruel you are! Suggesting we just leave an injured woman alone in the wilderness with no one to help? And you have the nerve to call yourself my sister!" Riley pretended to be further affronted at his interpretation of Mayra's suggestion.

Immune to her brother's barbs, she rolled her eyes. "I never called myself that, but I have a few things I'd like to call you."

Finn laughed out loud as Riley sputtered in response. "Well, I never! Wait until Mother hears about this," was his only comeback.

The three fell into companionable silence for a time. Finn was grateful for Mayra's quick wit and easygoing spirit. It made the journey easier to not be the only target of Riley's provocations. A breeze blew gently through the cart, lifting the lightly curled tendrils that had already escaped Finn's braid. The initial unpredictable bumping of the cart had settled into a steady rhythm once the path to their village had joined the main road. The wheel ruts were better-worn from more frequent traveling here.

Finn's thoughts wandered as she observed the inside of the cart more closely. The day was brighter now as the sun climbed high, and her stomach rumbled. She'd forgotten about the bread and preserves her father had so lovingly packed for her. She reached for them now, having to bend so far over that she almost toppled to the side at the next bump. Retrieving them, barely, by stretching out her fingers, she returned to her cushioned position to enjoy the now-sticky morsels.

Savoring a bite, she examined the waterproof oilcloth stretched over large ribs that formed the "roof" of the cart. It looked newer than the surrounding wood and she idly wondered if Riley had replaced it during his renovation of the old wagon. As she finished her small meal, she wiped her face and hands with the cloth Father had packed it in, folded it, and set it aside. Almost half a day into the journey and she was already wondering what to do with herself. She'd crochet or knit if the bumping of the cart wouldn't make the project an all-fired mess. She didn't have any books to read, though that was likely to give her a headache in any case. She wished again she were sitting up on the bench where she could have a nice view of the passing scenery. Surely such sights would adequately occupy her thoughts.

Sighing heavily, she wondered what she could do with the time. Just then, she heard a disturbance of the forest's relative quiet. An unmistakable pounding of hooves.