For ![[personal profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kelkyag‘s commissioned prompt
This story comes after:Meat of the Matter (LJ)
Bare Bones (LJ) [Beta]
Skeleton Key (LJ) [donor perk] and Ambush (LJ)
Reiassan has a landing page here.
Rin hopped out of the window, but not so fast that she couldn’t catch the expression on Girey’s face. It made her smile, the sudden panic of being caught out, the further embarrassment at being thanked for it.
She got out of the way and let him hop after her while she scouted the area. The path to the stables was clear; indeed, there was nobody in the courtyard at all.
“We’ve got to go before they figure out we went through the window,” Girey hissed. “These people don’t want to buy you breakfast, Lady Healer.”
“I’m aware.” His concern was touching, his assumption she didn’t know how to handle herself less so. “If this is how you talk to all women, no wonder you don’t have any in your army.” She kept it a half-voiced mutter; he was right. “Come on.” She kept her hand on her sword hilt, her eyes alert for intruders, and still she almost missed the stable boy that stepped out of the shadows.
“Leaving without paying your bill?” he hissed. “A fine lady like yourself? We can take the man as payment, if your purse is empty, Lady Healer.”
If one more person sneered her title, she was going to grow irritated. She reached into her purse and pulled out a handful of coins. She took a quick glance at them to be sure the price was high enough, and pressed the pile of money into the stable-boy’s hands. “That should cover it. And your rooms aren’t nearly worth what my captive is.” It was a ridiculous thing to add, sleeplessness her only excuse. “Our mounts?”
The boy was still staring at the money. “One moment, one moment.” He hurried to the back of the stable, coming back quickly with three saddled goats. “Here you go, your Ladyship, sir. Reiassannon guide your travels.”
“And yours,” Rin answered. There were sounds coming from the inn; they’d noticed they were missing, then. “Speed on the road,” she added, and mounted. Behind her, Girey was doing the same. They put heels to their sleepy mounts’ flanks and were gone.
This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/313397.html. You can comment here or there.
Hopefully the trouble makers won’t make too much trouble for the stable-boy. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he was just annoyed at being woken up and possibly from having others slip out early-early in the morning to avoid paying (and probably been yelled at for not stopping them).
hee, I meant to suggest that he was going to take her extra-big payment and run away.
Depending on the stable boy’s relationship with the inn’s owner and how much money that was, it could be tempting I expect.
Indeed!
Is there enough money there for him to give wrong directions to pursuers?
There very well could be!
*bounce*
Ah, I’d been about to ask just that about the three saddled goats.
Hmm. So not resolving anything with these goons now, it looks like?
They could catch up to them!!
<dithers about story flow>
/headtilt/
Flailing and questions about story construction that are rather out of scope. Should there be some sort of reckoning with Ibeskan in this story, at all? If so, should it be now, or later? Who should initiate it? The early parts of the story have action intervals, though they’re mostly self-contained. Does that work, is it okay for the arc to be all relationship? Should the wrap-up (at the palace?) be all talky, or does it need some action, too? Hey, wait, wasn’t there a hint of assassination attempts on Rin, when they got to the city? What’s up with that? Yadda yadda yadda. All things I’m sure you’re already considering and have better ideas about than I do.
I plan on going back and putting in more action, more overarching plot, not just relationship. Some action at the palace sounds like a wonderful thing. Maybe just before the wedding? Oh! Assassinations! Maybe I should back in some earlier attempts too. I like ideas! They help!
Ooooooh! I look forward to the revised arc!
It’s all DaHob’s fault!
My thanks to DaHob, then! (What, no blame to the author at all?)
Well, yeah, but when I said “this thing needs plot,” Hob came up with the plot ideas. He’s a plot machine!!
That’s what I thought!
Oooooooo, exciting! I remember those earlier bits, and am glad that they got a bit of conclusion (and more character development, yay!).