A Harbinger Of Good News

The regular patrons frequently glanced at the couple. In a small village like this, a new face was big news, and when that new face had a relationship with the village’s guardian, it became huge news. By now, the gossip had spread and everyone knew that the knight from the capital came specifically for Rosalind. “A friend of hers, just visiting” so he claimed in his defense, but of course the ravenous residents of the village refused to accept such a mundane excuse. For someone to travel such distances just to visit a mere friend? All the way from the capital for just a friend? No, there had to be something more. An affair? Secret half siblings born of an affair? Twins separated at birth? Maybe a noble prepared to cast off his family name to elope to the countryside! The speculations spreading among the gossipers was quite creative, to say the least.

Earnest was dimly aware of the attention surrounding him, but tried not to mind it. His focus was on the person sitting across from him. Indeed a friend, a long time friend that he hadn’t seen in a long time. With a couple plates of food and cups of beer between them, Earnest and Rosalind conversed over dinner. At the moment, he was answering more questions about his other squad members.

“And then there’s Karrac. Big guy, huge. At every chance, he’ll invite everyone for a night of drinking. Doesn’t know when to stop either, so half the time we’ll have to carry him back home. He doesn’t know it, but we all take turns on who’s gonna join him and get saddled with the task of dragging his drunk ass back to the barracks. He’s not a bad guy, but he’s got no luck with the ladies. At the end of the day though, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who can topple Karrac while he’s dug in with his tower shield. He’s got a nickname of Karrac the Immovable, half because of his sturdiness in battle, and half because of how heavy he is when we have to carry him.”

Rosalind listened with rapt attention, asking plenty of questions that showed her genuine interest. What weapons were used by the knights in the squad? How did the knights from other squads treat them? Did any members get into arguments or fights? Were there any women in the squad? What were they like? Were they strong? Were they pretty?

Earnest answered every question the best he could. He was honestly surprised by how many she was asking, but he suspected that Rosalind was sort of rebuilding her dream with all this. After all, She was stuck in the infamous 26th squad, and it would be difficult for anyone to escape without becoming jaded, cynical, or disillusioned. After being punished with an assignment to Knottori, surely her dreams of becoming a shining hero would feel impossible in such a dirty world. Telling her about how a real squad of knights functioned, the expeditions, even the daily chores and training, maybe it helped revive that dream, even just a little. Well, Rosalind would be in for a real treat then since commander Roland had approved Earnest’s idea of bringing her into the 7th squad. She would be overjoyed, and Earnest just had to find the right moment to deliver the good news.

As the conversation went on, Earnest also asked Rosalind about life in Knottori. It was pretty much exactly what anyone would expect from a small rural community. The people went about their lives from one harvest to the next, with a few spots of drama to liven things up. Nothing of consequence really, just a few affairs, maybe some cheating at card games, the occasional squabble between families, and other such regular happenings, but it was gossip worthy for the sleepy village nonetheless.

“...Quaint, peaceful, and utterly horribly boring. I mean, the villagers are good people, but it’s just… I’d rather be out there… with the knights… with you…”

During the course of their conversations, Earnest noticed that something was different about Rosalind. Before all this, Rosalind had always been one to charge ahead in pursuit of her dreams, with Earnest following close behind to support her. It was a sort of closeness from the certainty that they could rely on each other. But now it was a little different. When Earnest told his stories, Rosalind looked at him with a sparkling admiration in her eyes that filled him with pride. It made him feel like a hero to her.

“Ah, I wish you could stay with me for a few more days… but you have that tournament coming up… Just visit again soon okay? Tell me everything about the tournament when you come back. I wish I could go see it myself… If only…”

“You might be able to. I’ve got some good news.”

Looking around at the other villagers seated at nearby tables, Earnest leaned in a little closer and spoke in a quieter voice so only Rosalind could hear.

“Let’s go somewhere a little more private.”

Earnest left payment on the table, and guided Rosalind across the dining room towards the inn’s stairs. The room he paid for on the second floor would probably offer the most privacy. As the two of them passed by the other patrons, he could feel the eyes of the entire room following him. One man even whistled in a way that not-so-subtly implied what many were thinking. It seemed like speculation that these two were lovers of some sort would gain some supposed evidence. Earnest had to admit that it was a little embarrassing, but again tried to ignore them. Earnest and Rosalind entered his small room and shut the door behind them.

It was a cozy bedroom with only one chair, table, and bed, so he sat on the bed across from the chair, leaving it open for Rosalind. Earnest was a little surprised when Rosalind sat down on the bed next to him. She looked right at him, some blushing on her face giving away her nervousness and excitement. He knew that her heart was beating hard because his was too.

“So what’s the good news?”

“I talked to commander Roland. I requested your transfer to the 7th squad. He approved.”

Earnest watched Rosalind’s face to see her reaction. Would she scream and cheer? Would she hug him? Would she break out in tears? After a short moment for the information to sink in, Rosalind managed to surprise Earnest with a reaction he didn’t expect. She leaned in and kissed him. Earnest was in shock for a moment, but didn’t take long to kiss her back, and soon the two of them were passionately locking lips. It felt like invisible restraints were finally broken as their passion ignited into a smoldering flame.