The Heart of Valor
Being the first story in the Fairca Fantasy Series

Section 4: A stalker

Three major events for the day.  First, Aelian, had finally
won herself to "go to the bathroom" in the wilds, and clean
herself all alone. The pain in her belly had worked marvelously
in that regard.  Secondly, they had reached the great forest,
an event for which Fairka was so very happy, for that meant
their adventure or whatever it was was much closer to the end.

Yet, soon enough, she felt something iffy on her back.  So
she left her clients attempting, and I do mean attempting, to
set camp, and went to the rear, to spot who are what were
following them.  It was a very young boy, a human, badly
dressed in every sense of the tern, all wet by the rain,
carrying nothing and too weak to flee or hide.

"Hello."

"Hello."

"Are you by any chance called Pip?"

"Yes, madam."

"Are you their slave?"

"Yes, madam."

"And I am not your owner."

"Not, madam."

"So why are you calling me madam?"

"Because I can't speak in any other way, mother, I mean madam."

"Orphan?"

"A bit."

"Anyway, Pip, orphan, can you make a little favour to me?"

"I cannot obey your orders madam, any of your orders."

"Fair enough. Then I will have to bear up with you boy."

"I'm so sorry, madam."

"No worries, I have worse, really."

* * *

As Fairka returned, she made a point of taking the boy on her
shoulders, despite the amazement of Doredai, who protested at
once.

"Hey, that's my slave?  What's he doing here?"

"That I can only wonder."  Fairka replied.

"Pip, oh what have you done little rascal?  Didn't I tell you
not to come that our noble guide didn't want your slave skin
around?"

"Yes madam, sorry madam."

"Anyway, Pip, make yourself useful, come and..."

Fairka interrupted her."  Sorry madam we do have a contract."

"But I said..."

"But you signed it, and he was not supposed to come, or either,
follow my orders."

"Bawa, it's the Law!  Tell Miss Fairka is the law to make with
my slave as I please."

"Sorry Doredai,"  Bawa was a better friend to Law that to
nothing else in life.  "But Fairka's legally right.  A slave
is like any other thing you have, true, but you are esentially
renting him out to Fairka.  Besides, it's not your slave, but
your mother's and I'm sure she's not happy having missed him
to you without you telling her."

And so happened that Pip shared Fairka's shelter, the best
fire, a soft bedding of leaves and a good tarp on his head,
while "mistresses and masters" were struggling to shake off
the cold and wetness.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 2025-05-02 08:28:09
To be continued