(continued from Part XVI | Act I | Act II | Part XVIII)
"Those townsfolk were a friendly bunch," Soixante-Douze said. "I'd quite like to come back here on leave for that cheese festival."
"Mm," Lou replied, pensively. "They let you have a lot of that?"
"Oh, just the same as anyone else. I haven't used mine in a while. Have to put on a stoic front, you know. Make a good impression."
"That only gets you so far," she said. She had experienced firsthand—twice, even—how pushing yourself as far as you could go and doing everything the way others expected you to could still end in heartbreak. Looking at her past lives now, every one had left her with regrets, despite her best efforts. Efforts that had only gotten her a slightly warmer pat on the back as she was pushed out the door. "You should find the things that make you happy while you can."
"Oh don't get me wrong, I am! I've made my share of friends among the guard so far. One of the maids comes around every few nights to play cards, too. They're a right menace!"
"Hrm. Careful with them, they play dirty."
"Is that so? Hasn't happened yet, but I'll stay on my guard, sir!"
Lou walked down the well-trod path leading to the town's fairgrounds. It had been about a year since she'd been out of the city, but at this point it felt like a lifetime ago. This wasn't even that far, considering; literally the first town out the gate, just a short trip east. Far enough from the capital to be its own settlement, large enough to have its own fairgrounds, busy enough to have it see use almost year-round. And this month, the Shepherd's Troupe was taking it over.
There were a number of traveling theater companies within the Crown's reach and protection. But the Shepherd's Troupe was special, a fact that slowly dawned on Lou as she approached the stage that had been set up on the field. This was not just a handful of people piling their lives into a wagon, this was practically a traveling village. It extended above and beyond the stage and the fairgrounds, stretching out to the edge of the nearby woods. A gigantic tent surrounded by smaller ones, all weathered and repaired to the point of being made up of more colorful patches than canvas. A settlement in and of itself that would probably be packed up and moving when the next month came around.
How would they fit everything into the wagons that Lou could see lined up here and scattered there? How would a group this large coordinate such a massive undertaking, just to make it to the next settlement on their list and repeat it all over again? Lou was determined to find out firsthand. She reached into the leather bag at her side, making sure Chiffon's introduction letter was still firmly inside it. Her ticket into this place, if everything went well. If not...
"Quite a sight, ain't it sir? I mean, uh, ma'am?" Soix said as they walked up alongside her, handling themself quite well considering their current state. A large cloak despite the heat, an overfull portmanteau in each hand, and a large square slab of tarps and ropes that played the part of the world's biggest knapsack. It was a wonder they were even moving, but the decorated member of the royal guard seemed to take it in stride. "Apologies, s—ma'am. I know you're going incognito here."
"You didn't have to put on that cloak, you know."
"Please, ma'am! A lone woman with a single royal guard escort, out by themselves? I'm to think of your safety, first and foremost. Wouldn't want to attract any undue attention with the ol' blue-and-gold."
"Mm. They are pretty colors."
"Royal tradition for a reason!"
Lou turned her attention to the dirt path down at her feet, feeling a faint twinge deep in her chest. "You also didn't have to carry my things this far. You're doing more than you're supposed to."
"Now ma'am, Sir Frederic briefed me for this. 'The captain will bear any burden, carry out any duty, fulfill any commitment to the end, if you let her.' I swore on my honor I wouldn't allow you to push yourself too hard."
"He... he said that?" Lou asked, slowing down a bit.
"He did. Several times. Besides, you're here to meet the theater folks, right? Wouldn't be proper to show up there all sweatin' and shoulder-hurting."
"Mm," Lou replied, absent-mindedly. Part of her was back at the gatehouse again.
The path took the two of them along the edge of the fairgrounds. They passed the stage, currently not in use as the Troupe had just settled in for their upcoming shows. That hadn't stopped some kids from using it as a makeshift playground for their own make-believe, boisterously yelling and posturing as a teenager stood by and watched, a bow at her side. Lou could tell she knew how to use it from the little telltale signs: how firmly she held the weapon, the way she wore her quiver, the number and weight of the arrows placed in it. She was training to be a hunter, and her teacher was someone of respectable skill.
Still, it warmed Lou's heart to see children enjoying themselves like this. She had originally thought the small group were from the town nearby, but it suddenly hit her that these were probably Shepherd's Troupe kids. The castle was a place for workers, not families, and so she had assumed every other place was the same. She idly wondered what else might be different as she and her escort made their way further down the path, toward the tents.
"Strange that the big tent is behind the stage instead of around it though, innit?" Soix wondered aloud. "You think they've got a separate one for that?" They waited a moment, leaving Lou the chance to reply, then continued. "If you don't mind my asking, ma'am, what will you do if this doesn't work out? I'm happy to take you to the next place on your list, even wait around a few days just to be sure. Sir Frederic was clear on this as well: I'm not to come back until you're safe and sound at your destination. Wherever that ends up being."
Soix waited another moment; a longer one this time, leaving Lou ample time to reply. But, silence. "Besides, with weather like this, we can contin—"
"There's no next place," Lou finally said. "No next step. This is it." The crushing, twisting feeling deep in her chest was back, in full force this time. She would meet whoever was in charge, hand them Chiffon's letter, make her case, and then... Then she would stay here, no matter what. She would sacrifice what she had to, peel away however much of herself to satisfy the demands of the person on the other side of the negotiation. Chiffon had stuck her neck out for her. She wouldn't let her down.
It was a technique that had worked for her before, this singular dedication to one outcome at the expense of all else, even herself. It was how she'd climbed the ranks, how she'd kept the Prince safe all these years. Whenever adversity came her way like a blade, she'd become the stone that blunted its edge, that broke off its tip, that ground the rest of it to dust.
But that had only worked back when she was the captain, the bodyguard, the Wolf of the White Woods. A living monument, impervious to harm. She was no longer made of stone, or even wood. Only once since, in the gatehouse, had she tried to use this technique, and it had cost her dearly. But she simply knew of no other tricks, and did not have the time to learn a new one. She had no other option but to grab the blade with both hands.
It was that or go somewhere else. She supposed she could go home, but what would await her there? A village that wouldn't recognize her? A landscape she'd have to spend years acclimating to all over again? She could pick another town, another city, but none of them stood out in her memory; none of them gave her hope of anything other than solitude and stagnation. No. Better to put her every effort into this place, a place that one of the few people she trusted had put her faith in. She had nothing else left to try.
Lou kept putting one foot in front of the other. Somewhere among those tents would be the person in charge. Her ticket into the Troupe, whatever that entailed. At the very least, it would be a good place to pass the time until—
Bark! Bark!
Both she and Soix turned to see a very shaggy brown sheepdog run up to them, barking excitedly as it wagged its tail.
"Hey there," Lou said, reaching out with a hand despite the size of the dog. "What are you—oh!" She stepped back as it bounced to and fro noisily, running around and between the two of them, the curly tip of its tail snagging briefly in the hem of Soix's cloak. The animal enthusiastically spurred Lou down the path, ignoring her companion.
"Friendly sort, innit?" Soix said, looking around. "Do you suppose it's one of the troupe's? I wasn't aware they kept a herd. Or maybe it's for protection?" They began to follow, only to be loudly rebuked by the dog. "Augh! Right!" they added, stepping back.
The animal turned around, undeterred, continuing its back-and-forth dance as it barked merrily after Lou. "This way?" she asked, smiling in spite of herself. "Okay, okay!" she added, hurrying along toward the cluster of large tents as it prompted her further. "I'm going, I'm going."
Soix, befuddled but unconcerned, stood still in the middle of the path that circled the fairgrounds and watched Lou go. "Ah... I'll wait here with your luggage then, ma'am?"
— end of preview
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