The looks that had crossed Briar's face involving the serving girl and him hadn't gone unnoticed. Roland doubted she was trying very hard to hide it from him. Peach wouldn't have noticed. The girl rarely paid attention to people's faces for long. She seemed more concerned with their assets...
Roland took in Briar as he sat with her. The witch was wearing a green cloak that did a good job of covering her body completely up. Truly a feat for the fabric given how her ego was also as large as her rump.... The sellsword had to get his mind off that image for a moment.
This woman was too...
The axe head swung down. The log cleaved in half. The halves cleaved in two. Quarter pieces stacked into a bundle basket. The next log set up to begin the process anew.
Roland was making firewood. He had been making firewood since the previous season. A mercenary turned logger. The place he...
Roland continued to frown as Briar spoke. She wasn't getting what he was saying still. It didn't matter to him if their kid was a boy or girl. He planned to be a part of their life regardless. It was more than just a sense of duty. He wanted to be better and give a new life he created a better...
The sellsword watched and was amazed. She was bothered by the idea of them getting married. For all the shit she had been giving him, she was the frustrated one there. It almost felt good to know she could be bothered. If only the topic wasn't so serious and grim.
A child with a witch. This...
Witches of the Moon? Sounded like local tales he had heard when doing jobs out here. Ones that were always inflated about what was going on. Same as everywhere really. Groups like her own often hide what they were really doing behind those tales to keep strangers away and remain in peace. That...
Pregnant? Pregnant?!
The idea of it caused Roland's stomach to sink. Being born a bastard was the worst start to life you could do to a child. A curse that could never be lifted from their soul. Ridiculed. Diminished. Worked harder than a slave. A bastard could maybe be better than an animal...
The sellsword just sighed at her answer. This woman just had to make everything difficult. Briar was too fitting of a name as all she seemed to want to do was prick and prod him till he was covered in nothing but holes and scratches. In fact, he still had some marks on his back she had left him...
"I don't hate you. I just don't know or trust you."
Roland's response to her was as immediate as it was true. As frustrating as her playing these games was that wasn't enough to make him hate her. If he did hate her then he would have already left or stabbed her by now. His feelings for her...
The sellsword frowned at everything the witch said and did. He felt furious. He felt insulted. He felt confused. He felt curious. He felt aroused. All these different swirling emotions springing up from one thing or another only to collide into each other and give each emotion more fuel for...
What followed his questioning was nothing then suddenly much. She had been quiet and taken aback. Thoughts clearly in her head even with no real sign of them being there. Then she suddenly shot her hand out. He had no time to react before she had his wrist.
The sellsword was about to pull away...
Something was off. Something was very off.
Roland glanced about the place and noticed they were all alone. Everyone was gone. Why? Then her words were also unsettling. More permanent than a written contract and it was a handshake? That was suspicious and foreboding in itself. Combined with the...
The mention of sarcasm and sort of apology was noted. Disregarded and disbelieved as well. It was in fact a bluff it would seem when she made her threat of hiring someone else. It would seem she was trying to force him into the job. Not something she would have needed to do as he was likely to...
Her reaction to his remark was expected. Who wanted their hired hand for such a violent job to be sitting there and making suggestive remarks at them of such a carnal nature? So that comment from her was fine. What wasn't fine was the following remarks.
Roland frowned slightly for a brief...
So far the job was sounding reasonable enough if a bit demanding. That was not so unusual as clients tended to try to squeeze every copper for all it was worth when it came to jobs. Two to three untrained robbers wouldn't be too hard for the promised pay. Their effect on the local trade and...
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