Open Chronicles The Bounty

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He was saddened to hear that she had siblings, not by that fact itself, but by the fact that she might not see them again. His answer however covered his momentary weakness well however, "I don't know, I haven't really thought about it. This is what I have been doing for my entire life, its all I know, all I ever have known, violence and bloodshed. After the age of fourteen I stopped loosing sleep over it."
 
All that he had ever known...

Myrcella had never seen anyone killed in front of her before. Yeah she had seen men fighting, but it was usually while drunk or a training exercise. This was much different.

"Well, now's your chance to think about it. Surely violence and bloodshed isn't all that you'd ever want. Do you like to cook? Or carve amazing art pieces out of wood? Or maybe tame wild animals? Be a healer? Anything else like that?"
 
"I envy someone like you, whose conscience is so innocent that they believe life to be that simple. But the reality is, its all my parents could teach me, so its all I could learn. Same case with other mercenaries, smugglers and arms dealers, they aren't bad people, it's just all that they know. If a child is born into a family of thieves he cannot become an honest businessman, he wouldn't survive. You were one of those lucky enough to be born into a family where honor is permitted."
 
Myrcella nodded a little as she listened. What he had said made sense. It wasn't as though she could do his line of work. She had never even killed anyone before, never even thought about having to.

That could change in time, however. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

"How can I be so lucky when I am given this horrible fate? To be taken away from all that I hold dear, with no say in the matter, with no chance to go back? I could be locked in a cage for the rest of my life. Or tortured or worse....This isn't the life that someone should envy."
 
"Don't envy me, these are by far my least favourite jobs. I envy you because you were so carefree so.... disconnected from the troubles of the world, innocent. It is something that once lost you cannot get back. I lost my innocence the day the orcs adopted me, I threw a kid two years older than I from the second floor window of the orphanage onto the iron fence outside, he died on impact with the iron spikes at the top of the fence. That was the day I passed the point of no return, I was no longer an innocent child but a murderer. You on the other hand, stayed as an innocent child until recently. That is why I envy you, not because of your position but because of your mentality."
 
"At least you have freedom. At least you have control. What have I got? What good does my mentality give me? It hasn't exactly done any good for me, now has it?"

How could he envy her, yet take her unwilling to her doom at the same time? It was beyond belief. Of course she knew some of what he had meant. Yet at the same time, she kept wanting to press it into him that this was his fault; that he had all the power to change it.

But he won't. All that he ever chose to do was to make her slightly less uncomfortable.
 
She couldn't understand his position either. He continued to do as he had because he was paid to do the job, and he was already paid, so now he had to go through with it. He wasn't the best person by any standards but he was honest, and he was loyal to his clients.

"You are half right, I have more control, but not total control. But ask yourself this, if a man of faith suffers more greatly on earth than any other before him yet remains mentally and spiritually pure, is it better than someone who has the most pleasurable life possible yet destroys his conscience for it?"
 
He had total control over her. He had the ability to let her go or keep her bound. He had the control over what they did, where they went, what they ate and for how long they rested. Her only choice was to comply or suffer by his hand.

"I suppose the former would be better. But I'm not so sure my innocence and purity would remain intact. If whomever had hired you had meant to do me no harm or cause no ill will, then surely they wouldn't of allowed you to be this rough." He might have eased up on her a bit now, but how long was that going to last?
 
"A fair point." He says after a pause. He was silent then. He didn't speak any more. He simply focused on directing the horse in the right way. Unless she continued speaking, there would be silence until they stopped for rest.
 
He had agreed with her. Myrcella didn't really want him to. She wanted to have some kind of hope to cling to. Yet instead she was given nothing. Nothing but silence.

When the time came to stop, she couldn't wait for it. All that she wanted was to eat somethjng and sleep. Given that she wasn't used to such a long travel, Myrcella had grown weary. Her entire body ached. What she wouldn't give for a nice hot bath.
 
He helped her down from the horse as the sun drew near the western horizon. He sat her down within close proximity to the fire he had going within roughly ten minutes. Essentially just a dead bush plucked from the ground and set alight.

He cooked a stew for them again, but think time he didn't eat any of it. He gave her a bowl but didn't get one himself. He appeared to be deep in thought.
 
Myrcella inched herself as close to the fire as she could without getting burned. The heat helped somewhat, yet it also made her a bit sleepy.

She took the stew when it was given and began to eat. That is until she noticed that she was the only one doing so. The hunter seemed lost in his own world.

"What's the matter? Aren't you hungry? Or is there not enough for the both of us?"
 
"I'm not hungry." He says blankly. "I'm just trying to think."

He wasn't lying, and the harsh edge in his voice was gone again. It may not have been very pronounced during their horseback conversation but it was there then, subtle, but there. Now it wasn't.
 
"Oh..."

Myrcella was curious as to what he was thinking about. Maybe some of what she had said sunk in afterall.

She continued to eat jer stew, her body glad for the nutrients. She was also glad to not be moving. Once she was done she set the bowl aside. Taking the initiative, Myrcella lay down on her side, tucking her arm under her head for a pillow and curling her legs up to her chest. Now she was a bit more comfortable. "I hope that wherever I go has a bed. I miss having a bed. And cozy blankets that make you feel as though you're sleeping in a cloud."
 
He sighed. "Not everyone has that luxury. Most people sleep on the same straw they use to feed their pigs. Others sleep on the dirt floors of their homes. Another way in which you have lucky, you at least know what it's like to sleep there. But no matter."

He continued his thought, trying to find out what the motives were of his client. But he couldn't think of anything.
 
But no matter.

It was true. She was used to luxury and didn't quite know how others lived. Even their house staff had beds. So it was safe to say that she assumed everyone did, save for those that were travelling.

She closed her eyes as the hunter went silent. They seemed to be avoiding towns and villages on their route. Or maybe such things were sparse in this part of the country. Myrcella wasn't sure. All that she knew was that without the hunter she'd be lost. So even if she did escape her captors when she was brought to them, she'd have a hard time in getting home again without help.
 
Yes, they were avoiding settlements, mostly because a woman tied up tended to grab attention, save in the few criminal outposts. They were like black markets but more than that, they gave refuge to criminals carrying illegal cargo and the like. They were headed for one such outpost for a exchange. Only a few days away.
 
Myrcella fell into a light sleep. She was almost too tired to sleep, but managed to drift off to the crackling sound of the fire. Again her dreams took her home. They had her with her family, their servants, and with her horse. So that by the time that morning came, she found herself missing them all so much that her cheeks were wet with tears. But she brushed them aside as she sat up. With a heavy sigh she prepared herself for another day of riding.
 
She would find the fire doused and Udalof prepping the horse for travel. He seemed absent minded while doing it though, he seemed, distracted.

"Sleep well?" He asks without emotion.
 
Sleep well?

He had never asked her that before. What's more the hunter was acting strangely. Something was up. Maybe he was having doubts? Maybe she was finally getting through to him to see the error in his ways?

It was time to test that theory.

"I slept okay....Do you think that we could take a break? Have the day off and just stay here?"
 
"Never stop moving. That's what I was taught. If you stand still, even for a split second, you will die. If you keep moving, then your enemies cannot hit you directly. No, we can't take a break. However, if you insist, we can take it easy for today, but today only."
 
Keep moving so that their enemies don't hit them? That doesn't fit considering that she was among an enemy right now. But Myrcella didn't say such a thing out loud. She knew better than that.

"Yes, I insist. Thank you." It wasn't entirely what she asked for, but it was much better than what he had put her through in the past.

She got to her feet and dusted off her dress. It was horrible to look at. So dirty and ragged. No doubt it was probably beyond repair for even the best seamstress. It was difficult to say.

"Are we to travel on foot today?"
 
"If you want us to. Or we can ride, but at less than a canter. Right now I don't much care. I have..... other things on my mind."

He said this, and it was true, although he had no intention of sharing his thoughts with her. He was feeding and watering the horse as they spoke. He was ready to tighten or loosen the saddle straps based on her choice.
 
"Let's walk. I know horses very well and it does no good to overburden them. You'll make them lame."

Myrcella stroked the horse's neck while the hunter geared him up. "What are you thinking about? How you're going to spend all your riches?" Of course she didn't expect him to answer.
 
"I think I answered that already. I was going to settle down. Buy a small cabin out somewhere noone can bother me. A place where I can die peacefully in my sleep instead of dying by the sword. I suppose after you've been killing things since you were ten, you tend to grow old quicker than most."
 
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