Sides of War

Chapter Three: Smoke and Grass

 Sunlight peeped through the cracks in the wall a week later, and Jorlin stirred, half asleep. When she remembered her promise to visit Asher the day before, she quickly got up and went downstairs. She swiftly exited the tavern and took a deep breath of the crisp morning air before setting out northwards at a steady jog. Dew clung to the grass and sparkled as it caught the early sun's rays. When she arrived at the cluster of thatched houses at the center of town, she noticed that nobody was around; the serfs were already out in the fields. Asher usually worked in the corn fields, so she took a left when she reached a fork in the road. On her right, long waves of grain bent in the gentle breeze. A couple farmers passed by, carting loads of harvested crops. She was breathing heavily by the time she reached the corn field, so she slowed to a brisk walk before climbing the low wooden fence. It was hard to see amongst the tall stalks of corn.

"Ash!" she called, moving stalks out of her way as she stepped through the rows. "Ash, where are you?"

She made her way through a few more rows until she heard his familiar voice call out, "Jay?"

As Jorlin walked through another row, she saw him standing up ahead with a sack around his shoulder, stuffed with the corn he was gathering. He smiled instantly as he saw her burst through the leafy stalks.

"Hello, Jay," he greeted with a smile, the former weariness on his face vanishing.

"Hey, Ash. How's work today?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.

"Hard, as usual," he mumbled. "We can't keep up with Clovis's demands anymore."

"Next he'll be asking us to pay him in our limbs, not just in crops," she joked.

"Aye!" he agreed with a laugh, setting the sack full of corn on the ground. He puffed out his chest and declared in a mocking voice, "Give me all your possessions! I can't afford the latest fashions yet!"

Jorlin laughed and broke off a long stem from a corn stalk nearby and held it out at arm's length. "Never!" she shouted in a deep voice, struggling not to smile.

Asher did the same, and bellowed, "You dare to challenge the mighty Clovis?"

"Aye! For Auld Town!" she cried, then leapt forward, batting at Asher's stalk with her own.

Asher made a purposefully weak attempt to block her blows, and when she whacked his arm he dropped his weapon and held his arm with his other hand.

"Ah!" he sobbed, falling to his knees. "You've cut off my arm!"

"Surrender!" she demanded, the end of her stalk at his neck.

"I s'pose I must, for if you kill me there won't be a coffin within a hundred miles that could be fancy enough for me!"

Jorlin dropped her stalk as she doubled over laughing. For a second, she had forgotten anything bad in the world.

A chilly wind picked up and made the corn stalks sway.

"What're you doing?" Asher asked when Jorlin suddenly began picking corn and stuffing it in his bag.

"Helping you finish early," she replied, already filling her arms full of fresh corn.

"But-..."

"Nope, like it or not I'm helping you," she said, smiling.

He shook his head with a grin of his own, and she helped him finish his daily work early. The two were soon rhythmically harvesting the corn, and their combined efforts made the task go by quickly. It was a pleasant day for working in the fields; the sunlight made the chilly breeze not as bitter. Conversation helped the time to pass faster as well. By evening Jorlin and Asher were walking south, the setting sun casting long shadows as they made their way back towards town.