Nomad {Editing}

::Chapter 3:: Promise of Supper

When Charlie awoke again, he was aware of ropes binding his wrists and a heavy ache coming from his head. Vision slightly blurred as they stung in the light of the early morning sun. Charlie shifted from one side to the other, trying to remember the events of the day before. When he caught the familiar scent, it all came flooding back. Arthur.

Looking up, Arthur hadn't noticed that his brother had woken. He was packing saddle bags onto a large grey horse. Who's ears twitched when it spotted movement, alerting Arthur to Charlie. "Good morning, sleeping beauty." He called without looking back.

Charlie didn't honour that with a response. His eyes narrowed as he watched his brother work in silence. "Since when are you too lazy to use your own four legs to get places?" He asked, a distraction as he fought to rid himself of the binds around his wrists.

"A gift from a nearby village, I helped them out with a wild dog problem, and in return they gave me the mare," he replied, almost proudly as he patted the creatures neck. "I call her Lou."

Surprised by this, Charlie couldn't help the growl which escaped. "You named her after mum?"

"Lou for Luanne, not Lucy. After grandma. She's a moody cow just like her," he said with a laugh. "Jeez Charlie, it may have been a while, but I've not turned into a complete monster since I last saw you."

Ignoring the last comment pointedly, returning to working away at his binds. He realised something, he paused. "The nearest village is a hundred miles away, if not more..." he thought out loud. His eyes narrowing a fraction as he watched his brother silently. "How long have you been looking for me, Art?" He spoke lowly, a form of guilt burning in his chest.

He only shrugged, "A while," he said calmly. As though it was nothing at all, "Maybe a month or two." As he spoke he ran his fingers through the mane of the mare, absent minded. "It was lonely, so I accepted the mare to stop me from losing my mind entirely before I found you."

That comment tore Charlie's heart cleanly out of his chest, the guilt now a blaze in side him for what he was about to do. It's for both our sakes, he tried to convince himself, but it wasn't that easy.

Just as he had felt the bindings begin to give, a sword nearly took the whiskers from his chin. He jumped when he found that in the space of half a second, Arthur had closed the distance between them and caught him read handed. "Really Charlie?" He asked with a sigh, kneeling again as he worked to refasten the binds, tighter this time.

"If you really want to hold me," Charlie muttered, his head low in defeat. "Why don't you just use silver, save us both a bit of time."

"As I said before," he said, finishing his work and returning to the mare. "I'm not a monster."

Snorting a little at this, Charlie struggled to his feet without the aid of his hands. "My head disagrees," he mumbled, the ache still present, though beginning to fade. Not that he was going to let his brother know this."

"I could have used the dart gun," retorted Arthur, taking Charlie by the scruff of his shirt, and dragging him onto Lou with him. "But with a journey ahead of us, I thought it would make you queasy."

"How merciful," sarcasm dripped from his tongue like poison from a snakes.

Only a chuckle was given in response as Arthur gathered his reins and sat up. "You ready?"