Beyond The Stone

Chapter 6

Tristan broke off a branch to use as a crutch while Brantly checked the remaining, still-unconscious guard for injuries before hauling him up over his shoulder. It was easy to see that his body was powerful and masculine beneath his surcoat and chainmail. Ava wondered if he was hairy or smooth.

'Which dost thou prefer?' Tristan prodded.

Ava blushed at his teasing and changed her focus. Tristan grinned. Brantly watched the strange conflux of emotions flutter over the man's face studiously.

"Do you think you can keep the faerie at bay?" he asked musingly as they started down the trail together.

Tristan glanced up at him inquiringly.

"I am the keeper of this gate. It is nothing for me to at least imagine your troubles. I have seen the faeries and spoken with the elves. However, there are not many that understand such things. If you cannot keep her in check, you may find yourself at odds with your comrades," the knight explained.

"I shall keep it quiet," Tristan replied determinedly.

"Oh will you now?" Ava replied irritably as her brain was slowly catching up with what was going on.

Tristan growled with frustration. Brantly chuckled to himself.

'Thou wouldst hold thy tongue in public, wench, or else we shall both fair badly. 'Tis that sufficiently simple for thy comprehension, or wouldst thee prefer to get our throat slit first?' he told her determinedly.

Ava sucked on her lip contemplatively. He had a point. A person talking to himself did tend to look quite insane, no matter what world you lived in – and she was only just becoming aware of what they both meant by the term 'gateway'. Was it really possible that she'd travelled to some parallel world through the stone circle? What other oddities were waiting for her in this strange new world? After their encounter with the ogre, she simply could not deny that she was in some sort of strange new world. Perhaps old world was a better descriptor...

'It seems perfectly current to me,' Tristan mused mentally as he struggled along with his makeshift crutch.

'That's because you're basically a character out of a history book,' Ava shot back.

"I be perfectly able to keep with current trends!" Tristan retorted determinedly.

Brantly cocked his head at Tristavan as an awkward silence fell over them.

"Perhaps I should recommend that you learn to hold your own tongue at times too..."
Brantly suggested with a grin.

Tristan clenched his jaw with annoyance and pushed on with his crutch, ignoring the throbbing ache in his leg. It wasn't too bad – as long as he didn't bump it. They rounded a bend and found the horses grazing quietly in a meadow just ahead.

"Thank goodness!" Ava remarked with gratitude.

The leg was irking her just as much as it was irking Tristan.

"Your leg must be souring you something awful," Brantly guessed. "A horse should aid you in your trip to my lord's castle. Fortunately, it does seem that there is now one spare."

Tristan clenched his jaw, and then affected a smile in an effort to appear grateful.

'Holy cow. What's wrong with you? A horse will help so much!' Ava chided.

'I can't ride,' Tristan admitted to her through a clenched jaw. 'He shall note it and doubt my title.'

'So you're not a lord?' Ava mused with confusion.

'I be most definitely a lord!' Tristan shot back. 'Just not an especially wealthy one,' he admitted reluctantly. 'My father was a gambling man. He squandered my inheritance when I was just a boy.'

'But surely as a squire...'

'My father passed when I was still young. I had no backer and not much hope of a future. What I had I carved for myself with the tip of my sword.'

They reached the horses, and Ava took up the second animal's reins. Brantly maneuvered the unconscious body of his guard over the shoulders of the first horse, and then mounted up behind it.

"What happened to the other horse?" Ava mused as she placed her left foot in the stirrup and mounted up with practiced ease.

"Methuselah has been trained to find his own way to my home in the absence of instruction from the rider," Brantly explained, "So I sent him on with the lady to keep her safe."

"That is... quite awesome," Ava replied as she settled herself on the old-fashioned saddle.

It was surprisingly comfortable and secure. Even Tristan wouldn't have had much trouble staying put in it.

"Would I be wrong to assume that 'twas the faerie who just now spoke? It's manner of speech seems different from yours."

Tristan nodded in awkward acknowledgement of the fact.

"It is a peculiarity, to be sure," Brantly noted with a polite glance at them.

This time Tristan didn't notice her girly flush in response to his charisma. He was too aware of her actions.

'Thou can ride a horse?' Tristan guessed as he sensed the familiarity in her movements.

'I can ride a horse,' Ava replied with a smile.

The truth was, she loved horse riding! She'd been doing it since she was a young girl.

'Then thee can guide us as I guided us in the battle against the ogre?' Tristan pressed hopefully.

Ava smiled to herself. 'You betcha,' she replied as she nudged the animal forward.