The Lost Ones 8.

Summer. The Maldin Hills. In Western Southlands.

They've stopped at a cluster of houses. It can't be called a village, as it's only a trio of houses on either side of a trail.
Behind one of which, is some shade. Which sir Percavelle Lé Dic is glad for. As the mornings here on the east side of the hill range is especially hot.
The former paladin who is a member of the order of the Knights of Saint Mar-che, shakes his head as he watches a pair of chickens waddle by him in the shade, then hop through the open back door of the house he's standing behind.
The nobleborn knight from the kingdom of Druvic who hears sheep bleating somewhere down the hillside. Wonders if they'll have any luck here. He rather doubts it, as they've had no luck so far in trying to find the woman they're searching for.
It's been two days since they left the second village that was to the northeast of the old mining town.
The former earl of Lé Dic along with Lisell Maera the messenger have continued north along the east side of the Maldin Hills.
Stopping at small communities like this one, or farms and croftholds on the side of the hills. Trying to find any information about the woman they're searching for.
They've been told there's no more hillside villages between the last village they stopped at, and the very end of the Maldin Hills, where it heads eastwards, going inland.
And though the hillmen they meet are a little standoffish at first. Because the former paladin in his full suit of shining plate armour can be intimidating.
They soon relax and open up, when Lisell Maera greets them in their own dialect.
The messenger does most of the talking. As she's doing now, as she's inside the small house that the nobleman from the kingdom of Druvic is standing behind.
The heavily armoured knight spots something out of the corner of his eye. And he looks northwards, and in the sky, in the distance. He spots an airship passing over the Maldin Hills.
It's a cargo vessel, heading west towards the coast.
It's a sight one sees most days. As you usually see an airship or two. Either traveling to the coast, or from the coast, heading inland to elsewhere across the Southlands.
The former earl of Lé Dic, which is his family's fief in the east of the kingdom of Druvic. Briefly wonders what the cargo vessel is carrying. When Lisell Maera makes her way out the open backdoor of the small house, and joins him outside.
"Any luck?" asks sir Percavelle Lé Dic, who then adds a "Wot".
"A bit" says Lisell Maera the messenger, who continues with "Finally".
"Splendid" says the nobleborn knight from the kingdom of Druvic as they walk over to the hitching post where their mounts are tied up.
As the attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury checks on the pack horse that was given to them by the hillmen, who were appreciative for them in returning three of their women to their village, after they were taken by some miners.
She tells the Druvician nobleman "Her name is vaguely familiar to one of the women here" the messenger in the armies of Farque continues with "There's a nearby farmhold, and the people there might know of her".
Lisell Maera or Lis as she's more commonly called by the others in the group, then says "I've got the directions to get there" she follows that with "We should get there in the afternoon some time".
With a sour looking smile upon his face, the middle aged nobleborn knight sourly says "Great" followed by "I truly look forward to riding during the hottest part of the day".
"We could stay here until the middle of the afternoon, and get there sometime in the early evening" says the attractive young woman from the coast of the Southlands.
The member of the order of the Knights of Saint Mar-che looks around at their surroundings, and the three small houses on either side of the trail that goes down this particular hill.
The former earl of Lé Dic, whose young niece now rules his family's fief, says in a dour tone "I'd rather bake in the midday heat than stay here any longer".
"I rather thought so" murmurs Lis in the elven language, who then says in common "Let's get going then".
They mount up, and ride away from the houses on either side of the trail. With the sound of chickens bawking and squawking in the morning heat behind them.
The trail they're on goes downhill to a road that continues northwards. They ride slowly down to the road, going by two boys and their dog, who are herding some sheep up the hill.
Lisell Maera waves to them and greets them in the hillmen dialect. They all but ignore her, as they're too busy staring at sir Percavelle Lé Dic. As they've never seen a knight before. And have only heard about them in tales told to them by their parents.
"You seem to of made an impression on those two" says Lis once they're down on the dry and dusty road, and continue on their way to the northeast.
"Of course" says sir Percavelle Lé Dic or Percy as he's more commonly called by those who know him well.
"I am a symbol for those of a lesser standing to look up to, to try and attain a similar sort of achievement in life that i have gained, wot" adds the nobleborn knight without any modesty in his tone whatsoever.
"Now of course, they can aspire, but they can never achieve what i, the great sir Percavelle has achieved in my lifetime" continues the former paladin, who like his bitter rival, Dorc da Orc, often refers to himself in the third person.
"But one must hope, they can try and achieve to the level of courage, fortitude, and knightly ways that i have attained" says the nobleborn knight from the kingdom of Druvic, who slightly pauses before he adds "Wot".
"Of course" dryly says the attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury, who definitely prefers traveling through the Maldin Hills with Shur Kee the monk, than with sir Percavelle Lé Dic.
The short, statured monk is quiet while the Druvician nobleman is boisterous.
The physical adept is considerate, while the former paladin is not.
The heavily armoured knight likes to talk about himself, a lot. While the acolyte in the philosophical order of Bru Li does not. And so on and so forth.
Though Lis will admit that Percy can be highly entertaining at times. As the overly loud member of the order of the Knights of Saint Mar-che, can tell a good tale at times.
Which usually involves himself being the center of the story. Often about his previous fights and battles against his bitter rival, Dorc da Orc.
As the two of them spent many years on the otherside of wars and battles across the Southlands, trying to kill one another.
Until that came to a stop, kind of. When the former earl of Lé Dic joined the group.
"This place must be one of most desolate places in all of the Southlands" says the nobleman from the kingdom of Druvic, whose previous times he's been here in the Maldin Hills, is when he's been flying over it onboard an airship.
"It is pretty unforgiving" says the messenger in the armies of Farque, who feels like she's riding through a furnace as it's so hot and dry this morning.
The only saving grace to being here on the east side of the hill range, is that by later in the afternoon, it's much cooler than it is now in the morning.
"Almost as desolate as what's in the head of the big green, smelly demon, wot" says the former earl of Lé Dic, who never passes up the chance to disparage his bitter rival Dorc da Orc.
"Or i should say, what's not in that fat ugly lump of a head of his" adds the nobleborn knight from the kingdom of Druvic, who guffaws as Lis looks sideways at him, and shakes her head.
They ride throughout the rest of the morning, with Percy describing a battle he was part of. Where he ended up fighting Dorc da Orc, while the two of them were also fighting a dragon at the same time.
Though sounding completely fanciful, Lis knows the tale that the former paladin is telling her about, is completely true.
As she has heard about it from a number of others who were there at the same time.
They ride till well after midday, only stopping at a tiny trickle of a downhill stream, where they water their mounts.
A stream that they see, is near a trail they goes off the road. A trail that Lisell Maera turns onto, as this is the way to the farm they're heading towards.
A farm they get to in the middle of the afternoon. A farm that's quite low on the side of one of the hills. That has some fairly flat bits of ground near the farmhouse.
On those flat bits of ground, are a number of the stone corrals, that the hillmen use to hold their sheep.
In one of the corrals, are about twenty sheep. While in the distance, there's a similar number of sheep, grazing on the straw like, long grass and shrubs that are dotted all across the Maldin Hills.
There's a herd boy, and his dog watching over the sheep that are grazing.
While a hillman and his wife step out of the farm house, which like a lot of the individual farm houses across the hill country. Is much larger than the other houses you find in the villages and elsewhere.
"Greetings" says Lisell Maera in the hillmen dialect as she and sir Percavelle Lé Dic rein up infront of the farm house, then they dismount.
"Greetings" replies the hillman in the same language.
Then the attractive young woman from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury says in the common language "I wonder if you could help us with something".
Lis indicates herself and the former earl of Lé Dic, and she adds "My companion and i are looking for someone" she continues with "We understand you might know of her".
"Oh?" says the hillman, who continues with "Who might that be?".
The messenger says who, and the hillman shares a look with the hillwoman, who is his wife.
Then he looks back at Lis and Percy, and tells them "You better come inside" he points away to the right, and adds "You can put your mounts in the lean to. Old Jarce won't mind the company" referring to the old nag that's already in the shelter.
The attractive young woman from the coast of the Southlands, whose mother was a street prostitute in the city of Brattonbury. And whose father, a man she never knew, and who she never met, was a sailor.
Nods her head, and along with sir Percavelle Lé Dic lead their mounts over to the lean to. Getting the horses out of the sunshine.
Then the two of them head into the farm house, with the former paladin taking off his full helm as he does so. Glad to do so, as it felt like he was baking his head while he was wearing it during the hottest time of the day.
The farm house is large alright, so large that it has a small square courtyard in the middle of it.
Which is a common design along the coast of the Southlands. And only found in the larger homes in both the flatlands, and in the hill country.
The hillman leads them to the courtyard, which is already all in shade, and is quite cool compared to outside.
Lis and Percy take a seat at the round table with him in the small courtyard. While his wife gets refreshments and something to drink from the kitchen.
Once she has joined them, and poured them all white wine, which is chilled, and she explains the outside stream, runs underground, and they have a coolroom under their kitchen.
The hillman, who is named Marniss, asks the messenger and the former paladin "What do you want to know about her?".
"So you know her then?" asks Lisell Maera "We do" says Marniss, who continues with "She was married to a cousin of mine, who lives near the very end of the range".
"Married?" says the former paladin in surprise "Was?" adds the attractive young woman from the coast of the Southlands, who takes another sip of the chilled white wine, as it's rather refreshing after riding throughout the heat of the day.
"She was" says Marniss "So she's?" says Lis, dreading what the hillman might say next. As it could mean their time here in the Maldin Hills has been a complete waste of time.
"Alive as far as i know" says Marniss, both Lisell Maera and sir Percavelle Lé Dic let out a breath in relief after hearing that.
"She left my cousin Dalonic a couple of years ago, she said she had enough of him" says the hillman, who continues in a slightly dry tone with "She was ever the flighty kind, i couldn't believe they married in the first place". Next to him, his wife nods in agreement.
"Though she left for other reasons too" says Marniss, who pauses for more than a few moments, before he continues with "Their boy died in an accident, some scree came loose and came down the hillside he was on, and hit him".
The hillman pauses again, before he says "She couldn't save him, and the two of them were never the same after that".
The hillwoman, Darra looks at Lis and Percy, and says to them "You know what she is then?".
"We do" says the messenger in the armies of Farque, while the nobleborn knight just grunts in a positive manner.
"Some people from outside the range don't particularly care for her kind" says the hillwoman.
"We know" says the attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury, who follows that with "And we don't care".
"Trust me madam" says sir Percavelle Lé Dic, who then adds "With some of the people we know and work with, she'd be absolutely normal compared to them, wot".
The nobleman from the kingdom of Druvic then adds in a mutter under his breath "Especially that smelly green beast".
The farmer Marniss nods, then asks "So why exactly do you want to find her?".
"We have a proposition for her" replies Lisell Maera who continues with "An offer of a job" the messenger then silently adds, kind of.
"Well, i guess she'll probably listen to that offer" says Marniss the hillman, who follows that with "Don't know if she'll take it though" he then adds "Like i said, she can be flighty at times".
The messenger in the armies of Farque after drinking more of the chilled wine, and as next to her, the heavily armoured knight gets stuck into the sliced meat and flatbread, asks the couple who farm here on this hill "So is she still in the northeast?" followed by "Near the end of the range?".
Marniss shakes his head no, then says "She's no longer up there" the hillman who farms his heard of sheep with his wife and son, then adds "She moved away after she left my cousin. Moved down south somewhere".
Lis slightly frowns, then asks "How far south?" as they've already searched quite extensively further to the south.
"I'm not sure" says Marniss, who continues on with "A fair distance I'd say".
"Still in the hill country?" asks Lis who wonders if the woman they've been searching for has actually left the Maldin Hills.
She shouldn't have, Helbe was definite about her being in this hill range, the messenger in the scouts and rangers divisions of the armies of Farque thinks to herself.
"Yes, still in the hills as far as i know" says Marniss, his wife Darra next to him, nods her head in agreement with her husband.
"This side?" asks the attractive young woman from the coast of the Southlands, who then adds "Or over on the west side of range?".
"Oh definitely on this side" replies Marniss, who continues with "She never did like the afternoon heat they get over there, nor the high winds they get in the wintertime".
Figures, Lis dryly thinks to herself, as they along with field commander Tamric Drubine, Shur Kee the monk and Dorc da Orc. Have extensively searched further to the south on the western side of the Maldin Hills. Where the vast majority of those who dwell in the hill country live.
The messenger and the nobleborn knight share a look, then sir Percavelle Lé Dic says "South then?" followed by "Wot".
"Certainly looks like it" quietly says Lisell Maera as she contemplates a trip south down the east side of the Maldin Hills, as they continue their search for the woman they've come here to find . . . . . .