The Snow-White, Prickly Lady Knight (1)
Overwhelmed by the knight's imposing presence, Cloud found his feet stopping of their own accord. Her eyes were fixed on him with intense wariness, and her right hand gripped the scabbard at her hip as though she would draw the very instant he took one more step. Given Cloud's shabby getup, suspicious was exactly what he was — no amount of squinting could put a kind face on him.
And yet Cloud broke into a radiant smile, walked ten paces more, planted himself right in front of the knight, and said,
"I happened to spot you as I was passing by. Where are you headed? If we're going the same way, maybe we could—"
Smack!
Before he could even finish, the knight's palm cracked across his face. The sting of it was so fierce that Cloud spun with the force of the blow and crashed flat onto the ground.
"Wh-what the hell was that for, all of a sudden? Unbelievable."
Cloud rubbed the handprint stamped across his cheek, wearing a look of pure bewilderment.
The knight glared down at him with frost-cold eyes and barked,
"How dare you approach a noble and speak to them so brazenly!"
Cloud picked himself up off the ground, still kneading his cheek. What a stiff-necked noble wench, he thought. Honestly, what was wrong with two people exchanging a nice, friendly hello?
"Well then, Miss Knight, I was merely—"
Smack!
This time it was his other cheek that burned. Slapped again.
The knight scrunched her face into a fearsome scowl and shouted,
"And that 'Miss Knight' habit of yours is every bit as vile! Where in the world did you learn such wretched manners!"
Two slaps in, Cloud decided this would not do at all. He hastily flung himself to the ground and pressed his forehead to the dirt.
"Aigoo, my deepest apologies, my lady! In my ignorance I have committed a crime worthy of death! I repent it deeply in my heart, so please, calm yourself and quell your wrath! I was merely passing through when I happened to spot you, and you seemed to be lost, so I came over on the off chance I might be of help — that is all!"
The knight glowered at him with an irritated look, then at last folded her arms and withdrew her icy stare.
"Hmph. I shall forgive you this once — and this once only. Should you ever again behave so insolently toward me, a noble, it will not end with a slap. Mind your tongue."
"Y-yes, of course, my lady."
Then, in a voice gone noticeably gentler, she asked with careful hesitation,
"Are you… well acquainted with the roads here?"
No sooner had the words left her mouth than she seemed embarrassed by her own question, for she immediately barked in a fearsome voice,
"Lie to me, and I may well sever your throat on this very spot!"
"Aigoo! Aigoo! I would never dare speak falsehood, my lady! I swear it! I swear I will tell nothing but the truth!"
Cloud knelt and bowed his head again and again, but inside, his blood was at a full boil. He swore vengeance upon this ill-mannered knight — he would repay those slaps a hundredfold. From the look of things she was clearly lost, and he had noticed she needed his help. He resolved to make the very most of it.
Just you wait!
"My name is Cloud. My father herds sheep in the temple's service, and following him about since I was small, I've come to know this region's geography inside and out. Where the wolf packs and bears keep their dens, which roads to take to steer clear of monsters — I could count every last cave in the vicinity if you asked."
The knight looked him up and down. He leaned on a wooden stick, unarmed, dressed in rags, with nothing on his back but a bundle that looked light as a feather.
"Judging by your appearance, I suppose you speak no lie. A man lacking confidence would not go wandering about unarmed."
Feeling she was swallowing his story a touch too easily, Cloud grew bold.
"Once night falls, vicious and savage monsters will come out into the open. Reaching the nearest village before today is out is hopeless, so we must hurry to shelter somewhere safe and make camp there, my lady."
"Do you know the nearest village from here?"
"Very well, my lady."
"How long would it take on horseback?"
"About six hours."
Cloud was lying.
"What? It takes that long?"
"It is the truth, my lady. I beg you, believe me. As you know well yourself, this region is so mountainous that level roads are few and far between. Far from galloping along at ease, you will often find yourself dismounting to climb on foot."
"Hmm……"
She stroked her chin, wearing a troubled look. Cloud stole a glance upward, then dropped his eyes back to the ground and asked, treading carefully,
"This may be an impertinent question, but are you lost, my lady?"
"And why should I be answering questions from the likes of you?"
The reply came back cold, bristling with thorns.
"Only because, if you are lost, I can be of service to you."
"So you propose I travel at your side? When I know not precisely who or what you are?"
"As I said before, I am nothing but a poor shepherd's son."
"Then open the bundle upon your back."
"Pardon?"
"I said, unpack the bundle you carry and lay it out upon the ground."
"Ah — y-yes, of course, my lady."
Cloud hurriedly undid his bundle and spread it out. Each item he drew forth, the knight studied with a close eye. A few changes of underclothes, a small money pouch, jerky made of rat meat. That was all. Nothing the least bit suspicious turned up.
"Barely a few changes of underclothes. You are hardly off on an outing — what did you intend to do in a village with only this much?"
"As I said, I make my living as a shepherd after my father's trade. When a temple that raises sheep calls for help, I go to nearby Huan Village, or to this village and that as needed. At present I am under contract with the Kunon Temple in Huan Village, so I eat and sleep there."
"So your baggage is light because you lodge in Huan Village, is that it?"
"Precisely so, my lady. My wife stayed behind in my hometown, and she is with child at the moment, so I am on my way back from looking in on her."
"With child, you say… That must weigh on your mind."
"Of course it does. Living apart day after day — how could I not worry? Now then, do you believe me?"
Cloud looked up, gauging her expression.
"So it will be difficult to reach the village before today is out?"
"Yes. I would swear it on my ancestors — quite impossible."
The knight glanced around at their surroundings, then heaved a deep, dispirited sigh before turning her eyes back to Cloud.
"For today alone, I shall entrust you with guiding me. Attempt any trickery, however small, and know that you will be skewered on the spot."
"Aigoo! Thank you, my lady! And I am ever so glad to have the protection of a knight of such outstanding skill!"
"Rise."
"Yes, yes!"
Cloud rose to his feet, brushing the dirt from his knees. The knight drew a canteen from her saddle and tossed it toward the flowing stream.
"I am thirsty. Before we move to somewhere fit for camping, I shall have a drink first. Fill it to the brim, and see that no filth gets in."
"At once, my lady!"
Cloud splashed into the water and snatched up the canteen just before it could drift away, all the while cursing her in his head.
That wretch — shamelessly milking me for labor the moment we met! Do I look like your slave?
The knight withdrew to the shade of a nearby tree and wiped the sweat from her brow. Cloud swiftly filled the canteen and came trotting back with a radiant smile, like a dog fawning on its master.
"Here it is, filled to the brim! Straight from the stream, so it is cold enough to ache your teeth — do drink with care!"
Cloud held the canteen out respectfully with both hands, and the knight accepted it with one as she spoke.
"There is one more task for you. Gather grass nearby and feed my horse. She has run the whole day and must be weary. We shall fill her belly, then depart."
The moment she finished speaking, a faint crease flickered across Cloud's forehead and vanished just as quickly. He flared up inside, but never once let his smiling face slip.
"We cannot have such a magnificent white horse going hungry, can we! Her coat gleams with luster — clearly a fine breed at a glance. I shall fetch some for her right away!"
As dusk began to settle, Cloud guided the knight to a small cave nestled in the mountains, and the two of them agreed to make camp there.
Cloud tied the horse's reins to a wooden post, dragged together dry branches from around the area, and built a crackling fire inside the cave. Then he huffed on the ground to blow the dust away, patted it clean, and spread his own handkerchief over the spot.
"Please, have a seat here."
The knight settled down where he had prepared, a faint, contented smile touching her lips.
"That is a commoner for you, I suppose — so practiced at labor. You know what must be done without being told."
The moment she let down her guard around Cloud, she began to carry on like some sheltered noble lady who needed looking after at every little turn. A noble she certainly was, but with everything from one to ten requiring tending, she might as well have been a clueless child. And she did not seem much of a knight, either. Cloud half suspected she had bought her knighthood with cold coin — and he rather wanted to put her through a proper ordeal, both to teach her a valuable lesson about how frightening the world could be and to make her pay for his troubles.
"By the way, what of dinner? Ought you not to go and catch something?"
"You mean, by myself?"
"Why? Does that displease you?"
"Hunting game requires tools, and as you can see, I have no weapon. But you do, my lady…" Cloud shifted his gaze to the sword hilt lying on the ground beside her. "It would be far easier if you helped with the hunt, my lady."
"I refuse."
The knight cleared her throat and slid the hilt back behind her, out of sight.
"I am not one to take innocent life."
"But if you wish to eat meat, hunting cannot be avoided."
"Enough. My appetite has fled. I have no need of dinner."
The instant the words left her mouth, her stomach let out a long, rolling growl. Inside the cave, it echoed at ten times its usual volume.
"Eep!"
Her ears flushed crimson to the tips as she clapped a hand over her stomach, mortified. And as she squirmed, at a loss, groping desperately for some excuse, Cloud smiled and stepped in first.
"Rest easy, my lady. I will gather some wild greens growing nearby and make a soup. Without seasoning it will taste rather plain, but it will be more than enough to fill an empty stomach tonight — look forward to it. I shall hurry and fetch some."
"Is, is that so? Very well. I shall look forward to it."
"I will be right back!"
In truth, Cloud had been waiting for exactly this moment. Telling her he was off to gather wild greens, he left the cave and slipped into the forest.
"I spotted some around here on the way in…"
Cloud crouched down and rummaged through the grass. What he sought was an herb. The plant known as Jepine wept a white sap when its stem was snapped — applied to the skin, that sap closed wounds almost at once, but the same plant was also a poison: swallowed, it stiffened the muscles and left a person unable to move for hours. For that reason it was used almost solely as a salve for injuries, a folk remedy known to everyone in these parts. And Jepine was absolutely essential if Cloud was to put the plan he had built in his head into motion.
"Oho, there it is. Found it, found it."
After a long while crawling through the undergrowth, he finally turned it up. He promptly dug it out, roots and all, closed his hand around it, and wore a look of deep satisfaction.
"Jepine! I am counting on you!"
Then, having picked both hands full of every kind of wild green, Cloud returned to the cave, piled them into a silver dish taken from the knight's saddle, and poured stream water over them. He set it atop the campfire and stirred steadily with his wooden stick until the broth thickened.
"Can water and wild greens alone make for a soup worth drinking?"
"There is no need to worry at all. Among wild greens, some lend sweetness, some lend bitterness, and some work like starch to give the broth a nice body. I have blended this one and that one in just the right measure, so rest easy."
A while later he ladled the soup into a dish and offered it to her.
"Here — it is ready. Honestly, no matter how many greens I mix together, it will not rival seasoned cooking. It will taste quite bland, but please drink it to quiet your hunger, my lady."
But the knight made no move to take the dish. She only stared at him in silence, eyes cold as frost.
"Why do you bid me eat first?"