A Stranger Comes to Tanninhold

Paua PortraitPaua was sweeping the porch of her newly acquired bakery when the stranger approached. She paused as he appeared in the distance, and kept a wary eye on him, still sweeping, until he got close enough to see his face well.

He was quite handsome in a wild sort of way, unlike any of the folk she had seen thus far in the Marches. His hair was very long and his clothing strange. He carried bow and arrow and walked with a staff.

Paua held onto her broom, but greeted the stranger politely. He introduced himself as Alareik and said he was a ranger looking for rights to hunt in the area. She looked up into his strange green eyes, thinking he looked much like the fae her mother told stories of when she was a child.

alareik and Paua 2She told him he needed to speak to someone in charge. Perhaps her father, the newly appointed bailiff, could help him. The stranger’s intense stare put her off a bit and she found herself wishing her father were there.

After a few moments, during which she offered him a pie to eat, the stranger left to inspect the area for possible game. Paua breathed easier once he had departed. He had been nothing but polite and respectful. However she had felt uncomfortable around him. She couldn’t say why. She decided she would tell her Mama about him as soon as she finished cleaning up.

Alareik and Paua 1

Leave a reply

Time limit is exhausted. Please reload the CAPTCHA.

Human Verification: In order to verify that you are a human and not a spam bot, please enter the answer into the following box below based on the instructions contained in the graphic.