|
|
The ride back to the town was uneventful and quiet. D keeping to his own
thoughts, the symbiote trying to keep from cackling with laughter at the circumstances,
Katrina in her own thoughts as she tried to avoid the pain from movement and the little
girl curled up quietly against her ‘mother’s’ chest. As they entered the town they saw
families gathered out by the wagon, trying to piece their lives together and the innkeeper
standing off to the side with a slight smile on his face. As they rode over to him he looked
up and met their glances as D spoke.
“We require a place for Katrina to rest and heal.”
“Of course good sir,”the innkeeper said as he waved his hand to motion them
towards the inn,”We still have a few rooms in good repair that you and your companions
are able to use.”
“We can pay you for them of course,”Katrina spoke up as she moved her horse up
along side D’s so the man could see her as she spoke to him.
“No.. No... I insist you stay as guests for saving our town,”the man said with a
wide, friendly smile.
D merely nodded in reponse and they made their way to the inn to get situated for
their rest. All in all they lived as a quiet, family for the next 3 weeks as Katrina healed.
The little girl, whose name turned out to be Sarah, spent most of the time curled up with
Katrina chatting or listening to the few children’s stories Katrina knew. D seemed to
avoid the child, unsure of how to handle the situation and still annoyed that the small girl
would be traveling with them. The symbiote did not even think of letting D alone in
silence as it constantly commented on things and laughed itself to tears sometimes as it
thought of D acting as ‘daddy.’
As the 3 weeks passed the village slowly built itself back up and the children, still
somewhat confused, were beginning to take on some of their old personas back as happy
children. The villagers whenever they got the chance thanked D and Katrina, even those
who had lost children, because they knew their children were enjoying a happy afterlife
instead of an unending torment as a servant of evil.
Halfway through the fourth week Katrina was healed enough to ride and D
decided it best to leave before the time of inaction made their skills rusty and gave some
other dark lord the time to cause too much trouble. The villagers all came out to see them
off that day and made sure that the hunters were well restocked and their dwindling
supplies completely refilled. Early that morning perhaps 2 hours before noon they set off
on their way to the next town and the next adventure in the line of many this time with a
new companion, their ‘daughter.’
