The officer remains beside the hidden blade, while the hooked-spear soldier guards the wounded man-at-arms. Beyond them, a young woman in a mud-stained brown stable coat hurries into the lane, clutching a bloodstained saddlebag.
Mara
That came from a riderless courier horse at the outer lines. It arrived from the eastern road just before your alarm.
She stops beyond the soldiers’ spears. Her face is freckled and wind-burned, her dark braid loose beneath a wool cap; the saddlebag bears the royal messenger’s broken dispatch seal.
Mara
The packet is gone. Only this bag remained, and I will not surrender it until someone promises protection for me and my family.
The Red-Plumed Officer
Stablehand, bring it here. You have entered an investigation of murder and treason.
Mara tightens both hands around the strap. Behind her, the camp lane fills with watching soldiers, while the officer’s command leaves the promise she demands conspicuously unspoken.
Mara
Then ask before ordering. I saw who handled that horse, and I will speak only to someone who can keep the provost from silencing me.
✓ Quest Accepted
Obtain the courier's saddlebag
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn who handled the courier horse
“"I am a mercenary fair maiden," I say. "I can protect you as long as I get my sword back. I could protect you without it, but it would make it slightly easier."”
SUCCESS (Fair Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Roland Duchamp
I am a mercenary, fair maiden. I can protect you as long as I get my sword back. I could manage without it, but it would be easier with it.
The young woman in the stable coat studies Roland, then the four spears and the officer holding authority over them. Her grip loosens on the saddlebag, though her guarded expression remains.
Mara
A mercenary's word is thin protection. Still, it is more than the officer offered. Give him back his sword, and I will trust this bargain.
The Red-Plumed Officer
Return the weapon. From this moment, your protection of Mara is entered into my report, and your word stands beside hers.
The soldier with the hooked spear lowers his weapon and hands Roland’s rapier back hilt first. The soldiers watch closely as Roland takes it, restoring his means to defend Mara.
Mara
Then I will speak. The rider who handled that horse wore no royal colors, but he knew exactly which road the courier used.
The Red-Plumed Officer
You have your sword and your witness. Fail to keep her safe, mercenary, and this camp will remember the debt as yours.
+ New Item Acquired
Rapier
“"How can I fail with my reputation at stake?" I ask with a smile. "Who would hire a mercenary who couldn't protect anyone?"”
SUCCESS (Fair Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Roland Duchamp
How can I fail with my reputation at stake? Who would hire a mercenary who couldn't protect anyone?
Roland delivers the jest with a smile, one hand resting near the returned rapier. Mara studies his confidence, then glances toward the officer and the watching camp.
Mara
A reputation is worth more than a promise, mercenary. If yours is truly at stake, then I will trust you to defend it.
Her shoulders ease, and she brings the saddlebag forward at last. The bloodstained leather creaks as she offers it across the guarded space.
The Red-Plumed Officer
You have your bargain, Mara. Speak plainly now. Who handled the courier horse, and where did he go?
Mara
A narrow-faced rider in a dark cloak took the reins near the eastern pickets. He rode toward the old mill road, carrying a second sealed packet beneath his coat.
The officer’s attention snaps toward the eastern road. Around the tent, the soldiers fall quiet, while the wounded man-at-arms lifts his head at the mention of another packet.
Quest Complete
Learn who handled the courier horse
Skill Upgrade: Diplomacy Fair→Good
“"How long ago was this?" I ask.”
SUCCESS (Good Diplomacy, rolled +0)
Roland Duchamp
How long ago was this?
Mara answers at once, encouraged by Roland’s direct question. The watching soldiers remain silent, while the red-plumed officer keeps the second packet in his thoughts and the eastern road in his sight.
Mara
Less than a quarter hour ago. Fifteen minutes, perhaps, no more. The horse was still blowing hard when I reached the pickets.
Her answer fixes the rider’s departure before the alarm could spread through camp. The wounded man-at-arms raises his head, and the nearby soldiers exchange uneasy looks.
The Red-Plumed Officer
Then he has barely reached the old mill road. Mercenary, your question has earned you the lead, but it also places Mara’s safety plainly under your name.
Mara
I will repeat the time before the provost, but only with Roland beside me. If he leaves, I withdraw nothing, yet I trust the camp no further than I must.
The bargain tightens around Roland in full view of the camp. The red-plumed officer turns toward the eastern lane, while four royal soldiers shift their spears and await his order.
“"Then I shall stay with you until the provost arrives."”
SUCCESS (Good Diplomacy, rolled +0)
Roland Duchamp
Then I shall stay with you until the provost arrives.
Roland remains beside Mara instead of turning toward the eastern lane. The four royal soldiers keep their spears lowered, and the camp’s attention settles on the pair beneath the rain-darkened canvas.
The Red-Plumed Officer
So entered: Roland Duchamp stays as Mara’s guarantor until the provost hears her statement. Your word now carries her testimony into the record.
Mara
That is enough for me. I will give the provost every detail, and I will name Roland as the man who kept faith when the camp would not.
The promise wins Mara’s trust, but the officer’s wording makes the favor public. Any failure in her protection will now stain Roland’s standing before the provost and the watching soldiers.
The Red-Plumed Officer
Royal Soldiers, hold this lane. Send for the provost and tell him the witness is ready. No one separates her from the mercenary before he arrives.
The soldiers obey. Mara stands at Roland’s side with the saddlebag held close, while the red-plumed officer watches the eastern road and waits for the provost’s approach.
“"How long before the surgeon arrives? The man-at-arms requires aid."”
Roland Duchamp
How long before the surgeon arrives? The man-at-arms requires aid.
The Red-Plumed Officer
He was summoned before the witness entered. If he has not been delayed, he should reach this tent within minutes.
The wounded man-at-arms sags against the canvas, breathing shallowly. Mara shifts nearer to him without releasing the saddlebag, while the soldiers keep the lane clear.
The Wounded Man-At-Arms
Minutes may be all I have, my lord. I can still tell the provost what I know, but I cannot stand much longer.
Mara
Then let him sit, and let no one drag him outside. A witness is useless if the camp lets him bleed away.
The red-plumed officer signals two Royal Soldiers to fetch a cloak and clear space beside the tent wall. The wounded man-at-arms is lowered carefully onto folded canvas, still conscious as footsteps hurry through the rain.
Director's notewhole tale
I watch for anyone trying to get close to Mara, ready to draw my rapier at a moments notice.