The Unfamiliar Familiar

As expected, winter had been quiet and uneventful. Donato supposed he was fine with it, especially since it gave him ample time in which to fully recover. There had been no sign or word from their mortal enemies since then. It wouldn’t be until the next growing season that they had learned the error of their ways, anyhow. Thus, Donato felt he could put himself at ease and allow himself to properly recuperate. As soon as he was able, he resumed his training and exercises, returning to peak physical form in little time.

What he did not get to enjoy during the past six months was the pleasure of Therese’s company. Her lord had recalled her back home to safeguard the border against the Rohari in the event of a counterattack for some bold move. Donato didn’t much want to know, really. The letters between them were sporadic best. He knew she was getting deep within her duty. He wasn’t surprised, really. Daniela had already denied him permission for him to help her citing quite rightly that it was none of their affair and they needed time to heal.

Thus, Donato ended up mostly idling until the spring months came along. He once again started up his duties of keeping wine shipments safe and providing security of the Countess when needed. The man found himself thinking about Therese less and less. A few other ladies had come and gone, slaking his lust when appropriately, but nothing really seemed to stick for him. This didn’t bother him, particularly, since he wasn’t looking at get attached again. Maybe.

On that particular day, he volunteered oversee a shipment of wine to the Bordelaix Markets. It was to be the last big shipment in a while since Daniela was making noise about shifting her focus to Talencia in the near future. Having seen the shipment safely secured, Donato had been walking through the marketplace with the intent of finding a respectable tavern with decent ale, food and wenches. Then the fight broke out and much to his consternation, people were flocking like idiots to gawk. With little patience, Donato shoved people aside before they slammed into him. Having leather armor and a weapon on him certainly helped with this!

A cry for help caught his ear, promptly looking to his left. A young woman seemed to be struggling with the crowd and was about to fall. Acting on instinct, Donato surged forward, took her hand and drew her to him. “Are you alright?” He asked over the din of the crowd, already trying to help her get out of the mess.

Marie-Louise Deveraux