Fable Unknown








1

Fable watched as the little girl traversed with small and timid steps alongside him down the courtyard. They had met only days ago in a situation that had demanded much of the timid latter. She was small for her age of eight and smaller still in courage. Several village boys have ganged up to beat her at their own pleasure when Fable had come in shooting rocks. The boys had run off seeing him and Fable had been able to carry the wounded child into his cottage. It was a place he had shared with his old mentor who had died shortly before the girl’s arrival. To be able to share it with another person now was favorable and Fable was glad of this. It had been lonely when it had been only him and the air through the windows….and the silence. Now Crystal Male was to share the empty house. She did well with cleaning up and was an excellent cook. The latter skill she must have learned from the bakery. That heartened Fable who was a good hunter and that only. He could do wonders with his bow and arrows that showed with the pheasants he brought home every night.
Some of the woods in the village were marked off for the villagers. If any dared enter in to kill game they were taken off to the castle’s dungeons. Fable lived in the third Odom nearer to the kingdom’s castle. Their Odom Lord, Lord Firen, was a strict and unbending man. He didn’t take lightly of illegal activities. That is why Fable prayed to God that the man had no spies tracking him whenever he hunted. The woods left for the villagers had started to have scarce game because a lot of people were hunting a limited area. Fable had given up hunting in the area left for him and went off into the restricted areas. He thought he would not be caught so easily. First reason being that he prayed to the Lord whenever he entered the forbidden trees. Second reason was that he was a prided hunter. Not by mouth but the other villagers praised how he handled his bow because he always got the best game.
Now, he and Crystal were off to trade one of his best games for money in the village. Crystal, though reassured by Fable’s presence by her, still cast worried looks at anyone that past too close to the two. Fable had tried to talk the fear out of the little girl and failed. Ever since she had seen her parents murdered by who knows who (she would not speak of the event; mute to it), the girl has not been in her right mind. Fable was compassionate towards her and left her to herself because they shared that in common. He was witness when his mentor had been sword to death by a lord before his own eyes. He held no doubts that the death of Crystal’s parents had been a lord or noble.
Fable had no pleasure for nobles or their place in his simple life. He had suffered by them too many counts. First it had been at the expense of his mentor. The others are whenever a lord or noble happens to be around. It could be a knight. They carried airs as if they only were human and anyone else with lesser birth was animals-----or worse. Fable felt he could hate them if he could but he composed himself not to be found. To show hatred towards any high birth was considered even treason anywhere in the kingdom. He couldn’t fare entering the Isle of Exile now. Days ago he could have but now, with Crystal in his care, he wouldn’t or couldn’t be exiled for all his life’s worth.
Their stop was in the butcher’s shop. The local butcher was a man of huge girth. Now he examined the pheasant thoroughly with his beady eyes. Fable knew that the pheasant was of great worth. He had stalked it ever diligently and killed even more so. There was no harm or mare to its build. Yet, the butcher took time in absorbing the kill then placed a low bid. Fable made sure that Crystal was near him though that wasn’t hard. The girl barely ever left his side if it wasn’t for hunting time. Only when Fable entered the woods did she stayed behind near the cottage eyeing him with resigned eyes as he left. Now, she huddled by his side as he bargained for a full ten minutes with the fat butcher over the price of the pheasant.
Fable was a good bargainer. By the end of the day, Crystal and he had left the village square towards their cottage with Crystal delightfully sucking on the hard sweet he had purchased her. He looked down at the peaceful childish eyes of the little girl by him and knew warmness in his heart. The warmness chilled when they reached the cottage. Searchers had made their work thoroughly known. With resolved calm, Fable gently urged Crystal up a tree. That was one odd skill to the girl. She could scurried the trees with ease like a squirrel and any woodland creature. Now he watched her as she climbed up and up. Then the arms of the trees hid her small form from view. Just as Crystal was gone from sight, a firm hand landed on Fable’s shoulder.
They didn’t let him retrieve anything from the cottage.