Chapter 4
She was off the muddy track and among the thickets and trees, her body leaning forward as if she were searching for something. “Maybe she's misplaced some jewelry or something?” Forsance thought. As she was standing with her back to Forsance, he hadn't yet seen her face, let alone understood what she was looking for. But the moment Forsance laid eyes on her, she first interrupted these movements, then straightened up and turned to stare at Forsance.
She was older than him, at least in her thirties, although Forsance would have been unable to be more precise in this estimation. Her long brown hair was combed into a long ponytail that reached all the way to her posterior. She was dressed in a dark green-brown scout's outfit, undeniably designed to be worn in all terrain and conditions. The combination of her choice of hairstyle and the fact that she was wearing pants, a rare occurrence in the Elysian Emoihrape, gave her a surly, tomboyish look, especially with those piercing eyes actively staring at Forsance.
Forsance's first thoughts were that she was clearly not from around here, given her clothes and manner, and that perhaps she'd come all this way to attend tomorrow's tournament, even if he didn't understand why such banality could attract people from afar. “She'll probably go back to her work and leave me alone.” he mused. But against all odds, she raised her hand to wave at him and a big smile lit up her radiant face.
At this sight, Forsance looked away and went off on a tangent. He took to the muddy path, not daring to look at her again. He wasn't a coward, but the fear of confrontation with a stranger got the best of him, especially if it was a woman, in which case any interaction was unthinkable.
On the strength of his experience, Forsance had invented his own technique for keeping a cool head in all circumstances, which he called the serene mind. The technique was easy to understand but complex to execute. The idea was to block out all thoughts, and then feel no emotion whatsoever. For Forsance had noticed that emotions needed thoughts to manifest themselves. Thanks to the serene mind, his stress and fears disappeared.
Once he'd moved far enough away from her, he turned around to see if she was chasing him, and fortunately she wasn't. He breathed a sigh of relief. He breathed a sigh of relief. Another 20 minutes' walk, and he'd have reached a place where oak acorns are easily replaced fresh and in plentiful supply. Tonight, he knew what he'd be eating.
A few dozen minutes later, Lautrant and Margot had reached the village of Taunelr.
“We're safe now, Margot, you have nothing to fear.” Lautrant proclaimed in the main alley of the small village.
“Thanks for everything, Lautrant, you're my savior!” she said, moving closer to him to place an innocent kiss on his cheek.
Lautrant blushed slightly at the gesture. He nevertheless allowed himself a remark towards her that sounded more like an order. “What you did today was far too dangerous, so from now on, you're staying here and you're not going outside the village, at least for the next few days.” Lautrant incensed, trying to be as paternalistic as possible. Which had virtually no effect on the young woman.
“Come on Lautrant, no, I'm not going to sit here in my hotel room twiddling my thumbs and staring at my [lost mirror] just to make you feel a little better!” Margot retorted, pouting.
“Okay, fine, you've won, but I wouldn't let you go off on your own - it's too dangerous.” Pressed the young man firmly.
“No, not even that, what's going to happen is that tomorrow after the tournament opens, I'm going to go for a walk in the forest on my own, and I'll be waiting for you...” She paused briefly. “I'll only wait for you there if you've managed to reach first place, I'll have something to tell you otherwise don't even think of seeing me again.” She said in a voice that was soft and slow, but left no room for contradiction.
At first, Lautrant felt embarrassed and humiliated to be put in his place by half a woman in this way, but when she began the second part of her speech, his emotions changed completely. “Could it be love!” he thought. “She wants to show me her love, but only in a romantic tête-à-tête, and only if I'm worthy and strong enough to be by her side.” He thought to himself as a huge smile, a little blissful and lacking in intelligence, flashed across his face. “So easy!” Margot thought to herself.
The two lovebirds continued on their way to the young lady's hotel near the center of town. Suddenly, an older-looking man came up behind them. The middle-aged man had the stature of a real colossus.
He grabbed Margot by the hips without her seeing anything coming and declared in an imposing voice. “I'm going to give you the time of your life.” While forcibly tackling her on those powerful abs.
“Let her go! She's not yours!” Lautrant roared.
“She's not yours either!” Ranched the giant.
“Yes, he's right, beat it you thick brute!” Margot asserted.
“You see, the rascal, she doesn't want you, get the hell out of here before I break something!” Lautrant vociferated as he began to unsheathe his sword.
“Ha, Ha, Ha!” The colossus was so confused by Lautrant's threat that he burst out laughing as he tightened his grip on poor Margot. “They all say that at first, it's just a game, they say no, because they're too ashamed to say yes, that's all. If you don't even know that, it just shows you're a particularly backward twerp.” he declared, pointing at him.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
“It's more like you don't understand conjugal relationships!”
“I rather think you're the one who doesn't get it, fartzouille. The number 1 rule in love relationships is to remain completely independent and sovereign no matter what, so as not to fall into a dependent relationship like you. Love isn't dependence.” Asserted the colossus.
“And that goes for you too, in a way.” continued the giant, all the while refocusing on his captive, who was still totally powerless to free herself from his grip despite his many unsuccessful attempts. “You don't know anything about me, you big lump of muscle.” Margot replied.
Realizing that mere words wouldn't be enough to reduce his beloved's discomfort, Lautrant opted for an assault. With his sword already drawn, he leapt at his adversary, opting for a horizontal thrust deeming the estoc too dangerous for Margot.But just before the moment when Lautrant's sword was supposed to wound the lout, the latter leapt backwards with incredible celerity for his body mass. The Blacksmith had all the trouble in the world to slow down his sword, which ultimately wounded Margot in the waist.
The villain left the scene as quickly as he had arrived. Only a confused and guilty Lautrant and an injured Margot remained in the deserted street.
Lautrant, not knowing what to say in his defense, could only stammer out “I'm sorry Margot, it's all my fault!” as he created a bandage with the sleeve of his suit and applied it to Margot's waist.
“Of course it's all my fault! That's why you're going to help me walk to my room!” Margot mimed the caprice.
Lautrant's rustic bandage worked quickly and in a few minutes the bleeding stopped. Afterwards, Lautrant helped Margot to walk exactly as she had ordered, until they arrived in front of Margot's hotel. There they met the village chief, Monsieur Trapèze.
“Ah Lautrant and Margot, it makes me so happy to see you both alive. I'm so sorry I couldn't send more people, you see our hands were full.” He said, pointing to the almost-finished construction site in the main square.“Without you, we wouldn't have had the morals to party tomorrow.” he recalls.
“Yes, that's right, you care more about your reputation than our lives.” Lautrant thought.
“We're safe and sound, Monsieur Trapèze, but I've still earned a horrible wound on my waist.” She said, pointing to her wound. “I owe this vicious gash to a very vigorous wolf, so much so that Lautrant, despite his valour, couldn't stop him.” After a sigh, she continued. “I'm afraid I won't be able to take part in tomorrow's show, Monsieur le Chef du Village.
“The opposite would have been far more improbable.” remarked the old village chief. “What I still don't understand is why you put yourself in so much danger, and on your own to boot. It's so much fun walking in the woods.” Martella Monsieur Trapèze.
“Yes, I'd rather be outside than cooped up in my hotel room, and I had no idea about the wolf pack in the west woods. They were probably busy with another hunt, and once they'd finished their business, they ambushed me. They're truly abominable beasts. But it's a good thing the valiant Lautrant and Gentin were there for me! “Margot declared in trapeze. Then she reached into her handbag for her [lost mirror] and took it out. “And I recorded everything in my mirror, by the way! ”
Then she showed the fictional scene of Lautrant and Gentin bravely battling against the wolf pack, and even the moment when a massive wolf managed to deliver a vicious blow to Margot through her Lost Mirror in front of a village chief dumbstruck by the tableau.
In reality, a lost mirror was a mirror that had the ability to record absolutely everything reflected on its surface. It was even said that some of these mirrors also had the ability to record sound, as well as to modify image and sound, according to the owner's wishes. But it would never have occurred to Monsieur Trapeze or Lautrant that Margot might be in possession of such a lost mirror.
“I never imagined you could be as brave as that. In my mind, you were still the spoiled brat I once knew. Everyone changes eventually, as they say! “Pronounced the chief admiringly.
“In the end, you'll surely make a great military officer.” he added.
As for Lautrant, he was completely taken by surprise. He'd never imagined that Margot would go so far to defend him and give credence to his version of events, but his mind was sharp enough to pull himself together in time when attention turned back to him, and so he asserted: “Of course, Chief, I've become the most mature I've ever been, thanks to my training and dedication to becoming the best I can be for my homeland. I have enough faith to join the army and take on the U.E.S.S. Compared to the enemies of all of us, a simple wolf pack is simply insignificant.“ Lautrant proclaimed.
“Ah yes! And Gentin and the other participants in the battle should be back in the village shortly with the carcasses.” Lautrant predicated.
“Formidable, you and Gentin, you really are the saviors of us all, and I promise you now that you will be rewarded for your efforts. As for you, young lady, no more unannounced excursions into the wilderness, it's far too dangerous for you.” He said with the air of a spoiled dad who wants to teach a lesson.
“Yes, yes!” Margot stammered with a bored expression. No longer wishing to be part of this conversation, she hobbled the few meters to her hotel on her own. Lautrant tried to catch up with her, but the old village chief stopped him: “There's no point in rushing,” he said, “Time heals all wounds, believe me. “Professed Trapèze.
“The sun will soon be setting,” continued Monsieur Trapèze. “You'll have to go home and get to bed early if you want to be in shape for tomorrow.” He advised him, turning his back on him to get back to running the business.
Lautrant heeded the village chief's advice and set off for his father's forge. On the way, he thought about everything that had happened that day. How could a simple dancer like Margot have come into possession of a lost mirror capable of falsifying her reflection? And why did she use it to support her version of events? Is this what true love is all about? “Tomorrow I'll know more.” he said to himself, putting these fears and questions in a corner of his mind.
The sun, in the distance, formed a semicircle on the horizon, when a man, the same man who had behaved like a boor, emerged from one of the smallest alleys in the village of Taunelr, for this alley led to just one house, the house of Forsance.
At the house's entrance, the carriage was always present.
