In tandem With The Huntsman

Two

Emily dragged me towards the crowd while babbling excitedly, her much shorter legs carrying her further than I could ever dream as I practically huffed and wheezed in extertion. I had to repeatedly tell her to slow down, acutely aware of my long skirt brushing against the tip of my shoe with every step. One thing I absolutely didn't want to do is trip and pull tiny little Emily down with me.

"I can't slow down, otherwise we wouldn't be able to see them! We have to outsmart the crowd, get there nice and early so we could see the hunstmen! The huntsmen!"

She said the word 'huntsmen' with so much reverence that I felt a little intrigued myself. I was well-versed in Halism and Elverglade culture, but I somehow never heard of the King's most prized hunters. It made me a bit eager to see them, too.

We reached the heart of the village and I immediately spotted Ellias talking to a group of hooded, masked men. Emily squeezed my hand tighter before excitedly pointing at the imposing figures, her green eyes shining in admiration while she guided me to the rapidly growing crowd of curious onlookers.

"It's them!" She hissed, unable to hide her joy. "You can see Lord Hal's wing embroidered on their backs!"

We stopped behind a row of villagers whispering amongst themselves, trying to take a better glimpse of the famous huntsmen. I stretched myself tall on my tiptoes and peeked behind a man's shoulder, curious to know what made these masked men so special save for their oath of protection.

"Can you see anything?" Emily prodded. I glanced back and realized she was trying and failing to push her way through.

"Barely. Maybe you could ask the gentleman to scoot a little to his left?"

She hurriedly excused herself and managed to create a small path for the both of us. I felt her pull my arm and we soon jumped ahead of the crowd, finally seeing the hunters in their full, hooded glory. My eyes rounded at the sheer size of them; half of the group seemed to be towering over Ellias with plenty of ease.

"Oh Hal..." Emily whispered while clenching at the fabric of her dress, a hand over her heart. "They are so beautiful."

Knowing Emily, there was nothing perverse about this comment. She was innocently admiring her idols, and I couldn't fault her for that.

They wore all white and stood straight and tall; picture-perfect knights without their shiny armor. I couldn't help but appreciate the way they all potrayed themselves-- noble and strong without a hint of arrogance. It was charming, unique and awe-inspiring. Their mysterious aura only added to their attractiveness.

The air was still heavy and humid from the passing rains; the scent of grass so prominent that I could barely smell Emily's flowery perfume. I wondered what the huntsmen smelled like for a moment and closed my eyes, thinking of an incense that could match with their appearance. It would be nice to embroider while appreciating such a scent.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Emily nudged me on the side, excitement dripping from her hushed voice. I smiled and shrugged, unable to read Ellias' lips.

"Probably something related to the bandits. It hasn't been long since the last attack."

"Oh, do you think we'll get to see them in action? I would absolutely love to--"

"I don't think that's a good idea." I reasoned with a frown, my eyes never leaving the line of hunters conversing with our chief. One man in particular seemed to be wielding an excessively big javelin. The tip looked awfully sharp. "It could be dangerous."

"You think so?" She wrinkled her nose in disappointment. "Well, I guess it could be..."

We continued watching the scene in moderate silence, with Emily muttering a prayer in the old tongue every so often. I wondered why she felt the need to ask her Lord for forgiveness when nothing of consequence was happening. Maybe this stemmed from habit, and Emily apologized quite often.