Ol' Flint the Crow

A Gentlemanly Conversation

Over three hours had transpired since Flint and Samuel traveled ahead on their journey without Miss Bleak. The bird was becoming anxious. Their pace slowed down to barely a crawl as they hiked up a mountain path. Samuel was hoping the incline would help him to see the burning tavern down below but, unfortunately, tall oak trees blocked the view.

Every time their path veered, Flint plucked another feather and placed it on the ground for his friend to see. This would be dangerous if Tabitha's nobles noticed them, but the crow could not let Bleak wonder blindly.

Samuel scurried up the hill with a huff and a puff. The only thing keeping his mind away from his exhaustion was the notebook passage from Tabitha. He had a theory that the Princess was a part of the same royal family which the bird had overthrown in the song's seventh verse. This entry was one of the more unbelievable moments.

According to it, Flint had aided the citizens of Dermid who were under the tyrannical rule of their king and queen. The Dermid Kingdom was well known for these two cruel rulers who governed the land with an iron fist. It was considered by many as the strongest and cruelest of all empires.

Then in an instant, the entire royal family was miraculously dethroned and cast out of their own kingdom by the people they subjugated and mistreated. No one knew how the inhabitance of Dermid were able to bring down such a powerful monarchy but somehow they did. Flint's song just so happened to be the only text that gave a reason, even if it was hard to believe a bird could undertake such a feat.

Bellowing out a single curse, Flint kicked a pebble down the hill. "Damn me!" he said, "I shouldn't have left her behind!" The crow looked up at the minstrel and said in desperation, "Mr. Samuel, forgive me! I must go back for Miss Bleak! Just rest here for now and keep out of sight. I'll be back as soon as I can!"

Flapping his wings, Flint soared through the air, dodging wildlife as he searched for the missing bartender. Samuel sat on a stone with the supplies besides him. He was grateful for the break, since last night's rest had been too brief, yet he felt a little ill-at-eased by himself.

Taking out the magic journal from the satchel, the flute player flipped among the pages to gather what information he could. There was not much; just a lot of vague updates the dead noble wrote during his search for the bird. What Samuel did discern from the notebook was that he had been hunting the bird for a long time, maybe for years. This made sense since Dermid had long since vanished from world maps. Now that he thought about this, how old was the bird anyways?

Samuel was so engrossed in the book that he barely had enough time to thrust the journal back into its hiding spot before a horse road by. Upon it's elegantly made saddle, a rider sat upright on the majestic beast. He was dressed in tightly woven cotton and silk. Over his shoulders, he wore elk furs that went down to his arms which were covered with ruby encrusted bracelets. His face was clean-shaven and fair. The only blemish to speak of was an old scar running from his left cheek and ending at the bottom of his chin.

Not wanting to give away how nervous he actually was, Samuel waved at the stranger in friendship. The sweating horse neighed weakly as its master dismounted. Hitching his animal to a tree branch, the fine-looking gentleman patted the exhausted creature while examining the lone minstrel.

"Greetings friend!" Samuel yelped

Smiling in agreement, the man walked up to the skittish flute player. His steps were smooth and gentle in spite of the uneven terrain. Samuel figured that if a cup of water had been placed on the stranger's head it was unlikely to spill.

Positioning himself over a rock besides the minstrel, the man made a gesture asking Samuel's permission to sit down. The flute player, in turn, courteously beckoned him to rest. As he delicately eased into his seat, a finely forged sword hanging from his belt peaked from out of his long furs.