Goodbye to the Knight✔️

7. Talk at the market

It's a good sunset. Red, pink, orange, purple, and many other colours are painted all across the sky. Isabel and Sage haven't returned yet, but apparently that's normal. A day at the market, is a day at the market, as Uncle Fred likes to say. Many people to catch up with, produce to buy, a community gathering, and lots of news and excitement to be shared.

I've been sitting at the edge of the field for a good while now, twiddling a stick around in the dirt. After helping with jobs during the good part of the day, my time was spent getting to know Griffin. Griffin being my new horse. Over the last few hours I've learnt that he has quite a personality; at only four years old he loves playing with the other horses, although some of the older ones aren't so keen to engage with him.

A nuthatch sings away in the branches of a nearby tree.

The breeze ruffles my hair.

I smile sadly. If only I'd visited Uncle Fred sooner and under better circumstances.

Suddenly the horses in the field all become alert, ears pricked up and faces pointing to the track. Quickly I scan my gaze down it and spot the familiar cart drawing closer. I breathe out in relief. It's only Sage and Isabel.

I stand up slowly, my body stiff, and start meandering my way over to greet them by the house. As I draw closer I notice things aren't quite right. They're moving at a quicker pace than they should, urgency written on their faces.

I dash down the track to meet them, careful though to not scare the horse pulling the cart.

"What's happened?" I call out.

"Ella! Get inside!" Isabel cries, waving her arms towards the house.

I hesitate for a few seconds.

"We'll explain later! Just get inside!" she urges.

They don't seem to be hurt or in any immediate danger so I do what she says.

"Why the rush?" Uncle Fred asks as I hurry inside.

"Isabel and Sage just returned and told me to get inside now," I explain. "I don't know why."

A ripple of worry goes across his face and he stops stirring the pot over the fire.

"What is it?" I ask, seeing his expression.

In the back of my mind, nervous thoughts are flashing through at an alarming pace; Lord Golding's knights could be here looking for me; the plague may have reached this village; war may have broken out. It could be anything.

"Whenever there's a plague fright, the whole village goes into lockdown," Uncle Fred explains. "About a year ago one of our neighbours rode round and told us to get inside and lock up because a sick traveller was wandering around trying to get in and stay somewhere, everyone had to lock their doors for the sake of the village."

My heart does a little skip. "Did they have the plague?"

"No, thank the Lord. They had a fever, but luckily it broke and now old Bennet lives out his days down in the village." He takes the pot of the fire and puts it onto the table, but continues stirring the soup. "We must wait here for Sage and Isabel and hear what news they have."

The next minutes go by slowly, very slowly. There's only so much you can do to prepare for a meal, in this case we lay out bowls and spoons and organise the chairs.

When the door finally opens, we jump up from our chairs quicker than a cat who's had its tale stood on.

"Is it the plague?"

"What have you heard?"

We both fire questions at Sage and Isobel before either of them have taken a step inside.