The Shadow of Beauty

Ch 8- Landlord Agreement

Four months later...

Sig's wife Leida was heading back from a long day in the market on the outer walls of Rumstead. It was a long wagon ride to and from their home in North Woods. But Leida had had a successful day in the market, selling nearly all of her confectioneries and pocketing a purse full of money. Typically she and her wizard husband would go to the market together but Sig had to remain at home to spend the day gathering the plants he needed to sell.

Now bulging with pregnancy, it had become very difficult to stay on her feet for such a long time and she was definitely feeling exhausted. Sig was constantly scolding her for not slowing down and taking it easy. In fact he was trying to get her to stay home while he went to the market and sold his poultices and herbal remedies. But Leida was far too independent and stubborn to give up her trade. She was pregnant, not infirm.

She traveled the roads alone, not seeing a soul as she neared the border of the North Woods. No one lived there or traveled through for fear of the Gray Shadow which made the trek back very quiet and uneventful.

However, today was not that day. Leida hadn't made it a half mile into the woods when suddenly two cloaked figures emerged from the shrubbery and seized her horses' harnesses, stopping the startled animals. Two menacing knives flashed from their hands. They were bandits...a man with a scarred lip and rough face and a young woman with dark hair.

"Give us your money, woman!" the bandit with the scarred lip demanded, brandishing a large knife.

Leida was too frightened to protest. She had no weapon and Sig wasn't with her. With nervous shaking hands, she put the reins to the horses down beside her in the wagon seat and fumbled for her coin purse. Her pregnant belly made it difficult to untie and her hesitancy annoyed the two bandits. The female bandit jumped up in the wagon beside her and viciously punched her in the eye. Leida cried out in pain and suddenly felt her braid being yanked backward, forcing her to bend back over the wagon seat. With a deft slice of her knife the bandit cut Leida's coin purse from her waist and tossed it to her male partner. The pair then ran off swiftly.

Leida cried and shook with fear until she was able to awkwardly sit up. Her right eye was blurry and hot as it swelled. She choked back a sob and shakily took the reins to her horses, urging them home. So many emotions were boiling out into the tears on her face: fear, anxiety, and rage. All the money she'd earned at the market was gone. Though she was alive she couldn't shake the trauma of being attacked. Loudly, she urged her horses back home.

It was nearly dark when she arrived back at her home. Much to her shock Kendrick's huge form  was sitting near the house and her husband out talking to him. There was an assortment of unnaturally large fruits and vegetables piled next to him.

They both heard the wagon and the horses' approach and turned.

Sig happily jogged up to where his wife stopped the wagon, "Hello my love. How was your..."

Leida was off the wagon seat as fast as a pregnant woman could and practically fell into her husband's arms sobbing.

"Leida! What's wrong?" he stroked her head and held her close.

"They took everything, Sig! I couldn't stop them." She cried.

He pulled her away to look at her and his eyes got wide seeing her black eye, "What happened? Who did this to you?"

"Two bandits. They had knives and took all the money. Oh Sig! I was so scared!" she sobbed, falling into him again.

Sig looked at her carefully seeing her swollen eye, "Are you hurt anywhere else?"