Friday 2 December 2011

A chance encounter

Ilse awoke with a start, already the town as astir and she needed to leave as soon as possible with her news. Looking out over the main square with all the servants hurrying on their way she came up with a plan. She dressed again like a boy and tied her regrowing hair back in a queue, then tidied away any signs of her presence in the house. She wasn’t prepared to tramp across country this time so she made her way to one of the major inns on the main square.

Slumped outside the inn was a drummer boy, Sparrow trying to concentrate on looking the part of a groom almost walked straight past.

“Albert?”

“Juli, what..” he blurted out until Ilse placed a finger on his lips

“What has happened to you?”

Albert explained all that had happened since he had last seen her on the square, how he was suspected of killing the sergeant, beaten and then eventually assigned to be a drummer boy once they concluded she was the one they wanted. “Did you kill him?”

“Shhhh, I can help you escape”

Albert raised his arm; he was manacled to the drum and to a hitching post “I’ve tried before”

“OK, not now, but believe me, I will return and free you”

No comments: