It was a hot summers day in Mossflower. The sun was at it's zenith
and leaving dappled paths of light beneath the ancient trees. I lay
beneath an Oak tree that was wrinkled with age and strummed my Lyre,
Treesong. Such a beautiful scene demanded a tune. Laying peacefully
I stared absently at the sky.
"There you are, Skysong, I've been looking for you." Startled I looked up. Just behind me stood a sandy brown hare with a scar running across her right eye. Lilac. Damn, she always managed to appear like that.
"Hi Lilac, what's happening? Something wrong?" One look at her face told me the answer. "I'm trying to round up the rest of the Sentinels, we need to have a very important meeting." Still not sure what this was about I agreed to help her find the rest and then head back for camp.
I walked towards the main campfire with the last stragglers. There seemed to be a fair few of us missing still. There were the officers, huddled together, debating fiercly. Arrowtail and his lot pestering the others as usual while Bren seemed to be taking it lightly Strongpaw and Mattia were not. It must be fairly serious then. Lilac was at the other end of the circle trying to get some order into the conversation which didn't seem to be happening.
That was a long night. Apparently about a score of our number had been out on a scouting party the other night and had been captured by none other than Slasheye the Tyrant! He was back again, with a full force by the sound of it. Something had to be done before his scouts returned and he invaded Mossflower with his unwanted presence.
The next morning all the warriors and archers were down in the clearing, bristling with weapons. The scouts too, and the healers were packing their satchels with all kinds of herbs preparing to follow the party. The small group of us minstrels stood awkwardly together not knowing what to do. What use were we when it came to this, a dangerous time? Bren approached us, holding a large sword in one hand and funnily enough a lyre in the other. "Well what are you standing around here for?" she growled "If you are not to fight you need to be useful, help the healers once the battle starts, carry some extra arrows and stones to take with us." We began feeling better, having something to do kept our minds from wandering.
I had an armful of stones and several quivers slung across my back, as well as my lyre which I never let out of my sight. I was prepared to head off after the last of the Sentinels when Bren appeared beside my shoulder. Damn, she could do it to. She spoke abruptly. "Now I know we are strong, but we are outnumbered to Slasheye and should something go wrong.." she let it hang for a while before picking up again "If something..happens creatures need to know what we tried to achieve here today and how things were before then. That's what history is all about and that is a job for a minstrel. Record, watch and make sure you know just what's happening. I don't want any good beasts dying out there today with nothing known about how they died or why. That is the task of a minstrel, now go." she disappeared into the forest next to me. Now on edge knowing we were outnumbered I delivered the supplies and then made off to a hidden vantage point over the battle field. Nervous I took out a quill and some parchment laying Treesong beside me on the branch. Hopefully that lyre would never have to sing the tune of defeat.
They came over the rise, maddened and crazed with Slasheye swaggering triumphuntly in front. He waved at his horde and they parted to make way for a long line of slaves being marched out in front of them. My heart beat faster as I recognised several of them. "It's your choice, woodlanders, join my ranks or you will join the slave line" He smirked "And if you don't like either of those choices I have plenty of beasts willing to help you along to the darkgates. What is you choice?" Nobody moved, not one. The Sentinels stood there, determined, as one. There were no cowards here.
Slasheye made way for the horde behing him "SO BE IT! THAT WAS YOUR ONE AND ONLY CHANCE, WOODLANDERS! CHARGE!" he screamed to his horde and let them charge. Behind the ranks of slaves hid the archers, firing away. Our own could not return fire for fear of hitting the slaves. The Tyrant had thought this through. Horrified I watched the battle progress, scribbling things down on the parchment before me. We had managed to get a group behind the archers and attacked them, successfully rescuing the slaves from the battle field.
The battle raged long and hard and many fell. When something happened that tipped the balance in our favour. The previous slaves had rushed back to the healers and had gathered weapons to fight with and ambushed the horde at its back. The extra numbers of fresh beasts on our side did the trick. Many fleed and others were rounded up and captured. The last thing I saw was Lilac standing alone in the middle of the clearing field, Slasheye laying dead at her feet.
It was long and tiring and many beasts took days to heal but three weeks after the battle we held a feast for our victory. The captured vermin long sent away. My notes had not been for nothing. In a brief silence of festivity I stood up and brang my lyre out. I sang of the battle, those who had fallen and of how the day was won. Silence followed and I thought I had done the wrong thing but then everyone started clapping and cheering. This was a song to be remembered! I sang it many times that night and when most beasts went to bed or collapsed from exhaustion, food or both, Bren came up to me and said. "Now you know your true worth and the worth of the minstrel. You do not always need to fight to be remembered."
I had truly discovered that and realized that being a minstrel was nothing to be uncomfortable or ashamed about next to the warriors and fighting beasts who won us our freedom. They made the victory but mine is the story that will comemmerate that victory.
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