For Patience.

[channe]

A black-haired girl in particularly somber dark clothing -- wearing a rapier, shined and draped as if for show -- drops off a note at the Chapter House. "For Patience Mayfield," says the girl, "and, no, I can't wait for 'er. I have to go."

And she's off before the person at the gate can say another word.


Deer Payshens,

I no we dont talk a lot. really i dont think we hav ever. But now we shoud.

Me and Callomel and the marshal cud hav kilt the ashfeend at my farm. We were close and even if we dyed we wud have. but then yu come in yelling shit.

And now see hes probabley out heeling up so when we fite him again he will be betur and hav betur defensus. and more pepul will dye now becaus of it. its a hard lesun to lern and may be they dont tell you at the nights place. but some tymes you hav to take a hit to win. you hav to fall to ryse. sin to be saved.

i needed to tell you in riting so I didunt whip you shitfaced next tym I see you, see my Mama all ways had rispekt for yur familee. and we were vary sad when we herd that they got kilt. and may be i can feel better if yu just tell me why.

becaus if yu are a traytor we will kill you ded so fast.

From,
agnie Kasmaruk.

[Kait]

The letter was only the latest in a series of unexpected missives, and had of course been shown to her master before it reached her hands. From the looks she got walking back to the barracks with her latest letter, it was not hard to guess just how much of a joke Squire Patience's coorespondence had become to the folk of the keep. There it was read in as much privacy as this place would ever afford the young woman, which was to say not very much at all.

The girl's spelling was simply awful, but readable. She seemed to deal the same way Patience herself did with unknown words, spelling them out as they sounded. Unfortunately, she also seemed to know quite a few less words than the squire. The letter was taken along on the quest for ink and a spare scrap of parchment, finer stuff than she ought to have, left over from the mapmaker's tenure with the knights.

Words were picked carefully, more time spent on seeking out the ones she could spell and this Agnie might read than she really had to spare. It would not do to frustrate the girl with useless extra letters though, and Patience knew well the irritation that could come with only understanding every third or fourth word of a missive. Once done, the reply was sent out with a small boy who had been delivering news from Sir Silent's encampment, along with a bribe of honey biscuits for his own pockets to see it arrived quickly to those other barracks unread.


Agnie Kasmaruk,

I would die to end the fiend. The high constble and others there could die for that but your family, they are diferent sorts of fighters not for the fiend. I think he meant to kill them to make a point and maybe test you who came to fight. I would see him dead where the cost is not so dear. Where we can fight with all hands and where no more families will be lost.

Other reasons I have, but not for a letter. I do much training now and even more than I had with the majic lady. I do not trust the majics but am told it will do well for fighting Him. Maybe I can find need to go to our knights near your brothers some time soon and we might talk and plan.

He will end. I would not rob you of being there. I would much hate some one who did that to me. For our kin Agnie. For them he will die.

Patience Mayfield