Saviour

Chapter 2
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          A strong wind was blowing, whipping up the snow from the mountain trail. The clouds were gathering over head. Holly looked up at the grey sky. A blizzard was forming quickly. She urged her horse ahead. They waded through the snow for another half an hour before she had to find shelter. Soon, she found a small cave in the mountain side. She lead her horse into it and started to rub the mare dry, trying to keep the horse and herself warm. When they were both dry, she opened one of her saddle bags and pulled out a canteen of water and two apples. She gave one to her horse Bracken and ate one herself. After they'd been fed and watered, they set off once more.          
         It wasn't long before the blizzard started. The snow fell in sheets. She looked up at the snowflakes, dancing and twirling in the wind. It almost sounded like the mountain was crying, moaning, straining against the wind. She stopped and listened. She heard the moaning again but it wasn't the mountain. There was another shout. She tried to work out where it was coming. It was getting fainter. She moved up the mountain side, along the track. Another shout went up ahead of her. She walked forward carefully. She knew the mountain well, and knew it was treacherous when you couldn't see the track. There were often small rock falls and sometimes land slides. In a blizzard one wrong foot could be fatal. She got off the frightened mare and went forward on foot. She looked around but couldn't see anything more than a few feet away because of the blizzard. She shouted out. There was silence for a moment and then she heard a voice a few feet to the left of her. She walked toward the sound slowly. Then, out of the white of the snow she saw two figures lying huddled against the mountain. One was injured and the other was very old. She made sure her face was hidden, waded toward them and bent down.
         "Are you alright?" she said warily, then she realised this was a stupid question.
         "Are you a dream?" asked the old man.
         "No, I've come to help you. Wait here, I'll go and get a blanket." she replied. She went to Bracken and took off her saddle bags. When she returned she divided a piece of bread into four parts, put two back in the saddle bag and gave the other two to the men then took out a blanket and covered them.
         "When you've eaten that I can get you back to safety. My horse can carry two easily enough and I can lead her, my clothes are waterproof."
         "But my son. He's injured." he said as he ate the bread.
         "Then we shall wait until the storm passes."
         "Are you one of the kings guards?" Holly looked at him bewildered. Then she realised, with the armour and the scarf around he head to keep warm, she looked exactly like one of the guards. She decided to make up a story.
         "I am a knight from overseas. I travelled here because of my daughters illness."
         "What is your name?"
         "Lord Devereux." she said, astounded by how quickly she'd made up a story and how easily this man believed it.
         "Lord Devereux" he repeated. "Well, as..." Holly put her hand up.
         "The storm is subsiding."
         "My son is not strong enough to ride on his own and I am not strong enough to hold him on. Leave me." She looked at him and nodded.
         "I'll come back for you. Help me get him on." With the help of his father, Holly managed to get the young man onto the horse. She mounted Bracken behind him and
took hold of the reins.
         "Keep warm. I'll be back to get you." With that, she turned the horse and trotted away.
         As they moved down the mountain, the snow started to melt and they quickened their pace. As she neared the bottom of the mountain the road flattened out and she was able to gallop the rest of the way down the mountain. Down on the plains below there was no snow but a frost covered the ground and the trees were bare. Her house was at the other side of the plain, over the river.
         As she rode across the plain, her companion started to wake. He groaned and slipped of the saddle. She pulled him back on, reassured him and he lost consciousness again.
         She approached the river and slowed to a walk. The house was on the other side. The water was very misleading. Although it looked deep it was only about a foot and a half in depth. The horse slid down the bank and into the water. They waded forward and reached the other side without drowning. On this side of the river there was a beach and Bracken walked onto it and shook, dislodging Holly and the man. They both slid off and the man woke up. Holly stood up and bent over him.
         "Do you think you can stand?" He nodded. She reached out a hand to help him up, but he fell down almost instantly. He swore. Holly went to get Bracken who was further up the bank chewing on a bush.
         When she returned, he was still trying to stand up.
         "Stop it! You'll tire yourself" He stopped.
         "Who are you?"
         "I haven't got time to chat, I've got to go and get your father."
         "My father? But he's at the...Oh no, the blizzard."
         "Yes, now shut up and help me get you onto this horse" Once they were both on the horse, they cantered up to the door of the house. She dismounted and helped the man down. She called up to the house and a girl came running down the steps.
         "Help him into the house, put him in one of the spare rooms and wash and bandage his injuries. I'll be back after dark." she said to the girl. She lead Bracken to the stable and selected another horse. Bracken whinnied angrily.
         "I know you want to go, but your already tired and it's a long way." She lead the black stallion out and saddled him. She looked up at the mountain. There were no clouds there anymore. She mounted the horse and galloped off. As she rode across the plain ,night was falling. By the time she got to the mountain, it was dark. She slowed to a trot. The old man was about half way up. She looked up to the sky. She could recognise the stars: the lantern, the flute and the western star were all bright. As she climbed she could feel the temperature dropping and the wind getting stronger.
         Finally she reached the man. She got off the stallion and found the man asleep where she left him. She shook him awake.
         "Where am I?"
         "On the mountain. Do you remember? I found you a couple of hours ago."
         "Is my son alright?"
         "Yes, he's fine. Come with me, I'll take you to him."
         She helped the old man onto the horse and mounted next to him.
         "Where are we going?" She didn't answer. They trotted down the mountain and once they were on the plain they went into a gallop.
         "Is it far?" Again, she didn't answer. The approached the river in silence. She told the man to hold on. The horse jumped into the river easily and started to cross.
         "Are you crazy?! We'll drown!" the man exclaimed. Holly didn't say anything. Although the river wasn't running fast and she could tell they were safe, the old man tensed. The horse walked up the beach and over to the house.
         "Eve!" Holly called. The same girl that had come before came down the steps.
         "We have a guest. Prepare the room next to his son's and make sure there's enough food for four." Holly got off the horse and helped the old man off the horse.
         "I'll make sure he's comfortable." Eve said.
         "I'll be in in a minute." Holly said to the man. "Eve will look after you." Holly led the stallion over to the stables and started rubbing him down. Eve came running up to her.
         "Who are they?!"
         "They were on the mountain. They got caught in the blizzard. He was injured. I couldn't leave them!"
         "Oh no, of course not! I'm your sister and listen to me for once in your life. If you keep rescuing people from any old place, this house is going to be overrun!"
         "What do you mean?! There's only us here! And are you suggesting that I only rescue people from certain places?"
         "I'm suggesting that you don't rescue people at all!"
         "Well, if your going to be like that!"
         "Anyway, that's not why I'm here. What story have you told them this time? The old man's going on about someone called Lord Devereux!"
         "Oh yeah, um, I'm Lord Devereux and your my daughter."
         "Uh huh, and how are you going to be a man?"
         "I'm not. He has to go away on business and I'm the maid."
         "How did you get them to think you were a man?"
         "The armour."
         "Right well, I'm going to do the dinner. Are you coming to help?"
         "I can't. I've got to rub the horses down and then make some ointment for that man's injuries."
         "I'm lady of the house now. I shouldn't be making dinner."
         "Only for a while!" Holly watched Eve walking back to the house.
         Once the horses had been rubbed down she returned to the house and went up to her room to change. She hid the armour and scarf and put on a deep blue dress and an apron. Then she went up to the young man's room. She knocked twice and the man opened the door.
         "Yes?"
         "You should be in bed!"
         "Who are you?"
         "The maid. His Lordship charged me with your care."
         "But I thought that other woman was."
         "Her Ladyship? No, she is ill herself although she is recovering."
         "Oh"
         "Now get into bed!" He obeyed. Holly opened the cupboard and got out some herbs and a bowl. She mashed the herbs to make a paste and got a cloth from out of one of the draws. Then she went over to the sink and got a bowl of water. By the bed there was a box with bandages in it. She told the man to lie down and opened his shirt. She took off the bandages that Eve had put on and cleaned the wound. It was deep and obviously painful although the man was trying not to show it. Then, she got the paste and spread it on the cut.
         "That's cold!" he gasped. Holly looked at him, amused. Once that had been done, she bandaged it up again.
         "What's your name?" he asked.
         "Holly. What's yours?" she replied.
         "Jacob. But I prefer Jake."
         "Jake. I have to go and see your father now. I will tell him you're awake."
         "Will you ask him to come and see me?"
         "Of course. I will bring you up dinner."
         "Can I not come down?"
         "I think it's best you stay in bed."
         "Very well."
         She left Jake and went to the next room. She knocked and waited but there was no answer. She went down to the dining room but there was no one there. She looked in the parlour and the study. Eventually she found the old man in the library. She coughed to let him know she was there.
         "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realise you were there."
         "Your son asked to see you. Shall I take you to him?"
         "Er, yes. Where is Lord Devereux?"
         "He's had to go away on business. That's where he was going when he found you."
         "Oh, he won't be joining us for dinner?"
         "No, sir. Your son?"
         "Oh yes, er, lead the way." Holly led him up the stairs and to the young man's room. She knocked and entered, not waiting for an answer. He was standing by the window. She glared at him.
         "Bed!" He ignored her.
         "Father! Finally, you're here. I need to talk to you."
         "You heard her. Bed!" Jake got into bed crossed his arms and stared at his feet, refusing to look up.
         "Now don't sulk! What did you want to talk to me about?!" Jake forgot he was in a mood and started to talk very fast about a counsellor, a general and someone who sounded very official. Holly decided to leave them to it and go and help Eve with the dinner.