Necessities

Simon nodded as Katya spoke about having to clear up the area, for he had pressed for such an action years ago. He had been a young knight then, not much older than his squire now. He had been filled with righteousness and the need to protect the innocent. He had bugged his commander constantly until the man finally grew weary of the boy's complaints. He dispatched Simon with a company of fifteen men-at-arms to root out the local bandit group and bring them to justice.

Many of the men died and Simon ended up retreating on a gurney between two plowhorses. It had been an act of barbarism by his commander, who knew the task force was too small but risked fifteen men's lives to prove a point to an arrogant youth. Shaking his head slowly as he looked out to the trees, he spoke in a soft voice, "It would take an army to clear these woods. And at that point, why stop at the border? Why not push to the heart of the treachery and seize the throne of Dalen?"

Wiping his hand down his face, he looked back to her as she spoke of their sleeping arrangements. Grimacing slightly, he croased his arms before speaking, "I disagree with you there. If we stop for six hours and sleep, we will arrive at Ragodast refreshed and alert. It will be the middle of the day, and no great distance can be travelled now. It will be too hot for an animal to move at full speed through unknown lands. If we go to Ragodast immediately, both of us verging on exhaustion, we could stumble into a trap."