Watchful Hannah

Silent as a shadow, Hannah glided down numerous passageways as she followed the knights. Thankfully, compared to the usual absence of sound in her craggy home, even their hushed conversations and lightest footfalls carried loud and clear to her ears. This made it all too simple to track them all the way to the entrance.

There, they walked out into the bright, vast outside world. Hannah stopped short, nervously eyeing the line between her comfortable darkness and the searing sunlight that made her tear up in reflex. In the last ten years, she had only been outside a few times when curiosity had compelled her. Each time seemed worse than the last. The sun burned her pale skin, and the dusty winds made her sneeze. On top of that, the heat felt overwhelming for one accustomed to the coolness of the deep caves. Only at night did things become more hospitable out there, allowing her to explore a bit farther beyond her home.

Watching those men strolling around in that unforgiving light made her shiver. How could they stand it? Then, she noticed the scattered structures set up in a rough circle. It resembled hides stretched over posts and tied with rope to form some kind of shelter. What a silly notion! Why set up these flimsy shelters when a nice comfy cave sat close by? Then again, it looked as if they could pack these structures up and move them elsewhere. A moveable cave actually sounded rather useful.

Meanwhile, as Hannah inspected the camp from afar, the knights gathered together to share their findings.

“A girl? Lost in the cave?” Exclaimed one. “That would be problematic.”

“Indeed,” another agreed. “What if she has family here? We may very well put many innocents in danger. A message must be sent to the queen at once.”

“Wilfram,” the older knight said. “Since you actually saw this lass, you may write to her majesty about your findings. Leave nothing out.”

“Yes, sir,” Wilfram saluted before ducking into a nearby structure.

The older knight sighed and scanned the skies. “Hm, getting late now. Our hands are tied until we receive further orders. For now, get some rest and continue making camp.”

Hours passed as the knights settled in. At one point, Hannah saw a small bird fly out from the structure where Wilfram had disappeared. Soon after, the young man himself emerged.

To anyone else, these events might have been rather mundane, even boring. For Hannah, however, these new sights struck her as fascinating. These men appeared so different from Belboz and yet so similar as well. They interacted in such strange ways, too, using odd words and gestures.

And the horses! That was by far her favorite! The great beasts were almost nothing like those flat pictures in her books.

If she had her way, Hannah would gladly have stayed put. Sadly, she knew Uncle Belboz would be wondering where she had run off to, and she hated to make him worry. On the other hand, surely such an unusual occasion justified her absence. This could be an opportunity of a lifetime!

1. Hannah reluctantly goes back to her cave
2. Hannah goes back, but Belboz is still gone
3. Hannah goes back and tells her uncle what she witnessed
4. Hannah goes back but stays silent about her experience, planning to check again at night
5. Hannah stays put until the sun goes down
6. Hannah is spotted!
7. Hannah is captured!
8. Hannah decides to reveal herself

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