--set in winter--
His breath clouded around his head in the stillness of the frosty morning that had settled over the Greenway. The silence did not deter a sense of vigilance as Will made his way south upon the long-trodden path, with the fog-misted foothills rising up from the rolling plains of farms and meadows. He knew the dangers that had been reported along the roads, Man and foe alike. He had kept his blade at hand for that very purpose.
He paused for a bite of the biscuit and a sip of the hot drink Mrs. Evergreen had prepared for him for his journey. At least he hadn’t burned all of his bridges in the town. Hopefully their memories would be short and he could look for work in the spring. But for now, he set his sights on Bree, something he was not too keen to do for a variety of reasons, but he was running out of options and it was better than starving.
It was past mid-day by the time he reached the road to Hengstacer, but the horse farmer was not overly pleased to see him trudging up the hill. Will put on his usual charismatic smile.
“Sawyer,” the farmer grumbled, giving the young man a once over with a suspicious eye, “You got balls showin’ yer mug up here. What the ‘ell do you want? Come to pay back your debt at last, have ya?”
“H’lo Mister Hengstacer. Y’know I’m workin’ on gettin’ that for yeh, I am. You got my word on it-“
“Bah!” the farmer barked, “Your word’s as good as a dung. Begone with yer promises. Either you pay it or turn ’round and snivel back to where you come from. I got no work for cads and swindlers.”
The smile Will had put on dissolved into a sheepish cringe. He sighed and pressed his lips together, accepting the farmer’s words with a nod.
“As you say, sir. I only come to give you this here parcel and I’ll be on my way.”
He dug into his satchel and pulled out a small wrapped package, neatly secured with twine. The farmer furrowed his brow as he approached and snatched it from the man’s hands.
“Now clear off. If the missus sees your hide out here, she’s liable to throw somethin’ at yeh.”
Will could not stop the slight quirk of his lip in remembering why Mrs. Hengstacer hated him, and briefly wondered how their oldest daughter fared. Fortunately he decided not to ask. Mr. Hengstacer noticed and gave Will a glare, snapping the young man out of his thoughts.
“Yes, sir. You take care now. Good Yule to you and err…everyone.”
Will shifted his satchel across his back and turned to head the opposite way. He’d been hoping for a ride to Bree, but would need to clean up his reputation just a bit before he could ask for favors. He could pay the man back and apologize for his behavior.
But he’d rather not.
