Read Online The Unwilling Adventurer (The Unwilling #1) by Heidi Willard - Free Book Online
Authors: Heidi Willard
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way. He's just a guard, someone to protect me."
"Protect you? Are you in some sort of danger?"
Pat laughed. "I will be if you keep finding trouble for us. If you get any better at it you're going to lead us right into-well, into something worse."
Fred frowned. "Is there something wrong with where you two are going?"
The girl stood up and tossed his raggedy shirt onto him. "No, but don't ask any more questions so I don't have to lie."
Pat walked off to help with dinner, leaving Fred very ill at ease. He wondered what sort of a mess he'd been dragged into, and how to get out of it. There was Ned's suggestion about going their separate ways at the next town. If his companions remained secretive then he'd take up that offer and leave them. The night passed without incident and day broke to find Fred in much better condition. He received another plaster cast of paste, but he had a problem with his lack of shirt. That was solved by a show of kindness from Pat.
"Here, you can have my cloak," she offered, and tossed the clothing to him.
He barely caught it because his eyes were on her; this was the first full view of her body he'd seen. The armor he'd seen over her chest and leggings also covered her forearms, and at her waist on the opposite side of her sword was a pair of leather gauntlets. He saw a hint of chain metal beneath her breast plate, and there was a hood in the back made of the same metal.
Pat glared at his intense gaze. "What? Have you never seen a girl dressed as this?" Fred didn't remove his eyes from her, but he shook his head. Pat grabbed the remains of his shirt and pulled them over herself. The front and her arms were covered, though the back had the holes from his dragging. The spell was broken; Fred was released from his staring.
"Let's be off, children," Ned called out to the two.
They returned to the road and set off to their next destination. Ned fell behind to Fred and looked the boy over. "If you expect to protect this damsel then you're going to need a weapon," Ned told him.
The old man's words jolted Fred from his ogling of her back. "Protect? Why am I protecting her?" He was slightly panicked by the suggestion; this pair ran into trouble at every turn and the villains were getting worse.
"Think of it as a trade for our feeding you until we reach the next town," Ned replied.
Fred gestured to Pat, who glanced back suspiciously at the quiet pair. "She has a sword, she can handle herself,. I'm just a serf. The worst I've had to deal with are some angry gophers," he protested.
Ned ignored the boy and dug into his cloak. He pulled out a stick about two feet long. The top six inches were broken off and hung only by a thread of the leather wrapped around the entire pole. Ned admired the stick with a strange, almost sad look in his eyes before he held it out in front of Fred. "I think this will work perfectly for you."
Fred looked at the old man like he'd gone senile. "A stick? You expect me to protect somebody with a stick?"
"A broken stick," Ned corrected him. He pushed the stick against Fred's chest and let go; the boy instinctively grabbed it before it dropped to the ground. "And mind you keep good care of that. It belonged to an old friend of mine and I wouldn't want anything to happen to it."
"Then why did you give it to me to fight with?" Fred asked him in panic.
"Because you're supposed to keep care of it when you do fight with it," Ned scolded the boy.
"Maybe you should keep it," Fred insisted. He held it out for Ned to take, but the old man pushed it back against Fred's chest. The boy pushed against him. "She doesn't need anyone else to protect her when you're around," he pointed out.
Ned frowned and leaned in toward him. "But what if I'm not around, hmm? What then? Could she handle herself alone? Could you handle watching her fight alone with nothing to help her-"
"-except a broken stick," Fred replied. He didn't want to do it, but he tucked the broken stick into his belt; he wasn't
"Protect you? Are you in some sort of danger?"
Pat laughed. "I will be if you keep finding trouble for us. If you get any better at it you're going to lead us right into-well, into something worse."
Fred frowned. "Is there something wrong with where you two are going?"
The girl stood up and tossed his raggedy shirt onto him. "No, but don't ask any more questions so I don't have to lie."
Pat walked off to help with dinner, leaving Fred very ill at ease. He wondered what sort of a mess he'd been dragged into, and how to get out of it. There was Ned's suggestion about going their separate ways at the next town. If his companions remained secretive then he'd take up that offer and leave them. The night passed without incident and day broke to find Fred in much better condition. He received another plaster cast of paste, but he had a problem with his lack of shirt. That was solved by a show of kindness from Pat.
"Here, you can have my cloak," she offered, and tossed the clothing to him.
He barely caught it because his eyes were on her; this was the first full view of her body he'd seen. The armor he'd seen over her chest and leggings also covered her forearms, and at her waist on the opposite side of her sword was a pair of leather gauntlets. He saw a hint of chain metal beneath her breast plate, and there was a hood in the back made of the same metal.
Pat glared at his intense gaze. "What? Have you never seen a girl dressed as this?" Fred didn't remove his eyes from her, but he shook his head. Pat grabbed the remains of his shirt and pulled them over herself. The front and her arms were covered, though the back had the holes from his dragging. The spell was broken; Fred was released from his staring.
"Let's be off, children," Ned called out to the two.
They returned to the road and set off to their next destination. Ned fell behind to Fred and looked the boy over. "If you expect to protect this damsel then you're going to need a weapon," Ned told him.
The old man's words jolted Fred from his ogling of her back. "Protect? Why am I protecting her?" He was slightly panicked by the suggestion; this pair ran into trouble at every turn and the villains were getting worse.
"Think of it as a trade for our feeding you until we reach the next town," Ned replied.
Fred gestured to Pat, who glanced back suspiciously at the quiet pair. "She has a sword, she can handle herself,. I'm just a serf. The worst I've had to deal with are some angry gophers," he protested.
Ned ignored the boy and dug into his cloak. He pulled out a stick about two feet long. The top six inches were broken off and hung only by a thread of the leather wrapped around the entire pole. Ned admired the stick with a strange, almost sad look in his eyes before he held it out in front of Fred. "I think this will work perfectly for you."
Fred looked at the old man like he'd gone senile. "A stick? You expect me to protect somebody with a stick?"
"A broken stick," Ned corrected him. He pushed the stick against Fred's chest and let go; the boy instinctively grabbed it before it dropped to the ground. "And mind you keep good care of that. It belonged to an old friend of mine and I wouldn't want anything to happen to it."
"Then why did you give it to me to fight with?" Fred asked him in panic.
"Because you're supposed to keep care of it when you do fight with it," Ned scolded the boy.
"Maybe you should keep it," Fred insisted. He held it out for Ned to take, but the old man pushed it back against Fred's chest. The boy pushed against him. "She doesn't need anyone else to protect her when you're around," he pointed out.
Ned frowned and leaned in toward him. "But what if I'm not around, hmm? What then? Could she handle herself alone? Could you handle watching her fight alone with nothing to help her-"
"-except a broken stick," Fred replied. He didn't want to do it, but he tucked the broken stick into his belt; he wasn't
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