“Time to go.” Beleg’s voice cut through the fog of Kre’s sleep and his eyes snapped open, wondering what was wrong for them to be clearing out so soon after he had just fallen asleep.
The slight bit of light coming in through the trees told him a different story and he wondered what time it was and how long he had slept for. For his part, Beleg seemed none the worse for wear for having stood watch for what appeared to be several hours on end. Kre packed up his blankets quickly, seeing that Dain was already in the saddle and leafing idly through one of his books. Beleg was just finishing his breakfast which seemed to consist only of bread and some dried jerky.
Once his bags were loaded onto Maple, Beleg handed him some of the same food and gave an apologetic shrug.
Dain looked up from his book and nodded satisfactorily. “Good, we’re ready then.”
Kre prepared to hoist himself onto Maple’s saddle when he realized that Beleg had secured one of their bags in the seat. Dain waved at Kre and shook his head, “Sorry, but you’ll need to walk. We’ll be moving at a normal walking pace though, since we can’t seem like we’re in a hurry or anything, but we also can’t have anyone see you riding since that’s not something a person in your position would normally do.”
Now Beleg’s non-verbal apology made much more sense. Kre nodded, accepting the reasoning even if he didn’t like the idea of spending all day walking. Though he had done so when with Kitalia, he found that he really enjoyed being on horseback. It wasn’t just because it was a less strenuous way to travel, but because it reminded him of learning to ride with his dad.
They walked for a couple of hours and then stopped to rest. Though they hadn’t seen anyone else so far, Dain insisted that they continue playing their parts. Part of Kre wondered if he enjoyed acting as the boss.
Kre walked alongside Beleg’s horse for the most part, and the large man continued to tell stories of various events from his past. Fights he had been in and won, ladies that he had wooed and won over, and all manner of gambling games that he had partaken of and won.
“Do you ever lose?” Kre asked.
Beleg laughed. “Ah, yes,” he rumbled. “I had three older brothers and a dangerous man of a father, all larger and faster than I. Our home was a constant battlefield between the lot of us. For many years, I had never tasted the sweetness of victory until the very day I left.”
Kre caught a hint of something being unsaid in Beleg’s statement, but he didn’t bother to press. He figured that if Beleg wanted to share, he would.
“What about once you set off on your own? After you left home?”
Beleg nodded, whether acknowledging Kre’s question or thanking him for not prying too far. “Losing is a part of life. You cannot learn how to win without first losing. Oftentimes it takes many failures to learn the hard lessons that carry you forward. The real trick is to ensure that when you do fail, you find the opportunity in it.”