Chapter 9 Chapter nine

That night, Jura tossed and turned all night and couldn't fall asleep, and her mind was very restless. From time to time, she pricked up her ears to listen for the sound of the door opening, looking forward to Ron's return.But he was never seen.An hour before dawn, she got out of bed and walked out the door cautiously on tiptoe.She thought that the Englishman would not sleep with her, and would give strange reasons, that if he disgraced her and touched other women, she would kill him. People were lying around randomly, she checked carefully, but there was no Ron.She wakes Sirian and asks her to help her find it.

It is a sunny morning.The sun was already high in the clear sky, the village was filled with soft smoke, and the people woke up from their deep sleep, but they still couldn't find Ron.Sirian shook her head, and Jura frowned.Then she found Ron's little Montgomery.The dark boy was braiding his steed. "Where is he?" Jura asked. Montgomery showed a surprised expression: "Didn't the king sleep with you?" Jura became suspicious; "When was the last time you saw him?" "Before I got up." He yawned, "He seems to be going on a long and difficult journey...I think..." The boy stopped talking suddenly, feeling a little embarrassed.

"He rode on his sorrel horse? Where was he going?" "Maybe..." Montgomery hesitated, staring at Jura intently. Montgomery's demeanor gave away the secret. "The fool must have gone to Watters alone, I knew he would," Jura muttered to himself. Montgomery glared at her and protested, "My master is no fool!" Jura said: "He hasn't proven otherwise to me. You have to keep his actions secret, and if people hear that he rode alone into enemy territory, they will ride after him. We must say that he... He's gone hunting. Yes, I must go with him, he can't be alone."

"I can't lie," said Montgomery stubbornly. Jura let out a sigh. "It's not a riding honor to tell a lie! But it's about preventing a war. Damn it, I'm going to find him right away. If I don't get him back in four days, there's no need here Send anyone after us. Can you do it, boy? Do you look like a man?" "Do all men lie?" asked Montgomery. "A man should take his responsibility bravely. You don't tell his big-nosed knights, even if it requires a fight. I don't know if you can." "I can do that, if need be."

"Okay," said Jura, "keep it as calm as possible here. Get my saddle on, get me a sack of groceries, wait, tell everybody that Ron and I went hunting. You stay Protect the people, and stay as long as I tell you." She looked into Montgomery's eyes to see if her order was carried out.Although she thought she was much older than him, in reality she was only two years older than him.She stroked his fingers with her fingers. "You really seldom lie to me. But this time is different, you can only say that your master left with me, and you don't know where we will go!"

Looking at Jura, Montgomery felt that she was much calmer and more stable than himself.To her surprise, he took her hand and kissed it lightly. "My master is lucky!" Jura was a little flustered, and immediately withdrew her hand. "You act like us Arials," she said. "I don't want a half-breed baby. Quick, put the saddle on my back, and I'm going." Montgomery smiled at Jura as she left the stable. "Insolent English lad," she said. The first thing Jura does is to argue with Celian.Because Sirian must go with Jura.But Jura repeated that Ciliane's absence could not be explained to people.

"I must go alone. You draw me a map, the sooner the better, I want to leave immediately." Cillian argues with Jura while drawing a map. "How did you find him? Follow him? He's been hours ahead of you." "An Englishman with fair hair, do you think he'll wear armor? It's just luck. Say, Cirian, pray for me. If he's killed, it means war. Ariel People were still praising him for his sweet words yesterday, but soon there will only be memories." "The map is done," said Sirian, and hugged Jura tightly. "I'm sorry I can't go with you. Go, find our lost king, and bring him back safely. What are you wearing? No makeup?"

Jura grinned. "Should have dressed as an Ertansian woman, so people would avoid me. My aunt has Ertansian clothes in store, and I'm going to change into them." Celian kissed her friend on the cheek, "May you be with God and come back safely soon." Jura rode carefully into Vatels territory. She was dressed in shabby old Ertans women's clothing, and a foul stench came back that made her horses wag their heads and tails to avoid it.Jura didn't blame it, as she herself was a bit overwhelmed.It was a faded, once splendid dress she had found in her aunt's room.According to the custom of Ertans, after the clothes are finished, they should be soaked in the manure of the pigsty, and then shaken and washed in the water, so as to retain the unique smell and color of the Ertans people.Jula smelled the throat-choking smell, and she understood that it was no wonder that the Ertans tribe allowed women to wander around freely and alone.The stench acts as a protection.No one covets anything that belongs to the Ertans.Although they are often hanged by other tribes, it is mostly for other important things.

Beneath this filthy attire, she wore a green women's guard hunting jacket underneath, concealing her weapons. She rode westward along a narrow path that was difficult for horses and delivery vehicles to pass.On the way, she ate wild fruits in the forest to satisfy her hunger. She didn't stop to eat and drink until she came to a leaky hut.After a day of trekking, she began to understand why Bretta attacked the wealthy area south of Ariel, because Watters was so poor. At night, she arrived at a simple inn.It was no more than a hedge shack with dim candlelight, wild laughter, and the clang of steel.She tied the horse in the dark of the nearby village and walked to the small door of the inn.She thought that if Ron came to such a place alone, a fight would definitely happen, and she hoped to find out in time and rescue him.

She came in, unnoticed, because the people in the inn were watching the two Watters guards play machetes with each other.Jura removed her dirty turban, revealed her face, and sat down on an empty seat at a table.The person next to her obviously smelled the stench on her body and left immediately.A thin woman asks Jura what she would like to eat, and Jura says she would like to exchange a brass rosary with the shopkeeper. In the shadow of her turban, she surveyed the inn, but found no sign of the Englishman.Along the wall stood a few Vatelsian beggars, almost as filthy as the ground. Jula was drinking beer, and saw that the knife game was over. It turned out that they were gambling, and they exchanged goods, clothes and livestock according to the outcome.

"What smell is so pungent?" asked a drunken voice. Jura put down her wine glass and stood up. She was going to leave here as soon as possible, but at this moment someone put a palm on the ground's shoulder. "A child of Ertans," cried the man, "let me teach you a lesson." Another man came and grabbed Jura's turban, and he was about to move when the turban fell, revealing her beautiful face. "Ah, it's a girl!" someone said in surprise. "A beauty!" Someone exclaimed. "Let me teach him another class," a man said, smiling as he stood up to him. Immediately afterwards, nearly twenty men flocked to her.Jura held her concealed knife, ready. "Wait," came a deep voice from the crowd.Although he spoke Lanconian, Jura had never heard it before.She saw clearly that it was a tall, stooped old man with long greasy hair, an eye patch over his left eye, and shabby clothes.He pushed aside the crowd and walked over to Jura. "Don't hurt my daughter," he said, pulling Jura up. "Come with me, or they'll kill you," he whispered into her ear.Jura's voice turned out to be Ron's voice. She was very surprised!For a while, she couldn't find the appropriate words to express her inner excitement.The men in the inn were full and happy, so they allowed Jura to follow the old man out of the inn. When they came out of the inn, Jura hissed and said. "I didn't expect it to be you! Come on, I'll lead you to a safe place." "A safe place?" Ron looked at her. "How do you know where it's safe! Oh, God's nose can smell you too. I saved your virginity and your life." "I can protect myself." Ron asked: "Do you have a horse? We need to get out of this place quickly. Is your horse in the field? It will be stolen." "I hid the horse." "Okay! Let's go separately. You ride eastward and stop in an hour. We will meet there." "You can no longer go deep into the territory of Vatels, you must go back to Ariel! If you..." "Let's go!" He interrupted her and said suddenly, "Attention, someone is coming!" Jura hastily hid in the dark.After the people passed, Ron left first, and she found his horse and embarked on the journey.She worried for Ron because he didn't want to go back to Ariel.But he was very surprised at Ron's skillful blending into the Walters. After about an hour, she reached the bend in the river, and she knew that this was where Ron was going to meet her. She looked around in the moonlight, and seeing that he had not yet appeared, she hurriedly fed the horse, tied it in the bushes, took off the foul-smelling Ertans clothes, climbed a tree and waited.She hadn't been in the tree long before he came and stood there looking around after dismounting, looking up into the tree, though she knew he couldn't see her. "Come down," he said. Jura grabbed a branch, swung it, and floated down in front of him. He removed the blindfold covering his left eye and said, "It's good that you arrived on time.". "What are you going to do? I want to lead you to a safe place." "No! You have to go back to Ariel tomorrow morning. I will go to Bretta and negotiate with her." "How do you find her?" Jura asked with concern. "I have my own way. If you hadn't interfered tonight, I might have found her. One of the guards was drunk, and I was going to force them to tell her where she lived. But in order to rescue you, I had to leave that inn. " With her back against the trunk, Jura began to take off her boots. "You didn't say hello before you left. If the Ariel guessed that you entered the territory of Vatels alone, they came to look for you. If they were alarmed, it would be troublesome, and it would definitely cause a dispute." He didn't answer her, but asked, "What are you doing?" Although she took off Ertans' clothes, she could still smell a bad smell. "I want to take a shower." She took off her pants again. Ron stared at him in surprise.Under the hazy moonlight, he saw her white body. "You must go back," he said sternly, "I will do what I have to do, and you should not interfere with me." He said the last word, and Jura took off the last garment.She stood naked under the moonlight, her plump breasts towered high, and her figure was infinitely graceful. "Jura, don't torture me," he whispered, his hands stretched back, holding onto the tree for support. "I am your wife," she said softly, and she looked up at him.Suddenly startled; "Someone!" She threw herself into his arms, "Hide me, don't let anyone see me." Ron couldn't bear to lift him up in his ragged cloak, and pressed his body against hers, wrapping his hands around her back tightly. Her eyes met his, and she waited for his kiss, but he didn't move, and Jura touched his lips lightly with hers.This is exactly what he needs.Feeling her sweet tenderness, he couldn't resist, and immediately gave her a long kiss, which gave Jura the greatest pleasure. "Jura, ask me!" he said, begging her to offer, as he had sworn not to cross that line of defense. At first she didn't understand what he meant, she just looked at him blankly. "Please beg me," he repeated. Jura understood and immediately pushed him away.She felt that he seemed dizzy with love, but still wanted to maintain his dignity. "No, Englishman! An Ariel never begs anyone in his life, but you!" He cursed him sharply, and at the same time turned and walked towards the river.She loves cold baths, the cool water cooling her parched skin.She cursed Ron in every word she knew, called him a wild dog, and asked women to beg him!He should be locked up, or else he will hurt others... She returned to the shore after bathing, dried herself, put on her clothes, and saw that Ron had lit a small fire, skinned two rabbits, and roasted them on the fire. "I've got dinner ready," he said kindly to her. "What must I do to be allowed to eat? Kneel down and beg? Or beg for food like a donkey? Excuse me. I don't know your English rules." "Jura," he called to her rather distressedly, "please don't mock me. Let me explain to you: I am a knight, and I swore not to touch you, and this foolish oath has punished me. But it was The oath to God must be kept no matter what. If you won't beg me..." "What do you plan to do tomorrow?" She didn't want to talk about it, so she quickly diverted her words.There was an expression of dissatisfaction on her face, but at the same time there was a kind of hunger and eagerness. "You go back to Ariel, I'll go find Bretta." She smiled at him. "I have the map, but you can't find it on me, or even search all over, I have it in my head. So I'm going to go with you, to find Bretta, and negotiate with her .” "Why didn't I marry a gentle and obedient Englishwoman?" Ron muttered vaguely. "Here, eat it!" He forked a rabbit leg for her. "Have you not made a sacred oath to God to mount a hare's leg?" "You're covered with thorns!" he said. "Eat quickly. Eat and rest, and start early tomorrow. We have a long way to go." "Yes," Jura said, giving Ron a sweet smile. That night, she slept so deeply that Roth got up twice without waking her. "Wake up," he urged her before dawn, tossing her the foul-smelling Ertans suit. "This smell will reduce my interest in you." He handed her bread and cheese again, urging her to eat quickly and prepare to ride on the road. "Yes, Your Majesty," she said mockingly. They rode for about two hours when Jura stopped him and followed her on the path leading into the forest.It was a narrow, one-man path, and Ron had to chop off branches a few times to get the horses through. At noon they stopped to eat mince pies that Jura had brought. "We should change," she said, looking at his greasy hair, and then: "An Ertans and a... whatever you are, we're alone, it's the right attire, we're in Together, I have no appetite. Besides, when we get close to the city of Bretta, I won’t be able to wear it like this.” "what's your plan?" "Not far from here, there is the estate of Bretta's relatives, and I think we can find clothes for us there." "It is true that the manor is not far from here, but I doubt whether we can get it. You must swear that you should go back immediately." "I can't swear as easily as you do. When Celian was a prisoner, she visited the manor several times, so I know something about it. You followed me, and..." "I can't follow you. I'll try to get clothes myself," he said. "If you're not sure, hide in the forest until I come back." "Why?" she protested, "I can show you the way, and I can help you!" The outline of the manor building appeared in the moonlight.They heard the neighing of horses and the clang of steel.At this moment Watters' guards were passing the estate. Ron and Jura clung to the stone wall of the manor, waiting for the guards to pass.Jura gestured to Ron to follow her quietly through a small side door into the interior of the estate and into the pantry.Duck, goose and game hang from the indoor water rack, as well as freshly baked chicken and pies for breakfast. Jura tiptoed through the pantry door and down the narrow corridor.At the end of the corridor there are lights and voices.She walked toward the light, Ron tugging on her blouse.They reached the circular stone stairwell, and Ron started upstairs, sword in hand. They found the bedroom of the owner and his wife of the manor, which was a room on the second floor.A maid had just left, and the two of them got in quickly and approached a large wardrobe against the wall. Ron pulled a blue wool jacket from the closet. "Not this one," Jura whispered to him. "It makes your eyes bluer." "Oh." Ron looked at her with interest, their noses almost touching, "I didn't expect you to notice my eyes." "I don't know how many times I've seen it," she whispered. He was about to kiss her when the latch moved and Jura jumped into the closet like lightning, followed by Ron and shut the wooden lid.They were so close together that Jura felt something press against her ribs, and she decided it was Ron's axe.But she dared not move for fear of being discovered. Jura bent over to listen, and there seemed to be slight footsteps.Someone, she thought, had come into the room.When the footsteps became louder, it meant that someone was approaching the wooden cabinet. She almost stopped breathing, and the muscles all over her body were trembling with tension. It was a maid who entered, and as she raised the wooden lid of the oak chest of drawers, two ghastly figures sprang out and seized her by the throat. The maid was so frightened that she didn't struggle or cry out. Ron and Jura, who were going to face a strong opponent, couldn't help laughing when they saw a short woman who was frightened.This can be said to be the joy they shared for the first time. Jura picked out clothes from the closet with a smile and said, "This is enough. We can tie her up and leave the closet so we can get out of here." They stuffed the maid with a long robe and stuffed a sock into her mouth.Then Ron gently released her into the closet.She stared at Ron in horror. "Beauty, don't worry, there is enough air in the closet, take a good rest, you are gone, someone will look for you, you are safe." He bent down and kissed her forehead... Zhu La wanted to close the closet, but touched it Ron's head, he put his hand on the cabinet lid. "Excuse me," she said, "are you going to run away, or do you want to stay in disguise as a footman?" "Going," he said, smiling at her. "I'm sure you want to go first." "I'm best suited to lead." She turned and walked to the door. They went into the pantry again, and Ron got lots of pies and a roast chicken.Jura was wearing a housewife's dress, which he thought fit perfectly.They left the manor quietly through the little gate by which they had come in, and entered the trees, whereupon they mounted their respective horses and galloped away.After running for a while, Ron bent into the woods again and reined in the horse.He wanted to hide here with Jura to bide his time. After a long time, I suddenly heard the neighing of a horse, and many people passed by. When the men were gone, Ron asked Jura to follow him across a small river and up a steep hill.Come to a flat place and stop. "We'll sleep here tonight." He took the blanket out of his cloth bag. To be on the safe side, he changed into Watters' clothes again and pretended to be a businessman.She also posed as Ertans' beggar again. "You'll have to wash tomorrow," said Ron, looking up at the stars in the sky. "I can't stand the bad smell." "You should bring that maid to sleep with you, didn't you say she was beautiful?" Ron opened his mouth to laugh. "Jura, there is no other woman more beautiful than you, and you smell more fragrant than a hundred princesses put together." A smile appeared in Jura's eyes.She didn't know why she was annoyed at Ron complimenting the frightened maid, slandering him like a silly girl.How delightful it is now.When all twelve of her arrows hit the target, Dale praised her, but Geralt and Saul did not say a word of congratulations.Of course she often heard men say she was beautiful, but not too much, and if they did, she would stab their throats with her knife.But how much she likes the man in front of her to praise her tonight, she is even willing to listen to him say more. She said tentatively, "You went unnoticed into Watters territory, and it looks like you dyed your hair black. That's great." "You know, I really have to keep my vows." He was well aware of her subtly hinting, but he couldn't caress her. "Go back to Ariel tomorrow no matter what, you can't delay any longer!" Jura made a face, but didn't answer.This English man is so strange that he always tries to drive her away. Before they could argue again the next morning, Jura woke up to realize what had happened.She held out her hand to Ron, who was sleeping a foot away from her.As soon as she touched him, he opened his eyes and saw the alarm in her eyes. Ron jumped up and shouted loudly on purpose: "Damn! You always pursue me, making people sleepless!" Zhu La caught his sword as soon as he stood up.She also took up her knife, and cried out in the same voice: "Who is after you? What are you to a woman! I was at your age, and I had lovers twice, and they were better than you." many!" "I'll show you, who's the best lover!" He continued to shout, and jumped on top of her, whispering into her ear, "Turn to my right, hide in the woods and wait for me. There are only two people , I can deal with them!" When Ron moved, Jura swung quickly to his right, but instead of hiding in the woods, she stood behind him protecting him with both hands on the knife, entering position as she had been trained to do. These were two thieves, who had seen them both, and were hurrying up to catch Ron and take Jura. "I am your king," Ron said to the approaching bandits, "put down your arms. I can share all that I have with you." "You can't give them my horse," Zhu Ji said sharply, still standing behind him.She has found more robbers in the forest. "King?" one of the robbers asked back, then laughed, and attacked Ron. Jura heard the clang of the weapon and turned her head slightly so she could see when Ron needed her help.But he was a fine warrior, like a true Lanconian.She watched in amazement at his superb swordsmanship. One robber is brought down, and Ron greets another.Jura was still close behind him.She was well trained, and they fought together, as if they were dancing together, he moved, she moved, and the coordination was very tacit. Jura heard the second bandit cry out in pain.But she didn't go forward. As she expected, another robber jumped out of the woods and stabbed at her with his sword.Jura dodges his thrusts and strikes back with the sound of steel meeting. "Jura run!" Ron ordered her.She cursed him for disturbing her.She had learned in training to follow orders, but it was a bad order and she couldn't carry it out. She fought the robber with all her strength, and she didn't care if the point of his sword pierced her upper arm.The bandit raised and lowered his sword frantically, thrusting up and down, while Jura deftly parried his blows with her own, and then she fought back, forcing him to step back.She wouldn't let go, and gave chase, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Ron end the fight and come towards her, but he stopped again, watching her. Jura stared at the bandit leaning on the tree, he was out of combat, and she was going to cut off his head with the knife. "No," Ron stopped her, "he's a Lanconian." "He's from Waters," Jura said, but at last she hesitated and didn't kill him. "Come on," said Ron to the robber, taking out a number of mince pies and handing them to him. "Take it, and share it among your friends. Remember, your life is given by the King, and I am King of all Lanconians." The robber looked at Ron suspiciously.Jura thought Ron seemed crazy. How could he be so kind to these robbers?The robber got into the forest with the pie, and the other two wounded robbers limped along.None of the rest of the robbers in the wood showed up. As the sun rose, Ron saw that Jura's arm was still bleeding. He helped her sit on a nearby rock, took water and linen from the cloth bag on the saddle, washed her wound, and bandaged her arm. "I never saw a woman fight before," he said to her tenderly. "Old man Ferran never told me about Lanconian women protecting a man's back." "Perhaps he doesn't have permission to tell you all this. What does an English woman do? What would your sister do if she were here?" "Lola will go to the woods like I told you." "Then she will be caught by the third robber and taken away. Or the third robber will attack your back and kill you. The two of us are different. Looking around, it is difficult for the enemy to succeed." .” Ron frowned. "I don't like women fighting. Men can protect their own backs." "A man is a stronger fighter, but if he only cares about protecting himself, he will not be able to exert his due fighting ability." Ron finished dressing her, still frowning. "I appreciate your protecting me this time, but next time you must..." Jura kissed him. Ron's eyes showed how much he wanted her. "Jura," he whispered. She knew that what he was going to say to her must be asking her to ask him again.She got up quickly and walked over to her horse. "If we're thinking of Bretta, we should be moving." There was anger in her voice and movement.She rode off without even looking back to see if he was following.They travel day and night and have been traveling in the mountains.This rolling mountain range forms the northern border of Lanconia, where the weather is colder and the air is thinner.But they had labored tirelessly, and had walked out of the way that Sirian had told Jura.It was still some way to the unfortified city of Breta. Ron rode beside Jura, but she didn't look at him. "What's this Bretta like?" he asked. Jura reluctantly said: "I've never met her and never asked anyone how Di was doing. He's Dale's mother, so I figured she must be old. She had led an army against Ze before. Nas, so she's got battle scars all over her face. I guess, she's not the kind of beauty you're asking for, if you're after her." "Jura, we can't..." Ron tried to explain, but Jura urged the horse away from him. She could not condone his eccentric character.He not only refused to caress her, but also flirted with the maid of the manor, so she didn't understand him at all. At noon, they ate on the bank of a small stream, and Jura accidentally saw her youthful girlish image from the water.She never cared about her appearance before, she only paid attention to the use of weapons, but she could sense from the eyes of men that they admired and admired him.But why did his English husband reject her?Is it because he likes fair-skinned women? As dusk approached, they prepared to lodge on the way, but since they were not far from the city of Bretta, they did not light a fire. "I've arrived at my destination. I don't want you to stay here tomorrow." Ron said, looking at her with raised eyebrows. At this time, the light had dimmed, and he couldn't see the expression on her face clearly. "Someone to protect your back," she replied, "I think I'll have to stay. Go into town tomorrow, and I'm sure nothing will happen. You'd better speak our language. I thought, as long as Bretta Come out, we can recognize her, catch her, we can tie her back on the horse. There is a farmer's hut here, you can negotiate with her and force her to agree to your terms. Of course, we have to monitor the farmer betray us." "Is this your consideration?" Ron asked her in a low voice, "Aren't you also making your own decisions and not allowing me to participate in opinions? From your point of view, I seem to be an unnecessary person." "What about you? The only thing I've been told is to stay in the woods," she said.For some reason, he seemed unhappy. "You have a better plan than me?" "No," he said through his teeth.After a short pause, he added: "Of course I have my own plan. I rode into the city alone, but..." He stopped talking. "What's the difference between your plan and mine? I think we'd better agree on some points." Ron kicked a small rock away with his foot. "You are a woman." He whispered, as if women were not worthy of his trust. "Can't women have their own opinions?" she also whispered, stood up and left.How difficult it is to win a man's trust!She runs fast, shoots far, and jumps high. She is a wrestler who can defeat more than fifty female players, but she lacks the ability to win the trust of men. They sleep a few feet apart.At night, out of an instinct, she moved to Ron's side, otherwise she would not be able to sleep well. He reached out and pulled her to his side, holding her tightly.How close and affectionate and thoughtful he was to her and she slept soundly snuggled up in his arms. As soon as she woke up in the morning, she left his arms immediately, because she couldn't bear his unreasonable demands of "asking me". When the city gates were opened, they rode into the city.This is not a rich place, and it looks even poorer than Escalan City.There are crowded dilapidated houses and small shops everywhere.Men and women walk up and down.From time to time, the smell of manure can be smelled, and the remains of dead people and rotting meat can be seen.Both she and Ron were dressed in finery, and the poor-looking townspeople stared at them wide-eyed. They stopped and bought a mug of cheese from the vendor. "Where does Bretta live?" asked Ron as he paid. "Queen Bretta," Jura said, smiling at the vendor, "we have business with her." "Over there," the vendor said, pointing to a castle surrounded by stone walls to the north.It was an ordinary building, not very spectacular compared with rich people's houses, not even as luxurious as Ron and Jura's clothes. "Today, she is going out of town to hunt," continued the vendor, "and you can see her riding past here with her guards." Ron and Jura exchanged glances, then nodded their thanks to the vendor.They went to the shadow of a building and whispered something, where they wanted to get a glimpse of the queen and her guard. Although the Watters tribe does not have their own fine pastures and grain land, their queen is not stingy in adorning her guards. More than twenty guards are all dressed in fine blue wool, and their weapons are also high-quality steel. Manufactured, Jura had never seen such a fine weapon in Lanconia.Their horses were tall, handsome, and lively, and seemed to be well bred and worked. Brenau disgraced the men.Among these handsome and beautiful men, she rode a steed, like a sun surrounded by many moons and stars.She wore a long English gown, tightly cinched at the waist, of cream-coloured woolen workmanship, which set off beautifully her black hair and eyes. When she rode through the street, all activities in the city seemed to stop for a while. Men, women, and children all stood by the side of the road, watching her motionless.Ron said to Jura when she was out of town. "She's old? No wonder men follow her, she's charming." Jura glanced at him, and he just smiled. Bretta and her retinue were out of sight. "Should we go after it?" she asked Ron. "It's a job I love," he said, grinning, oblivious to Jura's exasperated expression. Immediately they rode out of the city, stopping for a while on a bridge.Because of the high terrain, you can have a bird's-eye view of the city and the plains outside the city.Bretta and her entourage came to a forest not far from the city, and started hunting. "We follow her!" "Well, follow her," said Jura, "we shall try to separate her from her retinue, and I shall throw my cloak over her head and take her alive..." "You follow me, and I will tell you what to do and how to do it. Now we will walk along the path to the east, watch her carefully, and do it when we are sure of catching her." When they reached the woods, Bretta happened to be separated from most of her retinue, and was chasing a wild boar, followed by only two guards.穿着奶油色衣服打猎是滑稽可笑的，朱拉想，她别想逃出她的视线。 “设法分散地随从人员的注意儿，”朱拉对罗恩说，“我引导这野猪跑开，让布莱塔一个人追赶它。” 朱拉看见布莱塔脸上的表情是兴高彩烈的。两个卫士在她身后四处观察和倾听，当他们听到远处有个男人悲痛的哭声时，忙奔了过去。这样，布莱塔就成了孤家寡人。 布莱塔什么也没有听见，她只集中注意力追赶逃跳的野猪。朱拉知道她已老了，难以在这么远的距离杀死一头野猪。于是她从马后拔出他的长矛，跳到地上。这一熟练的动作，布莱塔已有四十多年没见过了，所以引起她的注意。她停止追赶，站住观看这个女子的本领。野猪跑过来，避开她，却没有躲过朱拉的长矛，它被击中了脖子，痛得发狂般朝着朱拉猛冲。 朱拉早有准备，她折了一棵树枝，向野猪摇晃着，脖上流着鲜血的野猪狂奔乱跳。布莱诺站在朱拉身后，被野猪的血污染了她整洁的奶油色长服。 朱拉望见布莱诺的卫士转过来，她不失时机地跳上她的马，想引布莱塔的卫士追赶她。那样，布莱塔就很容易被罗恩活捉。但是布莱塔和她的卫士并没有中计。朱拉不得不骑马返回布莱诺原先呆过的地方，她想，一个艾里阿尔人不能这样就承认失败。 她远远瞥见罗恩正骑马向南，奔往他们昨晚宿营的方向。她也望见了布莱塔的奶油色长服，她似乎和罗恩走在一条路上，看样子她不象追赶他，也不象进行挑衅。 朱拉调转马头，加速追赶他们。此时朱拉已经筋疲力尽，但她奋力疾驰，等赶到农民的茅屋时，已快黄昏了。由于疲劳和饥饿，她的身体摇摇晃晃，走不稳当。但她最关心的是，罗恩有没有受伤？那个诡计多端的王后布莱塔和她的卫士有没有击中他？ 在农民的一间茅屋里，闪出蜡烛的光亮，还听到有人声。朱拉期望找到罗恩时他不致被吊在大梁上，被布莱塔和她的随从严刑拷打！她小心溜到一堵墙旁边，手拿长矛，牙咬着刀，从一个小窗口向茅屋里窥探。 她不敢相信她所看到的场面。 罗恩坐在长凳上，膝上放了一架古老的琵琶，他的头发已经呈显出本来的金黄色。而布莱塔竟坐在他脚下的地板上，挺着胸脯，以敬慕的眼光看着他。她身边没有一个卫士，一对农民夫妇和三个孩子坐在他俩对面凝视着，那种情象是对待两位天使。 “再演奏一曲，”布莱塔要求罗恩说，她的声音沙哑，让人生出一种象室内木炭燃烧时激起烟雾似的感觉。 他向他笑笑，“是的，我的王后，不管你要求什么，我都乐于听从。” 朱拉见此情景哈哈大笑，刀掉了，落在石头上，发出嗒一声响。 罗恩立即站起来，从他靠着的墙上拔出他的剑，冲出门外，他看见了朱拉，她正走到她的马眼前。 “你回来了？”他问她。 “我早就到了这里，”她大声向他喊叫，“你引开了两个卫士，而我保护了你的……你的……”她太气愤，一时说不出话来。 “布莱塔已令她的随从回去送信了，准备欢迎我们，现在她和我呆在一起，已经没有危险。我想，你先洗个澡，再会见王后。”他上下看看她，“朱拉，这不是坏主意，你还在出汗，应当洗一洗。” 朱拉拿起她的刀，想砍掉他身上随便哪一部份，当然他希望最好是能够砍掉他的头。 他抓住朱拉的手臂。“朱拉，你这是怎么的？如果你处境危险我一定会去营救你，但我知道你会平安无事。请不要发火。布莱塔已同意和我谈判，我们将要谈部落的联合，这就是我要找他的主要目的。你没有理由发火，来，和她见见面。她是个有知识，受过教育的女人，是个令人高兴的朋友。” “看样子你很喜欢她，”她固执地说。 “现在不是嫉妒的时候。你嫉妒女仆不关紧要，但你不能嫉妒布莱塔王后，这要坏事。你还是洗个澡，和她会面。” 她猛推他一把。“你不喜欢我身上的气味，”她说，“但我是为了保护你才弄了这身气味的。你说不需要保护，起码需要防止弓箭。告诉我，你是否要我向老王后鞠躬？是否要我请求她的关照？” “朱拉，你完全不理解我，你想过没有？如果你和她见面，她闻到你的气味……” “我从没有想过，”她向他喊叫，跑进树林中去了。 她深恨自己的感情冲动。她内心深处象火一般炽热。自从这个英国人来到兰康尼亚，她了解、认识了自己的价值。兰康尼亚不论男女，都器重身强力壮和勇敢善战。达勒希望她的也是身体强壮和胆大，但是这两次战斗，他却并不希望她保护他。 他不需要她骑马在他身边；他不倾听她关于活捉布莱塔的想法；他只是一味要她藏在树林中，吓得战战兢兢他才高兴。而他却在这里向一个女人摇尾乞怜地讨好，还生怕她身上的气昧熏坏了他的上宾！ 她一想到布莱塔的奶油色长服，就做了个鬼脸。这个愚蠢的英国人可能被她迷惑住了！但朱拉知道她的历史和一贯的作为，她不会轻易上当！ 毫无疑问，布莱塔曾无数次告诉她的人民，必要时要集合军队，进攻艾里阿尔，杀死他们的国王。但这个英国人并不了解甚至会不相信。 朱拉离开树林，又返回农民的茅屋，今天夜晚，她要呆在外边，守卫这座茅屋，如果瓦特尔斯人前来进攻，她可以给这个愚蠢的英国男人报警。