46th of Spring 513 AV
If there was anything that Ehati didn't actually like about her duties as a knight, it was that she was sometimes stuck doing the most horrible things and really didn't have much of a say in the matter. This day, for instance. She was stuck in the mine, watching over the prisoners sentenced to work it for whatever crimes they had done, unable whatsoever to go outside and patrol with the other wings in her company.
It wasn't so bad, in a way, though. There were others here that she knew, mainly the members of her wing also stuck in this godsforsaken mine. It was the absence of the sky that she longed for most of all. It was that freedom, the breathless wind, and the birds that she missed. She disliked the cramped conditions and the smell of manual labour, but she persevered. This was to be her first day, she knew that, but there were only so many days this season she would have to deal with this place. Fifteen days, that was it. Five days at a time and then two of rest and the next five on patrol where she liked being.
"Ehati, take over down in the Deep," Ehati was startled out of her mute complaining and turned to see one of her fellows, a woman with an air of exhaustion on her face. "I need to breathe. Those vagiks down below don't know how to wash themselves, I swear." Ehati smiled, although it was wan and meaningless. She didn't want to go Deeper, but she could see the expression in the face of the other knight and felt something like pity for her.
"Make it back fast," she said, nodding her assent and striding past the other woman. Her tone suggested displeasure, but she left no room for the other to reciprocate. She had no patience for this, but if the woman was really that tired, fine. Ehati hoped she wouldn't have to deal with these people for long down there.
Her walk was purposeful, matched with an intense glare that gave her woodland eyes something of a dour cast. She looked much more like a bird with that expression than anything else, but it suited her. She was a bird, delving deeper into the ground away from the sky she loved so dearly.
The part of the mine she was going to wasn't the deepest part. There were places, down in the utter bowels of the earth, where only the worst were sentenced to work. They were guarded by knights better than she, and that was how she liked it. She couldn't imagine being stuck so far down there...
She smiled grimly at a few of the actual workers, the men having a cheerier pallour to their faces than the sentenced. They did this for a living, in a way she could respect that.
Arriving at the Deep, Ehati surveyed the area. The roof was low, almost far too low for any average sized human, but it suited her just fine. She was short, naturally, and had no problem navigating the cramped space.
There were a multitude of bodies, picking away at the wall and loading ores into wagons for delivery to the Above. She eyed them critically, impressing upon them that she wouldn't tolerate any foolishness, and began to stride among their number with purpose, making it clear that she absolutely didn't want to be there and that if they made this any worse for her, she would make it far worse for them, or at least as far worse as her knightly pride would allow.
If there was anything that Ehati didn't actually like about her duties as a knight, it was that she was sometimes stuck doing the most horrible things and really didn't have much of a say in the matter. This day, for instance. She was stuck in the mine, watching over the prisoners sentenced to work it for whatever crimes they had done, unable whatsoever to go outside and patrol with the other wings in her company.
It wasn't so bad, in a way, though. There were others here that she knew, mainly the members of her wing also stuck in this godsforsaken mine. It was the absence of the sky that she longed for most of all. It was that freedom, the breathless wind, and the birds that she missed. She disliked the cramped conditions and the smell of manual labour, but she persevered. This was to be her first day, she knew that, but there were only so many days this season she would have to deal with this place. Fifteen days, that was it. Five days at a time and then two of rest and the next five on patrol where she liked being.
"Ehati, take over down in the Deep," Ehati was startled out of her mute complaining and turned to see one of her fellows, a woman with an air of exhaustion on her face. "I need to breathe. Those vagiks down below don't know how to wash themselves, I swear." Ehati smiled, although it was wan and meaningless. She didn't want to go Deeper, but she could see the expression in the face of the other knight and felt something like pity for her.
"Make it back fast," she said, nodding her assent and striding past the other woman. Her tone suggested displeasure, but she left no room for the other to reciprocate. She had no patience for this, but if the woman was really that tired, fine. Ehati hoped she wouldn't have to deal with these people for long down there.
Her walk was purposeful, matched with an intense glare that gave her woodland eyes something of a dour cast. She looked much more like a bird with that expression than anything else, but it suited her. She was a bird, delving deeper into the ground away from the sky she loved so dearly.
The part of the mine she was going to wasn't the deepest part. There were places, down in the utter bowels of the earth, where only the worst were sentenced to work. They were guarded by knights better than she, and that was how she liked it. She couldn't imagine being stuck so far down there...
She smiled grimly at a few of the actual workers, the men having a cheerier pallour to their faces than the sentenced. They did this for a living, in a way she could respect that.
Arriving at the Deep, Ehati surveyed the area. The roof was low, almost far too low for any average sized human, but it suited her just fine. She was short, naturally, and had no problem navigating the cramped space.
There were a multitude of bodies, picking away at the wall and loading ores into wagons for delivery to the Above. She eyed them critically, impressing upon them that she wouldn't tolerate any foolishness, and began to stride among their number with purpose, making it clear that she absolutely didn't want to be there and that if they made this any worse for her, she would make it far worse for them, or at least as far worse as her knightly pride would allow.
