Commander Redbeard wrote:Anardan returned the sword and looked around, a look of recognition coming onto his face.
"This was the guard post that stood at the Crusader border. I passed here with the trading party only several weeks ago, it was standing then."
Reno and Voolmark took new ropes out of the sled and hauled the three up, then pulled the sled onto solid ground. The soot-blackened hole stood like a gash in the unmarred white of the snow-covered ground, the broken beams protruding from the ash like spears thrown by giants. Anardan shuddered.
"Is everyone alright?" queried Bjarn, wiping soot of his hands.
"No!" hissed Reno, clutching his foot, "I twisted my ankle when I fell! I just made it worse when I scrambled out of the way..."
"Tyco!" muttered Sir Dractor under his breath, "We'll just have to bind it up...we can't remove your boot and socks in this cold..."
As Sir Dractor scrambled about looking for a suitable piece of wood to use as a brace, Aros glanced at Shainya.
"Shainya, what's wrong? Are you hurt as well?" he asked.
Shainya shook her head. Her face was white as the snow around them and she was shaking, but not from cold.
"This isn't a Crusader guardpost..." she mumured, "This is Olgendale..."
"What?"
Bjarn turned back from where he had been examining the sled.
"This was my home..." Shainya sighed, a tear slipping down her cheek, "Before the Dragon Masters burnt it down..."
"Oh."
Reno crawled over to Shainya and held her tight as Sir Dractor bound a cord of wood to his leg.
"My whole family was killed..." cried Shainya, "I survived by falling down a well...like what happened here..."
"But that was a house..." corrected Anardan.
"Hush." Bjarn nudged the Forestman Captain, "Let her weep. Long has she held that grief within. Come, and help me repait this sled. It's front runners have snapped..."