Twins: Chapter 5

The packhorse’s feet dragged in the mud. Clip, slide … clop, slide. The mud was now on the edge of unbearable.
Both Gavin and Ellyn had their hoods drawn and their thick, midnight blue cloaks wrapped tightly around them. The temperature dropped about the same time the thunderstorm had begun to follow them. Ellyn was quiet, tired, and thoroughly soaked. Her cloak, thick as it was, was of little use against the forces of Nature. The only noise she made was when she sneezed.
The path they were on was small and wound through a forest heavily crowded with ferns and undergrowth that reached out with spindly hands on to the trail.
Gavin was uneasy about the fact that they were in a forest during a thunderstorm, and soon he realized that Ben, the packhorse, shared his feelings. The thunder made the old horse jumpy, and the lighting caused him to be thoroughly spooked. Ignoring Gavin, who held his reins, Ben turned around and nearly trampled over Ellyn.
The twin acted quickly. Grabbing the reins from Gavin, Ellyn brought her face up to Ben’s, putting one hand over his mane. She looked at him, not making direct eye contact, but staring at the side of his face. Ten seconds passed, the only sound being the rush of rain on the wet leaves and soft, soggy ground. Then, slowly and submissively, Ben turned his head and followed Ellyn back to Gavin. She handed the reins back to her twin and sneezed. Gavin looked at her in utter shock. His hood had done little to protect his head. Wet hair clung to his skin in thin, dark strands, and water ran in droplets down the sides of his face. “How …”
Ellyn shrugged, and they went on quietly. The ground looked and felt like a giant sponge that their feet made little imprints in. Although they were starving, there was no way the twins could get out food without soaking everything in the sack. Supper passed uneaten.
“We should be able to make it to the next town before nightfall,” Gavin called to his sister, his voice barely rising above the downpour. It was meant for encouragement, but helped little. She nodded, sneezed, and sighed, pulling her hood further up.
Another hour or two passed, but neither one counted the time. The rain very slowly let up, and by the time Gavin and Ellyn reached the tavern it was only a drizzle and getting late. It was foggy out, so the twins did not bother to put their hoods down. They left Ben at the tavern stables and then entered.
Although there were few travelers in the country, many people went to the taverns for a mug of beer and conversation. The room was crowded, and Gavin and Ellyn pushed their way through to the counter. The man there gave them a room with two beds. He winked at Gavin. “A bit young for you, ain’t she?”
Ellyn’s mouth opened and closed. For once she was speechless.
“Come on,” Gavin grabbed her hand and dragged her away. They found their room and went in, setting their things down.
It was small, with a table, two chairs, a candle-stand, and two small beds. After eating something from what they had packed, the exhausted twins each took a bed and were quickly lost to sleep.

Gavin opened one eye. Where was he? Everything was unfamiliar. Slowly, memories of the past day flooded back to him. Gavin groaned and sat upright. So it hadn’t been a bad dream after all. He stood up and went over to Ellyn’s bed, tapping her on the shoulder. She rolled over and stuck her pillow over her head.
Gavin rolled his eyes. “Come on,” he grabbed her pillow and shook her.
“Fine, I admit, you are stupid and I should be older,” Ellyn mumbled. She grabbed her pillow back and promptly fell asleep.
Gavin sighed. Sleep talking again. She always insulted him in her sleep. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it, shaking it at intervals.
“The hills … roving … must not break the poor feet …”
“Ellyn!”
“What?” she was wide-awake in an instant, sitting upright in bed.
“Time to go.”
“Oh.” Ellyn stood, ran her fingers through her hair, and put her cloak on. “Let’s just eat while we travel,” she said.
They went out to the stables, put their things back on Ben, and led him out to the road. The small town was quite busy at sunrise, so it took the twins longer than expected to push through the village and continue following the dirt road from there.
It led through a sunny meadow, fresh with the smell of the early morning dew mingled with the scent of wildflowers and thistle. The cool breeze rushed over long, golden grass like cold water over smooth pebbles, flowing over Gavin and Ellyn in a wonderfully overwhelming way. There were few bugs, only the crickets chirping in the thicket and monarchs and midnight-blue swallowtails moving quietly from flower to flower.
Ellyn left the road and lay down in the grass, staring up at the watery blue sky. “Can we not just stay here for the day?” she sighed longingly.
Gavin was almost as reluctant as she was to leave. He sat by her and they were both silent for a few minutes. Finally, however, Gavin stood and lent a hand to his sister. “The journey will be long,” he said as he took Ben’s reins, “and we have little time to waste.”

They must have been walking for hours on the deserted road. The weather was nice, and there was always a slight, cool breeze that kept them refreshed. However, the twins both had cramped legs and reopening blisters that put a damper on their spirits. They soon came to another meadow, girded by trees, and found a strange sight. A caravan sat in the middle of the meadow – consisting of about twenty people, ranging in age from at least one to fifty, and they sat beside a large wagon that was halfway covered. All of them sat around a large fire with which they used to roast a pig. By their apparel, Gavin assumed them to be gypsies. He knew not whether to approach or run. Would they be friendly?
Ellyn solved the problem by marching resolutely forward to announce herself.