Brigid ate her evening meal with Qin's retainers, sitting at a long table put together outside the caravan. The horseman sat at another table, surrounded by his family, and Brigid glanced up from her food when Qin stood, clapping his hands to draw attention to himself.
"There be entertainment!"
A cloaked young woman ran from the shadows, lightly jumping onto a raised wooden platform located between the tables, as Qin's wife began making a beat on a pair of small drums. Brigid watched as the woman threw off her cloak, revealing her slender body and the leather vest belted tightly around her, and began to dance. It was primal, in Brigid's eyes at least, and she could see it stirring something within the Khergit. Three of the retainers leapt from their seats and onto the platform, spinning the dancer round as they passed her between themselves, and Brigid glanced at Qin. He was reclining in his chair, watching the people on the stage without a hint of concern, and Brigid slowly relaxed.
"There be entertainment!"
A cloaked young woman ran from the shadows, lightly jumping onto a raised wooden platform located between the tables, as Qin's wife began making a beat on a pair of small drums. Brigid watched as the woman threw off her cloak, revealing her slender body and the leather vest belted tightly around her, and began to dance. It was primal, in Brigid's eyes at least, and she could see it stirring something within the Khergit. Three of the retainers leapt from their seats and onto the platform, spinning the dancer round as they passed her between themselves, and Brigid glanced at Qin. He was reclining in his chair, watching the people on the stage without a hint of concern, and Brigid slowly relaxed.
The dancing continued until the torches burnt out, each of the retainers taking his place on the platform. Brigid felt a bit sorry for the girl after the fourth round, though she doubted the girl was unhappy, and turned her attention to the other table when Qin again stood, the horseman waving his arms to encompass everyone.
"The girl is your's! Enjoy!"
The retainers cheered and rapidly disappeared, the dancer disappearing with them, and Qin's family waited a moment before rising, walking in single file back to the caravan. Jubal, walking at the back of the line, broke off and walked to Brigid, still in her seat at the lower table.
"Father says you teach. So come teach." Jubal went to grab her arm so he could haul Brigid to her feet, blinking in surprise when she resisted him. "Teach!"
"I am." Tempted to punch the teenager to the ground Brigid wrenched her arm from his grip. "Non-Khergit women aren't slaves, and I will make you understand that."
Jindal glanced at his father, about to complain, and paused when he saw the expression on the man's face, scowling as he stormed towards the caravan.
Qin had visited Brigid after everyone had turned in, standing in the doorway to her tiny bedroom. She rolled over when she sensed his presence, opening her eyes and wearily rubbing her eyes.
"What are you doing here? What do you want?"
"You handled Jubal very well. It'll be good for him to interact with foreigners beyond what we learn in the clans."
"The clans?"
Qin nodded, settling in against the frame of the doorway.
"Each lord of Khanate commands clan, an army. We all pass knowledge to next generation."
"You said you were a warrior high in your lord's service. Couldn't you do something?"
Qin let out a quiet laugh and shifted slightly.
"Fathers do not teach sons."
---
Qin had left after that, letting Brigid return to sleep, and when the sun rose in the morning so did she. Leaving her bedroom the mercenary made her way to the crumbling tavern's stabling where, among the horses belonging to the rest of Qin's household, she had put her courser. The dancer from the previous night was there, tending to the horses, and the woman glanced at Brigid for a second when she entered the stable.
"See you last night. Foreign bed-warmer?" Brigid slowly unclenched her fists, taking a deep breath and turning to start brushing her courser's mane. The dancer laughed, putting down her own brush, and turned to Brigid. "Jubal or Qin? Both?"
She staggered back when Brigid's left fist cracked into her jaw, falling back against an interior half-wall, and smirked when she pushed herself up.
"Do not call me a bed-warmer."
The Khergit girl kept smirking, bringing her hands up in a defensive posture, and the two women began circling each other.
The brewing fight, so close to actually happening, fizzled out when Qin entered the stable, the horseman glancing at the women with an amused expression.
"Do not stop for me."
Brigid stepped back from the dancer, embarrassed by her over-reaction to the other woman and her statement, and went back to her courser, losing herself in the motions of looking after the horse. The dancer sullenly walked from the stable as Qin watched, her chores done, and Brigid glanced at him when she was gone.
"Were you expecting the fight to begin?"
Qin grinned, hefting a saddle from where it straddled a half-wall, and looked around the stable.
"Maybe." He frowned for a moment before regaining his standard good humour. "She wait 'til tonight now. Call you out during evening meal."
Brigid sighed in frustration, checking that her equipment was still secure within her own saddle, and pulled a carrot from a pocket sown onto her dress, letting the courser take it from her.
Brigid walked from the stable a step behind Qin and she moved to be alongside him.
"What is the plan for today?"
"Gerel was happy when you returned from your ride yesterday. There will be a festival in Uhhan over the next couple of days. Take her there."
Brigid nodded and made her way back to the bedroom she'd been given. It was little more than a cupboard, the bed really just a shelf, but it was still hers and she was grateful towards Qin for giving her the space. She was also glad of the trust he was displaying when it came to his children, already planning how to handle the excursion to Uhhan.
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