Dame Sara Illou, Knight of the Land, breathed in the cool morning air in the courtyard of the inn. It was still early, barely after dawn, and she was preparing to leave.
For you see, Sara had a quest. There were gryphons attacking the local farms and villages leaving destruction in their wake and she needed to alert the garrison in the nearest town. It was a day's travel away so she had to get an early start.
Which was a bit of a shame as it meant leaving the beautiful serving girl Rose asleep in bed. The gorgeous young woman had been Sara's lover last night and Dame Sara had woken up horny as she always did. Sex with Rose would have been the perfect start to the day but Sara was not going to wake her up just to quench her lust so early in the morning.
Instead she finished preparing her mare Snowglide, and climbed onto her back. A voice to her right made her turn.
"I see you are leaving without breakfast, dame knight," said June, Rose's grandmother and also the owner of the inn. "I cannot allow that. Take these."
The old woman stepped forward and offered Sara a small package that was still warm. Sara could smell fresh bread within.
"Are you sure?" Sara said.
"I am," June replied with a smile. "Thank you for everything you are doing. If you see any more helpless people, direct them to this hamlet. I will do my best to aid them."
"You are a noble woman, June," Sara said with a seated bow.
"As are you, dame knight," the innkeeper replied. "Good luck."
With that, Sara turned and edged Snowglide out of the courtyard. Soon she was on the road and as the sun rose she opened the package up and ate some of the bread. It was very tasty and soon she had eaten enough for her breakfast. She knew that she would likely want some later on in the day too so she did not eat it all.
She rode for the morning, always keeping a wary eye out for the gryphons. Though she had not seen them herself she had no doubt that the people hiding in the tavern were telling the truth - or at least thought they were. She passed a few farmsteads and found them all empty. People were definitely hiding.
As it reached afternoon she caught sight of a small collection of buildings up ahead. A large farm was by the side of the road with a couple of houses next to it, probably belonging to people who worked the farm. One of the buildings also housed a small shop which was completely closed up.
Suddenly Sara heard raised voices and she guided Snowglide off the road into the farmyard. A small stone outbuilding was at the far side with the large farmhouse behind. In the yard itself a group of people were loudly arguing.
When they saw her ride in they paused and turned to look at her. An older man waved his hand angrily.
"And who are you?" he said with annoyance. "Someone else trying to drive me off my land?"
"For the queen's sake, we're not trying to drive you off!" shouted a younger man. "We're trying to save you!"
"From what!" the first man shouted back. "Gryphons that I've not even seen? Hah!"
Sara dismounted, walking over to them in the hope she could cool this argument down. As she did so, she noticed the younger man staring at her and she could see his eyes widen with surprise. Clearly he had not expected a Knight of the Land to come riding into the farmyard, and definitely not one as beautiful as she was.
She took the time to check him out in return. He was extremely handsome; broad-shouldered and in his mid-twenties, he had short brown hair and a neat goatee and stood about six foot tall with deep brown eyes. From his tanned skin and physique she guessed he worked the fields.
"Sir, allow me to introduce myself," she said as she approached the older man. "I am Dame Sara Illou, a Knight of the Land. You can trust me."
The man sighed, shaking his head. "I am sure you mean well, dame knight, but I cannot abandon this farm. I do not believe this panic is real - it is a ruse concocted by thieves, eager to see the local farms and houses left empty for them to ransack."
"You have not seen the gryphons then?" Sara asked.
The man shook his head. "Have you?"
Sara had to admit that she hadn't. She had only heard stories about them. Perhaps this man was right.
"Surely you can't be allowing him to stay, dame knight?" the younger man said, clearly horrified.
"I cannot force anyone to leave," she replied.