In the Heart of Anvard (My Kingdom For a Horse): Free RP

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"I was out hunting earlier, before I found those four. Lots of non-talking game 'round here." she said.

'Now you hunt alone. Used to have Mid....' Flower finds it impossible to push her thoughts of her brother away.
 
"It appears that the innkeeper here DOES have guests who like his idea of letters being carried by a flying creature," said Retaw. "And he promises to supply all the needs of Goewyn, Pindra and their children for the near future in return for my doing a few days of courier work. He gave me a side of mutton to eat while you were away finding the children, so I wouldn't need to hunt this morning. Now, would you like to come along and assist me in delivering the letters which are even now being written?"
 
Flower shrugged, "I have nothing better to do, so why not? Sure I'll come along."
'Better than sitting around thinking about Midnight for hours.' she reasons.
 
The rigid beak of a Gryphon cannot smile, but Retaw's eyes grinned.

"Good! Here is my plan. The innkeeper will cause a large satchel to be securely harnessed onto my back behind my wings, to contain the outgoing letters and any return ones. You can ride in this also, and have with you the map which will be provided. Thus you will be safe from falling, and can help me to find our destinations. At each location of a recipient, you can help to present the letters, and receive from those recipients their own payment for the privilege of sending replies back with us."
 
"I just hope I paid enough attention during my geography lessons that I can read a map." mumbles the young cat, "Though Middy always tried to get me to pay attention, so I should be fine."

'I hope....'
 
Retaw

"The map will be to help us stay on course; but the innkeeper will also have spoken to me directly about locations and landmarks. And certainly there is no law against our stopping to ask for directions. With all three means of orienting ourselves, this shouldn't be too hard. It will even be a good social outreach--that is, helping Archenlanders to see that the refugees of Narnia will now be useful, helpful residents of Archenland."

Before long, the outgoing letters, and information about finding the addressees, were ready to go, and two stable workers were adapting some horse tack for the Gryphon's carrying harness.
 
Retaw laughed--something like a crow cawing, but two octaves deeper. "No danger of that! I don't need a map to know the difference between a normal summer and an evil magical winter." Then his own words sobered him up. "For as long as Aslan permits the accursed Jadis to hold her stolen throne, we must maintain a Narnia in exile, here where her magic doesn't reach. And little things like this new postal service will help to make it work."
 
Flower sighed.

"Someday I will go back to Narnia, it still is my home, just as it always has. And if Midnight hasn't come back by then, then I'll go get him." she says defiantly, "But for now I'll be a postal kitten."
 
Soon they were aloft. In order to have the most use of daylight, Retaw decided to make the easternmost deliveries first, then follow the Sun west. Their first objective thus was Archenland's northernmost seaport on the Eastern Ocean.

OOC: Woefulgut the seafaring Marshwiggle will not have arrived there yet.
 
Flower peered out of the bag of letters she was in. She watched as the buildings got smaller as they went higher. Soon the people were only tiny moving dots, looking much like ants. Flower turned and looked towards where she knew Narnia must be. But all she saw was the distant mountians.

I've never been this far from home before. Never been this far from Mid... No you're not going to think about that.' one of the letters flew out into the air, Flower grabbed it with her teeth before it could flutter away and put it back in the bag. Sighing she ducked back inside without a word.
 
Retaw

"Let's take care of that right now;" and the Gryphon descended to earth in a pasture, causing sheep to scatter. "See what you can do to make the letters more secure; you can also stretch your legs if you wish."
 
Flower hopped down from the bag and inspected it.

"Doesn't close right thats the problem." she mutters to herself, "Need to fix that... hmm." she walks a little ways over to a post that convinentaly has just what she is looking for.

"Rope good. Now tie this and, there!" she ties the flap to the main bag- somewhat clumsily because she doesn't have hands- leaving a hole so that she can still get in, but that can be pulled over so the letters stay contained. Jumping back into the pouch she says, "Ok that'll do." then ducks back into the bag, pulling the flap over her hole as she did.
 
Once Flower was in place again, Retaw took flight--but not as high or as fast. Instead of immediately resuming his eastward course, he found the farmhouse of the owner of the pasture. The farmer's wife and two small boys were the only humans home, and showed fright at the unexpected appearance of the mighty Gryphon, fleeing into the house.

"Please don't be afraid!" called Retaw in his mellowest speech-voice. "I am a Narnian who serves Aslan. I merely came to tell you that I have borrowed something. I am working as a messenger now, and I needed a rope to secure the parcel I am carrying. I have borrowed an unused rope I found in your pasture. When I no longer need it, I promise to return it to you."

"It's all right! You can keep the rope!" the country mother cried from behind her bolted door.
 
The little boys reopened the door without permission, alarming their mother as they rushed outside. "It's a Narnian kitty!" shouted the younger of the two, about four years old. His elder brother declared, "If this Dragon is friends with a nice kitty, he must be a nice Dragon."

"A Gryphon, not a Dragon," Retaw corrected. "But yes, I'm a friendly Gryphon. You're sure to see others like me in Archenland from now on; but we Gryphons pride ourselves that not one of our kind has ever forsaken his or her loyalty to Aslan and His ways. We will obey the King of this land, who serves Aslan as we do."
 
This time Flower emerges completly and walks over to the little boys. She purrs softly.

"Yes, Retaw is a very nice gryphon... I'm pleased to meet you. We'll need to be going soon though." she says.
 
Flower's presence ultimately reassured the farm wife as well. "Would either of you care for a drink of water?"

"I know I would, thank you," said Retaw. "If you have a livestock watering trough, that's good enough for me; I am more or less a talking beast." There was a trough, and presently Retaw was drinking from it in birdlike fashion.
 
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