About this story
Sit still, Master Robin, or I shall deliver a sack of bruises to your father instead of a boy. You step into this one-chapter preview with David at the center, where choices turn on the people, promises, and pressure already in the room. A small bird watched from a branch as distant sounds remained impossible to identify. The chapter closes on a continuation question rather than resolving the novel's larger arc.
How it opens
RobinEvery stride slides me farther across the saddle, David; I am moving to keep from falling.
Sit still, Master Robin, or I shall deliver a sack of bruises to your father instead of a boy.
RobinYour belt is hard to hold, your sword strikes my legs, and moving is how I keep from falling.
Six loaded mules and their armed drivers are my charge as well as you on this road.
David threatened brambles while reminding you that your aunt had made him responsible for your safe return.
Stay mounted without accepting roughness as the only possible way to travel.