"Damn it all."
The traveler watched as the girl ran back up the hill towards Bree. He didn't follow her, and didn't call after her, but watched her go. He hadn't intended to hurt the girl's feelings, but just make sense of her. He shouldn't have pried into her affairs as he did, he knew too late.
She'd asked for his help - no, strong-armed him into it. He'd relented and followed her outside the town towards a small grove of trees. There, she'd pointed out a large beehive up in the branches and dreamed up a ridiculous plan to retrieve it for honey. The traveler disliked bees, and most other insects, and managed to reason the girl down. Then he asked her questions.
She was looking for food, not for herself but for someone in her care. A helpless someone, it seemed, as she spoke about the mysterious person with diminutive adjectives. So he'd simply put the pieces together. A young woman, completely alone with no apparent family or support, no money or recourse, trying to feed a small being in her care.
She had a small child to care for, he thought. And he indelicately asked her about this love-child.
She stuttered for a moment, said that it wasn't what he thought, before halting her sentence, her face red with embarrassment. Then she turned and ran. Of course she would be emotional about her situation, and he cursed at himself silently for his brutishness.
He'd have to make it right, he knew. If she were still staying in town after this, he'd find her eventually and ask her forgiveness. And he'd bring her something for the little one.
A fallen branch cracked nearby, and the traveler turned an eye towards the sound. Several paces away, a large boar was foraging. That will do, he thought silently, and slowly moved his hand towards his throwing dirk.
