//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: The Regime 
// by Wheller 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 3


Carmine could hardly sleep that night, her mind was full of excitement and wonder. In the morning she would be leaving with Ryswell and his company towards one of the other villages on the coast. She'd packed several days of food to take with her, and was curious to discover that Ryswell and his company packed no food to take with them.

She was surprised by this, but Ryswell had explained that they lived off the land on their treks, as was tradition. He promised not to tease her too much about this though.

In the morning, the traders loaded up their wagons with all the new goods they acquired from yesterday's Trade. Carmine smiled as she looked over the haul. Many an item would make for excellent trades.

She took her place beside Ryswell at the head of their group. He smiled and gently ruffled her mane. 'Such a lovely colour,' he commented.

Carmine blushed. 'Thank you sir,' she said. She had to admit, she wasn't used to all the admiration and attention that the traders gave her, but she liked it.

Ryswell winked and glanced over his shoulder to a unicorn stallion behind him. 'Ready?' He asked.

The unicorn, a dark grey coated stallion with a black mane and tail, sporting soft amber eyes nodded in affirmation. He had introduced himself to Carmine last night as Martel. 'We are ready sir,' he reported.

Ryswell smiled at him, and then waved for the troop to move out. They began to walk down the cobblestone streets and out of the village, following the path to their next destination.

Cobblestone roads were scattered here and there throughout the Regime. Ryswell had declared that they would be keeping to them for most of the way. Carmine suspected that he had done this for her benefit more than anything else. She was young, and lively, but was not used to the long distance walking that would be required of them. Going over land was challenging under any circumstance. Much less with a young mare unused to such treks.

Carmine was always impressed with the beauty of the wilderness. It was so quiet, so peaceful. There was a reason for this, of course. The Changeling Regime was visually stunning, but that was all it had.

The Regime was what many others would call resource poor.  It had very little iron, almost no coal, and scant of anything else. What it did have, though, was trees, and stone, but there was only so much you could do with trees and stone. It was why Trade time was so important. Even broken things had value, and could be traded for new things. Anything that could be repaired would be, and if it wasn't, it would be broken down for scrap. The second cart in their baggage train was filled with such pieces of broken junk. It probably wouldn't be much use at the next coastal village, but you never knew. If not, one of the inland villages would find a use for some of the junk.

Carmine was impressed with the troop. They all did what they were supposed to do without complaint, without any physical signs of fatigue. Even though they had not gotten more than three hours of sleep last night, they were all just as lively as she was.

Carmine was a morning person. She was always refreshed and energised in the mornings, today had been no different, but she had been shocked to see how much energy the rest of the troop had.

'Disciplined stallions!' Ryswell had proclaimed. 'Only the most disciplined in mind and body can make it as a Trader.'

Carmine blushed, it was at that moment she noticed that she was the only mare of their company.

'I'm just glad I have thirteen strong stallions to protect me,' she said sheepishly.

All of them grinned and winked suggestively.

'It has been a long time since any of us has been around a mare,' Ryswell admitted. 'You brighten our morale by joining us, Miss Bolton.'

'You can call me Carmine,' she said.

'As you wish my lady,' he said with a bow, and a teasing smile. Clearly, another reason for Ryswell to bring her along was to have a bit of fun at her expense.

She didn't mind, it was all in good fun. Despite some of the looks the other stallions were giving her; she knew she had nothing to fear. Most of them were fairly shy. Ryswell and Martel were the chattiest. Martel had moved up to walk beside her, smiling warmly at her.

'So, Miss Bolton,' Martel said as he approached.

'Please, call me Carmine,' she said with a smile.

'So, Miss Carmine, you are still a maiden? Yes?' Martel asked.

She blushed and nodded her head. 'I am, sir, still pure and with virtue.'

'Excellent,' he said with a bright glow in his amber eyes. 'There's a song about the perfect mare, a maiden such as you—' Martel said, cutting himself off. He began to sing.

'I loved a maid as fair as summer with sunlight in her hair,' He sung, gently rubbing his hoof against her cheek.

'I loved a maid as red as autumn, with sunset in her hair,' he added, running his hoof through her mane.

'I loved a maid as white as winter with moonglow in her hair,' he sung, and then paused for a few moments. He spotted a wild rose bush growing on the path beside them. He grinned, plucking one and placing it behind her ear.

'I loved a maid as sweet as spring, with flowers in her hair.'

Carmine couldn't help but smile, and gave him a little curtsey. 'I did not know I travelled with a bard of such skill, Sir,' she said playfully.

'Oh we're full of surprises,' Ryswell added with a cheeky grin. 'We all know how to put on a good show when the time is right.'

Carmine nodded her head in agreement. 'That has been more than proven today.'

Evening came soon after, and they settled down for the night. None of the stallions showed any sign of fatigue. If anything they seemed to be energised with her presence. The comforts of travelling with a mare were astounding, it seemed.

They had stopped for her benefit, which she was more than glad for. She had never walked for so long in her life. Her hooves ached and her muscles were stiff. She was glad to finally have a chance to rest. She thought that she'd been doing a good job at hiding her exhaustion, but the Traders must have seen through it. She hadn't complained, and they hadn't judged her.

They all knew that she would build up her endurance and would soon not be an issue. She was an earth pony, after all.

They settled down in a little clearing among the trees, just off the main path. They’d stay the night here. Two of the stallions piled stones around in a ring to make a fire pit. The group laid out their bedrolls with seven on the two sides of the fire pit. Carmine set her own bedroll down between Ryswell and Martel, much to the approval of them, and the envy of the others.

One of the other ponies, an earth pony called Flint, gathered wood and got a fire going, and they all huddled around it to keep warm. Carmine enjoyed the heat from the fire. It reminded her of her father's workshop, and the warmth that radiated from the forge.

Ryswell gently patted her back. 'You did well today. We often walk until late into the night as well, but I think you've had enough for your first day on the trail,' he said.

Carmine nodded. 'I didn't want to say anything, but—I'm beat!' She said with a chuckle and laid down on her stomach. 'I'm not certain if I could walk another step at this point.'

Ryswell chuckled, 'You'll be fine tomorrow Miss Bolton—'

'Carmine,' she reminded.

'Miss Carmine, rest will do you good. We'll trade off watch for tonight, and let you sleep through the night. You can join in the watch tomorrow,' Ryswell offered.

She nodded her head in agreement.

Martel leaned over from her opposite side. 'It's going to be cold tonight when the fire dies down. Feel free to cuddle up if you get cold,' he offered.

'I'll take care to remember that sir,' she said with a wink. She laid down flat, closed her eyes, and fell asleep immediately.