Turning Heads

Gonyaul yelled in Vauxian as he neared Nicolaus’s wagon. He knew it was empty, he was just signaling Wim and Nicolaus, who were actually stationed just inside the mine entrance, that a friendly was approaching. He quickly went inside the wagon.

He stripped down as fast as he could, the most unceremoniously he had ever taken off his Arisha Ikeburer. He then found the linen bandages and padded his undergarment so he gave himself a plumper heart shaped rump. He then put his clothes back on and while doing so padded the chest region to give the appearance of breasts of a noticeable size. He tied the sash part higher than usual, instead of at his waist, he tied it just under the fake breasts; it now really did look like a feminine dress in how it was worn.

This weird behavior was inspired by the Odenine ambush he survived earlier. It dawned on him that they mistook him for a girl and therefore had initially handled their approach toward him differently than Hunter and Malacost. Women to them must be valuable for trade and trophy he hypothesized.

His attire and figure fully realized, gonyual undid the braids in his hair and let it just flow. He then found the small wooden box he saw earlier when inside with Wim and retrieved some charcoal. He used it as makeup, giving himself some dark smokey eye shadow with them. When he exited the wagon he looked one hundred percent like an exotic and beautiful female. The only way one would be able to tell he wasn’t would be to feel for proof.

Gonyaul found his horse, Amu that was tied up next to the wagon and mounted. He sat side saddle, having seen women ride that way before in Helias. He was really trying to sell this disguise. He then rode Amu out in the direction of the main group of Odenine archers he had identified earlier when at the forge. He wasn’t riding right at them, more like tangentially and away completely from battle.

He wanted to appear as if he was trying exit the battle all together.

Gonyaul was not the greatest rider and it was his first time side saddling, which didn’t help his control of the animal. Amu was against this idea from the start, and was not being very cooperative.

From a distance it looked like an inexperienced woman struggling to handle a reluctant horse. At once point Amu reared and it force Gonyaul to slide off the saddle and to his feet on the ground. Amu trotted several yards away and snorted at the idiot.

His plan, as bizarre as it was, worked. The main group of archers noticed him and distracted several for a few moments. That was a few moments where they weren’t shooting arrows. They were laughing and grunting something from their gestures in Gonyaul’s direction. And then one of the archers gathered himself and advanced upon Gonyaul’s position.

Gonyaul frowned, he was hoping to get more of the archers from stopping their firing, but one was a start. The Vauxian made eye contact with the man and using his best acting skills pretended to be a helpless damsel in distress as he began backing away.