A/N: AU from Tales for the tammydrabbles prompt Genderbending. Please read and review!

Disclaimer: TP owns Tortall, but I suppose Mercy and Marinus are my own.

“You ‘ave to feel sorry for that lad,” a villager commented. The young knight, who had finished haggling over the price of a new shoe for her horse and was now simply standing around, ensuring Valiant’s good behaviour, eavesdropped diligently.

The other villager, a woman the knight recognised as being the local busybody and having given her the evil eye when she turned out to be female, harrumphed. “I don’t think it’s right for a lad to be doing so much o’ the work o’ that ‘ouse.”

“Well, someone’s got to look after them children,” the first villager –also someone the knight recognised, after a little racking of brains; the innkeeper’s wife- pointed out practically.

“Why can’t Master Woodsman marry again, is what I want to know?” the busybody demanded.

“Hush yer mouth, will you? Master Woodsman was in love with his wife-“

“An’ she was a good-fer-nothin’ Rider! Less morals’n a cat!”

“You ‘ush, d’you hear me? Timo Woodsman was a brave woman, for all you di’n’t like her!” the innkeeper’s wife hissed. “An’ you not likin’ ‘er when she was alive en’t no reason to be nasty about ‘er son now she’s dead! Marinus’s a good lad. Looks after his brothers and sisters a treat, he does, and ‘e’s an ‘ard worker, as I should know, him workin’ in the inn and all. Very ‘andy with tossin’ out the nastier customers, ‘e is, and so polite about it.”

‘Marinus’. The knight was almost positive that the inn-keeper’s wife had said Marinus, although she’d said it in a funny way, swallowing the i so that it sounded more like Marnus. The knight looked around for this ‘Marinus’, and saw the only possible candidate across the way, a tall young man about her age with very fair hair cropped short, and a couple of younger brothers and sisters in tow. He had evidently just been on some errand, and one of the younger sisters was complaining about something.

“Don’t see why I can’t ‘ave sweeties if’n I want ‘em!”

“Because I say so. That’s enough, Linda, or you won’t be getting supper!”

That’s interesting, the knight thought, watching the girl scowl at her brother. He has a more educated accent than she does. Marinus ignored young Linda easily, and suddenly looked straight at the knight, who noticed that he had very pale blue eyes and a decided jawline.

But just then the knight was required to help the blacksmith manage the destrier in order to apply the horseshoe, and when that was done and she was leading Valiant away, back to the camp they’d set up not far from the village headman’s house, there was no sign of Marinus or his brothers and sisters.

Mercy felt strangely disappointed.