Quick little blurb

“Arkos! Arkos!” came the child-like call for the second time. The captain of the guard reined his horse to a halt, and looked over his shoulder to see a figure fast approaching in the moonlit night.
The figure – a young woman – stopped a few paces away, bent over and resting her hands on her knees as she panted to catch her breath in the frozen night air. Shoulder length black hair fell from her hooded cloak, slightly obscuring a soft, pale face. From beneath her fallen bangs peered bright green eyes, full of excitement, and ones that captivated Arkos with intrigue. He immediately recognized her as the serving girl that had tended to his table the night before, but could not recollect her name. It did appear however that her nail polish had continued to be picked at, for only a few specks and blotches remained.
“What do you want?” he finally asked, realizing he had already spent far too much time idling. He had pressing issues to attend to and could afford to wait no longer.
“I want…” she replied, still a bit out of breath. “I want to come with you.”
“We don’t take children,” the captain replied, a smile forming across his face at the notion. “Maybe when you’ve grown some you’ll be fit to swing a sword.”
The girl straightened up, brow furrowed slightly and visibly insulted. She brushed back her green, full-length cloak to reveal a short sword hanging off her hip. “I’m of age and can use this well. Please, you must let me come! I can’t possibly stay here!”
She sensed the captain’s hesitation on the matter, and pleaded further “Surely you can always use another!”
“That may be,” Arkos replied thoughtfully. “But I need strong and able bodies. Not ones that have no formal training whatsoever.”
Her shoulders dropped in disappointment.
“Our recruiter will pass through this spring, I’m sure you can sign up then,” he finally said, putting a final end to the matter. “I bid you farewell.”She watched him turn back and trot off into the darkness, with only the sounds of his horse’s footsteps to keep her company. If he would not take her now, perhaps she could convince him of her worth down the road. At the very least, it would get her out of her frigid prison. With that thought in mind, she turned back with a renewed sense of vigor to fetch the pack she had prepared at home. All she would have to do is slip and out unnoticed.