Chapter 107
1307 Words
ELAYNE
When I reached to collect the medallion, our hands brushed and a tingly sensation travelled up my arm. I snatched my hand back and thanked her in a rushed voice, moving away. I could hear her chuckle, which made me blush.
Lion walked up to me like that, wondering why I was blushing in the middle of the store.
“My lady, are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I got a medallion as a gift for the groom.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea. I found this one too. You like it?”
Lion gave me a medallion that had two dragons intertwined in each other. It was a medallion of pure gold with two tiny rubies as the eyes of the first dragon and two tiny sapphires as the eyes of the second dragon. It reminded me of the crest of my father’s house. I clenched it hard in my fist.
“Thank you Lion, I really like it.”
Tyler walked up to us with a brooch. It looked perfect and it went well with the hat I chose. His impressive fashion sense was dubious but I didn’t exactly hate it. We finished up our purchase and got ready to leave. I looked around the store for the woman and saw her staring straight at me. She winked and I bolted out of the store.
“Do you know that woman, my lady?”
“No but she gives me gooseflesh.”
“Well, my lady, as you’re such a handsome man, you have a lot of fans.”
“Fans?”
“There is always a crowd of women at the arena chanting your name before, during and after your fight. You might be too focused to notice but they are there. They are very fierce too.”
“I did notice but I thought they were bloodthirsty viewers.”
“That could be a part of it. Your fights are interesting to watch. His majesty thinks that too.”
“You mean the king has noticed me too?”
“It might have been a part of Prince Kalvin’s plan but after singing your praises day and night, the King now pays close attention to your fights.”
“That stupid prince.” I slapped my forehead, shaking my head.
“I’m sure he couldn’t help it, having such a competent partner like you, my lady.”
“Can’t you two stop this? He’s having a clandestine affair with someone and now he does this?”
“My lady, he’s not someone we can stop. Besides, we like you. Unlike the other ladies who have tried to force their way into his heart, you’re the only one who is not only mindful of us but respectful, responsible and you can keep him in place. Zerus knows we’ve tried.”
“... I understand. What else should we buy?”
“Why don’t we get the whole outfit? We can buy shoes, a dagger sheath and a dagger. It’ll be perfect.”
“A dagger sheath and a dagger? I don’t think that works.”
“Hmm, why not? It’s tradition in Zerramond to gift someone protective gear on the occasion of their wedding. I thought it was universal.”
“Well, in Casella, we gift three things. We gift spices, to make the marriage fruitful, a white rose so it can last forever and finally, money.”
“No significance?”
“Not really. Newly weds need money so we give them money.”
“Makes sense.”
“But, let’s get her a dagger sheath and a dagger. I’m sure she’d love it. Lead the way, Tyler.”
Our next stop wasn’t too far from the last one; a weapons shop. The heat of the furnace met our faces even though it wasn’t in the room. This time too, Tyler was embraced heartily by the owner of the shop. It was seemingly an old man but with biceps like that, it was hard to tell.
“If it isn’t Tyler?! How are you boy?”
“I’m doing quite well. I need a dagger, something as a wedding gift.”
“My, Boy! I know you’ve left the church but isn’t it too soon?”
“It’s not my wedding. It’s for a friend.”
“Ah! That’s fine. You’re in luck because I just made some daggers and their sheaths. They’re over there.”
“Thank you.”
“What about your company? Do they want anything?”
“Not really. We’ll be checking around.”
Tyler showed me the new daggers he made and I had to admit they all looked good. I wasn’t however very knowledgeable about weapons so I left Lion to decide. He decided to take his time scrutinizing every dagger on display without making a decision. Even Tyler was getting impatient.
“Can you pick one already?”
“I’m weighing my decisions, Tyler. Don’t rush me.”
“Can’t you just pick one? I think they’re all sharp enough.”
“Sharp enough? Sharp enough, my lady?! Don’t say that. I need to know everything about the weapon; the flexibility, how light it is, how fast it can travel, how visible it would be…”
“I’m hungry Lion.”
“... Well why didn’t you say so earlier? You can take these two over here.” Lion gave an appeasing smile.
“Lion, you arse!” Tyler growled, kicking his behind. He took the daggers and went to pay for them. Lion chuckled, rubbing his behind.
“Do you intentionally annoy Tyler, Lion?”
“Perhaps. I like to see his face contort. I don’t like his face when it’s neutral.”
“That’s twisted.”
“Perhaps.”
A few more minutes and we were out of the store.
“What do you want to eat, my lady?”
“Something filling. What would you recommend, Tyler?”
“There’s an inn around here if you want…”
“Shush Tyler, this is not your time anymore. My lady, I know the perfect place for you to eat lunch today. Follow me.”
I look at Tyler and he shrugs. The two have their hands full carrying my things, making me feel a bit bad. I try to take some from Tyler but he shakes his head firmly. Lion just runs to the front.
“You can feel free to leave it to us, my lady. It’s not that heavy.”
“I don’t want to hear you complain about your hands when we get back.”
“So I can’t demand a massage then?”
“I’ll break your fingers.”
“How mean! They’re my tools of trade, you know.”
“Even better.”
Tyler laughs, throwing his head back. I roll my eyes and follow after Lion until we get to where he’s taking us. Unlike what I was expecting, it was quite a luxurious inn, similar to the one we waited in when we were back in Casella. Lion pulls a few workers aside and dump the things in both their hands into theirs, giving them some coins. He urged us into the inn afterwards.
“Welcome back to the Golden Carp Hotel, Lord Heart. How can we serve you?”
“We just want lunch. Give us your finest menu and the best place to dine.”
“Come this way please.”
The hostess leads us to the top floor of the west wing of the hotel where the dining area was located. It was quite the view, even extending to the arena. The private room sat ten men easily and the decorations were just what one would expect from a luxurious hotel. However-
“Lion, your family name is Heart?”
- Writer
