FVN 5-23 Friends
5-23 Friends
5-23 Friends
The shout, filled with desperation and urgency, came from a soldier, on horseback, who dashed up to the captain of the group of riders. The captain frowned upon seeing the soldiers. As if the storm clouds had returned, the captain’s face turned dark.
“What is it, Diorun?” the captain asked.
The messenger, with an uneasy expression, spared a brief glance at Erin, before straightening his gaze at the captain. “A message from one of the Blue Cloaks at the camp.”
“A Valdrun knight? What business do they have now?”
“These people here are the friends of the High Lady. They are not to be... harassed or vexed, as the Blue Cloaks put it.”
“What?” The captain’s eyes widened. “Is this a joke?”
“It isn’t, Captain. They were very clear with their... demands.”
The captain narrowed his eyes. “Is that all to their demands?”
“They have been granted free passage to the capital.”
The captain tutted. “Unbelievable.” He stared at Erin and the messenger back and forth.
There was a moment of awkward silence. Everyone’s eyes were on the captain as all awaited the decision. The outcome was obvious but it didn’t lessen the blow on the captain’s pride.
Regardless, a soldier could not defy an order from the higher-ups. With a face of reluctance, the captain gave the command. The riders backed away from Erin and her companions and returned to their formation.
“Heed my words, Fae. Your exemption from military inspection and tolls does not mean an exemption from the laws themselves.” The captain left such words with Erin before riding off with his men and also the messenger.
“What a sore loser,” Amyra huffed. “I didn’t see a stick up his arse but he sure acted like one who did.”
“Not uncommon,” Siv said. “Lord Hegan himself had encountered a few of such people. There will always be those who can’t help themselves to abuse the power they had.”
Lyra, who nearly snarled at the captain, sighed in relief. “It really helps to have friends in high places.”
“How stupidly bold of them,” Nivia scoffed. “Do they not fear the consequences of provoking a Fae’s displeasure and deprecation?”
Lilian tittered. “Believe it or not, my dear Nivia, there are some out there who still believe that notion is nothing more than make-believe, a ploy by the Fae to reign superior social standing.”
“These idiots would risk destroying the well-being of their own people just to stroke their ego.”
“To them, there is no such risk as they didn’t even believe in that story in the first place.”
“I pity those who lived close to such a person. They would have to bear the brunt of someone else’s fault.”
“Let’s just keep moving. We don’t want to be out here in the wilderness after sunset,” Erin said.
Everyone nodded— except for Aera.
“Aera, what’s wrong?” asked Erin.
“W-what about Aedan? Shouldn’t we wait for him?”
“Ah, that person.” Nivia tutted. “I have actually forgotten about him.”
“He’s capable, Aera,” Siv said. “I’m sure Master would—”
“Hold on, there. Master?” Erin questioned.
“You’re my Mistress. By right, he should be—”
“Stop right there, Siv.” Erin sighed. “He may be my lover but he’s not my... spouse, alright?”
Lilian snickered.
“Then how should I address him?”
“His name alone will be fine. In my case too.”
“But—”
“Can we save this drama for later?” Nivia cut in. “You know, after we found a roof over our heads.”
“Of course, Nivia.” Erin smiled wryly. “Let us get moving.”
“We will head for Port Ikon,” said Erin.
As their original plan of course had been altered, they retreated into the trees, off the main road, to discuss their next course of plan.
“You can’t be serious,” Lyra retorted.
“Is there something wrong with that idea?”
“Mistress, if I may?”
“Just speak, Siv.”
“Port Ikon is famous for a few of its peculiar, rowdy locals. Troublemakers, in short, but that’s putting it lightly. Most important of all, there will be many slavers.”
“Slavers? Actual slavers?”
Siv nodded. “Yes, Mistress.”
“And the town’s guards do nothing about them?”
“Corruption runs amok the kingdom, Mistress.”
“Of course.” Erin sighed. “How trite. But what other choice do we have? The other path will add a week’s time to our journey. Port Ikon may not be a good option but it is better than all the other options we have on our hands.”
“No objections from me,” said Amyra with a toothy grin. “If those thugs want a fight, I’ll give them a good one.”
“I concur with Amyra, Mistress. We are not damsels. We are not without powerful friends. Lord Hegan has plenty of friends at Port Ikon. They can be our shields.”
“But you no longer work for him.”
“My relations with Lord Hegan’s friends are... amicable, to say the least. A couple of them even owe me some personal favours. One of them being the port’s overseer.”
Lilian tittered. “If that is the case, Port Ikon certainly doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”
“Port Ikon it is, I guess,” Lyra muttered.
Erin clapped her hands. “Alright then, since everyone is in agreement, let us be on our way.”
****
It was an hour or two after midday when the group finally reached Port Ikon. The streets were bustling with life and activities much like the city of Sephrodia Valley. It was also quite noisy but unlike Sephrodia, the noises here were brash and clamorous.
It was a town filled with merchants from various corners of the world. It was essentially a trading port. Adventurers were easily spotted from just a simple glance despite the lack of game nearby. The heavy presence of adventurers was due to the fact that more than half of the merchants here had weapons and battle gear as their goods for sale.
As these goods were sold by the firsthand procurers themselves, the prices were much lower than those in the other cities and towns. Moreover, Port Ikon was conveniently situated along the path that led to many prominent towns and cities.
“Where do we go from here?” Lyra asked, looking at Siv.
Siv, in turn, looked at Erin.
“We’ll look for a place to rest first. We have someone we need to wait for.”
“That would be difficult, Mistress,” said Siv.
“Difficult how?”
“The lodgings here are... reserved only for the richest. Common folks like us would need to make do with camps. Thankfully, the woods around here are relatively safe. The only threat in the woods is other people.”
“Well then, It’s time to put those favours to use, Siv,” said Lyra.
“That’s just wasteful, Lyra,” Siv retorted. “These favours are not to be taken lightly and I can’t, in goodwill, recommend using those favours just to get some lodgings for even a night.”
“We could wait at a diner or a tavern and grab ourselves something to eat or drink while we’re there,” Amyra proposed.
“Or we can just wait at the edge of the town,” Nivia suggested. “I wager it’s only a few tens of minutes wait unless that dunce lost track of us.”
“I’m hurt, my dear Nivia,” came the sudden response from behind the girls. “Do you take me for an utter simpleton that can’t find his way?”
As the port was filled with all sorts of noises and all manners of smell, neither Erin nor Siv sensed Aedan’s approach.
“Took you long enough,” Erin muttered, crossing her arms. Despite the displeased frown, her heart became a hundred times lighter.