The elf led us further into the palace and towards the armoury. Finally, we came to a set of stairs that led downwards. After heading down, we found ourselves in a hallway with multiple doorways leading off from it. The elf led us to one of these and stopped outside.

“As the king instructed, please help yourself to any of the suits of armour in here. I will wait outside until you are finished.” He told us.

“Thank you, I will.”

The five of us piled into the room while the elf waited just outside the door. There were suits of armour of every description hanging on the walls. At first, I didn’t even know where to begin looking.

“Well, aren’t you the lucky one being given an extra reward and getting to pick though all of this fancy gear.” Siofra said while putting her arm over my shoulder.

“I am.”

“He is, this is the royal armoury. Only the highest ranked knights and members of the royal family get to wear suits of this calibre.” Explained Lillia.

“That’s quite something.” I replied.

“Yes… Well father does like to put on a good front. That said, most of these won’t be of much use to you, not in our line of work. You need something light and mobile, something that’s not going to slow you down. Let’s start with picking out items that fit that bill and then we’ll see what will fit you.” Lillia suggested.

“Sounds like a good idea to me.” I agreed.

All five us started looking though the various suits hung on the walls for something that would be of use to me. After about half an hour of sifting through the items, we had a small pile of options for me to try on. About half of the items were quickly discarded because they wouldn’t fit and after trying on several things. Finally, I was left with a lightweight chain mail shirt, a fine looking padded long sleeved t shirt, it was somehow lighter yet better padded than what I had already. Then there was a complete set of dark looking leather trousers, cuirass, articulated pauldrons, bracers and greaves. For leather it seemed exceptionally tough, but supple.

“I know this all looks nice, but is it going to be any stronger than the leather armour that I already have?” I asked.

“Yes, that isn’t any normal leather. It’s made from troll hide, without wearing one of those full suits there is no better protection. The chain mail will give you added protection as well. This is quite the upgrade for you.” Answered Lillia.

“That’s reassuring and it all feels lighter that what I already had.” I said while walking around the room to test it out.

The only part of the outfit that didn’t fit me was the boots and the helmet, but after some searching, we managed to find some items that matched the rest suitably. Like everything else in the room, they were also of high quality. Just knowing that I was better protected from head to toe was going to make me feel that much more comfortable next time we were out in the field.

Happy with the selection, I changed back into my normal clothes and then we left the room to join the elf that was stood in the corridor waiting.

“Did you manage to find something suitable?” He asked as we stepped out.

“Yes… Is it alright for me to take this?” I asked showing the selection I had picked out.

“Yes of course, his majesty ordered it.” He replied, while looking over the gear.

“Great.”

“You’ve picked out a fine selection here. This will all serve you well. I’ll report to the king that we have provided for you, just as he asked.”

“Thanks, I hope it does.”

“What will you do now? If you like I can show you around the grounds, I believe this is your first time here.” Asked the elf.

“It is.”

“I’m sure that Theo would love to be shown around, but I’m afraid that we need to be on our way. Thank you for the offer though.” Lillia said brushing off his offer.

“Perhaps next time. Would you like me to see you to the exit?”

“That’s not necessary, I know the way well.”

“As you wish. Then I will leave you. I wish you all luck in your adventurers.” The elf said with a bow before turning and leaving.

“Do we really need to rush off?” I asked once we were alone.

“We don’t need to rush, but we need to find new accommodation for the night remember?”

“Yes… It would be uncomfortable in the guild now. We’d struggle to get a moments rest.”

“Exactly and I’d prefer to start looking before it gets too late. So, we should probably get a move on.”

“Right.”

Lillia started heading back the way we had come from and the rest of the group followed behind. I clutched my pile of new gear as we left and hung back a little. Altria was at the back of the group and she still had a look on her face that made me worry a bit.

“We’ll need to talk later.” She told me as I walked alongside her.

“That sounds like it’s something Important.”

“It is.”

“What is it about?”

“I don’t feel comfortable talking about it here.”

“Okay… Um, is everything, I mean you are alright, aren’t you?”

“I am.” She said turning to me and looking like she realised something. “I’m fine and I’m not bothered that you won’t tell me what you discussed with mother. I’m sure that she made sure that you would keep it between you… She always manages to put me in a strange mood, she means well but you should know she is more manipulative than she appears.”

“I’ll bear that in mind.”

“Anyway, that isn’t what I wanted to talk to you about. When we find a place for the night we’ll talk when we get a chance.” She said making an effort to smile.

I was still clueless about what she needed to talk to me about later, but I felt better knowing that she wasn’t brooding about the events of the previous day. I was definitely relieved that she guessed that I didn’t have a choice about keeping quiet.

After a few minutes of walking, Lillia had led us back to the large courtyard. The carriage that had brought us here was still there waiting. The driver was stood nearby and after noticing that we had returned approached us.

“Your highness.”

“We’re returning to the city now. Are you able to take us?” Lillia asked.

“Certainly. Please climb onboard.” The driver said opening the door for her.

The five of us climbed in and once we were all safely seated the driver pulled the reins. The carriage turned around and headed back out through the tunnel and over the bridge out of the palace. Before long we were heading down the hill and through the small wood. About ten minutes later and we were entering the square in front of the guild. Lillia slid the window to the driver open.

“Please drop us here.”

The carriage came to a halt almost immediately and the driver got down and opened the door for us. Once we had all climbed out and thanked the driver, they set off again in the direction of the palace.

 “Well, Lillia do you have anywhere in mind for us to stay?” Asked Serin.

“I do and the last time I visited it wasn’t frequented by many adventurers. If things haven’t changed it should suffice. Unless anyone else has any suggestions?”

“Sounds perfect to me.”

“Good, it’s where Siofra is staying as well, so we’ll all be together.”

No one else had any suggestions so we all followed Lillia to the place she had in mind. It was about a ten minute walk from the square and it was a few roads down from any of the main streets. The whole area was quite a bit quieter than the other areas we had visited. It didn’t look like that the place would have much footfall. I guessed that unless people were exploring and came across it, they would be unlikely to visit, unless they knew about it beforehand. It seemed that Lillia’s guess that it would provide a quiet place for us to stay would be correct.

It was an old looking three story building and was almost as quiet as the street outside when we entered. There were a few people sat in the bar area to the right of the reception desk, but there was no one else in sight. Lillia walked up to the desk and rang the bell. A few moments later a bespectacled girl carrying a bucket of water and cloth hurried around the corner.

“Oh, excuse me. I was just doing some cleaning and didn’t hear you come in. How can I help you?” She asked.

“Do you have any rooms for the night?” Asked Lillia.

“Yes, we have plenty available, um is it four singles?” The girl asked glancing up and down our group.

“Yes please.”

“One moment.”

The girl quickly checked through a book, before retrieving several keys from behind the desk.

“Here you go. We serve food until nine so come down whenever you like. The rooms are all on the top floor.”

“Thanks.” Lillia said while taking the keys.