Chapter 4: The Town of New Heinsvil
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It felt refreshing to finally not smell like sweat, grime, and excrement. We got the cheapest room at the inn to share and I took a bath almost immediately. 

For the first time ever, I am genuinely happy to be inside a tavern, enjoying the loud night and the brawl fights despite not knowing anybody else. I sat by the bar being merry. We managed to pay for our expenses thanks to Ruveon’s impeccable musical artistry. He had this ethereal allure that drew in the ladies (squealing, by the way), and the way he smiles is so charming that I forgot for a moment that it was THE same Ruveon who would eat poisonous mushrooms for lunch. He can also perform any instrument skillfully, whether be his trusty flute or the tavern’s lute, which by the way he accompanied with his sensual crooning. He performed for the inn and got us enough coins for our accommodation.

“Miss Latisha~” Ruveon called out (in his singsong carefree voice)  after his captivating performance. Wow. Ruveon onstage and off-stage really is different...  He happily put down his tankard now filled with coins in front of me. He then proceeds to drink his mead that he infused with purple mushrooms because apparently it adds a stronger kick. I'm not tasting any of that.

“Woah. That’s a lot.” I commented. He grinned proudly. He then whips out a scroll and he starts writing with a piece of charcoal. I lean over to peek at what he’s writing. To be honest, I don’t get much since I was never taught to read or write. He looks at me and he smiled.

“I’m chronicling what has happened to us thus far.” he told me while he wrote. 
“What for?” I wondered why he would want to do that.
“I told you guys---” he said with a warm smile, “I’m looking for an epic to write down.” 
I felt my heart skip a beat. Me? In an epic? As in --- like a story of heroes??? I felt quite excited! Who would’ve known that lowly farmer Latisha would be the main character of that story?
“O-ohh…?” I simply say, trying to hide my excitement.

Ruveon continued his writing when I overheard a few drunkards talking.
“Heyy… have you heard…?” one of them says, chugging from his mug.
“Yeah? What?”
“Apparently--- from the capital---- princess snatched.” the man slurs, making big gestures. The other guy snorts and drinks from his mug. My ears perked.
“And get this, you know? The damned kingdom, they summoned these people… you know, that story them grannies used to tell? Yeah those same people. Sword of the sky or sumthin’ ” the drunk man continued. He’s not wrong though. I focus on their conversation.
“Yeah, I heard.” the other guy replied. He sighed and rolled his eyes, “Also from what I heard, they’re on their way over here.”

My heart leaped when I heard. We might be able to get back home faster than I thought. Ignoring my better judgement, I moved closer to the two.

“Excuse me, where’d you hear that info?” I asked them. They looked at me.
“Eeeeeeh? Who are you?” the drunk guy said, leaning in closer to me. I recoiled backwards slightly. His breath reeks of alcohol.
“Well you see--- I’m from the capital.” I told them. The drunk guy picked his frowned and picked his nose.

“And so? Look, either you’re a bar dancer or an entertainer but… you only talk to me if you wanna entertain me, got it?” he slurs. Eugh. “... but looking at you, I’m not sure if I even wanna get it on, y’know?” he adds, laughing loudly. What?! How rude! I felt my ears turning red. The other, more sober, guy sighs shaking his head.

“Please forgive his attitude.” He tells me. I shrug.

“Actually what we heard are just gossips from merchants. Apparently the capital summoned the heroes to ‘save’ the princess from the demon king.” he says, making a quotation gesture at the word saves. I raise an eyebrow. He takes another sip from his mug.
“Look, this is all hearsay, but…” he leans in closer, “Apparently with the impending chaos, our kingdom needs allies.” he says.

“Of course we do. Who doesn’t?” I reply.

“Yeah, that’s the thing… From what I heard, the king was supposed to marry off her daughter to an eastern kingdom to form an alliance.” the man said. My heart skipped a beat. Stella’s going to be married off?

“Unfortunately, the princess got kidnapped by the demons and so there is a political turmoil right now, or so I heard.” he whispers. He finishes his drink and hauled his drinking buddy on his shoulder, who has now passed out. “You didn’t hear this from me though.” he said.

I tried to absorb what I just heard. I mean, I knew that getting married off as a noble was normal, but it was a shocker for me, honestly. I mean, I got to know Stella just a little bit, and with just knowing her even just a bit, it felt kind of strange knowing that she was about to be married off. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, but somehow it does not sit well with me… I tried to shrug it off.

Ruveon and I made our way back to the inn. We were welcomed by the innkeeper’s young son, Lucca.

“How was the night?” he asked while wiping the tables on the first floor.
“It was fine, thanks.” I replied.
“By the way, the miss that you were with has returned earlier. She went up to your room.” he added as we walked past him. I nodded, “Alright, thanks.”

Stella, huh?

When we got back up, Stella was in front of the mirror…

… and she has cut her hair short!

I gaped at her. Ruveon looked at her curiously, one hand on his chin.

“Oh, welcome back.” She welcomed us with a smile. Her hair now only reaches up to just above her shoulders. And she doesn’t even mind.
“P-princess…!” I muttered, looking at her hair, horrified. “Why’d you cut your hair?”

She looked up, thinking, then she shrugged, “It’s a pain to maintain without a maid, you know.” she replied nonchalantly, she then turned back to the mirror, admiring her (poor) handiwork.
“You still look pretty, though.” Ruveon commented.
“Right? I’ve always wanted to try this hairstyle. Mother would always stop me, though.” Stella replied.

I do not know much about nobles’ customs but I do know that noble women tend to keep their hair long. It was kind of a sign --- or a luxury that they have because they need not work. Short hair means you do physical labor and thus long hair interferes with that. Noble women are proud of their longer hair which would sometimes be dolled up with different accessories… but THE princess has cut her own hair!!!!

“Besides, if we’re going to be on the road much longer, I thought that shorter hair would be a lot more practical.” Stella happily announced. She kept on touching her hair proudly.

“Erm… about that… about staying on the road, there might be a little problem about staying on the road…” I say, thinking about the cart going back to the capital
“Oh, I get it. I’ve already taken care of that.” she grinned. Wait, so she knew we were going back?

She excitedly pulls out a small sling bag and emptied its contents onto the bed. A plethora of bottles, pouches, parcels, dried sprigs, and other apothecary materials spilled onto the bed. I’m confused. Ruveon looked interested as he muttered a hushed “Ooooh!”

“What…?” was all I could say as I looked at Stella’s excited grin. She quickly rummaged through her items identifying them one by one.
“Look, if we’re going to be on the road, we need a way to defend ourselves, yes?” she asked.
“No wait…” I began, but Ruveon interjected. “We can’t really fight, though.” he says.

“Yes, I figured. So I got us some alchemical trinkets, such as this one.” she lifts a small bottle filled with red liquid, “This is bottled flames. Thrown, it creates a blanket of flames.” She then lifted up a bundled dried sprig of… something. “This one is a sprig of hazelberry bush. When lit, it creates a thick smoke --- good for escapes!” she says.

“Wait a minute, Stella --- calm down.” I told her. I sigh. “See, I heard from around town that the summoned heroes will arrive here soon.” I tell her.
“Summoned heroes?” Stella asked, her smile still plastered on her face.
“Oh, I’ve heard about them.” Ruveon says, sitting on the bed. “Supposedly, a kingdom can summon heroes in dire times.” he shrugs. “I’m not really interested in those kinds of stories, to be honest. I very much prefer stories about regular people rising to become heroes against all odds…” he crosses his arms and frowns, “... and not some ‘chosen ones’...”

Well, I for one always loved the stories about the chosen heroes from another world, but whatever floats his boat. Now to get back to the princess…

“The capital has actually summoned those heroes to get you back, princess.” I explained, “And they are headed here. I think it’s in our best interest to… maybe… head back with them.” I say. I remembered what the tavern guy said --- about how Stella would be married off to some noble for an alliance. Stella sighed then slumped on the bed.

"Erm… I'm sorry but, I have no interests in going back." She said with a blank expression, "At least, not yet." She adds. I frowned.
"Not to be rude, but you do realize that the longer we're out here, the more danger we're in?" I try to persuade her.
"I'm quite aware." She smiled. "However, there is something I must fulfill before going back home." She says. I began to wonder if something happened with her back at the demon castle.
"Wouldn't it be easier if we got help from the capital for this something you have to do?" I argued.
"No. That is one thing I cannot do." Stella adamantly refused. I was about to argue back when Ruveon touched my shoulder.
"Miss Latisha, you have to understand that there are some things that people have to do with their own hands." Ruveon tells me with an understanding smile.

There was a beat of silence in the room, save for the rustling sound of Stella's trinkets as she shoves them back into her bag, still retaining her smile, though I can barely make out her lips quivering. There were a lot that I still wanted to say but I don't think I'll grt through to her right now.

"Okay. I understand." I say with a sigh. "But please think it through, yeah?" I tell as I walk out of the room. "I need some fresh air."

The night was deep and not much people were on the streets. Heck, only the inn had its light on. I looked up at the sky. It was a cloudy night, with the full moon occasionally peeking between the clouds. I took the time to collect my thoughts. I do not think I'm wrong for wanting to get back home. And what does the princess hope to achieve? And Ruveon and his talk of writing an epic about us? It seems to good to be true 'cause me as a hero? I don't think so. Sure it would've been amazing if we DID do something amazing but seriously, I just wanted to go home and grow vegetables for Aeros's sake. And I honestly think Princess Stella is being naive for thinking that what she's planning to do is better than getting help from the capital. She knows nothing about the real world, after all. I guess if Ruveon and Stella truly did not want to go back, then I'll leave them behind. There's really no more reason for us to stick together. We managed to escape the orcs together, true, but we had different interests in the first place. Whatever the two decides, I'll be going home by tomorrow. As I wallowed in my swirling thoughts, I heard soft whispers coming from the alley next to the inn.

Curious, I moved closer and peeked. Why, if it isn't young Lucca with a cloaked figure… a girl? He had the sweetest smile, that it made my heart go "Awwwww…"
"Lu… what if someone sees us?" The girl giggles.
"Let them be." Lucca replies with a grin. He then leans in for a kiss.

Whoooo. Things are getting steamy here.

"But my father… he would never approve." The girl says.
"Lyla… It doesn't matter. I'll be become a man worthy of you that not even the mayor will not disapprove." Lucca says resolutely, caressing the girl's cheek. A forbidden love, eh?? My (middle aged) maiden heart is going crazy! And what's with Lucca and that line??? He's so young yet it makes him look so cool darn it! I support this young love! 

"I think it's time you get back home." Lucca tells her.
"But I want to stay next to you just a bit longer…" the girl, Lyla, replies.
"Don't worry. Once your father approves of me, we'll be together for a long… long time." He says. Damn! Lucca gives Lyla a peck on the cheek. "Love you." He says. Lyla nods, "Yeah. See you, Lu." Lyla says, moving away.

Ahhh… young love.

Before I knew it, though, I get yanked by the collat and I felt cold steel on my neck!

What the hell?!?!

"You saw that, didn't you?" A cold, low, yet familiar voice says.
"W-what? Who? Whaaa???" I stammered. My mind blanked and I'm beginning to panic! I could feel my heart jumping around like crazy! What did I do???

The person yanked me, facing him. I froze. It was young Lucca. But he was just there a few seconds ago! And unlike his usual happy and determined face, or his young and vibrant energy, he had a serious look on his face with a glint in his eye that seemed to pierce my soul. Even worse, he exudes a threatening aura.

"What? Mister Lucca…?" Was all I could say.
"I should probably slit your throat right here, right now." He whispers into my ear with a cold voice. I felt a chill down my spine and knees are shaking.
"But, knowing that you and your merry band of ignorants will be gone tomorrow, I see no reason for unnecessary bloodshed." He says.
"Th- thank---" I began to mutter.
"Don't get me wrong, though." He pressed the knife closer to my neck to the point that I felt  sharp sting and warm droplet snaked down my neck. I whimpered. "You tell anyone, even a single soul about what you saw in this alley, I'll make sure you disappear without a trace." He says before pushing me away. I collapse onto the floor, gasping for breath. Shiteeee! I felt my breath shaking.

"Well then, miss. Have a nice night and I hope you find the room comfortable." Lucca says in his usual voice. What the hell? With shaking knees, I went back up our room. My breaths were short and shaking. I did not even realize that a few tears had escaped my eye! Damn. Luckily, Ruveon and Stella are already asleep. I rolled out the room's mat and I grab a pillow from Ruveon and I lay down. I whimpered and silently sobbed involuntarily. It was a life and death situation for Aeros's sake. You can't blame me for shedding a tear or two, can you?!

I didn't get much sleep that night, but I was comforted with the hope that I'll be home the next day.

But all my hopes were dashed when morning came. There was quite a commotion happening. My blurry vision could see Stella looking out the window. I heard running water. Ruveon must be in the bath.

I rubbed my eyes and scratched my head. 

"Miss Latisha…" Stella said, noticing me awake. She pulls me on my feet. I was still a bit groggy.
"What…? What's wrong…?" I ask. Ruveon just came out of the bath. It smelled of blossoms and herbs. It looked weird seeing him all clean and in decent clothes. His hair looked even silkier. “Is there a lynching going on?” he asked.

The three of us moved towards the window. I felt my gut turn upside down. On the big tree in the middle of the square, a corpse was pinned. It was bloodied, creating a pool of blood near the tree's roots, and a crimson cascade on the trunk. The corpse's head was blindfolded and its neck was slit open. I instinctively touched my neck, remembering last night's event. I was horrified, yet I kept my composure thanks to my experience at the orc lair. It seems like Ruveon and Stella were the same. Stella simply covered her mouth while Ruveon crossed his arms, frowning.

"That's unsightly… what happened?" Ruveon clicked his tongue.
As he says that, someone from the town square frantically screamed.
"HELP HELP!!! THE MAYOR IS DEAD!" He screamed.

I felt myself go cold. The town square was filled with murmurs. 

We made our way down. I caught glimpse of Lucca. He had the same expression as he did last night. Don't tell me…? He caught me looking at him. His expression changed to a more shocked one. I can't help but feel suspicious.

As we made our way to the square, someone pushed through the crowd. It was a young girl with long auburn hair. She had a horrified expression. She collapsed on her knees near the tree.

"No… no… daddy..??!" She whimpered. A few people consoled her as she wailed. She must be Lyla.
“Oh Aeros…” was all I could mutter. I instinctively looked back towards the inn. I barely saw  Lucca gritting his teeth. 
“Seems like trouble’s brewing.” I told Stella and Ruveon. “It looks like it’s in our best interest to hit the road, now.” I say, trying to convince them to leave, and maybe --- just maybe --- they’ll agree to go back to the capital.
“You’re right.” Stella says. Ruveon nods.

I sigh. I thought they would go all gung-ho and say ‘Oh, why don’t we help the town solve the mayor murder mystery???’. To be honest, it’s not far fetched to think that. All my hopes of leaving for the capital was dashed to the ground when we arrived at the stables.

“Sorry ma’am. No can do.” the stable manager says with a frown.
“What? But why?” I asked.
“Well, with the recent… *ahem* incident.” he leans in closer to whisper the last word, “The town is in a lockdown to find out who the culprit is.” he explains. What? Oh, just my luck.
“Is there really no way we can leave right now?” I ask.
“Nope, not that I know of.” the stable manager says with a shrug. “Just wait ‘till this thing blows over.” he advises.

I sigh again, scratching my head. Great. Just great. I got threatened, we end up with a dead mayor, and now the city is in a lockdown. I sigh a third time.

“Hey, cheer up.” Ruveon says, pinching my cheeks. “Smile, smile. You’re prettier that way. Besides this'll all blow over soon.” he tells me with a smile. Hearing that made me feel relieved. "I mean, the mayor just died, right? They elect a new one and all's fine, yeah?" he says with a carefree tone. Nope, I don't feel relieved at all. For real though? I don’t really care what happens to this town right now… I just… I just want to go home. Am I selfish for thinking that? Probably. But who cares?

“Well then, I’ll head back first to the inn and see if I can get an extension on our lodging.” Stella says as she turns heel and waved goodbye. Well, it’s just me and Ruveon again.

We stroll through town. Almost everyone is talking in hushed whispers and worried faces. 

“There’s a killer among us…”
“Who would’ve done such a terrible thing…?”
“Lyla, the poor child.”

As we walked through the town, a guard approaches us.
“Excuse me. You two are not from around here, yes?” he asks.
“Indeed.” Ruveon answered.
“Well, please come with us. Right now everyone from outside town are being taken in for questioning.” the guard informs us. I felt my stomach drop. What’s this anxiety?
“But--- but we’ve done nothing…” I muttered involuntarily. Of course, Latisha. Sure, that would make you seem less suspicious.
“That may be so, but it’s part of the protocol.” the guard replied. “Especially now that the Captain of the Guard is the de facto town leader.”

We were escorted to the town’s barracks. As we passed by the town square, the mayor’s body has been moved and was covered in a white sheet. Lyla was still weeping over her father’s corpse. My heart goes out to her. And it’s even more painful to see that Lucca is nowhere in sight to support his beloved. A few townsfolk are cleaning the mess.

We reached the barracks.

Gathered inside were people of different origins --- merchants, mercenaries, travellers, and so on. 

We were called in to one of the rooms.

When Ruveon and I entered, we saw people we did not expect to see, and I am not happy to see them. Inside the room with us were the merchant’s bodyguards --- the same ones that disliked us for doing their job better than them. I saw the leader scowl at me. He still hasn’t gotten over that, huh?

Sitting behind a lacquered desk was who I assumed to be the captain of the guard.

“Captain Macario, at your service.” the man said with a low voice. He seems to be in his early 50s. He is well built and has a neatly trimmed and maintained facial hair. His orange hair is neatly combed backwards. He exudes an aura of authority.

“According to our guards, this group arrived the day before, correct?” he asked.
We nodded.
“Just to be safe, you have been gathered here so that we can collect information. So if any of you knows anything, now’s the time to tell us now.” the captain says.

For some reason, I remembered the scene from last night. Lucca and Lyla. Apparently, the mayor is against their love. I don’t know if that has to do with anything but…

“With all respect sir, but I don’t think me and my crew have anything to do with it.” the bodyguard sellsword leader claims. Captain Macario faces him with a curious look.
“We are merely sellswords hired by a merchant to guard his caravan.” he explains. It’s true. And it’s also true that they did a poor job at that. 
“This group, however ---” the leader points at us, “You might want to see this.” he says with a malicious grin. The leader walks over to us and pulls away Ruveon’s hat, revealing his pointed ears!

Everyone in the room gasps. Ruveon's expression turned grim. I felt the pit in my stomach grow deeper.

“A half-elf?! In the middle of town?”
“What is the meaning of this?”
“Wait… could he be sent by the opposing kingdom…?”

The guards began murmuring amongst themselves. For a second, captain Macario also lost his composure, his eyes widened with shock as he stared at Ruveon’s visage. I’m confused. Like, really confused, y’all. I mean, what does his being half-elf have to do with anything?!

“If anyone’s suspicious, it’s them, sir. That’t not all. A person who looks a lot like the missing princess is also with them.” the leader adds. Oh no… I don’t like where this is going.

“Wait.” Ruveon speaks up. This is the second time I saw this expression. It’s somehow melancholic and grim. He’s not his usual calm, upbeat, and idiotic self. “I know the reputation our kind has, but I’m merely a travelling minstrel, and this lady here is a farmer. We were simply passing through town.” he explains.

“Oh really? So you’re telling us that people who took out the bandits with ease are simple farmers and minstrels? I think not.” the leader says. What is up with him?!

“But it’s true! I’m a farmer from the capital! I came here to get a ride back because I was kidnapped by orcs!” I frantically explained. The captain’s eyes narrowed. “Orcs you say?” he says. “Yes, and we managed to escape. All I want to do is get back to the capital!”

“Besides! Elves and half-breeds are known for their silver tongues, if not for their reputation as slaves! Who’s to say that these people are not sent from another kingdom to assassinate the mayor!” the leader pushed. I felt fury boiling --- and at the same time, terror. We were being framed! I glanced at Ruveon. He was looking down, biting his lip. I squeezed his arm, as if to comfort him. He glanced at me, and I nodded at him. A faint smile crossed his lips.

“Wait.” the captain says. “All we have is hearsay. What you may be saying is true, it may be not, but ---” before the captain finishes his sentence, the door bursts open. A few guards barge in, dragging along Stella, who was kicking and struggling!

“Let go of me!” she yelled.

“Why… if it isn’t the spitting image of the princess…” the captain said.
“Because I AM the princess!” Stella replied. There she goes again. Claiming her identity when convenient. But I agree with her this time.
“No, she’s not. First, the princess is in the demon castle, being saved by the heroes. Second, look at her hair. Nobles do not cut their hair. She’s probably a fake sent by who knows?” the mercenary leader says.

“What is the meaning of this interruption?” the captain asks one of the guards dragging Stella, who was eyeing them angrily.

“Pardon us sir.” one of the guards say. “But this woman is highly suspicious.” the guard claims. On his hand dangled Stella’s bag. He emptied its contents onto the floor. This is definitely not good. Out rolled her alchemical bombs, acids, poisons, herbs, and her makeshift weapons.

The captain looked at us with accusing eyes. The leader of the mercenaries grinned maliciously.

“Take them to the dungeons.” the captain ordered. I felt strong hands grab my shoulders as we were dragged backwards.

“No! Wait! Listen to us!!” I shrieked.

I am Latisha, a farmer. I am one of those framed for murder. How did this happen?

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