Chapter 24: Acceptance

They were back in Lute village. Alexei and Ivan with them. The blonde vampire got some dirty looks, but he was with Orion, so people didn't try to mob him.

They went to the lord's house first, as they needed to formally introduce Alexei to him, and inform lord Aswan of their desire to buy the forest in Alexei's name.

The maid let them in, and the five went straight to the living room. Soon, there was tea and cookies, for Ossilo, Ethinir and Ivan. Plus, two glasses with pig's blood, for Alexei and Orion.

Lord Richard came, but his smile fell, when he saw Alexei.

"You really came," the lord spoke, as he leveled the blonde with a glare.

"I apologize for my past conduct," Alexei told the noble. "I will strive to be peaceful, from now on."

"I don't know what made you act like this now, but if you cross the line again, I will have you hunted, vampire," lord Richard said, and Alexei nodded. The blonde felt guilty for letting the goblins play at being bandits, without reining them in. He knew he must have caused a lot of trouble for this village, and all the villages on the trade route.

"I will make sure he doesn't misbehave," Orion assured the lord. "We are thinking of petitioning the king for the right to buy the forest we rule over."

"That would be nice," the lord said. The two vampires were benefitting a lot from their land, without really owning it. The lord doubted that they paid their taxes.

"I will be going back to the forest of Drumm village tomorrow," Orion told lord Aswan. "Can I have a safe pass from you, my lord? So, I can come and visit Alexei?"

"You can, I see no problem with that. You proved that you are peaceful, what with you paying off this rascal's debts, and all," the noble told him, and he took out three golden passes. "I already prepared for you asking for them."

"Thank you," Orion said, and he turned to Alexei. "Now, you should ask what we spoke about." 

"I was hoping if we have your permission to build a house in the forest, for myself and Vanya?" Alexei asked, and the lord nodded.

"I can make sure there are workers for you, and materials, as long as you can pay," Richard said, and Alexei beamed at him.

"You will see that I have enough money for a house," Alexei was sick and tired of living in caves. In the winter, he didn't mind much, but Ivan got sick all the time, because of the cold. A nice home would go a long way towards his goal of making a family with his Vanya.

"Well, if that is all?" The lord stood, and his guests stood as well.

"We have nothing further to ask of you. We will be staying in the inn again, if you'd like to hear Ethinir sing again?" Orion suggested, and the lord smiled.

"Master Ethinir's voice is the envy of all songbirds," Lord Aswan said, and Ethinir blushed. "You will find me there. But before that, would you like to see what our markets have to offer you?"

Lord Richard Aswan knew the smell of money, when they were close. Orion had plenty, and loose hands to spend with. The lords had told his merchants to offer only their best wares, in preparation for the return of the red-haired vampire.

"We will be more than happy to visit," Ossilo told him, already imagining himself with more fabric for his needs. Silk was fine, but he wondered if he couldn't find some color he didn't have yet.

"Then, I will escort you to the market," the lord had not forgotten how his villagers had nearly mobbed his guests. There was no way that he was going to allow something like this to happen again.

"We appreciate it," Orion bowed in respect, and the group of six went out of the house. The villagers greeted their lord, as he passed them, and lord Aswan returned the greeting. They made it to the market unbothered, and saw that the merchants were truly prepared.

Ossilo made a beeline for the fabric stall, choosing to go to the candy stand later. While Ethinir went and saw that there was a stand selling musical instruments. Mostly lutes and flutes, but there were a couple of harps as well.

Orion decided to go to the watchmaker's shop, and see if he couldn't get himself a watch. There was no such shop in Drumm village. It would be nice to tell the time by something more than the sun.

Alexei stared at the market with wide eyes. He didn't know where to start. The farm he had grown up at had not been close to a village, so he visited rarely. Ivan nudged him towards a stand with knickknacks, and looked at him pleadingly.

"This looks like a mix of things," Ivan told him. "But they must be of a good quality."

"You can bet on that, young sir," the merchant of the mixed stand said, clearly having listened in. "I have many things to offer. Such as pins for your cuffs, bracelets, even a couple of golden ones. Also, I have some good knives to offer you."

"Let me see the knives," Alexei said, while Ivan shook his head.

"I would like to see the cuff pins," the brown-haired man said, and they both went to the stand. The merchant arrayed their preferences before them, and they took turns picking one item or the other.

"This leaf pin looks great," Ivan handed it to the merchant, who wrapped it up together with the other one of the set.

"Look at this knife. Cooking for you will become easier with it. Do you have sharpening tools on offer as well?" Alexei asked the merchant. The man took out a cloth and showed them a rod inside.

"Steel, made by our own blacksmith. The same as the knife. You won't find anything better than this in the entire market," the merchant assured them. Alexei nodded, and paid.