Chapter 26: Tysts & Trials

When we descended into the city hours ago there had been only the faintest rumor of a sunrise haloing the mountains, but now as we emerged from the Royal Markets it had finally climbed out from behind the peaks and was well on its way to its noonday zenith.

It was not even noon and we had achieved so much. We’d sold our spoils of war and then used the profits along with some of our quest reward money to fund our expedition into the markets and come out of it with several jute bags full of scrap linen and leather wrapped full of thoroughly haggled loot.

Successful morning or not, I was beat. Between our early start, our busy morning,the social exertion of market shopping, a week spent largely inactive while I was either unconscious or convalescing and the inconvenient truth that I was definitely not a morning person, I was already feeling sluggish and ready for a nap. Regardless of how relatively early in the day it was. 

I was not however ready for the walk back up to the castle. Some relief came suddenly as I found myself pulled backwards to lead against a tall body with a strong steadying arm wrapped around me. A purr of contentment escaped as I let out a deep breath.

“Right, thanks for all the help this morning. Aisling and I will see you all back at the Duchess’ castle when we’re done sightseeing,” came Roxi’s voice from just above my ears, the vibrations of her voice sinking into my head from the depths of her chest.

What!? In my exhausted and sleep-lusting state, I’d forgotten about the plans we’d made last night to explore the city. If I’d remembered I mightn’t have gone all out with my haggling to impress Roxi and tried to conserve my sparing mental and physical energy.

“Miss Umbrial I must have misheard you, but did you just ask us to let you both go on alone without protection?” one of our guards protested.

Yes! I’ll be able to have a nap back in our chambers soon!

“I was hoping to go sightseeing with Aisling here alone,” Roxi sighed pleadingly. I could almost hear the slight pout in her voice as her breath tickled the tip of one of my furred ears.

Almost instantly ears began to burn and flutter a top of my head at both her words and the feel of her breath causing me to quickly bury half my face in the arm supporting me before it too could start burning. 

“I understand but—”

 “But nothing.” Gael interjected stepping into the conversation. “How many years have you lived here? We don't need to go sightseeing with them and neither do they want us in their way. Nor should they have to lug around all this shopping while they do so. So how about you two strong soldiers carry it and accompany me back to the castle so I can put it away in their suite so they have less to worry about and can just have a fun time exploring our wonderful city,” the maid soothed with uncharacteristic diplomacy.

Not that she likely needed their help carrying all of it given her past, but I could see the merits of appealing to our guard escort’s sense of chivalry. Unfortunately the objecting guard agreed with me on the part about her not needing their help. 

“You’re more than stron—”, he began before he was silenced with a cold glare.

“You’re not suggesting that a delicate maid like myself should be the beast of burden and carry on to the castle alone, laden with expensive goods. Unable to raise an unburdened hand in my own defence if needed are you?” the maid questioned, her voice now deadly quiet each syllable carrying the unspoken threat of sudden violence.

“No, of course not!” the guard almost fearfully denied as he tentatively reached for his throat almost like he was checking to make sure it had not been cut. “The Duchess ordered us to escort and protect her guests while they are about in the city!”

“Is your tongue so forked and slanderous that you would misrepresent the Duchess’ city as a place so lawless that even two women adventurers would find themselves not safe wandering it’s streets?”

“No! I—”

“I. Thought. Not!” Gael cut him off, as she started taking our shopping and pushing it into the arms of our two guards, before she grabbed them by their shoulders and spinning them around to face up the hill, she began to push them until they started moving on their own.

...

A stunned silence lay in the wake of their departure as we processed what had just happened. I like Gael a lot as a friend, she is fun to be around and has a relatable sense of mischief. But… But, I am not afraid to admit she terrifies me a little.

Roxi better not let go of me any time soon, my legs have turned to jelly and I might fall. At least the fear-adrenaline has woken me right back up and re-energised me so I’d be able to flee if my legs hadn’t stopped working.

Straining my neck , I looked up and back at Roxi, “So where to first?”

* * *

Thankfully Roxi remembered the full list of suggestions we’d received from the palace maids over a week ago and had the forethought to double check with the maids last night to craft a full itinerary along with a roughly sketched map. Because between traumatic log out revelations, existential terror and everything else that had happened since Roxi logged out I didn’t remember half the locations on her list.

Not that I needed to remember them, I was very much just along for the ride as we did our sightseeing. Quite literally seeing as Roxi kept taking me by the hand and excitedly almost pulling me along behind her causing me to have to break into a slight trot to avoid losing my arm.

I have already waxed on and on how amazing, important and beautiful the city was, but Santarriral had no shortage of tourist-worthy vistas and landmarks.

At one stop we gazed at a great wall mosaic depicting a map of the old kingdom dotted with coats of arms and depictions of various local exports by region such as ears of wheat, livestock and crafted goods. At another stop amidst a square rivaling the market square we wandered about looking at the many statues of past leaders and heroes, including one at the squares center that was so old, pitted and weathered it was almost unrecognisable as a person despite the plaque stating it was of an Emperor from a time before the Kingdom.

Our time together wasn’t just spent darting from city landmark to landmark, there was also shopping. 

Yes shopping.

I had thought we were finished shopping when we left the market earlier, but Roxi evidently had other ideas as she led us full stream ahead to the High Street boutiques. 

Talk about feeling way out of my element, my experiences with upmarket establishments back home in the Republic were barred doors and being the recipient of the sort of hostility you would give a plague rat that had just crawled out of a drainhole. They were not the kind of places I could afford, nor were they all that accepting of barter or haggling in the slightest. Not to mention with their hired security and wary eyes shoplifting from them was pretty much out of the picture.

Burglaring them after dark was an option though…

That said, this time and place I was dressed the part for shops like these, but that didn’t stop me freezing up when the proprietor of the first boutique turned to greet us as we entered. Thankfully Roxi quickly handled the social niceties before I could stammer out a reply that would have likely in my nervousness made me look suspicious. 

It was only once she had left us to browse that I was able to move past my nerves to take in the shop around me. Almost immediately I began to suffer mild sensory overload as my brain tried to process the overwhelming assault of colour and fragrances. Almost every flat surface including parts of the floor was covered with various sized vases and containers of flowers in great variety. 

The array of colour might not have been a problem if Santarriral and the mountainous valley of the Giant’s cradle hadn’t been predominantly stone grey and mostly devoid of plant life due to its elevation and sun blocking mountain walls. Green plants let alone flowers were rare in the valley and outside of the Duchess's gardens there was only a sparse few types of shrub or tree that could grow within the city without magical intervention.

While I was still acclimatising to the boutique’s environs, Roxi had engaged the store’s owner in conversation and was questioning her about her business and products. The flowers it turned out were sourced from various parts of the kingdom and beyond, and were ensorcelled with various enchantments to preserve them until they could be sold upon which without reapplication they would slowly begin to wilt and die. She also learnt that the boutique’s second floor and balcony had been converted into a greenhouse and tearoom where customers could drink and relax among the flowers.

Leaving the store, I found Roxi pressing into my hands a fist sized glassy object she had purchased while I was off daydreaming about flowers. As her hand lifted away from mine it uncovered a rough cut polished bauble of crystal encasing a small bloom of blue Forget Me Nots.

“I thought you’d like a souvenir of our time here,” she explained. “Apparently Forget Me Nots are the city’s unofficial flower. The proprietress was telling me that they mostly grow along the streams and wetlands flowing out of the Highlands, but sometimes after a particularly mild winter they have a chance of sprouting out from between the rocks down in the valley and going into bloom in the spring,” Roxi said softly,looking slighting bashful.

“I’ll be sure to treasu—” 

Then grinning, she interrupted me and winked, “That and I thought it might take being sealed in crystal to keep any flowers I give you safe from your accident prone ass.”

Oi! I thought she was being all romantic for a moment, but she was just messing with me. 

Snapping my wrist like a whip, I disappeared the crystal into my inventory with a small huff.

“You pouting?” my companion asked leaning down to look me in the eyes.

“No!” I hissed.

“Yep, definitely pouting,” she smirked. “You do know you’re acting like a marginally inconvenienced little noble lady right now?”

Not one to take teasing laying down, I took the lead and led us into the next boutique which was selling silk garments. 

Finding the owner I prepared my haughtiest voice. “Excuse me madam, I was hoping to purchase a scarf for my Lady’s maid. She’s a little rough around the edges and oft requires a helping hand when it comes to choosing suitably demure fashion. Would you be so kind as to show me your collection?”

* * *