The next day came earlier than ought. Barely able to sleep due to how dry the weather
had been the previous night, Elena woke up somewhat disgruntled. She stretched herself before
rising from the bed, stretching again as her hands lifted, wiping any remaining trace of sleep. She
walked to the bathroom in her room adjacent to her bed and freshened up. She looked hale when
she stepped out, though traces of tiredness could still be seen on her face. She walked back to her
bed and picked up her belongings, then made her way out of the room.
Once she made her way to the passage, she was greeted by the scent of a delicious meal.
Swallowing her immediate hunger, she made her way to Forest's room, knocking on his door
before silently opening it.
Forest's bed was empty when she entered, and thinking that he must have made his way
downstairs, she started to back out of the room when Forest immediately came out of his
bathroom.
He was dressed and looked like he had a good night's rest, and she couldn't help but envy
his appearance.
"Good morning." Forest greeted, raising his eyes to meet her. He brushed his hands down
his clothes before making his way to where he had stored his belongings.
"If we wish to find our teacher, we need to get back on the road. I surmise that it would
take more than two days for us, as we would have to go through all the towns in the southern
kingdom of Tush."
Elena nodded his head, happy with the plan. They both made their way out of the room
when Forest was done with his preparation, and they headed down the passage towards the stairs.
They arrived at the guest parlour where customers were served and were greeted with the
sight of the robust woman they had met earlier the previous night, haggling different bowls of
soup. When she placed them perfectly on a table, she stood up and put her hands on her waist, a
smug smile etched on her face.
"Good morning!" Forest greeted. The woman immediately turned to face him, and her
face lit up as if he was a lover she hadn't seen in years. Walking briskly towards them, the
woman finally stopped, looking up at Forest with adoration in her eyes. Elena could even detect
a hint of a blush on the woman's face, despite the heavy makeup she had applied.
Elena cringed.
She wondered if the woman slept with the make upon or if she did it early just to please
forest. She wasn't sure, but she was willing to bet on the latter.
"I prepared a huge breakfast for you today. Come," she said, taking hold of Forest's arm
as she dragged him towards the table where she had placed the food.
"Have a seat." She said, dragging a seat out for him.
"Thank you," Forest replied, his charming grin in full view. Elena saw the woman's knees
go weak before she immediately comported herself.
Rolling her eyes, Elena made her way towards the table where Forest was and sat,
making sure not to feel like the third wheel in whatever was going on between Forest and the
woman. Noticing her presence, the woman smiled at her, albeit reluctantly.
Elena smiled back and started to eat the food prepared for them. She ignored the nagging
and suggestive remarks she made to Forest, trying to finish her breakfast quickly so she could get
started on her journey. She supposed she should thank Forest, though, for his flirting skills. She
doubted they would have gotten a meal as bountiful as that had Forest not had his unique beauty.
Finally, they were done with their meal. Forest stood and walked over to the bartender
who had been casting judging looks at them. She suspected that he still wasn't happy about how
Forest had haggled with him the previous night. Greeting him, Forest paid the dues for their
services and started making his way out, wishing the rotund woman a happy day, ending it with a
perfect wink.
The woman all but fainted.
Elena rolled her eyes, walking right behind Forest as they made their way out of the inn,
towards where they had tied their horse. They both climbed their horses simultaneously, causing
them to go on a gallop, heading straight north.
*****
Days passed with Elena and Forest still on the road. As they had to look for a man
bearing the name "Old Porv," they had to go through all the villages in the Southern kingdom
just to find out if he resided in any of them. They took intermittent rest, stopping only when they
were too worn out to move. Finally, they reached the capital city, just in the middle of the
southern and northern kingdoms. Fortunately for them, the capital wasn't as huge as the south
part of the kingdom, so it took a few days to go around it, despite how tasking it was.
There were many times when Elena had felt like giving up, but her mother's death stirred
her on. She would become strong. She would let her mother's death be for nothing. She had
asked forest many times if he was okay with the journey and could go back if he was tired.
Forest was adamant about being with her. Elena was happy about that. She didn't know how she
would be able to continue without Forest's assistance.
One day, they walked into a small shop of swords. Elena stopped by because she figured
if she was going to learn sword fighting, she might as well get the tool that would help her in her
journey. She walked into the shop and became entranced, the glint and magnificence of the
swords causing her to open her mouth in awe. She walked towards the man she saw at the sales
table and made her inquiry.
"These are the finest swords you would see in this whole land." The trader started.
"You need to pick wisely for yourself. Remember that a sword is an extension of you."
Elena walked around the room, taking a look at the walls. They were thin swords, and there were
giant swords she doubted she would be able to carry. Some had grace and elegance, while others
had pure strength and power. Elena settled for a slim silver sword with a snake's body carved
around its hilt. She felt that the thing fit her in her ordinary appearance.
"A very wise choice miss. That would be 15 good coins."
The price was high, but Elena thought it was worth it as she handed the man his money.
She was about to leave when suddenly Forest paused her and turned to face the man.
"Young man, would you like to have a sword?" The trader said, a huge grin on his face.
"No sir. I just have a question." The man looked at him curiously, then nodded for him to
continue.
"Have you heard of Old Porv?"
"Old Porv?" The man repeated, his eyes glinting with recognition.
"Yes, I know him! He was famous here back in the day. Always coming around here to
sell some sword fighting scrolls."
Elena turned to face him, suddenly excited. "Do you know where he is?"
"Last I heard, he was in the northern part of the kingdom. Rumor has it that he stays in a
town close to the Wastelands borders, in a house by the forest."
"Thank you so much, sir!" Elena replied, suddenly rejuvenated. She and Forest made
their way out of the store and started their journey towards the north.
The northern part of the Kingdom of Tush.
Calhoun stood by a bar, contemplating why he was doing what he was doing. After
asking the old man for help, the old man gave him some hints to look for a bride. He mentioned
that graceful girls won't be found in places like where he was but rather in theatres and inns. He
had gone on a few 'courting missions' looking for females that would pique his interest. So far,
they were all bland. Some were too prideful, acting all high and mighty when they lacked
common sense, while others were just downright foolish. He had never had any contact with the
opposite sex before as he was so focused on trying to rein in his powers, but he sincerely hoped
that he would find a suitable girl before the end of the week.
Unfortunately, that wasn't so. They kept getting worse and worse.
Annoyed, he decided to try the opposite of his given idea. Perhaps brazen girls would do
the trick if proper girls weren't good enough for him. She walked inside the building, hoping for
good luck.
Fifteen minutes hadn't passed before he came out, smelling smoke, alcohol, and another
foul smell he couldn't put his hands on. He took a deep breath, trying to calm the raging anger he
felt. He couldn't believe what he saw there. He couldn't even stand the women there, and he
could only imagine what his father's facial expression would look like if he had brought back
home one of them as a bride. He fixed back a shiver, thinking of what one of them had suggested
to help him with. He sighed as he started making his way back to his temporary home.
He wished that he could find a bride in this kingdom. He didn't want to go to Neba or
Pres just to find a bride, especially since there was an unknown danger lurking. So far, for a
week since he came, he had visited theatres, attended town parties, anywhere he could find ladies
of proper upbringing. He also didn't forget to search for information when necessary. For anyone
to reach the outlaw city, they would have to pass by the town first. He asked subtle questions to
find out if anything non-ordinary had happened before he came. All the answers he got were not
helpful.
He took in another deep breath, trying to console himself. If not for his father's wishes, he
would have buried himself due to the immense embarrassment he felt when talking with a lady,
especially as all the ones he had spoken to did not have their wits with them, or perhaps they
never had it at all.
He couldn't understand that for someone like him who looked extremely dangerous, the
ladies swam to him like flies, all seeking to catch his attention. He was afraid that if things kept
up the way they were, he would treat them like actual flies one day.
*****
Elena and Forest finally reached the border between the central city and the Northern part
of the kingdom of Tush. It was nightfall when they arrived, and they hopped off their horses,
heading towards the closest inn they found on their journey.
Unlike the one they had first rented, the inn they entered was properly taken care of. It
didn't have many customers, though; the tables were filled with men who looked like they
wanted to bury themselves in a bottle or two. They walked up to the bartender, who stood at the
far end of the room.
"Good evening, sir," Forest whispered. "We would like to rent two rooms." As Forest
continued his haggling, Elena used the short time to study her surroundings. The inn's setting
almost looked like a section of the Red Queen's restaurant. Suddenly thinking about the
restaurant, she remembered her promise to Mac to erect another base in this kingdom. She would
do just that.
Finally, Forest concluded the rooms they would board, and the bartender led them up the
stairs, showing them each their rooms. Elena entered her room and collapsed on the bed,
extremely worn out from her long journey. Not bothering to check out what her room was like,
she was immediately drawn into a deep sleep when her head touched the bed.
*****
Elena woke up to the sound of banging. She rose up, disoriented as she tried to take in her
surroundings. When the banging continued, she realized that it was from her door. She stood up
groggily and went to open it, only to see the bartender standing outside, extreme fright written all
over his face. Before she could ask him what happened, he said something that shook her to the
core...
"Your companion has been kidnapped."