The day goes on and Izzimar is in the process of moving his stuff back into his room.
“So we’re going to be sharing a room?”
“Yes, I can conjure another bed.”, Izzimar answers while moving his bags.
Arjana notices him carrying the heavy bags by himself, so she decides to help by attempting to grab one of them. But when she attempts to lift the bag, it won't budge, it remains planted on the floor. She tries again, but still, it doesn't even move an inch.
“It’s too heavy for you.” Izzimar states calmly before he goes over to the bag and lifts it with ease.
“Amazing, what’s in that bag?” she asks, trying to take a peak. Izzimar reaches into the back and grabs a cold rock.
“It’s an ice rock, called a Preserved Geode. It stays cold forever.”, he explains. “But don’t try to pick it up, it's very heavy and humans can’t lift it without breaking bones.”
“Oh wow, it’s so pretty!” she says looking at the stone. Izzimar places the stones down in the closet before leaving. Arjana gets curious about Izzimars belongings and decides to have a quick peek in another one of his bags. She looked inside another bag before a dried snake falls out.
“Oh!”, Arjana jumps before Izzimar quickly runs into the room. “What happened?!” he asked before snatching the bag from her.
“Oh, I was just startled. I saw a dried snake in the bag.”, she answered, walking up to him before he hid the bag behind his back.
“Don't touch things that aren't yours.”, Izzimar huffs before moving his stuff around. “Oh…”, she whimpers before the room gets quiet. Izzimar pauses, as if he was expecting her to say something, before continuing to put away his things. After a while, Arjana breaks the silence.
“...Do… you eat them?” ,she asks while approaching him. He stops before looking at her, his face twisted in confusion.
“Eat what?”, he asked
“Dried snakes. Do you eat them?”
“...No..”
“Well then… Can I have it?”
Izzimar drops his walking stick in shock, prompting Arjana to quickly help him retrieve it.
“Are you okay?”, she asked
“Why do you want dried snakes?”
“At home, it was a delicacy. As well as dried newts and scorpions.”, she replies thinking about the crunchy treats. She drools slightly, remembering the time her family went to the sun festival and enjoyed the food there. It was a bright, sunny day, and her father had organized a feast that day, they had gator tail, smoked roasts, and tons of jerky. Oh,how she misses her family….
“It’s not edible, sadly.”, he declines before he grabs the bag and opens it up. “I use these components for my magic.” Izzimar explains grabbing an owl skull from the bag to put on the workbench.
“Oh! You have a bird skull? Can I see it?", Arjana asks excitedly. Izzimar is puzzled at her excitement, clearly not used to this type of attention.
“Why do you want to see this? It’s a skull, doesn't that scare you?”, he asks
“No, I think it's pretty! My brother, Monoko, had a friend from this warrior tribe. They wore animal bones, and I always wanted to touch them.”, she explains clasping her hands together. “Please, may I see it…?” Izzimar puts the bag down, contemplating on whether or not he would share. With a sigh, he hands her the skull.
—--
An hour goes by, and Izzimar’s components are sprawled out over the floor while they laugh together.
“This is a wolf’s fang. And this,this is a hummingbird’s tear..Oh! And this is the whisker from a lobster!”, Izzimar explains with delight, showing Arjana his collection of components.
“A lobster whisker? How’d you get it?”,
“Stole it from a human fisherman. I don’t get why humans eat them sometimes.”, he wonders.
“I’ve had it before! I used to eat it all the time in Brymshire. They lived by the ocean cliffs, so they had oysters and crabs and such.” Arjana explains. “One day, I’d like to go to the store and buy some fish…”
Izzimar thinks before suggesting. “ There’s a friendlier town past Rockridge that we could sneak off to. It’s the town of Honeyloaf”
Arjana’s interest peaked, this whole time she didn't know there was another town other than Rockridge. Maybe, just maybe, she can find a way back home to her kingdom if she speaks to the right people there. She needed Izzimar to take her there, but in her condition, she doesn't know if it's possible.
“Izzimar…I can’t go, what if I need my medicine?”
“Then… I’ll carry you back.”
“...I don't know… what if Birger gets angry?”
“Well…think of what we can take. Spices, fruits, vegetables, we can even get supplies for dinner tonight.”, Izzimar mentions a bit insistently.
“But Izzimar, you guys got me those rabbits. There’s no need to steal from others.” ,she says
“How do you think we got the food for you to cook in the first place? We stole it.”, he says with a shrug. “Normally, me and Birger can go months without eating, but you need to eat…being a human and all.”, he added.
Arjana still wasn’t sure about sneaking away to steal. Her father had raised her to know better. If she reunited with him and he found out she was stealing, he would be ashamed. But at the same time, it appears that her hosts did their best to accommodate her. The least she could do is pay them back so that they won't starve. With much hesitation, she finally agrees.
“Okay, Izzimar, I’ll go with you to Honeyloaf.”
“Yes!”, he jumps up, unintentionally, knocking over his cane. “Damnit..”, he curses before reaching down to feel for his cane. Arjana, wanting to help, grabs it and helps him to his feet before he begins grabbing her arm tightly.
“Ow! Why are you hurting my arm?”
“If we’re going to Honeyloaf, you need to stay close by me.” he states as he pulls her along out the door. Arjana wants to object, but Izzimar shushes her as they sneak past a sleeping Birger.
As they ease past Birger, Arjana notices the bags under his eyes and his disheveled appearance. It wasn’t so long ago that he was frantically mixing medicine for her when she was sick. Now he’s all worn out, possibly from taking care of her and keeping his identity a secret. She can’t imagine how he had to hide his horns and tattoos, let alone the explanation of why he can’t cook for her. “Maybe…to make up for his kindness, I can make dinner for us all.”, she thinks before Izzimar eases the door open and leads them outside.
When they step outside, Izzimar closes the door behind them and begins to sniff the air.
“What are you doing-”
“Shh! I always do this so I don’t get lost.”, he insists before pulling her along. “This way.” he adds before pulling her off the trail. Arjana begins to regret allowing herself to go with Izzimar, she doesn't know if it's a wise idea to be led by someone blind. Not wanting to be rude, she remains reserved in her judgment for right now.
—---
An hour passes, and the two have been making steady progress heading to the village. Normally, Arjana would be asking Izzimar about the plants and animals they pass by, but remained quiet for his sake. She hoped that he knew where he was going, but if not, they would most definitely be lost.
“Arjana, why are you so quiet?”, he breaks the silence.
“Huh? I’m being quiet so that you can smell and hear your way through.”, she replies
“That’s not what I meant.” ,he sighs before stepping over a log and over to a tree stump with orange lichen. “I meant why don’t you yell at me.”
“Why would I yell at you?”
“....The female elves where I live yell at me all the time. They’re…harsh.”, he says before he stops them over at a tunnel.
“Papa taught me to be a princess and princesses are kind.”
“Don’t you worry that you’ll be taken advantage of by being kind?”
“....I do worry about that…”, she says.
She looks down in thought, thinking about the predicament she was in right now. It's almost been a month and a half since she was with Birger. The whole time, he was lying to her about him and Izzimar being elves. When he explained how elves kidnapped humans to cook and farm for them, she worried that he never had any intention of returning her home after helping Mr. Thornbrush the other day. Now that they are heading to a village called Honeyloaf, a town not too far from Rockridge town, she can’t help but wonder if he really intended on keeping her with him indefinitely. He couldn't, or wouldnt, even explain what kind of sickness she has for her to be confined to the house for days on end. Her head begins to fill with doubts as she worries about Birger’s intent.
“We’re here.” Izzimar interrupts gesturing to the tunnel.
Snapping out of her thoughts, Arjana looks into the dark tunnel before looking back at him and snapping. “There's no way it's in here! It's dark, how can you see!”. He trills before grabbing her hand tightly and pulling onward. “I’ve been in this cave hundreds of times. How do you think I get components?” he says before pressing on. “Hold onto me and don't let go. Okay?”
They wander into the pitch black, and are bombarded by the cool air circulating through the tunnel. The wind howls as it moves through the caves and chills Arjana to the bone. Her eyes ,even while open, cannot make out Izzimar’s figure in front of her. A shiver runs up her spine as she recalls the darkness in her dream, the piercing red eyes that light up the void. Why did she have those dreams? Who was that woman?
**
“I’ve been waiting for you, queen mother.”
**“Queen mother? Why did she call me that?”, Arjana thought before being bombarded with bright light. “Here we are.” ,Izzimar reveals as he points up at the light, revealing a grate. Arjana peaks through it and sees a small bustling city with townsfolk going about their daily lives. People had horse drawn wagons, and the marketplace was filled with produce of all kinds. The townspeople also wore strange cloaks as they went about their day.
“So this is Honeyloaf? You said it was a village, this looks like a city.” Arjana replies looking out in wonder.
“I’m not allowed in, but if you want to grab something, you can.”, he says before sitting down against the wall.
“Can you… help me up?”she asks, trying to reach the grate. He sets his walking stick down before picking her up with ease, and carefully balances her on his shoulders. With a bit of stretching, she finally reaches the grate. “Got it!” Using all her strength, she manages to pull herself up from the damaged grate. Once up in the city, she looks around to better look at her surroundings. She begins to explore the marketplace, unfortunately, her presence doesn't go unnoticed by the townsfolk as they begin to whisper.
“Who is that child? Is she an orphan?”
“Poor child looks sick…”
Hearing all this, she moves a bit more cautiously before approaching a butcher stand. The hens were a lot bigger than back home, and she had never seen a rope made of meat before. Arjana finds herself staring before the butcher notices her.
“What are ye doing here? Ye'r not looking to cause trouble are ye?”, he grunts.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I was…just hungry..”
“Where are ye'r folks? I don’t know a soul around here who would leave their bairns to starve in the streets”, he asks, leaning against the stand
“....I…I’m lost… I'm not from here… My home was attacked, but I don’t know where my father is…”, Arjana explains, tears pricking her eyes as she starts to think of her father. It’s been an agonizing long time since she had last seen her father and her brother. She doesn’t even know if they're still alive, or if there is any hope that she’ll see them again. Arjana wants to tell the butcher everything, but she doesn't know if these people will believe her if she told them she was the princess of a newly formed kingdom. Lost, confused, and overwhelmed, Arjana starts to silently cry to herself. The butcher, taking pity on her, offers her a suggestion.
“Alright, little girl. No more tears, now. I’ll tell ya what. There’s a place where you can get your food. Now, come on closer so I could tell you something’”. Arjana cautiously leans in.
“By the kirk there is a bizzo. Collect sleekits for ‘em, and he’ll give you a few coins or other goods. And another thing, on Sunday, the sessions don't eat beef, so to prevent it from spoilin’ they give it out for free. So stop by early.”, the butcher explains
“Why doesn't the church get produce from the big ships?”
“Fuckin’ tariffs is why. Er’ since the duchess went about pissin off half the world’, tariffs on produce have been off the charts. So,we've been relying on the local merchants as opposed to the larger international imports we used to get on the regular. Its cheaper, but it takes longer.”, the butcher explains
“Okay, thank you kind sir!”, she says with a respectful nod.
“No worries youngin’. Oh, and if ye can’t find yer pops, Lady Marion’s prolly got a warm place for you to stay.” ,he adds before continuing to chop up a slab of beef.
Arjana wanders away from the stand, hoping to spot the church. “Psst. Hey, Arjana, down here!” a voice whispers out to her. “Down here!”,Izzimar whispers from an aqueduct gate.
“What are you doing down there,Izzimar?”
“I overheard you talking with the butcher. He said you needed rats for the merchant,right?” Izzimar whispers.
“He said,"sleekits", not rats.”
“Sleekit means rat here in Honeyloaf." Izzimar sighs. "And guess what I caught while I was down here!”, he proudly presents five large rats dangling by the tail, squirming to be free.
“Ew, gross!” she recoils.
“What’s wrong? You like snakes don’t you?”
“Yes, but rats and cockroaches are a whole other kind of filth.”, she explains as he puts the rats in a bag.
“Just take these to the merchant, go to the church, he'll be set up over there.”
“Okay, just dont be seen, alright?”, she asks as she takes the bag of rats from him. “Always.”,he adds before disappearing into the dark. With a deep breath, she makes her way to the church to hopefully buy enough for dinner tonight.
—-
The trip had been a success, Arjana and Izzimar walk back to the cabin with giggles and smiles. Thanks to Izzimar’s catch, they were able to acquire a small variety of meats and vegetables.
“So what are we going to be having to eat tonight?”, Izzimar asks before Arjana opens the bag up to show him. Inside the bag, she managed to afford: carrots, potatoes, lettuce, a parcel of spices, pork shoulder and a beef loin. It's not enough for a week, but it could feed them for a few days.
Arjana was greatly jovial,finally, she was able to go into town and see more people. What’s more, is that she now has a place to get more produce in case she gets hungry. But most importantly, she has a small gateway to get back home. If she can find out what ships come to the port, then maybe she can find her way home.
For too long, she had remained in Birger’s company and still, she wasn't getting any answers on how she wound up in the forest. Arjana didn’t know the extent of her injuries, nor why she was prone to random fainting spells. All she knows is that Brymshire was the last place she resided before her memory went blank. But hopefully, with Honeyloaf in walking distance, she could get the answers she seeks. With a hopeful smile, she follows Izzimar as he leads them back home.
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