Chapter Fourteen

The next morning, Jay slept in. The ball wouldn’t be held until the sun set, and without any pressing duties to attend to, he took advantage of the serene atmosphere and enjoyed an extra hour or two of sleep. He would have to meet with Talli after midday, but beyond that, he was free to relax for what felt like the first time since he found himself in this world. Almost four and a half years of constant activity. If his friends and family back home could see him now, he doubted they would recognize him. The desire to stand on his own, without the influence of others hanging over his head had been a powerful motivator, keeping him driven and focused despite his grueling schedule.

It was late morning when Jay finally yawned, reluctantly dragging himself from his bed. The buzzing sound of conversation made by morning customers could already be heard echoing up the stairs and down the hall. Most of the common folk within the city had taken the day off as a sort of impromptu festival day due to the royal family’s visit, providing many rest and relaxation establishments with additional business.

Jay shuffled to his basin, washing his face and the sleep from his eyes. Stretching, Jay mentally braced himself for the day. He would be dealing with an excess of wealthy and powerful people today and needed to ensure he didn’t accidentally kill a few of the more mentally challenged. This day and the next, possibly the two biggest hurdles since he arrived in this world, and then he was free to do as he pleased. Shoring up his mental fortitude, Jay took a deep breath, releasing it slowly along with the tension in his shoulders and neck.

Opening his eyes, Jay took care of his daily needs and dressed in his most formal attire. His black, steel toed boots were covered by loose black pants, a black belt with a large silver buckle sat on his hips while a loose, silk black shirt trimmed in the same shade of sapphire as Talli’s dress was tucked within. The dark blue was representative of the governor’s house standard, the color and silver crest stitched into the shirt marking his affiliation to the man.

He made his way down the hall, stepping lightly down the stairs into the boisterous common room. Or rather, previously boisterous common room. All activity stopped as everyone stared at the owner of the establishment. All of the waitresses and kitchen staff smirked knowingly, as if to say, ‘That’s correct, you rabble; this is our master, the man who saved us.’ They’d never say it to his face, as he hated any title which seemed to put his status above his friends, but it’s what they all truly felt as the pride in the man bloomed with his regal attire.

Jay just looked irritated as he shouted, “Alright, you lot, shows over! Next round’s on me so stop gawking like I’m some kind of exotic animal and get back to your booze!” Their regulars simply laughed and cheered. Jay was still Jay, even dressed up like a noble. He shook his head in mock shame.

Jay managed to sneak away into the kitchens, where he snagged a plate of eggs and bacon from Peri in passing as he made his way out to visit Bane. Jay sat carefully atop a stool, so as not to get any hair on his clothes as he rubbed down Bane’s big head. Bane seemed to snort in derision, mocking his fancy, well-to-do appearance, despite Jay’s helpless excuses of temporary requirements.

He spent a full hour simply talking and relaxing with his animal friend, still managing to acquire a moderate fleece of Drenz hair on his sleeves despite his best efforts. Half of his bacon also mysteriously disappeared, replaced by the appearance of a remarkably innocent Kara ten minutes into their morning grooming session. After settling his inner anxiety for the upcoming events, Jay went back to his room to retrieve Talli’s dress and brush off all the Drenz hair he could find. It was approaching midday when he finally left Drenz Rest with a plan to meet with Talli and take her to lunch before spending the remainder of the day looking through the redecorated, festive market before dinner and the ball.

Jay made his way through the back streets and alleyways, avoiding as much of the crowds as possible on his way to the apothecary. The sheer amount of life that managed to crowd into the city was smothering to Jay, even from a distance. The little thieves of the city were undoubtedly making a killing in these crowds. It took Jay twice as long as normal to arrive at the shop, thwarting four attempts of the youngsters attempting to swipe his pouch in the process as he shoved his way through a few of the major streets. Being dressed like a rich noble was incredibly overrated.

He wiped the irritation of his trek from his face, replacing it with a mischievous smirk before strolling through the front door. Swinging into the back of the shop, Jay met his date, toiling over a new concoction for a client as she always was. He inconspicuously set the packaged dress aside before lending a hand, and twenty minutes later the rash salve was complete. They both washed their hands of the herb residue and Talli, like a child at a candy store, suddenly became bright eyed and quivered a bit with excitement when Jay pulled the package from its concealed corner of the room. Jay simply grinned as he handed it over.

She took it gingerly before unwrapping the protective cloth and gasped in wide-eyed astonishment when she lifted it from the table, allowing it to drape to the floor.

“Jay,” Talli whispered after a moment. “This is too precious of a dress. I can’t accept this.” Jay simply chuckled, engraving the breathless expression of shock on her face into his memory.

“You can, and you will. You are my date and potential fiancé, therefore, as my possible future wife, I, as your possible future husband, am required to show off the woman who stole my heart, and have all those dung-faced nobles and royalty eat it as I show up with the most beautiful woman, in the most beautiful dress.” Jay laid it on thick, underlining it all with a shit-eating grin and a wink, before both of them burst into fits of laughter.

Jay then shooed the elf upstairs to wash and change, he was hungry and it was time for lunch after all. He sat, impatiently stroking the hilt of the dagger attached to his belt. It was a poor habit he acquired over the past years when he was brooding over unpleasant topics. This time, he was considering the best ways to offend the royal family, without crossing the line into a dangerous zone. Breaking that arrogant whelp of a prince would work well, but he would primarily need to destroy any goodwill the princess may have towards him. Offending the queen would cross a line that the king would not forgive, so that was quickly discarded, while the king himself seemed like the kind of man who would take a well-planned insult and think even more highly of the person, simply on the principle that they had steel for nerves. He and the governor were very similar in that regard.

As he sat contemplating devious means to embarrass the royal spawn, Talli flowed back down the stairs. Catching the movement from the corner of his eye, Jay glanced up and took his turn staring in a wide-eyed stupor at the fairy fluffing her swirling silver hair, a confident smirk on her face as she preened and strutted about the room.

The dress accentuated her well-endowed bosom, yet flowed in just the right way to show that every single curve on her body was perfect. The deep blue of the dress and the silver of her long hair perfectly meshed, while the luster of her green eyes seemed to make the elf look more like a priceless treasure and less like a mortal, living being. Simple, well-made black leather moccasins could be seen slightly poking out from the front of her dress. Talli’s eyes flashed with hidden laughter as she reached over and closed Jay’s slightly open mouth.

Shaking his head to break the hypnosis, Jay stood and pulled an additional item from his pockets. Before she could protest, Jay swept her hair out and fastened the emerald pendant around her neck. Taking three steps back, Jay struck a pose as if he was in deep contemplation as he surveyed the goddess in front of him. Shamelessly roving his eyes over every curve before stopping at her eyes, Jay nodded in contentment.

“I have seen perfection. I can now die a happy man with no regrets.” He stated solemnly, an expression of feigned serenity descending on his face. Talli rolled her eyes and slapped him on the chest.

“Beast! You shouldn’t have to worry too much, no princess would ever want you!” Jay could only laugh. Bowing in an exaggerated manner, he presented his arm to Talli and proceeded to escort her to the most expensive restaurant in the inner city, Blue Dove. As soon as he learned of the upcoming event, he had placed a reservation, only slightly abusing his relationship with the governor to acquire a table.

Every head in the restaurant turned when Jay led Talli through the door. It was dead silent as every man in the building gaped at the divinity who had blessed them with her presence. There would be many upset wives and girlfriends in the next five to ten seconds and Jay could only coldly laugh in his heart as all the families who had tried to ensnare him instantly felt inadequate when they noticed Jay escorting the beauty to their reserved table.

Whispers and conversation slowly came alive once more but the two friends ignored everything, quietly chatting as they enjoyed their meal. Afterward, Jay had arranged for a carriage to escort them around the city to see the various festival attractions. The separation from the crowds and priority in travel made it well worth the expense in Jay’s eyes. Knife jugglers, fire eaters, plays, as-well-as various low level magic shows were spread throughout Shren’s many large squares. There were also many unusual festival foods, particularly the sweets, which Jay and Talli immensely enjoyed as they sampled each one they came across.

A few hours later, the sun was just about to completely dip below the horizon when Jay tugged Talli back aboard their carriage, heading to the governor’s mansion within the inner city. The ball was slated to begin at sundown and it would still take some time for their transportation to make its way through the crowds.

Truthfully, Jay had lost track of time, too busy enjoying the festivities with Talli until he realized lamps were being lit along all the main streets. However, he would never admit it, and being fashionably late to a party was something most of the upper class did anyway.

It was already dusk when they managed to arrive, and many carriages could be seen organized along the sides of the mansion. Despite this, there was still a large number of people arriving at the front door. Descending from the carriage, Jay paid and tipped the groom well for his day escorting the two as Jay planned to simply return by walking. Lending his arm to Talli, he produced his invitation and walked through the doors, leading her through the foyer-museum directly to the main ballroom. A servant would normally escort guests from the front, but since Jay knew every servant of the governor’s house, it was rather pointless for them to assist.

Passing his invitation to the herald, they both strode into the room as the man announced, “Master Jay Trinity and Healer Talli of the Southern Forest!” The buzz of conversation slightly abated as many eyes turned, filled with curiosity at Jay’s rumored love interest. Talli had always remained rather under the radar within the city of Shren. She was known throughout the inner city but mostly by name and rumored appearance. Therefore, many eyes from many prominent people suddenly studying her caused a rather anxious feeling to appear in her chest and she unconsciously moved to have Jay shield her, hugging onto his arm as she shyly moved behind him.

Jay simply gaped at this sudden transformation. The free-spirited woman he was so used to suddenly became like a small frightened kitten in front of a bit of scrutiny. Quickly recovering, Jay grasped her hand tightly, giving a small reassuring squeeze as he led her forward to greet the royal family and the governor sitting at the far end of the hall. After formally greeting the king and governor, he quickly led Talli aside to an inconspicuous, free table as discussions and low conversations began to return to the grand hall.

The king couldn’t help but speak up to the governor, watching the two as they walked away. “Heavens, Ray, you could have told me the woman he was courting was the incarnation of Naris. No wonder he has no interest in my daughter.” Governor Jering simply smiled. Many people were having remarkably similar conversations throughout the room. It wasn’t that their daughters weren’t beautiful, in fact, most of them were exceedingly pretty. It was just that Talli held a kind of celestial beauty that was hard to find anywhere in the world.

“If I hadn’t just witnessed it, I wouldn’t have believed you, of all people, could ever have such a shy reaction in front of others.” Jay couldn’t help but poke fun at Talli’s now blushing face, a huge grin plastered on his own as they took a pair of seats.

“Be quiet you ass,” her face went from a rosy pink to a deeper shade of scarlet as she lightly kicked his calf under the table. He simply squeezed the hand he was still holding once more, the shit-eating grin never leaving his face as she glared at him.

“Once you’ve recovered, we’ll have to go around and exchange a few pleasantries with the silk pants, then we should be free to do as we please for an hour or two before we can escape.” Jay murmured in her ear. “If we’re lucky, we’ll be able to avoid the royal brats the entire night.”

“And if we’re not lucky?” Talli couldn’t help but ask as she threaded her fingers through Jay’s, sidling up to him and creating a rather lovely atmosphere that either made onlookers feel sick or soft-hearted. Jay himself was surprised by the rather forward actions of his companion, but he definitely was not one to complain about such good fortune landing in his lap.

“Well,” Jay couldn’t help but swallow a bit nervously as Talli’s natural scent drifted around him. “It depends on how unlucky we are at that point. If we’re only a little unlucky, we exchange small pleasantries, the princess realizes she’s inferior to you in every way and leaves me alone, while the prince drools over you a little bit like the dog he is, before barking a bit and then going off to find some other poor girl to deceive.” Jay stopped for a moment, grabbing two glasses of wine from a passing servant and drinking a sip before continuing.

“If we’re immensely unlucky, the princess decides she can no longer live without me and persuades her father to get involved, while the prince drools over you a little bit like the dog he is, before barking a bit and then trying to bite me and take you away, in which case I then beat the dog to teach it not to bark or bite those who are its betters. The first is the best case for us, the second is the worst. Anything else is somewhere in the middle.” Jay took another sip of his glass of wine, noting that Talli had already drained her first glass while listening to him.

“And what do you expect to happen?” Talli couldn’t help but ask once more as she grabbed another glass of wine. Jay took another sip as he thought for a moment. It really was very good wine after all.

“The princess will either back off or the king will come up with some kind of compromise or condition to try and trap me. I’m honestly not sure which. The king is much more intelligent than the brats, but he also dotes heavily on his daughter. If he feels she wants me, he’ll do everything he can to make that wish possible. I will almost assuredly have to beat the dog before the end of the night.” Jay drained his glass of wine as Talli finished her third.

“You alcoholic, if you keep that up we’ll both end up in trouble.” The rosiness of the alcohol was already present on her cheeks as they stood up to make the rounds and exchange pointless conversation. “It’s okay, elves have a high tolerance to fruit based fermented drinks.” Jay couldn’t help but snort in disbelief as he watched the rosiness spread to Talli’s pointed ears. “Shut up, jerk. Who’s to say I don’t want trouble tonight anyway?”

Jay couldn’t help but stop dead in his tracks, a strange look on his face as he exerted a lot of self-control over his blood pressure, schooling his emotions back to indifference, a slight smile appearing as Talli giggled at his reaction. Jay shook his head and sighed, “Vixen.” Much to Talli’s delight.

The pair made their way through the crowd, greeting distinguished individuals for a short while. Talli was much more relaxed, the wine smoothing her nerves, simply following along as Jay chatted, occasionally speaking with her fellow female counterparts. The prince and princess had both arrived shortly after Jay, and been constantly preoccupied, much to his relief. Many sons and daughters kept both busy with requests to dance and flirtatious conversation. Jay formally introduced Talli to Governor Ray and King Darius, another man dressed in fine robes resembling a clergy member of a church not far away.

“Ah, yes! Jay, this is the Archbishop of the city’s branch of the Church of Justice, Archbishop Tadrith.” Governor Jering introduced. Jay and the bishop exchanged mild pleasantries and it wasn’t until Jay had shaken the man’s hand, intending to leave and continue on when a strange expression stole over the holy man’s face.

“Child, you must visit me tomorrow morning at the temple. I would take you there now if it wouldn’t offend every person present by leaving early.” He continued in a low tone, only perceivable to the five present. “You have been touched by Shira, you must visit the temple!” Jay’s indifferent expression never wavered as he nodded in agreement, placating the old man, the only indication he showed was a sudden dangerous flash of his eyes that disappeared faster than it came as he departed the high table. After an hour of socializing, Jay received a light pinch, only to find a pouting elf staring at him with doleful eyes.

A/N: I'm back. I won't make any excuses, I'm just a terrible writer. Rage appropriately about my release speed, I deserve it.