Lillianna

Having finished my bath, I took out a change of clothes from my bag similar to what I was wearing before and got dressed making sure to put on my cloak, this time leaving my hair untied. The room given to me wasn’t very big but judging by the wealth of this town, I did not doubt that this was likely the best room they had to offer.

*Nothing beats a warm bath after killing, well apart from drinking*

Leaving my bag on my bed, I grabbed the clothes I had worn earlier and made my way downstairs towards the counter where I hoped to fine Helen. Arriving at the counter I find Helen going about her business cleaning tableware.

*Too bad she’s probably married, she’s just my type as well*

“Hello Helen, does your inn offer washing services?” I ask while holding my worn clothes.

“Not a problem, I can have them washed and dried for you by morning” Helen says while taking the clothes from my hands.

“Thank you. If you don’t mind could you please bring us some food and some of your best ale”

“Of course, I’ll bring them right away”

I head towards the table that Erick is sitting at and take a seat on a stool opposite to him. He appears to be nervous and his right leg is shaking up and down, while he fidgets with his hands. Look around the room at the other patrons, I see similar signs of uneasy. Ignoring their expressions I turn my attention towards Erick.

“There’s no need to be so anxious, I just want to have a friendly discussion”

Erick places a hand on his right knee to stop it from shaking and calmly folds his hands and places them on the table in front of him.

“What is it that you want to talk about?”

“I want to know about this region, the other villages around here and especially Count Ramuse”

“There is not much to say, all the villages around this area are either farmers or hunters. We sell our crops or animal furs to Fornall and pay our taxes”

“And what of Count Ramuse?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to ask the Elders, they would know more than me”

“Perhaps, but they would likely paint him as some villain trying to destroy the village. I wanted a more…simple opinion”

“I see… from what I…”

Erick is cut off as Helen approaches with two tankards of ale and plates with vegetables and roast meat.

“Thank you Helen, that will be all for now” I say smiling as I show my appreciation to her.

“If there is anything else please let me know” Helen says as she returns to the counter to go about her duties.

“Please continue” I motion Erick as I start drinking from the tankard.

“Well, from what I know, the current Count took over from his father about five years ago, I heard that his father had died of an illness. Since taking over, he has left us alone for the most part, only sending men to collect taxes and things like that”

“He doesn’t sound so bad”

“Maybe… but I’m pretty sure he only left the frontier villages alone because we did not cause him any trouble until recently. I visit Fornall often to sell furs I get from hunting and the stories I hear about him there are not good” Erick takes a gulp of his ale as he finishes his words.

“What kind of stories?”

“That he imprisons and tortures people who anger him, that he raised the taxes so that he could hold lavish feasts. One story I heard even said that he burnt down a town near Fornall just because they didn’t welcome him fast enough when he visited”

“Did you also hear that he drinks the blood of virgins?” I say in an amused toned and let out a brief chuckle.

Erick stares back at me with a puzzled look, unsure of how to reply.

“The stories you’ve told me are commonly told about Lords and Kings. Political opponents and would be usurpers like to spread bad rumours about those in power. I’m not saying the stories are false just that I don’t trust rumours”

“And what do you plan to do about the Count?”

“Well I might have to kill him”

“You plan to kill the Count!” Erick gasps.

“I said I might have to kill him. Now let’s eat before the food gets cold, I’ll explain after we finish eating”

I begin eating the food that was served to me with a small smile on my face. Some of the vegetables on my plate were new to me and I took delight in savouring their tastes. The meat tasted like some kind of deer, probably killed by one of the town’s hunters. It didn’t taste bad but the gamey odour wasn’t to my liking. I much rather preferred farmed meat and only hunted while traveling when necessary. One of the vegetables had a crescent shape with a bright orange colour and tasted like spicy potatoes, which I found quite palatable. The food of Fraul wasn’t by any means sophisticated, being mainly roast meats and vegetables, but it was delectable enough and in the few weeks I had been here, I had grown accustomed to its tastes.

*I should find out what this is called, this stuff is pretty good*

Having finished my meal and ale, I request another round of drinks from Helen and wait patiently for its arrival in silence, before turning my attention back to Erick.

“Now… back to what to do about the Count. The first thing is, do you think the village will accept my deal?”

“We don’t have much of a choice, I don’t see many people objecting to it. Especially after you saved the town” Erick replies in a dejected voice.

“There’s no reason to sound so grim. So long as the village agrees to my terms, everything will work out just fine” I reply in a cheerful tone.

“You say that, but we would be basically giving you ownership of this town. And how do we know you are not worse than the Count?”

“You don’t, but there are worse people in the world your town could be working for. I’m not a cruel woman… for the most part. If your village keeps its end of the bargain it will prosper, if it doesn’t… well that’s a story for another day”

“We should have never asked for your help” Erick mutters under his breath.

“Well I did warn you, but your group insisted I help free your town. Now that the deed is done, payment is due. If the payment I want is too distasteful, I am happy to leave your village to its fate. The choice is yours to make”

“Not much of a choice”

“Well that’s the reality of the situation. Anyway getting back to the matter of Count Ramuse. If your town accepts my terms, I will need to head to Fornall to deal with the Count. As I only passed through Fornall and are not familiar with it, I want you to come along with me”

“What… why me?” Erick replies hesitantly.

“You said that you’ve been to Fornall to trade in the past. That means you must know the city fairly well”

“That is true… but there are others in the village who know Fornall as well as me if not better”

“I’d rather take someone who I already know and apart from the Elders you are the only other person I know by name. If you insist on not coming with me, then I will find someone else”

*Well I guess I know Helen’s name, but I don’t think she would be suited for this task*

“No, I will go with you”

“Good. Then I want you arrange for two horses to be saddled and ready to leave at sunset tomorrow. Make sure they have enough provisions to make it to Fornall and back. Also find some weapons you can conceal like daggers and bring a sturdy staff you can use to defend yourself”

“I am no warrior, I’m not sure what good those things will do me”

“I said they were for defence. I do not expect you to fight for me, but I do expect you to try and stay alive when I am not near you”

“What do you plan to do once we get to Fornall, kill the Count?”

“Maybe... it’s better if you don’t know for now, in case you are captured”

*Also I’m not even sure what I’m going to do about the Count… but there is no need for you to know that*

“In case I’m captured?” Erick askes with a worried expression.

“Well it’s not like we can just walk up to the Count and tell him to give me the town, can we? Don’t worry I’ll let you know of any important details”

Erick nods a few times to acknowledge understanding but otherwise keeps silent.

“Well I’m glad we could have this little talk. Now I have to go get this agreement written” I say as I stand up from my seat.

Before I could leave, Erick interrupts.

“Are we about to sign a deal with a devil?”

“Who knows” I say with a smile on my face and a shrug of the shoulders. Before turning around and returning to my room.

*It’s better if they don’t see me as some kind of saviour. They can’t rely on me forever*

Riverbrook Town Hall

Elder Kade

After hearing the demands of the mage who went by the name of Lillianna, the other Elders and I watched as she exited the hall, clocked in shadow.

“This is insanity, does she really expect us to hand over this town to her?” Roswell exclaims.

“She just wants control of the trade that goes on in this village. She didn’t ask to rule over us” Yasmin replies.

Yasmin had always been the moderate voice of the Elders ever since taking over from her father.

“It might as well be the same thing. If she controls all our trade, we will have no control over the money and goods that flow through this town. She would have us by the balls!” Roswell counters.

Roswell on the other hand was a snivelling coward who would shower those in power with praise while complaining behind their backs.

“That may be true, but what choice do we have. If she does not take care of Count Ramuse, our village is doomed. As much as I hate to agree with the mage, she is right. The Count will just send more men and without her help, we will all be enslaved or worse” I reveal my thoughts on the matter.

Yasmin and Roswell, grimly nod in agreement.

“Then we will leave it to a town vote at noon tomorrow. This is something everyone must decide upon” Yasmin says.

“Agreed, we will let the town decide” Roswell says before getting up to leave the hall, anger showing on his face.

“We failed this village haven’t we, Yasmin?” I say before getting up from my seat to leave.

“Perhaps not… if what the mage says is true, it might not be so bad for this town”

“Perhaps…” my final remark before leaving.

Lilianna

The town meeting to decide whether they would accept my terms had ended shortly after noon in my favour. The majority of the villagers were happy with my offer and only a few voiced their concerns, which were quickly ignored. The terms of the agreement were quite simple, I would have the final say regarding all the trade in and by the village and in return I would protect them from the retaliation of Count Ramuse for the past day’s events. The contract I presented the Elders had the fine details of the agreement but that was the crux of the arrangement.

Now that the contract had been signed by the Elders, I made my way back to the inn to prepare for the upcoming journey to Fornall. Arriving at the inn I find that Helen had preceded me and was talking to young girl. Not wanting to interrupt I wait for their conversation to end before drawing Helen’s attention.

“Hello Helen, could you prepare some of those orange vegetables for me. I plan to leave for Fornall with Erick at sunset and I would like some for my travels” I say in a pleasant voice.

“Do you mean the bunyip roots?”

“If that is what they are called, then yes please”

“Not a problem Lillianna, or should I call you boss?”

“You still own your inn, I’m just in charge of what you can stock” I reply with a smile.

“If you say so boss” Helen responded with a genuine smile, to show she held no ill will towards me.

I shrug my shoulders and turn my attention towards the young girl.

“What’s your name cute little lady?” I ask in a gentle tone.

She appears to be about five or so and resembled Helen closely, one might even mistake her as Helen in her childhood. She wore a white dress that went to her ankles and was hiding behind Helen trying to avoid my gaze.

“This is Elise my youngest child. Elise say hello to the nice lady” Helen answers.

Elise shakes her head to refuse her mother’s request and continues to hide.

“I’m sorry, she is still scared after seeing you fight yesterday in the town hall” Helen says in an apologetic voice.

“That’s okay. Well Elise it was nice meeting you”

I turn my attention back to Helen.

“Could you ask Erick to meet me here when he is ready to leave. There is no hurry as long as he is here before sunset”

“I will make sure he gets the message. Was there anything else?”

“Could you also please let me know when Erick arrives and if you would be so kind please arrange for another warm bath”

“Sure, I’ll let you know when the bath is ready”

“Now if you will excuse me I need to go prepare for my journey”

Before leaving I once again turn my attention to Elise.

“Be a good girl for your mummy okay?” I say with a warm smile while gently patting Elise on the head.

“Okay” Elise replies quietly, still hiding behind her mother.

*Hmmm sometimes I forget what it’s like to have a family*

Returning to my room I check that everything was still in my backpack and made other minor preparations for the trip before deciding to while away the time by reading one of my books while taking a warm bath. Traveling as much as I did meant that warm baths were far and few between, so I took any chance to indulge in its pleasures when able.

About an hour before sunset, Helen informs me that Erick was waiting for me downstairs. After acknowledging Helen’s announcement I gather my things, tie my hair into a pony tail and head down to meet Erick. Upon arriving in front of Erick I notice that he has a bow slung around his shoulders with the bowstring around his chest and a quiver full of arrows on his right hip. He is wearing a short sleeved cloth shirt with a vest and travel plants along with boots that reach his calves, which are all made of dark brown leather.

“Good, it looks like you’re ready to leave. Did you bring any other weapons?” I remark.

“I have a dagger in my vest and a staff which I left with the horses” Erick replies while patting his vest to indicate where he hid the dagger.

“I assume you have the provisions we need as well”

Erick nods to confirm that everything is ready.

“Then we leave at sunset”

“Is it a good idea to travel at night?”

“If we leave at sunset we should arrive at Fornall in three days also around sunset, which means we can enter the city unseen without waiting around. Don’t worry we can rest at dawn and start traveling just after mid-day, that way we won’t wear ourselves out”

“You’ve planned this out pretty well”

“Well I do travel a lot, so planning a journey isn’t that hard for me”

As we wait for sunset Helen brings me some bunyip roots wrapped in cloth which I place into my bag before ordering one last tankard of ale.

“Are you really going to drink ale before we leave?” Erick asks.

“It’s only one drink” I reply with a smile.

We take a seat at a table and soon Helen brings me my drink. I once again notice Erick is shaking his right leg up and down causing the arrows in his quiver to rattle.

*He seems to do that when he is nervous*

“Relax, we haven’t even left yet. Do you want a drink as well?” I ask while drinking my ale.

“Sorry, I’m not used this kind of thing” he replies, his leg still shaking.

“What kind of thing?”

“The kind where I sneak into a city and possible help you kill the Count”

“I told you before not to worry about that. Just enjoy the adventure and before you know it, you will be back here drinking and telling tall tales”