Three magnificent carriages were being drawn by beautiful white horses to the entrance of a large Town.

The coach drivers were all dressed in the finest attire they had been able to find in the town and were carrying trays of various delicacies and refreshments.

The passengers, on the other hand, looked as if they had walked right off the stage from some theatre or theatre house.

following them were six wagons filled with oddities that could be only described as "curious".

One wagon was full of old furniture, a second held barrels of what appeared to be wine and there was one that was filled with puppets.

One carriage contained a few paintings made of paper, some jewellery boxes, and several bottles of whiskey.

then one wagon was filled with cloths poles and lamps

The last wagon was filled with a variety of books, scrolls, crystals and strange tools that might have come out of someone's imagination but most likely didn't.

The drivers were clearly excited to get the town but their mood dampened when they found a man with a potbelly and thin straight bread and a curvy moustache wearing red leather boots and black breeches and standing in front of the main entrance surrounded by half a dozen armed men emanating anger and hostility.

when the carriage was forced to stop not 6 feet from the ground the man shouted with power resonating in his voice

“You’ll have to move along,” the mayor said.

“Camp outside town and no one will bother you so long as you don’t start any fights or wander off with anything that isn’t yours.”

"My troupe is not some poor batch of mummers, japing at crossroads for pennies, singing for our suppers. We were court performers, Lord Ronald' Men. Our arrival in most towns is more of a joyous event rather than an unwelcome interruption."

the driver of the first Carriage said as he jumped down from the carriage and walked towards the man with the potbelly who was still glaring at him through narrowed eyes

“Lord Ronald’ Men? You may have the privilege of serving a lordling from Varnis and make the rules as you go along but in this town but you do not. I am the lord of this town and therefore have complete control over what happens here."

the drivers face distorted as though he were going to say something but instead he glared back at the other driver and then turned to the mayor and his men

“We are licensed,” He said, pulling out a folded piece of parchment from the inner pocket of his jacket.

“Charged to perform, in fact.”

The mayor shook his head and made no motion to look at the writ of patronage.

“It makes no difference. No one here has licences and it would be very easy for me to remove your license and throw you all into debtor’s prison,” The Mayor sneered.

" Now heed my words or you won't be performing in my town, do you understand me?"

the driver looked ready to strike at the man who addressed him but stopped himself and nodded ‘yes sir’ before climbing back up on the carriage

“Good! Good!” The mayor said, nodding his head slowly.

"And mind your men minstrel and you are not permitted to sell alcohol"

“It makes folk rowdy,” he said firmly.

“Last time there was an unholy row during the play. Too much drinking, too much excitement. Folks tore the doors off the public house and smashed up the tables. The hall belongs to the town, you see. The town bears the expense of the repairs.”

“Yes of course,” the driver replied, shaking his head slightly,

“That goes double for your whores they will not charge unrealistic prices just for a talk do you get my gist?"

The driver sighed but nodded

"Now tell me minstrel who all are here with you?"

the man eyes narrowed dangerously as he scrutinised the mayor but he still replied

"We have well over two dozen performers: actors and acrobats, musicians and a hand magicians, three jugglers and jesters"

"and what about whores?"

"There are seven prostitutes currently in residence. Four of which are women"

"leave the women!"

"you can take the rest with you and you can pay for lodging, meals and entertainment," The mayor said gesturing to the cars behind them.

"That won't do" a deep voice spoke from behind the driver.

the mayor tilled his head stared in awe at the sight that greeted him

A tall, broad man stood before him with short brown hair and piercing grey eyes. His body was strong-looking even stronger than the other members of his group as well as the rest of the mayor's team.

he wore the purple rode with a bright black symbol of a crescent moon and a crown above his left breast the sigil of the purple moon league of mages

the mayor hurriedly back away from the man as if he was facing a wild beast

"Mage" the mayor spat, looking up to the stranger.

"You lied to me minstrel, your company is not welcome here. You are leaving tonight and I want to see your wagons out of town within the hour. Is that clear?"

"No," the driver said sternly

"I am afraid it is not clear. It is my town and as such my decision is final" The mayor said calmly

"But I did not lie to you ."

"Oh?"

"Then why did you not tell me of the mage when I asked about your men?" The mayor asked, his hands moving to gesture at the armed men

"I did tell you we have a hand magician "

"you are telling me this mage here is an entertainer who will entertain the zoom in people are you taking for a fool minstrel" the mayor raged

"Yes he is a mage minstrel and he is very talented. He is a great actor and dancer. "

the driver exclaimed, trying to calm the situation

"Is that your explanation minstrel?"

the man hesitated but nodded

"Men arrest this man and the stupid minstrel"

the driver hurriedly backed away

"What is the meaning of this?"

the mayor gave feral smile to the driver

"Masquerading as age servant from the league is punishable by death and now the executioner is waiting "

The driver gulped and quickly went to grab his companion by the shoulder, whispering harshly in his ear

"Come on let's go"

but the man did not move. he just stared at the mayor with wide eyes, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish.

"Now" the mayor growled

"I... I..."

the men drew their swords as they prepared to charge the troopers

but before they could move the man who was supposed to be a mage raised his hands and a purple flame

rose from his palms sending sparks across the men

The soldiers were knocked unconscious by the magic and collapsed to the ground.

The driver stood there frozen in shock

"You... you killed them all,” the mayor said, horrified

"They are not dead, now about your transgression against the league has been noted mayor you would do well to tread lightly"

mayor's face began to turn red as he clenched his hands

but then just like the. a happy smile appeared on his face and he joined his hands

" I meant no disrespect sir mage, but I have my duty to uphold"

by now a crowd on both sides of the entrance had formed on one side were the townsmen and the other all travelling performers had gathered

both men had assessed the situation and had put away their hostility toward each other

“Now, We the humble people of drake town certainly would not want to offend you or your patron,” the mayor said.

“However the town can ill afford people such as you so As a gesture of goodwill I’m willing to offer you a copper crown each, simply to be on your way and not make any trouble for us here.”

a copper crown each man would amount to thirty copper crown for the troupe any normal well of farming family with at least 6-acre land would only earn twelve to fifteen copper crown a year, that was a good sum of money

But for this particular troupe, who had a mage and a large variety of shows along with the patronage of the lord of the ancient city Varnis it was simply insulting.

The mayor should have offered them Sixty to play for the evening, free use of the public hall, a good meal, and beds at the inn.

If the driver or the mage were surprised or insulted, they did not show it.

the driver glared at the mayor before turning around

“Let's Go!” He shouted over one shoulder.

the crowd on both sides began to disperse with that shout

The mayor looked relieved, brought out his purse, and pulled out two silver crowns.

as the mage took the coins he looked closely at them

the coins were cool to the touch on one side there was a sigil shaped like a crescent moon upon it

on the other side, there was a silver star inside a circle

there was also the name 'Varnis' written in cursive writing underneath the circle

The silver coin was so finely crafted that if you looked at it closely you could almost see the grain and metal that had gone into making it.

He handed them to the driver.

“I’ll be sure to tell the baron of your generosity, ”he said carefully without turning around to look at the mayor

the mayor was about to leave but on the sound of those words

The mayor froze mid-motion.

“Baron?”

“Baron Ronald Varnis.” The mage paused, looking for some spark of recognition on the mayor’s face.

“Lord of the very city on who's the authority you rule this backwater dump, on who's very land you stand and whose men you employ. On whom’s orders, you obey"

"Baron"

the mayor murmured before hastily backing away from the mage

but soon he had refound his bearing and

the mayor refocused on the mage

“Well yes,” the mayor said. “But this is Squire Rolf's…”

“Oh, we’re in Rolf's fief!” the mage exclaimed, in mock horror looking around as if just now getting his bearings.

“Thin gentleman, tidy little beard?” He brushed his chin with his fingers.

The mayor nodded numbly.

“Charming fellow, lovely singing voice. Met him when we were entertaining the baron last Midwinter.” the mage said

“Of course,” the mayor paused significantly.

“Might I see your writ?” he finally asked

The colour from the mayor's face had drained by now.

he tried his best to hide his fear as he reached out and took the writ from the driver and opened it

it was true that the Squire Rolf controlled this little town and all the land around it,

but Rolf owed fealty directly to Varnis.

In more concrete terms, the mayor was screwed if the writ was real

but to everyone's surprise, The mayor read the parchment then refolded the parchment and handed it back to the driver

“I see.” was all he said

then he waved his hand

"let them threw"

another dozen men dressed in blue and green appeared and dragged the unconscious guards of the road as the carriages and wagons began to enter the town.

The mayor sighed in relief and walked away

As the gates shut the driver and the mage returned to their positions

"This day is already a complete waste"

the driver said as he began to wipe the sweat off his forehead with a clean cloth

"Why is that?" the man questioned, glancing sideways at the wagon

"We haven't been able to earn any coin today"

"We have come this far with nothing. This town will not even give us a single penny, let alone a copper crown for a play the mayor will make sure of that."

"Perhaps you are right the mayor is a petty tyrant who will make our stay difficult"

"He wouldn't dare" a third voice a deep rumble is sound came from the first carriage

with that sentence, both men quieted down and stayed silent

......................................................................

~POV CHANGE~

a small lanky dirty

A -year-old boy happily skipped his way along with the wagons as they entered the town called the drake town

he wore a blue tunic with brown pants that were too big for him.

A black leather belt was wrapped tightly around his waist which was covered in pockets.

His hair was brown and messy, and long enough to tie into a ponytail.

The boy ran along the wagon entering the town with a smile on his face

He had just seen something amazing

he had hidden behind the horses as he watched master Ryu and foreman George

argue with the mayor

he had then seen something he had only heard in stories something he beloved to be lies up till now

Magic

Master Ryu had done magic and had scared off the bad mayor

He smiled happily, enjoying the new feeling and the freedom that he felt because of the experience.

he stopped running suddenly

as someone bumped into him.

He turned to face the person who had pushed him and saw an older woman staring at him with an angry expression.

"Jack where have you been your master is searching for you"

Jack shivered at the mention of his master

but jack could say or do anything the woman with uncanny speed rises her hand and grabbed his ear twisting it to angle

that jack had to bend his head just to relieve some of the pressure

Jack gasped for breath

the woman smiled happily at the boy's pain

"Your lucky Master wants to see you now off you go"

she said before walking away and realising poor jack's ear

Jack stood still for a moment stunned.

His ear throbbed.

He knew what was going to happen next

Jack ran through the streets, ignoring the stares of the crowd watching the troupe

as he turned a corner ducking behind one of the wagons he scratched down and when no one was paying any attention he mingled into the townspeople

Jack was an orphan he had been bought by Master Ryu from the shoddy orphanage in the Varnis where he had been before here

Master Ryu had bright him to the troupe where he was supposed to act as a small goblin in plays because of his pointy big eras his small stature and his lack of height

Jack had been given the nickname Goblin

Jack and had enjoyed performing in the troupe

after a few weeks, he had begun to show his talent in acrobatics and dancing in front of the audience

He loved to dance, although he had never danced in front of anyone outside of the troupe for six months he was happy

for the first time in his life jack had dared to hope

he would no longer have. to sleep with a knife to save himself from older kids

he would no longer be hungry

he could finally wear a shirt and shoes

and even though jack would never be able to be anything more than a street performer

but Jack was happy

he had met a lot of people There were usually at least eight wagons in the troupe and well over two dozen performers such as actors and acrobats, musicians and hand magicians, jugglers and jesters

"My family." he had thought

in the six months, he had never met the man who had bought him, the only father he had known the one who gave him his name

"I am Jack." he had thought and had hoped, he did not know exactly what he wanted for himself, but if he ever needed it. "I'm going to get it"

then he had met the whores who according to limpy tom were the ladies of the troupe and had to be addressed as mistress

he had learned that season the hard way

when he had called mistress Lilly easy woman

because every night she had spent lying with men until late into the morning.

that had gotten him a smack across his mouth from a whip that left a nasty scar

and just after that master Ryu had come back with another man and had informed jack that man was his master

after that, his life had changed no one the troupe would talk to him except lady Ester the healer of the troupe and her two daughters Isabella and Arabella

even though the wagons the animals the people provided him shelter and warmth it did little to sustain him so To eat, he had to scavenge, beg, and as was becoming more and more common, steal.

once he had been caught and taken to his master but to his surprise instead of getting beaten his master had laughed and congratulated him on being useful

with his new master had given him the new duties that had been forcefully implemented on him

and so his new miserable life had begun

Jack spent many long days begging in the market for that was one of his duty

It was dull, and usually cold work.

His company was a ragged collection of strays, men and women with just enough decency and decency to keep themselves alive.

his new duties had entailed listening to every gossip, rumour and voice that was spoken on the streets of every town they were going to go to

he would arrive days even weeks before the troupe just to mingle with town beggers

Begging was best done in low town where the poor lived and worked but the feeling was best done in high towns where the rich lived

Jack shuddered at the memory as he we've around in the crowd again as they began to gather at the entrance of the town's main inn to watch the performance that was planned today for the town's folk

"What do you think they're playing?"

"I don't care"

"I'm surprised you haven't gone to hear them yet"

"I've seen a play once I'll give you that much, but not enough to want to go again."

"They are good aren't they."

the crowd gossipped aloud all around jack

Being a child gave Jack a slight advantage over his fellow wretches.

He was unusually small for his age that meant people for the most part ignored him

just like now as he closed in on a wealthy woman who was having trouble handling her toddler the woman saw him noticed him but ignored him so jack just dipped his hand into the open purse handing around the woman's elbow

then he slipped quickly past her,

"Hey! Where are you going?!" a large voice shouted

Jack didn't stop to listen to the man as he dodged the crowds

Jack made his way down the streets dodging between people

Jack could see the town square in the distance but that wasn't his destination it was the mayor standing right near the entrance to the square

without any hassle jack quickly made his way behind the man and as he rooks out his strong knife and cut the leather purse of the mayor without so much as a sound he quickly dashed away into the crowd toward his master's wagon

That was what he had been sent to fetch today, money. His master needed ingredients and apparatus for his experiments and potions. Those could be neither found nor stolen only bought

Jack shuddered as he reached the ladder of the wagon at which his master was staying

at the top with wagon read the words

"Alchemist Faust shop Scribe. Dowser. Chemist. Dentist. Rare Goods. All Aliments Tended. Lost Items Found. Anything Mended. Horoscopes. magic potions."

Jack was very talented and very smart he was also incredibly agile, and strong.

He could easily climb up walls, run upstairs, jump from roof to roof, and even walk straight-up trees. and he could read and write

His special ability was his ability to read thoughts and feel emotion

but Jack didn't really understand emotions, especially emotions directed at him.

he never understood why the people around him feared him, hated him were angry at him but now these emotions were all that he had felt in his life.

He couldn't help it. It was a curse of his life his master had told him.

As he reached out he felt anger emanate from the wagon fear crept into him as Jack stepped forward cautiously