Making the last leg of the journey into town was much like the first leg where I left Tameriel, except in reverse. At first, the roads were empty of people and then little by little traffic began to pick up, until finally the city itself came into sight and there was a large crowd of people bottlenecked and slowly moving through the gates of the city.

Gondor itself was a walled city, though the wall wasn’t very impressive by my standards. Back home, the seawall that surrounded the whole island was over thirty meters tall; here the wall was at most ten meters high – and it looked to be about half as wide. It was wide enough for three or four men to walk to walk side by side, but compared to the wall back home where two wagons could pass each other and still have room to spare, it was a little underwhelming.

Most of the people bunched up at the gates were dressed in common cotton or wool clothes, and a lot of skin was shown by the majority of folks. Men went without shirts while a lot of the women wore halter tops or bikini style tops which revealed most of their stomach and neck. Pants were often half-pants which ended at the knee for the guys, and the women often wore dresses which would’ve been called mini-skirts back home. Lots of leg showing was common, with the hemline often being only a hand’s width below the hips. And just about everyone was barefoot.

Nearly everyone sported a deep bronze tan, and out of curiosity, I weaved a little air magic to lift the back of one of the young lady’s skirts who was several spots in front of me. I had a good view of her bare butt for a few moments until she turned around and slapped the older gentleman behind her. I didn’t see any tan lines on her, so I assume no one else is very likely to have any either. I don’t know how common it is for the girls to ‘go commando’ without their underwear, that young lady might be a pervert for all I knew, but the people here showed a lot more skin and were a lot less modest than what one would normally expect to find on Earth.

As an argument between the man and girl began to break out, the gate guards rushed over and pulled them off to the side to deal with – which let the rest of us move on passed and into the city with no issues. That’s a trick I may need to remember for in the future sometime.

The first thing I noticed getting into the city was a large number of dirty young children begging near the gates. These were mainly young boys, of the age of six to twelve, and they were malnourished, dirty, and rather loud. “Got any coin to spare, Mister?” One asked as I got pushed past by the crowd of folks around me. “How bouts a loaf? Food? Just a few copper?”

I found their begging to be heart-wrenching, but everyone else simply moved on as if they couldn’t even see them. It was a piteous sight in so many ways, I don’t have the means to describe how I felt about it properly. One young lad, looking to be about nine years old or so, was dashed up to me and asked, “Mister, need a guide? I know the city well! For just a little food or a few copper, I’ll take you wherever you want to go!”

Looking at him, he was dressed in a pair of tattered pants several sizes too large to fit, and they were held up with nothing more than a string tied around his waist. He was dirty covered and had several small scars and scabs covering his malnourished frame. His hair was tangled and unkempt and he didn’t look – or smell – like he’d bathed in months.

“I’m Michael,” I told him while holding out my hand for him to shake. He took it and turned it over as if looking inside it for something, before he finally begrudgingly told me, “Sammy”. His nose wrinkled a little in what I assumed was disappointment with not finding copper or food in my hands.

“I could use a guide, Sammy. What say you show me around a bit, and then I’ll give you something good to eat afterward?” I gave him my warmest smile and he nodded enthusiastically.

“You got it, mister! Where would you like to go first? An inn? A shop? You looking to buy? Or sell? I know where everything is in town, and the fastest way to get there as well!” He was energetic now, and I couldn’t help but laugh at his enthusiasm.

“Well, I’m new to town and I don’t really know where anything is. Eventually I’d like to go to the ‘West Gondor School of Learning’, but for now, I’d just like for you to show me around so I’ll know where everything is.” To show my good intentions, I pulled an apple out of my pack and handed it to him. “Call this a down payment for your services, with more when we’re finished,” I told him gently. Seeing him and the other children begging here was really making me appreciate how well I’d had it back home on the isle.

“You got it, mister!” Sammy grabbed the apple from my hand and began rapidly munching on it as he walked a short distance down the street and I followed. I didn’t say anything while he was eating – it didn’t take him more than a few moments to consume the apple, core and all – and finally with a belch he laughed and started talking.

“First thing you got to know mister, is that the mayor and town council are idiots. Somebody years ago, pro’lly the first mayor or some such had a thought that ‘wagon wheels are pretty’, so that’s what town here is. They say,” he scratched his head while leading me along, “whoever theys is, that if’n you could fly you’d see the town was a wheel.

“The outer wall would be the rim of the wheel, and the roads would be the spokes. Them schools and fancy places are in the center – that’s where you want to go – and the slums and such are near the rim. The further inside ya go, the richer and snootier them folks become until I think they quits becoming people and eventually jus’ turn in ta asses. If’n you gonna be in there with 'em, be careful you don’t ‘come an ass too!”

His speech was a little hard for me to follow, but I think I got the general concept from him, so I nodded so he could continue.

“There’s eight main roads and a couple dozen circles around town, but you’ll find things don’t change much ‘cept to get fancier as you get closer to the center. That council an’ mayor had an idea that things need to go in a proper place, so they gots what’s called a stick up their ass.” I couldn’t help but laugh lightly. Apparently no one, in any world, likes bureaucrats and rules.

“You’ll find most grocers up ‘n north road, most inns ‘long the south road. Craftsmen are often ‘long the west road, and shops are ‘long the east road. That’s where ya tend to find jewelry, clothes, an’ other things. For them rich folks, it’s not a big deal an’ they know whar to go shopping at. Fer everyone else, it’s a pain in the ass!”

He stopped walking and turned back to look at me. “If’n I want to go shopping, I can’t buy from them fancy shops on the inner circle. I has ta get me stuff from the outer rim shops! That mean a walk from one side of the city to the other and back and forth! It’s just stooped!”

All I could do is just kind of shrug and listen to his rant. There wasn’t anything I could do about it, even if it didn’t quite sound fair. If you were wealthy, you just walked and shopped around the central plaza. If you were poor, you had to walk all the way around the outer rim to buy the different things you might need. ‘Convenience for the rich, and who gives a damn about the rest’, is how it seemed to me.

“Anywho,” Sammy turned back around and started walking again, sounding a little embarrassed by his outburst. “The school you be looking fer, it’s on the third rim, on the Nor’West road. Ya pro’lly don’t want to walk the circles to it until ya get closer to da center. There’s the same number of guards for each circle, so it takes longer fer them to make a loop patrolling and such the further out they be.

“The main ‘spokes’ are usually safe, so folks will walk them till they get to the sixth circle or so, and then they can use them to go round the place.” All this talk of circles was making me think of Dante’s Inferno. Was I heading to school or the center of hell?

As we walked, I noticed an ever-growing change in the clothing that the people wore. Sandals became common amongst the populace, and clothes got a little longer and less skin was seen. Apparently, clothes were a large sign of status, with the rich being able to afford more modesty than the poor. Even the material of clothing began to change subtly as we walked deeper into the city, with more silks, satins, and velvets of various shades and hues being seen.

By the time Sammy stopped and waved his hands saying, “Here’s the sixth road mister. You can walk down any of these streets safely,” it was almost like I was in a different city. The cobblestone roads were well maintained and smooth without cracks or potholes like at the outer edges of the town. The shops were painted clean, the streets didn’t have any trash or litter in them, and there was more open space between shops and buildings.

There were women wearing heels while carrying umbrellas to help block the sun from their skin, and young gentlemen in tights with swords boldly strapped to their sides escorting them. And, it was here, where I saw the first naked people in shackles. When I stared for a moment at one, Sammy told me, “Thems a rich ass’s slave. Pro’lly doing some chore fer ‘em. Best not ta bother them.”

“I see,” I told him quietly. De’Nara had offered once to make Le’Nara my slave, but I hadn’t taken her fully seriously. Apparently, people really did own other people here! It’s not something which I’d ever seen or experienced on the island, so it was actually a shock for me to digest!

Misunderstanding my expression, Sammy told me, “If’n ya looking ta get laid, there’s some cheap whores along the southeast roads. I can take ya if’n ya want.”

“I’ll pass for now,” I told him while trying not to stare anymore. “What say we get on to the school so I can give you the rest of your payment?”

“Sounds good ta me mister!” He dashed along and we went down one side circle to a different road.

“We can skip ta center. That’s where all them town places are like the mayors, and guards, and knights, and ta temple and all. It’s faster to go ‘round this way.”

Laughing while chasing after him, I simply nodded. “You’re the boss, boss. I’m just following!”

“Ain’t no boss, mister!” He snorted while leading me on. “I’m just a Sammy! And this is’n your school!”

The area he’ d lead me to was a walled off section of town, with two bored looking guards leaning back, looking like they were holding up the wall with their bodies. I could see a couple different large buildings behind the wall, and there was a view of an open courtyard past the entrance. If he says it’s the right place, then I guess it is.

“Well Sammy, I think you for your service…”

“Thank me, hell! Where’ s me food!” He interrupted me and I had to laugh lightly while digging through my hobo-sack.

“Here.” I pulled out the whole bag of fruit and food that I had left over and passed it to him. “That’s probably enough to feed you for the next week or so. It should pay for your services as a guide, I’d hope.”

His eyes grew wide as he looked inside the sack and she smiled hugely. “Damn straight mister! If’n ya ever need me ‘gain, be sure’n find me. I’m Sammy!”

And with that, Sammy dashed off back down the road and I was left standing before the place I was going to be calling ‘home’ for the foreseeable future.