Paden had been on the road for a week now. True to his word, Weillin provided increased security for their caravan with his soldiers. Paden had ridden along with his aunt and Leanna who became fast friends. The girls took turns riding in the luxurious carriage, trading places every day while the other rode with Axel in his wagon.

Marie’s lessons on magic, for the most part, were spent on trying to get Paden to rediscover the feeling he had when he had cast the spell in the forest. He was successful 3 out of ten times in feeling his power and only successful 1 out of those three times in manifesting a miasma. Marie said it was a good attempt considering he had no prior knowledge or training but he was not content.

“How long until Avery? You told us it would be a week. Paden will you take us shopping? What are you doing? Can you show us?” – Carol.

“Are we there yet? It’s been a week. Take us shopping please. Are you still practicing magic? Can we learn?” – Cheryl.

Paden wanted to cry whenever the two took their turn in the carriage. It was a test of his focus whenever he trained in their presence. It didn’t help that a trip normally four days was extended due to the size of their caravan. He wanted so much to get to Avery and have a break. Shopping with the two terrors didn’t seem half as bad as being locked in a cramp space with them.

“We should be there by the afternoon. See those rocks that look like two bears? That shows we are not far from Avery,” Leanna told the two.

The trip to Avery didn’t last an hour from those rocks and the twins began to excitedly jump in the carriage. Leanna had trouble calming them down as Marie laughed at the two’s antics. Ignoring their mother, the two turned to Paden making him a little nervous.

“What…?” Paden asked unsure.

“Take us shopping.” – Carol.

“Take us shopping.” – Cheryl.

“That’s a good idea,” Marie said while clapping her hands together.

Leanna nodded her head. There was an unspoken understanding between the two. Both wanted to spend time with Paden so they worked together to cut him off. Paden couldn’t refuse their request as Leanna was a mother to him and Marie had slowly grown on him the last week. Paden nodded making the girls joyful.

The caravan situated itself just outside the city walls. Weillin and Marie would stay in an inn and offered to put up Leanna and the girls with Paden. Axel felt a little glum as he was left out to watch their Wagon. Weillin told him he’d send out some alcohol which perked him right back up.

Paden and their group got out the carriage outside an expensive looking inn. The area around looked pristine and the streets wide. There were people coming and going in luxurious looking clothes. He could hear some laughter and people looking at their group making him feel very self-conscious.

They walked into the inn and were greeted by the owner and several staff. The owner was tipped off by his informants that someone of import had shown up. Hearing the names from his source in the guards, he realized right away their group had some relationship with a marquis house. Understanding this, he had gotten up and prepared to receive them personally.

Paden was surprised by the reception and mistook it as something common for an inn of the higher class. He looked at some of the men who were looking at his aunt and Mary with some lecherous looks. It took every ounce of restraint to not pound their teeth in there and then.

“Welcome young Lord,” greeted the weasel looking man. The movements of his hands and ugly smile made him look like a very bad character to Paden.

“We will be needing residence for the night. I need some rooms for my soldiers and for our family,” Weillin spoke with an out of character, commanding voice Paden never heard before. He could almost not put it with the affable man he had interacted with the last two weeks.

Marie and Weillin got their own room. Leanna would sleep with Mary and Bea while he got a room with the twins. They originally were going for a two bed room but the twins cried and begged for a large single bed to share. There were feelings of jealousy in Mary and Bea who used to sleep with Paden when they were younger. Having grown up they could no longer do that. They could only envy the young Carol and Cheryl who were able to monopolize the youth.

It took a little bit to set things in their rooms. The little terrors bounced up and down on the bed, having only slept on animal furs, it was a first for them to experience such soft mattresses. Even Paden was overwhelmed by the soft comfort of the bed. When he heard the comment of Weillin who only viewed the beds as ‘barely passing’ he almost fell dumbfounded. If the beds here were barely passing, he could hardly fathom the kinds of beds they slept on.

Having fixed themselves, the girls were ready to go out shopping. It was barely noon so they had hours to shop before dinner. Weillin put eight guards on their group for protection. The stoic looking man Paden first met at the Lord’s accompanied them. Paden finally learned his name was Randolph. He found the man to be quiet when he was on duty but oddly friendly when he was off with Axel and the other two.

Weillin passed Paden some money. Paden tried to object but was given a stern reply from Weillin who would not give up the opportunity to dote on his nephew. Paden nodded and accepted the coins. He would use them to buy some things for the women, he decided.

The twins held Paden’s hands as they left the inn and headed into the merchant district. They gawked around at all the stalls set up on the street and into the rare glass windows of the stores. Paden found a stall selling sweet candies. He remembered having tried some a few years back and decided to buy some for the girls. The twins went wild for the new experience. The women thanked Paden and continued.

They stopped at a shop selling some clothes. Leanna and Marie double teamed Paden in an attempt to embarrass him by making him watch as they tried on clothes. Paden quickly reddened as he fled the sight of the two beautiful women exposing their flesh slightly. Mary and Bea caught this and decided to tease Paden in the same way. He finally had enough and left the shop as he stood next to four guards outside who wore grins at his enviable plight.

The girls came out an hour later and laughed at the miserable expression on Paden’s face. They continued to shop around and Paden would find some snacks and buy them for the group. Paden stopped at a stall selling accessories. They were not overly expensive but looked pretty nonetheless. The merchant was very good with his words and lured the girls in. Paden was forced to buy the six something after seeing their pleading look.

He wanted to buy them the same thing but got angry rebukes. He relented and chose each accessory for them individually. Marie got a necklace and black pendent. Leanna got a similar necklace with a red pendant. Mary and Bea got rings with a purple and red stone set in. Carol and Cheryl got matching bracelets with charms attached.

The walked over to another area and began to look at the shops. Paden noticed Mary and Bea who walked off without their guards and furrowed his brows. Did they ditch their guards, he wondered? Paden informed one of the guards and took another to follow behind the misbehaving girls. They were laughing at a stall, looking at some rolls of clothes when a pudgy looking youth walked up to them with an arrogant expression on his face.

“What adorable cuties you two are. How about you let me buy you those rolls of cloth and we go back to my home?” the youth asked with a smug look. His eyes traced the figures of Mary and Bea.

The two noticed his gaze and felt utterly repulsed by him. Sensing something off, they gave each other a look of understanding. The toad like youth was certainly someone they didn’t want to interact with. They quietly ignored the youth and put the rolls down and strolled off.

Their indifference infuriated the youth. His father was cousin to the town lord and was a successful merchant. The youth would regularly go out and find some young girl to have his way with. When he saw the red headed sisters, the prospect of bedding the two filled his mind. Who would have thought that he would be so casually ignored?

Paden watched as the youth walked after them. He felt something wrong so he quickly walked over as the youth grabbed Mary’s arm with force. His face was contorted in rage as he yanked her.

“You two, grab the other. Ignore me, will they? I’ll show them,” said the youth darkly as two guards appeared from behind him.

Paden heard his words and was instantly infuriated. He walked up and cut off the guards and punched the youth. He fell over as he squealed in pain as he hit the floor with a thunderous plop that shook the area. All eyes fell on Paden who proceeded to stomp the youth as his guards looked on in astonishment before trying to rush him.

Paden’s guard unsheathed his sword and startled the other two. Randolph arrived but stood off to the side and watched with interest in how Paden would handle himself. Paden was worked up in a righteous fury. He looked down at the youth who touched his sisters. He was huffing in anger as he contemplated whether he should continue his beating.

The youth looked at Paden in anger and shot up. He was pissed and rage took over all reason as he took a sword from the wastes of his guards. He rushed to attack Paden who instantly unsheathed a dagger Weillin had given him for protection. Paden dodged the youth’s clumsy strike and impaled his right hand with the dagger. The youth wailed in horror at the pain as he collapsed and passed out.

Paden grunted. The youth was so weak. He cleaned the blood with his shirt and sheathed it. The two guards retreated with the youth leaving Paden surrounded by shocked gazes of the townspeople and his sisters. Paden turned around and looked at the two in anger. He was still upset they dodged their guards. However, he would let Axel and Leanna punish them.

The three walked back with Paden’s guard as Randolph walked from a safe distance away. He was happy with his performance. However, Paden was still marked him down some. He would have simply killed the youth rather than injure or cripple as he had.

Leanna was waiting with the twins and Marie. Mary and Bea ran back to her and explained what happened when questioned. They were slapped and then hugged. Leanna was angry with them but filled with relief that nothing happened. It was not uncommon for powerful men to take women in larger towns by force. She gave Paden an appreciative nod.

As the day was now ruined by the events, they decided to head back to the inn. Marie stayed back some to talk with Randolph on what transpired. She was happy with her nephew’s skill with the dagger. However, she was of the same opinion as Randolph. She too would have simply killed the youth had she been attacked. She could only sigh at her nephew’s immaturity.