A loud knock on her door woke her up. Anna sat up, swung her legs over the side of the bed, and slid off before walking to the door and pulling it open just a crack. Lyreen and Voekeer stood on the other side.

“Hurry up and get dressed!” Lyreen said.

“Alright,” Anna replied.

She shut the door and then went to the table where she’d tossed her dress the night before. She put the dress on as well as her belt before returning to her bed to put on her shoes and retrieve her pack. After giving the room a once over to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything, she left, joining the elves in the hallway.

“I still don’t get how you can get ready that fast,” Lyreen said.

“It helps when you don’t have to brush your hair,” Anna replied.

“Probably,” Lyreen said.

The three of them walked to the stairs where the elves kissed.

“See you later,” Lyreen said.

“Have fun,” Voekeer replied.

“We will,” Lyreen said.

Voekeer turned to Anna and held out his hand.

“Let me get your room key. I’ll turn it in for you,” he said.

“Thanks,” Anna replied.

She took her room key from her belt pouch and handed it to him.

“We’ll meet you at the stables,” Lyreen said.

“See you then,” Voekeer replied.

They parted ways with Voekeer returning to his and Lyreen’s room and Anna and Lyreen heading down the stairs. The main room of the inn was empty, and the chairs were still upside down on the tables.

“Wow, you got up early,” Anna said.

“I was excited,” Lyreen replied.

“About what?” Anna asked.

“About your new outfit,” Lyreen replied.

“It’s not that big a deal,” Anna said.

“I’ve been trying to get you to wear pants for years! So yes, it is a big deal,” Lyreen replied.

“Whatever you say,” Anna said.

They left the inn. It was still dark outside with the first light of predawn just starting over the horizon.

“I don’t think the tailor’s going to be open yet,” Anna said.

“It will be light by the time we get there,” Lyreen replied.

“Maybe if we walk slow,” Anna said.

“That shouldn’t be hard for you as short as your legs are,” Lyreen replied.

Anna started to walk faster, causing Lyreen to have to rush to catch up.

“Slow down you little monster!” Lyreen said.

“Guess those long legs of yours aren’t all that great after all,” Anna replied.

“Oh, shut it!” Lyreen said.

She smirked at the elf who just rolled her eyes. The two of them started walking again, this time at a leisurely pace. They arrived at the tailor’s shop just after the first rays of the morning light peaked up over the city walls.

Anna pushed the door open, and they walked inside the shop. The old tailor was sitting behind the counter and looked up at them as they entered.

“You two are here early,” he said.

“Is that a problem?” Anna asked.

“No, miss, not at all. In fact, I have your clothes ready for you,” he replied.

He got off his stool, walked to a shelf located just behind the counter, took a bundle from it, and placed it on the counter.

“You can try them on over there,” he said.

He pointed at a small door near the rear of the shop. She took off her pack, handed it to Lyreen, and then walked over to the counter and picked up the bundle.

“Thanks,” she replied.

With bundle in hand, she went to the room and opened the door. It was a small closet-like space with a bench and a small table. She walked inside and closed the door behind her, placing the bundle on the table and untying the cord that was wrapped around it.

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Inside was the clothing she’d had made which consisted of three shirts and three pairs of pants. The pants were all the same light brown color and made from a thick canvas-like cloth. The shirts were made from a lighter cloth, and each one was a different color. After looking each article of clothing over for any damage, she placed them in a neat pile and undressed.

She tossed her old clothing into a pile and picked up one of the shirts. It was off-white, with the other two colors being light brown and dark brown. She pulled the shirt over her head and then freed her hair from the collar before giving herself a once-over.

The sleeves seemed to be a little long though they had buttons on the cuffs, so they could be tightened to keep them from sliding over her hands. She adjusted the sleeves and then fastened the buttons to keep them in place.

She picked up a pair of pants and put them on, bouncing some to get them over her rear before fastening the buttons that made up the fly. She looked herself over again.

Wow! My butt looks bigger in these! I guess it’s because of the reinforced seat.

She sat on the bench and put her shoes on before standing back up and stretching, moving her body through a series of motions to make sure that her new clothing didn’t inhibit any normal movements. Once she was satisfied that everything was properly fitted, she put her belt back on and then folded up her old clothing and tied it up in the bundle with her new clothes. She left the fitting room and walked out into the main part of the shop, heading back to Lyreen.

“You’re looking a little bouncy there,” Lyreen said.

“Yeah, well, this shirt doesn’t have anything to hold them up, so they’re going to go all over the place,” Anna replied.

“That’s why you need to wear a wrap,” Lyreen said.

“Not going to happen,” Anna replied.

“Everyone’s going to stare at them,” Lyreen said.

“I don’t mind,” Anna replied.

Lyreen sighed.

“You know what? I got you in pants and shoes. I’ll just call it a win,” she said.

“You do that,” Anna replied.

“So, miss, how do they fit?” the old tailor asked.

“Great thank you!” Anna replied.

“Good, good, well, if you’re ever in town again and need something, come back and see me,” he said.

“I will,” Anna replied.

She put the clothing bundle into her pack and then slung it over her shoulders before leaving the tailor’s shop. They made their way to the stables where they had left their horses.

“You know, you should probably change the way you walk,” Lyreen said.

“What’s wrong with the way I walk?” Anna asked.

“You strut around like a man,” Lyreen replied.

“What’s wrong with that?” Anna asked.

“You’re not a man,” Lyreen replied.

“Well, that’s pretty obvious,” Anna said.

Except for Qrixit. He totally thought I was a man for most of the time I knew him, but to be fair, women don’t really look much different than men in that part of the world.

“Don’t get sassy with me. I’m just trying to help you fit in better,” Lyreen replied.

“I get it, but I really don’t feel like changing the way I walk right now,” Anna said.

“Just think about it, alright?” Lyreen asked.

“I will,” Anna replied.

They arrived at the stables soon after and found the others already there and the horses, her mule included, already saddled and ready to go.

As they approached their friends, she could see the eyes of the prince and his men glued to her chest, subtly moving up and down with the motion of her breasts.

They are kind of bouncy, aren’t they?

Elaine noticed and frowned before elbowing Issac in the side. The young man quickly looked away as did the others. All of them had a sheepish look on their faces after being caught.

“Fits good, lass,” Thokri said.

“Aye, though I think I need some proper dwarven work boots instead of these shoes,” Anna replied.

“Aye,” Thokri replied.

She walked over to her mule and examined the saddle along with the rest of the harness.

“You got me saddlebags?” she asked.

“Aye, can’t have a mule that ya can’t load up with shit,” Thokri replied.

“Right,” Anna said.

She took off her pack and started to empty it into the saddle bags, leaving only her clothing and her valuables. She didn’t trust stable boys not to rob her, so she intended to bring the pack into the inn with her each night.

Once she finished, she strapped the much lighter pack to the mule’s harness just behind the saddle and then walked over to the rail that his reins were tied to and untied them. She then mounted the mule and turned it towards the exit.

“Let’s get going. I want to get as far away from here as we can today,” she said.

“The lass is right. Let’s get out of this shithole,” Thokri replied.

He walked over to his horse and untied it as well before climbing onto the saddle. The others scurried over to their mounts, got on them quickly, and then they all rode out of the stables.

Once they were out on the street, she looked around, marveling at how much different everything seemed from her new higher vantage point.

Oh, wow! So this is what being tall must feel like!

Arthur rode his horse next to her.

“I’d like to apologize for staring earlier,” he said.

“I really don’t mind, so don’t worry about it,” Anna replied.

“Thank you,” he said.

“You’re welcome,” Anna replied.

They rode along for a while, and Arthur stole glances at her as they did.

“Something on your mind?” she asked.

“Would you mind telling me the story of how you got Ted?” he asked.

“Sure, let’s see, it was about six years ago now. We were wintering over in Therondale’s capital, and I was hanging around in a dwarven tavern when one of the lads claimed to have a treasure map. Well, I took a look at it, but I decided not to buy it cause he wanted too much for it, but I did tell the others about it, and we all decided to go and check it out, mostly out of boredom. Anyway, I can remember everything I see, so I drew us another copy of the map, and we went to the cities underground and searched for the treasure. We ended up finding it after fighting our way through some monsters, but the room was protected by a barrier. I used my power to break the barrier, but there wasn’t any treasure, just the Scepter of Octavius,” Anna replied.

“Hold on, you were the one that found the scepter?!” Arthur asked.

“Yep, anyway, we decided to give it to the temple, figuring they’d give us a reward for finding it, and just when we were about to leave, the fifth general walks in and casts a fear spell. Now, it didn’t work on me cause magic doesn’t work on me, so I overpowered him and tied him up. After that, we dragged him and the scepter to the temple of light and turned them over. Once we got there, he killed a few paladins and took his sword back from me using magic. He tried to escape, but I chased him down and kicked his ass. While we were fighting, he kept talking shit, and I got really mad, so when I got ahold of his sword again, I used my powers on it and ended up burning out all of its enchantments. Ted here looked like an iron sword that somebody used to fight a few too many slimes with. After that, the general passed out from the beating, and they took him away. We ended up getting lots of treasure for that, and I got a magic sword, so it all worked out,” Anna replied.

“You beat one of the dark generals into submission with your bare hands while he was armed? Who in the abyss taught you to fight?” Arthur asked.

Anna pointed at Thokri.

“He did,” she replied.

Arthur looked over at Thokri who had the smuggest look possible on his face.

“If you ask nicely, I might give you lads a lesson or two,” Thokri said.

Anna and the other members of the party chuckled.

“I think we should take him up on that, my lord,” Sir Buford added.

“I think you might be right,” Arthur replied.

They rode out of the gate and onto the road heading towards the City of Light a few minutes later.