"Welcome to Elderpine Glade!" Amos exclaimed with a wave of his arm.
Ahead of me, past the large pine trees on either side of us, a clearing of large proportions opened up that was crossed by a stream and where I could see numerous wooden huts scattered around the area.
Taking advantage of the last rays of daylight there were people of all kinds moving about, carrying baskets, chatting with neighbours and even those who came from among the trees like us, but carrying the products of the hunt on their shoulders.
From what I could see as we approached, based on the number of houses, I doubted the place had more than a hundred inhabitants, making it a hamlet, which I did not dislike; especially seeing how the people who had noticed our arrival greeted us with cheerful greetings and content looks.
Yes, it definitely looks like a good place to put down roots. I affirmed my decision. The fact that the place was in the middle of a clearing in the forest was another plus in my opinion. In my former life I had loved nature and rustic aesthetics, wishing when I could have my own home to perhaps settle in the countryside or somewhere surrounded by woods like this. A pity I had to wait for my second chance to get it.
Amos raised his hand and gestured to one of his staff.
"Hey, Maurice, can you take care of putting the stuff where it belongs! I'm taking Young Noah to talk to the Mayor! Oh, and leave his stuff with mine!"
"You got it!" Replied the man with a thumbs up before he turned and started barking orders.
Amos turned to me and gestured.
"Well, come follow me. The Mayor's house is not far away." He said and started walking towards the centre of the clearing and I followed along to the side.
"Are we going to his house? Shouldn't we go to a town hall or something?" I asked in confusion to which Amos let out a snort.
"Maybe if the settlement was bigger or more populated, sure. Right now? Nah, it's not worth it and the Mayor feels the same way. In his words there are more important things to secure first before we worry about building one."
I just nodded and looked around, noticing that people we passed on our way greeted Amos with nods of respect and affable calls which he returned in kind while sending me curious and interested glances— Uh? Did someone just let out a loud squeal? —And between those my eyes fell on a pair of people walking with spears in their hands, medium armour and the shield of the Arbordale Guard.
"What are the Arbordale Guard doing here?" I asked to which Amos turned to glance at where I was looking.
"Oh, them? They are in charge of our protection and keeping order." Amos replied and he sent them a wave which the pair returned.
I blinked, even more confused. "Does that mean the hamlet is part of Arbordale?" Now that I thought about it, it would make sense that Elderpine Glade was part of the city-state considering how relatively close it was. At the same time, from what Amos had told me, their effective area of influence was up to a few days' ride past their walls and that beyond that distance the city-states were not responsible for what might happen either because they couldn't or wouldn't. Amos was quite colourful when it came to the matter.
"No, but yes. It's more complicated than that." Amos said with a so-so gesture. "It's best if Young Andre explains it to you. It's his job after all. And speaking of which, here we are."
Looking ahead I realised that we had indeed ended up arriving at a log cabin that was larger and more workmanlike than the others. From where I stood, I could see that not only did the place have two stories unlike most of the others, but it also had glass panels on the windows and a stone foundation.
Amos approached and knocked on the door with a couple of soft knocks before stepping back and waiting.
After a minute or two of standing silently in front of the mayor's home with nothing happening— and where I made an effort to hold back the urge I had to make one of my legs bounce from nervousness —the door opened, revealing an elf with long pointed ears and lustrous golden hair arranged in a curled plait framing a serious face with delicate features and bright silver eyes that clashed with the simple servant's robes she wore.
"Good afternoon, Mister D'nzar. I see you have returned safely, how may I help you?" The woman said in a tone that, while soft and melodious, did not seem to carry much emotion with it.
"Good afternoon to you too, Miss Elaine! Is the Mayor available? I bring with me a prospective new member of our settlement." Amos replied with his characteristic smile.
The elf, Elaine, simply looked down in my direction and I won't lie, when her placid silver eyes rested on me, I felt a shiver run down my spine that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
Despite that I did my best to smile at her. "A-ah, nice to meet you. My name is Noah Howlite. I hope we get along well."
…
Really, I hope we get along?! What is this, a Japanese cartoon where I'm introducing myself in front of the rest of the class?! I chided myself on the inside while on the outside I did my best not to cringe and keep smiling.
Elaine simply raised a delicate golden eyebrow. "A pleasure, Noah Howlite. My name is Elaine Zardos, servant to Lord Andre Valduart, Mayor of Elderpine Glade." She said without changing her tone with a slight nod of her head as my mind whirled to a halt while she stepped back. "Please, come in."
Amos gave his thanks and entered with me repeating his words and following behind as my head spun at her words.
She is the servant of a Lord. A Lord is the mayor of the Glade. A nobleman. I came to seek an audience with a nobleman? Oh no, I came to seek an audience with a nobleman!
"I will go and ask my Lord, please wait here." I heard Elaine say before she walked away and I blinked, returning my attention to my surroundings and finding that she had led us to a sitting room with a few couches, one of which Amos had already occupied with a sigh of relief.
"Ah~ after such a long journey there's nothing like a soft seat. Go on, sit down and enjoy yourself, Young Noah. They're very comfortable." Amos said with a gesture towards the seats.
I, for once, paid him no heed, instead I just paced back and forth in my spot.
"He's a nobleman. He's a nobleman, Amos! I'm going to have a chat with a nobleman!" I whisper-shouted. It was the first time I was going to talk to a person in such a position and I was afraid it would be like most of my previous life history where the nobility saw the plebs as lesser; where one had to be careful with their words or bad things could happen to you. "What am I going to do, Amos, I've never spoken to one before!"
Amos, the half-Elf whom I considered a friend and good adviser, simply shrugged. "Well, nothing. Don't worry about it."
I gawked at him like he was crazy. "How can I not worry, he's a nobleman! What if I say something wrong? Or something that makes him angry? Heck, what if I offend him and he gets mad at me!" I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as if it wanted to burst out. "Okay, okay. It's okay." I said quietly to myself as I sat down on one of the couches— wow, they really are quite comfy, it's like sinking into a cloud... No! Focus! —I can handle this. I can do it." I repeated as I inhaled and exhaled slow calming breaths of air.
Amos shook his head and leaned in my direction. "Noah, seriously. It's okay. Don't worry." He ran his hand through his goatee. "I understand your concern. Many nobles are rather pompous and overbearing; but that is not the case with Young Andre. Trust me." He said in a serious and honest tone that truthfully helped me regain control.
"All right, if you say so..."
"Of course I say so. I promise you, the best thing you can do is to be yourself. Just give him the respect that anyone else deserves and everything will be fine." At the confidence that flowed from his words all I could do was nod and try to relax.
Who knows? Maybe Amos was right and I was drowning myself in a glass of water.
"My Lord will see you in his study." Suddenly came the servant's voice that made me jolt in my place with wide eyes. "Please follow me." Followed Elaine to which Amos stood up and I copied him and we started to walk behind her.
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Paying attention and with my ears in her direction I noticed that even with my sensitive hearing I could barely hear the murmur of her footsteps on the floor and could not but be amazed at how effortlessly the woman moved without making the slightest noise.
Elaine brought us in front of a door which she knocked on with a couple of raps.
"Come in." Came from inside and Elaine opened and stepped inside to stand to one side and usher us in.
The study was very well kept, with a red carpet in the centre, a couple of armchairs and a small table, a desk and shelves full of books. All lit by a chandelier on the ceiling and the remnants of sunlight filtering through the windows.
Behind the desk sat a young man. A black-haired, dark-eyed human with a pair of thin glasses and fine clothes who must not have been much older than me and who, seeing us enter, smiled kindly and rose from his seat.
"Amos, welcome back! I hope your trip was fruitful." Said the man, rounding the desk to approach us.
"It's good to be back, Mayor." Amos replied in his jovial tone with a nod of his head. "And I must say, this return has been most interesting, I've even brought company who wishes to be part of the settlement." And he gestured in my direction as he stepped aside so I could come forward. "Allow me to introduce Noah Howlite o—"
"A Bunyar from Underhill!" The mayor exclaimed, cutting off Amos's words and came towards me with eyes wide as saucers to the point that I had to look high up and lean back to keep looking at his face. "Oh, my goodness! I never thought I'd see one of your people, I mean I've seen a few when they came to town, but that was from the manor windows, never in person! Gods, I have so many questions! Is it true that the burrow-town is as big as half of Arbordale? How do you dig so much? What do you do with all that soil? Do you use any special magic? Is it true that you have giant crystals that provide you with light? How about your crops?" Fired the man with question after question being thrown in my direction one after the other with a quickness that made me wonder where he was getting so much air and was leaving me a little overwhelmed.
"My Lord." Came Elaine's soft, calm voice from the side that made the man sharply stop talking. "Don't you think it would be appropriate to finish with the introductions and relevant protocol first?"
The man straightened up, took a step back and coughed into his fist with an embarrassed face.
"Ahem. Right. Of course." He said, pushing aside his embarrassment and taking a serious pose. "I, Andre Valduart, Lord and Mayor of Elderpine Glade, welcome you to our lands." After those words the Mayor seemed to have finished regaining his composure and gestured to the surrounding chairs. "Now, how about we sit down? I think Amos mentioned something about wanting to being part of our little community, didn't he?" He commented as he sat down.
Amos and I copied him while Elaine stood at his side.
"Can I offer you something to drink? Some refreshments or tea?" the Mayor offered.
"Tea would be nice." Amos accepted.
For my part I had to take a moment to decide. On the one hand, I didn't want to be a nuisance and burden anyone with extra work; but on the other it had been a while since I had consumed anything. In the end my dry throat won the debate.
"A juice would be nice, if it's not too much trouble, of course." I ended up adding at the end.
The elf simply nodded and silently moved out of the room.
Once she was out of sight and a few seconds had passed the Mayor loosened his stance and turned to me. "Before we begin, I want to apologise for my abrupt outburst. It was... unbecoming of me, no matter how excited I was, and I hope you can forgive me." He bowed his head and I waved my arms frantically.
"Ah, no problem! Really, it's not like you said anything bad either. I just wasn't prepared." I said a little flustered at having a nobleman apologising to me and making me seriously doubt my previous assumptions; or maybe it was as Amos had said and this man wasn't like others.
Speaking of the half-elf, I glanced over and found him smirking smugly in my direction. The expression made me narrow my eyes a bit at him and the old man had the gall to send me a wink in reply!
"I'm glad." Replied the Mayor in a pleased tone and leaned back and settled in his seat. "So, Noah, wasn't it?" To which I nodded, "You want to settle here in Elderpine Glade, is that correct?"
This was it, the moment I was looking for. A part of my mind found the situation strangely similar to a job interview and I had to hold back the snort of amusement that wanted to come out of me as I shifted in my seat to make myself more comfortable without slouching. Presentation was important and Mom hadn't raised me without manners.
" It is, Mayor. What I have seen of the place has appealed to me and I would like to ask permission to settle here." I said, trying to convey my honesty in my tone and face.
He nodded, clasping his hands together and crossing his legs. "Hmm. The forest has a certain charm, doesn't it?"
"Definitely." I nodded along with him. "I've never seen trees that big in my life, although to be honest the ones I've seen are the ones bordering Arbordale and those fell short."
"I understand what you mean. The first time I saw the forest I was stunned by its imposing and unique tranquillity. It is one of the reasons I decided to found this hamlet in the middle of the forest." He said with a slight tone of pride in his voice.
"Well, I'll tell you, it looks pretty good. The people certainly looked happy and I personally like the rustic tone the place has. It makes me feel more comfortable." I commented my sincere thoughts and watched as the man's face seemed to light up.
"Heh, thank you. It's actually been a lot of hard and constant work."
"I can imagine. It can't have been easy, especially with what I've heard all around about beasts and other dangers, and yet it's been around for over a year now, hasn't it? That's something to be commended, in my opinion." I commented.
If in my past life trying to herd a handful of people in order to finish an assignment or project was a real chore, I didn't even want to imagine how difficult or stressful it had to be to command a population of at least a hundred people, looking after their health, safety and livelihood.
Seriously, the man had done a very good job if what I had seen in passing was any indication.
"Ah, well... It wasn't that hard, I think." Said the man as he stirred in his seat. "Yes, there were hard times during the early days, but the hamlet is worth it."
"I don't doubt it. Like I said, the place looks great. Just arriving here, I felt like I was going to love living here. There are so many things to see that weren't there in Underhill that I'd like to explore." I said with excitement in my voice.
"Mhm. Well then you can't miss the mist that covers the forest in the morning. When the light of dawn falls on it, it becomes a most beautiful sight." He suggested and my ears perked up in interest.
"Oh? Sounds like something I'd like to see, yes." I nodded eagerly. "Another interesting thing to see around?" I asked interested as I took a drink from my glass— orange juice? —feeling my worry slowly leave me as the mayor relegates me to other points of interest that might interest me.
"Speaking of the hamlet, what are you planning to do here?" the mayor questioned after pausing to take a sip of his tea.
"Um, well..." I scratched the back of my head feeling a little embarrassed. "I'd actually like to ask you about that." The mayor blinked in confusion and I waved my hand quickly. "Not what to do exactly, but if you have any suggestions."
"Mmm." Hummed the man as he deposited the cup on the little table in their midst. "Are you already aware that the hamlet at this point is mainly engaged in harvesting the trees in the forest?" I nodded. "Do you have any experience with that?" To that I shook my head and he hummed again. "How about hunting, animal husbandry or farming?"
"No to the first and as for the last two, I do have some experience if they are subterranean species, I'm not sure how that would translate..." I said with slightly droopy ears, a bit of fear of being rejected suddenly looming and that made me raise my voice. "However, I'm willing to put in the effort and learn something!" I said with as much conviction as I could, trying to convince the mayor of my words.
Fortunately, it seemed I had succeeded as he just smiled and nodded.
"Don't worry, there's no problem. Many come to the hamlet without the same knowledge; but as you say, if they are willing to learn we welcome them with open arms. If you are ready to do your part, I see no problem in welcoming you too." He assured me and I let out a sigh of relief.
Finally.
"Now, let's move on to the tax issue." The mayor continued and I put all my focus on him as I took another sip of the delicious juice.
If there was one thing I knew, it was that no matter what life I was in, there was no fucking around with taxes.
Over the course of several minutes, the Mayor explained to me that while the entire area of the Glade was his territory, anyone who wanted to could apply to settle on a plot, allotted by him, in exchange for a portion of their produce or equivalent in currency— the Mayor seemed surprised when he realised that I knew how much 10% equated to —and that included payment to the garrison that Arbordale had given in concession, which explained why they were here and which told me that Andre Valduart must have high friends in Arbordale.
Now that I thought about it, it was likely that the man was a native of the city. After all, it was the closest.
Hadn't he said something about seeing Bunyars from his window?
Anyway, it wasn't something that affected me other than curiosity, so I put it to the back of my mind and kept listening.
"And with that, we are finished." Said the mayor after finishing writing down my name and basic data in a book, closing it and passing it to Elaine— when had she come back?! —to put it away. "Again, I want to welcome you and I hope we can work together to make the Glade a better place for everyone." He said with a smile that I reciprocated with one of my own.
"Sounds like a plan. Thank you for receiving me, Mayor. Have a good night." I said goodbye with a nod of my head.
Amos also took his leave and with that we were escorted out by the elf, who bade us goodnight in her calm tone before closing the door behind us.
Outside the sun had already set and night was upon us.
In the sky the stars and moon shone brightly while around the Glade numerous lanterns were lit and illuminating our surroundings with the faint light of their flames.
My ears swivelled, the murmur of voices catching my attention and turning my head in the direction of the noise my eyes caught the only other two-storey building in the hamlet, which from the din I assumed was the local inn.
That reminded me that I needed to find a place to spend the night.
"Hey, Amos. Do you know how much it's going to cost me to rent a room?" I asked, turning my gaze back to the half elf.
Amos cast a glance towards the inn and let out a snort. "Not too much. Not that you're going to acquire one as the place is sure to be full after we returned. No, best you come with me." That said he started walking in another direction and after blinking in surprise I hurried to follow him.
"Wait! What do you mean come with you?" I asked in confusion.
"What I said, brat. You're not going to find a free room and I can't in good conscience let you sleep out in the open, we're not on the road anymore." Was his simple reply. "Besides, I doubt my wife would be amused otherwise."
"Um Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother, you've helped me enough." I asked, feeling a little guilty that Amos felt he should see about my late stay while at the same time a warm feeling in my chest mixed with relief as I wasn't going to have to try and fall asleep in all the hubbub.
"Of course I'm sure, don't worry, Ria's going to love meeting you! I'm sure!" Amos replied in an exuberant voice then said under his breath. "'Almost sure."
"What was that?" I asked despite having heard him clearly.
"Nothing! Oh, look! We're here!" And he motioned towards a wide cabin beside which the wagons of the caravan were standing.
I went to approach the wagons to get my things when Amos put a hand on my shoulder.
"Your things should be with mine inside." He said pointing to the cabin. "Come on, let's go." And he guided me to the entrance where he put a hand on the doorknob and smiled at me. "Get ready to meet the most loving woman in all of the Basin." He turned the knob and opened it. "LOOOOOVE! I'M HOOOM-UGH!" shouted Amos in a singsong voice at the top of his lungs only to be cut off by a slipper, of all things, hitting him full in the face and causing him to fall on the floor.
"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU NOT TO COME SCREAMING WHEN IT'S LATE! IT'S WITH ME THAT THE NEIGHBOURS COMPLAIN TO!" Came from the doorway and I turned to gawk at a short half-Elf woman with brown hair styled in a bun wearing a pastel-hued dress with her hands on her waist and her striking blue eyes pointing at Amos disapprovingly while tapping the floor with one naked foot.
"Hehe, hello love, I'm back." Amos said from the floor to which the woman huffed in exasperation and turned to me and I froze like a deer in the headlights even though her expression softened as if nothing had happened.
"And who are you, sweetheart?" She said in a soft, motherly tone that caught me off guard.
"U-uh, N-Noah Howlite. Nice to meet you, ma'am."
" None of that ma’am stuff, sweetheart. Call me Aunty Ria. You must be the Bunyar that Maurice mentioned."
"He has no place to spend the night and I invited him to stay with us." I heard Amos say behind me and turning around I found him standing as if everything was normal, still with a smile and the slipper in his hand.
"Ah, you poor thing! You did well to bring him with you, Amos. Come here, sweetheart." Ria took my hand and practically pulled me into her home. "Oh, what soft fur— after we eat, we'll go see your room. Have you eaten? Huff, what am I saying, of course you haven't eaten yet. Don't worry, we're going to fill that belly until you're bursting...." I looked back quickly as Ria continued talking, sending a pleading look at Amos, but the old man just let out a chuckle and closed the door behind him.
Sweet mercy, where have I ended up!