The people of the hold had been generous where the Knight Captain was not. They gave me a new set of woolen underclothes and plenty of jerked mutton for the road. I had some leftover dried cheese and hard bread. The rain had still let up and though there were the gray overcast clouds that filtered out the bright warm light of the sun there was plenty enough to see and it was going to stay dry. At least I didn’t smell any rain on the horizon. I would have to travel the road without a companion and I was maybe three or four towns away from finding myself in the capital. I had one letter of introduction to try and enter in the royal court, but I would have to find a way for me to get inside the royal libraries and find any information on what happened to Profitable so long ago. Again the lament that I was not there with him in that trying time but I had succumbed to my own slumber that fateful decade. He had grown almost more powerful than myself despite my long lived life. With power came recovery.
I pulled out the scroll I had received what felt like so long ago but was little over a week or two. The story of Redgrass was one of trial and error. He was drilled and trained for so long but thanks to the scroll I knew where he had come from and how to get to the monastery where the dragon hunting cult known as Blood Hunt was stationed. It would be in another country and how they had their agents infiltrate the borders of this realm was ingenious. The half dozen men and women had posed as knights in guarding a false messenger to the king of this land with letters of trade requests. How they acquired a proper seal was beyond Redgrass’s knowledge though and there was quite a bit of inner workings that he could not touch upon. For how skilled he was he was a foolish and headstrong individual.
There would be more dragon hunters at the capital and I would have to make sure to make as little as a splash as possible. I would hate for them to look into me and find out the clues I had left to point out that I was the dragon they were looking for. The fight with the demon had weakened me greatly. I was still far from recovered from the last calamity with my desire to avoid the slumber of recovery. I just knew that each time I fell to it I woke up weak and needed to gather all my strength once more. Unlike my brothers and sisters who woke up as powerful as they did when they were asleep. Part of me wondered if the dragon hunters would have more information on why that would be.
The road was much harder now that three days of no rain let it dry out. Even without the sun the rain must be draining down into the hidden rivers and springs in the ground to come forth on other parts of the world. If those that studied nature were correct. For too long the world stagnated in the learning of knowledge to protect the world. I was worried that something would come and set the world back even farther. With all these worries I kept walking forward looking towards the future.
The long vast nearly endless plains of grass and fields of wheat stretched out around me and the road. There were mountains far to the north still capped with snow upon their tips. It would be much later in the year by the time those melted. It wasn’t long before I came across merchants with wagons full of goods heading out towards the cities I had already been in. Their wheels laden with so much weight created in protest at what they had to carry with them.
A guard approached me with a weapon upon his hip. “Ho there traveler. What state are the roads in upon the way you’ve come? DId you have any trouble with bandits or any bridged are out on the way towards Duke Ursal’s city.”
”There were words of bandits outside of Merryweather that were wiped out it seemed. No one knows what happened but a flood of people were released and fled to their hometowns spread around the Duke’s lands. What kind of goods does your charge seem to be traveling with? I have some minor coin that could maybe purchase me some dried goods?”
“The only food he has got is the rations for the men and I. We cannot part with it for the bastard is stingy and got barely enough to whet our appetites on the way to the next town.” He spit on the ground to the side and I stepped fully out of the way as the wagon trundled past us heading towards the Hold and Sir Gellick.
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”There might be pertinent news for you at the Hold you are heading to. I suggest you and your men ask around town for news.” I started walking away and could feel the guards eyes upon my back as if I was some mysterious stranger. To be fair I was.
It seemed like it was a full trading caravan and I could make out bundles full of carpet and furniture. Could see bolts of cloth finely woven and died in spectacular colors. I thought of my minstrel outfit and worried it might become a little outdated for trying to be part of the royal court and promised myself to get a new outfit at the next town, it was my last chance before I was at the capital itself.
The road was pleasant and night descended before I was upon the next town and I wondered how many days it would take me to get there. I decided to make a humble fire-less camp so that any travelers would not see me if they were walking at night. Usually that made for unsavory types. It would be difficult either way with the moon being shrouded in the blasted clouds that blanketed the sky. It was almost too dark for me to see with my dragon eyes but I let them revert and kept my eyes peeled as I rolled out my bedroll and lamented at the fact I forgot to hang and dry it while I was at the Hold.
The night was quiet with the hooting of owls and I heard more than one fox coming and sniffing at me in my bedroll and small pitched tent. I awoke to the blessings of a patch of blue sky through the clouds letting shafts of pure sunshine pour down upon the lands I found myself in. The air was still lacking the smell of rain and I thanked the gods for this blessing. Specially prayers to Mesdith for his continued vigil over my traveling.
Thoughts of the next calamity plagued my mind. I could only guess how long I had to combat it. I wondered what it was for because it was so varied and had changed so many times over the years. It was a relief to tell of the first calamity and loss of Crafter. I could only imagine how good of a heart she would have had if we never split into groups. The rising of Klaxu was the only time that I had witnessed the birth of a new god. I had enjoyed the time I had with the Shepherd, who never let himself be named by me or any other. He claimed that was the right of his godly father who had given him to the arms of a loving mother. I wished he was still around to help with a calamity. When I spoke to him about them he mentioned that such things would be beyond him. He could maybe guide people to safety and shelter but his main ability and strength was to live ever long and the ability to herd anything in the natural world.
My head was full of memories and I barely paid attention to the road. Thoughts of Mary and Gerald and the burning curiosity of where they might be on their merchants journey. Sondet blessings upon them both through the ages. I hoped that one day they would be so rich that generations wouldn’t have to work and could instead become learned people. I struggled still to see the world not in individuals but in generations and maybe stop being so attached to mortals in each generation.
I pulled my gloves off and inspected my nails lightly in the shaft of sunlight and saw the build up of dirt and grim beneath them. I would have to make sure to clean them before I plucked the strings much more. I rested midday and pulled off the boot I hid my Pence coins in and did a quick count of what I could afford. It would be a tough way to scrape together enough for a new minstrel outfit but I would need to earn enough coin to make restocking easy. I ate the dried mutton and it was tasteless besides the coating of salt. I swigged the water and shook the empty water skin promising myself that I would refill it at the next river or well. As I pondered the wall started to rise on the horizon.
It was tall and made of large slabs of stone that must of been hauled with great effort to stack upon one another to make such a grand structure. A large gate high enough to let a canvassed wagon through easily with a contingent of guards inspecting every wagon entering from the many roads that merged just before getting to the city. I briefly forgot the name of this major town that I would be in before reaching the capital next. It was here that I would prepare for the capital. It might take me a few days and the best of my abilities to gain plenty of coin to get the best clothes, boots, and strings to use to entertain the court in my debut.
As I approached the guards waved me to stop and two of them stepped up to me. “What be yer business sir?”
”I'm a traveling minstrel looking to ply my trade at one of your fine taverns and earn coin to make a better life. I might be here for plenty of time, maybe half a month's time.”
”Carry any weapons with you sir?”
”I have a dagger in my boot for when I need to cut things in nature or defend myself from a vagabond. Otherwise I carry no weapons.”
”The bag upon your hip?”
”Missives from Duke Ursal to the Capital. I could check to see if any letters are for the leaders here. I cannot promise anything though.”
With a nod he looked at me. “Welcome to Greenstown.”