My days melt together as I teach lessons in the morning, get my free lunch of over cooked vegetables and fruits and spend my nights gambling amongst the guards. They have grown mildly suspicious about my ‘luck’ and I felt pretty good about my finances. Now my purse had two gold coins, seven silver pence, and about eight and three quarter bits. I got word via a messenger that my new clothes were ready and I took the afternoon to go and see what I had bargained for.

I walked in after looking above the thread and needle sign I recognized and saw the married couple tending to fitting a young man with proper clothes. They had pins and kept telling the fidgeting boy to keep still so they could do their work. It appeared that they would be turning the too large clothes into something his size. A way to keep expensive outfits cheap enough for the lower of the noble families to afford. Not yet influential enough to have their own seamstresses and tailors in their retinue.

I stood to the side as they wrapped up and ushered the boy to a private changing room so that he could return to his family in his proper clothes. I was pushed aside by a burlier man as he strode in demanding to know when his boy would be ready to go. In moments everything was taken care of and the two looked to me.

“Dolan, I see you have returned. Ready to see the progress on your outfit? It still needs a few more days work to get to fit properly but it is ready to be looked upon.” The older man spoke as he smiled warmly at me.

I nodded returning the smile, “That would be lovely.”

The woman walked into the back room and brought forth a bundle of cloth. Slowly they unraveled a lovely tunic. It had a vibrant red and yellow on each side of the chest area. It caught the eye and reminded me of buttercups and roses. “The royal family’s daughter has been fascinated with the color yellow; she collects dried flowers. I am told of the most vibrant of colors reflecting the sunshine she must crave. The red is the main color of the family’s choice in recent times and pairs nicely with the yellow. The pants that we are crafting are the colors in reverse which will make a checker pattern across your form. Though it is mostly customary for jesters to wear such a pattern it has taken recent hold upon those that perform for the nobles in general.”

I touched the fabric and it felt silken and smooth while I stroked it. I pinched and rolled it and there was so little friction it was like pinching water. A smile made its way to my lips as I looked at it, taking it all in. I saw that the crest I had asked for had yet to be sown upon its breast above the heart and felt that the shoulders had something lining them. “The shoulders seem a little stiff to the touch, is that normal?”

The woman spoke up, “It is customary for men to be broad shouldered and have them squared when presenting themselves to the royals. We figured with how well traveled you were that you wouldn’t be used to holding yourself like that. So we implemented the pads to make it a little easier on you.

I nodded at the explanation and felt genuine gratitude for their foresight. Provided they were not misleading me I would be a fine addition to the courts. If I only could rely solely on my performance I wouldn’t be so worried but with this I would be more than presentable. “You both are far better than I had bargained for. I see why you could charge so much for the clothes that you make. It truly seems like it will be marvelous to wear. Will my standard underclothes be fine with this?”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

The man picked up my shirt with no regard to my modesty and looked at what I wore beneath it. He tested the fabric and found that I wore wool underclothes. The many times I had gotten wet on the road made it the far more desirable fabric to wear. “You’ll want cotton. We have your measurements so I can just work around those. I assume you’ll want to keep your wool ones as well.”

“That is right. It's too hard to replace good clothes nowadays. You’ll be lucky with your age. I hear a war is starting and you might be able to avoid being drafted into a militia. I would assume that the guards will be pulled down to bare bones for the time being. If you weren’t married I would tell you to find as many ladies as you could.” I ended with a chuckle and wink that put him off guard as he blushed at the thought of being unfaithful.

“Now young man. That is a fool’s game to be playing with the hearts of women. You should be careful with your words.” He cleared his throat and shuffled off. I watched as the woman smacked her husband’s shoulder who I hadn’t realized was listening and she whispered something to him.

I smirked again at the playful nature of their body language. I reminisced about the times I had partners for as long as their lives lasted. I debated another toss in the sheets with Trevor. He had been a good lover and tended to my needs as much as his own. Though to do so would be to play with his heart and possibly break it when I left for the court.

I sighed as I stepped away from the shop as I heard the whispered laughter of the couple behind me. I looked around the quiet streets while everyone worked their trades. I decided I would watch people, I had no need to earn any more coins as I had more than enough to last until the time came for me to leave.

I watched couples walking hand in hand as they laughed. I wondered how many of them would know that the men would soon be pulled into militias if the war did not go well. The levies of the people are almost as important as any taxes that could be taken from the people. I found a nice place for another meat pie and sat on a bench unwrapping the piping hot meal. More and more womenfolk took their wash to the well nearby filling their buckets with water to be soaped and ready to scrub.

I watched their hands grow red from the cold water from the well. They gossip about various people amongst them. I listen to the mundane going on of the people and smile to myself.

I had a pleasant evening of relaxing and looking around town. I grabbed my own wash and tended to soaping and cleaning my clothes once more. They had gathered enough sweat and smelled of my body odor. I lathered up soap and tended to that and my own hands and pits. I would wash my genitals later at Featherdown.

I would let these days slip by, I had yet to be accosted again at night so I think my message was taken well enough. I even doubted that they bothered to bribe the guards as I had seen more of them around the town.

I went and wanted to talk to the bartending twins that I had worked with when I first came to town. I was welcomed with warm smiles and a quiet tavern. “How are you two doing?”

“Business has been slow so we haven’t been able to employ any minstrels as good as you.” They started to wipe and clean all their glasses for an untold time. “Too bad all the military has left. They were our main source of business. Maybe if that stupid Youthful Maiden was closed down we would get some of the guards as business.”

I frowned and looked at them both, “I am sorry that I have been going to them. It is the best gambling place I’ve found and I admit I’ve been trying to fleece the guards of their money. I’ll come and play for you guys for free and let you take any money from people that try and buy me drinks. Just provide me with a meal and we will call it good.”

I was met with broad smiles as they eagerly agreed. I bought a proper mug of pale ale and drank it slowly enjoying the ambience of the tavern. Full of good ale I walked back in the evening and returned to Featherdown. I approached the innkeeper and smiled at him as well.

“What's the chance that I could get another fantastic meal brought to me tomorrow morning. I’m getting a little sick of rat stew.” I kept my tone light and made sure I didn’t sound demanding in the least.

“I guess I could part with another plate. Why don’t we say three bits.” I placed the proper coins on the counter. “Nice doing business with you Dolan.”

I smiled and nodded in thanks. “I’ll be looking forward to tomorrow morning.”

I walked to my room and stripped down to my bare skin. I felt the air circulate around me and I began to soap and clean my body, cleansing it of the dirt and sweat that I had built over the last few days.