Chapter 5

Jason woke up. He was in his bedroom. It had a comfortable feeling. It was simple, he had a shelf with some of his favourite items. A chest to stash his clothes, a bed with a comfy mattress.

A little while later, he decided to visit the market.

Jason walked into the village square and saw the bustle. He saw the pie shop. He had made an oven for them a few years ago. He approached his friend.

“Hey, how is business today?” Jason asked.

“Kind of slow,” Alfred said, with a blank expression.

“I was wondering if I could buy your horse.” Jason said, dropping a small cloth bag full of dime on the table. The bag was heavy, it held a hundred and fifty dime.

“You don't want him mate, Bentley has only got a few years left to live, but you can borrow him for a few days to go buy a horse from the city. The stables at the Castle are well stocked.” Albert replied.

“You are a legend, mate.” Jason said.

“Let's go get you saddled up and ready. While you are there, can you get me some ingredients? I need sixteen sacks of flour, two sacks of pepperspice, four barrels of olive oil, twenty-five barrels of Sweet Jonny Ale…” Then he started ushering Jason towards his house. They walked slowly together.

“... Twenty-five bags of potatoes, about twenty-five cabbages…” he continued.

Jason suddenly realised he'd be doing a big errand run for the pie shop owner and smiled. He was happy to help. The man had conned him gently, but at least he was lending Jason the horse. Perhaps he could find a better horse with the money he’d made.

“... Forty six enchanted ales…” The pair disappeared around the next corner.

A few hours later Jason was sitting atop a cart, wearing a borrowed straw farmer's hat, and the Piemaker was attaching an old horse to the reins. Albert's horse was chewing some grass. It was a brown and white horse, a big steed, with strong legs and a fat belly.

“Now, take good care of my friend here,” Albert said.

“I will,” Jason said.

“I was talking to Bentley.” Albert said with a smile.

“Oh.” Jason said, laughing lightly.

“You should be fine. The Castle of Flowers is a day's ride away, you should be home by tomorrow night. If you travel at night, be careful. The bandits are getting braver. I heard the butcher's wagon was raided last week. If you travel during the daytime, you should be fine.”

The chef spoke. “I have a ledger with the traders there, so just tell them to put it on my account. Just bring old Bentley to the shop. They'll recognise him and know they can trust you. You will have to help them lift everything onto the cart.”

“Got it, anything else I need?” Jason asked.

“As long as you know where you're headed, that's all.” Albert said.

“Yes, my father lives there.” He replied. “I've travelled that road a lot.”

“Say hi to him for me, and tell him to come to the festival.” Albert said with a winning smile. “And buy him a beer for me.”

“Sure,” Jason said. He thought about sitting down for a beer with his dad and smiled warmly. “I’ll have two.”

“Alright, better leave soon,” the cook said. “HYAA!”

He shouted and smacked the horse on the rear. Jason was stunned by the horse's lack of reaction . Alfred put his eyes right next to the horse's eyes, his face pressed against the long face of the beast. “WAKE UP, HANDSOME.”

The horse blinked one eye, then the other eye and then sneezed. Then slowly began walking forward. Jason and Bentley walked towards the centre of town. The carriage's wheels gently rolled over the dirt roads. Jason rode past stone houses, back to the market square. He rode the cart past the chicken stall and out into his own street, he arrived at his house and slowed the horse down. Stella was waiting there, on the front steps. Jason held his arms open wide and leaped from the carriage.

“Princess, the royal coach.” He bowed with a flair.

She hugged him and he helped her up onto the seat.

“This must be the magical pegasus I asked for.” She said, with a smile.

“Yes, I found him eating trash behind the inn,” he said, smiling.

“I believe you!” She said, looking at the chubby old boy.

He locked his door with a large metal bar and a padlock and then he put the key in his pocket. He climbed onto the horse and the pair of them set away, on the road out of the town, towards the farmlands.

“I heard that there's a bull coming to the show the size of an elephant.” Stella said.

“I've heard that one before…” he said. He knew the punchline to her joke and started laughing heartily. It was a dirty one.

The carriage rolled past fields of grazing cows. The main road became more worn. The open pastures of springtime grass were a beautiful backdrop for their conversations. The pair talked long about life, ambitions, dreams and goals.

Jason learned Stella wanted to try new foods, travel the world and buy a cottage. Jason shared with Stella his passion for swords and metals. She laughed at his vast knowledge of metals, as he started listing every type and their strengths and weaknesses.

The pastures ended after five hours of travel, the grassy landscape slowly turned into a jungle. The trees were thick, a road had been cleared through, but branches hung high overhead and the road was bumpy from roots, and large stones.

The horse and carriage rolled through a shallow river and started going uphill. The horse slowed from the incline and the trio climbed the hill, keeping a steady pace. The next few hours they trudged past bushes, trees and stones. The ride was very uncomfortable.

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Jason saw Stella was uncomfortable from the ride so he decided to stop in a flat circular clearing, under the shade of a massive tree.

The pair dismounted and stretched.

“They don't make the seats on these things soft,” she said, her backside numb from the shaking and the hours of travel.

“Tell me about it,” he replied, legs and butt equally as numb.

They sat down and Jason opened a picnic bag. He pulled out some cheese, a jar of olive oil, some leafy greens, some salami, and a long breadloaf.

He grabbed two white plates.

He made a small sandwich for each of them.

She giggled at his jokes while they ate.

They set off again shortly after. He held her hand as he lifted her onto the carriage. The forest soon began to be clearer, it showed more signs of human activity, the road was better maintained and less bumpy here. At the end of the forest the carriage arrived onto open fields of flowers. Jason looked at Stella’s face and saw a smile. That made Jason smile. The sun was quite low on the horizon.

Jason rode up to some guards who were watering the flowers. A cow was towing a cart, it was a giant barrel, a small circular mechanical bellows turned by a crank allowed for the water to spray like a fountain from a bamboo pipe, the pipe had a dragon-shaped carved figure on the tip. The water shot from the dragon's mouth with a misting effect. The water droplets floated gently over the fields of pink, red and purple.

Jason stopped the carriage fifty metres away and got down to look closer. He leaned forward to pick one and he heard a shout from behind him.

“It is a twenty-five Dime fine to be messing with the king’s flowers.” The guard shouted. “You better move along mate.”

Jason backed away and got back onto his cart. He rode up to the gate.

They looked up at the Castle. A very high stone brick wall stretched for miles. Ahead of them was the gatehouse. A giant archway with archer windows on the towers. The towers had blue tiled octagonal roofs. The walls were made of clean white stone.

Inside the castle walls there were four districts, one for the wealthy inside the keep, the business district, where traders sold wares, the resident district, for the working and common classes, and the gardens, where the cities greenhouses and fishing ponds were kept.

Jason and Stella entered through the residential district and the cart’s wheels clattered on smooth cobblestones. Jason took a left turn and a few rights and ended up in a small residential street. He dismounted the cart and helped Stella off.

“This is my fathers house.” He said. “Let me go knock.” Jason walked to the door and raised his fist to knock. The door swung inward and Jason's father pulled him into a tight hug.

“Jason, you look strong, son.” His father said.

“Thank you, dad.”

“Come inside. God’s Above! Is that Bentley!” Jason’s father said excitedly. He went to the horse and kissed him on the cheek, then patted his mane. Bentley huffed happily. “I haven’t seen you in a long time, buddy.” Then he approached Stella with a handshake. “...And Stella, how are you?”

“I am good, sir, Jason is my best friend.” She smiled sweetly. “He’s buying me some books tomorrow.”

“I sold the entire stock, I made a thousand dime! There was this elf, she wanted to get some arrows repaired, while we were talking-...” Jason explained to his father the story as the three of them went inside for dinner.

Meanwhile, inside the castle walls a wolf crept through the shadows towards the castle. The wolf walked behind a house and shifted form into a man. He walked through the streets calmly. He had walked these streets often. The city was the main place where he sold his books.Tonight was different. He wandered to the city gates and the knights stopped him. The shone a fiery torch near his face and the guard calmly opened the gate.

“Welcome back, Lord Redran.” He said in a smooth tone.

“Gunner,” Lord Redran said, nodding his head. Gunner nodded back.

“The king has been notified of your arrival. Please give him a while to prepare.”

“No.” Lord Redran said, he started running up the steps.

The guards looked at each other and shrugged. Lord Redran was a regular at the castle, popular for his best-selling books. Bookstores around the world had books by Redran for sale. He was a very popular author, and quite famous, especially at the Castle of Flowers, where he stocked most of his books.

The king was in his office, dressed in a half-unbuttoned white shirt. He was barefoot, wearing brown pants. He was smoking a long pipe and blowing the smoke out onto the balcony. He had short brown hair, and a handsome face, with some gentle stubble. The office was very large. It had a desk with quills, a ceiling-tall bookshelf, stocked with many spellbooks, botany books, creature books, history books, and fiction books. A collection of wicker baskets held rolled maps. There was a small seating area with a coffee table and a few lounges, where the king kept his herbal studies.

Lord Redran burst into the king’s office.

“Your highness.” Lord Redran said, and then he stiffly bowed. “I have an urgent manner to discuss with you.”

“I saw you running up here like a mad goose. What’s going on, old friend?” The king said.

“Sir, there is a very large population of bandits living in the forest nearby. They are being led by an Orc outcast. They have a hundred and fifty men and women in their militia. You have a small army growing larger and larger, right under your nose.” Redran said. A stern look on his face. “You must prepare an army, and drive out these rebels from the hills. They are robbing caravans, travellers, and people keep disappearing. I’ve heard gossip from the townsfolk that a number of cattle have been stolen by these criminals, right before the Festival. It’s depressing to the farmers, as now they have nothing.” Redran spoke, the king thought for a long time. The room was silent except for the crackling of the fireplace. The king refilled his smoking pipe, and struck a match. He lit his pipe and took a few drags.

“It seems you have made up your mind.” The king said, as he sat on the chair and looked at the wall, away from Redran’s piercing gaze. “I don’t know how you’ve lived to be two hundred years old, but my father trusted you. I’ve read many of your stories.” The king gestured to his bookshelf. “If you need my army, then you may lead them, and I will join you, wearing my father’s armour.” The king said, and then looked out the window. Lord Redran nodded in agreement and left. The king watched him leave from the balcony.

Lord Redran wandered into a tavern and was suddenly greeted by a loud cheer. The locals came and forced him into hugs and arm shakes. One patron asked for a punch in the face which Lord Redran politely declined, then most went back to their business and the Wolf man walked up to the bar. He sat down at the only empty chair, next to a young man with tattoos under his eyes, and on his arms. The young man was Nathaniel. Lord Redran got the attention of the barkeeper.

“Hey Bartender, have you got a room available? And could I grab an Ale Cola?”

“Sure thing, I’ll pour you one now. But as far as a room, we’re pretty busy tonight, fully booked.” The barkeeper said, tossing a rag over his shoulder “But you could check out the Rocky Inn, or the Fish and Pike, both of those are serving grub till midnight and might have some rooms.” The bartender poured an Ale Cola for Lord Redran and moved to another customer.

“I know you,” said Nathaniel. “My roommate used to hunt massive reptiles with you. He told me you found a passage to the centre of the earth.”

“Your roommate?” Lord Redran thought about his time in the past. He looked at the runes on the young man’s face. “Are you a necromancer?”

The door to Nathaniel’s house was kicked open and Lord Redran stood in the doorframe.

“Fucking Arko?” He said. He saw Arkanon the dead skeleton drawing a picture of a flower garden, wearing some glasses over his helmet sitting at the table. Then Redran tackled him.

“Oh you rotten bloody… Oh, is that you Redran the small?” Arkanon said.

“You resurrected and never bloody wrote me a letter?” He said, punching Arkanon in his face. Then he stood up and reached his arm out. He pulled up Arkanon and then they shook hands.

“Sorry mate, my mind is a bit empty these days.” He knocked on his hollow skull. They both laughed. Lord Redran and Arkanon sat down at the table and began catching up.

“So how are you still alive?” Arkanon asked. Lord Redran leaned in and whispered.

Nathaniel stood in the doorway watching them talk. He closed the door and quietly joined the other skeletons on the couch, they were watching a play on the Scrying Glass. A few actors in a city far away re-enact a drama about a Hydra and a lone knight rescuing a princess. The hydra was played by a centaur in a paper mache costume.