Outside the Castle's Gate was the large city of Dale, with over ten thousand souls living in harmony. The thousands of colorful houses and hundreds of eclectic businesses surrounded the Castle in a circular pattern within the defensive walls.

Carter wondered why he never walked outside the Castle before. He just hasn't had the time or the money.

Iris was waiting at the gate, wearing armor and a sword attached to her side. She meant business. He would have been scared of her if it wasn't for her tail sticking out the back of her pants and wiggling back and forth.

"Iris, you're a guard too?" asked Carter.

"Yes, it's one of my new duties. I'm to be one of your guards," said Iris as a small smile crossed her face.

"Congratulations, Iris," said Carter.

"Thank you, Camille. I'm ready to show you the town of Dale now," said Iris, placing her hand above her head as if showcasing on a game show.

They walked south down the main street, which went straight to the edge of town. The streets were filled with shoppers and market stalls.

"How much money do we have?" asked Fable, who popped up next to Iris. Iris flipped around and then looked at Fable with a scowl.

"Where did you come from, Fable?" said Iris.

"I followed you out," said Fable as she winked at Carter.

Iris looked at Carter and said, "I have one silver coin I can let you have."

Carter raised his hand and said, "No, keep it. If we don't have money, we don't need anything." She worked hard for her money and was willing to let them have it. This made Carter love Iris a little bit more.

Fable smacked Carter on the back and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Magic Alchemy Imporium," said Carter, reading the sign on the building out loud.

"Very good, you have improved your reading," said Iris.

"You can't read? He he" laughed Fable.

Carter turned and walked into the store. Only a few people were inside.

"They buy and sell expensive magical objects," said Iris.

"May I help you, my little friend?" said a rather plain-looking woman with an expensive dress and gold jewelry.

"Do you buy magic Heat Beads?" asked Carter.

"Oh yes, there is a long waitlist for them. We are paying two gold for each one. Do you have one?"

Fable looked at Carter and started laughing. "Yeah, right."

Carter walked over to Iris and stopped for a moment. His mana was strong again, and he started creating another one. He looked at Iris and said, "Do you still have that bead you found in my room?"

Iris looked at Carter with an incredulous look. She removed the bead from her pocket and held her hand open. Carter dropped the other bead into her hand before it burnt him. He started wobbling but held himself up by holding one of the tables.

"Give them to her," said Carter.

"Okay," said Iris, handing the beads to the store owner. The woman looked at Iris with a surprised look, then back to Camille. She grabbed a cup filled with water from a pitcher and dumped the beads into it. The water started fizzing and started to become warm. The owner's face changed to a delightful smile.

Fable grabbed hold of Carter's arms, and a large smile came to her face.

"I need first to ask you if these are stolen?" said the Owner.

Iris pointed at Carter and said, "This is Princess Camille of Dale."

"Oh, please forgive me. I'll get your money right away," said the owner as she grabbed the beads from the water and walked into the back room.

"We have money?" asked Fable, showing her pearly whites.

"Camille has money," said Iris.

The lady brought the four pieces of gold and handed them to Carter. "Thank you, Princess Camille. If you get any more heat beads, we have a great demand for them," said the owner.

Carter smiled and looked around. Fable held onto his arm and moved her hand up to Carter's. She tried to pry Carter's hand open. Carter opened his hand, and she found a gold coin there. She looked up to Carter, showed her teeth, and batted her eyelashes.

"Mine?" said Fable.

"Take it with my blessings," said Carter. She grabbed the coin and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you, thank you," said Fable as she ran out of the store.

Carter was her owner; he didn't want to be, but he wouldn't be a bad master. He was going to take care of her.

"Do you have anything else in this store that is magical, expensive, and in demand?" asked Carter.

"We have a few things, " said the owner, walking him over to a large stone on a pedestal.

"This is a cleansing stone. Like those beads you sold me, they are made from magic mana that coalesces into these stones. It cleans you when you touch it as long as it has power. This one is rated at one hundred cleans," said the owner.

"Can I touch it?" asked Carter. "Um, yes, but don't activate it," said the owner. He touched it with his hand, and a smile appeared.

"I like baths better. How much does this go for?" asked Carter. Iris was watching Carter as he was looking at the cleaner.

"We have several cleansing stones in the servant quarters for use, " said Iris, not understanding why Carter asked about them.

"They are twenty gold apiece and refillable," said the owner, frowning at Iris.

"What else do you have?" asked Carter.

"Oh, this just came in," said the owner as she lifted a metal disk the size of a coin.

She handed it to Carter and said, "It's a Feather token. It works once and will save you if you fall too far, up to 100 heads."

"100 feet," thought Carter.

This piqued Iris's attention. "How much is that? That could be very useful," said Iris.

"I'm afraid this one is already sold, but they go for 50 gold coins. We don't get these in that much; they are made purely of magic. No materials," said the owner.

Carter returned it to the woman, and a small smile came over his face again.

"We have one more item," said the owner.

"Is this one sold too?" said Iris sarcastically.

"Oh no, it's quite expensive. It takes one hundred mages to create it. It doesn't have any materials. It's pure magic like the other items I showed you. I couldn't let it go for under three platinum coins," said the owner as she walked behind her counter. She reached down and pulled out a black figurine of a miniature horse. It fits in the palm of your hand.

"What is that?" asked Carter as the owner placed it on the counter. Carter reached out and touched it. His legs started to wobble as he became light-headed.

"Are you okay, dear?" said the owner.

"Yes, I'm just hungry from not eating this morning," said Carter.

"But I gave you your breakfast," said Iris with a concerned look.

He said one word to Iris: "Fable."

"Oh," said Iris and shook her head up and down.

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"This is an obsidian figure of wonderous power. I had never seen one before until the owner sold it to me. It lasts twenty-four hours and can recharge under 12 hours," said the owner with a large smile.

"What does it do?" asked Iris. The owner gave her a condescending look and looked back at Camille.

"It can turn into a horse steed of considerable speed. You can ride it for twenty-four hours; then, it resets back to the horse figurine. You only have to wait 12 hours, and you can use it again. It's wonderful," said the owner.

Carter smiled and said, "I'll tell my father, the King, about it. Maybe he will buy it for my birthday." Carter felt the familiar pang in his stomach as the magic item got copied. It took a long time, though, and he felt like he was going to faint. Copying takes mana, as he just found out. The more complex the item, the more mana it takes to copy.

"If copying took a lot of mana, making it would take more than he has now," thought Carter.

"That would be nice, dear," said the owner with a grin. She paid too much for this item, and nobody had enough money to buy it.

Carter wandered the store for a few more minutes and then started walking out when a small, black sword caught his attention. He walked over to it and saw the fifty silver price.

"What about this?" said Carter.

The store owner walked over and looked at the item. "That is a sword made out of obsidian. Hard to make. Strong, sharp, but rather plain," said the owner. She reached over, grabbed a small dagger, and said, "This dagger will always hit its target, with magic added to it."

Carver touched it, but nothing happened.

"Is this dagger made of materials?" he asked the owner.

She looked at Carter with a concerned look and said, "Why yes, dear, it does. How did you know?" She stealthily palmed the price tag of three gold into her hand. She tells people that all her products are Mana-made, and usually nobody can tell.

{Encyclopedia Thresh: Mana-made is a term used for items that are coalesced from only magic. No other material was used to make it. A magician would have formed a Mana-made dagger from only their magic. Mana-assisted is a term used for materials that are enhanced with magic. Such as Steel Sword with a fire spell}

"I'll take the short sword for 50 silver coins," said Carter.

"It comes with a holder, too," said the owner. Carter handed her the gold coin, and she returned with a bag of 50 silver.

"Thank you," said Carter as he wrapped the holder around his waist. The short sword looked like a long sword on him. The belt was on the first notch, and the excess leather stuck out. Iris let out a little laugh. Carter ignored her.

He walked out the door, and Iris whispered into his ear. "This store is rather expensive, and those expensive items were made on the backs of poor magicians drained of their mana. Nobody buys that stuff except the rich who don't care about who they hurt."

"Why can't they make those items out of materials?" asked Carter.

"They could, but they would be inferior. Mana-made objects are better and worth their weight in gold. It's just too bad that they hurt people," said Iris, "I sure could have used that feather token."

Iris grabbed Carter's hand and dragged him across the street to an eatery. "They have the best food," said Iris. They sat down and had a delightful lunch. He finally filled his stomach without Fable stealing his food.

The rest of the day was filled with shopping and laughing. Carter didn't need anything besides the sword he had on his hip. He felt strong with it. Fable walked up with a new dress that fit and a large smile. She walked up to Carter and gave him a big hug. "Wish I had change for you, but I don't," she said with a smile. They walked around a corner, and Fable disappeared.

Carter walked into his room and sat down on the bed. He had a happy home here. A small knock sounded through the door.

"Someone knocking? That's odd. They usually walk in," said Carter. "Come in!" he screamed.

Princess Caroline walked in with a frown on her face. "Where have you been? I have news for you."

"I was out shopping with Iris and Fable," said Carter as he took his shoes off.

"No bath tonight?" said Caroline with a smirk.

"Too tired," said Carter, and he fell on his back.

Princess Caroline sat down on Carter's bed. "You are going to the Capital tomorrow with the King and Queen. They have found a cure for your headaches," said Caroline.

"Oh," said Carter as he looked at Caroline momentarily.

"Angelina and her guards will protect you on your way, so you needn't worry about trouble," said Caroline.

"Who?" questioned Carter.

"The tall guard that came into the bath last night," said Caroline.

Carter pictured Caroline's naked butt as she stood on her tippy toes to kiss Angelina. "Oh, her," said Carter.

A small smile came to Caroline's face as she got Carter's reaction, which she wanted. She knew he was jealous and decided to keep it simmering. Carter would return from his trip and be that much more ready to get married.

"Have a nice trip," said Caroline as she stood and left the room.

The door opened, and Carter saw Ursa, Rita, and Angelina waiting for her. Angelina held her drink up in the air and smiled at Carter.

The door closed and locked.

"Wow, what a bitch" said Fable as she was sitting on the end of the bed looking back at Carter.

"That's a pretty dress," said Carter. She wore a green, strapless dress that accentuated her breasts and small waist. It had more material than her original dress and came down to her knees.

"Thank you, this is more my style. The one I was wearing before was Blackmore's idea. She doesn't look it, but she's a little kinky," said Fable.

"I'm not sure what that means, and I rather not know," said Carter as he laughed slightly.

"The capital? That sounds like fun. You can sell some more of those beads, and I can go shopping," said Fable.

Carter laughed and closed his eyes.

{Dream World}

"It was a good day today, Venus," said Carter.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, little one," said Venus as she rubbed his temples for him.

"They found a cure for my headaches," said Carter.

"I'm afraid it won't help," said Venus.

"Why not?"

"The headaches are because of Nature's curse against Man and not easily cured," said Venus.

"Oh," said Carter.

"I'm also afraid I'm not going to be able to see you for a while," said Venus as she kissed Carter on the forehead.

"Oh," repeated Carter.