The first village that we would see today, Arhil, started nearing as we continued forward. The road leading to the city from the forest didn’t have any travelers on it, but once the green pastures started to change into fields of young corn plans, I could see several farmers weeding. They would be the first people I ran into after the caravan guards. I hoped their reaction to me was going to be mild.

I could feel myself getting anxious as I got closer, my arms were shaking slightly from it. Why was this happening? I never used to care about what others might think of me.

“Easy, Kealyna,” Cellestra said calmly. “Just greet them with a smile and a wave if anyone looks your way.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

I never would have imagined that walking towards a city of my kind would feel this… overwhelming. Thanks to my perfect eyesight, I could clearly see that the people working the fields were elves. Nothing set them apart from any in my old world.

I unintentionally slowed down as the crops appeared to either side of the road. It didn’t take long for the first elf to look up, see me, and run away screaming after dropping his hoe.

I sighed. This was not the reaction I was hoping for.

His screaming alerted others who also looked my way. Their reactions were mixed. Some of them duplicated the first man and ran off, with and without screaming, while others were frozen where they stood, their faces turning white. One or two elves managed to look at me with a somewhat serious expression.

I tried to wave and smile as Cellestra had suggested, but my waving gesture was only half-arsed and didn’t seem to do much good.

“Easy,” Cellestra spoke. “We’re just passing through.”

She didn’t receive any words in response. None of the farmers knew what to do, or say for that matter. I did notice that one of the runners was heading towards the village. I could only imagine what would come of that.

I sighed again. “Looks like trouble will already be in our near future,” I said to Cellestra quietly. I then turned my attention to the mortified elves. “She’s right. I’m not here to cause you any trouble. We’re heading to Edhil to communicate with Elysa at her temple.”

I decided to be upfront and honest about our intentions. I then started moving again towards the village. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ll leave you to it.”

I was terrible at diplomacy. I would just leave here quickly so these people could get back to their lives without the fear of some monstrous spider eating them.

I shook my head as I left them behind. I doubted these poor farmers were going to get any work done today. The soldiers I’d met before were a lot more professional in that regard. After their initial shock and confusion (and a little help from Cellestra) they knew I was an ally.

I stared at the village’s walls in the distance while I was surprised by the fact that they were made of huge stone bricks. I had expected something like a simple wooden palisade for a village of this size. From the distance, it didn’t look so big to me, but I could of course be mistaken as I couldn’t see beyond these walls. The flat terrain had all the more to do with that. For all I knew, the village extended far towards the other side.

It even had a large portcullis that was, of course, open. It didn’t take long for a regiment of armored guards to march out of it. They were outfitted identically to the guards that protected the caravan. Heavy, steel armor and helmets protected their frames. It wasn’t of the highest quality, but it would certainly do well in a fight, especially when fighting bandits or when policing civilians.

I sighed as I could already see what was coming. I halted about a hundred yards out from the gate and remained still, hoping to convey I was here with the best intentions. I would make my presence known and then follow the wall until I reached the road that led to Edhil.

“Well, here we go,” I said to Cellestra, unsure of what to expect.

It was clear that these soldiers had been informed of my presence. I just didn’t know how they’d described me. It probably wasn’t very good.

The soldiers marched in a square formation with spears at the ready. I simply waited as they approached me. When they did, one of the soldiers stepped forward. His armor was identical to the others, but he had a blue plume on his helmet from the front to the back, indicating he had a higher status.

He approached us with a sword sheathed but with his hand on the scabbard, ready to pull it out at a moment’s notice.

No sudden movements, got it.

As I was used to, the guard would speak first in this situation. It took a few moments, but he finally did.

“Business?” He asked with a single word.

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So, he was the straight-to-the-point type. I at least admired that about him. No odd questions or comments about my appearance. Just that, business.

“We’re just on our way to Edhil to communicate with Elysa at the temple. As you can see, I have some questions for her.”

“You planned on entering Arhil?” He asked. I could hear a bit of confusion in his voice.

I shook my head. “No.”

“Okay then,” He said calmly.

“We’re acquaintances of Berel,” Cellestra spoke from behind me. “He and his caravan were attacked in the woods by Ingo and several groups of scoundrels that had banded together. We successfully protected them, because of which they suffered no fatalities. Kealyna here killed Ingo and tens of the bandits. We have his chest plate as proof.”

I would have liked to see the expression on this man’s face, but alas, the helmet made it impossible to see anything but his eyes and only a small part of his mouth.

“Ingo? That’s… interesting. Kealyna, you said was your name?” He said while looking at me.

I nodded. “And that’s Cellestra on my back. I understand my presence being hard to believe, but do trust me, a former knight, that I do not mean to cause any trouble. You may confirm this story at your own leisure. Word from the next village is bound to reach here soon enough.”

“Former knight…?” He said, while scratching his helmet. As if that was going to do any good.

I nodded. “As I said, I have questions for Elysa. I’m hoping word spread about me won’t be negative.”

“Can’t promise that,” He answered matter-of-factly.

“Is there anything else you’d like to know?” I quickly asked.

He shook his head. “That was all I needed to know. If you won’t be entering the village, that will be all.”

I saluted the guardsman, or knight, I wasn’t quite sure what he was to this village. He saluted back as I turned a quarter and walked through the grass that covered the ground on the outside of the village’s walls. I noticed then that my shaking from before had completely stopped.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Cellestra asked once we left the soldiers behind.

“I am such a terrible negotiator.”

“You did great,” Cellestra assured me. “I doubt I would have changed anything. You were honest about your intentions and why you passed through here. When the news of the attack does reach this village, I reckon he will remember your words and see you in a positive light. Hopefully, if we have to pass through here again, this village’s people will react to you in a totally different way.”

“I do hope that’s the case. Thank you, by the way.”

“For what?” Cellestra asked with a small smile.

“For your help, once again. Mentioning Berel and the caravan was useful.”

“No need to thank me for that.”

We reached a road after circling a third of the way around the village. It seemed I’d been right in assuming that this wasn’t the largest settlement. “Is it this way?” I asked as I pointed along the road with one of my pedipalps.

The elf nodded. “That’s the one. Edhil should be getting in sight soon enough.”

“I hope Edhil requires less talking… with strangers, that is, not with you.”

“Well, I’m not sure about the amount of talking that we’ll have to do, but I do think it will be easier.”

“I sure hope you’re right.”

Cellestra reached into her bag and pulled out an apple. “Want one?” She asked.

“How many did you bring?”

“Enough. Trust me. I swear, half of this bag’s content is apples.”

“In that case, I wouldn’t mind one.”

She handed me a piece of fruit and I savored the first bite. Even if I didn’t need it to sate my hunger, it still felt refreshing.

“Hey, Kealyna?”

“Hm?”

“Don’t you think it’s time to start practicing that tailoring we talked about?”