Vincent and company reached Istria the next evening. Vincent gazed at the 4 meters tall wall and the crowd lined up neatly by the huge city gates. There were several guards wearing padded armor and armed with short swords. They inspected the people outside and questioned them before allowing them entry. Ron ignored the people lining up outside and headed for the gate directly. Some of the people queuing up directed unfriendly gazes his way but turned away after noticing the crest carved in the carriage. Rusell followed behind quietly while Stan glared at the people who seemed disgruntled about the special treatment they received.
A guard approached them and spoke to Ron, "So it's the people from Devonton family. What business do you have in Istria?"
Ron put on an amicable smile and replied, "We came to escort the son of the baron's friend to Master Rigrit. Master Rigrit will be taking the child as his student."
The guard immediately turned more respectful at the mention of Master Rigrit. He handled the things very carefully during the inspection as if afraid to damage anything. This behavior surprised Vincent as he could still see the other guards handling the stuff belonging to other people very roughly. The guard also flashed a smile at Vincent and spoke.
"Young master sure has a lot of books. Just what I would expect from an apprentice wizard. If you ever need my services while you stay at Istria, you can ask for me in the southern barracks. My name is Diesel."
Vincent felt a little uncomfortable at the attempt of the guard to establish a relation with him. He just nodded and smiled a little stiffly. The guard quickly finished the inspection and asked the other three if they had any ranged weapons. Ron took out a crossbow from a hidden compartment and handed it to Diesel. Diesel wrote something in a book and handed the crossbow back while adding, "Please don't take out or use the crossbow inside the town. If you break the rule, the weapon will be confiscated and you will be charged 2 silver as fine."
Ron nodded before driving the carriage through the gate. They headed towards the inner part of the city. Vincent looked at everything through the window. The huge crowds, street vendors shouting to promote their goods, people wearing colorful clothes. Everything was very fascinating. As they moved closer to the heart of the town, the streets became much quieter and cleaner. The houses were bigger and much more pleasing to the eyes.
The carriage stopped after reaching a store selling cloths. Vincent had seen many such shops along the way but this one had a different air about it. A guard was standing outside the door with a solemn look on his face and the articles on display adorned some dolls visible through the clear glass. Vincent had only ever read about such glasses and never seen any. It was hard to find even glasses with bubbles on them. The clear ones were clearly much more expensive as they looked and felt a lot more luxurious.
Ron motioned for Vincent to get off and led him in. The guard stationed outside greeted them and opened the door. Rusell and Stan alighted from their horses and began admiring the clothes the dolls wore.
A well dressed man came up to them and asked Ron what he required. He had neatly combed hair and wore clothes without a single crease. His clean shaven look gave off an impression of honesty and diligence.
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"I would like some clothes for this boy here. 2 sets of formal wear and 5 sets of casual clothing please."
"Certainly. Young master, please follow me. Let's take your measurements."
The man lead them to a small room and proceeded to take Vincent's measurement. He didn't make any small talk and maintained a professional attitude. The way he carried himself was different from anyone Vincent had met before and the solemn atmosphere unnerved him a little. Ron patted on his shoulders to calm him down and Vincent felt thankful for what Ron did.
A pretty woman dressed like a maid brought over lemonade for the two customers and retreated. The man spoke in a professional manner, "The clothes will be completed in a week. We can deliver it to any place inside the city. The formal wear costs 4 silver coin per piece while the casual costs a silver coin per piece. The total comes to 1 gold 3 silver."
"While we are at it, please show me a piece that is already made. It doesn't matter if it is a loose fit. Just make sure that it doesn't look too weird on him." Ron spoke as he handed 2 gold coins to the man. The man nodded and brought some clothes for children. Ron looked through each one and picked 2 of them after much consideration. One was a plain green while the other was black with two golden flowers embroidered in it.
"The grand total comes up to 1 gold 7 silvers. Your return is 3 silvers. Please do come by again when you require our services."
"Thank you. We will be sure to drop by again. Please deliver the clothes when they are ready to Master Rigrit's house." Ron replied with an amicable smile as he received 3 silver coins as return. Vincent also bowed to the man before following Ron to the carriage. Ron got back on the coachman's seat and spoke to Vincent as he urged the horse to move.
"We will head to Master Rigrit's house next. Change into the black clothes we just brought. The one with the pretty flowers."
"Is it necessary? We even spent so much money on clothes. A family of four could easily live off 1 gold and 7 silvers for 2 months."
"Haaah Vincent, you don't understand. Master Rigrit is a wizard of 4th circle and a friend of Baron Devonton. You will have to dress up properly to not embarrass the baron. After all, you do have his blood flowing in your veins."
"How will it embarrass the baron if I don't dress properly? It's not like the baron ever did anything for me. I have never seen or met him. He never cared about me. He didn't even care about us when mother was sick and hurting. We didn't even have any money to buy the cheapest medicine. If only we had half of the money we just spent on these pointless clothes, mama might still be alive. If it will embarrass the baron, then all the more reason why I shouldn't wear that cloth."
Vincent shouted as tears streamed down his face. He had been holding it all in this whole time. His mother never woke up after hugging him to sleep. The next day he read note left by his mother saying only that the baron would take care of him and everything had been arranged. He felt really disgruntled at all of this. Then came Ron and two guards a week later bringing him here.
Rusell and Stan who were riding right beside the carriage heard the child's outburst. They purposely slowed down to let Ron take care of the messy situation.
Ron hadn't been expecting this either. Vincent acted a lot more mature than kids his age. He wasn't spoiled and didn't seek much attention. He didn't give him any trouble the whole way either. Ron's heart softened a bit as he recalled his own mother's death. He brought the carriage to a halt and joined Vincent inside the carriage.
"It's alright. You don't have to do it for the baron. Your teacher is a 4th circle wizard, which means he is a silver tier wizard. You will have to make a good impression on him. You have such a pretty face. I am sure your mother would happy seeing you in these clothes." Saying so Ron pulled Vincent into a warm embrace.
Vincent struggled at first but then he felt all the turbid emotions going away. He relaxed and replayed Ron's words in his mind. He nodded his head and affirmed in a meek tone.
Ron laughed and got back on the coachman's seat. Rusell and Stan rejoined their position right beside the carriage and the company made their way to Master Rigrit's mansion.