Chapter 5 - Shopping

Havels experiences his first fantasy town. A near death experience alsmost ruins it all.

Havel - Day 2

“Kill me now,” Havel thought once again. His a*s had been left ten miles back when the horse hit that hard stone. Havel tried desperately to just let the animal move but he wanted to shift his weight. The first 2 hours had been amazing. Feeling it move under him and seeing the forest roll by. He’d spotted a dozen plants that he knew couldn’t be found on his native world. Still he’d seen birds fly and squirrels jumping between tree limbs. It was interesting to see the mundane mix with the magical. The sun itself was also subtly different hue. The light that came down felt bluish instead of his Sol’s yellow brilliance.

Gwen had made it absolutely clear that she would have never let him touch her like this. She’d gone on for a couple of minutes about the lack of other horses. So he tried hard to accommodate her. He let his hands only lightly clasp her so that she might just forget him. The conversation had been the best they’d had yet. Getting her out here alone finally let her mask slip. She had checked that little fold where her wand sat several times.

Gwen let go of the reins and pointed.

“Bushmont,” she said and he let the sound fix itself in his memory. It was at least 40 minutes away still. The town sprawled before them with a heat wave over it. He groaned aloud thinking of the distance. It was maybe an hour after high noon. She hadn’t been joking that it would take all day. Back home they’d have hit this city in 40 minutes easy. He certainly didn’t disliked sitting behind this girl. He’d done a great job of ignoring her female shape so far. Still she had a very pleasant smell that was impossible to not notice. It was like an exotic flower from her home. His hands tingled too like electricity was passing between Gwen and him.

Going back to looking around him he didn’t want to see the town slowly getting larger. It would be like watching a clock tick and that would finish him. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of a strange boar like creature. It was only for a second but it had curved tusks and some needle like fur. The beast was huge maybe as big the horse they sat on. Sadly it must have known it was spotted because it fled instantly.

After about 20 minutes she stopped suddenly and stiffened.

“Get off,” she ordered and swung her leg over the neck of the horse. Gwen dropped to the ground before Havel even managed to shift his weight. The horse side-stepped and he half fell to the dirt path. Gwen wasn’t stopping though as she led the animal to the grassy part of the path. Havel got up rubbing his a*s and hips trying to get blood back into them. At first he thought she just wanted to walk the animal for a while. That idea changed when he too saw some riders coming this way. They’d apparently just left town as Gwen spotted them. This path lead only to the castle so they had to be students. Havel understood now she was not going to let them see the two riding together. All those fantasy novels were starting to come back to him slowly. She’d be announcing they were virtually lovers. Still it wouldn’t take a genius to guess how they both gotten out here. She was just trying to mitigate the damage by walking.

No matter the reason he needed to stretch his legs. The town was now about two miles distant, easy walking range. If only his a*s didn’t hurt so much. The air around her felt cold so Havel purposely followed about 10 paces behind. The shapes coming toward them resolved themselves into a group of young riders. Five dark cloaked boys on various colored mounts slowed as they came into shouting range. The teens talked among themselves loud enough Havel heard them. Laughter followed that wasn’t quite jovial and felt mocking.

As the group got closer they called out to Gwen who ignored them at first. He noticed they were First Years as he vaguely remembered them. The fat one was there and he saw the burning imp hanging from the saddle. Gwen also noticed him and stopped. Her head turned to face the boy but didn’t meet his eyes. Maybe it was a lady thing that they weren’t supposed to stare. The big one broke from the group who trotted on. They laughed some more as they joked. Havel and the four boys stared at one another as they pass by. One pointed to his feet and they guffawed. Part of him instantly thought of them like the preppy little rich kids back home. The big one was saying something to Gwen and she shook her head. The little demon scrabbled about on the saddle with its evil glare. A big meaty finger pointed in his vague direction as he demands something haughtily. Once again Havel wished he knew the local dialect.

Her face reddens in anger before she manages to control her features. They exchange a few more words. Gwen sounding like she could barely manage her voice. They continue to argue like two old women that really hate each other. Tones perfectly pleasant but with undercurrents of anger. Then the boy turned to him and pointed a finger at Havel. The little imp on the saddle pulled out a previously unseen knife. It looked more like a large letter opener as it gleamed wickedly in the sunlight. Gwen was shouting now as the smoldering goblin disappears. Suddenly a hot presence hits Havel’s shoulder grabbing at his hair. It smokes and burns instantly filling his nose with the terrible stench. A blade comes into view as the Imp aims for his neck. Havel’s filled with absolute terror bats the goblin with the back of his hand. The thing flies from his perch and blinks again. This time to Havel’s other side and he’s already trying to turn.

Gwen says something as a green ray blasts Havel. All of his muscles tense up as his body refuses to move an inch. The beast on his shoulder falls off as his blond hair burned through. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Gwen storming over. Her wand is in hand as she aims her foot at the downed creature. At the last second it blinks away. Her boot brutally sinks an inch into the soft ground. Gwen and the boy exchange some more hot words. Then the fat one gallops towards the castle.

Another second goes by before Gwen says more words in that strange language. Green fills his vision as Havel falls to his knee. Surging with renewed terror he touches his throat feeling for any cuts.

Nothing.

His nose is overpowered with an acrid burning hair smell. Havel’s stomach is turning over and over. Had he had anything in him he’d be vomiting he was sure.

“That vile simpering murderer,” Gwen says hotly.

“I'm so sorry, I didn’t think he would do it.” Gwen said as Havel looked up into her brown eyes. Getting up he looked back down the trail to see the retreating student.

“Please forgive me,” She begged.

“Why the hell did he just try and kill me?” Havel asked suddenly shocked at the fatal exchange. Gwen didn’t answer right away and she went to Starlight’s side. The horse had sidled away during the fray.

“Is life so cheap here?” He asked then fearing these people were far worse than quaint little wizards. He pondered again if he didn’t fall into a Dark Epic.

“No its not, its just… stay away from him. You have to trust me.” She said fiercely at first but letting it trail off at the end. Maybe she noticed her own irony in the statement. She didn’t wait around though and started walking towards town again. Havel followed when he managed to get his trembling legs to work. That was the first time he’d ever come so close to death. The worst part was that it happened so fast he hadn’t even known what was going on.

It took the half an hour trip into town for Havel’s nerves to settle. He kept glancing over his shoulder to see if the boy and that demon might return. He wondered if nobles could get away with killing a peasant in broad daylight. Even leave his corpse in the middle of the road for any to find. There were certainly two people now that wanted him dead.

They passed a few grain farms at first. Cows and chickens crossed the road as they pleased. A farmer in one field was out putting up a scarecrow. Soon they started passing houses on the outskirts. Probably the manors for the merchants who worked in town. The events that just transpired kept Havel from really appreciating it. They were straight out of a history book. Mostly two story stucco white walls with wooden shutters. Dark wood beams accentuated the ends of the buildings and added structural support. Soon the farm aroma’s turned to the smells of a city. So many people this close in a medieval city wasn’t very pleasant. At least the miasma of waste was only faint in the strong spring breeze. Not everyone benefited from the magically enchanted washrooms. They were passing people now and Havel saw several guards. These people wore very light leathers that looked more uniform than armor. Each carried a wooden club and a short sword. Down several more streets most people ignored the two as Gwen tied up Starlight. She hasn’t spoken for the last half hour.

“Your not worried someone will steal her?” Havel asked and Gwen’s face brightened into a smirked.

“If someone tried they’d get stomped to death. Most horses are trained to accept very few riders.” Gwen

She stepped in through a shop door. One with wooden portals that have a top and bottom that swing independently. The upper open so people can peer inside the brightly lit store. Windows let in plenty of spring light to show off fabric rolls and rich examples of the owner merchandise. This place is some kind of clothing store. A gray haired man who’s partially balding on top bustles out as the little brass door bell rings. At first he is all smiles for the obviously rich noble in his store. Then his eyes land on Havel and he snarls. His hands come up in a ‘get out of here’ gesture. That kindly doddering face doesn’t look so nice now. Kindness costs money here in town. Gwen coughs loudly making the man stop his rant.

“My servant requires proper dress.” She says and old guy gapes at the words. He says something incredulously and Gwen rolls her eyes. She pulls out a pouch and displays a yellow coin. Havel can’t be sure but that looks like a gold coin. It would be worth a fortune back home. Apparently it’s worth about the same here too. The eyes on the balding man flint over in avarice. Then the old man checks himself maybe smelling something fishy. All Havel can smell is burnt hair.

It doesn’t take long for him to find some clothes that fit around the shop. Black satin slacks that are belted with a thick shiny clasp. The top a matching black satin doublet. It had a nice silver inlaid plant and leaf pattern. The merchant didn’t have shoes but found a pair of soft indoor sandles. For another 20 minutes he took Havel’s measurements. The balding man’s face scrunching up whenever he smelled the boy. Gwen and the man argued a bit more. Maybe they were haggling but the old guy kept looking annoyed and waving at Havel. Finally she dropped a gold and some silver into the man’s waiting hands. He carried out some brown paper wrapped bundles of underclothes.

“The cheat, anywhere else I’d pay half as much. Just because he knows I'm noble he thinks he can squeeze out a few more drops of blood.” Gwen muttered as they tied the packs to Starlight.

“How much is a gold coin worth here?” Havel asked when they finished.

“You can buy a decent horse for a gold. It should have bought 10 entire outfits. Instead he’s only going to make 4 more. I swear if he tries to off load his worst fabric on me he’ll pay.”

Still she turned to Havel with a smile. Now that he wasn’t in rags he looked like any other high born. He bowed deeply to the Gwen and she giggled. Gwen hadn’t done that in she didn’t know how long. Tugging on his arm she pulled him away. Normally he was a t-shirt and jeans kind of guy but clothes make the man. Havel would just have to have to learn to deal with it.

Only a couple of buildings down Gwen went into a shoemakers shop. This owner was a young woman who had some long leather working needles stuck into her hair. She was sitting at a work bench as they came in. A shoe was upside down as she attached a sole to the bottom. The woman smiled at the two this time. Her voice was high and musical, though that might have been just the coin again. Gwen didn’t bother making anything up this time.

“I need several shoes for my servant.” Gwen said to the shopkeep. Havel thought it interesting she could use almost any title for him. Maybe she just had to think about him to convey the message.

The girl came over and appraised him. He smiled at her brightly and she pinched his cheek. At least she was much nicer than the last one. After a second the girl wrinkled her nose and said something.

“He was using a candle to look for his missing shoes and burned his hair.” Gwen said quickly and the woman made some clucking sounds.

“Yes, were heading to the salon next.” Gwen said next and they exchanged a few more words.

The shopkeep got out this wooden foot device. It was like two or three slide rulers were having an orgy. Legs and arms of the little thing were sticking out all over. Once again they only managed to find a soft soled pair of boots. They were black at least but Havel didn’t care for the gaudy buckles.

“These will be fine for use around the castle.” Gwen told him. She paid the woman 15 silver before they left. He’d be getting a pair of hard soled travel boots when she made them.

“Salon?” Havel asked as they moved away from the shop. It was a word he wasn’t very familiar with. His feet felt much better with a decent pair of shoes on. They even had socks but were thinner than he liked.

“A place to cut hair.” She replied and Havel nodded understanding. His mother went to a place like that but he never paid much attention. There were quite a few women in the store. It smelled and felt exactly like one would expect. Sweet shampoo’s and soaps filled the air.

The shop was noisy with the girls talking but one bustled up. Gwen held up her fingers indicating two. They exchanged a few words before pulling Havel back into the interior. Both Havel and Gwen got the full treatment. She was here for him but wasn’t above pampering herself at the same time. Havel hadn’t ever tried it but he suddenly understood the appeal. The pretty red head’s fingers were magic as she massaged his scalp with shampoo. It smelled like sandlewood and spice. He lay limp in the chair and looked up into the eyes of the girl. She tried talking to him, engage him in conversation.

“He’s deaf I'm afraid, but you can keep talking to him. Havel is learning to read lips.” Gwen said wistfully from the next chair over. The red heads wet hand went to her face. Havel pretended not to notice as she looked at him with pity. He felt like he could take a nap about now. Still she was nice to look at as the girl continued to chat. After the shampoo they cut his hair. He made motions with his hands as to the length he wanted. The sides short with the front a little longer than the back. The girl held up a mirror and he smiled at the reflection. It was a good look.

Outside he smiled at Gwen. She’d only taken a little off her long black hair. Instead they’d styled it up into an interesting bun and put in a white hairpin.

“Its beautiful,” Havel said making her smile and blush.

“You clean up well.” Gwen shot back and he bowed again. It was getting well past lunchtime. They stopped at a restaurant where they sat outside with some wine and a roast duck. Havel was still getting used to the fact everyone drank something alcoholic. He guessed it was because of water contamination.

“I don’t recall ever trying duck before.” Havel said as he picked at a breast. The bird was a little greasy but had been flavored with lots of herbs.

“Its not something I eat often either,” Gwen admitted chewing on a leg.

Gwen seemed in far better mood now that they were both clothed and fed. It helped she had an extra class of wine with her duck. Havel tried to pry a little more out of her.

“So only nobles have access to magic?” Havel asked cautiously. He dearly wanted to try it himself but was starting to make guesses.

“Yes and no. Its illegal for commoners to learn magic but they can use devices. Weapons often find their way into soldiers hands who can pay for them. Enchanted items are getting more scarce these days.”

“Scarce?” Havel repeated but as a question. Gwen made a sour face like she didn’t want to admit something.

“The Golden Age of Magic has been fading. The elves disagree, they say humans have gotten lazy. I suppose its partially true.”

“As far as I know there’s only a handful of enchanters in the kingdom.”

“How many mages are there if only nobles can become one?”

“There are two kinds of nobles in Airlin. Nobles who own land and collect taxes. Each holds a seat on the Assembly and has a say in making laws. The San-Nobles are landless but have the right to learn magic. These people make up the important jobs within the realm. Judges, investigators, the queens stewards, captains in the army. There are about 150 of the former and a couple thousand of the latter.

In a way Havel understood. It was like watching the fall of Rome from the inside. They were more concerned with stability and keeping it all moving. Each year less and less people bothered themselves to actually learn magic. They only learned enough so they could take a government job and start making gold.

“How much does umm studying magic cost?”

“I paid 100 gold for the two years plus 20 gold for Starlight’s stable.” Gwen said maybe a little primly. Back home that would be like throwing 150k at a mediocre education in college. Even here that was a massive fortune.

“How many years do you study?”

“Usually its two years. First year you learn some basics in each branch. Second year you pick one branch to specialize in.” Gwen said and Havel suddenly understood why the elves said humans were lazy. Two years was enough to memorize some useful spells but little else. He doubted the schools here gave out scholarships.

“There are those that continue coming past the two years. Most simply teach themselves by book.”

After lunch they located a notary store where Havel gleefully got to pick out some bound books. Gwen also bought a small quill and a real bottle of black ink. Outside Havel spent a few moments rubbing one leather bound book against his cheek.

“Yes my love, I’ll see to you soon.” He coo’d to the blank journal.

“Stop that, people are staring.” She said but her tone was playful.

They were heading back to where Starlight had been tied up. The day was starting to turn towards evening. It would be well past dark by the time they got back to the castle. Havel was following behind Gwen with that big book in his hands when she stopped. He looked up as they almost collided. She moved again another 20 feet before stopping again while chewing her lip. Her eyes found his and was suddenly intent on his gaze. Nodding she pointed at Havel.

“Wait right there,” she ordered and ran back into a door. There was a sign above it but he couldn’t tell what it meant. Only letters indicated what the store was. He had promised her he would obey all her orders so he stood. Maybe not exactly right there as he wandered a bit off. Finding a open piece of wall he leaned back against it. Opening the leather book again he leafed through thick yellowish paper. He recalled how Gwen had suggested a journal. The thought hadn’t even occurred to him. He just wanted paper to start learning the language. That was smart, and it would let him organize his thoughts. Havel could appreciate how quick witted Gwen was. She grasped things quickly. Heck she’d saved his blond bacon just two hours ago. Part of him had scoffed a these medieval people calling him the savage. Yet they hadn’t managed to figure out indoor plumbing. They did manage to make some ridiculously good fabric and quality paper. After a few minutes Gwen came out with another bundle. Rushing past him Havel closed the book and followed. By the time he caught up she was tucking the thing in her saddle bags.

The last of the supplies went into another bag. With the shopping done for today she found the leather strap on the saddle and hoisted herself up. Gwen took a few moments to pet Starlight with affection.

“We should go, it’ll be dark soon.” She said as she gazed in the suns direction. They didn’t have much time left.

Havel wasn’t looking forward to the return trip. Biting the bullet he clasped her hand and swung in behind her. Thankfully he managed it on the first try. It would have been really annoying to get his new clothes dirty. At least this time she’d added an extra blanket for the ride home. Havel found that spot in the saddle again. Gwen had the horsing moving slowly out of town.

There were fewer people moving around the streets now. Evening time people were going in for dinner. Most of the shops had closed up as well. The mixed smells of food could be detected from the homes as they passed. There was no gate on this city. They must have felt safe enough to not bother with walls here.

“Your not going to like this but we need to move fast.”

“Why not just tie a rope to my legs and drag me behind,” Havel thought in his head.

As soon as she got out towards the farms she brought Starlight into a fast trot. Havel gritted his teeth as he tried to remember Gwen’s advice. He was still trying to work out what ‘move with the horse’ meant. The bags and saddles bounced as they moved along. The wind also picked up and they traveled fast enough to inhibit talking. He didn’t think he could muster up any real communication anyway.

Two and a half hours later Havel wanted to die all over again. The light was dimming and the horizon shifted into spectacular sunset. Reds, purples, and dark blues splashed across the clouds. The effect was slightly lost on Havel though. He no longer felt human, his mind was off where pain was distant. He’d heard of saddle sores before but couldn’t possibly appreciate the idea. It wasn’t just his a*s now either. His thigh’s burned and he didn’t even want to acknowledge how badly his jewels ached.

As the shadows started to lengthen into true darkness Gwen slowed.

“How are you doing?” She called back.

“Would it be inappropriate to speak about my a*s?”

“Highly.” She said almost amused.

“Then I’ll simply hope with everything in me that we are close to our destination.”

“Another hour, but we have to walk.” Gwen informed him and he inwardly cowered.

“Why?”

“Can’t ride Starlight in the dark even if that is her name. She could turn an ankle,” Gwen stated as she stopped the horse completely. She swung down with practiced ease. The long trip seeming to barely affect her movement. Turning she looked up at the boy motioning for him to follow. He swung a leg over that felt like dead weight. Havel hit the ground and his knees instantly buckled. Gwen had expected that and barely caught him before he went down. She let Havel go when he had legs under him.

“Thanks,” He managed to get out.

“Can’t ride a horse, no magic. I suppose you never learned to fight either.”

“I got beat up once last year.” Havel admitted to his ward.

“What was the goddess thinking sending you to me.”

“So we could talk about my a*s.”

“Savage, Barbarian.” Gwen spluttered pulling out her wand. She turned but couldn’t hide the small smile on her face.

“At least I'm your Savage.”

It was growing black now and Gwen spoke a few words into the night. As she finished a globe of light grew in front of her wand. The bluish light casting away the shadows for about 30 feet. She flicked her wand and the ball floated above them. Gwen started walking with the reins in one hand and her wand pointed skyward in the other. Havel followed after trying not to wince with every step.

“Tell me about this goddess.” He said after a little ways.

“The Divine Goddess,” she intoned full of faith and reverence. Everything in her tone told Havel she went to church at least once a week.

“She is the maker of all things. After molding Irth from the void she first set titans and other godly beasts on the world. They were jealous of their creator and tried to take her power. So she cast them to Hades. After a time she set the lesser races here. First the Elves whom she taught the god’s tongue. Then the dwarves, gnomes, and hobbits. After a time she made man the weakest of her creatures. The elves taught man the words of power so that we might survive.”

“You call this world Earth?” Havel asked quite surprised to hear the syllables.

“No, Irth.” Gwen said the word again. It was almost like the pronunciation of his beloved home. Still the similarity intrigued him.

“You don’t believe in the goddess?” She asked looking back and he thought about that.

“There are quite a few religions where I come from but most people believe in one god. They seem to think him male though.”

“Your church is weak to allow so many other religions.”

“There are only a few major religions, they fought a lot ages ago over tiny interpretations of the scripture. Most even think its same god.”

“No other gods?” Havel asked tentatively as faith was a touchy subject for her. Gwen walked along for a little ways while considering.

“The church did away with the old gods long ago. Now only the other races hold different beliefs,” she said haltingly. Maybe that was something of a heretical statement admitting the Church didn’t come first. Havel decided to change the subject.

“You mentioned other races but I didn’t see any in town. Do they all live by themselves?”

“Bushmont is a tiny city only interesting to humans. Bigger trade cities is where you’ll find every other race. Blackrock especially as it borders the elves to the east. Cloudwatch has quite a few Dwarves in residence. The city sits at the foothills of the Hinas Mountain range.” Gwen lectured and looked back.

“You sound like you don’t have other races in your lands?”

“Nope, just plain old boring humans.”

“Thats why you don’t have any magic,” Gwen said and Havel didn’t have any better answer. Maybe the elves didn’t get a chance to give it to his world. He could make out the lights in the castle now. They were only about 20 minutes away. He was glad to see them, outside the circle of light it was pitch black. The moon hadn’t started rising just yet. Gwen didn’t seem fazed by the darkness.

“You don’t fear the things that go bump in the night?” Havel asked when Gwen looked back. He didn’t want to sound afraid but he didn’t practice walking down dark roads even in Texas.

“They don’t like light, especially mage light. Something would have to starving to make the attempt.” Gwen informed him like a simple fact. This was her world and Havel figured she knew what she was talking about. They were getting close now as the castle loomed just ahead.

“Its to bad we are getting back so late, we’ve missed dinner.” Gwen said but Havel just wanted to fall onto that ugly couch. That and the thought of sitting down to eat sent waves of pain up his spine.

“I'm ready for a nap and a icepack.” Havel admitted.

“Please don’t say it.”

“Say what?”

“Goddess I’ll paralyze you and leave you for the Dire Wolf.”

“I swear I wasn’t going to mention it.”

Silence followed.

“Unless you really want to talk about it.” Havel said smirking and Gwen spun around pointing her wand at him. He held up his hands in defense. Taking two fingers he zipped his mouth closed. She turned walking away quickly. Still he couldn’t stop himself.

“We could always talk about yours instead.” Havel said softly under his breath. Shaking his head he caught up as Gwen and the light moved ahead. Going in through the gate she led Starlight up to the stables. Finding a page nearby Gwen got the baggage sent up to her room. There was no stable boy about so she removed the saddle herself. Havel helped her where he could as she brushed the horse down. Taking Starlight into a stall she got fresh oats and clean water.