Vivan woke up with the sound of cuckoos outside of his window. The peaceful memory of the fragment was still lingering in his heart.
"I have a girlfriend! What happened to her? What happened to my parents?"
All the real world thinking flooded in his mind.
His failed tries of reminiscing paused with a knock on his door.
"Sir! Are you up?"
Vivan hurriedly got out of bed and coated himself with his tunic to open the door.
"Yes! Please come in."
The inn keeper was carrying a gentle smile on her face and a tray of morning tea in her hand.
She came inside following Vivan then put the tray by the table beside his bed.
"Enjoy your tea, Sir"
With a bow of grace she left the room carrying the same smile on her face.
Vivan sat on the bed. From the porcelain flask he poured the tea in the cup. On the tray there was a sealed letter with a stamp of some noble lineage.
First sip of the tea flushed out his sleepiness and the fresh wind of Novarim touched his soul as he opened the seal on the letter.
There was a water mark at the top right of the letter. A lion holding a sword by its teeth, the lion's tail and mane was made of fire.
"This is the same symbol that was carved on the metal plate, the soldier showed yesterday at the entry gate."
The thought spiraled in his mind as he started reading.
To the Honoured Adventurer,
It is with the deepest gratitude that we extend our thanks for your valor in rescuing His Highness, the Third Prince of Novarim, from peril.
Your deeds have safeguarded not only a life, but the honour of the Royal House itself.
By command of His Majesty, you are hereby invited to present yourself at the Royal Castle this evening. The King wishes to grant you an audience in person and convey his appreciation.
Sir Samuel will call upon you at the Starlit Hearth to escort you to the castle at the appointed hour.
May fortune's light ever guide your path.
By order of the Royal Court of Novarim,Lord Altharon VeylanRoyal Chamberlain
Vivan's eyes widened.
"Third prince of Novarim? What? I thought he was some noble but the boy is actually the prince?"
He hurriedly looked in the long mirror at his reflection.
"I can't go to a royal castle looking like this. Need to do some shopping."
He took a bath in the gorgeous bathroom of the inn and got ready to go outside.
At the inn's reception, the same keeper was present, and the tables that had been empty yesterday were now busy with people enjoying their breakfast.
Vivan went to the keeper with a smile.
"Hi! I did not get your name yesterday."
She smiled back with a bow, her golden hair shining under the sunlight.
"My name is Ellen, sir. How can I help you today? I will try to fulfil your wish to the best of ability."
"Any wish?"
Ellen gave him an eye and with a smile she nodded with a little worry.
"Yes Sir, Anything you wish."
"Well! You see Ellen I'm new to the town so if you can kindly arrange a guide cause I need to buy some stuff."
Ellen's doubts got cleared as she smiled with her heart back again.
"That can be arranged sir. Kindly give me two minutes."
She rushed back to the reception and came back in a flash with a girl.
The dark red hair of the girl was really captivating that was tied loosely with a ribbon followed by her feminine grace in a tight fitted forest green bodice with a white off shoulder blouse.
Her ankle length maroon skirt with a front slit to mid-thigh was beautifying her grace even more.
Ellen introduced the girl.
"This is Roswyn, she will be guiding you in your journey through the town."
Vivan smiled- "Thank you very much. This is a great help."
Roswyn bowed her head.
"It is my pleasure to assist you sir."
And with that Roswyn and Vivan came out of the inn as the beauty of bustling town flushed in.
As they hit the central square of the town the market bloomed under glittering gold of sunlight in front of their gaze.
The market was buzzing with heavy crowded stalls of silk, jewellery, foods.
"What is your first priority of purchase, sir?" – Roswyn asked.
"I have been granted an audience with the king so clothes would be first then if there is a black smith around I want to give him a visit."
Vivan did not have to say much as Roswyn started guiding him through the heavy crowd. They passed the stalls in a blink of an eye and a comparatively less crowded lane came into view.
"This is market of whispers sir, here you can get every unique shops for your daily needs."
Then she took Vivan to a boutique that was looking exotic even from the outside.
As they entered the boutique a woman in her mid 30's came forward.
"Welcome to Whispering Saffron. What are you seeking for today honoured guest?"
Roswyn started the conversation.
"We seek an attire of great beauty that shall reflect this gentleman's pride and honour."
The boutique keeper instantly rushed to her desks and took a measuring tape out. Then with precise control she measured Vivan and smiled with a reply.
"If you kindly visit us by the afternoon your dress will be ready sir."
Vivan opened up with worries as he was looking at a gorgeous women's one piece in black hung over the showcase with a price tag of 4000 gold coin.
"That's all good but what will be cost of this service?"
The shop keeper was going to say something but got interrupted by Roswyn.
"Please do not worry, sir. All your expenses will be on hour house."
She handed over a silver medallion under the name of Starlit Hearth to the shop keeper.
The shop keeper changed her approach suddenly. Instead of behaving like normal customers she bowed her head to Vivan.
"Well then sir your dress will be delivered by afternoon to Starlit Hearth."
With that they came out of the whispering saffron. Vivan was confused due to the sudden change of behaviour of the keeper.
"Sir, Starlit Hearth only provides these types of exclusive services to the guests of royal importance." – Roswyn commented with a smile as if she understood Vivan's confusion.
"Thanks Roswyn for the heads up."
"It's my honour sir. Shall we head toward the Black smith?"
"Sure Roswyn!"
They started walking west from the whispering saffron.
At the west end corner of the market of whispers stood a tall building. In front of the building a name Scorch Forge was written on the wooden board.
Vivan pushed the heavy door. With a crack noise the hot and sweaty smell of the smithery blew past them.
Vivan advanced inside.
The smithery was hot and loud, the forge casting a red glow over the room.
Sparks jumped with every hammer strike on the anvil. Racks of swords, axes, and armors filled the walls.
Their metal catching the light as the smell of smoke and hot iron hung in the air.
Inside that hot burning hell a small man with braided beard stood with a hammer that was pummelling a core of iron on the anvil.
His muscular back was glowing from the red light as sweat was dripping. As they came closer the dwarf looked back.
"What do ya want?"
Eyes sharply measuring Vivan then turned toward Roswyn.
"This is not a place for a lady."
That comment was thrown at Vivan as if he was blaming him for bringing the woman along.
"Well! This is Borin Emberforge, one of the six legendary black smiths across the continent."
Roswyn pointed towards the dwarf then she introduced Vivan.
"And Borin be respectful to our guest. This is sir GhostWalker."
Vivan raised his hand to shake the dwarf's hand. But the dwarf turned back and focused on his work on the anvil back again.
"I don't do shit for fledgling newbies like that. Get out!"
Roswyn was going to reply in an irritated tone but Vivan raised a hand with a gesture that indicated her to stop.
"Well! I also don't visit senile old men, past their death."
Vivan took out the pendant that he got from Paul and walked towards the anvil. Then he dropped the pendant on the dwarf's desk.
"But as we both are here why don't you share some of your dead brain information on this?"
But Borin was not just any other guy. He grappled Vivan by his collar in a jolt of fury then threw him across the west wall of the smithery.
Vivan collided with the shelf of armors. The wooden shelf broke down and the armors got dropped over the ground with heavy clank.
Roswyn shouted.
"Stop Borin!! He is one of the guests of our Lord!"
Borin gave Vivan a disgusted look.
"EHH! The fledgling is lord's guest? What did ya do kid? Licked their boots?"
Vivan was still on the ground due to the shock and pain as the system chimed.
[Morality implications detected]
[Activating Mental Multipliers]
Vivan leaped towards the dwarf, as the flash of blue light flickered by his steps. Then a shoulder throw allowed him to throw the heavy dwarf on the ground by his back.
"I'm not as weak as you that I have to lick someone's boot."
The dwarf coiled up with incredible agility and threw a right hook at Vivan.
Vivan dodged the hook by ducking under it, then threw a punch at his gut pushing the dwarf up in the air and right twist channelled a roundhouse kick at the blacksmith mid air.
Roswyn shouted closing her eyes, arms stretched downward – "STOPPP! Both of you."
Then she opened her eyes up slowly with Vivan's calm voice.
"It's ok Roswyn. That's how it should be"
Roswyn watched as two men looked at each other and smiled with a ferocious yet accepting grin.
"Now your dead eyes got some sparks in them kid!"
He walked upto Vivan and shook his hand.
"What do ya want kid?"
This time his voice was full of smiles.
"Well old man I am looking for a good sword but before that can you tell me what this is?"
Vivan pointed at the silver pendant that he had placed on the desk.
"Men are impossible to understand." – Roswyn released a sigh of confusion.
Borin picked up the pendant from the desk and gazed on it.
"Let's see what we have here!"
First his eye brows wrinkled then the eyes got wide open in disbelief. His head turned toward Vivan with a fear in his voice.
"Where the hell did you get this KID??"
The suspense coiled inside the smithery slowly along with the heat.
…To be continued