Rockwell

They were coming up on a small town, it was called Rockwell. It boasted a population of only around ten-thousand. It was located about a third of the way to Rosevalley, about seventy-five miles from Jakarta. Marcus was ready to sleep in an actual bed, his bedroll wasn't that comfy. He was sure everyone else was too. They quickened their pace when they saw the wooden walls that circled the town, not wanting to be on the road a second longer. They neared the gate and slowed down. Nathan rode ahead and talked to the guards on duty.

It wasn't long before they were allowed in the town. They got to skip the inspection, but still had to pay the entrance fee. They made their way to the best inn in town, wanting to secure a room. The carriages stopped in front of an inn called the Prancing Mare, it was a two story inn with about twenty rooms. It didn't look like anything too fancy to Marcus, but compared to the others in town, it was definitely the best.

The carriages and guards drew plenty of attention from people as they walked past. It was a small town, so it wasn't everyday that you would see a procession like this. Marcus heard people talking about who was paying their town a visit, and the reason why. Marcus ignored them, he was looking out for anyone that might be hanging around a little too long. He was still standing by the door to Sylvia's carriage, all of a sudden the door burst open, hitting him in the back.

He took a step forward and turned around, out of the door fell a brown and green bear cub. Chasing after him came Sylvia, she looked a little disheveled, her hair was a mess and the green dress she was wearing had small tears in it.

"Come back here Torbin, you naughty bear!"

Before Torbin the bear cub could run a couple of steps, Marcus bent over and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

"Thank you Mister Marcus, he's been awfully rambunctious today. I don't know what has gotten into him." Sylvia said, taking Torbin into her arms.

Marcus just laughed at the sight of a girl holding a bear half her size. The bear looked miserable, like it wanted to be any place but in her arms. Ever since the incident at the pond four days ago, Sylvia had been pampering Torbin. Brushing him several times a day, always cuddling him, and feeding him the best food she had in her storage item. Torbin let out a little bellow, voicing his feelings.

"He probably just wants to get out and run around. You've had him all cooped up for several days now." Marcus suggested.

"Ah, that must be it! Let's take him for a walk then!" Sylvia started walking with Torbin before Marcus could say anything else.

"Hold on Miss Sylvia, we should probably get a leash or something first, we can't have him running around unchecked." Kelly said as she came out of the carriage.

She and Maria looked roughed up as well, Torbin must have been causing quite a ruckus in the carriage. Marcus just shook his head, if it were up to him he'd left the cub in the forest. Now he had to deal with not just protecting Sylvia, but also keeping the cub from causing any trouble. Sylvia said she'd take care of him, but Marcus knew that he'd have to clean up any mess.

"Let's get checked in then we'll go get something to walk him with, ok?" Marcus said as he tried to herd everyone in the building.

He really wanted to rest, but his job was to follow Syliva around, not boss her around. They waited in the lobby as Nathan spoke to the man behind the counter. He was renting Sylvia her own room, Kelly and Maria would share a room, and everyone else would bunk up five to a room. Marcus could see Nathan nodding before he made his way over to where Sylvia was sitting with Kelly, Maria, and Torbin.

"I'm sorry Lady Bishore, but they said that you are not allowed to have pets in this inn." Nathan said, bowing his head.

Sylvia's mouth clamped shut, Marcus could almost hear her mind churning, trying to come up with a solution. She looked down at Torbin, he was sitting on his butt, pawing at the ground. She looked back up to Nathan, then pulled out a pouch.

"Hand this to him, then ask if that will be enough to allow an exception." Sylvia said with a sigh.

Nathan bowed his head again, then returned to the front counter. He slid the man the pouch, he opened it up to take a look inside. His eyes went wide and his jaw almost hit the floor. A huge smile plastered his face and he began nodding vigorously.

"How much did you give him?" Marcus asked.

"Oh, just my weekly allowance, not too much, maybe twenty gold coins." Sylvia told him, not showing any signs that she would miss that amount of money.

Nathan made his way back over once again. "We're booked for two days. We'll use this time to maintain the carriages. Lady Sylvia, your room is on the top floor, I'll have the guards move your luggage."

Sylvia stood up, flattening out her dress. "Very well, I'm going to go take Torbin on a walk then. I'll be back shortly."

"Take a few men with you then." Nathan suggested.

"Alright, I'll take two guards, plus Mister Marcus. That should be enough don't you say."

Nathan nodded, then called over two guards. He explained to them what Sylvia wished to do. Then Marcus, Sylvia, and the two guards went into the town. Marcia and Kelly would stay behind to put together Sylvia's room while they were gone.

Sylvia led the way as they walked down a dirt road. Marcus was following right behind her and the two guards brought up the rear. Marcus was carrying Torbin, Sylvia grew tired of carrying him so Marcus had to take over. They were currently heading to a leather workshop, they were wanting a leash of some sort to be able to walk Torbin.

Sylvia walked through the front door along with Marcus. The two guards stood outside, keeping watch. Sylvia caught the attention of the shopkeeper very quickly.

"Greeting m'lady. What can I help you with today?" The shopkeeper asked.

He was a grizzled old man, he had large calloused hands, showing years of labor. He wore a leather apron with little pockets on the front, holding all his tools. Gray hair topped his head, and he was missing a few teeth.

"I was hoping that you had a leash that would fit Torbin here. I want to be able to take him on walks." Sylvia said, giving the shopkeeper a radiant smile.

The shopkeeper rubbed his chin, deep in thought. Then he pulled out a tape measure, and walked over to Marcus who was holding Torbin. Marcus held out the cub so the shopkeeper could measure his neck.

"I don't have any his size at the moment, but give me two hours and I can make something up for you."

"That would be wonderful! Thank you very much, we will be back in two hours then." Sylvia said, giving the shopkeeper a little curtsey.

This made the shopkeeper smile wide, he could tell that the girl in front of her was high class, but she still treated him with respect. He didn't see that very often, so he would make sure to make her something extra special.

Sylvia and Marcus walked back out the shop. "What do you want to do for the next two hours?" Sylvia asked Marcus.

"It's really up to you, I'm just here to make sure you're safe." He said while shrugging his shoulders.

"Let's go shopping then!" Sylvia yelled out while clapping her hands together.

Marcus's worst nightmare has now come true. He was stuck going shopping with a young woman, and he had to accompany her. He just had to suck it up, put on a brave face and go with it.

"Lead the way." Marcus said, reluctantly.

...................

"You're very loyal aren't you? You haven't left her side for the last three days, I just wish I could do more for her." An old man in a rust colored robe was talking to Sif as he looked Clair over, checking her condition.

It'd been three days since the fire, Sif hand managed to stay next to Clair the whole time. No one would try to separate the two, they were afraid of how Sif would react. Clair still hadn't woken up, her breathing had gotten better over the last day. Sivel, the healer, would come twice a day and perform healing magic. He would focus on Clair's lungs, they were the most damaged.

Soon, there was a knock on the door. Sivel stopped his observation and went to open it. In walked a guard from the nearby garrison, he handed Sivel a letter, then turned around and left. Sif just watched as Sivel unrolled the letter, reading its contents.

"Well, it seems that Miss Clairissa is going to be transferred to Lord Allister's manor. It says she is to receive healing from one of the top healers in Jakarta. That's for the best I suppose, I've done all I can. She needs more than what I can provide." Sivel said, exasperation on his wrinkled face.

He really was at his limit when it came to the level of healing he could provide. Her lungs were in a very bad state. She required a lot more care to be able to heal fully. Sivel started to pack up his things in his bag that he carried around. He pulled out a piece of jerky, then tossed it over to Sif who caught it in her mouth.

Sivel then left the room, leaving Sif alone with Clair. Clair was breathing steady, but shallow breaths. She had yet to wake up once since Sif found her. Sif curled up next to Clair's bed, ready to wait next to her until she did.

...............….

Thankfully, since the town wasn't very large there weren't many stores to go shopping at. Still, those two hours were the longest two hours of Marcus's life. He'd never seen one person try on so many dresses. Sylvia had bought ten dresses, he was glad that they offered to deliver them to the inn. Since the two hours were up, they made their way back to the leather workshop.

People made way for them as they walked. Sylvia drew a sharp contrast with Marcus walking behind her. She was only a little shy of five feet tall, while Marcus was well over six feet. They were almost to the leather workshop when Marcus saw a man walking straight towards them. He was well dressed, with meticulously combed hair. Still, Marcus stopped Sylvia and stood in front of her. He pulled his warhammer off the holster on his back, gripping it, he prepared to intercept the man.

The man stopped fifteen feet from Marcus, bowing low, he spoke.

"Lady Bishore, I am Martin, head steward of Lord Renar, Rockwell city's Lord. He cordially invites you to dinner tonight." Steward Martin said, still bowing low.

Marcus didn't say a word, he just looked back over his shoulder at Sylvia. The expression on her face was anything but pleasant, it looked like she was sucking on a lemon. She noticed Marcus looking at her, she immediately straightened her face, putting on a pleasant smile. She took a few steps forward and addressed Steward Martin.

"Tell Lord Renar that I will look forward to dining with him tonight." Sylvia said in a pleasant tone.

Steward Martin nodded, then said his goodbyes. Soon he had disappeared into the crowd that had stopped to eavesdrop.

"You don't really seem like you want to go." Marcus said nonchalantly.

"I don't, but it would be rude to refuse." She said, putting her sour face back on.

"It looks like I'll need to find something to wear." Sylvia said with a pout.