Chapter 6 | Swanford

Rowan, Yui, and Hiromi arrived at Swanford just before night. Surprisingly, the three of them were unscathed by their attack. Even though the sun had set, Swanford was still lively. The streets were lit up with many lamps. Markets still opened, restaurants were busy, and the ambient of the town was bright and happy.

Rowan and the others walked down a stone paved road into an inn called "Rema's". It was a small inn, but it looked nice. The building was made out of cobblestone with a sign and a lamp at the entrance of the inn. Yui opened the wooden door of the inn. A bell jingled and the bartender looked up to the three of them.

"Welcome to the inn, young travelers!" said the bartender excitedly. She had purple hair that went down to her shoulders. The bartender's blue eyes sparkled in the light. Her maid clothing was nice and clean. Even the atmosphere of the inn was nice. She then started speaking again. "My name's Rema. I'm the owner of the inn! A room will be for 6 silvers each night."

"We'll get 2 rooms for one night," said Yui.

Rema replied, "Alright, 12 silvers please!"

Yui gave Rema 6 silvers and thanked her. Yui, Rema, and Hiromi all looked at Rowan. I knew that this was going to happen, he thought. He reluctantly reached into his leather pouch and grabbed out six silvers and gave it to Rema.

"Thank you for your cooperation with this inn. Breakfast will be ready at 9:00 and nightgowns will be provided," said Rema. She gave two metal keys to Yui and went back to her bar.

"Thank you very much," said all three of them.

"Well, I'm pretty tired, so I'll head up to our room and go to sleep." Hiromi grabbed a key from Yui's hand and went upstairs to their room. Yui then handed the other key to Rowan.

"I'm pretty tired, too. And I know what you're thinking, Rowan. We'll talk about what happened today tomorrow morning. See you tomorrow," said Yui. Just like Hiromi, she headed upstairs.

Surprisingly, Rowan wasn't fatigued at all. Even though he's been complaining about how tired he was today, Rowan feels energized and lively. He decided that he would go outside and get some fresh air.

The streets were quiet now. One by one, people turned off their lamps and called it a day. The wind howled in the night and Rowan felt cold. He looked into his bag and realized that he forgot to pack his black jacket. He had to buy a new one.

Rowan tried to look for a night market and found one. It was near the inn as well. The market was surprisingly lively. He walked through stands that sold fresh fruit, drinks, wooden toys, and more. Something caught his eyes as he looked towards a food stand. There was a beautiful girl buying some apples. The girl looked about Rowan's age. She had ginger-red hair and her eyes were blue as water. Her face was pale as a peach. She wore a white dress, which fitted her perfectly. Rowan didn't realize that he was staring at her and the both of them locked eyes for a split second.

He tried to smile at her, but a group of people walked right in between them. Once the group passed by, the girl was nowhere to be seen. Rowan looked all over the market for her, but couldn't find the girl. He felt frustrated and disappointed for not finding her.

Remembering why he went to a market, Rowan looked for a clothing shop. There was a store at the end of the market. The building was made out of pale sandstone with wooden windows on each side of the door. The door, however, had weird patterns and symbols on it. Although Rowan was bad at reading Kellish, he could tell that the symbols on the door were not the standard language. The lights were still on and from what Rowan could see, the shop was quiet. He opened the door and stepped in the shop.

From what Rowan could see, the shop had a variety of items ranging from staffs and wands to robes and clothing. The store was smaller than Rowan had expected; there was a chandelier in the middle of the ceiling and some lamps on the side. Tables displayed products with price tags on them.

Rowan then heard footsteps coming from upstairs. He looked at the stairs and saw a little girl come down. She looked liked she was ten years old. The girl wore a white dress and had blonde hair. She looked at Rowan with an exciting look and said, "Welcome to my shop, Rowan!"

Rowan was taken aback by what she said. Her voice was of a child's, yet it felt like she was more mature than she looked. "How did you know my name? And you own the shop?"

"Oh, I do? Hmm. I don't know how I know your name, but yes, I own this shop." The little girl didn't even seem troubled or disturbed by the fact that she didn't know how she knew Rowan's name. "So what can I do for you today, Rowan?"

There she goes again, using my name, thought Rowan. "I was just looking around for a warm jacket or something. I forgot mine in my hometown."

The girl thought about what he said for a moment and then replied, "I see. So you're going to Vlares. Then you must want to be a wizard!"

How did she know about where he was going? Rowan was gradually becoming more suspicious of her.

"I have the perfect thing for you!" exclaimed the girl. She then went back upstairs.

Rowan was tired of waiting for her so then he started looking around. As he was looking at potions and materials, something caught his eyes. A black gem the size of a finger sparkled under the chandelier. Rowan walked to where the gem was. An unusually familiar feeling struck Rowan, but he couldn't figure out what it was. It was as if the gem was calling for Rowan. He reached his hand for the black gem and as he was almost about to touch it, Rowan was startled by a voice.

"It's obsidinite." Rowan turned around quickly and saw the girl.

"I was just looking at it," explained Rowan.

"I know. A lot of people who come here have taken an interest in that stone. But then again, no one could touch it."

"What kind of gem did you say it was again? Obsidin-something."

"Obsidinite. One of the rarest gems in all of Keleth. It is said that the gem is attracted to objects with little to no magic," explained the girl.

Little to no magic. Rowan somehow really wanted the gem. It looked so beautiful, yet threatening.

"Here's your coat." The girl handed Rowan a black leather coat. Leather usually felt rough, but this coat felt smooth. The coat reached all the way down Rowan's ankles. Gray lines outlined the coat's edges. The buttons were gold. The coat looked like something only a noble or a royalty have.

"It's made out of black goat wool, but it's got the feel of leather."

"How much will this cost?" asked Rowan.

"50 silvers," said the girl.

"50 silvers?!" Rowan knew the coat was going to be expensive, but not that expensive. He only has 62 silvers left in his bag.

"How about I give you a deal. The coat and the obsidinite for 40 silvers."

Rowan was hesitant to give most of his money, but he decided to buy the gem and the coat. The two of them went to the front desk. Rowan went into his bag and got 40 silvers out. He placed them on the wooden desk and the little girl took it. She gave the obsidinite and the coat to Rowan. Rowan put his new coat on and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked like a completely new person.

"Thanks," said Rowan.

"No problem. Make sure to come back here if you ever need anything!" said the little girl.

Just as when Rowan was about to leave, the girl added, "I never told you my name, right? It's Astra."

Rowan, who was sleepy and drained of energy, headed back to the inn to get some sleep. What a weird girl, thought Rowan.

-}-{-

Rowan woke up next morning with a loud yawn. He sat up on his small bed and started to change into his clothes. He was going to show Yui and Hiromi his new coat.

Yui and Hiromi were already waiting for him on a table. The dining area was in a separate room than the bar. Rectangular windows lined up on walls. The sun pierced the windows and the room was as bright when the lamps were turned on. Wooden tables and chairs lined up in rows.

People were already eating their breakfast. A beautiful aroma filled the entire room and Rowan couldn't wait to eat. He headed towards his table and sat down.

"New coat?" asked Hiromi.

"So you've noticed," said Rowan haughtily.

Hiromi looked in awe and said, "Where'd you get that? It looks so expensive and nice!"

Rowan was about to answer when Yui intervened and said, "It probably cost him all of his money."

"Wait, how..." Rowan was in confusion.

"I've been with you for fifteen years. Don't expect me to not know a thing about you. It's impossible to get that coat for a cheap price. Wait. Let me try to guess how much it cost." Yui thought about it for a moment and then said, "40 silvers."

He was taken back by what his sister had just said, and it made him angry.

"Aren't you going to get something to eat?" Yui said. She had a smirk on her face.

"Yeah I'll get something to eat alright." Rowan stormed off and got a plate.

When he got back with his food, Yui's face was serious again. "Let's talk about yesterday."