Chapter 9: The City Outskirts

A little over two weeks had passed and in between that period, there had been huge changes. Enormous changes. It was hard to believe until one saw it for themselves. It wasn't just Théoden who couldn't believe his situation; all the people around him couldn't either. Well, except... maybe one.

Théoden had just woken up and was being dressed by several maids before going to get breakfast. He was dressed in fancy attire meant for a Prince. Priceless jewels were placed on him but he didn't have any complaints. Why? Because of his new position. This was a modest norm to dress up for the occasion at any time.

His hair which was far too long and unkept was nicely trimmed and styled to complement his facial appeal. A quiff style, where his hair was pushed back combined with tapered or undercut sides for contrast. It gave him a stylish and cool appearance making his already young self look even younger.

He wore a three-piece slim-fit black suit with a navy blue shirt with a black tie. He had sapphire cuffs on his sleeve ends and a white pocket hankie with a silver tie clip. A stunning neat formal wear too fancy for just breakfast. But, that was, what it was. His life had changed drastically and even he was having a hard time understanding where the luck came from.

The place he was currently at, was a huge castle well decorated with the wealth he could only ever imagine. Every vase was an antique that was worth a fortune and the hallways were filled with them used for holding flowers. The walls had traces of gold decorations as well. The curtains on the windows were probably made from fine fabric given that they held an enchanting shimmer against the sun's rays. They flattered lovingly to the wind exposing the grand view that was outside. Even more magnificent finely gardened flower bed. An entire field of them. The scent they held made them more genuinely beautiful to the eyes as they calmed one's nerves and emotions.

The hall led to countless rooms of relatively grand size and extravagance. There were few he had visited. There were those he frequented. He headed to the dining room where he a woman awaited him already seated on the opposite side of his seat. A huge distance in between due to the table's width. A feast was served for them of what was to be their breakfast. An exaggeration.

'We can't even finish a tenth of this. Life of the riches....'

Théoden sat down ever so naturally after having a week to practice. He was a fast learner and etiquette was something he had horned from his salad days. Looking forward, he was met with the seductively beautiful woman beaming with youth, who was apparently, his mother. Adoptive mother, more accurately. She was a blonde with captivating golden eyes. They held a glint of mystery in them he could not pinpoint. Maybe due to the unique glow, they had when she smiled.

"Morning Madam."

"Morning dear."

A short greeting was exchanged before starting their meal. The meal ended in silence the awkwardness was suffocating. Théoden and the woman had not exchanged more than ten sentences when he arrived at the castle. However, it was different that day.

He had a long week where he was taking a couple of lessons and practicing them daily. Lazy as he was he still took heart to give it his all when learning for privileges came with responsibility.

"Andras, We have an important guest today. Your To-be-fiancé will be visiting. Make sure she is comfortable."

".....Yes."

'I have a what now?'

Though Théoden's facial expression remained the same his mind was riddled with questions.

So what might have transpired leading to this outcome was simple. But then it would need to be told from the start.

***

'Where did things go wrong?'

The first day which Théoden had arrived at the outskirts of the city did he ask himself this question? Well, it was not some question he could not answer but one he found the answer ridiculously unbelievable.

After having met good souls who had helped him, he unconsciously let his guard down. He believed a smile from a crook who offered to help him get his gems changed to gold and silver. The currency which was used in this world. The guy simply pitched his bag and ran with his money. No matter how much he tried he could not get a hold of the man despite his speed having improved. It was not a place he was familiar with let alone navigate when running in between lanes filled with people.

Soon he had lost sight of the man in the busy streets. His stupidity made him put all his money in one small bag which was who knew where.

Théoden kept a positive mind trying to get the idea of killing out of his mind. He didn't want to cross that line. His thoughts however stated otherwise, which he found dangerous even for himself. He wanted to get rid of every obstacle in his way to get back what belonged to him, even if the method entailed killing a few people. He had never had such an idea no matter how much he was enraged.

'Deep breathes.'

A remedy that could work. It was simply about having a distraction before he did something stupid. He was not too sure about his control over his body as of late. He wouldn't risk letting instincts and emotions take control when he knew nothing of the consequences. This was a new world, governed by its rules. Rules he had no idea about. Though the thought of taking risks sounded fun, not at the cost of his life.

With motivational positivity as the base, he slept on the street, hoping to give better results the next day. A corner out of anyone's sight where there was shelter from the blazing sun and sanitary enough not to feel grossed out.

The next day Théoden was set to find out more about the place he was. The street's chatter was the best source. Sitting down on a corner like a beggar he was, he listened, slightly hoping some nice people could drop a coin or two.

"What is such a dirty rat doing here? Don't they do street cleaning these days?"

"What an ugly thing."

"He can't sell even if we take him...Plus I don't know if it bites."

Of course, planet-to-planet humans remained the same. The sense of seniority made them mock those at a disadvantage. With such comments every few hours Théoden was holding in the last of his sanity straws. He had never in his life been treated like that but logic overpowered his mind at the moment. As time went by and hunger took over, he could almost wish to shut the mouths of the people who mocked him.

It had been several days but not even a soul helped him. The cruel reality dawned on him. He didn't have much of a plan on what he could do once he came to the city with civilization but he began having regrets. Of course, some cast leftovers to him as humiliation.

'I'm staving...'

He couldn't turn the little food that was thrown to him and other sources of course. He needed to live for as long as he could. Living meant eating food.

However, he got to learn a bit more in his endeavor while listening to more productive talks. The Capital was called Landus. It was the main center of almost everything. There were several guilds and multiple occupational institutes. The best of the best existed in the Capital of Landus in the entire Slevaria Kingdom. The place the royal family resided, was also the place royalty had the most influence. The main marketplace and a place filled with all sought of politics.

A story especially caught his ears. One was about the King being ill and the eldest prince being assassinated. The next in line had mental issues while the youngest princess was a bargaining chip in an intermarriage affair. However the story didn't end there, as the princess was meant to marry another kingdom, but suddenly the Duchess of the Astalles Dukedom wanted to marry her to her son. A son that didn't exist. She was never known to have an heir or a husband so it was absurd for her to have a son. However, given the influence of the Southern Duchess, it was difficult to decline thus the young princess was engaged to a figure who hardly existed.

Théoden found this a fairy tale story, but there were also growing business rumors. It began a few years ago, but now, was thought to be the fastest-growing business in the kingdom. The plot twist was, it was started by a teenager who was hardly an adult. He came out to the public once he was officially an adult. Now he was the most promising bachelor on the charts. Even after claiming he was a youth, he never revealed his face to the public. It was soon rumored that he was too ugly to show his face. Being that there was no clarification to that claim, it was assumed to be true, but there were those who believed there were other reasons for not saying anything.

There were many talks of a famous magician who made the prettiest flames. It was unknown who they were. The gender was also unknown. They disappeared as fast as they appeared. It came as a shock that magic existed. Several other discussions proved this. There was magic and aura that existed. This was however not common. Only a few noble families or special lineages had superhuman abilities. They were strictly supervised by the kingdom thus only a few were known while others never came out in the open.

These topics were the most talked about. It didn't give much about any information that Théoden needed then. Of course, there were small talks about the best dishes in the capital and the best places to visit. Nevertheless, this was not what Théoden wanted. He simply wanted food or a place to stay. All he could do was wait for the graces of others so he could at the very least have something to eat.

But as it turned out, no soul was willing to stop and even spare him a second glance. Thus he went several other days without food. His body, however resilient, was reaching its limits as well. At that moment he was picturing other extremes to sate his hunger but non of them settled with his conscious. He gave up the whole idea of getting food thus he hid in a corner away from other's sight for the day.

His powerlessness was on full display in front of him. Not just brawl or strength, but the power of money and backing. All the things he was lacking were presented to him with humiliation as the method. If he was a senseless psychopath, he could go on a killing spree in which he would get whatever he wanted, but his morals contradicted this. He could neither kill nor steal. Something he was taught over his life back on Earth.

"I should try my luck tomorrow...."

Théoden mumbled as he fell asleep once again in the cold street.