Chapter Seven: Trouble in Town

As Brenda sat down on the padded seat, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Her exhilaration was almost too much to bear at the beginning of this trip, and now that the carriage's lurched forward from the pull of the horses, she felt that exhilaration rise within her again. Unfortunately for her, the excitement she got to experience leaving the only place she had ever known was done alone.

The inside of the carriage was well decorated with solid purple, padded inner walls with the doors having a small window in the center of them to allow an outside view. The benches inside the carriage were raised half a meter from the floor and padded with soft velvet pillows, allowing one to sit upright or fall asleep with utmost comfort. To anyone, this was riding in pure comfort.

As Brenda looked out the window beside her, she saw the passing of the gate and an elderly guard that she knew as Runar. She quickly waved to him from the open window, and he slowly raised his hand while giving off a soft smile. She watched him as he slowly faded from her sight as they entered the forest outside of the Harenhart Estate.

Brenda's smile only grew larger as she looked at her surroundings from the comfort of the carriage, and the wonder in her eyes exploded outward as she looked upon the forest. The trees she was used to seeing from her windows at home were now far larger and more beautiful closer up. She wished desperately to reach out and feel the bark on the trees or the leaves she knew would be crisp in this autumnal season.

While the forest was a simple spot that the Harenhart family would travel through, their next destination was the town directly outside of their land's boundaries. This was also the town that Reginald employed his slaves to journey to and replenish stocks for the home. This town was called Oakal.

The town of Oakal was not much of a sight to see, as it was filled with many plain and ordinary homes and buildings, in which most of them were built out of cobblestone and wood. If anything, it was a small bustling human town that made its way onto the local maps as a popular area of farming a multitude of crops. It was these crops, however, that made Reginald choose to live close to this town, and they were stopping to collect a wagon filled with food.

Unlike the forest, Brenda witnessed a different type of imagery of the entrance of this town. She knew well that humans are not often liking of elves, but to see things in this state, made her instantly shut the curtain above her window. What she saw was not for the faint of heart and almost made her cry out.

Outside of the entrance to the town was a large sign embedded in the ground with massive spikes that said, "Jags beware!" and hanging beside the large sign on six even larger wooden posts were decaying bodies of what seemed to be various elves. The clothing draped down the skeletal remains indicated multiple stab holes, dirt stains, and even footprints made a strong imprint on some of the clothing. This town made it clear that elves were not welcome here, but to Brenda, it made sense that the ability for the manor's elves to enter this town was due to her father's influence.

A short few minutes passed until the carriage train stopped completely, and a few minutes after that, a knock came on Brenda's carriage door. Brenda unlocked the door from the inside and opened it to reveal Seran, who was deep in salute with his right hand, standing outside the door. She raised her eyebrow in curiosity as she leaned forward from her seat to address him fully.

"What is it, Seran?" Brenda asked softly.

"Miss Harenhart, I have been info—"

"Seran, please." Brenda interrupted as Seran stepped back in shock, revealing a package in his left hand, "You are my retainer now, please call me by my first name."

"Y-Yes, Miss Brenda." Seran stuttered as he drew himself back to her, keeping his salute strong, "I have been informed to tell you that we will be stopping in Oakal for a small time as we are getting new supplies, and I am to keep guard of this carriage for the duration of this stay."

Brenda smiled back and nodded, "Thank you, Seran." She then perked up and held up a hand, "What is that you are holding?"

"A gift from your father, Miss." Seran said as he held it forward to her, "Reau handed this to me moments ago passing along a message saying, 'for if you become bored since the journey is long.'"

Brenda took the package from Seran and opened it quickly to reveal a few pads of parchment, a stick of graphite, and a small handkerchief that wrapped around the graphite. She giggled and put it to her side, before turning back to Seran. "Is that everything, Seran?"

"Yes, Miss." Seran nodded, "If you need anything from me, I will be stationed right here until departure." Seran then took a deep sigh as he turned around towards the town, appearing to be visible shaken by the passing by civilians, who were observed by Brenda to have severe looks towards the boy.

Brenda let out a sigh and she swallowed hard. She leaned forward towards Seran, saying in a whisper, "Does this place bother you, Seran?"

"Y—" Seran went to say before he stopped himself and strengthened his tone, "No, Miss. I am most concerned with your safety."

"I see." Brenda said with a frown, "I trust you to keep me safe, Seran. Please do your best."

"I will, Miss Brenda," Seran said strongly without facing her. "Do not lift the curtain, Miss."

Letting out a deep sigh, Brenda slowly reached over to the stick of graphite and parchment, and in a few moments of thought, she began writing. She wrote down a single sentence on the parchment as she looked towards Seran and ripped the parchment as slowly as possible to avoid noise. In a swift motion, she reached forward and dropped the ripped parchment and graphite stick into his pocket, which made Seran jump slightly before shutting the door behind her.

Moments after she shut the door, she heard the voices of various people besides her cart shouting and the clinking of chains as a new wagon was attached to the end of the carriage train. From the window, she heard the conversations of the store owners and local townsfolk throw insults towards Seran and the maids who were forced to leave the cart behind her for the attachment of a new cart. She couldn't help but close her eyes to the harshness of what she heard.

"Don't touch the precious food without permission, filthy Jags!" a masculine voice said as the clanking of chains stopped.

"You damn vermin!" Another voice shouted from afar, "Get out of our town!"

"Ya don't belong here!" said another as Brenda heard spitting near her carriage.

"Look at that, a jag standing like a guard." Brenda heard a shrill voice from right outside her window, unable to see who exactly said it due to her blinds being shut. "Let's see what's behind the door, eh?"

The sound of Seran's helmet shaking slightly and the sound of a sword being unsheathed alerted Brenda. Next, she heard the sound of a thud against her door as Seran backed up against it to provide a further level of existence.

"You will not take one more step," Seran said strongly. "Please move along."

"How dare you draw a blade on me, you filth!" The voice said in an angry spat, "I can do as I damn well please! Move aside."

"This is the last warning. Please move along." Seran said, his voice becoming a little more strained.

"I'll show you a warning, you jagged eared bastard!" the voice said in a shout. A second later, the sound of something splattered on the ground outside.

"What's going on over here!?" Another masculine voice shouted, and Brenda instantly recognized the voice as her father's.

"Ah!" The other voice said, "This piece of filth took out his blade and threatened me for my food! Are you his master? Make him clean up this mess and punish him!"

There was a moment of silence before Reginald spoke up again. "Boy, what happened here?"

"This person tried to enter the carriage. I ordered him to stop, and he proceeded to get closer." Seran said as he sheathed his blade, "I am sorry, Master. I was just protecting—"

"This lying wannabe thief!" The shrill voice screeched, "Look at the ground! That is undeniable proof that he tried stealing one of my tomatoes!"

"Then why is the middle of his chest covered in tomato juice?" Reginald asked with a deep sigh as he unsheathed his blade, "How many liars will I deal with today?"

"What are you--?" The shrill voice said before it interrupted itself with a scream, "My face! You cut my face!"

"A liar should be marked. How dare you attempt to touch the property of the Harenharts?" Reginald said in a booming voice, "Let that be a message to all of you!"

Various voices began chattering louder, revealing to Brenda that the event had drawn a crowd. The shrill voice began to stutter profusely as the clanking of metal became louder and louder. Brenda finally peaked the curtain to see three heavily armored soldiers standing in front of the carriage, her father, and Seran.

"Lord Harenhart, what seems to be the matter?" One of the guards asked.

"A problem I have solved for the time being. Take this fool away from my sight." Reginald scoffed, "He has impeded us long enough."

"Yes, Sir. We will make sure he pays for this crime." The guard said firmly, as the other guards picked up a lanky-looking man who was bleeding profusely from a large cut across his cheek.

"Hmph." Reginald then turned back to Seran, who was standing at attention and awaiting his master's words. He looked down at the ground and back at the carriage, where he saw that Brenda was peaking from the curtain. Brenda simply nodded to her father and continued to watch.

"Causing trouble within the first hour of our journey?" Reginald said with a glare. "Well?"

"It was not my intention, Sir," Seran said firmly. "My only goal has been to protect Miss Harenhart."

"And you have done so," Reginald said as he sheathed his blade. "Carry on. We will leave shortly."

"Yes, sir!" Seran said with pride.

As Reginald walked away, Seran reached into his pocket and pulled out the parchment and graphite. At this moment, Brenda shut the curtain with a satisfying sigh, as she was worried that Seran would suffer for being loyal. She was relieved that wasn't the case.

A moment later, a knock on the door alerted her. When she opened the door, Seran stood in salute and then dropped to his knee. Clearing his voice, he said clearly, "We are ready to depart, it seems. I will be returning to my carriage. It's my pleasure to serve you, Miss Brenda."

"Thank you, Seran," Brenda said with a smile as her eyes fell on the spot the tomato splattered on his armor.

Swiftly, Seran got to his feet and shut the door with care. As he shut the door, Brenda saw on the floor the parchment and graphite. She quickly scooped it up and read the words on it—first, her sentence and then a single word written very poorly.

"How is it in there?"

"Sad."