Chapter Seven - The Long Road

Alder was abruptly woken by a forcible push on his shoulder. He turned in the bed to see Helda standing over him, fully geared up with all her belongings. She simply said, "get up, let's go" as their eyes locked.

He grumbled and sat up, rubbing his eyes. By the time he got up and off the bed Helda was standing in the doorway, waiting. He threw on his boots and made his way out with her. They descended down the same stairs from the night before and into the tavern area.

The room seemed much bigger with less people. Only three people were there, and one of them was the bar maid who was waiting on a man at a table. Alder wondered if they would get some breakfast as well but Helda's quick stride to the large door of the inn answered his question.

She threw open the wooden door with a creak and He was blinded momentarily by the rising sun to the East.

As his eyes adjusted he saw a bustling town center much larger than his village's outside. Throngs of people moved up and down the wide, paved road to either side. There were loud merchants hawking fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, along with many fine shops and buildings in the area. He stood in awe at the brilliance of it all. The energy.

One of the most magnificent sights he had ever seen was that of the fountain, a magnificent stone structure to his left in the central square of the small city. It had a fox sculpture on top that sprayed water up and out of it's mouth to a basin below.

He pointed and gestured excitedly towards it, a bit of his childishness showing as he asked Helda if they could see it. She rolled her eyes and responded, "We have to pass by it anyway... the stables are over there."

He felt guilty for the odd joy he was feeling. As if he wasn't allowed to be happy then, but nonetheless he was glad that he would get to study it up close.

They quickly moved down the street, Alder sticking close behind the towering woman as they dodged around people. He caught himself almost getting lost a couple of times as a fancy clothes shop or an odd thing would catch his eye and he would stop to stare in awe.

Helda didn't bother to see if he had been paying attention or was close behind. She moved on steadily and he would have to run with tiny legs to catch up.

They drew in to the city square with the large fountain and Alder stopped and stared upward at the magnificent piece of art. The spray from the stone fox touched lightly on his skin and was a welcome cooling sensation in the heat of summer.

It was made from a light grey stone of some kind and was hand carved, the basin a solid 20 feet in diameter that had a couple of ducks floating around in it, splashing in the cool water and quacking loudly.

There were people seated on the edge or splashing the cool water on their faces. A couple children his age played around the fountain, their parents scolding them if they acted to crazy or attempted to get in. They all seemed so carefree.

A ping of jealousy rose in his heart. Followed by a swelling of sadness. He pushed it down and moved on, seeing that Helda would not be giving him any time to stop. Anytime to enjoy the beautiful morning or play in the fountain.

He wasn't sure where he was going, where Helda was leading him but he didn't know what to do other than follow. She seemed to know what she was doing, and what his future would hold. He felt safe with her at least. The bulging round pouch at her side with the occasional flash of a decapitated hob-goblin head spoke to her skill.

Before long they arrived at the stables: a small, almost dilapidated building that sat oddly at the end of a row of elaborate, stately homes. There were enough stalls for 20 or so horses and Alder looked at the massive animals in their majesty. Only one of the villagers had a horse in his town, and it was an old mare, nothing like some of the towering stallions that poked out over the tall wooden fencing of the stables.

Helda told him to wait as she made her way down a shaded pathway through the middle of the stables. He watched her talk to some figure and disappear a moment later.

For the few minutes he waited he took in his surroundings more fully. He watched as a baker stood in the doorway of a large pastry shop, his fresh bread on a tray to entice the passerby.

He studied the paved road itself, in which the tile had been carefully placed in a beautiful arched pattern. That people spent all the time to create such a work of art for folk to walk on was beyond him.

But then... a strange shop next to the baker's caught his eye. It was a simpler building, without the fancy stone or painted wood. It had a small sign on the door that said "Curios and Baubles". He wondered what that could mean so he walked over to the window, making sure to keep an eye on the entrance to the stables for Helda.

As he got closer he noticed strange stones and books, trinkets and weapons in the window of the shop. He cupped his hands around his eyes to block the glare from the sun, being careful not to touch the glass. He studied intently the words on the spine of a large old tome that said "Mysteries of the Gol-Don"

"What does that mean?" He thought to himself. He was mid thought when a tap on the shoulder made him spin. An old man with a long beard and simple robes stood smiling down at him.

"What a curious youngster... Interested in such boring stuff as this" he said, beckoning to the relics and books in the window. Alder looked at him with a questioning eye, as if asking, "what's boring?"

The elder chuckled and made for the door, opening it before saying, "we'll come inside my shop then curious one. Not everyday a boy your age has an interest in the past."

Alder was surprised. But he found himself hesitant to follow. He didn't want to be out of sight of Helda and he was wary of entering a strange shop with an even stranger old man. As he stood looking into the dark entrance a voice called out to him, "boy! Let's go!"

He turned and saw Helda waving at him down the road. She was holding a large brown horse by the reigns and walking beside it. He turned then and started to walk but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He looked up and the same old man was standing over him, giving him a smile.

"A parting gift lad..." he said, placing a small, tattered book in his hands. Alder said thank you in a questioning tone. He had no idea why the elder would give him something as precious a book but the bearded fellow said simply, "Go on... it's free... A young and curious mind will get more use out of this now than I."

Alder nodded and said goodbye to the man before returning to Helda. She seemed impatient as she stood but didn't say anything as he approached. She simply picked him up and plopped him down on the horse before mounting it herself.

She noticed the book in his hands a moment later and said, "what's that? Did you steal something?" He quickly replied with "no" and told her about the encounter with the old man and the strange shop.

"Aah... that would be a mage you met." She said, eyeing the book. "Here.." she handed him a small knapsack and said, "Whatever he gave you that book doesn't seem simple. Better to keep it safe and out of eyesight of others for now. Especially on the road."

He nodded and did what she said, tucking the black book into the bag before slinging it over his shoulder. "What is a mage?" He asked, thinking about stories of fireball shooting heroes and what not. Helda was quiet before replying, the 'clack clack' of the horse hooves on pavement a rhythmic beat all the while.

"That is not an easily answered question... Aah... by the way, here." She handed back a piece of jerky and a hunk of stale bread. He took both while thanking her, happy to have some food in his empty stomach.

Alder continued to eat as the horse slowly trotted down the road in the city. The further they got the more the scenery around them changed. The houses were more spaced out and more extravagant, while ahead a large gate came into view. It was connected to a stone wall that seemed to encircle the city itself. "Wow" alder said to himself, looking up as they passed underneath, seeing the guards nearby in their chain mail with their sharp spears.

"The world is so big..." he said to himself, Seeing a vast open plain ahead with what looked like sparse trees and villages in the distance. A winding road cut through the landscape and disappeared in the distance. There were mountains far, far away, a hazy grey point on the horizon. The view took his breath away and he found himself engrossed in the summer landscape.

"This will be a trek kid... we've got a few days on this road." Helda said, to which Alder replied "alright"

It didn't seem so bad at the time to travel such a beautiful road through a magnificent landscape. A ping of excitement surged in his veins and a wave of guilt again. His life was changing quick, and it was hard to keep up. But the road kept coming and he had to keep moving forward.