Chapter 25: Storm

Chapter 25:

Storm

It was not long before Silas and Meredith left the wooded area and entered the outskirts of Meuridge, one of the largest northern-central cities in the Yursear Kingdom besides Durbrame, the capital city. Having been ten years, Silas felt as if he were walking through a day dream, reliving scenes that he had thought of reminiscently, almost wistfully, when he laid in bed, thinking of his family. Seeing the high stone walls of Meuridge and the sounds of people chatting, cheering, and bartering, Silas looked down at the mane of his horse, deep in thought.

Seeing Silas's lost expression, Meredith looked over to him and then at the Meuridge city gates, now dressed as two young human men, and said, "Once we get into town, we can walk around the plaza if you'd like. It's been a while since we've been able to explore." As they neared their destination, they found they had a small amount of free time between Meuridge and their next location. Looking at Silas's poor expression, Meredith could only try to help keep his mind off of things.

Passing through the city gates was fairly quick, and Meredith and Silas did not have to wait long before they were able to enter the bustling city and find a place to rest their horses and place their belongings. Traveling down a side street, they were able to find a small, plain inn that was well hidden. The accommodations were decent for the price, and they were able to book a double room for the same amount of coins it would have taken for a single bed on the main strip.

The man at the counter was a dark, curly haired man with large muscles and a deep voice that many would have found intimidating. However, he was very friendly and was ready to chat with the pair as they prepared to head to their rented room to rest.

"How long will you two be staying in Meuridge?" The man, named Marty, asked as he polished a small metal trinket with a cloth in his hand.

Before Silas could answer, Meredith said, "Only for a night. We're traveling back home to Faulver." Faulver was a border city between the North Kingdom and the Yursear Kingdom. Though it was a large city, it was often used for trading goods and often received travelers returning from the Northern Kingdom. Silas felt Meredith's response was so smooth, that it would be hard to be taken for a lie. "For now, we were thinking of looking around the city. Is there anything interesting to see near here?"

Marty set down the trinket in his hands and sighed to himself, as if he were thinking. "That's a question I'm not used to hearing around these parts. To be honest, there's not much to see here other than the food and the brothels. Theresa's is a pretty popular one with visitors." Marty laughed aloud, looking at the two young men in front of him with a hearty smile and added, "Just don't tell my daughter I told you that, or else she'd chew me out again!"

Meredith laughed in response and collected the room key from Marty with a smile, glancing down the long hallway to the side, where a line of oak doors stood, making the empty hallway feel a little fuller. As Meredith and Silas bent down and began to collect their things, Marty said to them, "That's the key for room eight. It's just down the hall to the right." He gestured towards the right with his large hands.

Retrieving their luggage with a quick "thank you", Silas lifted his baggage off the ground and followed Meredith all the way down the hall to the end, where they were able to quickly put the key into the door and enter the small, quaint room. As Meredith shut the door behind them, Silas pulled the dark tan curtains closed and put his luggage down on the bed to the left, resting it on top of the small bed with the cozy patchwork quilt. The pillow on the bed was a dull, off white tone, but it looked fairly clean compared to some of the other inns and hotels he and Meredith had stayed in while traveling into the Yursear Kingdom. Silas was baffled by the quality of the places, many of them meeting the bare minimum of standards to be allowed to operate for what seemed to be exorbitant prices. The state of the Yursear Kingdom had changed over the ten years he had been gone.

While Silas surveyed the room, Meredith locked the door to the room and then made his way over to the small end table between the two beds, just in front of the short window and the curtain. With the lift of his hand, Meredith felt under the base of the table until there was a quiet tearing sound, and when he pulled back his hand, there was a small, folded piece of parchment resting in his grasp.

"What's that, Meredith?" Silas was puzzled, wondering if the paper had been placed there by a previous partner of Eva's or if it were from one of the owners of the inn. Eva and Meredith were the only two that had information on the smugglers and other rebels. Silas could only guess where the paper had come from.

Meredith stood up and unrolled the paper in his hands as he read over the paper as Silas walked closer to him and read it over his shoulder, peeking at what had been written.

Ask for Theresa. 6 pm.

"That means that…" Silas began.

"Marty's one of us. He's one of Eva's men." Meredith rolled back up the paper in his hands and burned it over the flame of a lit candle on the nearby table. Both of the men watched the ashes dance around the table with pensive expressions. "We need to leave for Theresa's soon. She'll know why we're there."

After changing their clothes to a pair of plainly colored suit jackets and pants, Silas and Meredith used their mana to shrink down their luggage and placed the items into their rucksacks in their hands. Carry them like this, they looked like simple travelers out for a good time in Meuridge. After one final check of their luggage and clothing, the pair left the room and locked the door behind them, making it look as if the room had not been occupied at all.

"Have a good time, boys! Enjoy your trip!" Marty smiled wide and waved from the front desk. Meredith responded with a nod before they walked out the front door of the inn, careful to not be seen by anyone lingering in the backroads of the town. Fortunately, as the sky was darkening faster due to the approaching winter, no one was loitering nearby, and Silas and Meredith were able to leave the inn without any prying eyes following their movements.

While they entered the main road and walked towards the main strip of the city, Silas felt a heavy weight dropping in his gut. Having not stepped foot in a brothel, Silas felt a sense of nervousness. In his mind, he apologized to Emmeline, praying to the gods they would not be staying beyond what the mission required.

When the sound of their footsteps faded, a man chuckled to himself as he stood out from the shadows of a nearby doorway, donning a set of light traveling armor on his body. His dark hair was pushed back out of his face, and his eyes brightened. The two men he had been tracking had finally stopped in Meuridge, and not before they had rested they were already on the move. Beau could only guess that they were part of the recent stir the rebels had been causing.

"It's time to call the knights." Walking out of the doorway, Beau stepped down and began to make his way down the road, his eyes sparkling at the thought of catching the two elves.

…

Theresa's was a particularly gaudy building with green pillars and large windows. People, sober and drunk, flirted between the restaurants, bars, and other establishments dotted across the road, many stopping in Theresa's to see their world-renowned beautiful women. Many of the patrons hanging outside of the building were speaking loudly and laughing, their faces flushed from the cold of the air. Even breathing out, you would be able to see your own breath at this time of day.

Meredith motioned for Silas to follow him into the large building. The windows were full and open, intricately decorated with sheets of wood to maintain the privacy of the patrons and the workers inside. As the pair walked through the front door, they were greeted by a small group of women donning corset dresses and colorful makeup. The smell of floral perfume hung in the air as the women ran over to greet Meredith and Silas with excited expressions, particularly towards Silas.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"We missed seeing you, Louis!"

"Who's this cute little friend of yours?"

Silas felt overwhelmed by the women. They all excitedly danced around them and sent a barrage of questions towards Meredith, who had used the alias "Louis" here before while delivering information. The girls were only familiar with him visiting Theresa, and they were quick to send him her way, trying to keep Silas behind so they could talk to him more and learn more about him. Meredith quickly shot out a "He's married." to the girls before they all stepped back with saddened expressions, some asking Meredith not to joke with them.

"He's so young! Stop playing with us, Louis." One of the young women replied coquettishly, batting her large lashes at Meredith.

"Why don't you go see Miss Theresa, and we'll take care of your friend here while you're gone!" Another one said as she slipped her arm around Silas's.

The tips of Silas's rounded ears flushed as he found himself at a loss for words.

Suddenly, a voice above the group called out to the bickering group below, "Theresa just asked to send Louis and his companion over!" She added, "Miss Theresa's in the drawing room." One of the girls, dressed in a light pink dress and shawl, yelled down from the top of an elegant, wooden spiral staircase near the front door. She had a small smile on her rouged lips, and her hair was styled into a mix of wavy blonde curls.

Having been called on and given an excuse to leave, Meredith said a quick goodbye to the women surrounding them before he grabbed Silas's arm and led him deeper into the brothel. Silas was surprised how familiar Meredith was with the place as Meredith led him through the main hallway and to a small room off to the side by a well-sized lounge room. The room was tiny, and only contained a narrow, wood stairwell.

"Come on, this is the back way up." Meredith said as he walked to the stairway and began to ascend. Silas followed him, carefully stepping as he clutched the stairwell, feeling as if he would fall down the stairs if he were to misstep on the narrow steps.

"Why are we taking the back way up?" Silas asked as he stared at his feet, watching his steps so he did not trip.

"It's a bit of a long story." Meredith said with an awkward laugh, "Short story is Theresa is a good friend of Eva. They've been friends for years actually, and Theresa's pretty involved in this. She has been for years. Because of her involvement, I've been visiting this place for years. Mostly passing information, but sometimes supplies" Meredith glanced to the side out of embarrassment, "I never said anything, but the girls here think that I'm her," Meredith coughed and cleared his throat until he mumbled under his breath, "Her young, paid admirer."

Silas stopped walking to stare up at Meredith's shrinking frame, before Silas burst out laughing, "You?! A paid admirer?!"

"Well, you're my companion, so now you'll be seen as a paid admirer too." Meredith said flatly as he continued up the stairs. Silas stared upward while his ears grew red.

"What do you mean by that?" Silas said as he hurried up the stairs, watching the placement of his feet with every step. Meredith got to the top of the stairs and stared down at Silas as he carefully but speedily mounted the steps.

As Silas put his foot on the solid flooring of the second floor, Meredith turned his back to Silas and walked down another narrow hallway. Silas glanced around as he hustled down the hallway, following Meredith, until Meredith suddenly stopped and turned towards a plain wood door. Silas stared at Meredith, bewildered, but Meredith remained calm as ever as he knocked three times in rapid succession.

"It's Louis." Meredith said before reaching out and grabbing the door knob. He jingled the doorknob twice, then let go and took a step back. In less than a moment, to Silas's shock, the door slid to the side instead of opening outward. In the door frame, before the two men, was a tall, strong, imposing woman in a stiff green dress. She stared down her long nose first at Meredith, then she turned her sharp eyes to Silas.

"Why is everyone bringing company with them today?" Theresa whispered under her breath as she stepped to the side, allowing Meredith and Silas to enter the plain, but sharply decorated, drawing room, "Please take a seat." Theresa said cooly as she walked past them and stood next to one of the two patterned, upholstered loveseats, signalling to the other loveseat. Meredith smiled at the imposing Theresa before accompanying her to the two loveseats and sitting opposite of her. Silas also walked over, and the two men took a seat before Theresa stiffly sat in her seat, her posture impeccable and her hands closed over each other.

Meredith pulled his satchel that was at his side in front of him and stuck his hand in the small opening before pulling out a small letter. The perfume wafting from it reminded Silas of the one that Eva always wore.

"For you." Meredith said as he slid the letter over to Theresa. She looked at it for a moment before reaching forward and grabbing the letter off the table. She neatly tore the side of the letter off and read it, hmm-ing as her eyes scanned over the page.

"Alright." Theresa said, nodding, "That can be arranged. I'll need some time though."

Meredith smiled widely and nodded his head in return, "No worries, Theresa. Eva said she had plans to drop by and come visit you in the near future. I'm sure that can be taken care of when she does. Eva will also have your payment then."

"I look forward to it." Theresa said before standing up, "I'm sorry I have to end this prematurely, gentlemen. Unfortunately, I currently have some guests waiting for me. If that is all?"

Suddenly, a knock at the door resounded through the room, which put everyone at high alert as Silas reached for a dagger in his boot. Theresa glared at the sharp dagger, but turned towards the door.

"Who is it?"

The closed door was pushed open, and a woman entered the room, closing the door behind her. "Miss Theresa, I apologize for interrupting but," One of the women from downstairs had come in the room, her hands clasped together nervously as she timidly walked forward. At the sight of one of the workers, Silas moved his hand from his dagger, "We've just gotten word that the royal knights are on their way here. They're coming to search the building for fugitives. Captain Laurent is leading them."

Meredith and Silas shot each other a look as they shot up from their seats. Theresa's expression stiffened more than it already had, almost matching the grim expressions of Meredith and Silas, "Tell the girls to prepare to greet them. I'll go downstairs in a moment to alert our other guests." Theresa turned back to face Meredith once the woman had left the room, closing the heavy wooden door behind her. "There's not much time left. You two are able to change your appearances, correct?"

"Yes, I can." Meredith said, turning to face Silas.

Feeling the gem in his fingers, Silas's eyes widened and he looked towards Meredith with a panicked expression. "I can't. My mana's almost run dry." It would be less than an hour before he turned back into his normal appearance.

Meredith shook his head, exasperated, "I used all of my medical herbs earlier to make medicine for you earlier, Silas." Running his fingers through his hair, Meredith paced in place, attempting to think of something. "What should we do? We can't stay here like this. The guards will get here before we can escape through the tunnels."

Thinking carefully, Theresa's eyes narrowed momentarily before she hummed to herself, thinking of something. "No, there is one thing you can do. The girls can help you into new disguises." Theresa's heels clicked against the hardwood floors as she walked to the door and slid it open, where three of the women from downstairs stood near the doorframe, attempting to eavesdrop. Seeing Theresa's stern face, they all jumped back, frightened of being punished, before Theresa's eyes scanned over them and said, "You three, help these two gentlemen into new clothing. I'll leave how you dress them to your discretion. I am certain I do not need to clarify, yes?"

"Yes, Miss Theresa." The women repeated respectfully, smiling widely at the thought of dressing their two guests.

Theresa turned back to face Silas and Meredith before she said, "I have other guests to attend to. Please follow Mary, Oliva, and Cecily. They will assist you in my absence." She nodded in finality before she quickly stepped out of the room, making her way down the narrow hallway. Then the three women entered the room and grabbed onto Silas's and Meredith's arms with eager expressions.

"Come with us, please!"

"We'll help you!"

With the women's slender fingers tightly holding their arms in place, the three kicked their skirts and quickly moved out of the room, excitedly dragging the two men down the hall and just past the stairwell. Within moments, the small group entered into a large room with two velvet, upholstered chaise lounges resting in the middle of the room. Numerous dressing racks full of colorful clothing lined the walls, and many of the women were walking back and forth between the racks and the dressing tables, fixing their makeup before they entered the small dressing stalls to change their clothes. The smell of jasmine incense hung in the air, and the room was darkened by the dim candles on the walls. Having already heard the news of the guards coming, many of the girls were in a frenzy, running back and forth and fixing their makeup to perfection in front of the mirror, hoping to catch the eye of one of the knights.

"Ladies, we have some gentlemen coming in!" Olivia, the tall woman with short, wavy blonde hair called out as Meredith and Silas bashfully bowed their heads, her arm still wrapped around Meredith's elbow like a steel lock. "They need your help getting dressed!"

Hearing Olivia's announcement, most of the women stopped preparing themselves and fixed their attention to the front of the room, where the two men had been dragged to the center of the room and pushed to stand in the middle of the room like artistic models. The girls' eyes shined with a sinister light as they looked at the pair and then at the clothing racks lining the walls.

"We need to hurry and dress these two so they can pass by the guards! Let's pick out some dresses and get some makeup on them!" Mary clapped her hands together, motioning for some of the women that had finished dressing to help them.

Seeing that the clothes on the racks were only women's clothes, Meredith's brows knitted as he asked, "Are you sending us out in dresses?" Having said it aloud, he could already guess the answer.

"Of course! It's much faster for us to dress you like this anyway." Cecily replied, grabbing a dark blue corset dress off of the racks before she brought it in front of Meredith and held it up against his waist, quickly checking the size.

Silas was then measured by two other women holding a frilly pink dress. They pushed the top of the dress against his chest and held out the arms, measuring the length before throwing it to Silas to hold as they grabbed another accessory to match. The dress itself looked fairly complicated compared to most of the dresses in the Faelfier Kingdom, and Silas felt nervous, wondering if they would be able to dress him and Meredith in time.

"How will we get these on in time?" Silas asked, looking a little more closely at the pink dress in his hands.

Cecily paused for a moment as she threw Meredith's dress over his head before she began to laugh, "Honey, these dresses are made to be taken off." The girls around them also laughed as they quickly unlaced the corsets on the back of the dresses with adept movements.

Hearing this, Silas looked down at the dress one more time before his face and neck burned a hot red color, making him more embarrassed than he had been when he had first entered the dressing room. This persisted until the women grabbed onto the buttons of his shirt and began to unbutton them with quick movements, stripping him bare on top as they worked towards his pants.

"H-hey! I can undress myself!" Silas sputtered.

"Don't worry, honey, we're professionals." Olivia, who had just finished unbuttoning Meredith's shirt, chimed in, giggling.

In the end, Silas's pants were swept off his body, leaving him to stand in his undergarments, exposed to the flurry of happy women in the dressing room. Meredith, having been standing not far away, was grinning ear to ear at Silas's reaction. Having done similar disguises before, Meredith was largely unfazed. Even in his own undergarments, Meredith emitted a cool, collected air that made him more charming.

Because most elven men had smaller bone structures than human men, they did not have to adjust the dress much to fit Silas and Meredith well. Loosening the sleeves disguised their muscles, and adding an underskirt fixed the length of the dress to cover their original shoes. The girls could already tell that Silas would not be able to run in their heels.

Everyone knew Meredith could, and would easily run in them. However they did not have time to find a spare pair that would fit him. Rushing to place wigs on the pair of men, Mary and Olivia grabbed their cosmetic bags and began to apply makeup on their faces to soften their features. With this, even if they were to transform back, the heavy makeup would hide some of their facial structures.

"Done! Alright, everyone else hurry and get finished dressing! If you're done, go downstairs and prepare to greet the knights."

As the women left the room, dressed and made up, Silas and Meredith were grabbed by the arm and brought downstairs by the three women and placed in front of Theresa, who had been standing impatiently by the bottom of the stairs, near the door. Her hard gaze drifted over Meredith first, and then Silas, before she snapped the fan in her hand and said, "You." Her voice was directed towards Silas. "Don't stand so straight. Add some softness to your movements, like Meredith."

"I never thought you'd compliment me, Theresa." Meredith smiled, the rouge on his lips making his lips look a bright berry red.

Theresa's gaze drifted back to Meredith with an annoyed narrowing of her eyes. She waved her hand and directed the women around them to get into position. As they prepared, the women that had alerted Theresa before hurried to her side and announced, "Captain Beau is a minute away. He has a squad with him."

"Perfect." She said, "We're ready to welcome our unexpected guests." Theresa turned her eyes to the door, behind which was a secret entrance to an old escape tunnel, where her two guests from earlier were hiding. Theresa turned towards the women at her side, "Go hide these two among the other women," She then looked at Meredith and Silas, "And for all our sakes, do not utter a word. You both may look like women right now, but you definitely will not sound like them."

The girls grabbed their disguised guests and pulled them to the side, behind a large group of women standing near the entrance. Suddenly, a loud knock ran out.

"We come on behalf of the Yursinean king and queen! Open the door!"

Theresa nodded, biting down her nervousness, "Don't leave our guests waiting. Open the door."

The door slowly opened and Yursinean guards poured into the brothel, brandishing their swords.