The Prince, the Thief & the Artifact

Chapter 2: The Prince

"You think we'll find it here?"

Ida's remark echoed Leon's own thoughts. The trail they followed led them to this small town in the middle of nowhere. Isolated from the rest of the kingdom by a massive expanse of wilderness. The closest trace of civilization to the town was all the way across the mountains.

"We'll take a look," he said. "If we don't find anything, we'll go our way."

"Where will we go?" Ida said. "The southern border is not far from here."

"We'll see," Leon replied, calming one of the horses he led to the inn's stables.

They had found the inn easily enough. Leon thought that whoever built this town didn't have much of a vision for it.

Felix and Al, his other travel companions, went to sign them into the inn. Hopefully the service would be decent. By now, however, anything was a step above bathing in a creek and eating bland meals by fire.

It had taken them all day to cross the mountain, mainly because Felix wasn't as good a horseman as the three of them. Whenever they were close to an edge, he had to keep his horse to a painfully slow pace. Even the horse grew irritated by the end of the day.

Felix was a medic, he came along in case something happened. Leon only agreed to bringing him along because his brother had ordered it. And his brother was not a man to be disobeyed.

They had arrived at town by twilight. The main street where a market had been bustling with activity all day was closing up, merchants were busy gathering whatever was left of their merchandise and citizens were hurrying home before night fell.

Everyone, however, had paused and stared as the four of them strode along with their weary horses and garments dirty from the hard riding. Everyone gave their swords wary glances.

Leon guessed that the town didn't see much of the outside world, save for the familiar merchants. And it didn't help that he and his company stood out like sore thumbs in their heavy cloaks and clothing suited for the less warm climates of the north.

Leon's horse neighed, his ears flickering at the new environment. A boy and the smell of horses greeted them at the doors of the inn's stable.

The stable boy was younger than Leon thought suitable for the job. Ida raised her brows when the boy eagerly approached. He had a nasty bruise below his eye that was just turning yellow.

"I'll take care of them, sirs!" the boy said eagerly, his brown hair cut in jagged strands and his garbs much dirtier than Leon's travelling clothes.

"You're alone, kid?" Ida asked.

The boy, as if noticing her for the first time, nodded mutely with wide eyes.

Ida's dark skin would certainly attract attention in such an isolated area. Her mother came from the Flatlands where she married her father, one of Springwood's top diplomats. And Ida had inherited her mother's coloring.

"You're a woman!" The boy said. "I thought-" He shut his mouth quickly.

"I am," Ida smiled. "And you're a boy, I assume."

His lips twitched, still unsure. "I am. And I can take good care of your horses, my lady. You don't have to worry."

"I'm sure you can," Ida said. "Show us the way for now."

"Yes, my lady!"

The boy led the way through the smelly barn. Ida and Leon exchanged a look. Neither of them missed the way the boy looked at their swords with apprehension, nor the way he feared Ida would take offense at his comment.