An Oath Of Lords And Ladies (ARTK, Book 1)

Chapter 67

Noveno 20th, 3328 A.G

After they'd finished eating, there was no reason for them to stay in the great hall. Andre was not an advisor to Lord Amalone and Imania was not there to sell herself, so they decided to visit the port market. Answers could wait. They would spread like bluefire once Nara left that temple if she told a single soul. It'd been a while since they'd been back here and markets changed constantly.

The cottages, shops, and paths closest to it remained the same- so for Andre getting there was a muscle memory. Had she been alone, Imania would have gotten lost- because her earlier years were spent running around a different continent. If you'd asked, she could tell you exactly how to get to the whorehouse she'd grown up in, how to walk to the Uculian mines( miners would often give more coin, after having been there a while), the Gushan and Alenian mines, and most of the villages in the middle of that continent.

  She'd just turned twenty three the first time she was introduced to the other continents, and now she was twenty six- so it would take many more years of traveling to remember where everything was on each of them.

  And she would do exactly that- she just didn't know it yet.

"It is beautiful." Imania said once they'd reached the outer edges, where raw materials were sold. "Reminds me of... some of the better days I had growing up. When my mother's  boss....... master was feeling generous enough to let her keep all of her coin, she'd take me into Narnclaedra the next day and we'd get real food- cuts of beef or sausages heavy with garlic and spices, roasted vegetables and fresh fruit- and we'd eat in this field that had wild red marigolds. When we got back her..... master would almost always find something to yell at us about or beat her for, but my mother would.... do extra whoring to make up for his... lost profits."

  "Imania-" Andre started to try and comfort her. No matter how long they'd been together, there was always another story, each somehow worse than the last. Sure, his childhood hadn't been the best- but he could never compare it to hers. He'd been raised without a mother, by a cruel father- but he also always had a roof over his head, food in his stomach, daily baths if he wanted them despite the cold, a sister who loved him despite how she acted at times- and eventually a commanding lord who treated him like his own son. No one had ever yelled at him or forced him to do extra work for taking a day off to spend the coin he'd earned.

  "Don't." She interrupted. "Let's enjoy the day. Eat as much food and spend as much coin as possible?"

  Slowly, Andre nodded. There was a sadness in Imania's eyes whenever she talked about her mother, since she had no idea if the woman was alive or not. She was too afraid to go back to the whorehouse and check, and as far as she knew her mother had never been painted- so she couldn't send someone in her place. She could have described the woman to Andre for him to go find out, but there had been a lot of bastards named Isa with dark hair and eyes over the years. Tracking her father down, some noble- would also be next to impossible and not worth the effort. Most did not treat bastards kindly.

  Andre took her hand, and they started to walk inwards where the valuables were now sold. Though it was new to him, Andre preferred the organization far more than when they'd let anyone set up anywhere. Had they not been full from breakfast, the scents of handheld foods would have made their mouths water. Meat in heavily spiced sauce; wrapped in dough and fried in oil, skewers of sausages and potatoes and vegetables, fresh shrimp and fish, cocoa pudding still boiling and sugared herb cakes still baking. The hot foods would go quickly, and what was left in a few hours would be given away before merchant's apprentices started on new batches.

  Across from the food stands was the jewelry, jewelry chains, mirrors, salves, soaps, scented oils and hair combs. Behind that there were household items; pots and even a few pieces of furniture. They both could have spent everything they had there, had they not brought everything they'd need for an entire year.

  The herbalist was set up just in front of the clothing merchants, far away enough from the food that it's scents wouldn't ruin the fabric.

They ended up buying a few pairs of thin breeches and thin-strapped dresses with cutouts- a style that was common here. Imania bought a few expensive leather ties- her hair gotten annoyingly long and they were the only type large enough to hold it together.

After a while they sat on the beach, relaxing and enjoying each other's presence. It wasn't often that they got to do nothing, and even less frequent that it happened mostly alone. There was a trade ship anchored down not too far from the one they'd taken- with rowboats going back and forth to dock the large crew every few moments, but none spoke to them. People from the market would step around them every few seconds- but none spoke to them still.

  So they watched the crew onboard the old, unnamed slaver's ship and said nothing. The crew went where the ship did regardless of it's passengers, and some never left. Others took turns rowing inland  whenever they reached it to restock their food supplies and water, and to bring meals not made from jars or caught in the ocean to the rest of the crew. While Andre enjoyed sailing, he wouldn't want to be stuck doing it or stuck on a ship every day of his life. That had to be one of the hells.

  "Are you alright?" Imania asked after he'd stared at nothing for a while.

  "Better than alright." He shrugged. "I've never been happier and I don't think anything could ruin that."