A Mark of Metal

Chapter 11

Shifting me once again in front of him, the journey starts once more. The sounds of horses clopping and wagons moving creates echoes in the air, reminding me of the dull journey I now faced, with no sort of mobile music to drown my boredom with.

The next few days reminded me of the first journey I took with these men, small breaks every sum of hours, and meat galore, as every meal had some sort of animal to go along with it. But something was a little different, as if the atmosphere between Caspian and I had changed. Instead of having the constant feeling of untrust and hostility as if I was planning something heinous, instead the air between us felt lighter. As if we were unconsciously getting closer to each other despite his reluctance to. Though I still felt as if he was constantly analysing what I did in relation to his suspicions of me, it wasn't as pressuring as it was before.

In fact, it felt pleasant to be around him, even if I had no choice.

The nights were definitely different however.

He had kept his word that only Ester and him were to stay close to me, so when the nights came to an end. My bed was stationed away from all the men, besides Ester and Caspian, who were the only men metering anywhere near me. Giving me the privacy I wanted from being with only men all day, even if it was because sleeping next to an unwed woman was unheard of, and leaving me too far from trusted men could lead to me being possibly attacked.

Nevertheless, despite the dull journey and the traumatic experiences I had gained at the beginning of the trip, it certainly had a less hostile environment than the previous adventure.

Soon enough we had arrived at Caspian's city, Arken. I was taken aback by the beauty of the landscape. The town was situated upon a flowering meadow which met a vast ocean, just as the prince had mentioned. Unlike the capital city, it seemed as though the common folk that did farming also lived on their farms, as well as a few people just deciding to live outside the grand walls of the city.

Probably knowing my confusion on why people decided to live outside the safety of the walls, despite the countless threats like goblins and orcs, Caspian spoke up to satisfy my curiosity.

"Ester and I made a barrier that surrounds this land, acting like a repellent to most horrid beasts." He gently speaks in my ear, causing me to raise my brows.

Does he also have magic? I question myself, just thinking he was just an ordinary buff guy with a sword.

Nearing the gate, the guards patrolling the grand stone wall shouted the arrival of their lord. The large gate opened and once we had entered, we were greeted with people cheering at the safe return of their lord. I look in amazement at the nature entwined in tudor styled homes that made up most of the city, but instead of having dark dull roofs of the typical style, had red slated roofs, reminding me of Italy for some reason.

The warm and bright atmosphere of the city made me unconsciously smile as it captured my heart with its beauty. Peering down at my face to see my reaction, I could feel Caspian smile at my immediate love for his city, proud of what he's done to make this city what it was.

As we strolled through the bustling city, I noticed the beautiful and unique dresses that were popular in this city, making me feel a sense of envy for their outfits, which were so much more gracious than our modern day clothes. As we made it through the town, I spotted a man performing to a group of children.

"Ok, you see this ordinary bush. Boom! A bush from the forest!" He smiles in amazement, looking at the kids for their reaction.

"Can you only exchange bushes for other bushes? My crippled father can do better magic than that, and he doesn't even have a right hand to perform them with!" One kid heckled at the shit magician.