The tailor had fixed up Callum's new suit in a hurry and had sent them on their way. It was now midday and they were looking for a place to grab lunch.
Rayla gasped and Callum followed her extended finger. "Scotian food!", she grinned, dragging him towards a restaurant that showed the now well known stylized Precious White. The Tailor had not been kidding. Scotians had claimed that symbol, hard.
Goroth yawned loudly in their armor and Callum asked, "Should we go back to the guest house and get you switched out?"
It looked like the soldier shrugged, lamely. "It would be safer. I'm starting to feel the effects of a night spent restless, Excellence."
"We'll have a quick bite and go back, after, if that's okay with you?"
"Indeed."
The presence of the clattering Canon Guard lifted many heads among the guests who were sitting outside the restaurant, enjoying their food and drink. What kept their gazes up were the two strange adventurers, making their way into a more secluded booth inside.
"I wish they'd stop starin'", Rayla said, uncomfortably. She felt like something was going to happen. The tension was palpable. All day, the hair on the back of her neck had been raised, her senses darting from person to person. It was nerve wracking.
She felt for her blades and found them, tucked safely in their gold and white holsters. A bit of relaxation came at the acknowledgement that even if Goroth fell asleep in their armor, they'd be able to defend themselves.
"I hate to say it but - that's something you'll have to get used to. In Katolis, people are going to stare, too. They stared just for me, or Ez, or Dad. As a royal you're very visible. They don't mean anything bad by it, mostly, but yeah. I get why you're worried. Especially with your training, this must be hard."
The server approached them nervously and took their order under the watchful eye of Goroth.
"So. Your letter to Claudia", Callum started when they had departed, "What… uh, did you write?"
"I asked you not to pry", she said with a bit of sad reprimand.
"Yeah, sorry. It's just hard to imagine what you'd tell her. I mean, you're not exactly fond of her."
"No, I'm not. That doesn't mean I have to be mean to her, especially since...", she twiddled the beringed fingers of her left.
Callum nodded slowly. "Sooo you didn't rub it in her face?"
"Gosh I hope she doesn't see it that way. I'd feel awful if this turned into some sort of stupid argument between the two of you."
"The three of us, you mean", Callum said, cautiously.
"No, I mean the two of you. I don't have anythin' to lose with her, if she decides she hates me, that's no love lost. But, you guys were friends long before you met me. You were right when you said you should give her a second chance. As a friend at the very least."
Her fiance looked at her, sternly, then sat back in the booth and snorted. "You're already acting like a princess."
Rayla shook her head, snickering, "It's easy to be gracious when you've won", a wild, dangerous look sprung into her eyes. "I'd cut her a new set of eyes if she took you from me before the five years are through! And you, too! You wait for me, okay? To the last second!"
"Of course I will!", he said earnestly, feeling surprised and a little scared at her violent intensity, "What made you think anything else?"
The elf sagged into her seat a little. "I'm honestly just scared, is all. Scared out of my mind. I feel like I have another shot at a real family right now. I feel like this is just so real. Like I'll never have anything that's even close to this again. If you got away… I dunno. It just breaks my heart even though it hasn't happened yet."
He nodded. "You really don't have to worry. I feel the same way. It would take a lot of time and work to make me change my mind on you."
She nodded and extended her hands across the table where he grabbed them.
Goroth's gloved hand reached up to open the visor of their helmet and reached inside. Sniffles followed. "'M sorry", came the muffled excuse, "I know I'm not supposed to hear any of that but… ugh. I feel terrible for you, Excellences."
They blushed, but Callum said, "It's totally fine. Other people have it worse"
Rayla snorted. "You're so right, o wise prince! Who are we to complain while eatin' good food and not dyin' of the sickness?"
Their hands separated to allow the server some room to put down their dishes.
Rayla had ordered some sort of baked mash that had melted cheese on top and smelled somewhat of onions and cabbage. Callum on the other hand sat in front of a deep dish containing what looked like potatoes, small bits of meat and all sorts of root vegetables.
"What did you call that?", Callum asked his fiance.
She had a bite, then swallowed and smiled stupidly, "It's another favourite of mine. Rumbledethumps"
"Rum... what?"
"I always thought the name sounds like someone fallin' down a set 'er stairs", she chuckled, "It's mashed dipplings, brassica leaf, and some allia root and it's soooo tasty. Here."
She offered him some off her spoon.
"I think Scotia has the whole wholesome foods thing down to a tee", Callum said, appreciating the wonderfully cheesy, unhealthily butter-soaked taste.
His own dish was good too, but he hadn't actually realized it would come with meat. When he raised this with Rayla, she shrugged.
"It's dead already, might as well eat it", she said, "Nothin's worse than wasted life."
When they had finished lunch, they paid with more gem shards. At this point, they were getting a bit low on them, but there was nothing for it. This was their date day and they had tacitly agreed to splurge.
On the way back to the guest house, they didn't windowshop and ended up getting there a lot sooner than they had expected.
The counter on the right of the door was abandoned.
Rayla gave this an interested look, but decided the bellhop was probably just busy elsewhere.
Goroth said their goodbyes and stomped off to get Yasra. She'd meet them upstairs in their room.
"I'm loving this", Callum said when they ascended in the stream of Alatus, "It's so fancy!"
Rayla chucked and allowed him to wrap himself around her arm. Clinging to each other, they walked toward their room. Then Rayla jerked away from her fiance and with a flick of her wrists, her blades appeared almost out of nowhere.
Following her worried look, he saw that their door was slightly open. This on its own wouldn't have been problematic - if there wasn't a foot stuck in it. He drew the rune for Alatus and buffered the spell, storing it in his closed fist.
Rayla nodded at him and he nodded back. She moved ahead, carefully pushing open the door.
On the ground was the bellhop. It was hard to say whether she was alive without examining her more closely, and that wasn't important right now.
Someone had totally destroyed their room, torn up the sofas and spread their belongings out all over the room. With some embarrassment, Callum noticed a pair of his underpants chucked in a corner.
Rayla carefully cleared the sitting room, then turned to the bathroom.
Suddenly, something lunged at her, a figure dressed in dark purple, a featureless, black mask obscuring their face.
Their blade - which was of the same type as Rayla's - came down on her and met the flat of hers, getting deflected into the nearby door frame.
A second figure dressed in dark green appeared from the bedroom, swinging at her.
Still busy deflecting her first attacker, Rayla raised her other weapon a little too late and the attacker's blade dug into the shallow hilt, knocking the blade out of her hand.
Callum stepped forward, throwing a magically charged punch toward the green fighter who sidestepped the prince's fist.
Rayla's remaining blade flew toward the purple assailant, but failed to connect as they ducked out of the way. Instead, this blade was knocked from her fist as well as her attacker punched her in the side and cracked her fist into Rayla's elbow which caused prickles in the assassin's arm.
The green raider was now focussed on Callum, slashing at the prince, who was trying his best to avoid getting hurt. Burning pain flashed over him as his much more proficient opponent's blade struck across his left side and arm and left a red trail in its wake. The prince cried out, his undamaged arm with the prepared spell shot forward, but missed the attacker, once again.
His fiance finally made some headway with her opponent, using her knee to knock the air out of their lungs. A satisfying crack announced the breaking of ribs and the attacker groaned with a feminine voice. Rayla's fist whipped around, cracking against the masked woman's temple which seemed to knock her out cold.
She whipped around, looking furious. "Get yer hands offa him, bawface!", she shouted at the other attacker.
With them so distracted, Callum finally managed to connect his blow. "Alatus!"
With a surprised scream, the masked man was flung upward, crashed into the ceiling and back on the floor as Callum interrupted the normally gentle spell.
Rayla immediately checked on his side and arm. It was a flesh wound, and a shallow one at that, running from the left side of his chest into his upper arm. It looked as though his ribs had deflected the blade somewhat.
"Ugh, that hurts a lot", he said, breathily, trying to get a better look at his bleeding chest, "Thanks for saving my butt, again"
Suddenly, the green-clad fighter jumped up, causing Rayla to take a defensive posture in front of her fiance. But instead of attacking, the raider turned, stabbed his accomplice through the heart and ran out.
Feeling his stomach turn, Callum stared at the purple liquid spreading on the dark hardwood flooring.
His fiance tested the attacker's pulse. She was dead.
Luckily, the bellhop was not.
"We need to get you to a healer", Rayla said, curtly. She was in high alert mode, which Callum knew rather well now. She'd be gruff and short with him until the danger passed.
"It's not that bad. What do you think they wanted?"
"What everyone wants! To cut us up!"
"I don't know. Look at the mess they made, they were looking fo- No!", Callum scrambled for his empty bag, looking all over the place.
After a few minutes of him searching frantically, Rayla asked, "What is it?"
"The key! They have the key! The Key of Aara-"
His explanation was interrupted by the clattering stomp of Yasra, who entered the room, taking in the scene.
"Are you both alright? What happened?", they asked, then muttered into their helmet, "This is why we don't do guard changes away from the VIPs, Goroth"