Chapter 8: Blending In
"Where are we going today, Cristo?" Alena asked, her voice full of enthusiasm as the pair walked onto the ship.
The young man turned around to face the girl who was not even in her teenage years. He ran a hand through his short, wavy hair before asking, "Didn't the King already tell you?"
"He never tells me anything," Alena muttered, looking down at her feet. "He just tells me we have to leave and my maids pack my things and then the guards escort me to you so we can get on the carriage and-"
"Alright, alright!" Cristo said, holding up a hand. "I get the idea." Her bodyguard knelt down in front of her and laid a hand on her shoulder. Alena looked up at him, smiling. It really was cute the way he always acted like a big brother to her, even though he was only her protector.
"We are going to Bonmalmo," he said, smiling.
"Where's Bomamo...Bolamo...Bonlamo?" Alena asked.
"Bonmalmo is a neighboring country to our own," Cristo explained. He paused for a moment, eyeing her suspiciously. "Don't you remember going there before?"
Alena tilted her head up at the sky for a few seconds, tapping her chin with a tiny finger as she thought. Finally, she looked back at Cristo, shaking her head.
"Do you remember Prince Reed who visited us last year?" Cristo asked.
"Yeah," Alena replied, nodding rapidly. "He was sort of funny, always trying to play that flute of his but only coming out with a strange sound."
"Well, we are going to his country," Cristo said, smiling.
"Where's that?" Alena asked.
Cristo chuckled and stood up, patting her shoulder. "I'll tell you later," he said, smiling, "but right now we have to get on board."
Alena pouted something awful for a few minutes, refusing to get on until Cristo told her everything she wanted to know. However, her bodyguard eventually managed to escort the young girl to her room on the ship. Once there, Alena fell on her tiny bed, spreading her arms out as she did. Cristo smiled and said, "I'll be back later. I have to just check on something."
"What?" the princess asked, raising her head curiously.
"Just the guard placement," he replied, walking to the door. Alena looked at him for a moment, wondering what Cristo meant. The bodyguard realized her confusion but did not want to bother with yet another lengthy explanation. There were other things he would rather do besides teach Alena the ways of the world. After all, that was her tutor's job. Instead, Cristo just nodded once and left the tiny cabin.
Alena sat still for a while, slowly adjusting to the gentle bobbing of the ship. She looked out the window in her cabin and noticed they were already at sea, the sight of land just a thin line on the horizon. Strange, she thought. When did we leave the dock? It did not matter much to her, however. She enjoyed watching the ship sail across the sea. Alena decided to go to the top deck for a better view.
As the young girl hopped off her bed and walked over to the cabin's door, the door suddenly burst open and Alena took a startled leap back. A large, hairy, man splattered with grease stepped in, smiling ear to ear with rotting teeth. "It be 'later'," he sneered, outstretching a dirty hand.
Alena's eyes opened wide in terror. She knew exactly what this man wanted and there was nothing she could do to stop him.
No! Not this time! She would not let this disgusting man get anywhere near her this time. Screaming in a voice far older than her age allowed, Alena jumped and savagely swung a manicured hand at the man. Her nails sank deeply into the man's face, engulfing her entire hand and wrist. She felt her outstretched fingers explode through the man's skull, hot gore dripping from her nails.
Without pausing, Alena withdrew her hand and let the man drop lifelessly to the cabin's floor. Blood and brains slowly ran down the young girl's forearm, dripping rhythmically onto the wooden floorboards.
She looked at the man for a moment, taking in the sight of the gaping hole in his head indifferently. It had been an easy task to kill the man but had her methods been too much?
Or had she been too merciful in allowing a quick death? It would have been much more satisfying to rip out his heart, shoving its pulsating mass into his squinty eyes as his life slowly ebbed away.
Alena raised her arm in front of her face. She watched the gore slowly run down her arm, creating dizzying patterns across her skin. Curious as to how it tasted, she sucked the blood from one of her fingertips. It was bitter, yet sweet at the same time; almost…addictive.
In fact, so addictive she proceeded to lick the gore off her other fingertips, relishing in tasting the lifeblood of her victim.
The young girl stopped, a horrible realization attacking her senses. She was swallowing the life blood of a victim and enjoying it like some horrible spawn of the Ruler of Evil!
What am I becoming? she thought horribly. Her mind reeled in confusion and the young girl collapsed on the floor, inches from her victim. A thick stream of dark crimson fluid running from the body touched her legs, staining her dainty, white dress. It seemed to soak into the dress instantly, uncomfortably surrounding the young girl with blood.
Oh, Master! What am I becoming?
Alena bolted up, sweat dripping from her skin. Instinctively, she held up her arm. It was clean. There were no signs of gore as she had seen in the dream.
Yet, the taste of the salty blood seemed to linger in her mouth.
Sighing, Alena plopped back down into her bed, staring at the ceiling above her. The night in Weser two days ago seemed like an equally horrible nightmare. The entire ordeal was nothing more than a distant blur now, due to her state of mind at the time. However, thoughts of how it could have turned out still troubled the princess. Had Brey not been there to ease her back into reality, Alena feared she might have gone mad with guilt and confusion in that village.
And, as hard as she tried to forget her violent actions on the innkeeper and mercenary, reoccurring dreams were having a disturbing habit of graphically showing a dark, savage side of her nature. Brey reassured her he was going to help her channel that dark energy into a positive passion, something she could wield to aid her when she took over the throne. Unfortunately, her tutor also said it would take time for her to utilize such abilities.
This did not bother the princess, though. Since she was free, Alena had all the time in the world.
Despite the gory dream she had, the princess still felt the pangs of morning hunger. She leapt out of bed and strolled over to the single chair in her tiny room. On it lay a common dress, the kind she expected most of the peasants of villages to wear.
As she put the dress on, Alena marveled at Brey's resourcefulness. Not only had the old tutor been able to replace Alena's tattered silk dress but he had also been able to get a room for the pair of them at one of Surene's finer inns. Although the inn was not nearly as high class as the one Alena would normally stay at when she stayed in the large city, it was far more comfortable to be in than the Weser inn.
She looked at herself in a mirror hanging above the chair and noticed her hair was in a tattered mess due to her sweating in the night. I really have to do something about those dreams she thought grimly as she tried to fix her hair without much success. After several failed attempts, Alena finally sighed in disgust. The world would just have to accept the fact she had uncontrollable hair.
As she started to leave her tiny bedroom, Alena heard talking from the main room. The princess paused by the door and leaned her ear against the wooden surface, curious as to who was outside her room.
"...not my fault!" she heard Brey's aged voice complain.
"Yes, it is!" the other voice argued. "Your note didn't even say which inn you were staying at. It was any wonder I was able to find the two of you." Alena let out a startled gasp when she heard the second voice. It was Cristo's!
Brey had warned the princess her father would send guards across the country in an effort to bring her home. Now the stingiest of those guardsmen was standing right outside the room. He had somehow found them and was probably going to force her to come back. Well, she was not going to let it happen. She had endured so much turmoil to gain her freedom and she was not going to let it all go so easily.
If she could somehow catch her bodyguard by surprise, she might be able quickly get away with Brey.
Alena looked over her room for a suitable diversion. The only thing she found was her bed sheet. Perhaps if she threw the sheet over Cristo, it could provide a good enough distraction for her and Brey to escape.
Alena grabbed the bed sheet and quickly burst from her room. Before either Cristo or Brey could react, she leapt at her bodyguard, smothering him in the sheet. He fell over in his chair, creating a loud crash as he did so.
"Hurry, Brey!" Alena said, reaching her hand out to her tutor. "We have to get out of here!" Instead of seeing the old man eagerly nodding and hurrying to escape, Brey sat still, a shocked expression freezing his face. A thin smile crept into his lips and then a cackling laugh escaped his mouth.
Alena looked at Brey incredulously. "What are you doing?" she cried. "We've got to hurry!"
However, by that time, Cristo had managed to get out of the bed sheet and regained his composure. "What are you doing, Princess?" he exclaimed, tossing the bed sheet to the floor.
For a second, Alena did not recognize her bodyguard. He was wearing plain wayfaring clothes, his hair a mass of unkempt, brown curls and his face showing a thin shadow of whiskers. In fact, aside from the copper sword he would always have with him while on duty, the princess had never seen Cristo quite so…ordinary.
Yet, perhaps it was merely a ruse, a disguise so he could effectively search for her without arising suspicion. Alena took up a defensive posture, mentally plotting a battle plan. "I don't care what you say, Cristo," she said, "but I'm not going back to the castle without a fight!"
"Going back to the castle...?" Cristo said, confused. They both stood still for the moment, Alena keeping her defense up and Cristo staring blankly.
Finally, his eyes lit up in realization and he turned toward Brey, pointing an accusing finger at the old man. "You mean you haven't told her yet?" he cried.
An innocent smile crept onto Brey's face. He obviously was enjoying the scene before him. "I guess it slipped my mind," he cackled, a strange light gleaming in his beady eyes as he said so.
"Why, you..." Cristo sneered and took a threatening lunge at Brey. The old tutor put his hands up, prepared to block whatever attack Cristo had planned.
Annoyed at so quickly becoming ignored, Alena stamped her foot into the floorboards. "Would someone please tell me what's going on?" she demanded, her arms rigidly extending down into tight fists.
"Right," Brey said, lowering his arms but keeping his eyes on Cristo. After he was certain the young man was not going to make any more moves, the tutor turned to face Alena. "I made a deal with your bodyguard," he explained. "In return for not turning us over to the rest of the hunting party, I agreed to let him join us."
"What?" Alena exclaimed, looking at Cristo.
The bodyguard gave an exaggerated bow and said, "I, your humble servant, will accompany you also, Princess."
Alena looked back to Brey and said, "Why was I never made aware of this?"
"You were still out of it when we made the deal," Brey said, leaning back in his chair lazily, "and I guess I just forgot about mentioning it the other day when we arrived here, seeing as how I was so busy in bringing you back to sanity."
Alena flinched. She did not like the way Brey made her brief period of madness such an incidental event.
Another thought came to her mind and Alena leaned forward to whisper into Brey's ear. "I don't think it's such a good idea bringing him along," she stated. "How am I to learn anything with him watching out for me everywhere I go?"
"Don't worry, dear," Brey smiled, patting her cheek. "I'll see to it he doesn't interfere with your lessons."
Alena smiled and stood back up to face Cristo. The young man seemed to have been patiently waiting for Alena and Brey to finish their private discussion and was standing still near the table. The princess looked at her bodyguard for a moment, mixed emotions filling her mind. His offer to help her seemed sincere as he was no longer wearing his apprentice garments but traveling clothes. She guessed it would be nice to have another friend along and Cristo's clerical skills could come in handy should something unforeseen occur during the lessons Brey had in mind. However, his protective nature was a concern. The main reason Alena had left the castle was to escape the overbearing presence of him so she would have to fend for herself. Would he be a constant thorn in her side if he hung around? Guess I'll just have to trust Brey again, she thought tentatively.
Alena reached a hand out and Cristo clasped his hand in hers. "I... guess you can come along," Alena said half-heartily, shaking her bodyguard's hand. Cristo nodded, giving her a quick wink. Alena blinked in confusion, wondering why Cristo had winked. She let it slide, though, figuring it was just a joke she did not understand.
"Alright, then," Brey said, sitting up in his chair. "If that's out of the way, might I suggest we get started on the current task at hand."
"And that is?" Cristo asked, taking a seat in one of the chairs at the table.
"Making sure Alena remains unnoticed while we are here," Brey replied, eyeing the princess. The old tutor then turned to Cristo and asked, "How much time did you buy us?"
"Not really much," the bodyguard replied. "I tried to convince the others to continue east, the way Alena was originally moving. They felt it would be wiser to go back to the castle and inform the King of their progress. It won't be long before he has scouts and guardsmen scouring all of the country." Cristo paused for a moment, rubbing the layer of whiskers on his chin. "I think I should let you know, Brey, that Flail has a personal vendetta for coming after us now after what you did to him."
"I'll deal with him when the time comes," Brey said grimly, stroking his long, white whiskers. Cristo and Alena looked at Brey for a moment, their eyes a little wide as his tone of voice stunned them. Such iciness was foreign to the usually optimistic, though at times moody, old man.
"Still," Cristo said, leaning forward, "I don't like the idea of that mercenary at our backs. I've heard what he does to criminals and what he does to get to them."
"I believe I've bought us a few days by choosing this inn," Brey said, sounding more like his normal self. "Not too fancy such as a member of the nobility would stay at, yet not too rundown, the sort of hiding place they may think to look second. I doubt they realize I have enough money to keep us here for a little while.
"But we stray from the topic at hand," Brey continued after a brief pause. He leaned forward to rest his arms on the table and looked up at Alena. "We need to figure out a way to conceal the Princess when we leave this room."
"I could wear a cloak," Alena suggested, remembering a few stories of travelers hiding themselves in large heavy garments.
Brey shook his head. "Too obvious," he muttered. "We need to make a complete change so you can casually blend into the local populace."
He sat still for a few moments, staring at Alena in an attempt to come up with a decent plan. Growing impatient, Alena decided to grab a chair and sit down at the table as well. Her feet were tired from standing for so long.
As she sat down, the princess stretched her back over the chair, loosening her spine from morning stiffness. Alena stayed in this position for a few seconds when Brey suddenly snapped his fingers.
"That's it!" he exclaimed. "Alena, can you hold back your hair for a moment?"
"Like back in a tail?" she said, slowly leaning forward. "Yeah, sure." Alena began to run her hands through her hair, pulling it so she could grab the excess amount in the back of her head. She held it there for a few moments, letting both Brey and Cristo get a good look at her with her hair back.
"What do you think?" Brey said to Cristo, still looking at Alena.
"What do you mean, 'what do I think'?" the bodyguard asked, not really understanding where Brey was going with this.
"Don't you think she could pass for a nice, young man?" Brey replied, smiling a bit.
"What's that...?" Alena began but her voice trailed off as she slowly let her hair fall limp again. He could not be serious! "No, Brey!" she quickly said, standing up from the table. "There is no way you are going to get me to dress up as a man."
"It's only temporary," Brey said, standing up as well, "and only for when you need to leave this room."
"Brey," Cristo said, also standing up. "You cannot do this. It is sacrilegious to dress in the clothes of the opposite sex!"
Brey looked at Cristo for a moment, raising an eyebrow. "No, it's not," he said with a tiny chuckle. "Where did you hear that?"
Cristo seemed to sputter for a moment, then burst out, "From my religion, of course."
Brey's eyes lightened up in amusement and he laughed. "Your religion doesn't mind this sort of thing," he cackled.
"But-"
"In fact," Brey continued without a pause, "I believe there is a scripture in the Zenithian Texts that tells the story of a woman who received a sign from Master Dragon, telling her to dress like a man to lead a crusade against one of the old countries."
Cristo's eyes lightened in shock, even more than when Brey had first made his proposal. The old tutor cackled and said, "Just because I don't follow Zenithism doesn't mean I haven't had the time to read the Texts. Very entertaining literature, if at times somewhat preachy."
"H...how dare you!" Cristo sputtered. "The Master will banish your soul to Vah-Kirgol for that sort of sacrilege!"
"Oh, I think I'll be just fine," Brey said, folding his hands behind his head. "I've also noticed the Master has been very generous to those who don't follow the religion as closely as you do.
"But enough about Zenithism. We've strayed from our main focus again." Brey turned his attention back to Alena, who remained neutral during his and Cristo's minor discussion of theology. "Ultimately," he said to her, "the decision is up to you. I've given you my advice. Whether you utilize it or not is up to you."
Alena looked at her tutor for a moment, weighing her options. His plan seemed ridiculous but if she could remain hidden in such a manner, it would definitely slow down any search party's attempts at finding a princess. She looked at Cristo, hoping her bodyguard could provide some advice or a better solution. Cristo, sensing what Alena was asking with her gaze, merely shrugged, unable to think of anything better. Finally heaving a heavy sigh, Alena said, "All right, I'll do it."
"Excellent!" Brey enthusiastically said. He grabbed his walking staff leaning on the table and rushed over to Alena. He then started to place it horizontally and vertically along Alena's body, apparently using the staff as a measuring instrument. "Do you think you can come over here, Cristo?" the old tutor asked as he took the last measurement. Shrugging, Cristo did as he was asked. Brey then promptly went over to the bodyguard and started to take his measurements as well.
"Just what do you think you're doing, old man?" Cristo asked, his eyes a little wide with confusion.
Brey ignored him, however, muttering to himself. "I'd guess a few sizes smaller." The old tutor hopped back, taking a seat on the table behind him with a remarkable spring for his age. He stroked his white whiskers for a moment, thinking deeply. Eventually, he turned to Cristo and said, "Do you think you can go into the market and pick up a few things for me?"
"So now I'm your lackey?" Cristo grumbled, falling into his chair nonchalantly.
"Don't be a whiner, boy," Brey said, giving him a devilish grin. He looked back at Alena, eyeing her thoughtfully. "I think some wayfarer's clothes should do the trick. Nothing too out of the ordinary and loose enough to conceal the Princess'...uh...um..." His voice trailed off as he threw an embarrassed gesture at Alena.
The princess looked at her tutor for a moment, confused, before her eyes lightened in realization. She threw him a disgusted glare and unconsciously brought an arm across her chest, shocked her tutor would intentionally look there for any reason.
Brey gave an embarrassed cough, then turned his attention back to Cristo. "Just something a few sizes smaller than yourself," he continued. He looked back at Alena for a moment, judging something else. "I think you should also pick up a leather hat to conceal her hair," the old tutor added, rubbing his white whiskers. "Something like what most young travelers wear should do."
"I'd hate to disappoint you, old man," Cristo said, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands behind his head, "but I don't have any money to buy these clothes with. How did you think I was going to get them? By stealing?"
Brey ignored Cristo's sarcasm and turned back to Alena. "Do you still have your feather hat?" he asked her.
"Yeah, it's in my room," she replied. "If you don't remember, I was up all night trying to clean the mud and... and..." Her voice faltered, painful memories of how it became so muddy finding their way into her thoughts. She lowered her head, trying to force the painful memory back into the dark corners of her mind.
Brey sensed her distress and patted her shoulder compassionately. "Try not to think about it too much," he said. "It's in the past now so you shouldn't let it bother you. But in any event, do you think you could fetch your hat for me?"
Alena nodded slowly and started to walk back to her room.
"Princess!" Cristo said, sitting up from his chair. Alena turned to face him, her face still a little solemn. "You may want to bring this back," he said, holding up the bed sheet he had earlier been smothered in. Alena threw her bodyguard an annoyed glare and promptly snatched the bed sheet from Cristo's hands before storming into her room. Cristo merely shrugged when Brey looked at him.
Moments later, Alena came back out carrying the feather hat she had left the castle with and threw it towards Brey. "Great!" he said, catching the hat. He held it up for a moment, studying the quality of the material despite all it had been through. Finally, the old tutor unexpectedly tossed the hat to Cristo who barely had enough time to catch it. "I'm sure you'll be able to get a few hundred gold pieces out of this," he said to the bodyguard. "Try not to be too honest when you're haggling over the price."
"Brey!" Alena exclaimed, rushing over to him. "I spent the entire night getting that thing clean! Now you want me to just part with it?"
"Exactly," the old tutor said, smiling. He patted her cheek before walking over to Cristo, leaving the princess slack-jawed. "Now, remember, boy," he said to the bodyguard. "Some wayfarer's clothes-"
"I know what I need to get," Cristo interrupted, standing up. He looked at Alena for a moment, a heavy sigh escaping his mouth before he started to move. Shaking his head while grumbling something incoherent, the bodyguard left the room.
Both Alena and Brey watched Cristo leave, keeping their eyes on the door as it closed behind the disgruntled bodyguard. After a few moments of silence, Brey said, "I'm sure he'll be fine. He's just had a hard couple of days." He looked at Alena for a moment, then muttered, "Not like we all have, though."
Alena did not hear him, however, and was still staring dumbfounded at the door. Finally, she turned to Brey and said, "I still can't believe you sent him to sell my hat!"
"You have plenty of them," Brey said half-heartily, sitting down in the closest chair.
"I don't anymore," Alena argued, looking intently at her tutor. "How am I going to make myself look presentable without at least a few luxurious items on me?"
Brey looked at her for a moment, his face contorting into disapproval. "I believe we have a bit of an attitude problem here, Princess," he said, wagging an accusing finger at her. His voice was suddenly very serious. "You say you want to do things differently than the rest of the aristocracy, yet you are unable to stray from your luxurious style of living. Either you accept the fact you are not going to be able to get away with the kinds of things you could before as the Princess of Santeem or we go back to the castle to end your quest right here and right now!"
Alena looked at her tutor, stunned by the serious tone of his voice. Any lecture he would give, even the ones during their lessons back at the castle, were usually glossed over with a decent cover of good nature. However, Brey's expression remained rigid. Sighing, Alena lowered her head and muttered, "Of course I'm going to stay with my quest. I guess some habits are just hard to break."
"Well, you had better break them soon," Brey said evenly, "because you're not going to be getting a whole lot of special treatment from here on. Understand?" Alena slowly nodded.
"Good," he said, cracking a small smile. "Might I suggest, then, we get back to the task at hand."
"What do you mean?" Alena asked, looking up. "I thought Cristo was taking care of it."
"He may be taking care of the clothes," Brey smiled, "but there's still the problem of overall appearance. I'm afraid a hat won't be good enough to conceal all of your bright, auburn locks. We'll have to cut your hair short."
"Cut my hair?" Alena exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock. Brey quickly cast a disapproving glare, causing the princess recoil a bit. She heaved an exasperated sigh, fell into a chair, and muttered, "Fine. Do whatever you think is necessary."
"Great!" Brey said, standing up. He grabbed his walking staff and started to head for the door. "I'll see if I can borrow a pair of scissors from the innkeeper. You just stay put until I get back."
Alena nodded, not even really paying attention to Brey as he left. The single window in their room distracted her with a decent view of several farming fields surrounding Surene. As she ran her hands through her hair, the princess absently wondered if she was ever going to be able to break any old habits.
Cristo slowly walked up the stairs in the inn. Things were not turning out how he had originally thought. When he made the deal with Brey back in Weser, he hoped he would still be able to be a loyal protector for Alena. However, when he saw how the Princess had been able to fend for herself easily enough, the bodyguard came to the realization she might not need him anymore.
And, while a part of him was happy she was indeed maturing in that sense, another part of him was dismayed.
What if the Princess was able to completely fend for herself without his assistance? Where would that place him? Would his services no longer be required and be dismissed as her bodyguard without a second thought? If such were the case and the King had no further use of him, would Alena ever want to see him again?
The bodyguard paused in mid-step, realizing his mind was straying from his responsibility again. Those deep feelings he had for her - deep, forbidden feelings - were creeping up, distracting from his obligation.
Cristo rubbed his hand over his face, attempting to push the feelings away. Were these feelings just a type of friendship protection? He did not know, not really having many close childhood friends. His father had made him study Zenithism so diligently that the bodyguard never had the time for friends. Then were these feelings the same sort of strong bond brothers and sisters shared? He did not know, having been an only child and never experienced such family kinship.
Or could it be a type of love all together different?
No, he decided immediately. It could not be possible for him to hold such feelings. It was probably nothing more than a brotherly love. If such were the case, he would continue to protect the Princess as a brother should. Alena and Brey would probably not like it, however, so he was going to have to be very discreet about it.
The bodyguard had brought his personal copy of the Zenithian Texts with him for this journey. The Texts sometimes made references of clerics with different levels of power performing feats of defensive magic. The most common practice of this form of clerical magic was to aid paladins in their battles. Master Dragon probably would not mind if he dedicated himself to learning it as well.
If he could learn to perform such magic alongside the standard healing magic all clerics were required to know, he would be able to protect the Princess without their knowing. Cristo decided he would double his readings and prayers to gain this knowledge as quickly as possible. It would be best to be prepared for when Brey intended to take Alena out into the wild for her first lessons.
Feeling better about himself, Cristo hurried his pace and rushed up the stairs to their room. Enthusiastically, he opened the door and said a cheerful, "I'm back!"
There was no response.
Cristo took a quick look around the room, wondering where his companions were. The room seemed essentially undisturbed. The table in the middle was unchanged and the traveling packs he and Brey had taken with them were still in the far corner.
However, upon a closer inspection of the room, he noticed a few strands of hair were scattered across the floor. The color of the hair seemed to be auburn.
Cristo's eyes suddenly widened with shock. He wouldn't have…! the bodyguard thought anxiously.
Almost as if to confirm Cristo's fear, one of the bedroom doors opened and Alena walked out, saying an emotionless, "Oh, I didn't hear you come in." Cristo's jaw slacked open.
Alena's hair was cut short, shorter than most women's hair, shorter than even his own curly, brown hair. So short, in fact, her auburn hair merely looked like an extension of her skull.
"Princess!" Cristo cried in disbelief. "What happened? Who did this to you? Where's all your hair?" Alena merely shrugged to answer his many questions.
Brey suddenly appeared from the other bedroom. "Oh, great!" he said and he eagerly rushed forward to Cristo. "Did you get the clothes for me?" Cristo outstretched his hand holding the wayfarer's clothes and leather hat, unable to withdraw his gaze from Alena's short hair. "Excellent!" Brey said, unfolding the clothes in front of him.
He turned to Alena, smiling. "Let's get you into these," the old tutor said. "It's time for you to learn your first lesson: bartering."