Lawrence woke up in a daze, the morning sun peered over the horizon, and the sky was blue with no clouds to be seen. The birds were chirping on a nearby tree, as the cold morning wind blew past the field, waving the field of tall grass like waves in an ocean. In his arms held Holo's soft sleeping body, who was sleeping peacefully and soundly as if a child were sleeping in his parent's embrace. Being so close to Holo, Lawrence noticed that Holo gave off a sweet pine scent, like the smell one would experience traveling deep into the forests.
Looking at Holo's sleeping figure, the sun fully illuminated Holo's face, which further made her appearance more charming and beautiful. Lawrence was instantly captivated by Holo's beauty, causing his thoughts and hidden desires to race inside his mind. He slowly tilted Holo's face upwards toward his face, and lowered his lips toward Holo's in an attempt to steal a kiss from his sleeping princess. His mind was filled with lust and desire as the distance between their lips closed. When their lips were about to make contact, Lawrence quickly aborted and pulled away, coming back to his senses.
Lawrence covered his face with his hand, and whispered to himself.
"I almost kissed her...what am I thinking?"
Mocking himself for what he would have done, if he didn't gain control of his emotions in the last minute. By looking at the field of waving grass in front of him, his thoughts slowly calmed down.
Thinking back to the lonely years before meeting Holo in the village of Parsoe, Lawrence would have never dreamed of experiencing these kinds of emotions. Although Lawrence felt somewhat ashamed for almost losing himself to his desires and done something Holo might dislike, he felt happy from the bottom of his heart. Happy that he was able to experience and harbor these types of feelings toward someone. Throughout his years traveling alone on his cart, he always avoided festivals and other social gatherings outside of business because it made him think about his loneliness and the emptiness of his life. However, after meeting Holo, he didn't feel lonely or avoided festivals anymore, but rather enjoy them with his recently met companion, Holo.
Lawrence never realized how much Holo had changed him and his life until now. She filled his empty life with new memories of happiness and joy, instead of loneliness. However, he would eventually need to part ways with Holo when they reached Yoitsu, and he would once again be alone.
Looking back down at Holo, who was still sleeping soundly, he felt a sense of anxiety and regret. But he promised that he would part ways with her with a smile. Hearing the sound of her deep breathing, Lawrence wished this moment of happiness would last forever.
Lawrence wrapped his arms tightly around Holo's delicate body, drawing her closer to his chest. He lowered his head and softly whispered in her ear.
"Even though our journey will come to an end in the future, let's cherish and enjoy the remaining time we have together, so we can create everlasting memories for each other."
Lawrence looked up at the clear blue sky, which spanned across the horizons. Not thinking about anything, just savoring this bittersweet moment of his life.
"Life is really unpredictable, isn't it?" Lawrence said in his head.
Lawrence felt Holo stir in his arms, followed by a big yawn.
"You're finally awake."
Holo slowly opened her sleepy eyes. She got up from Lawrence's arms, and stretched her arms into the air.
"Morning, how is your knee?" Holo said with a tired tone of someone just getting out of bed.
Remembering that he had injured his knee yesterday, Lawrence moved his injured knee sideways to test its condition.
"Still hurts a bit when I try to move it around, but it should be fine as long as I don't excessively move it."
Holo look relieved.
"So did you get a good night sleep after being wrapped with my fur?"
A mischievous grin appeared on Holo's face, a clear indicator of a trap to tease Lawrence for her entertainment. He knew if he blushed or looked away, he would fall straight into her trap, and will be teased by her once again. So he immediately answered.
"Yes, your fur is definitely top grade; I haven't had a more wonderful sleep for years!
Holo looked like she wasn't expecting that kind of outright response from him. Looks like I won't be teased by her this morning. Just when Lawrence thinks he has won, Holo countered.
"Seeing that you enjoyed it so much, why not sleep together from now on? I do not mind, since you are pretty comfortable to sleep with after all."
Holo slyly moved closer to Lawrence, her eyes looking directly into Lawrence's. Hearing this Lawrence could not help but turn away and blushed, and realizing that he has once again fallen into Holo's trap and lost. Holo laughed at his reaction.
"This is what I like you, your expressions and just so adorable when you are being teased."
Holo's laughter was interrupted by her growling stomach.
Lawrence also realized that they had not eaten anything since last night, and he was dying for something to eat.
Holo's put a hand over her stomach, and her ears drooped down.
"I am hungry... I think I could eat a whole field full of sheep right now"
Lawrence took a quick look around him to get his bearings.
"Revattle is not much further; we should be able to reach it near noon."
Holo swiftly jumped and sat down at the driver's seat.
"Then let us quickly go, you promised me a feast tonight."
Holo smiled at Lawrence, as if saying that he should mentally prepare himself and his wallet for tonight. Lawrence sighed and sat next to Holo. Grabbing the horse's reigns, he signaled the horse to move forward, continuing their journey to the north. They both sat silently, and soon the city walls of Revattle could be seen across the hills. The sound of Church bells that originated from the city could be heard even though they were still some distance away from the city. However, this surprised Lawrence.
"Hmm strange… I always thought Revattle was a pagan city."
As they approached the entrance of the city gates, a guard stationed at the gate stepped forward in front of Lawrence's cart.
"Hey you there, stop the cart."
Lawrence gently pulled back on the horse's reign to stop cart. The guard was dressed in a full body of steel, his sword swayed by his hips, and wore his heavy kite shield on his back. He was about twice the size as Lawrence, and his face was hardened through countless years of war, which made him give off an appearance and presence of a ferocious bear.
"Good afternoon sir, is there anything wrong or that I could help you with?" Lawrence gave off his usual business smile.
The guard looked at Lawrence and walked around the cart. Even though he was not hostile to Lawrence, the way he looked and scanned Lawrence and his cart made him feel slightly unsettled. It wasn't uncommon for city guards to check the cargo of traders, since they might be smuggling illegal products. But since his cargo was stolen by bandits, why was he taking so long to check? Lawrence's train of thought was interrupted by the deep rough voice of the guard.
"Okay, let's cut the friendly greetings and useless talking, and get straight to the point. State your identity and your purpose for coming here."
The guard's attitude made Lawrence felt he was being interrogated for a crime he committed. Usually guards would ask what he was carrying, but never did he get asked about his purpose for arriving in the city.
"I am Kraft Lawrence, a traveling merchant from the Rowen Trading Guild, and this is my companion Holo. She is a nun traveling on a pilgrimage, and through various circumstances, she is traveling with me to the north. On our way here, we were robbed by a gang of bandits, so we wish to come to this city to acquire assistance from my guild and restock on supplies to continue north."
The guard looked at Holo, and Holo responded with her casual charming smile. The guard chuckled.
"Got robbed by bandits, isn't that news to me."
The guard's sarcastic manner troubled Lawrence, and thought to ask him what he meant, but decided to stay quiet and ignore it in order not to drag on this inspection. The guard pulled a piece a light brown parchment from his leather sack attached to his waist, and pulled out a white feather quill and small bottle of ink from the small bag next to it.
"Is seven days enough time for you to get help and restock on supplies?" The guarded inquired as he began writing things down on the parchment.
Lawrence thought about the time they need to get everything back in order for their journey.
"Yes, that would be more than enough time." He answered with a smile.
The guard finished writing on the paper and handed it to Lawrence. Lawrence looked at the document, which stated his name, purpose of arrival, and the period of time they would be staying. The guard continued to speak.
"That pass will expire in seven days; you must show this to a guard standing post at one of main city gates in order to leave the city. If you fail to leave the city before the expiry date on the document, you will be fined a penalty in accordance to how much time has passed since the expiry date. Do not lose this at any circumstance. If you do lose it, you must speak with the town authorities to get a new one, only if certain conditions are met, and for a price of 10 Rumione gold coins. Extensions to the time period are also possible, but for a fee that is also in accordance to how much the extended time are proposed. If you do not have any questions, please sign your name on the document."
The guard handed Lawrence his writing quill in order for him to sign it. Lawrence carefully examined the details of the document for any tricks or scams. After examining for a few minutes, the details of the document matched exactly with what the guard said, and everything seemed fine. Lawrence took the quill from the guard's hand, and signed his name. He gave the quill back to the guard, and rolled up the parchment and put it inside his coat pocket.
The guard turned around, and signaled the other guards to open the city gates.
Lawrence tugged on the horse's reigns, and began to travel slowly into the city. Just when they passed the gates, the guard called out to them.
"Hey, just a piece of advice for the both of you, if I were you, I would quickly get my things done and leave this city as soon as possible."
Confused, Lawrence was about to ask him to clarify what he just said. But before he got a word out, the guard was already returning back to his post, and the city gates slammed shut.
"They have some pretty strict rules here." Holo said as she stretched her arms.
"I noticed, but I wonder why?" Lawrence was genuinely curious at why the entrance checks and rules of this town were so strict. Normally, towns tried not to impose too many restrictions on travellers coming inside the city because having strict rules was bad for trade.
After entering the city, a huge road laid out in front of them, where countless people and other carts were walking back and forth. Beside the road were row of stores, where customers were piled up in front them buying products. Tall stone walls bordered the marketplace, which was unusual. In fact, this was Lawrence's first time ever seeing a marketplace having walls surrounding it.
"Let us not wonder about the reason for now, and let us concentrate on filling our stomachs with food. Besides, no one can think straight with an empty stomach."
Holo gave Lawrence a smile that showed no sign of comforting him, but rather a sinister smile that said that Lawrence should get her something to eat or face the consequences.
"Alright, we'll go get something to eat after we get to trading firm to get our goods compensated, since we don't have enough money right now.
Holo expression changed to immense displeasure.
"What? You think you can deceive my ears; you fool? I know perfectly well that you have enough money in your wallet to buy food. You probably just wanted to go to the firm first because you are dying to know what is going in this town, and to see if you can take advantage of the situation and make a profit!"
Holo was right on the mark, and Lawrence had nothing that he could say to fight back or convince Holo to go to the firm first. Looking around the marketplace, while Holo's fiery eyes stared at him, he found what he needed.
"How about I buy you some honeyed bread from that bread store over there to quell your hunger until I am done visiting the firm, and then I will treat you to whatever you want?" Lawrence suggested.
Holo looked at the bread store, and appeared like she was about to disagree with Lawrence's suggestion. However, the sweet smell of baked goods from the store reached Holo's nose, and made her even hungrier. She decided to agree.
"Hmph! Fine! But do not think that this will quell my anger towards you for breaking a promise."
Lawrence gave a strained smile, and headed over to the bread store. Getting out two Trenni silver coins from his wallet, he brought a bag of honeyed bread, and handed it Holo. She hastily grabbed the bag from his hand, and started chomping down on it hungrily.
"You shouldn't eat that fast, you might choke on it." Lawrence commented as he rarely anyone able to eat bread so fast.
"I do not need to be told by someone like you." Replied Holo with a mouth full of bread.
Lawrence continued to the firm. Holo was busy munching on the bread, and Lawrence asked a few people that walked by his cart about the location of the trading guild.
Scanning the store signs for the name of his guild, he noticed that Holo's ears suddenly twitched and immediately turned her head to look at the rear, and then to the side, as if she was searching for something. But the chaotic environment of the marketplace and constant mobs of people running around made it impossible for anyone to search for anything.
"Hmm? You want to eat something else?" Lawrence asked thinking that Holo was looking at the nearby stores for more food.
Holo did not answer, like she didn't hear him say anything at all, and continue to search her surroundings. Catching a glimpse of her face, he saw that Holo was startled by something, which sparked Lawrence curiosity.
"Was it just my imagination?" Holo mumbled.
Her head returned to face the front, her surprised expression dissolved back to her unusual calm composure, but it also looked like she was disappointed.
"Is there something wrong Holo?
Holo glanced at Lawrence direction.
"Oh, it is nothing; maybe I am just too tired." She yawned and rested her head on Lawrence's shoulder.
Lawrence obviously knew that Holo was avoiding the topic and was not wanting to talk about it, so he decided that it was best not dig deeper into the subject. This is because he trusted Holo, and believed that she would tell him if something did matter. But he stilled wondered.
What caught Holo's attention? He asked himself quietly.
Lawrence and Holo finally arrived to the front doors of the Rowen Trading Guild.
"It's probably best for you stay outside, while I talk to the person inside."
Lawrence turned his head and saw Holo's sad puppy dog face, looking like she was about to cry.
"Even if you're not serious, can you not put on that face? Even if you do go with me, you probably just sit there with nothing to do."
"So men are really weak against this kind of thing, seeing a girl all weak and helpless."
Holo smiled at him, clearly exploiting his weaknesses.
"I will remember that. And I do not mind staying here, and I certainly do not want my hand to get slapped away by some insensitive man again like in Rubinhaigen."
Having seen Holo's acting, Lawrence had no words to reply to her. He escaped her teasing by getting off the cart and walking to the front doors of the inn.
"Be back soon." Holo said as she watched him walk toward the entrance.
Lawrence turned around and saw Holo waving at him.
He waved back and smiled.
"I will."
Lawrence opened the door, and walked inside. The firm was empty except for one person behind the counter wiping a wooden cup, which seemed to be the head of the guild. Lawrence walked up to the front of the counter and greeted the man with his usual business smile.
"Good afternoon sir, I'm Kraft Lawrence, a traveling merchant.
The man greeted Lawrence back with a friendly gesture.
"Good afternoon, I'm Edward Colin, the person in charge of Rowen Trading Guild firm in here in Revattle. We don't see many merchants around here these days, how may I help you today Mr. Lawrence?" He introduced himself while still wiping the wooden cup in his hand.
"Well, you see Mr. Colin, while I was on my way here from the last town, I-
"Was robbed?" Colin interrupted Lawrence before he could finish his sentence.
Lawrence was astonished by Colin's accurate guess on his reason for being here. Surely a merchant getting robbed was no common occurrence, so how did Colin know he was robbed? Colin seems to have noticed the puzzled expression on Lawrence's face and laughed.
"Like I thought, well it's expected anyways. You really have no clue on what's happening here on the north do you?" Colin asked as he placed the wooden cup on the table in front of him.
Lawrence felt like he was being preached like a fool similar to when he was an apprentice. But Lawrence was intrigued about the happenings of the north, and besides, information was equivalent to a weapon and shield for a merchant.
"Hmm, please explain." Lawrence gestured Colin to continue.
Colin sat down and reached his cup for something to drink.
"Well, let me fill you in. In these recent years, the area surrounding Revattle has been a hunting ground for bandits. If you took a known route to Revattle, you are surely going to get robbed. And you being here just proved my point."
Although Colin was mocking him, Lawrence thought carefully about what he had been told, but something did not make sense.
"If the situation is that bad, then why don't the city send an armed force to deal with these bandits?" He replied. Normally, when there was a large bandit problem, the town official would have taken steps to solve the problem. It was important to not let your town have a reputation of having poor security.
Colin laughed again, giving Lawrence the impression he had asked a stupid question, even though it was quite logical from a standpoint in his perspective.
"I wished it was that easy, but this town is in a state of political turmoil. Revattle used to be a Pagan city. However, as you can see, there is big church in the town. It all started when King Trenni started his northern expeditions to cleanse the pagan lands of the north from heathens. Since Revattle is known as the gateway to the north, King Trenni started using this city as their base of operations. The city's economy boomed thanks to the King's knights and men spending their wealth here, and soon more people from other cities came to Revattle to do business. However, the people coming in to Revattle weren't all pagans, and the church began to send their missionaries here to spread their faith. And after awhile, two distinct societies with conflicting ideals and faiths had been formed, the pagans and the believers. The west half of the city is controlled by the pagans, the and east by the believers. The marketplace in the middle is a neutral zone, where both sides can trade with each other, and also acts as buffer between the two sides. You should have noticed the stone walls around the marketplace; they are built recently to mark the territories of each side. The guards and authorities are all occupied in keeping the fragile peace and balance of power between the two sides. If they can barely take care of themselves, how can they properly take care of things outside the city?"
Lawrence had no words to say, but in total amazement and disbelief. Never had he heard such a city in this kind of situation before.
"And the governors of Proania just let this happen without planning to do anything?"
"They are nothing but King Trenni's puppets. Let say if the Proanian government does intervene, what can they do? Send an armed force to Revattle to resolve the political turmoil using force? That means they will need to either side with the pagans, and make Revattle a pagan city again, or support the church, and oppress the pagans. If they side with the pagans, then King Trenni will send his men to invade Revattle and Proania. If they side with the church, the pagan lands to the north will think that Proania is no longer neutral and has sided with King Trenni, and will no doubt launch an invasion. The other option, sending armed forces to eliminate the bandit's presence in the area. That could work, but Proania is a neutral country and does not have a strong military. Most of the Proanian army are inexperienced militia with inadequate equipment and training. The bandit's infestation has already grown too large after being ignored for so long. Rooting them out will take too much time and resources. Or the last option, wait and let the situation in Revattle play itself out. In the end, one side is going to gain power over the other and control the city. And when that happens the turmoil will be solved, and the city can begin to deal with the bandits outside of the city. If you were the king of Proania, which option would you choose?"
Lawrence gave himself a minute to take this all in; everything he said was logically sound.
"Let's stop talking about this, since it's not going to change the town's situation. You came here to seek compensation for lost items right?" Colin questioned. Lawrence guessed that he might have had this conversation numerous times in the past with many other merchants, so he looked rather jaded talking about the town.
Lawrence let himself stop thinking about the topic, and let his mind deal with the matter of his goods first.
"Yes, that's correct".
Colin went into the room behind the counter, and came out with a sheet of paper.
"Although I trust you, I would like to see some evidence that you actually possess the items that were stolen." He gestured Lawrence to hand him some kind of evidence to prove his ownership.
Lawrence handed him the purchase invoice he got for the nails. Colin took a quick glance at the invoice, wrote something on the paper, and then handed it to Lawrence. The paper states that the guild will accept the responsibility to pay off Lawrence's debt for the nails.
"Thanks."
Colin went and got himself another cup of beer.
"No problem, you should leave the town as soon as you can, and come again once things have calmed down."
Lawrence smiled and put the document in his coat, and hastily walked towards the exit. He did not want to keep his princess waiting too long for him. He exited the firm, and saw that his cart was empty. Lawrence wondered where Holo had wandered off. He assumed that she probably went to take a stroll while he was talking with Colin, and decided that he should wait on the cart. But he shortly changed his mind, after hearing how unstable this city was, it was not safe for a young girl to be walking on the streets alone, so he went and searched for her.
After searching the nearby stores with no signs of Holo, he thought of returning to the cart. Holo can take care of herself, and he might have been a bit paranoid. Just as he turned and headed back to the direction of his cart, he heard a unique melody from a nearby store. The melody was sweet yet sad, soft yet lonely. Lawrence was entranced by this melody and went to the store where the sound was coming from.
When he arrived at the store, he was surprised to see Holo there as well, and another person, who seemed like she was having a conversation with. He walked into the store and tapped Holo on the shoulder with his hand. But Holo didn't move, like she didn't even feel him tapping her shoulder.
"Holo." He said with a loud voice.
Holo flinched like she was abruptly awoken from a deep dream. The other person looked at Lawrence with a slightly awkward expression and inquired.
"Is this beautiful young lady with you?"
The man was a bit chubby, and his face was rounded like a plum. He wore a monocle on his right eye, and his entire outfit was smeared with dirt and dust, like a miner after working an entire day at a mine.
"Yes, I'm Kraft Lawrence, a traveling merchant." Lawrence introduced himself with his trademark business smile.
The man responded with a friendly greeting.
"I'm Charles Marvin, an inventor as you can see with the devices I made and displayed around my shop. I was just in the middle of telling your mistress here about my newest invention, a box that plays music."
Marvin showed Lawrence a wooden box with a string attached to it. When the string is pulled, the box started to play music, the same unique melody he heard before coming to the shop. Lawrence was bewildered; he had never seen a simple box that can create such beautiful sounds.
"Hmm...That is pretty interesting." Lawrence wondered at the potential economic prospect of this device if he was able to sell it.
Marvin's smile grew as he saw the interest on Lawrence's face, and looked like he was about to explain more about the device he had created. Though Lawrence was happy that he had saw the musical box, he had no intention of staying and hearing Marvin gloat and explain the device to him in detail.
Before Marvin can say a word, Lawrence gave a friendly farewell to Marvin, using time as an excuse to end the conversation. Marvin looked disappointed for being unable to share his stories with Lawrence, but happily waved goodbye, saying that he hoped Lawrence would come back some other time.
As they made their way back to the cart, Holo was still in a dazed, like she was still in some kind of dream. They made their way to a nearby inn in silence. Lawrence wanted to ask Holo what was on her mind, but a lonely atmosphere which filled the space prevented him.
The room Lawrence rented was an ordinary one, not too shabby and not too luxurious. A wooden desk and chair sat in the left corner of the room, where the windows were. Opposite to the desk were two beds, where Holo took off her robe and sat. Lawrence packed up his things, and turned to see how Holo was doing, and saw that her expression was filled with sadness. Surely what caused this was the musical box, but how?
"Holo, what's wrong?"
Holo looked up, her red eyes filled with tears like she was trying to hold the tears with all her might.
"The song that the box played, I know it. It was a song that one of my closest companions was creating back when I was still with the pack in Yoitsu. Though it was not completed when I went on my journey to the south, she promised me that the song would be completed when I got back. And hearing it just now, it just felt so nostalgic."
Lawrence sat next to Holo and pulled her closer, and gently held her. Holo exploded into tears in Lawrence's embrace; she was probably holding it in until they were alone. Lawrence patted Holo's petite head to calm her emotions.
"I was so happy when I heard it, yet I do not know why I am crying." Holo gave a laugh between the sobs.
Lawrence did not move or say a word, but just held her in silence. After a while, Holo crying seemed to have lessened and she calmed down.
Knowing that her hometown had been destroyed many years ago, Holo was always worried about the well beings of her companions. And after hearing this song buried deep within her memories, no doubt it triggered uncontrollable emotions and feelings that that Holo had hidden away in her long past.
"Are you alright now, Holo?" Lawrence asked.
Holo sniffled and pulled away from Lawrence's embrace and wiped the remaining tears from her eyes.
"You like it when I am weak like this, do you not?"
Holo looked at Lawrence with eyes still redden by tears. Lawrence could only stare at Holo cute appearance.
"Just as I thought, men only like weak girls that need to be protected, like a knight trying to save his princess in distress." Holo giggled.
With the atmosphere of the room lifting with Holo's teasing, Lawrence gave a small laugh. Lawrence reached out his hand to Holo.
"Shall we go get something to eat now, my princess?"
Holo smiled, and gently grasped Lawrence's hand.
"I do not mind playing the role of a weak princess, if it is only just with you."
Lawrence blushed, and Holo continued her laughter. Holo put on her city girl outfit, and held on to Lawrence's arm. Together, they made their way down the inn into the roaring streets below.