OK, so I have the next chapter almost done, and like I said in the previous chapter, I have a plan. Please know that under any circumstances I DO NOT PLAN ON ABANDONING THIS STORY. I promise that it will get finished at some point! :) I hope you guys like this chapter, let me know what you think!
-owl
After four days of riding, they came upon the city of Trunswick. It was a quaint town, with rolling green hills surrounding it and blue roofs on the houses. Near the middle of the town rose a large manor house. Flags flying bore the shape of a wolf. Briggian.
They both dismounted their horses and led them behind them as they walked through the streets.
"What do you think of Trunswick, Rollan?" Tarik finally asked after five or so minutes of walking in silence.
Rollan shrugged. "Seems a lot different than anything I've really seen in Amaya. Looks like a nice place, though."
Tarik nodded. "It certainly looks nice, but looks aren't everything. I've been here a few times before, and the Earl is quite harsh. He has two sons, one around a year younger than you, and the other a little younger than that."
"What are we going to be doing here in Trunswick?" Rollan asked.
Tarik pointed ahead of them, to a fair sized building that had its front door wide open. "We need to meet up with Isilla, the resident Greencloak here. Then I think we have an audience with Earl Eric Trunswick."
"Ok."
They put Zig and Flit in the stables behind Isilla's building and entered it, Tarik calling out a greeting.
A short, graying woman came out from a side room, wearing a faded green cloak, and carrying a book. Behind her flew a dainty goldfinch. She smiled when she saw Tarik.
"Tarik!" she exclaimed, "how are you? I thought you were going to be traveling on your own."
Tarik pulled Rollan forward by her shoulder. "Sorry I didn't send a note ahead to tell you, Isilla. This is Rollan, the summoner of Essix."
As if to prove his point, Essix chose to swoop through the open door right then, landing solidly on Rollan's right shoulder. She peered at Isilla and the small bird, before beginning to preen herself.
"It's nice to meet you, Rollan," Isilla said, finally drawing her eyes from Essix and offering her hand to him.
Rollan nodded. "Nice to meet you, too."
"I don't mean to cut this short, Isilla," Tarik interrupted, "but Rollan and I have a meeting with the Earl, and we can't be late for that."
"Alright, I'll see you guys for supper then?"
Tarik nodded and he and Rollan left the building and walked through the town towards the manor house that Rollan had spotted earlier.
They were greeted by a polite butler who showed them to a room that was filled with cushy chairs and other seating. Rollan was impressed by the manor, he had never been in such a nice building before. Obviously in Concorba Rollan was always on the streets and if he had ever ended up in a building, it was pretty shabby. And it wasn't like Greenhaven was a dump, but they did not have the opulence of the manor.
Tarik sighed and sat down in one of the chairs. "Rollan, the earl doesn't often like children in his meetings. It would probably be better for you to wait outside once he gets here."
Before Rollan could respond, the door swished open and a tall man with a stern face entered the room. Tarik greeted the man and Rollan took the opportunity to escape the room. He sunk down against the wall once the door closed behind him. He had only been sitting there for a few minutes when a young boy, probably around his age, came walking past.
He was about the same height as Rollan, though the latter was probably taller by an inch or so. He had blond hair cut short, and clearly not styled with any sort of product. The boy wore drab clothes, brown trousers and a tan shirt. A shabby faded blue cloak was tied around his neck.
He stopped when he saw Rollan, as though he wasn't used to seeing random kids sitting in the halls of the manor house. Was this the son of the earl that Tarik had mentioned? On the likely chance that it was, Rollan stood up and bowed to the boy.
The boy's face became one of pure surprise, the tiniest hint of panic also visible. "I'm not Devin, I'm nobody, you shouldn't be bowing to me."
Oops, Rollan had made a blunder in the first five minutes of being on his own. "I'm sorry," he apologized hastily, "Tarik said the earl had a son my age, and you look to be that…"
The boy's surprise faded into a smile. "You're thinking of Devin, the first son of the earl. I'm Conor, Devin's servant. Who are you?"
"Rollan." Back in Concorba, Rollan would never have so quickly divulged his name, but Conor gave off a vibe that he could be trusted.
Conor held out a hand for him to shake, which he did. "So," the blond boy asked, "why are you here?"
"I'm traveling with a Greencloak, he's in a meeting with the earl of Trunswick."
Conor's eyes lit up. "You're traveling with the Greencloaks! Do you have a spirit animal?" He looked more excited at the idea than Rollan could have expected.
Rollan nodded. "Yeah, she's waiting outside, though. She doesn't like buildings much. Do you wanna come meet her?"
"Yes!" Conor enthused, then he continued rambling to himself. "Devin is busy for a while, anyway. I won't be missed."
Together the two boys wandered through the manor to the front gardens. Upon their arrival to the outdoors, Essix shrieked and swooped down to land on Rollan's shoulder. Once situated, the gyrfalcon tilted her head, peering at Conor with one bronze eye.
"Is that?" Conor breathed.
Rollan nodded. "Yes, this is Essix."
Conor didn't get a chance to respond, though, because Tarik came storming out from the manor just then.
"Rollan, it's time to go. The earl has more important things to tend to today than us. I'll be returning tomorrow to discuss the matters that should have been talked about today."
He nodded, waving to Conor and following the tall man.