Myren was a popular trade town known to all races. It was evening by the time Jacob and Xenia arrived.

"Open the gates!" The coachman called out from his position. Jacob and Xenia immediately put on their hoods. They didn’t plan on drawing attention from any of the travelers or authority.

"State your business!" the tall security guard responded, he was a sturdy looking man, not less than forty years of age, his dark hair had streaks of gray suggesting his age, but he still looked like he could handle a sword properly.

The man walked slowly from the gate to the carriage, studying it with a trained eye that only he would possess. He looked inside briefly and found Jacob and Xenia, sitting across from each other.

"What do we have here?" He inquired with a straight face.

"Just some travellers, looking for a place to spend the night, this was the closest town," the coachman responded.

The guard studied them for a moment. They paid no attention to him; then he tapped the back of the carriage and went over to open the gates, a large wooden portcullis, plated with iron.

He pulled a lever on the side, and the gate slid upwards slowly as the horses trotted past the threshold, pulling the carriage.

"Welcome to Myren town, enjoy your stay," the guard greeted them, and within seconds, he was out of their sight.

The bustling town of Myren was laid bare to them, the rhythmic clatter of wagon wheels on cobblestone, the plethora of shops that stood on the roadside, the laughter(and cries) of little children as they played. They passed through the town slowly; noticing the tiny details.

Before long, they had arrived at a guest house, a tall brown building with fairly good architecture, definitely not what Jacob was used to, but according to the coachman, it was the best in town.

"We will stay the night here, I heard they have a breakfast menu that you just can’t say no to." He said in an attempt to be funny but ended up chuckling nervously and alone.

Jacob and Xenia got down from the carriage. Jacob, in particular, looked at the building from top to bottom and sighed, a faint scent of day old syrup emanated from the building.

Jacob wasn’t spoiled, to the best of his knowledge. He decided he would manage the situation he found himself for as long as he needed to.

Xenia walked into the building without hesitation. It was almost like she had been there before. Jacob thought nothing of it.

"Welcome! Welcome to the Dame! What can I interest you lovely looking strangers with? We have rooms for one, two, thre—" An old woman greeted them at the front office, she wasn’t particularly good looking but she radiated a welcoming aura, she had gray hair and a sizable mole on her jaw. Those weren’t popular beauty markers. From the plaque on her desk, one could tell her name was Gelda.

"We would need two rooms, please," Jacob said, interrupting her.

She looked at him, and her eyes widened, "Ohh my!" She then looked at Xenia, "You got yourself a handsome one there, young lady, hold him tight, or I may as well." She said, winking. Jacob cringed.

"I could be his mother." Xenia said with a straight face. The old woman raised a brow.

"That’s right, she’s older than me by like a hundred years." Jacob added, causing Xenia to punch him lightly in the arm.

"Ow!" He yelped, rubbing the spot.

"We are no longer in the castle, young master, don’t think I can’t punish you."

Gelda and the coachman exchanged confused glances.

Xenia turned to the woman, smiled, and said, "Two rooms, please." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

_ _ _

The sun had finally dipped below the horizon, Jacob and Xenia sat in the dimly lit room, they had chosen a room with two separate beds for themselves and a room with a single bed for the coachman.

"I wanna see the town." Jacob spoke, breaking the silence.

"It’s dangerous in Myren at night, young master." Xenia replied.

"There’s something you should know about me, Xenia."

"What’s that?" She asked, looking up from her book.

"I am not in danger—I am the danger." He said with a straight face. After a moment, they both laughed.

"Seriously though, I won’t be long." He continued.

"Two hours." Xenia proposed.

"Agreed."

Myren was a town that never slept. In fact, it was even more busy at night. Traders are moving about, the streets were crowded, and the lights shone brighter than expected.

The click-clacking of shoes on the cobblestone, the non-stop chattering sounds, oldtown music playing in the distance, the faint smell of fruits and vegetables. Some soldiers sat at a table, sipping ale from their mugs and laughing hard.

Jacob took it all in like a breath of fresh air. He walked slowly along the road, determined not to draw attention to himself. He was here to sightsee, and that was it.

He wasn’t paying much attention to his surroundings when.

BAM!

A young boy ran into him. He was small, way smaller than Jacob, and must’ve been about ten years of age, he has dark, short, frizzy hair and a missing front tooth.

He was carrying a sack that apparently contained a bunch of fruits since some had spilt out due to the collision.

"Stop that thief! He stole my fruits! My produce! Somebody help!" A woman cried out, pointing to the boy. Some of the soldiers who were drinking ale heard her cries and immediately ran after the young boy.

The boy hurriedly gathered the little he could and jetted before Jacob could even turn around.

He was fast for his age, as the soldiers struggled to keep up with him. He was also pretty tiny so he could fit into small spaces.

After a while, the little boy came to a dark alley and hid for a peeked around the corner and saw that the soldiers had changed direction. He had managed to send them the opposite way.

He did a small celebration by pumping his fist and he turned around with a sigh of relief.

"You do know that it’s wrong to steal from people, don’t you boy?"

The boy nearly soiled himself.

Startled, he turned around to meet the gaze of a familiar stranger, a tall man possessing white hair and deep blue eyes.