Part One - Third Year - Chapter [018]

We had to make our step through the way we had come in through - now that I saw just exactly how hidden it was. There was something special about it that I hadn't just quite seen before. 

When we reached the end of it - we came to the city gates, and the south town was just into view. 

"Come on - I'll show you around," he said urging me to follow him. 

He had left a bad taste in my mouth with just how much secrecy he had to usher around keeping the lights on. 

But still, I brushed it away - and walked with him into the city. As we went through - the guards made a small reverend to Arslan - he bowed back. 

The South Town suddenly came into view, buildings formed in a circle around a common square where people of all ages conglomerated. 

All around were stalls with things that people were selling - meats of rare quality - one stall sold potions - and another one sold protective charms and jewelry. 

Arslan suddenly reached into his pockets. 

"Can you wear this?" he suddenly held out a blue earring, the gemstone was precious and of great quality. He pulled out a necklace and showed it to me. The gemstone on his necklace seemed earily similar to the one he just gave me.

I put it on my pierced ear without second thinking. In my left ear I wore an industrial earring on my right a black circular fantasy one, the blue crystal replacing the black one.

"What's it for?" I asked not thinking twice before putting it on. 

"It's a protective charm - if people around here know you're a healer, you won't be able to walk five steps," he said with deliverance. He continued. 

"And it's my guiding light back to you -" he said standing close to me and pinching the bottom of my jaw with two fingers. His touch was once again soft. "The necklace will always find it's way back to that earring - they're interlinked like that."

No one seemed to bat an eye at this PDA. 

"And with that said - I have some errands to run - go find Rodin at the Laughing Lord - he'll set you up with a registry application for The Red Lions - follow the narrow road until you reach the estate, once you're there - you won't be able to miss it," he explained pointing East towards a small road that leads through houses and a much slower part of of the South Town. 

"Oh and by the way - don't let anyone know your class except for Rodin, trust me it's better this way!"

"All right - now worried I'll follow through - I'll see you later then" I had a thought suddenly.

"Wait - what should I do about housing tonight?" I asked. 

"Won't you stay at The Laughing Lord?" He asked curiously.

"It's a bar and an inn - ask for a room upstairs - tell them I sent you," he said with confidence.

Was he widely recognized around here or something?

There was no time to ask - he suddenly got close to me, and I thought he was going to kiss me. However, he only came close to my ear. I didn't know if I could handle a public kiss like that just now. However, our closeness didn't seem to arouse any suspicion from the people who were walking around us.

He softly made sure it was tightly secured around my ear - then I heard a locking mechanism.

I had little time to look at them properly and see what they were wearing or how they acted, but the lack of a proper road made it so that every step they took sounded with a sharp mushy sound. 

"I'll find you if you try running away - my sweet prince," he said directly in my ear. And with that he let me go and started heading towards the opposite direction. I was just left blushing red. But I had to move anyway. 

I turned around with steam coming out of my ears and tried to distract myself from the things that were around me. Even though the roads weren't paved, you could see night lamps forming the semblance of what you could call a street. 

For a small town like this - it was busy with life. 

Arslan had pointed me the way and now I had to follow through - I had to find this Laughing Lord and see exactly how I would be applying to The Red Lions. My head was swimming with our interaction, but I managed to put one foot forward and then the other.

Without knowing it I was walking towards what he had referred to as the Estate, the town curved upwards into a small hill, where you could see a large gated place. It almost reminded me of a private country house or a small farm. I walked towards it.

As I walked I tugged at my ear - the earring was not coming off, it was stuck on there, I fumbled and noticed the small gears Arslan had fumbled with.