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Jonathan quickly mounted his horse and deftly flicked the reins. "Gladly. Let's go." His horse picked up a little speed as it started to run and Jonathan looked back to make sure Lillian hadn't already fallen off the horse. And if she had, he wanted to see it.
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Lillian flowed suit and got her horse to speed up just so she could keep pace with the others. At first she had almost fallen off but her balance stayed with her. She leaned forward in her seat and held onto the horse. She wondered when this first stretch of the journey would be over.
After about half a day of riding the group stopped in a town. Lillian somewhat clumsily slid off the horse and landed on the ground. "At least I landed on my feet," she told herself. She looked at the prince and soldiers. "Well, we're stopping here for a reason I suppose. Are we eating or just looking for supplies?" |
"Both," Jonathan said, dismounting easily. "But we'll get food first." They handed the horses off to a stable hand and went to find a place to eat. The prince looked around dismayed. "It seems the only options here are the simple peasent taverns." He approached one slowly and gazed unhappily at the dingy sign the read 'The Pig and the Mead.' "What kind of name is that anyways....?" he grumbled, pushing open the door. Everyone inside stopped and stared to see such a finely dressed man as Jonathan.
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Lillian followed Jonathan into the tavern. "Maybe we should get some better clothes for you as well," she walked up to a table and sat down. Glad for a break as she was somewhat sore from the ride here.
A barmaid came up and looked at Lillian in disgust, "What'll it be?" "The freshest bread you got, a bowl of soup and whatever you have to drink," Lillian said. She figured the prince would be able to pay for it anyways. "Right then," the barmaid said, "Those folks with you as well?" She nodded towards Jonathan. "Yep," Lillian answered cheerfully. She called over to the rest of the group, "Come over here and tell the nice lady what you want to eat." She smiled they were in her territory now. |
Jonathan sat down at the table with Lillian and his soldiers kept an eye out for trouble. He looked around slightly horrified. He'd been in taverns before, but none so dingy as this one. "Um, I'll have some of whatever's the best you have." he said hesitantly, then looked at Lillian. "I guess scenery like this is more home to you, huh?"
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"Alright then," the barmaid walked away from the table and back to the kitchen to get their orders.
"What? And you find this odd?" Lillian answered Jonathan's question. "This is how most people live. This is actually one of the better areas around here." She sighed and wondered how long the trip would be. "Do you think I could take a look at that map?" She abruptly asked. "Maybe I could help figure out the best way to get there." In a few minutes the barmaid came back with a fresh loaf of bread made that day, two bowls of meat and vegetable stew and five mugs of wine. "Here you are," she said. Lillian looked at the prince, "Well? Are you going to pay the nice lady or not?" |
Jonathan sighed. "Of course I am..." He measered out the right amount of pay and when the barmaid had left, he pulled out the map and spread it on the table. "I can't beleive you say this is a better area." he said. "I knew I shouldn't have voluteered to baby-sit you on this silly quest."
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Lillian tore off a piece of bread and started to nibble on it trying her best not to seem hungry. "Look not everyone lives in palaces like yours. There are places where there aren't even houses and yet people call it their home."
She looked at the map, "Okay so we're here in Sommer and we need to go to the outskirts of Toberline area. Kinda far from our boarders isn't it?" She took a few spoonfuls of her soup and thought what could be the best route for the group to take on this journey. |
"Oh I know the entire world isn't a palace. I'm just getting used to it is all," Jonathan said. He drew a finger over the map. "It may be far, but it's a fairly straight line to the forest. Besides the desert there of course. We can go through the Death Sands if you really want to, but I suggest we go around. Do yo agree?" He actually surprised himself by asking her opinion. Lillian was just an uneducated thief in his opinion so what should she know about planning.
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Lillian finished half of her soup and the chunk of bread she had before answering. Her hunger quelled for now she answered the prince's question somewhat surprised he had asked her opinion. "Best to go around when going to the place. But afterward we might need a safer return and the Death Sands would be best. Nobody goes there without a good reason," She looked at the prince, "And running away from the enemy is good enough one for me. We are traveling to a borderline. We'd be in the other kingdom at that place."
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Jonathan nodded, calmly eating his food. "Yes, but hopefully we can be discrete enough in our travels that we won't need to be running away. That's half the reason of bringing a thief like you along. No one can know that we are taking the jewel or everyone will fight us for it."
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Lillian replied, "If we go on the main road there will be suspicions at one point." She was a thief yes. But a good thief planned ahead for possible mishaps. Yes she had gotten unlucky when she was caught but now she knew better. When this quest was over she wouldn't get caught again. "Aren't people already looking for this jewel?"
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"Right. others may be looking for the jewel, but our kingdom has a head start, and more research and power. So hopefully we won't have to fight others over the jewel. If we can get it before anyone else, then they can't possibly defeat us with the power it holds" Jonathan said. "If it truly has the power, then the kingdom's enemies will fall at our feet!"
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"What if it doesn't have that power?" Lillian asked. Jonathan seemed to be on a high horse and needed to be pushed on the ground the way she saw it. "Not all legends are true." She finished her food and drink feeling refreshed and ready to head out.
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Jonathan rested his elbows on the table and hung his head. "Yeah, I know. I definatly didn't beleive in the legend at first, but I'm startin to think this one might be true." He sighed as he finished the last of his food. "I suppose we'll just have to find out. So we should get going again."
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Lillian felt somewhat sorry for her comment when Jonathan sighed. "Right then," she got up and waited for the others to follow suit. She couldn't quite go off on her own just yet. Trust was an issue and she was patient enough to get it. Only a few bold moves here and there and at one point she'd be able to lead the group. She figured the prince had never left his quarters in his life and knew almost nothing of the land. All he had was a map. And a rather poor one at that. It wasn't new enough to point out certain landmarks. At the next place she'd look around for a map. Right now it wasn't too important as she needed one that would have a good plot of the Death Sands. "Back to the horses?"
((going to bed now)) |
Jonathan nodded and moved to the door. He called to the stable hand and soon they had their horses. "Can you mount on your own this time?" he asked Lillian. He was actually surprised that he didn't feel so bothered this time to help. It felt kind of nice to lend a hand, something he'd never really had a chance to do before. It just wasn't something he'd been raised to do.
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Lillian followed Jonathan out the door and waited for the horses with him. When he asked if she needed help she was somewhat surprised. Looking at the horse she answered his question with a yes. "If you don't mind. I mean you could have one of your soldiers help me." She had wondered why he hadn't though of that before. I mean Jonathan was a prince.
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"Nah," Jonathan said, helping Lillian onto the horse. "My new goal in life is to be self-suficient. Anyways, these soldiers are sour and don't like to help even if I ask them to," he said, sending his annoying soldiers a glare. Shaking his head, he swung up onto his horse.
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Lillian was surprised at his answer. Even if the soldiers didn't want to they had to follow Jonathan's orders no matter what. "Maybe this quest won't be so long after all," she told herself as Jonathan helped her onto the horse.
The group then set off to the next town which was a little over half a day of riding. It would be past nightfall by the time they got there. After the rest they would take at the inn Lillian would make sure she would get the prince some 'better' clothes. He needed to fit into the crowd. |
The entire group was tired when they finally got to the town. They left the horses and Jonathan led the way into an inn, paying for a nights stay. "We'll start early tomorrow and shop for supplies before heading out. In a few days, the distance between towns will be longer, so lets get our sleep now."
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Lillian nodded and headed towards the rooms. She was rather tired and sore from the ride. And she did not feel like conversing right this minute. She would eat in the morning instead of now. She wondered why Jonathan couldn't just stop at times and sleep in the forest while they continued their quest. It wasn't a big deal. She used to do it all the time.
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Jonathan went to his room and fell asleep easily, thinking even in his dreams about this mission and the legend.
In the morning he awoke and dressed quickly before moving downstairs to the inn's lobby. He would leave it to his soldiers to wake themselves up and Lillian, since it was barely down now. Being alone now, he could think easily as he sat at a table and surveyed the room. Only a few other travelers moved about the inn and he knew that as they approached the borders, he wouldn't be able to take advantages of inns as much. Being in enemy territory, especially him being a prince would be a tricky buisness. Not that he intended to tell anybody who he was. |
Lillian had curled up into the bed sheets. She had no trouble falling asleep after her stay in the prison. Sheets were a luxury to her.
The sun woke Lillian up in the morning and she sat up in her bed. "Time to go eat," she said cheerfully. She opened her door and saw a soldier in front of it. He was sleeping and hadn't woken up when she went through the doorway. "Good grief," a drunk could pass him and he wouldn't wake up," she commented to herself. Lillian made her way down the stairs and saw that the prince was already up. She went over to the counter and asked for two bowls of soup to be delivered to the table where Jonathan was sitting. Then she casually went over and sat herself down across from him. "Early riser?" She asked. |
((ooh! I like your avi!!))
Jonathan looked up as Lillian sat down. "Yeah," he said. "Just thinking about what we have to do next." Leaning back in his chair, he somewhat smiled at her. "I would've thought you would still be sleeping, seeing as how tiring horse riding can be when you're not used to it. And your stay in the dungeon on top of that." |
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