A Great Day in Moran

"Are we there yet?"

"Not yet, mistress."

...

"Are we there yet?"

"Again, no."

...

...

"Are we there yet?"

"Mistress!"

"Urgh, I'm so bored." Evelyn threw her hands up, while Amber sighed in frustration. They had been sitting in the carriage for the past 3 hours.

"Are you ladies all right back there?" Rega asked through the front window. He and Miklas were riding in front, with Miklas holding the reins. He heard something like a mix between a cuss and a groan. "We're almost there, mistress," said Rega and he shut the window.

Miklas had been concerned about Evelyn's annoyance at the long journey, but Rega brushed him off. "It's just a few hours. She had worse," was his reply. Miklas said nothing at that. It seemed this wasn't the first time mistress ran out of patience. None of the men shared Evelyn's boredom, since Miklas had to pay attention to the road, and Rega had a bottle to keep good company. Too bad the same can't be said about Amber's.

Half an hour later, they arrive at the duke's main gate. The path leading from the gate to the mansion's entrance was lavishly decorated with colorful flower beds, trimmed bushes, and marble statues, things that Evelyn's palace sorely lacked.

"Look like he kept the place just as it was. The garden, the statues, even the fountains. I didn't realize he likes human's taste in decoration," Evelyn remarked as she stepped out of the carriage.

"He enjoyed opulence, and you have to admit, we Terravi have much to learn from humans when it comes to

décor

," Rega said.

"Yeah, yeah, stone skulls and spikes went out of fashion a long time ago."

"Your father worked hard to phase out that garish taste of our people."

"And what did he pave the road with? Gravel?"

"Pebble, my mistress. Suitable for horses and carriage."

"Looks nice. Kinda like how in the old Terrava they used crushed bones of your enemies. The crunch feels really good."

"I'm glad we stop doing that. Non-Terravis don't like that too much."

"Look at that! He even has his own honor guards. Why don't we have those?"

"We have orcs, mistress. They and honor don't go together. And we can't afford to dress our soldiers in that much gold and silk."

"Urgh."

A thin and tall man came down the stairs with a pair of guards accompanied him. His richly embroidered robe and his haughty manner of walking left no doubt of who the man was. He greeted Evelyn and led her in. Behind them, Miklas helped Amber out of the carriage and walked with her behind Evelyn. They drew special attention from the guards. All of them stared intensely at Miklas, who was wearing his 'uniform': a tightly packed loincloth, an oversize halberd on his back, and nothing else. Amber was shocked when she first saw him walked with that thing. It must have weighed a ton, yet Miklas was completely unfazed carrying it on his back. He's super strong. It was having the intended effect, as some Terravi guards stepped away from Miklas when the buff giant man came near them. Their faces were a mix of shock and awe.

"Is that the duke?" Miklas quietly asked Amber.

"Yep, that's him. You can tell by his nose. You can cut diamond with a nose that pointy."

Miklas sniggered under his mask. Then he looked to the left and saw a marble statue of the duke.

"What is that name carved under the statue? 'Great Lord R-I-S-I-N-G-R'?

"Pronounced Rai-sen-gard. Ancient spelling."

"Oh right."

In front of them, the duke led Evelyn into the main hall. Just like the man, the place was exquisitely decorated, so much so that mere words failed to describe it. Therefore, one shouldn't be bothered.

"Welcome to my humble abode, lady Evelyn," the duke spoke coolly. His voice's as smooth as the marble floor.

"Right. If this place is humble, then mine is a mud hut holding together by twigs," she joked.

"I'm sure you have the most decent mud and twigs in the whole kingdom," he replied dryly.

Evelyn forced herself to put on a diplomatic smile.

"Ahem. Duke Risingr, I'm here to discuss business with you. May we meet in private?"

"Of course. And your retinue can rest in the guest suite." He gestured to a guard behind him. The man bowed respectfully and led Rega, Miklas, and Amber down another hallway.

Shortly afterward, Risingr and Evelyn arrived at an empty gallery. He invited her to sit down on a wooden bench, then he sat opposite to her.

"I must say, Risingr, you did a wonderful job to this place. Wait, are those naked people?" Evelyn asked, pointed to some paintings behind Risingr. He turned around to look. The paintings depicted nude humans frolicking in natural settings.

"Yes, for some reasons, human taste in art is preoccupied with anatomy. I can't put my finger on it. But I have been assured that these," he waved his hand vaguely at the paintings, "are sophisticated somehow. If your father were alive, maybe he could tell us. They cost a lot of money. That's good enough for me."

"I see you have embraced the human way of living, huh? I didn't see many traces of Terravi culture around here. Your guards adopted the human dress, and even you did."

"All just appearances, Evelyn. My blood is just as red as your skin. I assure you I still keep some lizard bone charms around here. The humans are less nervous when you dress like them, especially when you don't look like them."

"Good point. So, let's get to business. As I have mentioned in my letter to you beforehand," Evelyn started. She had memorized a sale pitch prepared by Rega.

"Yes, you want money. For your mines?"

"Correct. I know you are a businessman, and this is an excellent business opportunity for you. As you know, Moran has—"

"Evelyn, I can give you the money," Risingr said quickly.

Evelyn was slightly taken aback by his swift decision, but she showed no sign of it. She fast-forwarded her speech to the 'grateful smile'. "Excellent. I know you won't turn down a good deal when you see one."

He didn't return her smile. Instead, he stood up. His face was solemn.

What this dried-up skeleton wants now,

Evelyn thought

.

"I'm glad that's out of the way. I have something more important to ask you. Tell me, Evelyn, have you heard of the news from the capital? Anything related to our beloved king?"

The swift change of subject surprised Evelyn. "The...king?" she stammered before saying no. "Do you?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. Whispers in the winds. From my crows among the king's court. So nothing concrete yet. But this

news

," he clenched his fist and strode forcefully around Evelyn, "it is of the most outrageous nature, the kind that makes your skin crawl and your blood boil."

"That sounds serious," Evelyn said. His melodramatic manners amused rather than convinced her to be sympathetic to him, but she played the part of an intrigued guest.

Risingr stopped strolling about and walked to the window. He stood still and stare out of it, his hands behind his back. Evelyn couldn't help but rolled her eyes.

"Pray tell, Risingr. Speak to me. What news could upset you so?" Evelyn played along.

"The king intends to marry."

That was anticlimactic,

she thought

.

"What? That's good news. Who's the lucky girl?"

He turned around and stared at Evelyn. "I'm not finished. She's a human girl."

This bit of information had the intended effect on Evelyn. "WHAT? A

human

girl? Is he out of his mind?"

"I'm shocked too. But it could likely be true. Those who are near to him say that he believes a marriage with a human girl will endear him to his human subjects."

"But what about us? The ones that matter!" Evelyn raised her fist. "How could he do this? Did he forget that he's a Terravi? To stoop this low? Marrying a human? He's trampling on our ancient tradition."

Risingr walked back to his chair. "Reports show that he's genuinely interested in this girl. Whoever she is. It is clear to me that the king has been too cozy with the humans. First, he gave the order to stop us from exacting our authority on them, and now this. While I merely adopt their dresses for appearances, he decides to marry one of them. This is out of the line. He must be

stopped

." He banged his fist on the bench.

"Indeed. But what are you going to do about it?"

"Our peers will look to me to respond once this news becomes public since I'm the head of the most illustrious and ancient house in Terrava. And respond I will. And I need your help, Evelyn."

Evelyn blinked several times. "Me? What can I do? Wait. No. you can't be serious!"

For the first time that day, Risingr laughed. He held his chest as he contained his laughter.

"Gods no. My dear Evelyn. The king is ten years your junior. That just... No. It's entirely different. I need the Hiss."

*-*

Outside of the guest suite, Miklas and Amber were taking a stroll on the lawn. Many varieties of flowers and plants adorned the gravel path. Amber recognized some of them like carnation, lavender and daisy. If only she had enough money to build the same garden in Naiva.

"It's so beautiful here. I've never seen an estate this big, even in the capital," Miklas remarked. He kept turning his head back and forth to take in as much of the scenery as possible.

"It's a perk of the countryside. You can build mansions as big as you like. There's a lot of nature to enjoy too. You can take off that mask, big guy. There's nobody here."

He glanced around to make sure the lawn was empty before removing the mask.

"The mistress was wise to make me wear this, so no one saw how nervous I am. I swear the guards keep looking at me." He looked at himself. Amber took the opportunity to admire his hard muscles again, from his pronounced pecs to his cut abs, to his juicy beefy thighs. His fit body seemed to glisten under the sunlight.

"Well of course, it's their job after all. Don't worry, you look great, big guy," Amber reassured him with a pat on the forearm.

"Ah, thanks, Amber. I feel so out of place. The guards around here are armed to the teeth, and I have only this loincloth and a ceremonial halberd," he said. When he mentioned his sole item of clothing, Amber involuntarily looked at the bulge at his crotch for a split second before ripping her eyes off of Miklas. She hurriedly pointed to a bench so they could sit down.

"I know how it feels to be out of place," she said, looking at the sky. "I'm an elf girl, living in a human land, ruled by a Terravi. You'll get used to it."

"Hmm. Come to think of it, I haven't seen any other high elf before you. How come you're here?" he asked.

"It's a long story, you sure you want to hear it?"

"Oh come on, tell me. You know my story already."

Amber was touched by his genuine curiosity. She sat back on the seat and began her tale.

Amber hailed from a city in the Skyborn Plateau, the homeland of the high elves. High elves were a race of scholarly people, and they were into all things learning. Their main occupation included observing the stars through their sophisticated telescopes and writing down everything they learned in thick tomes. Amber's family was no different, her parents were librarians in the city's Grand Library. After graduating from the city's top college, Amber was naturally presented with the prospect of following in her parents' footsteps.

Yet, visions of spending the rest of her days looking after the city's innumerable old tomes terrified the young elf. And when one day, her parents approach the subject of marriage, with the suitor being another librarian, Amber had enough. She ran away from home, hitchhiking with a band of traders. She traveled the lands, worked on many odd jobs for a couple of years before settling down doing bookkeeping for Terravi traders. Her skills with numbers caught the eyes of Terrava's chancellor—Evelyn's father—and she was hired by him. Amber got to know Evelyn too. When Evelyn's father suddenly died of illness, she inherited her father's endowment, along with his trusty elf advisor.

"I knew Evelyn for a few years before her father died, therefore she trusted me with running the day-to-day operations at Moran. It was a big ask. But mistress knew no one else who could help, so I agreed. It was tough, as you can see," Amber paused. Her eyes stared into the distance as she reminisced.

"Was it shocking? To be an unexpected steward of a province?" Miklas asked.

"I sort of knew that I could get a big job. Evelyn's father was the most important man in the whole of Terrava, his contribution was so great that he was promised a duchy as a reward for his service. But his sudden death before that happened meant Evelyn got it instead. And she was not ready."

Neither of them said anything. Amber inhaled sharply and turned to Miklas.

"Now you know my story too. Not too boring, I hope."

"What? No! Your life is awesome. You came from a runaway girl to a steward of an entire land. That's really impressive," he said. "You're still so young, yet your life is already fascinating."

"Oh, um, thanks." Amber blushed at his compliment. She twiddled her thumbs, feeling his admiring gaze on her face. Then she stood up.

"It's almost lunchtime, we should be back," Amber said.

"Do you miss your parents?" Miklas asked on the way back.

"I do. They're not bad people, just...boring. I know they still live in my hometown. A few years ago, I sent a letter letting them know that I'm fine. They don't know where I am so they can't reply, and that's fine by me."

"Compare to you, I'm as boring as it gets. My family is happy and well off, my dad is a famed charioteer. He broke his leg years ago and retired, but his active spirit lived on. He wanted me to be a sportsman, just not a charioteer like him. So I trained in sports," he said, then he turned to her and gave her one of his magnetic smiles. "Similar to you, I grew bored with my home, and the adventure spirit got to me. That's why I'm here."

"I know." She returned his smile and patted him on the forearm. "A big guy like you can't stay put for long. I'm glad you're here, Miklas. I finally met someone that's like me."

"It's hard not to, you're very likable, Amber."

"Um, I mean, be in the same situation as me," Amber quickly added. "Yo-you know?"

"Oh, right," he said, scratching his head.

They didn't talk much after that except about the weather.

*-*

It was after lunchtime when Rega and Amber came to meet Evelyn in the guest suite. The chancellor saw the pensiveness on Evelyn's face and asked, "Is everything alright, mistress? You look worried. Did he say no?"

"No, it's not that. Sit down you two. I have big news to tell you." She waited till her advisors had sat down. "Things just suddenly got complicated," Evelyn spoke in a hushed tone.

"Oh gods, please don't tell me he wants sexual favors," Amber said with dread.

"What? No," Evelyn exclaimed exasperatedly. "As if. He could only dream to touch

this

," she made a waving gesture at her body. Rega looked downward and rubbed his forehead while Amber sighed in relief.

"No, I got the money. But there's something else..." She then told them about the plot.

"But isn't that rebellion," Amber gasped, which caused Evelyn to shush her.

"No, not legally. He intends to invoke the Challenger Rule to force the king to abdicate at the next Lord's Assembly."

"That's mere months away! How is he going to convince half of the lords to back him up in such a short time? It's impossible," Rega said.

"Well, that's what I told him. But he's confident that the other lords will back him up since a marriage like this will cause discontent."

"What evidence does he has then? He had only rumors. He said it himself."

"And that's where I come in. He wants me to find evidence by using...the Hiss," Evelyn whispered.

Amber and Rega both grimaced when they heard the name.

"Ar-are you sure about this? By asking Hiss to help, you owe him a 'favor'," Amber said. When she said 'favor', it was Evelyn's turn to grimace.

"I know, I know. But he promised me the chancellorship, like my father. I will be the second most powerful person in the kingdom."

"Mistress, think very carefully about this," Amber said slowly. "First of all, you are asking the Hiss for a favor. Who knows what he will ask in return? What if you can't pay him back. Do you know what happened to the last person who cheated him?"

"No, what happened?"

"Exactly! That never happens."

Evelyn scratched her head and groaned. "I know, but this is too good to pass up. Do you know what this means? It means I have the chance to actually earn something for myself, and not a hand-me-down like damned Moran. I want some respect, damn it."

Evelyn paused, then she turned around, probably realized that she had said too much. The other two said nothing.

"Anyway, I've already accepted the offer," she said and turned to face her two advisors. "No. Stop. Don't yell at me. I had enough. This discussion ends here. I'd really appreciate it had you two were more supportive of me," she said quickly without letting either talked and walked out of the room. She slammed the door shut behind her.

Amber covered her face with her hands and groaned. "She had serious daddy issues."

Rega just sighed and nodded. "Tell me about it. She kept saying 'You're not my dad' when I told her not to mock the peasants when we travel. I need a drink." He stood up and left the room too.

Amber sat alone for a few seconds before the door creaked open again. She saw Miklas peeked his head in.

"Is everything all right? I saw mistress and Rega left. They didn't look happy."

Amber sighed and invited Miklas in. He walked in, closed the door behind him, and laid the halberd by the door. Amber slumped down onto the couch, she grabbed one of the pillows and screamed into it while Miklas sat down next to her and take the mask off.

"What's wrong? Can you tell me?" Miklas asked tentatively. Amber removed her face from the pillow.

"We had an argument. The mistress is being...difficult. Again. She's plunged herself into a potential mess," Amber huffed, and without realizing it, leaned her head on Miklas's shoulder. When she did realize, Amber froze and didn't know whether to un-lean her head or not. She decided not to since he didn't comment on it.

"Is she always being difficult?" Miklas asked gently.

"Constantly!"

"I'm sorry to hear that. You've dealt with her problems before, right?"

Amber mulled. "Yes, that's true. But this one is a real headache. Make the wrong move and I might not have a head to ache."

"That sounds serious. But surely you can solve this mess?"

"I don't knowwww, Miklas," she moaned, and she realized too late again that she sounded like a whiny baby. In any normal circumstances, she would shrink from shame for whining like that in front of somebody. But with Miklas, it felt...right, like she could talk with him about anything.

"I don't believe for a second that you cannot deal with this. You are Amber, stewardess of Moran," he turned to face her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Think of what you've overcome to get where you are today. What's with another one?"

His encouragement put a smile on her face. "Thank you for cheering me up big guy. I'm so glad you're here," Amber said, looking up at him gratefully. He smiled back at her. The same winsome smile that caused her heart to skip a beat.

"Can you give me a hug?" she asked softly, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Instead of replying, Miklas simply spread his free arm opened. Amber dived into those big, firm, pillow-size pecs, and she was rewarded with encouraging pats on the back. Because Miklas pulled her into the hug, Amber incidentally placed her hand on his abdomen, and she couldn't resist rubbing her hand gently on those 6 packs of well-cut muscles. They felt so good to touch.

His whole body

felt so good to touch.