Chapter 4: Bridgecross: The City of New Beginnings
After walking for nearly two days stopping only to sleep, Tiafell found a large tree with plenty of shade. He sat down to rest and removed his hood, he had pulled it over his head to shield himself from the harsh sunlight and heat. Having lived his entire life in a dense forest, this was more than he accounted for
He was determined to reach Bridgecross, but how? He did not know how far away he was or if he was still going in the right direction, the sign he saw before was the only one he had seen. To make matters worse, he drank the last of the water he got from a creek the day before. He leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes to take a nap, at least it was cool in the shade and there was a breeze.
A little later, he was awakened by an unfamiliar sound. It was a carriage being pulled by two horses steered by a middle-aged woman at the reigns. What a sight, Tiafell had only ever read about this before. There was no need for horse-drawn carriages in the forest, but out here, they were necessary for travel and trade. The woman saw him and stopped the carriage. He quickly pulled his hood back over his head.
"Good afternoon, stranger. You look quite tired, would you like a ride into town? Bridgecross is still a few miles away" she informed him.
"Oh yes, I was heading there actually. Thank you so much!" Tiafell answered as he stood up.
He looked at the woman as he walked toward the carriage. "So, this is a human" he thought to himself. She looked very similar to an elf, only with smaller and rounder ears, not long and pointed like his. He climbed into the carriage and sat next to her. She whipped the reigns, causing the horses to begin moving again.
"So, what is a pretty young lady like yourself doing way out here?" she asked. Tiafell was about to correct her and inform her that he was male but decided against it. He knew that this would be the first of many times this would happen. Correcting everyone would be tiresome.
"I just came out of the forest, I heard they had some unique berries there" he told her.
"I see. They say that elves live in that forest. Do you think it's true?"
"It's possible" Tiafell chuckled, not revealing the fact that he was an elf to her, keeping his hood over his head. "Do you have any water by chance?"
"Oh yes, dear, help yourself!" the woman reached back and handed him a canteen. "Can't have too much water out here."
"Thank you very much!" Tiafell eagerly thanked her before taking it and chugging the water inside.
"Oh my, did you run out?"
Tiafell stopped. "Yeah, I didn't bring enough with me."
"Like I said, you can't bring too much water out here. Be more careful next time!" she scolded him.
"Yes ma'am" he answered. He could sense the woman's concern in her mini lecture.
Eventually, the carriage crossed a large cobblestone bridge built over a river and entered the city, Tiafell was amazed beyond words, this city was something to see. Large buildings made of stone and wood all over the place, almost all of them were larger than most of the structures in Elfandall. The streets were made with stone and dirt packed tightly together and lined with what looked like lanterns mounted on top of large poles. The elves used large torches to illuminate the village at night, he wondered how this would compare. There were many bridges throughout the city, it wasn't called the "City of Bridges" for nothing. It seemed as though the river divided the city into two halves.
Crowds of humans of all ages filled the town, children playing with their parents having to reign them in, other adults having spirited conversations, elderly folks sitting on benches talking about "the good ol' days". The sound of their collective talking was overwhelming, elves spoke while walking around but humans were much louder and livelier. Tiafell's sensitive ears would need time to adjust, but this small discomfort was barely an inconvenience.
"Here we are, Bridgecross!" the woman announced as she stopped the carriage.
Tiafell climbed out of the carriage onto the ground. "Thank you very much for the lift!" he said as he bowed his head lightly. They waved at each other and then the woman went on her way. He was now on his own in this loud, busy town. He kept his hood up as he explored his new surroundings, not knowing how humans would react to seeing an elf.
His stomach growled; all he had eaten since leaving the forest was a few berries and some small game he hunted. He came across one of the town's many restaurants, the smell coming from inside was especially enticing. He wanted to save as much of his gold as he could, but he was starving, so he decided to enter.
After enjoying his first new meal, he left the restaurant sometime later, feeling full and content. The meat and vegetables he had were delicious, he looked forward to having that "beef" meat again. His hunger satisfied, he decided to do a bit of window shopping. He walked by several shops, looking at various trinkets that were for sale. Everything was so well made and new, he wanted to buy every item he saw but he lacked the gold to his dismay.
One shop caught his attention more than the others, it was called "FuQ Yourself". Curious, Tiafell went inside. His mind was blown, this store had all kinds of sex toys, many of which he could not understand how to use. He came across a shelf that had phallic shaped objects; these he knew exactly how to use. A glass object caught his eye among these. It was 8 inches long with a bulbous tip and a ribbed shaft. It also had a flat bottom and something made of a softer material beneath it. He picked it up and examined it, also looking at the price. He could afford it though it meant spending more of his already scarce gold, but he couldn't leave the establishment without this object. He brought it to the shop keep.
"Hello young lady, that is a nice choice! I have one just like it, it's so hard and smooth, it slides in and out easy!"
"Oh? Then I surely look forward to trying it out" Tiafell responded, blushing a bit. "If I may ask, what is this under it?" He asked, referring to the softer material.
"Oh that? If you press it down on a flat smooth surface, it sticks to it!" The shop keep demonstrates by pressing it down against the counter. The object was firmly secured to the surface.
"This makes makes it easier to ride it hands free!" she excitedly informed him. "And then you pull this small tab to remove it." She shows him by pulling said tab, the material releasing its grip on the counter.
"Oh I see!" Tiafell was amazed, not only by the genius of the design, but also by the naughty thoughts of having the object inside of him. He gave the shop keep the gold required. After placing the gold in a bag, she wrapped the glass object in thick layers of cloth and gave it back to him.
"Thank you, young lady, have a good night!' she said, winking at him. Tiafell waved at her with an awkward smile and left. The sun was setting and it was already quite dark. The lanterns emitted a small but very bright light from inside them, lighting up the town almost as if it was still midday. He marveled at the sight but realized he would need to find an inn for the night, which meant spending even more gold.