Tales of the Pearly Kingdom (Pearly Tales Vol. 2)

160. Not a Nature Walk

Clera looked at him, simply befuddled by the man and then for the first time in longer than she dared remember, she couldn't help but laugh at his silly remark. It was a full laugh, one that almost came off as a cackle. She had to cover he mouth from the indignity of it, but couldn't hold it in.

It was so out of character that the soldiers didn't even know how to react. Their leader was perpetually composed. She wasn't stiff as much as she was the picture of elegance. They were familiar with her giggle, or her tittering at humorous occasion of joke. But they'd never heard her laugh to the point her natural cackle came out.

However, it didn't last long, and instead of shaming herself with some excuse she merely wiped the tear from her eye. Then she used the impossibly sharp blade to slice the tapped bottleneck from the glass bottle. She freed the note from the bottle and tossed the debris to Hans who caught it as if it were the most natural thing.

"That was very amusing, but I am not so dainty as a princess. Although I wouldn't call any of the high elves truly dainty. Sir Laust, I am from the City of Peril, a city that wouldn't have survived if not every citizen was a warrior. Queen Shayley rules the people with a sword in her hand, but I lead her armies." When Laust's face became even more pale Clera tittered an amused half-giggle.

"'Nature walk' my ass, just what did you get me wrapped up in, Cal?" Laust said to himself as ran his hand through his short black hair to wipe out the dirt and foliage.

"Come." Clera beckoned. "You shall alleviate my boredom, we also have much to discuss about your role in the coming war."

"War!" Laust jumped to his feet. "I'm just a professional tourist! I'm not here to jump into battle."

Clera disappeared into her tent and Laust chased after her. But he lost his train of thought once he was inside. It was fairly luxurious for a tent. A table and chairs were set up in the center that seemed to be growing out of the ground itself. There was a bed in the corner partially obscured by a flap of fabric. It was raised up with green moss and covered with a folded linen blanket. Flecks of gold magic floated like pollen that was unaffected by gravity.

"Yo. There was nothing like this in the game." Laust gapped.

"Two hundred and fifty years is a long time. Elven magic and technology have come a long way from what you may have had experience with. High Elf magic anyway." Clera took a seat at the far end of the table. "you may have a seat anywhere you...like..." she noticed Laust was already lost. He was too busy trying to touch one of the flecks of magic or poking and prodding something else. "You are a curious one, aren't you?" Clera mused. But Laust didn't hear her.

She opened the contents of the letter, unsure of what to expect.

*

Clera,

This is Endalaust. He's a good man and you can trust him to have your back. He doesn't have a deceitful bone in his body but that doesn't mean people can't change for the better or for the worse when war breaks out. Despite appearances, he is a very capable warrior. However, he will often call himself a professional tourist. He's been all over the world and discovered nooks and crannies even I haven't been about to rediscover.

This is why I am sending him with you. Although his experiences are from ages past, he has a wealth of experience traveling that can and will aid you if applied properly. About the only place he hasn't familiarized himself with is our neck of the words so, there is the chance that he will be distracted by every shiny thing he comes across. Either way, he possesses a rare gift when it comes to people, you'll know what I'm talking about with time.