Farris thought his disguise was pretty good. Though he was still dressed quite lavishly underneath, he had on a large, ratty brown cloak that hid his attire. He had the hood drawn up to hide most of his face, but had Eris smear some dirt on it just in case.
At most, he looked like a weary traveller walking through the village to restock his essentials before continuing onwards to his next adventure.
I wish.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and kept walking through the crowd of people rushing to get their shopping done in the morning market. Looking back, Farris had never been to the village before. Is this what every day looked like? It was a bit noisy and people kept bumping into him, but he didn't mind it too much. He looked up at the not-so-distant castle that was looming high above the village, like some sort of barrier from the evil that lurks outside.
Farris supposes that that is indeed the case. After all, his father always said that the people are the kingdom and it exists only to protect them. Father said it was his mother's favourite phrase and it became the pillar that held up our kingdom. Farris thought it was rather silly. Of course the people make up the kingdom, wasn't that obvious?
"Excuse me, sir. You, sir in the brown cloak with the hood up!" Farris's eyes were the widest it had ever been as he turned to his left, where a young lady in the lightest pink dress he's ever seen, was waving him over. He panicked for a split second before realising nobody would recognise him here. After all, he hasn't left the comforts, (or confines if you really thought about it), of his home for many years. Farris determined that she wasn't the person he was looking for, but it wouldn't hurt to mingle. Maybe he could even get her to point him in the right direction?
"Yes, how may I help you?"
The girl looked at him in shock for a moment before bursting into giggles that reminded him of the wind chime he hung on the door to his balcony. He couldn't help but smile in return, though he knew he was being laughed at.
"You may help me by taking a look at my stall and picking something that fancies you!" She chirped, eyes still curving in residual amusement.
Ah.
Farris understood and pretended to seriously look at the goods presented. To his surprise, it was a small jewellery stand. He had quite a lot in his collection already and all far more exquisitely made than what he was looking at. However, a pair of golden brown teardrop earrings caught his eye. It was by far the best made jewellery on display. She quickly caught on and worked hard to convince him, though his heart was already set on getting it.
"You have an exquisite taste, sir! They match the shade of your eyes and will compliment you perfectly! At first glance it looks brown but with the light hitting it just right, it turns into a brilliant shade of gold. Oh, it'll simply break my heart if you don't get it! I'll give you a discount, it's only 2 silver leaves!"
Two silver leaves for a pair of earrings? Farris was sure this is how much it costs to hire a room in a favourable inn.
Farris sighed and took a step back, planning to rummage through the sack slung over his shoulder when the girl quickly exclaimed, fearing a lost customer.
"One silver leaf! Good sir, I'll sell it to you for one silver leaf!"
Farris was taken aback and quickly nodded, handing over the single silver leaf. The girl smiled brightly and quickly wrapped the earrings in a cotton cloth before giving the small bundle to Farris. He happily accepted it and put it away, getting ready to continue on his journey when he realised his mistake. Maybe this is why his father forbade him from leaving their home. He was too easily distracted! But it wasn't his fault. There were too many things to see and do out here!
He hesitated, glancing at the girl who was happily stuffing her newly-acquired silver leaf into a cloth bag and humming to herself. She looked up and was surprised to see him still standing there.
"Can I help you with anything else, sir?"
Farris thought about it for a moment and decided to take the plunge. He needed to complete his mission before his borrowed time ran out.
"I was just wondering if you knew anyone here who... provided special services?" Farris winced, hating how ambiguous he sounded, but having difficulty saying it outright.
The girl narrowed her round blue eyes at him and pursed her lips.
"Just what kind of service are you looking for?" Farris had a feeling something was wrong with the way the girl was now glaring at him. He rushed to explain, fearing he was found out already.
"I picked up a small device with a complex lock on it and need someone to open it so I can sell it for some money." That sounded right enough.
"Oh," The girl's features immediately softened, though still regarding him with no small amount of wariness. "I can point you to the best one in town but I can't promise you he will tend to you."
"That's alright, I'll take my chances!"
She was silent for a moment, making Farris antsy, before he came to a sudden realisation and dug into his sack for another silver leaf. He placed it on the table between them and smiled, causing her to break out of her trance and quickly take the leaf. She cleared her throat and smiled back, giving him proper directions.
"He's quite a bit away from the town square as he prefers privacy. He does his business from his home and it's the one with the red roof on it. Just follow this path until you reach the main square and turn left. Keep walking until you find his roof. Good luck!"
Farris thanked her and added another silver leaf for her trouble and rushed to find this mystery man.
She looked at the silver leaves in her hands and sighed softly, genuinely wishing the young man some luck.
***
Farris was taking in huge mouthfuls of air by the time he saw a bright red roof peeking up at him from a few feet away. He immediately paused in his steps, straightening out his clothes and fixing his hair. He took this time to regulate his breathing before he walked up to the closed door. There were no signs painted on it, nor were there any other indication that a business was run at this establishment. Farris hesitated for a moment before lifting his hand, ready to knock on the door and try his luck.
Unexpectedly, the door flung open just when his fist was about to land on the door, causing it to land on soft flesh instead.
Farris froze, looking up at a pair of unique, jade green eyes. But that's not what surprised him. He stared intently at those eyes and watched as the inner corner dipped low. He followed it to the other end and was shocked to see this corner reaching up, as though seeking the light of the sun.
Phoenix eyes.
This was the person he was looking for!
Suddenly, the eyes narrowed. Farris shivered noticing that one eye was a little paler than the other one, looking almost grey in colour. Three long slashes marred an otherwise handsome face. They were packed quite closely together and started from the top of his left forehead down to his cheek. Farris wondered if he could still see from his left eye. The man's eyes narrowed further, looking at Farris through small slits.
The man abruptly pushed off Farris's hand that was still resting on his nose. Farris couldn't help the heat that rose on his cheeks. He was formulating his apology in his mind when the man shoved Farris out of the way with his shoulder and walked past him, his black cloak swaying behind him, the ends torn and shredded at some parts, acting as a warning for Farris to stay away. Blinking in shock, Farris quickly turned around and followed the man. He was a head taller than Farris and was walking in long strides, forcing Farris to jog to keep up.
"Excuse me, sir. I'm very sorry for accidentally hitting you back there. I was wondering if I could have your help with something?"
Silence.
"Rest assured, you will be paid fairly for your work. I was told that you're the person to go to if one was looking for... special services? How does one gold leaf sound?"
Farris looked expectantly at the man next to him, but it was as though Farris hadn't spoken. The man didn't even spare him a glance. Farris's forehead wrinkled.
"Alright, how about two gold leaves?" The man's hands tightened around the strap of his small cloth bag. "Three? I can do three!"
The man turned to stare at Farris impassively, still not slowing down his movements. Farris looked up at him, his cheeks now cherry red in exhaustion as he panted harshly.
"Sir?" He looked up with hope-filled eyes, causing the corner of the man's lips to twitch, before he looked away, ignoring Farris once more. Farris was about to try again, his frown deepening, when he noticed a flash of silver out of the corner of his eyes.
If it was any other time and he was anyone else, he would've disregarded it. But that wasn't the case now, was it? At last, his time had run out.
He quickly fished the spherical object from his sack and stuffed it into the man's cloth bag, causing him to stop walking abruptly.
"I'll come collect it three months from now. I'll bring you four gold leaves! If you can't make heads or tails of it, that's fine too, but something tells me you won't have too much trouble." Giving the stone-faced man a small smirk, he hugged his cloak close to his body and broke out in a run.
"Sir, stop right there!"
Sure enough, he heard the sounds of pursuit along with the familiar voice of his bodyguard whom he knew he could not fool for long.
Farris knew Braeden was deliberately slowing down so that he wasn't captured in the main square and, god forbid, accidentally have his identity revealed, so he went along with the plan and kept running until he was closer to the path back to his home and further from the shocked townspeople watching the display.
He crouched, holding on to his knees as he tried to catch his breath.
"Your Highness..." Braeden sounded tired. "There's a carriage waiting for you a few minutes' walk from here. Please hurry."
Farris noticed his wording immediately. He angled his body enough to block Braeden's view when he shoved the artifact into the man's bag. There's no way he would've seen it, but there was no mistaking the man himself. If he let Braeden go, he will surely interrogate the man which Farris wanted to avoid at all cost.
So, he fainted.
"Your Highness..." Braeden sounded like he was seconds from quitting his job as his royal guard. Without wasting any more time, Braeden picked Farris up from the ground and walked towards the carriage. "I hope you'll forgive my impropriety."
Farris was silent, playing his part well even if he was fooling nobody.
When he felt Braeden move to leave after laying him down in the carriage, Farris quickly opened his eyes and grabbed onto his arm.
"Braeden? I feel a little ill." Braeden paused, one leg already out of the carriage. The hold on his arm wasn't particularly strong but he knew better than to shrug it off. Gritting his teeth, he sat inside the carriage, knocking on the roof to get it moving before he rummaged through his pack to find the waterskin he keeps for emergencies. He handed it over to Farris.
"Your Highness, have some water." To his credit, Farris really did look ill. Though he participated in all kinds of combat practice thanks to his father, he was jogging after that man for quite a while before he had to sprint away from Braeden, who didn't bother changing out of his usual silver armor that covered him from head to foot. Farris glanced at his family's emblem printed on Braeden's chest piece and sighed, drinking the water in silence. He knew Braeden was only doing his job.
"I'm sorry... I just wanted to see the town and meet new people, especially since they don't know who I am." Farris tried to explain. Braeden stayed silent, much to Farris's disappointment. "Is it possible to keep this from Father?"
Braeden's features darkened right in front of Farris's eyes, causing him to rush to explain.
"I don't want to worry him and nothing even happened!"
"It's too late, Your Highness. If I hadn't insisted on going alone and promising to bring you back at the cost of my life, he would've sent out an entire squadron... and some."
Farris resigned to his fate.