"Welcome to Connor, your highness! It's a honor to–"
"Yes, yes, I'm sure it's very exciting for you to meet a real live princess. If you want to be of use, point me to the salesman called Randall and get my carriage some fresh horses. I won't be staying long, so make haste."
Reina brushed past the soldier who greeted them at the docks of Connor. Marco jogged to catch up to her, almost falling into the bay twice.
The docks strained the definition of serviceable. The wooden planks were aged and many even wobbled as Reina took quick, deliberate steps over them.
"Reina, I mean your highness, please wait." Marco said when he was finally near her. He spoke low. "Didn't you say we're buying from a smuggler? Maybe we shouldn't be asking the king's soldier for help."
"I don't mind," the soldier's pale freckled face appeared right beside Marco, making him jump. "Everyone knows what goes on here in Connor. I'm supposed to be here to keep the peace, but the Connors are the real bosses. You gotta talk to them if you want horses or, well, anything…"
Reina rolled her eyes. "I don't have time, boy. Just be a good little soldier and tell me where Randall is."
The soldier was probably fourteen years of age. Such children were usually just beginning training if the army took them that young. And they only took them that young if it was evident they would grow up to be strong. Judging from the fact that he was just barely over four feet tall and as thick as a broom handle, he was not one of those cases. Still, he stood up straight and spoke with the confidence of a king's man.
"He's over there your highness!" He pointed an oversized armored gauntlet at an unassuming ship.
"Good. I shall inquire about our package. Marco–"
He stood at attention. "I'll go find the Connors and get our horses."
She smiled. "Very good! We shall convene back at the carriage within half of an hour."
With that, they went their separate ways, Reina down the docks and Marco following the little soldier to the Connors' house. As they walked, Marco noticed the boy eyeing the sword on his hip.
"Isn't it awesome?" Marco asked with pride.
"Why is it curved like that?"
"It's called a saber. It's meant for fighting on horseback but I use for it a rather...unique fighting style." That sounded a lot better than "because Reina told me to."
"Do you fight a lot? You protect the princess, don'tcha? So you must fight a lot. We don't see any fighting in this here town. I never drew my sword. Not even once," the little soldier said, tapping the standard-issue longsword that hung way too low on his belt.
"I've seen my share of battles," Marco said. "No offense, sir…"
The boy smiled, revealing some of his missing teeth. "Chuck. My momma named me Charles but my pa and everyone calls me Chuck."
"Well, Sir Chuck, are you the only soldier this village has?" Marco asked.
"Yup," Chuck nodded proudly. "Truth is, the Connors run the place. Things are so peaceful we don't even need protection. Pa says the only reason the king pays to put a soldier here is to remind us who's in charge. But it's easy work, and I get coin to bring home to my folks, so I ain't complaining."
The worn dirt path they were following went up a green hill. Reina had rushed the carriage through town, down the hill, and straight to the docks so Marco didn't actually get to take a good look at Connor. Now that he did, he found that it was...extraordinarily plain.
The dirt path ran all the way from the docks to the forest that bordered the village. There were no branching paths. There was no need for them. All the buildings sat alongside the road, maybe about twenty houses in total. The "road" seemed to split the village in two as it ran right down the middle of the rows of homes. Although one side clearly had more houses and even had more farmland. Still, though, the overall impression it gave off was less of a town and more of a collection of roadside stalls.
Marco heard a peaceful sigh. He turned to find Chuck beaming as he looked down upon his home.
He couldn't help but chuckle as he asked. "So which one is the Connors?"
"The big one." Chuck pointed to one of the houses. It was actually the only one that was qualified to be called a house. While the other homes were the one-room, thatched roof huts of most Irelian peasants, the Connor house was actually made fully of wood with a real roof. It even looked to have an upstairs and a downstairs!
"Lead the way, Sir Chuck," Marco said with a polite gesture.
Chuck saluted. "Yes sir! Sir, uh…"
"Marco."
"Sir Marco! Let's get to it."
They didn't even take ten steps before Marco heard something. He paused.
"-oh."
It sounded like a shout. He turned and looked back to the docks.
"Marco!"
Reina was at the entrance to the docks running and waving her arms.
"Thief! Marco! Get the bloody thief!"
Marco immediately saw thief in question. After all they were heading right towards him.
The person had a slender frame but was of indeterminate gender. The clothes they wore were plain but very baggy. What seemed to be a sack with holes cut for eyes obscured the face. They were running away from Reina while clutching a small box under their arm.
Marco drew his sword and moved to meet them halfway down the hill.
When they heard the ring of steel and saw Marco coming at them, the thief's eyes went wide and they stopped.
"Alright, just drop the package and no one needs to get hurt," he said.
In response, the thief seemed to size him up. Then they crouched down and jumped. Up and over Marco they went.
They flew so high into the air that Marco had to wonder if they were part frog. But he wasn't about to let them get away either.
A warm feeling came to life in his chest as he followed the thief's trajectory from the ground. Running way faster than they fell, he beat them to the other side of the hill.
"Hi." He waved.
The thief looked genuinely surprised to find him there and greeted him with a falling kick. Marco easily redirected it with his buckler, sending the thief falling at an angle that was too odd to properly recover from. They crashed to the ground and violently rolled down the hill. When they came to a stop at the bottom, they lay motionless.
"Well that was easy," Marco remarked.
"Indeed," Reina came up beside him. "Now grab the package and let us leave before something goes wrong."
"Do things usually go wrong for you guys?" Chuck, who had watched the whole thing in awe, asked from the side.
"No," said Marco.
"Yes," said Reina.
They exchanged looks and then went over to the thief.
The thief was beginning to stir when they got there, but they did nothing as Reina took the package back. She checked its contents.
"All accounted for."
"So what do we do with the thief?" Marco asked.
"We'll be takin' care of that."
Marco, Reina, and Chuck all turned to face the gruff voice. It belonged to a stocky man with fiery red hair and a crude harpoon. On either side of him were two skinny young men with the same red hair and arrows trained on the Hero and his princess.
"And who do you think you are?" Reina stomped forward.
One of the men loosed an arrow. It landed right in front of her, stopping her in her tracks.
"Name's Connor," the harpoon-holding man said. "That was my boy Connor. And my other boy Connor's got another arrow for ya if you're so inclined. There's also them."
Marco turned back to see a bunch more people coming down the dirt path from the village. All of them had hair the same shade as the Connors. They were also all holding weapons both makeshift and real. Swords, axes, pitchforks, and even a large spoon.
"That's...quite a welcoming party."