Boro sat in front of the Lord of Helfa, his mind reeling. This minor lord dared to plot rebellion against the King of Galaos. He had even go so far as to ask this young blade master, who's father had died fighting under the banner of the man Jetir was plotting against. He dared to have the audacity to ask him, HIM, the son of Bora The Bold. For a moment rage filled him, but as soon as he felt it, he snuffed it out.
"I know this is no easy thing to ask, so I will let you think on it." Lord Jetir said in a solemn tone, and called in for one of the guards outside his door.
"Sir Donall, please escort Master Boro back to his rooms" Turning back to Boro, he added, "I shall call on you tomorrow" And with that dismissed Boro.
The meeting had not taken long, as such Boro had the entire day free to him. Although Lord Jetir had not specified when he'd summon Boro tomorrow, the remainder of this day was his own.
The guard walked Boro back to his room in silence, and once they arrived he stopped and stayed outside instead of leaving to head back to his original post. While his night may now belong to him Boro knew that he would, again, have to wait for the lords summon the following day.
With that in mind Boro opened up his travel pack and took out some of his hidden gold, and then walking out of his room and past the silent but watchful guard, he did not look back as he walked, but he knew that the guard was ordered to follow him and make sure he did not leave the city. Lord Jetir was a shrewd man, and had held power in Helfa for many, many years, allowing Boro to escape and possibly inform the King to his treason would most certainly bring the death to Lord Jetir and all of his family. Boro made his way out of the manor and back on to the streets of the wealthier, noble district. He asked the guard, Sir Donell, for directions back to the Golden Goose, not remembering the path the city guards had used after beating him to near unconsciousness.
To his surprise it was only three streets over and when he arrived outside a short time later he found that the inn was packed to the brim with patrons. Boro entered in to the packed establishment, Sir Donell standing silently by the front door, and carefully moved through the crowded space to make his way to the bar. The woman behind it was the same women that had been there when he first visited. When she saw Boro, she smiled widely.
"Young Master! I'm so glad that you are okay" The buxom woman pulled two large mugs from under the bar counter and placed it in front of him. "This first one is on me. The second one you paid but never drank."
"Though i was upset to see the guards lay in to you that way, I am glad someone finally gave the young lord a thrashing, boy has been insufferable since his coming of age." she said with a deep chuckle. "Hold on just one moment hun' and i'll get you some food too, fresh out the oven" With a wink she walked to the kitchen.
Boro turned back to face the lively common room, allowing his senses to be overwhelmed. The colorful bard he had seen his first visit was here tonight, and from the looks, and sounds, he was in great spirits tonight. He sang deeply, all while plucking the stings of his hand harp. The only difference was that tonight he had a young woman with him.
The young woman was very short, she looked like a child, but she had a glint in her eye that spoke to her maturity and wisdom. While the bard played his harp, the young lady played an instrument Boro was unfamiliar with. It looked to be a lute but was much smaller in size and instead of playing the strings with her fingers she held a fine piece of curved wood with some sort of fibers attached to it. It almost looked to resemble a bow but was clearly not made to be pulled back but pushed inward. She also kept the instrument held up to her face, between her chin and her shoulder. The sounds emanating from the woman's instrument, were soft and haunting, combined with the tinkling chime of the harp to make a sweet but melancholic sound. Boro was transfixed by the music.
"I see you young master" The bar woman said with a grin as she walked back from the kitchen and spotted Boro staring at the Bards assistant. "That's Isbella, she's a beauty and plays violin like a creature of the divine"
If Boro had not been so enraptured by this young woman, he would have turned and questioned the bar woman thoroughly about that instrument. While he was never any good with music making, he had always enjoyed the sounds and stories. His mother had used the last of their fathers money to buy Boro a pan flute. It was nothing special, but it was one of his most prized possessions. It currently lay safely in its case at the very bottom of his travel pack.
Boro had never been a very outgoing person. When he was younger he and his family had lived in a large city governed over by his father and his fathers vassals. However Boro was very young then and though he knew he had met other kids, he could not recall their names or faces. After his fathers fall from grace and he and his mother were forced into exile, his interaction with children had dropped to none. His mothers family owned a small piece of land but they, his grandparents and his aunt and uncle were older, and his cousins had long since grown and moved away. Boro had spent much of his days working the field and practicing his sword skills, albite with a branch pulled from a local tree, whenever he could.
As such it wasn't until Boro had gone to the Academy that he was able to interact with people his own age regularly. By that time Boro had felt awkward in social settings. He could not figure out how to relate and talk to people in the first few months. Even still he managed to make a few friends but he struggled even with that. During his four years there he had even entertained, for the briefest moment, of asking Nila out before berating himself for a fool. He loved Nila, of that he was certain, but he had worried for their friendship, and for his own pride. What would happen to them if she accepted and things did not work out? What if she rejected him? All these fantasies had played out in his head causing such anxiety within him that he did nothing. When he left Nila at the academy he had felt as if he were leaving his heart there as well.
Seeing this beautiful woman with the violin however, had set Boro's heart ablaze again. Boro turned back to the plate of roasted chicken, potatoes and rice placed in front of him and ate his dinner all while entranced by the music.
As soon as he was done eating, Boro waited for the song to finish and the two to take a break. He asked the bar woman, Rendra, for two more mugs of beer. She looked at the mug in front of him, still more then half full and then grinned.
"The knarled man playing at bard is Evin by the way" Rendra informed him. "He treats Isbella like his daughter so watch your manners. If I hear anything about you being vulgar with her... Not even that sword will protect you"
Boro saw the seriousness in Rendras' face and believed her words.
After she poured the two mugs Boro grabbed them and walked over to the Bards.
"Hello there, as a thank you for the beautiful music please accept this" Boro spewed the words out quickly and gave them a bow deeper then was necessary for two who where not nobles. He felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment but pressed onward.
"Why, thank you young man! As i'm sure you're aware, i am Evin Ordas, bard extraordinaire and this young lady is Isbella, my apprentice and near-daughter" Evin, true to his bard roots, spoke grandly as if still proforming for a crowd, gave a flourish of his colorful cloak and gave Boro a deep bow right back.
"Hello, and thank you sir, I think my near-father and I could both definitely use these drinks" She spoke softly, her voice clear and melodious. She took Boro's offered drink and smiled sweetly at him causing him to blush even harder.
"What may we call you young man?" Asked Evin, eyes finally noticing the sword on his hip.
"Apologies for being rude! I am called Boro Malus, Blade Master to-be." Boro answered.
"Malus...Malus... Why is that name familiar to me?" He wondered aloud. Of course he knew immediately at hearing the name Malus who he was, but in typical Bard style, he wanted to play it up.
Before Evin could make the big reveal however, Isbella looked up from her mug in surprise at hearing his name and title, and not quietly said. "You are the son of Bora Malus, the greatest blade master to ever live"
Boro nodded to her, noticing that the room got silent at her announcement at who Boro was. Everyone in the inn's common room had turned and looked at Boro and Isbella at hearing his relation to Bora the Bold.
People whispered to the person closest to them, "No wonder the young Lord lost so easily"
"This welp is related to Bora The Bold?" awe filling the people as they discussed this new news. By the end of the night the whole city would know of Boro, his battle with the young lord of Helfa, and his relation to Bora Malus.
Evin huffed at his thunder being stolen but quickly clapped Boro on the back and bid him to join them at a table. They sat together and chatted for awhile, asking Boro what brought him to Helfa. After about an hour the people in the inn began calling for Evin to play again. When Isbella got up to join him, he waved her off and told her to enjoy the rest of her night. Right before he turned to walk back to the raised platform where he played, he turned and gave a secret wink to Isbella.
Boro had missed that exchange, but noticed Isbella had flushed when her near-father left. They sat for a while talking of easy things, where she had grown up, Boro's life on his family's farm, and various other topics. Before he knew it the third moon of Korone had entered the night sky, signaling the lateness of the night.
Boro did not want to leave, she and he had been getting along so well and he did not know what tomorrow would bring him, or where it might send him. He feared, like Nila, he would never see her again. Before he left he expressed this concern to her.
She smiled sadly at him, "The world spins, as the world will Boro." But before she left him, she put a small hand on his face and then leaned in, gently kissing his lips. "For you to remember me by" she explained when Boro gave her a shocked look.
And then she left him, taking a piece of his heart with her.