The sun had started to rise and the land was being brought to life wherever the sun's rays touched. Although it had been a cold night, the lack of any clouds in the sky meant that this would be a hot day.
The captain of the gate guards didn't mind it though. He knew he would spend the day resting. Having guarded the gate the entire night, he felt exhausted. Additionally, he had even had his way with an unconscious girl at some point.
His attention shifted to the sight of an unknown prestigious wagon, that came into view. Other than his boss, nobles rarely visited this part of the country.
Shortly though, the horses turned to head towards the captain and the gate. In as much as the captain wanted to assume it was his boss, it was a lone wagon and the driver looked unfamiliar. His boss was a noble that traveled with at least two or three other wagons when picking up the 'merchandise.'
The guards prepared to perform their duty. They put their swords and spears forward when the wagon was about 20 steps away. Upon seeing this, the driver stopped the horses and got off the wagon. Taking any step forward might prompt a reaction from the guards, he thought. He decided to stand and wait for them to approach him instead.
"Sorry for my men acting rudely, but it seems you took a wrong turn somewhere and found yourself here!" the captain shouted as he walked towards the driver.
He did not know what to expect so he kept his guard up.
"My apologies, kind sir. We seem to be a little lost," the unknown man said, scratching the back of his head and smiling sheepishly.
He looked older than the captain but his body was more chiseled and muscular like he was a fighter. Given that he was driving a prestigious wagon, he was most likely a bodyguard or a butler.
"We? You and who else?" asked the captain, he needed to know how many people were in the wagon lest he got attacked the minute he got too close. He gestured his guards to surround the cart.
"It is only I and the young mistress," he replied, "I am supposed to take her to Jorgen city to buy some goods but I lost my way. Driving at night is not my best attribute. Could you please point me in the right direction sir?" the man asked.
He politely smiled as much as he could as though hoping the situation would not escalate.
Several things caught the captain's attention and brought a smile to his face. 'Young mistress' = girl, 'buy goods' = money.
The wagon looked expensive and the butler/guard looked well dressed. Whoever the wagon belonged to, he thought, they were most likely rich. By holding the two guests hostage, his boss could ask for ransom from the girl's parents. If she was the daughter of a powerful noble, he could use her to make connections.
Either way, the captain knew this was his chance to earn some extra money from the boss.
"Sure thing," the captain said.
"If you want to reach your destination from here, you would have to pass through that city." He pointed at Liberdade city with his chin as a slight grin found its way to his face.
"There are too many bandits around, however. You will be attacked the minute your wagon enters the city," he added, "It isn't called the city of bandits for nothing."
The unknown man's expression became serious for a short while. The captain figured that the man was thinking of what to do next.
"Thank you for the warning, sir. But what can we do in this case?" he asked, putting on his polite smile once again.
"Hmm..." the captain stroked his beard, as though pondering about the situation.
"We can let you stay in our camp while we organize some men to escort you to the other side of the city. It shouldn't take more than a couple of hours so you can use that time to rest. But this is for a fee of course," the captain said, his eyes shifting to the wagon.
"Of course, we cannot be so trusting and must search your wagon before you can enter," the captain added.
He did not give the stranger a chance to reply and signaled 3 of his men to start their routine search. The other guards remained with their captain, observing the unknown man.
Having received the 'all clear' sign, the captain walked to the wagon and proceeded to look inside.
What he saw inside made his jaw drop a little.
A girl with red hair and dazzling eyes sat quietly on a seat reading a book. If he had to guess her age, he would say she looked at least 15 years old. She wore a beautiful white dress and a red furry coat that looked very expensive.
The captain stared at her for a minute, slowly feeling the lust inside him grow.
The young mistress turned to look at him and her expression stiffened immediately. She gave him a cold angry look and a smudge of killing intent surfaced.
The captain figured he had made her upset by staring inappropriately. Rich young girls always acted this way in front of the 40-year-old captain. He was not bothered.
He looked around and noticed 3 decorated wooden cases, the kind rich people used to carry gold coins. His heart leaped with joy at the sight. Thinking about his rewards for his 'hard work' made him smile mischievously.
"Pardon my rudeness young miss. I seem to have stared for too long" the captain said, bowing his head.
Although it might have looked like a sign of respect, he was only trying to hide his smile.
The girl did not reply and now looked at him with a blank expression.
"Freaking rich kids," the captain thought to himself.
"My name is Talin and I am the leader of the guards at this gate. You and your driver seem to have accidentally stumbled upon this place," the captain said. He was back to suppressing his menacing smiling as evil thoughts crowded his mind again.
"We are offering to escort and protect you from the vicious bandits of this region. As our men prepare, we are offering you a place to rest. You wouldn't mind right?" the captain asked.
Regardless of her answer, he had no intention of letting them go. Agreeing to his offer only meant that he didn't have to use force to bring them inside.
"I would be grateful," she said, "I will reward you and your men for your services."
"Excellent," he said. He did not even bother hiding his crooked smile this time around. His mind was deep in the gutter.
"Oh, by the way," the captain said, as he was about to close the doors to the wagon, "I never got your name young miss?"
He got spat on when he asked this question to the other young girl earlier. Thinking of her annoyed him a little despite having used her to relieve his urges.
"Annabeth," the 16-year-old, red-haired girl replied, "My name is Annabeth."