'Forging Ahead'
I admire the name of the blacksmith's shop while at the same time, scanning other shops surrounding me. A flower shop stood only two blocks away, and its flowers look similar to the ones planted in the house I passed by. I know that the owner of that lovely house would own a flower shop.
It's not as crowded in this street like it is in the market, probably because the location is quite far. But some travel all the way here to buy their necessities, like wagons and houseware.
"Can I help you?" a rough, gruff voice startled me.
I look down to meet with a dwarf man who must be Frida's husband. He has a long and rather untidy, dark brown hair that meets his brown mustache and beard. He wears a dirty white long-sleeved short tunic, insert inside his brown pants with a leather belt. He wears a leather wristband on both of his wrists. Jack has a buff body, and his muscled arms show years of hard work.
"You must be Mr. Flinttank; it's nice to meet you. I'm a friend of your wife, Frida," I introduce myself, sticking out my hand for him to shake.
His face remains plain and emotionless as he shakes my hand, "she's inside the house and is extremely ill. She's not expecting visitors, so I suggest you come back the next day."
I look at him dumbfounded, but as he turns to leave, I stopped him right away, "wait!"
He halts, facing me with his eyebrows raised and arms crossed, "unless you want to have something forged, I won't tend to your needs."
"And I do! I- I want to get my bow made," I plaster a smile on my face. He's got a temper, and he won't let me see his wife. Could what happened before have caused this. Though, I know that Jack might only be concerned.
He scrunches his face, and he looks at me long and hard. I look left and right, feeling uncomfortable with his stare. What's that look he's giving me?
And I come to a realization; I lift the bag of coins in front of him. I start haking it in front of his face, the coins giving out the sound that has his ears perking up.
He takes a moment to decide before snatching the coin bag out of my palms, "Fine. I'll have your bow ready in a jiffy; you can stay inside and wait."
Satisfied grin forms on my face when it drops almost instantly, "Hey wait, how much would a bow cost? I think those coins are way over, don't you think?"
He leads me inside his shop, which is spacious. The walls are cobblestoned, the roof and the pillars are wooden. On the left is a wooden table paired with chairs for leisure, but behind hangs a bunch of weapons for display. On the right is a bricked furnace, together with other forging tools that he uses. There are also barrels placed everywhere, causing a mess. Spears and shields, scattered among the dirty concrete floor.
Jack points toward the seats, "You can wait there while I tell Frida about her visitor; what's your name?"
I rejoice to hear him say that, "Rose Ann."
He nods before he opens a door that reveals a staircase leading upstairs, and he goes in, shutting the door behind him with a loud bang. I widen my eyes at his harshness.
I take this time to scan the place to show that he is a busy man. There's a long list of orders on the table written in scribble-like handwriting. My foot taps the ground as I squeeze the paper bag I'm holding. I lift the bag and see what's inside; I had forgotten about the cookies I brought.
There are about three large cookies inside. I'll have a taste of one and share the two with Mr. and Mrs. Flinttank. I bring the cookie to my mouth, biting on the warm and crispy pastry. It's delicious without a doubt.
I munch on the cookies until it finishes, the right moment Jack appears from the door. His sudden appearance has me rise from my seat out of fright.
"She said she'll get dressed. You can go up to meet her in a few minutes," says Jack while heading toward me. He stops in front of a barrel behind me and asks, "pick from these, and make sure you're comfortable with it. The money you gave me is a large sum, so request me anything.
I go near him, taking a look at what's inside the barrel. There are a couple of differently designed bows, varying in height, weight, and design. I choose one that looks similar to what I use during practice.
"I want this," I say, lifting the bow to show him. He signals his hand for me to hand the bow over.
"It'll be just an ordinary bow- do you want to add any features to it?"
I examine the bow and imagine how I'd want it to function at its very best during a fight. It must help me survive through whatever I may face in the future. Then a crazy idea got to me.
"If it's possible, I want blades on both sides of the limb."
He looks at me like I'm insane, then at the bow, he's holding. Jack laughs out loud, and it's my turn to return him a weird stare.
"That's a weird request, and it's almost impossible to make it happen. You can't make a bow a melee, it'll hurt you, and most importantly, the bow might break."
"However," he eyes the bag of coins that laid on his table, "I'll make an exception and try my best."
"Really? Thank you!" I exclaim joyfully. If having such a weapon can hurt me, then I'll do my very best to train. I'll be strong enough to handle a bow with blades.
"I'll have it finished in two days. Just sign your address here, and I'll personally deliver it," grabbing the list from the table, Jack hands it to me together with a worn-out pencil.
I stare at the paper with a blank stare; it's not that I don't know how to write, but I have no clue what to write as my address. Do I just put, castle?
And I did just that, describing the castle and what's surrounding it like the Kingsto woods. After filling in my knowledge of where I currently live, I hand it to Jack. He accepts it and throws the list on the table; without bothering to read.
"You can go up now. Frida would be waiting for you," he mutters before sitting on a stool, continuing his work.
"Okay," my eyes glisten at this opportunity. I start heading towards the door, but I halt, turning to face Jack, "here you can have this," I say, making him look up from his work.
He motions his hand to throw it toward him. I secure the opening, ensuring that the cookies won't fall off, and I cast it toward him.
I turn around, going toward the door when I hear him mutter a soft thank you. A smile spreads on my face while I twist the doorknob.