"Now now, Lord Verdant. There's no reason to be angry on my behalf, it was a simple mistake." Lady Misner said in a calming tone.
Sylvia was a little taken aback by the man's sudden outburst, but she was raised as a noble and could tell that this man was one as well. She quickly collected herself and once again started to introduce herself in a more noble like manner, but the man once again cut her off before she could even begin.
"These commoners run around with nought a care in the world. Only thinking about themselves and not paying attention to their surroundings. They need to learn their place, that's what I think!" Lord Verdant yelled, clearly quite angry.
With his yelling, a small crowd started to gather around them. Sylvia was now in a predicament, not knowing what to do. Marcus reacted quickly by putting himself between her and the yelling man. A few men, who looked like guards, were behind the man and woman pair. They were alerted by Marcus's sudden movement, him being so large and having a weapon on his back.
The woman that the man called Lady Misner had a tired look on her face, like it wasn't an uncommon occurrence for Lord Verdant to lose his temper. She let out a heavy sigh as she rolled her eyes and took a step back, she wasn't going to stop him, just let him tire himself out. Sylvia was standing behind Marcus, slightly panicking, she really wasn't good in these types of situations. Lord Verdant was still yelling almost incoherently, Marcus was starting to lose his patience.
"That's enough!!" Marcus bellowed out, much louder than what Lord Verdant was yelling.
"Now, Lady Bishore has apologized for her misstep, and has tried to make amends, but you have been extremely rude and overbearing. I think it only appropriate that you apologize to her now for the way you have behaved."
"Did you say Lady Bishore? From Jakarta?" Lady Misner asked.
Sylvia just nodded to her, still a little reluctant from speaking up. Lady Misner leaned in and whispered something into Lord Verdant's ear. He then let out a huff, turned to Sylvia then spoke.
"I apologize for my earlier outburst, I'm sure you understand how I feel." Lord Verdant said with a straight face, like he wasn't screaming just seconds before.
"I understand completely." Sylvia said quickly, giving a small curtsey, just wanting to be anywhere but there.
"Good, now, we'll be off. Come Lady Misner, let us continue." Lord Verdant practically ordered as he walked off with his head held high.
Lady Misner gave Sylvia a smile as she passed by her, following Lord Verdant. Their guards soon followed, giving Marcus the opposite of a smile. Marcus, Sylvia, and the crowd that had gathered watched as the two nobles disappeared down the road. Marcus then turned to Sylvia.
"I told you to slow down." Marcus said with a smile, nudging her shoulder with his arm.
Not getting the smile he was hoping for, he changed tactics.
"Let's get something to eat. How does that sound?"
"Sure." Sylvia squeaked out.
............
"My gods I hurt." Clair said as she plopped down on her bed.
Ellenore had her walk around the garden five times to work out her atrophied muscles. She also had her lift small objects over her head, increasing in weight over time. All of this was after thirty minutes of stretching. It was simple exercise for her normally, but right now, it felt like she had just climbed a mountain.
After resting for a moment, she pulled out some paper and quill. She started to write a letter, although her hand was a little shaky, it didn't take her long to do so. She then looked over to Sif.
"Can I ask you to take this to Mark for me? I just want him to know that I'm fine, and to tell him what has happened." She asked Sif, who was curled up in the corner of her room.
Sif didn't react right away, Marcus had wanted her to stay with Clair while he was gone, and she didn't want to leave her. Clair soon caught on to what Sif was thinking.
"Did Mark send you to look after me?"
Sif nodded her head.
"I'll have to really thank him when he returns. I'm fine now though, really, I am. Although I'm sure Sir Allister's motives are far from pure from paying for my treatment, I doubt I'm in danger here. So you don't need to stay by my side the whole time." Clair said with a smile, thinking about Marcus.
She was happy that he was so worried about her, but still didn't want him to worry. He had no idea what was happening back in Jakarta. Clair figured that with Sif's speed she could fly to Rosevalley and back within a week.
After some more convincing, and petting, Clair finally convinced Sif that it would be alright if she just left to deliver the letter, then come back right afterwards. Clair gave Sif a little pouch that she put the letter in. Sif could carry this in her mouth, since she had no limbs. After some more small talk, where Clair did all the talking, she then opened the window and watched as Sif slithered out then flew into the evening sky.
She watched with a heavy heart, she was now all alone. She truly didn't believe that Sir Allister would try anything too drastic, but she still had a very bad feeling in the back of her mind. She told Sif that she didn't have anything to worry about, but it wasn't the whole truth. Although there were two men after her for her store, Sir Allister was by far the more sinister of the two. Clair had no proof, but she was certain that he was behind her late husband's death.
After Sif disappeared from the sky, she shuffled back to her bed. She was very sore, and very very tired. Clair figured that although it was still early, she could use the rest. She cleaned herself up a little, then changed into a nightgown that a maid had brought to her earlier. She was dreading what tomorrow would bring, she was sure that Sir Allister would insist on seeing her.
...............….
"What do you think?" Marcus asked as he watched Sylvia try the stall food.
After their run in with the rude noble, they walked a little more then decided to try some of the street food. They decided on some meat skewers that were being sold next to an armorer. Marcus paid for these, he didn't think it was a good idea for Sylvia to use her storage item out in the open. Sylvia chewed for a little bit, bobbing her head up and down.
"It's good, a little too salty for my pallet though." She reported back honestly.
"Let's try that stall over there, it says they're selling puffs." Sylvia pointed across the street to another stall.
Puffs were little pastries filled with fruit or other sweat things. They were very simple to make, thus you could make a good profit on selling them. They both walked over and bought several different kinds, some with fruit, others with a type of pudding. After stuffing themselves on the sweets, Sylvia asked Marcus what he wanted to do next.
"Well, it's really up to you, I'm just your guard." Marcus said, shrugging.
"I think we'll head back, I'm a little tired." Sylvia said, yawning.
"Ha, alright, lead the way Lady Bishore." Marcus said with an exaggerated bow.
Sylvia rolled her eyes, she hated it when Marcus would act proper with her. She didn't know why it bothered her so much, it just did. Without saying anything, Sylvia marched off towards the garden they were dropped off at. Marcus had to hurry and follow her, she was moving so quickly she threatened to leave him behind.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Don't go too fast, remember what happened last time?" Marcus yelled out from behind her.
Sylvia stopped and allowed him to catch up, she turned around and with an angry look on her face, started to lecture Marcus.
"How many times over the last couple of weeks have I told you I do not like being called that from you!"
"I know, I know, I said I'm sorry. I just couldn't help it. I'll try my best from calling you that in private from now on." Marcus said apologetically.
Sylvia's expression reversed itself instantly, this surprised Marcus greatly. Sylvia must not have been as mad as he'd thought to be able to switch like that, she must be a fantastic actor, he really thought she was furious at him. She quickly took his hand again, this time snuggling against his arm, and continued to walk back to the carriage.
"Is this so we won't get separated as well?" Marcus asked her.
"Of course, you never know, I could get lost." She replied with a straight face.
"Uh huh."
They continued this way all the way back to the carriage. It wasn't hard to find, there was a large stable near the shopping district that the noble's used for when they went shopping. The driver quickly pulled up, Marcus helped Sylvia into the carriage, and they took off back towards the villa.
The ride back was in silence, Sylvia fought hard against it, but was overcome by exhaustion. She laid her head on Marcus's lap and soon drifted off to sleep, she even started to drool a little. Marcus stared at her, not wanting to wake her. He wasn't dense, he knew that she had developed feelings for him. He didn't mind at all, not only was she very beautiful, but had a very charming personality as well. He found it flattering that she fancied him, he was just reluctant to act on it.
It was fine that she had a crush on him, but he was her guard, it would be extremely improper oh him. Maybe after he finished with this mission he could entertain the idea, he wasn't against it. Although their different social status might prove to be an issue, he just wouldn't worry about it for now. While he was off in his own little world, the carriage continued on for a little ways. Suddenly, there was a deafening crashing noise from outside, the carriage slowed down suddenly, forcing Marcus and the sleeping Sylvia to crash into the wall of the carriage.
"What's going on?" Marcus asked the driver as he helped Sylvia right herself after stopping so suddenly.
"There seems to have been an accident up ahead, a bad one from the looks of it." The driver reported back.
"Should we go and help?" Sylvia asked Marcus, she was wiping a little bit of drool from her face.
"I think we should stay put, someone will help them, it's safer to stay in the carriage." Marcus said firmly, his priority was Sylvia's safety, not helping other people.
The noises from outside were getting louder, the carriage had some noise insulation, but was still getting through. Marcus could hear someone screaming, he could also hear the screams of wounded horses. He figured it must have been a mess outside, all the more reason to stay put. What he didn't count on was Sylvia's steadfast attitude, while he was focusing on the noises outside she had already opened the door of the carriage and jumped down onto the road.
"Sylvia! It could be dangerous out there!" Marcus yelled out, following behind her into the street.
"Oh shut up, you sound like my father." Sylvia snapped back at him, hurrying towards the scene of the accident.
Marcus did as he was told, now that she was out of the carriage there wasn't much he could do. He could just drag her back, but given how she spoke to him he decided against that, Marcus just followed her quietly but closely.
There was a crowd gathered around so thick that you couldn't see past them. Marcus was tall enough though that he could see over the crowd, and what he saw was a tragic scene. The accident involved two different carriages, one was a single horse drawn carriage, but the other one was so large it required four horses. The single horse carriage looked as if it had been crushed, the roof of it was caved in and wooden splinters were everywhere. The driver of that carriage was very clearly dead, his upper body was smashed along with the roof, only his legs were able to be clearly made out in the debris. Marcus didn't know who was inside that carriage, some people were already trying to get inside of it to drag any survivors out.
The larger carriage was upside down, it must have ran into the smaller one and then flipped over. None of the horses would survive, some were still alive, but were mortally wounded. The large carriage was very high quality, made of metal and very little wood, but this quality was the downfall of whoever was inside. The doors were bent shut from it flipping on its roof, this made it almost impossible for anyone to open them. The driver for the flipped carriage looked to still be alive, he was flung far from the accident, though it looks like he had many broken bones.
By this time Sylvia had pushed her way to the front of the crowd, Marcus could hear her gasp. Sylvia watched as some bystanders hauled a man out of the smaller carriage, he was limp as they carefully lay him on the cobbled street. She then turned her attention to the other carriage, many people were trying to pry open the doors, but couldn't make it budge. That was the carriage that the screaming was coming from. It sounded like a whole family was in the carriage, Marcus couldn't tell, but was sure that most of them were injured.
Marcus placed his hand on Sylvia's shoulder, trying to ease her mind. She looked up at Marcus with tears in her eyes, her bottom lip was quivering.
"Help them, I know you can." Sylvia said with a soft voice.
Marcus looked back down at her, sighed, then nodded his head. He was really hoping to have a nice and easy mission, but that wasn't the case at all, first they had Riley tag along, then they were attacked by a horde of goblins. Now he was going to stand out by helping, and he just had a feeling that this act of kindness was going to be a headache later on. He let go of Sylvia's shoulder and made his way to the overturned carriage.
Sylvia followed behind him timidly, not wanting to get in the way of anyone that was trying to help. Marcus approached the men trying to pry open the door with a piece of iron, most likely a fire poker. He didn't say a word, just pushed the men aside, this caused them to initially yell out in protest, but when they saw who had pushed them they quickly lost their voices.
Marcus could hear the screaming and crying clearly from right next to the carriage. It sounded as if there were several children inside along with either their mother or a maid. They were all yelling out for help, they sounded hysterical. The door they were trying to pry open was mangled by the accident. The door had managed to tuck itself inside of the carriage, making it impossible to open without cutting away the bent metal. The door on the other side was in even worse shape, making the first door the only option.
Everyone watching held bated breaths, wondering if this monster of a man could actually open the mangled door. Marcus bent down a little, looking for a place to grab onto. There wasn't much of a choice, the door was smooth, and the only place to grab onto was the top of the door, but it was underneath the carriage at the moment. The prying of the other men had made a small gap, but wasn't even big enough to fit his fingers into. He really had no other choice, he had to lift the carriage up a bit in order to get the door open.
The problem was the size of the carriage, it had to weigh several thousand pounds. It was adorned with precious metals and made mostly of iron and steel. He knew he could lift it, but the fact that he could would draw even more attention to himself. In for a penny, in for a pound, is how the old saying went, at least that's if he remembered it correctly.
"Stand back Sylvia." Marcus told her in a stern voice.
She quickly stepped back several steps and watched him as he crouched down and placed his hands under the roof of the carriage. Some of the men understood what he was trying to do and hurriedly came over to help him. This made Marcus relieved, the number of men helping him could help cover up his own strength.
"On the count of three!" One man yelled out.
On the third count everyone started to lift the carriage. At first Marcus didn't put too much effort into it, wanting to see how much the men could lift on their own. This left him very surprised, they couldn't even make it budge. The men gritted their teeth and veins bulged on their sweaty skin, but the carriage didn't move, this was when Marcus finally put in some effort. The carriage started to lift up, although very slowly, Marcus dug his feet into the ground and pushed with his tree trunk sized legs.
The carriage creaked and groaned with its shifting weight, soon it was up to Marcus's waist. At this point he let go with one hand and shot his other hand into the gap that was now visible at the top of the door. He couldn't waist any time gauging the strength he put into the door, so he pulled with all his strength. The screeching of tearing metal assaulted everyone's ears as the door was ripped free of the carriage. The hinges must have been very well made because a large chunk of the carriage came off along with the door. If Sylvia wasn't paying attention and ducked in time, she would have been hit by a piece of shrapnel from the carriage as Marcus ripped off the door.
Now that the carriage had a large hole in it, Marcus gently lowered it back down so as to not jolt the inhabitants more than he had to. Everyone stood stock still, they all had their eyes on Marcus as he stood there next to the destroyed carriage. Marcus knew this would happen, the shock of seeing someone do such an inhumane feat was immense. Although this world had magic and fantastical beasts this was still out of the norm. There was no chant, no spell that the people could see, just pure physical might.
Marcus didn't waste anymore time, under the searing gaze of the crowd, he bent down to start helping the people that were still in the carriage. When he looked inside, he saw about five small children, ranging from five to maybe twelve years old, and one woman who was in a very ornate dress. Seeing Marcus, the woman, through sniffles, started to order her children to head towards the opening.
It took a moment, but soon all the children were out of the carriage, the woman soon followed. The children were still crying, they were very shaken up, but other than a few cuts and bruises, seemed to be fine. Once the woman checked over the wailing children, she turned to look for the massive man that helped them to escape the overturned carriage. When she looked though, all she could see were the few men that helped him lift the carriage up off the ground.
She looked all around her, but only the murmuring crowd could be seen, she wondered how such a large man could disappear so quickly. Right now she had other things to take care of, so she put finding that man to the back of her mind. By this time the city guards and the first responders were on the scene. From the time that the accident occured to now was only about five minutes, so they actually had a very good response time.
Marcus was currently sitting back in the carriage with Sylvia. After he made sure the children could make it out alright, he hurried back to the carriage with Sylvia. He didn't want to stick around to answer any questions, he just wanted to get back to the villa. He looked over to see Sylvia sitting there, smiling at him.
"What?"
"You were wonderful out there." Sylvia said with a hint of admiration in her voice.
"I didn't do anything really." Marcus said, trying to downplay his role.
"You saved those people, that is quite admirable. Who knows how long it would have taken them to free those people if you did not assist them." She added, looking him up and down with a strange look in her eyes.
Marcus felt like a piece of meat at the moment, it was almost like she was undressing him with her eyes, it made him a little uncomfortable. After everything today, he just wanted to take a bath and rest, hopefully he can make it back in one piece. He just shook his head, shaking that feeling from his mind.
"Well, let's just get back to the villa, it's been a long day." Marcus said, staring out of the window, avoiding eye contact with Sylvia.
The carriage jolted to a start, the sound of hooves striking the cobblestone could be heard inside. After a minute of silence, and staring out the window, Marcus chanced a look back at Sylvia. She wasn't staring at him anymore, he was relieved to see that, but she had undone a button on her dress, accentuating her cleavage. He couldn't help but stare, it was warm out, so a sheen of sweat coated her chest. Her fair skin was flawless, it looked very soft and firm at the same time. Marcus swallowed hard, his eyes then traveled over her bust and down her body. Noticing movement, Marcus looked up to see Sylvia looking him in the eyes, he'd been caught. A sly smile came across her face, she didn't say a word, just turned to look back out of the window. Marcus let out a sigh, this was going to be a long few months.