Marcus was standing in front of a mirror checking himself out in the new suit he was wearing. It was the day of the banquet and it was almost time for it to start. He looked over at Sif sleeping, coiled up in his bed. The letter she had delivered to him was open and sitting on the nightstand. He was relieved that Clair wrote to him, and that she was alright, but he didn't like the fact that Sir Allister is the one taking care of her. Unfortunately Marcus couldn't do anything from where he was, only hope for the best. Marcus wrote another letter for Sif to take back, it would get there a week or two before the one he sent through the Association, but that didn't matter.
Sif had arrived a day earlier, flying over the city looking for him. She managed to cause quite an uproar, a number of people thought that an unknown magical beast was looking for prey in the city and started running to get indoors. Sif, with her amazing eyesight, spotted Marcus in the courtyard of the villa, and quickly made her descent. A little while after she landed, fifty or so guards came running up the mountainside to see where the beast had gone.
It took some convincing, but with her being registered to him through the Association, he managed to avoid any problems. He just had to keep her from flying around the city, to keep the citizens from panicking. He didn't mind much, he knew Sif wasn't going to be staying long.
Sylvia was thrilled to see Sif again, Marcus had to practically pry her off of her. After a heavy petting session, Sylvia had the chefs prepare a small feast for Sif, she must have known how exhausted she was from the long flight. After Sif had eaten her fill, she curled up in Marcus's bed and had been asleep since. Marcus didn't want to wake her, so he let her sleep while he and Sylvia went and had a suit custom made for the banquet.
The suit Sylvia had picked out matched her dress, it was light pink in color. Marcus was never one to wear pink, but Sylvia was very insistent on the issue, so he finally relented. Looking at himself, he thought that he did look good, even if he did resemble a flower. Marcus had trimmed his beard to a very short length, just past a five o'clock shadow, his hair had grown out, it was almost long enough to put into a ponytail. He always kept his hair very short, but he was going for a new look and so far he liked what he saw.
Putting the final touches on his outfit, he nodded his head. After giving Sif a pat, he made his way downstairs to wait for Sylvia. The carriage was already waiting outside to take them to Lord Lear's manor. Nathan was standing by the horses so Marcus walked up to him and started to chat with him while he waited.
Nathan was in the middle of saying something when he stopped, then looked around Marcus's shoulder. Marcus turned around to see what he was staring at. Sylvia was standing there in her light pink dress, she was holding it up slightly so the hem wouldn't be dragging on the ground. The dress was a sleeveless evening gown that exposed her fair skin well past her collarbone. The bodice hugged her body, expressing her sensual curves. The skirt flowed like water with every move her body made, making her appearance seem ethereal.
Marcus was stunned, he'd always known that Sylvia was a very beautiful woman, but dressed the way she was, made her appear angelic. Marcus stood there gaping, Sylvia smiled at his expression as she walked up to him.
"Is everything ready to go Nathan?" She asked.
"Uhhh….. Yes, yes it is." Nathan managed to spit out, he was just as taken aback as Marcus was.
"Good, should we be going now? Or are you just going to stand there?" Sylvia asked, turning to look at Marcus.
This snapped Marcus out of his daze, he was a little embarrassed, his cheeks turning a slight red. It wasn't like he'd never seen a beautiful woman before, Clair was remarkably beautiful, but Sylvia was a different kind of beauty. Clair was mature, strong, and gave a feeling of someone in control. While Sylvia was young, fair, and made you want to protect her, keep her to yourself so the world would never taint her.
Marcus opened the door to the carriage, and helped the young beauty inside, he soon followed her.
"You look amazing." Marcus couldn't help but compliment.
"Thank you very much, you look good as well. Much better than that rough armor." Sylvia said with a beaming smile, small dimples forming on her cheeks.
Marcus returned her smile, then started to talk about the banquet.
"How many people do you think will be there?"
"If I had to guess, most likely all the nobles in the city. They wouldn't miss a reason to socialize and drink." She said, placing a finger on her chin.
"Well, it shouldn't be too bad I suppose." Marcus quipped.
"Of course it won't be bad, it's in your honor. I'm sure Lord Lear will reward you handsomely for saving his family, he may even give you an honorary title."
"I don't care about any of that. Sounds like too much responsibility if you ask me"
"Ha, an honorary title doesn't have any responsibilities attached. It's just to show that someone has achieved something of merit, that's all." She said with a giggle.
"Eh, I guess we'll see." Marcus said nonchalantly.
"While we're on the subjects of gifts, I have something for you." Sylvia said, taking a wooden box out of her storage item.
The box looked very familiar to Marcus, after a second of thought he recognized it from the magic store. He gingerly took the box from Sylvia, then slowly opened it. Inside was a plain looking ring with a small black stone set in the band. He took it out, turning it over, inspecting it. Seeing that it looked a little small, he looked back up at Sylvia.
"It has an enchantment so it'll fit any size, go ahead, try it on."
He slid it on his ring finger, he never really worn rings before, they usually got in the way of when he lifted weights. As it slid over the tip of his finger he was amazed to see it grow bigger around as it went on. It matched the size of his finger perfectly and was very comfortable to wear, he really liked it.
"The answer is yes!" Marcus said in an exaggerated tone.
"Yes what?" Sylvia asked, confusion all over her face.
He didn't expect her to get his joke, he was known to not be very good at delivering them. "Oh, nothing. It was a joke."
"Right, anyways, do you like it?"
"Yes I do, thank you. But I don't think I deserve a gift from you."
"Of course you do, you saved my life when we encountered the forest bear, I got Torbin from that as well. Also you've been a good friend this whole adventure, I'm thankful for that." Sylvia said with an air of seriousness.
"Alright, alright, well thank you again for the ring, I think it suits me." Marcus said, turning his hand back and forth inspecting it.
"It truly does. It also has another enchantment on it as well. The store owner says that it will help you to blend in with the shadows, but it drains your stamina when activated." Sylvia said as she grasped his finger with her hands, also looking at the ring.
"Go ahead and try it."
"Did he say how to use it?" Marcus asked, trying to ignore the feeling of her soft hands on his.
"Just try and focus on the ring."
Marcus closed his eyes and took a deep breath, he began to focus on the slight pressure he felt around his finger. The slight cool feeling the ring gave off, even though his hands were warm. He could feel the ring start to get slightly colder, then transfer that coolness to the rest of his body.
"Oh, I think it's working." Sylvia excitedly said.
Marcus opened his eyes to see the inside of the carriage had lost much of its color, almost like a black and white film. That was the only difference he could see, just the color was different, everything else was clear as day.
"What do you see? Everything's normal to me, just the color is gone."
"I can still see you, but also through you?" Sylvia said, almost like she was questioning it. She brought her hand up and started to caress his cheek, then started to poke at it with her finger.
"What does that mean." Marcus asked, swatting her hand away from his face playfully.
"Haha. Well, it's like I can see what's behind you, but still see you clearly. I'm sure it works much better in actual darkness, and not when someone is so close to you."
"Yeah, you're probably right. We can try it out again later. Looks like we're here already." He said, leaning over to get a better look out the window.
The carriage was rapidly approaching Lord Lear's manor. It was located in the northern part of the city, fairly close to the city walls. Befitting his station, his manor was enormous, it covered an area of three city blocks. It had its own stables, two guest houses, a small pond with a wooded area surrounding it, guard housing, and staff housing. The manor itself was three stories tall with dozens of rooms, from what Marcus could see from the carriage. It was made from what looked like stone that had come from the mountainside. It was a type of granite that had flecks of golden color mixed in, it was a very unique stone to build a house out of.
There were already several carriages unloading nobles in their fancy dress. A small, orderly line was formed, everyone waiting their turn to disembark. When the guard who checked the carriage learned that it was the man to be honored, he directed the carriage to skip the line and go around to the back of the manor. The carriage pulled around the back and Marcus spotted a familiar face, there stood Exivier, ramrod straight, waiting on them. He opened the door for them, and helped Sylvia down.
"May I know who the lovely lady is so that I may inform my master?" Exivier asked, his voice and face expressing no emotions.
Sylvia gave a proper curtsey, then eloquently stated her full name and title.
"My name is Sylvia Bethany Bishore, Daughter of Lord Bishore of Jakarta."
Exivier's face finally showed some emotion, his eyes getting ever so slightly bigger. "Lady Bishore, it is a pleasant surprise to have you with us. I'm sorry, but I didn't expect you to be connected to Mister Marcus here."
"He was employed by my father to be my personal guard while I'm in the city." She explained with a smile.
"I'm sure he is well worth the money then, to pull off such a feat." Exivier complimented.
"Very much so." She quipped, shooting Marcus a look.
Exivier noticed her look, but ignored it, it was none of his business. Marcus rolled his eyes, this was bound to cause some misunderstandings.
"Lady Bishore, Mister Marcus, if you would follow me, Lord Lear would like to speak with Mister Marcus before the banquet is to begin."
Exivier ushered the two of them inside the back of the manor. He took them past the kitchens that were churning out plate after plate of delicious looking delicacies. They walked up a flight of stairs and came to a door. Exivier rapped on the wooden frame, opened it, then walked inside; Sylvia and Marcus followed close behind him.
Lord Lear was standing by the window, watching all the people filter into his manor. He was dressed in a black suit that fit him perfectly. He had black hair that matched the shade of his suit, a sharp jaw with matching nose. Next to him stood a beautiful woman, with brown hair, she had a few wrinkles on her face, betraying her age. Marcus recognized her as the woman from inside the turned over carriage. She looked at Marcus and smiled, instantly recognizing him as well.
Five children were also in the room, two were reading books from the bookshelves, the younger three were playing with some dolls on the floor. They all stopped and looked at the people who entered the room, quickly standing up and forming a straight line. The children seemed very well behaved.
"My Lord, I introduce to you Mister Marcus, as well as Lady Sylvia Bishore."
"Thank you Exivier, you are excused." Lord Lear said in a flat, deep voice.
He waited until the head steward left the room before addressing them. He looked over at Sylvia, nodding his head.
"You are Jacob Bishore's daughter, correct?"
"That is correct Lord Lear." She answered.
"He is a good man, I've worked with him several times on different issues within the Empire. He has spoken of you before, it is a pleasure to finally meet you."
"The pleasure is all mine." She said, giving another curtsey.
He gave a slight nod, then turned his attention to Marcus. Lord Lear's expression hadn't changed at all since they walked in, Marcus was having a hard time gauging how he was feeling. Looking up slightly, Lord Lear started to speak.
"I'm pleased to finally meet the man that helped my family in their time of need. I thank you from the bottom of my heart." Lord Lear bowed deeply, showing Marcus a great deal of respect.
Marcus was just a commoner, so a noble bowing to one was something to talk about. It showed just how big of a deal this was to Lord Lear. Although he ended up helping them, he wouldn't have if Sylvia hadn't insisted on it, but he wasn't going to tell him that.
"I would have helped no matter who it was, I'm just happy to see that everyone is alright." Marcus said, smiling at the small children standing there.
His smile caused the smallest one to hide behind their brother. Marcus was like an insurmountable mountain to them, causing them to be a little shy.
"The fact that you helped us remains, I thank you for saving me and our children. There is no way for us to properly show our thanks." Lady Lear spoke out, bowing her head as well.
"Children, do you all have something to say?" Lord Lear prompted them.
"Thank you Mister Marcus." A chorus of small, jumbled up voices sounded out.
"Good, now that we've said our thanks we can attend the banquet. Gloria, take Lady Bishore and the children to the banquet hall. I'll bring Mister Marcus along and introduce him properly." Lord Lear ordered.
Lady Lear bowed her head, then shepherded the children out of the room, Sylvia silently followed behind. Lord Lear walked up to Marcus and patted him on the shoulder.
"Just so you won't be too surprised, I intend to reward you with an honorary title of knight, along with a few other things. We'll take care of everything when we enter the hall, the rest of the banquet will be in celebration of your good deeds as well as your rise in status." He said matter of factly.
Sylvia said that this may happen so he wasn't taken off guard. Marcus just nodded his head in understanding, then followed behind Lord Lear as he headed towards the banquet hall. He was rather curious what else he would receive, but was patient enough not to ask. They walked in silence, but could hear the murmur of the crowd as they approached. They stopped outside of large double doors, there was Exivier standing there, waiting. Lord Lear nodded at him, Exivier then opened the double doors wide and announced their arrival.