Rattle noises came like music to my ears as the small bag landed heavily in my open hands, the weight brought additional joy to me with the thought of just how much I'd been paid with. Thranduil stared at my obviously elated expression and stifled a warm smile, it seemed the half-dwarf was more worried about my financial state than even myself.
Anxious to finally see the money I accumulated, I took a seat at an open chair and table while hurriedly opening the bag and spilling its contents all over the table like a complete child, although how could I blame myself? A hard floor, hairs for a pillow(still comfortable), and barely any privacy, with the possibility of actually having a place to stay now on the table all restraints were no longer there.
23,....48,....120 the numbers finally came to a stop along with my hopes of finding a place to sleep however the bright side was food wouldn't be a problem for a few days or so, glancing towards Belrog lying fast asleep in the usual corner I started realizing the last time the beast actually had food.
'his excessive sleeping might be the result of the lack of food....god I'm such an awful owner, the Roswaal's barely knew my history with pets and decided to just hand it over to me?!'
Sighing bitterly to myself as the coins fell back into the bag in the usual satisfying clash of metal, I slumped into the chair a little hurt but it was something that I should've fully expected. Hearing the door to the tavern swung open I quickly stood up and readied for another shift with a lot more motivation as the small bag jangled lightly and happily in my hands.
the customers kept rolling in with each passing hour that I honestly barely had a chance to sit down a bit and take a break.
I, of course, conversed with a few of them which proved more enjoyable than I'd expected, stories kept piling in and it seemed a lot more happened in my absence or to be more accurate...a lot more was happening behind my back than I had previously thought.
The next person ordered for another drink which I hurriedly rushed over with a smile that was starting to make my cheeks ache a bit, soon the entire tavern was filled with commotion as various conversations went on that allowed me to finally take a needed rest on a stool right in front of Thranduil's desk.
His expression was as elated as ever although oddly enough it wasn't excitement for money or anything like that, rather it felt almost like he was genuinely happy at the filling sight of the tavern like an accomplishment of sorts. Barely mustering a warm smile myself I nudged Thranduil slightly who blinked and stared at me confused, opening my mouth to voice the teasing comment I masterfully came up with a loud shout came from the back of the room.
"Trust me he did it!!"
"Spoke with your deceased wife?"
"I heard her voice I'm telling ya!! this sash here is proof!!"
The man braggingly showcased a bright red sash across his chest and pointed at it as his supposed proof, I narrowed my eyes at the sash as memories of the scene from a few nights back came rolling back to me however I shrugged it off as mere coincidence before turning back to the argument at hand that was slowly escalating to an inevitable brawl.
"A sash is your proof, not even after fifty drinks would I be fooled like that!!"
"It's a gift from her go there yourself, I'm telling ya he's the real deal!!"
"Pfft like I'd go get myself robbed by some con artist"
"It's true, you can speak to Luca-"
At the mention of the name, the man suddenly stood from his table and slammed his foot straight into the other's chest causing him to smash against the wall in a loud crack and a thud. Heads turned in the direction of the ensuing fight as the man lifted his leg above his friend's coughing mess, fully ready to deliver a crushing blow to the head.
Desperate to end the obvious escalating fight I hurried over while contemplating whether words or action were the better choices, seeing the man just about to smash the other's head straight through the floor I ultimately chose action and positioned myself in between both of them as I used the universal rule to not hit a woman to my advantage however the man's rage had reached new heights that he instead smashed his foot into my thigh.
I buckled to one knee while stumbling back with the man switching his attention back at his previous target, cursing through gritted teeth I grabbed the man's shoulder and held it firmly as I glared at him coldly. There wasn't a rule in the tavern that went against fights however the man's livid demeanor told me that it wasn't something worth letting go of.
The man glared back at me with his anger still on full sprint, my hand slowly started feeling numb with a dim purple aura outlining his body. I contemplated on letting go but instead opted on pulling him back and into an open table, his expression was surprised but still as livid as ever.
"Fight somewhere else, this isn't the place-"
"Fuck off, that idiot insulted me by bringing my brother into those delusions of his. You don't know so stay off!!"
Frowning as the man now stood up with the full intention of killing, I moved out of the way and smashed my knee into his stomach followed by his head before pulling him back and throwing him onto the floor where the open table used to be. Taking advantage of his daze I grabbed him by the collar and into the wall, the hand I was using slowly became harder to use as it numbed even further to what I discerned to be the cause of the man's poisonous aura but I left it for later to worry about.
"Outside"
I lifted my leg over the man's head as a warning causing a silent scoff before he eventually stood and wiped the blood trickling down his nose, he glared towards me and back at the other man who now stood behind the crowd of people watching.
Sighing at the irony of the situation I picked the chairs and table that'd fallen to the ground during the short brawl and turned back to the crowd in search of the crimson-sashed man however just as quick as the brawl ended the man had disappeared, frustration slowly built up inside me however I quickly fought to suppress it and reassured everyone that the situation was dealt with. They glanced at each other for a moment before finally slumping back into their chairs and chugging down their drinks with the conversations from before, slowly coming back.
"no words all action, Ha!! I never expected something like that from you!"
"Tch and why didn't you do anything? this is your tavern"
"Fights are common in a tavern but I see your point, rules should be enforced especially now that I have the perfect person to enforce them"
I rolled my eyes and attempted flexing my fingers a bit which proved to be a challenge, my fingers twitched but nothing more. Noticing this Thranduil shot a concerning stare at me and turned around to the barely filled shelf of glasses.
"poison magic is troublesome but it wears off after a while"
"aha.....that's great to hear"
Reassured that my situation wasn't anything of worry I found myself staring at the slumbering figure of Belrog till my thoughts fell onto the money Thranduil had given me as payment.
'it likes fish right?'
______________________________________________________
"Hmmrf"
Belrog opened a lazy eye and stared at me for a short moment and turned its head around with an annoyed grunt behind it.
"I'm getting you something for once at least act excited"
Belrog glanced back however quickly went to ignoring causing a twitch in my expression that I fought to keep as cheerful as ever.
"It's food, you like fish right?"
A slight twitch at the mention of fish caused Belrog to turn back towards me rather slowly with a mouth that was tightly closed as to suppress the saliva building up in his mouth, motivated with the possibility of food, Belrog stood up energetically with an anxious expression plastered across his face.
"Better"
I chuckled slightly as Belrog fought back the urge to roll his eyes or huff in annoyance, a response he was fond of using however like back in the forest during our journey here. I now held a treasure he could barely resist...food.
"leaving already?"
"ahaa, I haven't fed him in days now so...."
Thranduil's brows furrowed for while before eventually loosening as he held up three fingers while his face still harbored an expression that told me he was still contemplating whether the decision was necessary, however thankfully a sigh escaped his mouth before the contemplating expression loosened as well with Thranduil's three fingers being raised to four.
"four hours, nothing more"
"right!!"
I can't necessarily pinpoint where exactly all the excitement was coming from honestly, the excitement of buying Belrog a few snacks wasn't really it and only applied to Belrog himself but of course, I'm not so cold-hearted as to say I wasn't enjoying doing something nice for a companion that did so much for me up until now yet it still wasn't the core of my excitement, maybe it was the money that truly had me in a happy mood however my strict beliefs as a former knight won't let me accept that.
BANG!!
Stopping dead in my tracks right outside the entrance of the tavern, I narrowly evaded a spell that instead of cut a small groove into a plane board that I'd purchased only yesterday. I turned my head slowly in the direction of the culprit only to find a child barely over the age of 13 with both hands positioned in front of him while sweating buckets with a blue and grey blazer and pants that gave the appearance of a student.
Noticing my slightly annoyed expression the child quickly placed his arms by his side and opted for a light bow while spouting countless words of apology that I quickly dismissed as a child practicing spells wasn't anything for me to truly anger myself over, I gave the child a wave as I suggested practicing elsewhere instead of ruining someone else's property.
"right..silver pieces, that's at least two fish for you and a new outfit for myself"
' I don't even want to know how long I've been wearing this'
Belrog only nodded with his mouth lightly drooling as the thought of food was the only thing on his mind, small stalls were situated in rows through narrow streets, the options were endless that I found even my own stomach envying a taste. I stared inside the bag once more and shrugged as I threw away my previous shopping endeavors for a bite at something.
"50 silver pieces?!"
"Nothing comes any cheaper trust me"
Leaning closer the stall owner practically whispered to me.
"There's no other place you'll find fish like this"
"geeze fine, I'll take two"
"wise choice!!"
'yeah right, I just don't want to keep searching'
I handed two over to Belrog and bought a snack for myself from another stall as I rummaged through the bag once more however sadly the coins left were barely enough for even a drink at Thrand's tavern if I wanted.
My eyes shot to Belrog who swallowed the entire last fish whole and started rubbing up against me on our way back.
"Yeah, yeah I get it"
I finally ceased rummaging through the obviously drained bag and looked up only to barge into someones back with the few coins I had left scattered across the ground in a mess, rubbing my head slightly I quickly started grabbing for each coin on sight. If I was unlucky enough, the person I bumped into might start grabbing for themself.
"need a hand"
"it's fine, I wasn't paying attentio-"
I lifted my head to politely dismiss the kindness however my eyes only widened in shock and disbelief, standing tall with a new set of armor and a bright red sash across his chest as he held an outstretched hand towards me was the same person from a few nights back. His expression was far from lifeless and instead burned with a reborn sense of youth, caught by the neck as I struggled to take in the sight in front of me I turned my attention back to his attire and then the red sash.
"w-where did you get that...?"
Confused why I was asking such a question rather than focusing on the few other coins still scattered around me, the man looked down to the sash he garnered and only smiled softly before picking up the coins for me and softly whispering a set of words before kneeling and placing the coins in the bag next to me.
"my apologies it's a religious item I can't speak of"
The man offered to help me up, which I ignored for a few seconds till I shook my head: dismissing the red sash from my thoughts, helping myself up I gave a polite "thanks" that completely contradicted what I was feeling.
"would you mind I ask for your name?"
Stopping for a moment as I gathered my thoughts once more and fabricated a cheerful smile, I turned and gave out my name.
"Just Niel"
I waved goodbye and headed back barely knowing how to feel, the red sash came whirling to my head a few times more but I dismissed it, again, again, again, and again, why I did so was a mystery even to myself. The oddity of the events that had transpired in front of me in the past few days was clear yet I fought to keep myself blind, a lifeless man being brought back from the dead(I probably misread the situation and assumed the worst), a band of red sashed figures taking the body for themselves(they were most like doctors or healers), a man wearing an identical red sash from the men a few nights back claims to have spoken to his deceased wife(coincidence, a crimson sash is easy to get by).
Coincidence after coincidence, the excuses I came up with were logical to an extent yet felt ridiculous at the same time. It felt as though I was trying to avoid something and opted to look away and ignore it, the feeling was somewhat similar to whenever I found myself easily accepting circumstances or situations that the past me or Yelaine wouldn't have taken lightly and I usually tried kneeling to that feeling yet now I was avoiding that.
'Why?'
The door slowly creaked open with a dead silence behind it that indicated just how empty the tavern was, I slowly lifted my head only to be met with yet another surprise. The old priest paused whatever conversation was going on between himself and Thranduil and turned his attention to me while harboring the same warm smile yet the occurrence of the priest wasn't what truly surprised me but instead it was the sight of the deep raid haired child seated next to him, holding his sleeve as his sky blue eyes were revitalized with a bright and cheerful grin.
"ah Niel you're back"