Laughter and clanging echoed the bustling streets.
Only one tavern was opened in the afternoon, the Owl. It is known for being open all day and all night.
The owner, Gong, was a kind, old man. His short-hunched body and pure white goatee made him look like your average grandpa.
The tavern had a few people in it as it was the only afternoon and most people were at work.
Ilanna was sitting at the bar table looking over some paper. She had her swords leaned next to her with her leather satchel behind it. As she was flipping through the papers, Gong came over.
"Can I get you anything?"
"I would say coffee, but I think I need something harder," Ilanna says with a sigh.
Gong lightly chuckles, "your nightly usual then?"
Ilannanods and leans back in her chair. She has never thought the first thing she will have read would be a request from the Lamok king. Not to mention the reports she got about the capital itself.
The king is requesting her assistance on a case with Duke Renart. It specifies by stating of there was an attempt on the King's life and the suspects are at large. The king wants her to cooperate with the duke who is handling the case publicly.
Ilanna then reads the letter portion from the king.
'Dearest Ilanna,
I hope you are doing well. I hope you are careful during your missions and are successful in all your endeavors. I am writing to you with a request from the Huntress because there was a magical attempt on my life. I am weak now which allows others to exploit the kingdom in my absence. I am hoping you can return to the castle and help my son against the nobles. I know your views on my son are unfavorable, however, he has grown since you have left. I hope you give him a second chance. If you still wish to break it off with him, I will completely understand. I see you as my daughter, so I only wish for your happiness.
Sincerely, King Zahir'
Ilanna places the letter down and picked up the reports on the south and the rebellion group forming.
As Ilanna thinks about the new information she just read when the entrance swung open. It revealed three adventurers. They were loud and laughing at each other.
Behind them was a small child.
They wore long ragged clothes with a big bag that had dark red stains. Their dirty long hair covered most of their face and the thick black choker around their neck. It was a slave choker. Ilanna notices the small pointy ears peeking out of their dirty hair and felt a pit of rage forming at the bottom of her stomach. They are child elf.
Halfway through the tavern, they were stopped by Gong. They fell silent and smirked as they look the old man.
Among the three men, the middle one walked closer to Gong. His golden armor and equipment were spotless. It was clear that he had not done an ounce of work. The other two also had shiny armor but were not as extravagant as the middle one.
"You're not from around, here are you?" Gong smiled at them.
The man on the right stepped forward and points at the man in the middle.
"You are looking at eldest son, Sir Jeffers, from house Langhorn."
The Langhorns live on the east side of the capital. Count Langhorn was able to rise in ranks with his success with the merchants across the seas. Count Langhorn is known to a businessman first and can work the room in his favor. It is a trait that has not been passed down.
"Ah, then you must not know that slavery has been abolished in this state." He motioned behind him to the wall behind the bar table. All the prices for food and drinks were stated and beside it was a list of rules.
This caused all three men to go pale.
'Judging by their useless armor, they are snotty rich kids,' Ilanna remarked. Her eyes slowly fell on the small child behind them. Ilanna watches as the child adjusts holding the bag twice their size.
What a strong child.
Ilanna jumped down from the seat which caused everyone else in the tavern to fall silent. Their eyes discreetly followed Ilanna as she made her way towards them.
The child and the man on the left noticed the reaction from everyone in the room and follow their eyes to Ila.
The arrogant man in the middle notices Ilanna walking towards them and checks her out. He held a creepy smile on, but Ilanna ignores his lecherous eyes and kept her attention on the child.
Ila's light brown hair swayed behind her. Her piercing cold blue eyes looked like freshly cut sapphire. She had a dark blue hood over her head while her short cloak had trailed behind her. She had a black cloth that had covered the lower part of her face. She wore a long-sleeve black shirt with black high-waisted fitted pants that hugged her figure. She had a brown belt that held a small money bag and a dagger. Ilanna had elegance and confidence with each step she made.
Ilanna walked next to Gong and whispered into his ear. Her eyes were still on the child which made the child blush and hides behind the bag. Ilanna turns to the trio and motioned the child with a flick of her finger.
"That child is quite strong to be able to carry that heavy bag for so long. How about you give them to me? I need someone to carry my bags while I am out shopping," Ilanna spoke in a haughty manner making her seem like a spoiled rich lady.
"I would be more than happy to carry such heavy bags for you, my lady," Sir Jeffers flirted.
"Oh! such a high noble to escort little old me is such an honor," Ilanna sweetly said as she brushed her hair away innocently.
Sir Jeffers brushed Ila's arm up and leaned into her ear, "the honor is mine."
Ilanna quickly stepped on his toes where he then yelped in pain. Ilanna not sparing a second longer, she grabs his hair and pulled it close to her face. The men that were behind him tried to intervene but Gong had already immobilized them with their faces smashed against the floor.
Ilanna leaned into his ear and with a sickly-sweet voice, " too bad you are too injured to do so."
Ilanna punches his stomach and pushes his head against the floor.
"Sir Jeffers!"
Ilanna looked over at the kid and saw them standing there with a bit of a frightened look with a glint of satisfaction.
"Alright Sir Jeffers and company, since you would be in the state jail right now for slavery which has been illegal since the rise of King Zahir, how about we make a deal. You free the slave and leave quietly. Oh, and since I did break you and your friend's precious face, I give fifty silver pieces," Gong politely asserted with a cold smile.
Without another second the man in the middle nods after getting back up and helping their boss up. Ilanna watched as Sir Jeffers pull out a small silver key and trembling, he held it out to her. Ilanna snatched the key and waited for Gong to pay them.
The key is the contract between the slave and the master. Each key was different and caters to the master's needs from the slave. Ilanna examines the key and sees that it was a low-class key. This meant that changing ownership was easy, and it was a simple follow each order.
Gong smiles and quickly a waiter pops up next to him with money in a case. The man on the left pushes the child forward and grabs the money. Trembling, the three nod to Ilanna and leaves.
Ilanna glances at the men that sat in the corner of the tavern. The muscular men with crooked smiles stood a left the tavern without a single word.
Ilanna looks back at the trembling child and takes the bag from them. She hands it to Gong and kneels in front of the child. The child looks down and only peaked at Ilanna when she came into their view.
Ilanna smiles, "let's get this off," and gently touches the black choker.
Ilanna focuses on the black choker and the key. She turns the choker around until she finds the keyhole. She gently puts the key in the hole and turns. With a click, the choker unlocks and falls on tot the floor with a thud. The child flinches at the sound and Ilanna picks up the choker. Ilanna focuses on the chocker and the key.
Then she exhales saying one world calmly, "disintegrate."
Ila's hand emitted a soft purple light. It wrapped around the choker and on command, it broke into tiny pieces until there was nothing. The silver key disintegrates along with the light.
Ilanna lowers her hand and watches as the child relax. Their small hands gently felt their necks and felt nothing there. They look up at Ilanna with wide eyes.
"h-how d-did you do t-that," the child's voice was quiet and seemed horse.
Ilanna smiles and stands back up. She offers her hand to the child. The child looks at the hand and then at Ila. Hesitantly they place a hold on Ila's hand and watch as she guides them to the bar table.
Gong had already left to calculate the worth of what was in the bag while the waiter from before continued their work. Ilanna lifted the child onto the stool and sat next to them.
"By magic. So, you got a name, kid?"
The child fiddle with their hands. After a few seconds of silence and glancing at Ilanna before blushing and looking away, the child spoke quietly.
"No"
Ilanna nodded and waved the bartender down. She orders a hot chocolate for the kid and wine for herself.
The child watch in the corner of their eyes Ila. Ilanna felt a small pull at her shirt and looks at the child. She could see they were curious but there was also a gleam of expectancy. She watches the child struggle to ask the question.
Upon further examination, the kid got pretty eyes and a cute face. They might grow up to be handsome. She smiles as the kid sips on the drink and smiles from the deliciousness.
Finally, the child spoke after a few sips, " what are you going to do to me now?"
Ilanna leans back and crosses her legs. She glances at the child who was watching her carefully with wonder and suspicion.
"Right now, you should get cleaned up and get some rest. Then we will answer your question in the morning."
After they both finish their drinks and talk, they head to the upstairs part of the building where Gong's wife, Mrs. Walker, was. Ilanna explains what happened to her and asks to help the kid clean up. She nods and leads the kid away to the bath. Gong had come and helps Ilanna in the kitchen cooking some soup when the door behind her opens.
Ilanna faces the open door after placing the bowl of soup on the kitchen table. Mrs. Walker walks in with the kid in her arms. She puts the kid down and grins.
"They was quite afraid of everything, so it took longer than expected, but they turned out to be quite a looker."
The kid stood in front of Ilanna shyly. There stood the kid freshly cleaned with new clothes. They wore a plain white shirt with brown trousers. They had bright white hair with golden eyes. Their little elf ears peaked out.
They stuttered, "w-what do you t-think?"
Ilanna smiles, "like a proper child. now eat some food and head to bed. We have a lot to discuss tomorrow."
The child nods and follows Ilanna and Mrs. Walker to the kitchen table where warm food was. They sat in the chair and slowly takes the spoon. They watch as Ilanna butter some bread and place it beside him. Mrs. Walker grabbed a bowl for Ilanna and herself before sitting down.
Ilanna notices that they was watching her and looks at him. They did not look away this time but stared deeply into her blue eyes.
"Eat or I'll eat you," Ilanna joked. The kid widens their eyes and begins to scarf it down.
"Woah there. Slow down. Miss was only teasing," Mrs. Walker chuckled.
This made the kid stop and blush. They glance at Mrs. Walker then nod.
After dinner, Mrs. Walker leads the kid to bed while Gong and Ilanna sat in the living room.
"So, what's the plan with the kid?" Gong asks
"They come from the southern elven community. I can try to find them a safe passage to the south where I will ask Virion to house them but the travel will be hard with the political climate right now. Or we can house them until they learn how to control their appearance and then head out. Either way, I won't be able to do it personally. The King called in his favor," Ilanna said.
Amongst the reports she got, there is a bandit group in the south causing havoc. However, none of the king men were able to catch one alive yet. They seem to lose their life once caught by a magical device inside themselves. Now the south roads leading to the Elf towns are under heavy security.
Gong sighs. "Well, we can house him until he decides but are you really going back to that damn castle?"
Ilanna looks up at Gong and sees that he is concerned. Ilanna could only nod which made Gong fall silent. After a couple of minutes, Ilanna spoke up.
"But don't worry my escape route is already in place. Plus, every story requires a villain, right?"
"Does it really need to be you?" Gong questioned.
Ilanna smiles and assures Gong, "no worries. I will just act haughty and whatnot. And when the fall of Ilanna Vellet comes, I can be free."
Gong returns a smile then looks at the clock.
"Best be off to bed then. Busy day tomorrow," jested Gong.
Ilanna laughs quietly before sighing once again.
Ilanna laid on her bed wide awake. She shifted position so she was on her side trying to get comfortable. She drew the comforter closer to her waiting for sleep to wash over her. When she remembered how she first got her past life, she was about twelve years old.