Issy: I sat on the couch drinking a warm cup of coffee with milk that Tilly made.
"Ugh, he's still sleeping. I'm going to wake him up," Tilly decided.
She grabbed one of the cups and filled it with water. She walked calmly over to Niko, who was laid out sloppily on his bed with his mouth partially open. With no remorse, Tilly poured the full cup of water onto Niko's head.
"HEY!" Niko jumped up with a jolt.
Tilly and I laughed hysterically.
"That was unnecessary!" Niko growled.
"Well, you weren't waking up so what else was I supposed to do?" Tilly replied innocently.
Niko walked over to the counter to make himself a cup of coffee. Niko drank his coffee black, no milk, no sugar. It suited him well.
I was all packed up for whatever trip we were going on. I found a random bag and stuffed it with some clothes that I stole from Niko. I also packed some food that shouldn't spoil for a while. This whole journey thing was new to me so I was just guessing on what I needed.
"Sir?" I asked.
"Don't call me sir," Niko said.
"Oh, okay. Well, Niko, can I ask you a question?" I asked.
"What," he replied.
"How did you and Tilly save all of Isdrid the first time? You and her are only two people," I asked.
Niko sighed, "I have powers."
I gasped, "Really?"
"Yes," Niko replied.
"How-" I started.
"None of your business," He cut in.
"Fine, suit yourself," I said.
Powers were not a normal thing. Only spirits, wizards, and witches had them. Niko must be a wizard. Some people doubt the existence of magical beings such as wizards just like they doubt the existence of Legends of No One, but I don't. Niko was living proof.
"We need a plan," Tilly said.
"No kidding," Niko replied.
"We should gather information first, so we know what we're getting into," I said.
"Agreed. Good idea!" Tilly said.
"How do we do that?" I asked.
We all thought for a moment in silence.
"We sneak into Mordum's palace, we see what the king is up to," Niko said.
"That's suicide!" I exclaimed.
"You don't have to come," Niko retorted.
"No, no, I will come. I have a duty," I stated.
"Duty," Niko rolled his eyes.
"This is a great plan! The thought of being in a dangerous situation and close to death just gets my blood rushing! You know?" Tilly exclaimed.
"Not really, but you do you," I said, a bit concerned.
"Yay! Let's go!" Tilly said excitedly.
Niko quickly packed a bag. We all met up with our bags outside the cottage. Stepping outside the door, I could smell the fresh morning dew on the leaves of the trees.
"We're not that far from Mordum's border," Niko commented.
"I have a map of all the kingdoms that we can follow," Tilly said.
"And I have a compass!" I added.
"Great, at least we won't die lost in the wilderness," Niko said with no confidence in us.
We walked towards the seaside cliffs that weren't that far away.
"It's better to travel along the sea than in a forest," Niko said.
I looked out over the Kingdom Ocean. That was the name of the ocean between all the thirteen kingdoms. On a sunny day the water was a clear blue. Today, the sky was gray so the water was a blue-gray color. It was still pretty. Giant waves crashed against the rocky shore below. We continued walking along the cliffs of the coastline.
It felt as if we had walked forever. I sluggishly trailed behind Niko and Tilly.
"So, how are we going to sneak into the palace and get information?" I asked.
"We play dress up," Niko smirked.
"Excuse me?" I replied in utter confusion.
"I can dress up as a servant. You and Tilly can dress up as some wealthy aristocrats just strolling around the palace," Niko said.
"I never agreed to this plan of me having to wear a dress!" Tilly yelled.
"Deal with it," Niko rolled his eyes. "Someone has to protect Issy. Besides, you would look too suspicious in your armor. I plan on trying to get out of this situation alive, thank you very much."
"What makes you think I need protection?" I growled at Niko.
"Just go with the stupid plan," Niko said.
We walked along the coastline a bit more. The sun was starting to set over the water. It reflected an orange glow onto the ocean and it turned the sky a bright pink that soon faded out into the night. We veered off the coast into a quaint town called Bringleytide. Walking through the town, we found a shabby tavern.
Niko opened the creaky door of the suspicious place. There was a small bar with a few people swinging their foamy beers. At the tables, people were engaged in numerous games of cards while nursing their alcoholic beverages. The floors were made of worn, splintered wood. One of the walls had a dart board with a million holes in and around it.
"Lovely place," I commented sarcastically.
"If you have any complaints, you can go sleep outside," Niko replied.
We walked up to the front desk where a man smoking a big cigar was sitting.
"I'll have one room," Said Niko, pushing a few coins towards the man.
Currency throughout the thirteen kingdoms was simple. We all used the same currency so that trading would not become difficult. There were four types of coins: Tin, copper, silver, and gold. The coins were not decorated and were smooth on the top and bottom. Then there was gold itself. Gold was the most valuable thing in the thirteen kingdoms. Isdrid was the most known for its gold and the majority of gold is mined there by people like my parents.
The man smoking the cigar grunted and dropped a key in Niko's hand.
"Room thirteen", the man said.
Tilly and I followed Niko up the stairs that were tucked in the corner of the room. The stairway was dark and narrow. At the top of the steps was a dark hallway with one singular candle lamp lighting the way. We walked all the way down to the end of the hallway until we reached a door with a thirteen scratched into the wood. Niko unlocked the door and we all piled into the small room.
The room was almost pitch black. There were no windows to let the moonlight in. One small bed was in the corner with a table beside it. In the opposite corner was a cushioned chair.
"Remember the last time we were in a room like this, Niko?" Tilly said in a devious tone.
Niko responded, "I need a drink."
He walked out the door. I could hear his footsteps pounding through the hallway.
"What was that about?" I asked.
I found a candle lamp on the table and I lit it. The flame was small, but enough to see Tilly's face.
"Oh, I shouldn't say," Tilly smirked.
We stood in silence for a moment.
"Okay, fine. While me and Niko were on our mission of saving Isdrid, we slept with each other," Tilly laughed as if it was funny. "Just once, it was a mistake."
"Oh," I replied, my face red. "Do you still like him in that way?"
Tilly said, " Oh no no no that is a thing of the past. We are not made for each other. It was just that back then.
"Uh, I think that's enough information for me," I interrupted.
Tilly shrugged. She dropped her backpack down on the floor and laid down. She was asleep in a matter of minutes.
I decided to go down stairs to see what Niko was up to. When I walked down the stairs, I saw that Niko was sitting alone at the bar drinking a big glass of beer. I casually sat down next to him.
"Go away," he mumbled.
"No," I replied. "Excuse me? Bartender? Can I have what he's having?"
"Are you even old enough to drink?" Niko asked.
"Yes! I'm eighteen," I said, offended.
The drinking age in Isdrid was eighteen. It was the highest drinking age in the thirteen kingdoms. The lowest drinking age was in Bortril, which had no drinking age.
"Okay, whatever," He said.
"How old are you?" I asked, curious.
"Thirty-six," He replied shortly.
The bartender gave me my beer. I gave him some tin coins.
"Wow! Thirty-six? You are old enough to be my dad," I laughed.
"Sure, whatever," Niko replied.
I lightly sipped the beer I had. I hated the taste and the feel of it in my stomach. I never drank alcohol. Alcohol is a gateway to many bad things. Plus, it tastes disgusting and makes me feel nauseous.
"You must be tired. You should get some rest," Niko said a bit softer.
By now, most of the drunkards and the card players had left the bar. It was only me, the bartender, the front desk cigar man, Niko, and a woman left in the bar.
The woman across the room was eying Niko seductively. She wore rather skimpy clothing. She wore a short, strappy dress with a dangerously low neckline that exposed a lot of cleavage. This type of dress was commonly worn by prostitutes. The woman slowly made her way over to Niko. Niko started to take notice and smirked. The woman sat on the other side of Niko.
"Yeah, I am tired. I am going to go to sleep now. Good night," I said awkwardly.
I rushed out of the bar and up the stairs. I went to room thirteen and saw that Tilly was still sleeping on the floor. Being polite to Niko, I took the chair instead of the bed. I pulled out a blanket from my traveling backpack and snuggly covered myself up. I was exhausted from all the walking we had done that day and it wasn't long before I was deep into sleep.