The first few days were quiet, and nothing was out of the ordinary. Arrius was told that the whole trip would take around a moon's pass to reach the capital of Mardon, Summerden, which is where House Wixx resides.
Truthfully, Arrius didn't know much about the kingdom of Mardon, but it didn't matter much to him. He was only there to learn and serve under the ruling house; he wasn't planning on staying for too long. Whether his parents liked it or not, he would enjoy his time there and then be on his way.
During the first couple of days, they camped and took refuge in small, minor lords' castles, who were already informed of their passing through. Many lords tried to convince the group to stay longer to show hospitality, but Ser Ferick kindly declined each invitation. For the most part, they were on a schedule; the kingdom of Mardon expected them within a moon's pass, so they needed to arrive on time or even earlier.
Something Arrius was excited about was that the group would pass through the great mountains of the kingdom of the Mountlands. He had heard stories of how beautiful and tall they were; they were the biggest mountains in the known world and had allowed House Langston, the ruling house of the kingdom, to be protected from most, if not all, foes.
Truthfully, traveling down through the north, Arrius hadn't seen much of it. Everything was hosted in Cardinalshold his whole life, so there was never any reason to travel. Seeing all these new and exciting areas showed him how much more was out there.
"Arrius, how are you feeling? I know this is your first time truly traveling the kingdom, but it's wonderful, isn't it?" Ser Ferick asked.
"Yes, it truly is. I've really enjoyed taking this trip with you all. I want to thank all of you for coming with me on this long journey. I know you'll be away from your families for quite some time, so this truly means a lot to me."
In unison, all the knights reminded the prince that it was their duty, and it was truly no bother. As long as they were protecting him, there was no worry.
This thoroughly made Arrius feel much better, knowing that he had a group of loyal knights helping him on this journey.
As night closed in, the group found a tavern on the border of the north and the Mountlands known as "The Northern Mountain."
The group of men closed in, leaving their horses in the nearby stables before entering the tavern.
While waiting to be seated, Arrius couldn't help but notice all the beautiful women walking around in extremely low dresses—something he'd never seen before. He was a prince he thought he couldn't allow his urges to take over his judgment, but no matter how much his brother told him to stop being so serious all the time, he simply couldn't do it.
Finally seated at a table, Arrius wasn't quite used to this environment. Drunk men were singing and dancing, clearly plastered out of their minds, but Arrius quite enjoyed it. It was something different—something where he didn't have to maintain the appearance of the crown prince. No one knew him here; he was just another person among the knights.
So, Arrius laid back, took his time to relax, and enjoyed some of the food brought to them, even having a couple of drinks maybe even one two many.
"Arrius, don't go too hard. We do have to get up tomorrow morning and travel again, don't forget that. But do have fun; just make sure you make it to your room safe," said Ser Ferick.
"I'll be all ready for tomorrow. We still have to make it to Mardon on time."
As the night raged on, with everyone singing and dancing, Arrius stepped outside for some fresh air.
After a while, a young lady came out to sit next to him.
"Are you okay? Most don't come out here to sit on their own," she asked.
"I'm okay; I just needed a break from everything. I think it was just a little overwhelming for me. I'll start heading back in pretty soon.
Arrius immediately felt rude he completely forgot to ask for the young lady's name.
"I forgot to ask I'm sorry but may I have your name, ma'am?".
"Lyara my lord."
"That's a very pretty name, Lyara. How come you're working here so late at night? you see, quite young my lady" Arrius asked, a questioning look on his face.
"My father and mother are both farmers not too far from here, and sometimes it's quite hard for my family to earn money since there aren't any big cities or towns around here for a while. So, ever since i hit the age of seventeen a winters pass ago I started working here for three to four days at a time. They allow me to take a room while paying me, and then I make my way back and give my family the money to help raise my two younger siblings."
"I'm sorry. That must be very hard on you. I had no idea," Arrius said, suddenly feeling bad for asking. The girl seemed down, from that moment on, he didn't mean to hurt her feelings at all; he was simply asking where she was from.
"No, no, it's quite okay, my lord. I know you didn't mean anything by it. I just try my best to help provide for my family. It's the least I could do for them, for raising me and helping me live a joyful life," Lyara said with a smile that made Arrius blush. he hadn't noticed until now but Lyara was quite beautiful.
"Listen, Lyara, I'll be leaving as soon as the sun rises tomorrow morning. I come from a family of power. I can't bring you to where I'm going, but I promise that when I come back, I'll bring enough coin for you and your family to move farther up north for an easier life. I promise you." Arrius didn't know why he said this or why it was the first thing that came to his mind, but he felt no regret for saying it; he was not mad either.
"Thank you, my lord, but that's too big of an ask. Maybe you or your family will need the coin," Lyara said with a weak tone.
"Trust me, we will be more than okay. Just give me some time. On my way home, I will make sure to stop here and give you my earnings, I promise you."
With that, Arrius finally retired for the night, hopeful for what was to come.
Climbing into bed, Arrius was happy. He felt no stress and was quite tipsy from the ale he had consumed, but he was sure he would be fine by morning. He was excited to see where this long adventure would take him.
It had only been a few days, and he was having a lot more fun than he had originally anticipated.