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“Thank you, Sam,” I said quietly, failing to match his energy in my current state.

“Of course, my darling!” he answered happily, as he set the second plate down on the table in front of Elias. “Please enjoy, and holler for me if you need me!” Without another word, the large, boisterous man wandered off to mingle with more of his guests. I couldn’t help but admire his gleeful attitude.

Elias and I both scarfed down our food in less than a few minutes. It was absolutely delectable. To my pleasure, it really did help settle my stomach. Sam arrived again after we finished, with two hot mugs of tea. He placed them on the table and began to laugh. “You two must have been starving!” he said loudly. “I’ll go grab you some more, on the house.”

“Oh, I couldn’t possibly ask that of you,” I countered. “At least let me pay.” I began pulling a pouch of coins from my pack when Sam interrupted.

“No need, my dear,” he said, placing his hand on my shoulder. The weight of it forced me to lean sideways a little. “I refuse to see a guest of mine go hungry. If it were up to me, I’d feed everyone until they were my size!” He laughed loudly once again as he patted his roundbelly with his hands.

I giggled in return.

Elias looked unamused.

I let Sam’s laughter subside before continuing. “Well, thank you,” I said. “If there is anything we can do for you, please let us know.”

Elias nodded in silent agreement.

Sam shook his head. “I just want you to enjoy your stay in my beautiful kingdom,” he said joyfully. “Monuvia is full of wonder and beauty. And the city of Enaver has some of the best food and shops in the kingdom. Take advantage of it while you’re here!”

“We will,” I smiled, glancing at Elias.

Sam chuckled, and left to fetch us our second helpings. We finished them almost as quickly as the first, then said our goodbyes to Sam and walked out of the inn into the crisp, cool air of the Monuvian morning.

“Sam is quite a character, isn’t he?” I joked to Elias as we walked towards the city center.

Elias grunted sightly. “I can honestly say I’ve never met anyone like him,” he answered.

Neither had I, and the thought made me smile. “I like him,” I laughed.

Elias grinned in return, and I knew he agreed. With that, we made our way to the center of Enaver. As we walked through the city, I noted all the different shops that were laid out. It reminded me of Rimor in this way, how there was a different type of shop on every corner. But while the cities in Rimor and Chatus had streets designated for busy markets as well as shops, Enaver had no markets. It was more quiet. Peaceful.

The kingdom did not have large castles of stone or gold, like Rimor and Chatus. Instead, Queen Janness and the twins lived in a small palace in the city of Tynvaris towards the back of the kingdom. The palace was made up of mosaic tile and stained glass. I had been there a few times when I was a child, and I almost preferred it to my oversizedhome.

I told Elias we should avoid Tynvaris, as I was sure the Queen or her heirs would recognize me. He agreed, and we kept towards the city center.

Since there was no market, we had to find each shop separately and enter the buildings to make our purchases. First, we found a butcher shop and stocked up on more dried meats and jerkies. Then we found a small store that sold hard cheeses and breads, and another that was owned by a produce farmer who sold dried fruits. By the first hour, we had enough food to last us another few weeks, if we spread the meals out, ate lightly, and hunted in between.

By the second hour, we headed to an apothecary and bought a decent number of bandages and medicines, Elias buying more than myself. I guessed he was being extra precautious about one or both of us suffering more injuries. I rolled my eyes at him as he spent a small fortune on the items, nearly filling his pack.

We walked around Enaver for a little while, crossing bridges and checking each side street before we found a tailor. While I packed several sets of clothes, one tunic was already completely tattered from my tumble through Rebellia River, and Elias had ripped the sleeves off one of his to stop the bleeding caused by Horus’s sword. So we were both in need of some extra clothes.

The woman working inside took one look at my filthy attire and grabbed my arm to show me what she had for sale. She had a large selection of leather pants similar to my own, and I wondered if this was where my uncle had bought them.

The woman looked up and down at Elias next. “I am not sure this shop will have anything that fits your physique,” she said, referring to his tall frame and large muscles. “We mostly have women’s and children’s clothes here,” she continued. “But when I’m done with your friend, I can tell you where to find The Village Makers. It’s ashop that sells more men’s clothing.”

I thanked her, and explained what I was looking for, for myself. No dresses or skirts, only durable, maneuverable attire. She looked bemused, but brought me some of her leather trousers and thick fabric tops that she thought would fit me. I walked out of the dressing room to show Elias my favorite ensemble to far – dark leather trousers and a matching leather top that cut off at the shoulders. The shopkeeper offered me detached sleeves that tightly wrapped up my arms, just past my elbow. The thick boots she brought me also fit perfectly, laced up to the middle of my shin.

“How do I look?” I asked Elias.

He turned from the clothes on display he was viewing, and I watched his eyes slightly light up. “Like a warrior,” he grinned.

I smiled back, cheeks flush with color.

“Well I was going for a more modest look than that,” the lady interrupted. “But I guess you’re right.”

I stifled a laugh, and offered the woman payment for the clothing without taking them off. I paid for an extra set, as well as a blouse I liked, worried I didn’t have room for much else in my pack. She took my payment, then gave us general directions to The Village Makers so Elias could get nicer, cleaner clothes as well.

The sun rose high in the sky as we followed the woman’s directions, and I realized the day was already half over. Soon, we found The Village Makers, and I immediately noted the shop right next door. The Flaming Point was a weapons shop, with steel blades and daggers displayed in the front window.