Wizard's Tower - Chapter 41.5 - Interlude - Lilly / Adam / Meathead

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A day at the tower day - Lilly POV

The sounds of birds chirping woke me from my dreams. I wiped my eyes as I tried to recall the face of the handsome prince. But I couldn’t. All I could remember was the white stallion we rode away on, and the way the wind felt in my hair. The same breeze that blew through my window.

My window, the only one in the tower. Dad—master—had allowed us to chose our rooms, and I picked the rightmost one. The only room with a window, and I could look out upon the bridge and sparkling waters. I took a seat in the chair in front of it and leaned out to brush my hair. It was growing longer here, longer than the nuns ever let me grow it before.

That was okay because I was a princess now. I lived in a castle with its own guards. I ate three meals a day, three! And with meat each time. The other orphans would scream at me with envy if they knew. That was one of my dreams. To return all the mockery they gave me and Walker over our skin and hair by showing them how much better off I was.

A small dream.  My big one was more important. Soon, a prince would ride up and ask to marry me. A handsome prince with perfect hair and a nice smile. Not like the pig-nosed one who didn’t even look at me when I sat in the window brushing my hair just for him to see. Who would want a prince like that, anyway?

Beside me, Lady Ivy’s face grew, a smile on her lips. Hello, water flower.

It was a whisper that tickled my mind. When we first met, she nearly scared me to death with the way she talked. Now, though, she was the best handmaiden a princess could ever ask for. “Hi! How are you this morning? Are the little ones happy?”

Her little ones, the tiny specks of green light in the mist, were her babies. Well, I wasn’t sure if they were her babies or babies she cared for like a nun, but she called them her babies.

Yes, water flower, they grow well. Two more have hatched and are bonding with the water flowers. Are you certain you do not wish to bond with one?

I bit my lip and admitted, “I haven’t asked dad yet. I’m afraid he will say no.”

Now is the best time, and the bond will only help you. Need you his permission?

“We’ve talked about this! I won’t do it if he says no. Here, comb my hair,” I handed the comb to the ivy and let my handmaiden work. She always did an excellent job that left my hair smooth and shiny. A good handmaiden. I bet the other princesses didn’t have magical handmaidens.

When she finished, I promised, “I will ask him soon. Thank you,” I gave her a courtly bow of the head. One of dad’s books was about all the courtly manners, and I read it each day. I even practiced my curtseys for an hour, once! Next was one of my favorite parts of the day.

In my wardrobe, I had twelve dresses. Twelve! I didn’t know someone could own that many clothes, but my brother had spent all his money getting them for me, and I loved it. He was the best brother ever.

I had the light blue one with frilled sleeves, the pink one that was a little too small, and the green one with a fluffy skirt. Only those three I hadn’t worn yet. I wanted to wear one today, but I didn’t want them to get dirty in the dungeon. Chelsea would fuss forever if I did.

Do you think the yellow or the beige one, Miss Ivy?” I asked as I held one up to my chest.

The green one looks best water flower.

I rolled my eyes, “You always say that. I’m picking the beige one.”

After slipping into my dress, I gave Lady Ivy a courtesy and grabbed my catelogue tome. I wanted to review my illustrations now that all the creatures were trapped inside cages. Much easier than when they squirmed all around. Dad said my illustrations were good, but I’d seen his other books. I wanted them to be the best.

One of the downsides of having the rightmost room was that it was closest to the stairs. I could always smell it when Chelsea was cooking. Which was great when I was hungry, but torture when I wasn’t. This morning we had eggs again and I was excited.

When I mentioned to Chelsea how much I loved eggs, she came up with a scheme to get Dad to buy more. And he fell for it! At least I think he did. He seems to always know what’s going on, like when Rolf was pretending to be strangled by the floating lilies in the swimming pond and he just ignored him. So maybe dad did know that the eggs were for me and got them anyway. I couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

Dad. Brothers. Rolf was like a little brother. Kine was like a distant cousin. Chelsea was like an auntie. I finally had the family I always prayed for at the orphanage. I said a quiet prayer of thanks to Goddess Elora.

Goddess of Light and Love, thank you. Thank you for everything. I will forever be your follower. I love my new family. If… if you hear me and can grant me one more favor… please… send me a prince. A handsome one who will carry me away. He should have face hair, but not too much. Blue eyes. Or green. He should be strong and caring. And a good listener. Thank you again, Goddess!

After breakfast, little Rolf came bouncing to me, “Lady Lilly, are we having studies today?”

That was a curious question. I tutored him every day, “Why?”

“Well, me and Meathead wanna go swimming, but the water is too cold in the morning. Can we study now so I can play outside this afternoon?”

I thought about it. Walker wasn’t back yet, so I didn’t need to study with him this morning. But I wanted to do my illustrations right now. “Hmmm,” I answered like dad would.

“Please?” He asked and gave me a pouty face. When I saw him do it, I had to bite my tongue. No wonder dad says for me to stop doing that. It really was childish.

“I can’t. But if today you want you can practice your numbers and letters by yourself today. To make them look better,” I tired of needing to squint to read his writing.

“Thanks, Lady Lilly!” He said and gave me a hug before running off.

I swung my hands and skipped my way down to the dungeon. Chelsea and Tond were already making kissy faces in the cellar, so I didn’t stop to say hello. In the storage room on the side of the dungeon, I sat down. Beside me, I sat out the quill and inkpot, before turning to the latest illustration.

Mister Mushroom, the one that could grow arms and legs, was having a baby. Sort of. He looked like he was splitting into two Mister Mushrooms, and I wanted to draw him doing that. He got scared easy though, so I needed to sit perfectly still until he wasn’t scared anymore.

I couldn’t wait to see what his baby looked like, and I had all morning and afternoon to draw him right. This was going to be a very good day.

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Adam the Paladin Guildmaster - Adam POV

I waited outside the Baroness’s attendance hall with calm decorum. Ertal, my second tier Dedicated, stood in his finest robe to my side, fretting with his hair. With a quick glance, I once again confirmed my armor’s high polish. As a [Paladin], one had to become the inspiration to others—something that Ertal had yet to learn.

“Calm yourself. Bi will provide for whatever strength you lack,” I assured him.

“I don’t doubt that, Trusted Adam. I fear that my hair is beneath his glorious gaze,” Ertal respond and continued to fuss with his hair.

This was an important meeting. It was not often that one was summoned before a noble, with required attendance no less. I was confident though that my god would see me through. This was simply another battlefield. As long as I carried his strength and valor, all would fall before his mighty horns.

With a creak, the door opened. An [Administrator] carrying an open tome and quill. Her voice called out into the room, “Now presenting [Paladin] Adam, Trusted of the Order of the Charge, Guildmaster of Lark’s Adventurers Guild and Veteran of the battles of Smith’s Edge, Doran’s Creek, and Small Trees.”

I held my head high with my helm under one arm and marched down the fine rug that led towards the Baroness’s seat. To either side, crowds of angry faces jeered at me. Oren the baker with his bald, sweaty head growled. Felli the carpenter, a sneer on his bearded face. Aera the herbalist, an otherwise pleasant and plump woman, had her arms crossed as if I were an unruly child.

I ignored them all as I stepped forward. Yesterday, I had visited the barber for a haircut and shave and the bathhouse for a soak in body oils. Ertal spent the day ensuring my armor fully oiled and shined. I was certain I was the picture of a hero. They might be angry now, but if a monster were to attack then I wanted them to remember my face. For all those that leaned on me in a time of need would place their gratitude in Bi.

As we reached the appropriate distance from Baroness Lark’s seat, I stopped and gave a low bow. A courteous one. [Paladins] kneeled to no other but their god, but a bow was appropriate.

“You may rise, [Paladin] Adam,” the Baroness spoke with an officious tone.

I took in her look as I stood. She wore a blue noblewoman’s gown of fine silk and painted her face with colors that made it seem she was blushing. In her left hand, she held a closed fan that she tapped on the arm of the chair.

“Do you know why I summoned you here today, guildmaster?” She asked.

I didn’t, but with the reference to my position and the angry merchants, I could assume. Yet, it was better to admit a lack of knowledge than an abundance, “No, Baroness.”

“Of late, I have been getting complaints from my merchants. They say that you are sending adventurers to harass them. You, what did you say earlier?” She pointed her fan at Stey the Miller.

“My own daughter came to me not two nights ago and asked me if I were the greediest merchant in Lark? When I told her no, she asked me why I wasn’t! As if greed were a good thing!” The man had cleaned up well, as he was normally covered in flour. Other called agreement after him, a chorus of voices with similar stories. Guard Captain Untal, a man I respected as much as he respected me, stomped several times before they silenced.

“What do you have to say for yourself, Guildmaster?” the Baroness asked as she gazed down at me with an angry look.

I answered that look with a smile, “I am only carrying out the commissions, the quests, of those given to me, Baroness.”

“And whom did you take quests from that would require Lark’s youth to accost its merchants?” She tapped her fan into her other hand.

“The wizard Nemon Fargus, Baroness,” I said with pride. The wizard could do no wrong in my eyes. He not only created the symbol of my god in his tower, but my god sanctified it before my very eyes. That wizard had done so without a breath of hesitation. He charged forward like the bull himself.

Of course, the court was full of people, and the merchants broke into shouts of anger. One man, that I didn’t recognize, stepped out onto the carpet as if to attack me. A guard unsheathed their blade, and that man quickly joined back into the crowd. The rest of the noise calmed as well in the face of that weapon.

“Why would you allow the man to place such a quest?” She demanded.

“Baroness, he issued not one but several quests. Some of them connected to one another,” I answered, and smiled even broader.

“Oh? Do go on,” she said.

I nodded once, “He has provided the guild with many quests recently, more than ten that keep Lark’s adventurers active. Some are connected in ways I don’t understand, but this one I do. The first quest placed was one of the scouting of your lands. Prospecting for stone or gems. Or fine metals.”

I paused to take a breath, and noticed the court had gone utterly silent, “The second was for adventurers to discover who were the greediest merchants in your lands.”

I stopped there, as the merchants around me began to murmur, almost like the babble of a creek.

“And the third?” The baroness asked, leaning forward. Her voice cut through the babble like grass under a bull’s hoof.

“To deliver the locations discovered to the greediest of Lark’s merchants,” I answered. I dropped my smile to feign a serious countenance as I did.

The baroness leaned back into her chair and began tapping her fan against the armrest. The herd of merchants was utterly silent. That was until one voice broke out in a yell.

“Sir Adam, I am the greediest!” he called. But he was only the first. Soon a great cacophony of merchants filled the hall, and each claimed a greed that surpassed their peers. The volume only grew for several long minutes and reached a deafening level. That is until the rhythmic beating of weapons on shields made it impossible to speak.

When the room was again almost quiet, the yells now a murmur, the baroness spoke.  She called out, “Does any man or woman here wish to pursue the matter against [Paladin] Adam, guildmaster of Lark’s Adventurer’s Guild?”

She looked around, but no one answered her. Finally, she took a deep breath and declared, “Then I dismiss you all.”

I bowed again to the Baroness and marched my way out to through the doors, ignoring the calls and grabbing hands of shopkeepers and tailors alike. They parted before me. Of course, they would. Who stands before the bull when he moves?

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Meathead the Disabled Guard - Meathead POV

“Quick, hide!” Rolf whispered, and we ran. Out of the room, around the corner, and another. And another.

Against the wall, we hid. Footsteps came down the stairs. And voices. It was Mena and Eni.

“Are you sure you left it here?” Eni asked.

Mena sighed, “Can’t be too many other places, cannit?”

I snickered, but Rolf shushed me. We heard them enter the room beside us, and the shuffling as they dug through things.

“It’s not here! Where is it?!” Mena sounded angry and upset. I stood up to see what was the matter, but Rolf pulled my arm. When I looked down, he shook his head no. Oh right. This was a game.

I smiled at him and nodded to let him know I understood. Playing games was fun.

“Eni, I swear by the fallen seagods, that if you took it again that wizard won’t save you!” Mena was yelling now. And being mean to Eni. That was good. She should be mean to him. I didn’t like Eni much. He was one of the ones that kept calling me stupid. I knew I used to be smart like them. I knew it. But I wasn’t no more, so he didn’t have to be mean about it.

“I promise, I don’t have it. That was one time cause we all was drinking, and that’s that,” he answered her, sounding almost as mad as she was.

She huffed and stomped out of the room and back up the stairs. Eni followed a little bit after, his owl on his shoulder. I didn’t like him, but his owl was a pretty bird. Even Lilly said so.

Beside me, Rolf started laughing. I guess that meant it was okay to laugh now, so I laughed with him.

“Okay, okay. Let’s go,” Rolf said and pulled my arm. I followed him as we crept up the stairs playing sneaky-sneaky.

We walked normal past the kitchen, but Rolf’s mom wasn’t there so we didn’t have to worry. On the first floor, we could hear Mena yelling at Tond and Eni all the way up on the roof. She was pretty loud when she got mad. I was about to go see what she was mad about when Rolf pulled my sleeve.

“Quick, open the door before they see us!” He whispered.

We were going outside? That would be fun. Swimming was always fun with the water things. The fire mice didn’t like it when we splashed them, so we couldn’t do that. They squeak really loud and it sounds like they hurt. I don’t want to hurt the little mice. Not like real mice that I’m supposed to step on. These ones were different.

“The door!” Rolf whispered again, and I lifted the bar that kept it locked. It squealed when we opened it, and we waited to see if anyone heard. No one did, so we kept going. This was a fun game!

Outside, we went to talk to the green lady. She was super nice and smelled good, even if her body wasn’t ready yet.

Her face peeked out of the ivy, and Rolf sucked in his breath. I did too, in case that was how you were supposed to say hello to her.  She didn't talk with words, either, so that made sense.

Hello children.

“Hi!” I said. She always says hello and never calls me stupid. It’s really nice of her.

“Mistress Ivy, we want you to do something for us. Will you, please?” Rolf asked.

I nodded my head too. If Rolf said this would be fun, it would. He was usually right about that.

Certainly, children. What do you desire?

“We want you to take these and hold them up high in your ivy. Really high so the wind catches it. Like a flag,” Rolf held up the treasure we’d found.

“Like a flag,” I agreed. Flags were great. The tower needed a nice flag.

Of course, children. Will you play with my babies again soon?

“We sure will, Mistress Ivy! We love playing with your babies. Right, Meathead?”

I nodded. The green lights were fun and they liked to dance funny. We watched as the ivy took our flag and carried it up the tower. We had to go out by the gate to get a good look when it got really high.

We watched and waited and waited. It took almost all afternoon waiting until Mena saw it and screamed.

“What are my bloomers doing way out there?!”

Rolf and I laughed so hard we fell down. I think everyone in the tower heard her. That was a fun game.