Elaine
~
It took two and a half days on horseback to get from Wenberg to Galoria. On the first day, the brothers had managed to find an inn to spend the night. On the second day, they had to camp in the woods. The further away they got from the capital, the more spaced the towns became. By the time they got off their horses to set camp, Ivory was complaining about how numb his behind had started to feel, he went on to say he wouldn't be able to survive another minute of the torture. All this whining, his brother had ignored as he looked for twigs and branches to use for fire. Ivory had accused Vermilion of being an unfeeling oaf but that too, he had ignored in favour of lighting the fire.
Vermilion was used to his brother complaining about stuff all the time. He had come to think of it as background noise, and that is what it would continue to be. He sent Ivory off to the nearby lake to catch some fish, with his ability to bend water, he was best suited for the job. Sure, they had dried foods that they carried from the castle, but it wouldn't hurt to preserve the food if they could manage it.
"Here we go," Ivory announced as he dropped the cloth he had used to carry the fish at his big brother's feet with a proud smile lighting his features.
It had been a while since the two did this, camping out in the woods with no humans nearby, just them and all that nature had to offer. The brothers grilled their fish and ate it as they talked amongst themselves, discussing what they would do once they got to Galoria and how they would go about finding the man named Raven, and also how they would convince him to just up and leave with the two strangers that had come to get him.
The king had made the task sound easy but it was the furthest from that, Vermilion wondered what Raven's reaction would be when they told him he had been summoned to the capital by the king and that they had come to get him. What if Raven had a family? Friends? He knew the king said he had appeared out of nowhere, but a year was a long enough time to form strong bonds with others. Vermilion knew first hand what it was like to be suddenly uprooted from his normal life, so he sympathized with the man, but at the same time, he understood it was necessary. He hoped Raven would understand that, too.
The next morning, Ivory shook his brothers shoulder gently to get him to wake up. The sun hadn't risen yet, but it had started to get bright outside. Though some shadows lingered, It was bright enough for them to see what was in front of them and so they could continue their journey.
Vermilion rubbed his eyes to get rid of the sleep that still clung to them. He suggested they take a bath in the lake before starting up their journey again, and Ivory complied. After bathing in the cold, fresh water of the lake, the brothers dressed in a new set of clothes, and they were off again.
It was late afternoon when Vermilion finally spotted the town of Galoria. It wasn't as small as his hometown, but it wasn't as big as the capital either. The gates to the town weren't anything special. They were your typical stone arch with two guards posted outside to check every person that entered the town. A few people stood in line now, producing some form of identification so they could enter the town. Vermilion watched as his brother fumbled with his bag once more and produced parchment that appeared to be stamped by his Majesty. One look at that, and the soldiers were ushering them into town without so much as asking for their names. The soldiers directed them to the Guild at the centre of town, saying they needed to report whatever official business they were here for there in order to get the best help they could in the town.
When the brothers got there, there was someone outside the three story building who guided them to the stable at the back where they could keep their horses while they attended to business. They thanked the cute girl before they went inside. Ivory again presented the parchment paper to the woman behind the desk, and she ushered them upstairs to where the guild master's office was. They were told to wait there while she went to fetch the guild master.
Ivory was the first one to sit in one of the chairs that had been offered to them, and Vermilion followed suit.
"I'm beat, I need nothing more than food in my stomach and full night's sleep," he said, laying his head on Vermilion's shoulder. His brother didn't bother speaking. He too was tired, and all he could manage was a grunt of agreement.
The door opened, and in walked the most beautiful woman the brothers had ever laid their eyes on, Ivory couldn't help it when his mouth opened in awe of the woman.
"Hello, I'm the guild master, Elaine. I've been told you're here on official business for the king?" She said, her voice was sultry, she circled her desk to take the seat behind it.
Vermilion cleared his throat, "Yes, that's right. Ivory, the letter please."
Ivory snapped out of his trance with a blush coating his cheeks. He quickly shoved the letter onto the tabletop so that the attention would shift from him to the letter.
Vermilion noticed his brothers embarrassment and decided to help, "Excuse me for asking, but isn't there a noble ruling over this town that we are supposed to hand that over to?"
He motioned at the parchment that was now in the beautiful Elaine's dainty hands, and all three pairs of eyes followed the motion. Ivory observed that Elaine's hands looked soft to the touch, but he tried not to think about that.
"While it works that way in other towns, the nobleman of Galoria has long since handed over power to the guild, claiming he cannot rule the town. He feels inadequate at the moment, so until there is someone to do the job, it's my duty to see to it," she explained though her eyes never left the letter.
"I see," was all Vermilion said. The journey had taken its toll on him. He really could use a bed right about now.
"Alright, I see what this is about," Elaine said as she carefully placed the letter on her table, " I would suggest coming back here tomorrow morning. I can tell you are tired and require rest, he," she pointed at a dozing Ivory, "is already half asleep and the person you are looking for is currently out on a job for the guild. We don't expect him to be back here anytime soon, but since this is a request from the king, I will make arrangements, and we can take you to him. Sending a messenger to him and having them come back here would take way too long. It'd be better if you went to him and continued on your journey back to the capital. Is that okay?"
"Yes, that's fine, thank you," Vermilion said with a yawn.
"There's an inn right down the street that should be able to accommodate you. One of my subordinates will show you the way there," Elaine offered.
Again, Vermilion thanked her, and after waking his brother who had managed to doze off completely, they left her office. The same lady from before- Ivory had found out her name was Gisela- guided them out of the building and further down the street. She pointed out a two storey building and went back to her job. After Vermilion had sorted out their lodgings, he helped his brother up the stairs and into the room he had booked. The room was small, but it was big enough for two small beds to fit in, together with a small bedside table between the twin beds. It wasn't much, but it would do. When they both had settled into their separate beds, it took no time for them to fall into a deep slumber.