Chương 452: 447. A New Beginning - III

Several shops had hung up wooden boards and written their trade on them with charcoal. Tesyb saw the alehouse's signboard first, then the smithy's, then the grain shop's. A year ago all of it would have been meaningless scratch marks to him. Now he could make out most of the words, and every time he did, a small bit of pride stirred in him. Gorsazo's classes had been a burden when they started, especially after long days of work or training, but now he was glad for them.

They moved more slowly as they strolled through the square. While walking, he recognized the long blonde ponytail of Yufim, who was also walking with a girl—a maid from the manor, who seemed to be giggling at something the archer had just said. Tesyb snorted. Of course Yufim wouldn't be walking alone today. He and Savomi kept wandering through the crowd when near the center, he spotted Joric. The former slave from Kirnos had set up a clothing stall with his wife.

It was not a real shop yet by any measure—just a strong branch fixed upright into the ground with clothes hanging from it, but it still caught the eye. There were a few men's tunics, some plain cotton dresses for women, and even a few folded clothes laid out carefully below on a wooden board. Joric's wife was speaking to a woman who had brought in something to be mended, and the way she handled the cloth made it obvious she knew what she was doing.

Their young daughter seemed to be looking around curiously while sitting next to them. Tesyb slowed near the stall without realizing it. He had heard from Levalas that Joric's wife had brought a good amount of money from selling their old shop in Kirnos. If that was true, then it likely wouldn't take them long to open a proper shop here. Right now, though, the stall still looked small, and Tesyb doubted many villagers could afford new clothing yet. That would only be a luxury purchase.

Then another thought hit him so suddenly that he nearly stopped walking. The villagers couldn't afford it... But he could. His hand brushed the pouch in his pocket. There was far more gold in there than he had ever held in his life. He knew that he was going to use the new saving facility the manor was offering—he didn't want to risk spending all of it, and wanted to save as much of it as possible for a rainy day—but that was for later. For tonight, he was rich.

He glanced at Savomi and suddenly knew what he wanted to do with some of it. Yufim had said a trinket would be better, but Tesyb had never once seen Savomi wear anything like that. She was a guard, not a maid, and even if he gave her something small and pretty, she would hardly ever have cause to wear it. But clothing— good clothing —was something anyone could appreciate. Still, he was not foolish enough to buy it while walking beside her. If he did that now, she might refuse it out of surprise alone.

Better to do it quietly and wait for the right chance. He had heard that her naming day—the same day as she was born and when infants were given their names—was not too far off, and that would give him a proper excuse. Yeah, buying a dress for her seemed like a good naming day gift. He would have to find time to come here again tomorrow for that. For now, they needed something to eat. He pointed toward the baked goods stall.

"Want one?" Savomi looked at the bread and buns lined up in the candlelight and nodded. Tesyb stepped forward and bought a sweet bun for each of them, and paid for it in coins. It felt good to be able to buy something by his own choice and by paying with his own hard earned money. It had been so long since the last time he had bought something in coins. When he handed one of the buns over, Savomi just looked at it for a second, then at him, and smiled in a way that made Tesyb feel absurdly pleased with himself.

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. They kept walking as they ate. The bun was still warm, and the sweetness surprised him. He was not used to food like that.

Around them the crowd in the market square kept moving—people recently paid for the first time in coins laughing merrily with their friends, merchants looking around for potential customers carefully, the flames of the candles shaking in the warm evening air, voices rising and falling from every side. By the time they finished, they had drifted near the busiest corner of all. Tesyb looked toward the alehouse and before he could overthink it, gestured with his head.

"Do you want to come have a mug of ale?" Savomi hesitated.

"I'm not sure... I've only been there once with my sis, and that was a year ago." Tesyb immediately felt like an idiot. Asking a girl to come drinking with him the very first time they went out for a walk together... Of course he sounded stupid! He was still trying to think of something less moronic to say when he noticed Hyola striding across the square with an icy look on her face. A couple of other female guards were with her, and all of them were headed straight for the alehouse.

Savomi followed his gaze and then pointed.

"I saw Calubo looking worried back at the manor. Maybe those two had a fight?"

"No way," Tesyb said.

"I noticed him going to the alehouse earlier. I think he's still in there." Savomi thought about that for a moment, then grinned.

"This is going to be fun. Let's go inside too!" Tesyb snorted. He could not decide whether Hyola was about to explode at Calubo or just glare holes through him until he apologized for something he hadn't even realized he had done. Either way, it would probably be worth seeing. So he started toward the alehouse along with Savomi. Without thinking about it too much, his hand brushed Savomi's. Instead of pulling away, both of them let their fingers close.

Just like that, they were holding hands, as naturally as if they had already done it a hundred times before. Tesyb grinned to himself as they walked. Today really was a good day for him... The wages had started again, and he had finally received the reward for the medal he had earned so long ago. Now he was walking through the market square with Savomi's hand in his own, and heading toward the alehouse after so long, while the village around them felt more alive than it had in months. Life was good!

~ Calubo ~ Calubo paced inside the small prep and storage room in the alehouse for what felt like the hundredth time. He had nearly worn out the short stretch between the stacked ale casks and the back wall, but standing still or even sitting idle did not help him to calm down. Every time he stopped, his thoughts rushed in too quickly, and then he had to start moving again. The room was far busier than he had expected.

He had imagined that if he came early enough, he would be able to sit alone in a quiet corner and gather his thoughts before Hyola arrived. Instead, the place was full of motion. A pair of maids kept carrying around serving platters and mugs, refilling them before taking them to the hungry guests sitting outside at the bar, while two cooks worked near the hearth, helping prepare food for the evening rush.

The innkeeper had clearly hired extra hands recently, expecting better business now that coin payments had started. Calubo should have found the hustle and bustle irritating since the only reason he had asked permission to sit in this room was to find some quiet. Instead, it helped. The noise of chopping, low voices, mugs clinking, and workers stepping in and out of the room gave him something to hold on to. It made the waiting feel less sharp. If he had been alone, he might have lost his nerve already.

Still, after a few moments of sitting on an upturned crate, he was back on his feet. He had told the barkeep to let him know the moment Hyola came in. And she would come. He was confident of that. He had made sure of it by acting like an idiot in front of her. Earlier, while the payment gathering at the manor was breaking apart, he had spoken loudly to another guard about how today was the perfect day to get drunk with his friends.

He had said it while standing right in front of Hyola, knowing perfectly well that she would hear him. She had glared at him at once, which was about what he expected. The redhead had likely wanted to spend more time with him today. It was the first evening they had both been paid in coin, after all. Instead, he had gone on and on about downing mugs of ale and getting drunk with his buddies like a jerk. But that was the point.

If she got angry enough, she would come here soon to give him an earful or drag him back out. And that was the chance he had been waiting for.