Chapter 4: A Day in Town

"Thea! Val is here at the front door!" my father called out.

"I'll be right there!" I answered while I finished getting ready. According to what Val told me yesterday, we were going to be spending today out in the central part of town. He claimed that he would be giving me his own personal lesson about culture in Aurora. Naturally, I was skeptical of him teaching me any subject. But I was learning how to accept odd suggestions even if uncertainty was part of the deal.

I hurriedly grabbed my notebook and pencil before I headed out to the living room where Val and my father were waiting. I stepped up next to my father who was already having a conversation with Val.

"An excursion, you say?" my father said. "What's on the schedule?"

"Schedule?" Val said. "I don't have a––"

"You don't have a schedule?" my father and I asked at the same time.

"There's no methodical plan of how today will go?" I pressed him further.

"No, we don't need one!" he explained. "Not for this sort of thing."

"I guess spontaneity is a good thing to learn as well," my father reasoned. "Well, I hope you two enjoy yourselves. And Thea, make sure he avoids any trouble."

"Okay, Papa," I said and gave him a hug.

"Why do you think I'm the one to get in trouble?!" Val said, sounding offended.

"Because I watched you grow up," my father said plainly. "Now, I'll be going to the palace today so if you need anything, you know where I'll be."

"Okay!" I said cheerfully. I went ahead outside with Val following behind like my shadow. Once I heard the front door shut, I turned quickly and faced him with a suspicious look. "So what exactly are you planning?"

"You sure change attitudes quick," he muttered under his breath. Then he looked down at my hand. "Why do you have a notebook?"

"I'm here to learn about culture, aren't I?"

"You're really planning to take notes?"

"Of course. How else do I learn?"

He heaved a sigh and closed his eyes. "Never mind. Let's just go..."

*****

When we arrived at the town square, Val skipped ahead in front of me and held out his arms while wearing a large smile on his face.

"Welcome to the center of Aurora!" he proclaimed to no one else except me. I just stared at him, wondering what kind of gears were implanted in his brain. "What?"

"I've been here numerous times before with my father. Why are you welcoming me as if I've never stepped foot out here?"

"Well, if you've been here 'numerous times,' why didn't you know much about the culture here when I asked you before?"

"..."

"Interesting answer. All right, you're going to be learning about what the citizens do here for fun. Remember I asked you which game has become more popular in the last few years?"

"Yes."

"Take a look over there," he said, pointing to a group of young boys standing by a fountain. They appeared to be engaged in some sort of game that I had never seen before. There was a small ball they kept hitting up only with their feet, calling out a number after every hit. But once the ball fell to the ground, they all groaned and began to blame the last kid who touched the ball. "That is called 'Fusstoss.' A lot of children have been playing it, but adults have also started to enjoy the game themselves."

"So the objective is to keep the ball in the air as long as you can?"

"Exactly! Do you want to try?"

"No."

"Come on! If you don't try this now, then you can't say 'no' later when we learn about other things."

"I'll take that risk."

"Fine. You can just be a killjoy."

"A what?"

"Nothing! Let's keep going..."

*****

The day continued to pass by with Val showing me all the various activities that took place on a daily basis which included the traveling merchant stalls that sold food and trinkets from nations beyond our own borders. He also eagerly introduced me to the sword competitions that he claims to have won multiple times. But what captivated my attention the most was the short play that was performed on a small makeshift stage in the very middle of the town square. When we stopped to watch, I noticed a great crowd had gathered with everyone's shoulders practically touching.

"Ladies and gents, boys and girls! Welcome to our very first production of 'The Bandits!'" the announcer on center stage shouted. After the audience's thunderous applause, he paused for a moment before continuing on with a more dramatic tone. "This night we hope to bind together your mind and heart. Strike your core with not a sword but by the stage of this age. Where love and vice pay the price, leave us in tears for the years. Grow quiet and listen to his tale, where justice may yet prevail."

As he exited the stage, the lights surrounding us grew dim as everyone patiently waited for the play to start. The first two actors appeared on stage from the right. One acted as a feeble old man while the other was a younger gentlemen holding a letter in his hand.

"My father, this news I dread to share, will only make you paler than snow," the younger one spoke.

"Tell me, my second born, what could make this old man frailer other than my advancing years?" the old man asked. "Please, read the letter for your father's sake."

"Your first son, Charles, has aligned himself with an unsavory group of bandits. The list of his crimes only grows with each waking moment. I dare not read another word from this letter which comes to me from a dear, trusted friend."

"My eldest son! Oh, what could a father have done to keep his child from running astray? My dear Charles..."

As the play continued, it felt as though everything else around me disappeared. My eyes and ears were completely enraptured by the performance playing out before me. When the play ended, everyone was cheering and applauding so lively yet I felt slightly stunned as I reflected back on what I had just witnessed: A son who became estranged from his family, joined a terrible group of bandits, committed numerous, deplorable crimes, only to return and surrender his life? The ending only filled me with more questions: why did the son join these bandits? Why did the father still love his first born son? Why did the first son turn himself in if he knew he would be killed for his crimes? The duration of the play was only around twenty minutes but I did not think I would still feel so incomplete by the end. I turned to Val who was right beside me.

"This isn't all of it, is it? They must have left some things out," I said. I heard a chuckle but it did not come from Val as I had expected. I turned to my other side and saw another gentleman standing beside me. He looked to be about in his 40s. "Why are you laughing?"

"Well, my Lady, this was indeed a shortened version of the original work," he said. "If you so desire, the complete play will be performed at the King's Theater a month from now. Maybe then you'll find the answers you're looking for that you did not find here."

I studied him for a moment and thought to myself: I had seen this man before. However, I could not think of a name or where I had met him. His blonde

"Who are you?" I asked. "Have we met before?"

"I wouldn't be able to recall," he said with a thoughtful look. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to meet with a friend." With a small nod, he turned and walked away.

"Who was that?" Val asked.

"I have no idea," I said as I continued to watch the figure disappear into the crowd.

"Well, there is still one more thing I have planned for today," Val said, changing the subject. "To the pub!"

*****

After I was dragged to the town's local pub, I found myself sitting at a small table in a room full of rambunctious individuals who were drinking to their hearts' content. There was a small folk band playing a cheery tune in the background. Val happily strode over to me with two pints in his hands.

"Now this is the perfect way to wind down after a long and hard week of work," he said, setting down one of the drinks in front of me.

"Yes, a long and hard week of staring at me while I managed national affairs," I said, reaching for my drink.

"Well, you should have seen me before I was assigned to you. I was training with the knights from sunrise to sunset almost every day. We were always so tired and worn out but managed to scrounge up enough energy to come here and unwind."

"So is this more of a knight's tavern?"

"Not necessarily. Of course, the owner loves having us since we help cover the majority of his expenses but we're not the only ones who come here. Especially on nights like tonight."

"What's tonight?"

"Something very exciting that I've been looking forward to all day. And you cannot say 'no' since you didn't play Fusstoss earlier."

"Val, what are you––"

But before I could wrestle any more information from him, the music suddenly increased in volume and changed to a much faster pace. My eyes were drawn to the large group of people in the center of the pub as they began to dance in tune with the music. The group consisted of the different types of people I had seen all throughout town today: farmers, merchants, knights, maids, seamstresses, and even some of the theater actors.

"Are you ready?" Val asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Ready for wh––?" But before I could react, he took my hand and quickly led me to the dancing group. "Val, please, I seriously don't know how to dance!"

"It's fine! I know you don't!"

"Then why––?"

"Because that is what makes it more fun!"

Still holding my right hand, he had us join the circle without missing a beat. The other person beside me grabbed my hand without another thought and soon we were all joined together in one large circle. My mind began racing as I attempted to study how everyone else was moving to the music. But no matter how hard I tried to focus, I could not keep up with the movements. I was always one step behind and whenever I looked at Val, he just smiled and laughed as if this was the best night of his life. Of course it would be enjoyable if one knew how to dance but for those who never attempted this feat before, it was like living in a nightmare with no end in sight.

"Here comes the easy part!" Val said. Without warning, the circle broke apart into pairs and Val's hand went around my waist to pull me away from the others. With my other hand in his, I instinctively held onto his shoulder for fear of falling over.

"How is this any easier?" I panicked.

"Because you can just follow my lead now," he said. I glanced at the other couples who all started to dance on their own to the music. "Just look at what's in front of you and I'll take care of the rest."

Listening to his words, I looked back and ended up just staring at his chest. I kept moving my feet not because I was trying to dance but because I was trying to avoid stepping on him or tripping over myself. But before I knew it, my feet kept moving with his. I was still a bit slow but he managed to brush it off and continue the dance until the music finally came to an end.

Everyone clapped and cheered as they headed back to their respective tables and chairs. The pub transformed back into a normal drinking environment with people shouting over each other, and the music became more of an accessory to this strange yet entertaining group of sounds. I did not realize how much I exerted myself as I panted and stood there with one hand on my waist and the other still holding onto Val's arm.

"You...you knew this was going to happen since the Fusstoss, didn't you?" I said to him.

"Actually, I planned this the moment you couldn't admit you can't dance," he chuckled. We both made our way back to the table. I reached for my notebook and pencil but he placed his hand on top of them before I could grab them. "No. You don't need a notebook right now."

"But how else will I remember how to dance?"

"You're not going to learn this by taking notes or reading a textbook. This is different. You learn by doing, not reading."

"What makes you sound so convinced?"

"It's how anything physical works: sword training, Fusstoss, dancing...you'll only get so far with a pen and paper. And if there's one thing I know, it's that."

"It's probably the only thing you know," I muttered under my breath.

"So you admit I do know something!?"

"Yes, I admit it..." I sighed.

*****

Eventually we left the pub when the moon was already high in the sky. The streets were still bustling with the typical nightlife, but after my dancing escapade, we figured it would be best to bring the day to a close.

As soon as we got out of the town square and onto the quieter roads, I started to flip through my notebook to scan the notes I made from today. But Val's words from earlier kept creeping up in my mind.

"You really believe I didn't need my notebook?" I asked him.

"You're still thinking about that?" he said with a surprised tone. He took a moment before continuing. "Maybe it's just because I didn't grow up like that but I find myself learning new things by doing rather than research."

I looked at him skeptically.

"Look, I know I'm not as smart or intelligent as you, but sometimes I think it's good to approach things in a way unfamiliar to you. Sure, you could probably learn dancing from a textbook but when you're facing the situation in real life, it's almost never going to play out the way that the words on the pages told you."

I instinctively began to write in my notebook only for Val to yank it away.

"Stop it!" he said as if scolding a young child for stealing a piece of candy. "What'd I just say?!"

"..." I stared at him blankly.

"I'll give this back to you once we get back to your house, but for now, if you think what I said was surprisingly intelligent, then keep it in the back of your mind rather than your notebook. You'd be surprised how much you actually retain when you experience life in the moment."

We continued on in silence for most of the way home. At one point, I felt Val's large body begin to hover closer to my own. When I looked at him, I witnessed a face so serious I began to wonder if I had said something odd. Then I figured maybe he was in his own world, so I decided to ignore it.

Finally, we came up to the small pathway that led to the house. As I got closer, I noticed there were no lights, signaling that my father was not yet home. I went up to the front door and got my keys out.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," I said, turning the knob and heading inside. As I turned to close the door, Val was already making his way in. "Val?"

"There's something you should know, Athena," he said seriously, walking past me. I went ahead and shut the door.

"What's going on?"

"You probably did not notice but someone's been following us ever since we left the pub."

"..."

"You're not even surprised? You're lucky I was here––"

"I didn't think it would still be an issue."

"Is there someone seriously targeting you?" he asked, crossing his arms. "Is that why Hugo assigned me to you?"

"No, as far as I know, he has no knowledge of this situation."

"He should! You're his Royal Advisor. He needs to know––"

"I can handle this. I just thought that it would go away with time, but of course, I should have known he wouldn't stop. I was too naive."

"Who?"

"Sir Krieg. In case you haven't heard, I was the reason he was let go as an advisor. You could even say it's how I got the position as Royal Advisor for Prince Hugo. But now he's taking his frustrations out on me."

"All the more reason then to tell Hugo so he can swiftly take care of it––"

"And always go cry to the royal family the moment someone threatens me? And show everyone that the Royal Advisor can't handle a simple personal feud? I don't want to get in the habit of having others take care of my problems. I know very well that Hugo could take care of this in an instant. But this is also a good moment to prove that I can handle my own personal affairs without it affecting my work as the Royal Advisor. I'm going to fix this without Hugo's help."

"What about my help?"

"What?"

"I might as well get involved. I am your bodyguard after all."

"..."

"Unless you can take on a full-grown man in a fight all by yourself."

"..."

"Didn't think so."

"The only reason you're getting involved is because you found out on accident."

"What were you planning on doing then if someone did attack you?!"

"...I was still working on figuring out that part," I said, walking to the dining room table.

"Wait, does your father not know about this either?"

"No. Because if he did, he would have told the King and the issue would have probably turned into a fiasco for no reason."

"So it's only you and me that knows?" he said and took a seat across from me.

"Yes. And we're going to keep it that way, got it?" I said as I stared him straight in the eye.

"I know something that Hugo doesn't? This is the best!"

"But I do want to ask you clearly: are you really willing to get involved in this?"

"This is the most exciting it's been for the last few months! Heck yeah, I'm in!"

"I'm going to be honest: I don't know what to expect. I've never been targeted or threatened before. It could get dangerous."

"Don't worry about it! This is right up my alley! I'm a knight so I know a thing or two about fighting and intimidation..."

Val continued to ramble on and on about all the different tactics he could use if someone were to ever confront me face to face. Seeing how enthusiastic he was about getting involved in a potentially dangerous situation would normally have made me uneasy. However, given all these circumstances, I found myself to be extremely lucky to have had Val step into my life at this moment. I really had no plan if Sir Krieg decided to escalate the situation but I figured I would keep that from Val until this was all taken care of.

"I really do wonder why the Prince assigned you to me..." I said to myself as I continued listening to Val talk for the next few hours.