Chapter 13: Trip to the Castle City
Chapter 13: Trip to the Castle City
A new day began, and following breakfast, Sissel ushered Unen’s group from the tower’s manor hall to the main residence. They all knew why without needing to be told—Unen had to contend with the rest of Harabal’s questions that had been left over from yesterday.
They walked by the reception room where they’d had an audience with Klinack the day before, and Sissel knocked on the door just before the corridor turned. Unexpectedly, it was the freeloader’s voice that answered the knock.
“Come in.”
With that invitation, Sissel opened the door, and they were greeted by a room bathed in the morning light. On the wall straight ahead were four large windows that could easily be mistaken for other doors, and a neatly manicured garden that spread out beyond their sight from the diamond mullions. The windows faced north, which left the room cool—despite the abundance of sunlight filling it. Unen’s chambers in the tower had also remained cool; the thick stone walls seemed to obstruct the sun’s heat.
I feel like I’ll forget what season it is by staying in this castle, Unen thought to herself.
“Did you sleep well?” Vrba raised his right hand in greeting from where he lounged on an ottoman. Standing at attention slightly behind him was a young man with vestiges of cherubic youth still in his handsome face.
Sissel signaled to Unen with his eyes to greet Vrba.
“Yes, thanks to you,” Unen replied.
“Glad to hear it.” Vrba’s smile stretched sweetly, until the corner of his lips turned up in a gloating smirk. “This is my favorite guest room in the castle. I asked His Majesty for permission to use this room so you will be able to relax a little more during the continuation of your unpleasant conversation with that uptight aide. What do you think? Isn’t it bright and comfy?”
Vrba proudly spread out his arms as if it was his castle and room. “It’s like heaven on earth to have such great sunshine yet remain far cooler than outside. As one would expect of our great king, even the summer sunlight submits to his might.” He shut his eyes wistfully and put his hand over his heart in a theatrical gesture. All the while allowing the morning’s sunlight to dance over his visage—in that moment he truly looked like a lord capable of commanding the very sunlight to do his bidding.
Sissel turned a carefree smile toward him. “Now that I think about it, it is unusual for you to spend a long time in the royal capital at this time of year, Lord Vrba.”
“My territory is ideal for summering, after all. Schaehor: the cool land surrounded by gold-filled mountains. How would you like to spend your time there? You’re all invited.”
“The winter season sounds freezing,” Mouru smoothly deflected.
Unen and the others held their breath. The remark was hard to take as a friendly reaction.
“Don’t let that stop you. You can just escape to the capital when it’s cold,” Vrba jovially replied, unaffected.
He’s not like a certain someone who held a grudge over being called shady once, Unen mused.
“I see. If you can go summering to get away from the summer heat, then you can go wintering to escape the winter chill. Makes sense,” Mouru replied ever so politely, then keenly asked, “By escaping to the capital, you mean coming here to the castle?”
“Lord Vrba owns a manor in the city,” Sissel clarified.
“I can see why you’d think that when His Majesty calls me a freeloader,” Vrba laughed. “I don’t leave many of my people in the manor during the summer. I barely brought any servants with me this time either, so it’s been inconvenient getting by. Hence why I decided to depend on His Majesty’s great kindness and hospitality.”
“What beautiful friendship you have. I aspire to have a friendship like that… Don’t you, Ori?” Mouru looked back at his partner.
Unen and Irena shot frosty glares at him in place of Ori’s poker face. Not the least bit unnerved by their death glares, Mouru turned his debonair smile back on Vrba.
“In other words, your stay here this time was unplanned.”
“Isn’t it only natural to want to meet special guests after hearing about how amazing they are?” Vrba looked over his shoulder for agreement. His chamberlain nodded silently, upholding his reserved attitude to the end.
“An unparalleled mapmaker with the eyes of a bird, who can even capture the flow of rivers and the shape of hills and put it on paper—that’s how the messenger from Chelveny described you. How can I not take an interest, especially after hearing that the mapmaker is a sweet girl of not many years to boot?”
Unen stiffened under his gaze. He had called her a “sweet young girl.” Unsure of how to react, she uncomfortably stood stock-still like a tree.
“Is what you said yesterday about being able to record the undulations in the ground true?” It looked as though Vrba’s barrage of questions would continue, except Harabal came in through the corner door, putting an abrupt end to it.
“My sincerest apologies to ask this of you when you are all gathered here, but would you mind continuing the conversation in the afternoon? Some urgent business I must attend to came up, and I must take a short leave.”
His sudden announcement got confused looks from not only Unen’s group, but also Sissel, who had dutifully led them to the room.
A curious look crossed Vrba’s face as well. “Leave? Is Klinack going with you?”
“No, His Majesty will be staying in the castle. However, all discussions with Lady Unen are entrusted to me due to his lack of understanding when it comes to scholarly matters.” Harabal slowly ran his gaze over everyone present and repeated, “I apologize that this came up, but will you grace me with your presence once more when I return after lunch?”
There was only one answer Unen could give: “All right.”
“On that same note, I’m sorry, but this room is somewhat inappropriate for conducting discussions about your surveying techniques. I would like to change locations later.”
“Why’s that?” Vrba’s immaculately trimmed eyebrows knitted, but Harabal’s expression remained the same.
“Either it should be conducted in the library with a desk large enough to be suitable for mapping, or…perhaps it would be easier to figure out somewhere we can talk while gazing upon a real landscape…”
Harabal stroked his chin contemplatively, then nodded to himself and took a good look around the room. “Yes, that sounds best. Let’s hold the conversation on the turret to the north of this main residence. The rooftop is quite narrow, so I request everyone aside from Lady Unen to refrain from joining us. I will call for you once I find the time. Please spend your time as you see fit until then.”
Everyone exchanged mystified looks after Harabal left the room.
“Why don’t you take a stroll through the city now that you have some spare time?” Vrba offered modestly.
His suggestion was incredibly appealing and unrealistic at the same time. Unen didn’t think they could freely leave the castle, and she was horrified at the prospect of asking His Majesty the King if she could go out and play because she was bored.
Unen and Irena reluctantly looked at each other. Vrba thrust his jaw forward. “Don’t worry, ladies. I’ll ask Klinack on your behalf. Mind waiting here while I do?”
“Th-Thank you very much.” Their grateful voices were perfectly timed.
***
“HEY, Unen! What does that say?! What kind of store is it?!” Her eyes sparkling, Irena excitedly jabbed a finger toward a sign that had a drawing of a crab brandishing scissors.
“Archeka Barbershop,” Unen answered, reading off the shop name written above the crab.
“Interesting. I totally thought it was a store that had something to do with crabs.”
“Like one that serves crabs as food? Or one that serves them as an ingredient?”
“Food, obviously!”
Is that obvious? Mentally cocking her head in confusion, Unen procured a map from her pocket. Sissel had written up a simple city guide map before they left.
“I can’t believe I am presenting Lady Unen with a map drawn by me,” he had said, sounding terribly reluctant. But he had drawn a very easy to follow map with the city’s highlights and the major stores clustering the main streets.
Maps didn’t have to be especially detailed to be good. Nor were they necessarily better with more items written on them. A good map came from selecting the right information to record, based on the audience and what purpose it was intended for. Even Unen’s maps left out the geological features and vegetation in order to reproduce the topography as accurately as possible on parchment. Naturally, the information was left out only because the mapmaker Unen determined it to be unnecessary; she could easily include it if she felt the need to.
Irena peered at the map in Unen’s hand. “Say, Sir Turek, is it possible to visit the square where this market is being held?” Irena asked their accompanying imperial guard, who was maintaining a reasonable distance from the girls.
Ori and Mouru had chosen to stay at the castle when the girls were on their way out for a stroll through the city. “Don’t need to go because it’s not our first time to the capital” was their reason. Turek served as their bodyguard instead. He left behind his imperial armor to prevent attracting any fuss, but he still remained a reassuring ally as they made their way through the throngs of city dwellers due to his burly physique and stern face.
Turek led Unen and Irena around a corner off the main street. The narrow road wasn’t listed on the map, but it was the best shortcut to the market.
Irena’s exuberant voice echoed through the scarcely used alleyway, “What kinds of stands are set up at the market? What type of goods will be sold there? What’s popular?”
Unen followed behind Irena and Turek as she debated on whether to save Turek from Irena’s flood of questions.
Her face abruptly clouded as she remembered what Harabal had said in the guest room that morning. He wanted to speak with her while looking at the existing landscape from the castle turret’s rooftop. And he wanted to be alone with Unen.
From what she had gleaned from overhearing Harabal’s conversation with the king last night, he did acknowledge her surveying skills as genuine. Which begged the question—what exactly was it that he felt the need to discuss? Furthermore, climbing up to a confined turret rooftop to gaze at the land would provide absolutely no benefit to their conversation.
The quiet voice that had woven its way through the stillness of night replayed in Unen’s head. “The girl’s knowledge is the real thing. It will be dangerous to leave her to her own devices any longer.”
It can’t be that… Sinister thoughts sluggishly unfurled in her mind, like a snake awoken from its slumber in the sun. But the continuation of her premonition was forcefully cut off when her mouth was suddenly covered from behind.
Someone’s hand had stuffed a starched cloth into Unen’s mouth in a matter of seconds. She threw her hands out in a startled struggle, but the hand yanked the cloth lodged in her mouth backwards, jerking her head back with it and throwing her footing off balance. Another hand darted out to wrap around her waist, and she was dragged into a byroad.
Unen had screwed up—she’d fallen behind Irena and Turek because she had been lost in her thoughts. She tried to tear the cloth out of her mouth to let the two know of her dire predicament, but not only had her kidnappers tightly tied the cloth around the back of her head, they had wrenched both her arms down and pulled a bag over her head.
Someone lifted Unen, bag and all, off the ground.
Trying to struggle was impossible with the bag encasing her from head to toe. The best she could muster was contorting her body. And no matter how hard she tried to twist around, it was unlikely to affect the person who had lifted her off the ground with ease. The cloth gagging her mouth blocked out her screams, rendering them as nothing more than muffled moans.
Even so, Unen continued her desperate struggle and screams. She prayed that someone—it didn’t have to be Irena—would realize a kidnapping was taking place.
Just as she thought they had turned a second corner, something hard slammed into her body. Had the person carrying her suddenly come to a stop? Or had he accidentally hit her against something? Before she could think further, Unen was jolted forward a second time and rolled on top of something hard.
Right away, she heard several sets of jumbled footsteps and the piercing shrieks of steel grazing steel.
Now was her only chance. Unen feverishly thrashed her legs inside the confined space like her life depended on it. Feeling the wind at her feet, she used her entire body to gradually roll the bag up toward her head. Somehow, she managed to free herself from the bag using her feet.
Loosening the gag in her mouth, Unen looked up and saw a familiar broad back. Brandishing a sword, he stood protectively in front of her.
“Ori!”
Unen’s voice briefly distracted the two masked men standing counter to Ori. Without a moment’s delay, Ori pulled something emitting a faint light from his pocket. He held it to his lips, and an alarmingly shrill sound echoed through the streets.
Ori blew on the silver whistle again, and thundering footsteps simultaneously ran to him from behind.
“Unen?! Is that you, Unen?! Where are you, Unen?!” Irena’s bloodcurdling shouts accompanied the noise.
The two masked men loudly cursed, turned around, and ran away at full speed.
Ori sighed and sheathed his sword once he confirmed the men were out of sight.
“Unen! You scared me to death because you suddenly up and vanished! What in the blazes happened?! And why are you here?” Irena ran over to them panting, looked from Unen to Ori, and then rained a tirade of questions on them.
In the meantime, Turek rushed down the byroad from a side alleyway and asked the same, “What happened?!” with a blue face.
Unen slowly rose to her feet, taking care to hide the dull pain screaming from all over her body. “My mouth was suddenly covered from behind and I was dragged away.”
“What?!”
Irena and Turek’s expressions instantly changed color. They hadn’t realized Unen was kidnapped after all.
“Ori saved me after they shoved me in this bag and carried me here. Right?” Unen looked up at the man beside her.
“Yeah,” he responded with indifference.
“Uh? What? Did you follow us here?” Irena pressed with a cocked eyebrow.
Ori gruffly responded with, “I just happened to be passing by.”
“HUUUUHH?!” Irena and Turek yelled in unison, their eyes bulging at the ridiculousness of his statement.
“You just happened to pass by? When we’re in such a huge city?!” Irena demanded.
“Yeah.”
“Isn’t it more like…you were acting on someone’s orders...?” she asked.
“It’s a coincidence.”
Faced with Ori’s perfect poker face, Irena and Turek grudgingly held their tongue as they kept their skeptical gaze trained on him. A laugh unconsciously slipped from Unen.
Once she started laughing, the wave of relief shook her with more and more laughter. Before long, she was doubled over holding her sides laughing hysterically.
“…You okay?”
She heard Ori’s worried voice, but she couldn’t reply through her laughing fit.
Even after wringing all the air out of her lungs, Unen still couldn’t stop the shaking in her stomach. Not even after her throat was whistling, dried out by the continual guttural sounds, did it stop from sucking air back down to laugh some more. Hearing the cachinnation as if it belonged to someone else, Unen’s chest swelled and deflated like a pair of bellows tied to a waterwheel. Over and over again, her body was wracked with laughter, without ceasing.
Irena’s boot appeared in Unen’s view of the ground. Pulling Unen to her chest, Irena wrapped her arms around her and patted her back.
“You must’ve been so scared. But it’s okay now. You’re okay now.”
Irena’s gentle voice fell on Unen, and with it, a sudden understanding.
Ah, so that’s it. I was scared. I was really, really scared.
When her sight and mobility had been stolen from her, and she had been on the verge of being carried off to who knows where, some part of her believed that she’d never be able to return ever again. Unen struggled so hard because she was desperately, frantically, fighting against that dreadful fate, not just because she hoped someone would help her.
Irena’s body warmth slowly melted away the tension in Unen’s muscles. The traces of fear that drove her to insane laughter withdrew at last.
“I’m sorry for putting you in such a scary position,” Ori muttered in a pained voice, after confirming Unen had calmed down.
Unen carefully scrutinized his face for an entire minute before she shook her head. “Don’t be. I’m really grateful you saved me.”
Ori winced as if he’d been smacked in the gut with something unexpected. Then, furrowing his brow, he averted his gaze away from her.