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“Few
do.” The guard replies.
“And, what happens then?” She pushes.
“If you plan on staying and must have the family heirloom
at your home, then you can have the blade peace-bound.”
The guard answered in the weary tone that comes from dooling
out the same information every day of the year, to every new
arrival at the gate.
“Can I have it peace-bound now, and take it inside with
me?” Naill asked.
“If you have five gold ordus, you can.” The guard
answers, and then looks at her clothing with a smirk. She notices
the look, and from the way everyone else around her is dressed,
she knows what he is thinking. The leather was worn, and the
cloth is dirty from miles on the trail, but surely he has seen
the same clothing on many travelers coming down from Darakeene.
Trouble was, he was right. She could afford five gold coins,
but it would be nearly everything she has.
“Ordus?” She asks. “Is that like a stater?”
“Staters will be acceptable yes.” He said.
“How long does this peace-binding take.” She asks,
not wanting to show that she couldn’t afford it, she doesn't
like people assuming she is a nobody even if they are right.
“You can pick it up in the morning.” He said.
“I’ll leave it at the shack, and see what the morning
brings then. We may be leaving then anyway.” She lied,
taking the opportunity to hold on to her pride, and still get
into the city.
Mac Anu was silent through the conversation, for two reasons.
The first was that he had come to know this side of Naill, and
his respect for her many other qualities allowed him to look
over what he considered a small defect with little effort. Why
she cared what a lowly city guard thought about her, and why
she would act in a way that would cause him to remember her
didn’t make much sense. The sword was a cheap one, and
barely kept an edge. In his mind it was wiser to throw it away
and get a new one inside the city. However he knew this
