Chapter 03 ~ The Town's gate
They plunged into the town's main market. The air was thick with the shouts of vendors, the smell of fresh bread, roasting meat, and damp earth. Stalls overflowed with pyramids of red apples, green vegetables, and freshly butchered cuts of meat hanging from iron hooks. People bustled everywhere, a river of bodies flowing through the packed thoroughfare.
Zeno walked through it all, seemingly oblivious, his green hair a stark contrast to the earthy tones of the crowd. His blue eyes were fixed on the map he had unfurled again. Momonda walked beside him, her own sharp blue eyes scanning their surroundings, her pink hair bouncing with each step. She leaned over to look at the parchment.
"So, where to?" she asked.
"We're currently in the town of Spring's Whisper—" Zeno began, tracing a line with his finger.
"Thanks for reminding me where I am," she cut in, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "I don't know what I'd do without that crucial piece of information."
Zeno shot her a grin, his expression perfectly crafted to annoy her even more. "You're most welcome."
Her eyebrows furrowed. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. What's next?"
"Hold this side," he said, and she took a corner of the map. He pointed again. "After leaving town, we need to travel along the Diomana country road."
"I heard rumors that road is out of service," she interrupted again. "No caravans are using it. There's some kind of problem."
Zeno stopped pointing, bringing his finger to his chin in thought. "So there's danger there. Maybe a monster or bandits the knights haven't dealt with yet. That's a problem. In that case, we'd have to take the Meriona road, but it's three times longer. It would take us a full day."
"My mother will kill me if I'm not home for dinner," Momonda stated flatly.
As they stood there debating, a young man walking past slowed down, a smirk on his face as he saw them holding the map together. "Lots of lovers around town lately," he commented loudly. "And you can't even choose your partners well. Who dates a guy with green hair like a girl?"
Momonda stopped. She turned her head slowly, her blue eyes fixing the man with an icy glare. "Actually, we're newlyweds," she said, her voice dangerously sweet. "Do you have a gift for us or something?"
The man faltered. "Oh, uh, well, not really..."
"Then shutting your mouth will be our gift," she snapped, her tone leaving no room for argument.
The man stared, shocked into silence. Zeno quietly folded the map, tucked it into his green satchel, and started walking again. Momonda fell into step beside him.
"Why'd you put the map away?" she asked.
"I already know the way," he said. "Besides, I don't want to be a source of embarrassment for anyone."
"Who I choose as my partner is my business alone," she replied, annoyed. "Hair color, skin, eyes—as long as I don't mind, then no one else has the right to object."
Zeno glanced at her. "You don't mind?"
A faint breeze, seemingly from nowhere, swirled around them. It playfully lifted her pink hair and rustled his green locks. "That was a slip of the tongue," she said, a warning glint in her eyes. "Talk to me about this any more and I'll show you that ability you like so much up close."
"I'd rather you didn't," Zeno said with a smile.
They continued on for several more minutes, their path taking them through quieter streets and over a small stone bridge that arched across a gentle stream. Ahead, their destination rose up: one of the town's main gates, set into a massive stone wall that encircled the entire settlement. The gate itself was a colossal slab of wood and iron, currently lying open and flat on the ground like a drawbridge. Atop the wall, knights in polished silver armor stood watch, bows in hand.
Down at the gate, a group of five guards sat around a square wooden table, laughing and talking. As Zeno and Momonda approached to walk through, one of the guards looked up and a wide grin split his face.
"Oh, look, it's Zeno!"
The others turned to look. The first guard continued, "What kind of treasure are you bringing back today? Hahaha!"
The rest of the guards joined in the laughter.
"No way! He actually found someone to go with him!"
"And a pretty girl, too!"
"I envy you, buddy! You must have wooed her with your tall tales! Haha!"
"I bet she'll leave him by nightfall when she finds out what a failure he is!"
They all roared with laughter. Zeno stopped and turned to face them, his expression serious. "This time, I'll find a real treasure, and the Knight-Captain will recognize me as an adventurer. You'll see, for real this time."
There was a beat of silence before the guards exploded into an even louder wave of laughter.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever!"
"Go play with the girl, but don't be out past sunset!"
Zeno sighed, turning his back on them and continuing through the gate. He glanced at Momonda. "They're always like this whenever I make a new map. They enjoy seeing me come back empty-handed."
A small smile played on Momonda's lips as they cleared the gate. "I don't mind at all," she said. "I think it's nice to have companions like them."
"They're not exactly companions," he replied. "But, I hope you know we might not find anything, as usual."
She looked at him, her smile widening as she playfully raised a clenched fist. "Don't worry. If we don't find anything, I'll make sure to beat you up for wasting my time."
Zeno let out a breath, a sigh that turned into a chuckle. He looked forward, and a genuine, unburdened smile spread across his face as he inhaled the fresh, open air. Through his eyes, the world transformed. The cramped, timber-framed houses of Spring's Whisper were gone. Before them lay a vast, rolling landscape. A dirt road stretched out like a ribbon, winding its way through endless green valleys and up the sides of distant, forest-covered mountains. The sky felt immense, and the world was quiet, save for the whisper of the wind through the tall grass. This was freedom. This was the start of an adventure.