Daniel

Daniel held a great awakening once they reached the capital city. The very things his eyes noticed were the paved roads and the many souls that walked these roads. Horses were scattered all around with people riding them where they pleased. In some areas, some gathered around tables to share a meal or to play a card game. It was similar to whenever his stepmother shared a meal with someone outdoors. That was usually a luxury. If that was a luxury, what was all of this? From a distance, he spotted the castle on his left. Deep down, he wished the two of them could pay a visit considering they might be here a little while longer.

"I sense that you are in awe," mentioned Roseline. "I cannot imagine what will happen when you see what court is like. Surely, that will knock off your head."

"I am in great awe," he replied. "The only place in this royal city that I have been to is the seaport. I always took the quickest route and was never there for too long."

"Well, I certainly would not hold too much awe. Do you see the helmets that lay on the ground?"

Before their very own sight, laid nearly fifty helmets in a pile that caused Daniel to stop the horse for a moment. A sign was placed before these forgotten helmets. It read "Who is to save us?" That truly was the question. Daniel began to wonder if safety existed in the royal city. Alas, he could not think of this much longer. The horse continued on.

"Do you fear the possibility of the death of this kingdom?" asked Daniel.

"Hard to say," Roseline responded. "If it be, I hope to have escaped to the tallest mountain by that point. After all, am I not but a slave? Why should I care about this kingdom? What has it ever done for me besides enslaving me? I say, as long as there is enough rum, let this kingdom become enslaved by the Asharanites."

Let the kingdom become enslaved? Was that wise? What about the current slaves? Would they still be slaves? Could they escape like Roseline? There were far too many of them. Perhaps not.

It was not long before they reached the town square. It was truly the largest town square his eyes had seen. There in front of him, resided building after building next to each other. Each building had been painted a different color. Even the steps of the ground showed various colors. All around him, stood many statues of each king that had once ruled the kingdom. Around these statues, stood many souls who stood casually without care. Beyond the stores, stood outside with carts, wagons, and booths to sell things. Daniel certainly did not expect to see or hear a trio of violinists.

"Ah, here we are," declared Roseline. "The tailor."

Daniel parked the horse and they stood out while they entered a building that had been painted yellow.

"Hello," greeted the aging tailor who put what he had been sewing to rest and journeyed to the counter. "What can I do for the two of you?" The man smiled and seemed to be missing three of his teeth.

"Hello," Daniel responded. "We need three dresses for the ball next week."

"Ah yes, that fancy royal ball," he chuckled. "Already have three other orders because of that ball. Seems like I have more orders coming. Do you hold any idea of the style you would like these dresses to be?"

"It was not specified," announced Roseline before Daniel could say anything. "But I do hold a list of the sizes and such. You will have to surprise us with the style."

"Ah yes, very good." The tailor used his glasses to examine the list handed to him. "I can have this prepared for you on Monday morning. And your cost shall be fifty sheer coins. I shall just require your name for the order."

Roseline took hold of the order. As this transaction came to fruition, an elderly woman with a cart full of clothing walked into the store. The transaction took pause as the kind man greeted his wife and questioned what resided in the cart.

"You would not believe it," she responded. "Jaquan the Royal Baron of the North Island has departed from this world. He lived to be almost one hundred. A shame. He needed only two more weeks until his birthday. Nevertheless, I was provided with his clothing. Much of it, he had never worn."

"Yes, I supposed he had lived a fulfilling life full of years. He lived to a good old age."

"What do you plan on doing with his clothes?" interrupted Daniel whose face sparked curiosity. He had already begun searching through the clothing and a few ideas came to mind.

"Oh, I suppose we will have to have a look and see if we are able to sell anything. Perhaps much of this shall be donated or put at auction. Sometimes in these matters, clothing is often burned."

"What if I were to take this clothing off of your hands?" Daniel surprised himself with his words. "Would one hundred sheer coins do the trick?"

The eyes of the elderly lady and man widened as they almost had forgotten how to breathe. Was this boy serious? The loving couple glared looks towards each other as if they were making fun of the boy through thought. This even brought Roseline to shock

"Well, I suppose this could be a fine trade," thought the good man out loud. "We hardly get much income in these situations, to begin with. And auctions seem to be a rarity. I would need to see the money."

Roseline was instructed to provide the extra money that she was given. Daniel could tell that she hated this deal and all that she could do was give the boy a look of disapproval. Surely enough, once the original transaction was complete, the clothing of the late baron had belonged to Daniel. Stepping outside and sharing goodbyes, they would have the dresses on Early Monday Morning.

"Damn your head Daniel," insulted Roseline. "We hardly have enough now for an inn or food. Do you hold any plans for this clothing?"

"Calm down my dear friend," he instructed. "I have a good idea. You see, every time I come to the seaport, there is always a boat that travels locally around the sea and to a couple of other nations, but it does not travel on the Sabbath. It is intended for the royal and wealthy. And yes, they serve food and housing. We do not need an inn."

"Look at me boy," Roseline claimed a breath before regretting her speech. "Food and housing cost money. And we do not have much of it to be on this boat you speak of. And have you not forgotten that I am a poor slave girl dressed in rags? Where are my new clothes? How shall I get in this boat?"

"We can either creep you in the boat like a thief in the night or we can dress you as a royal man. And for the food and housing, do not fret. All will be figured out. It must be." The boy did not hesitate to place his arms over Roseline's shoulders and shared a look of sadness and desperation. "This is my only chance to be someone else. How often in my life will I receive this opportunity? Or you for that matter? For a night or two, I do not wish to be Daniel. I wish to be Davian, the royal ambassador to the Ishmorites."

"That is not a royal position," laughed the girl.

"Says who?"  

This concludes the seventh chapter! Did you enjoy it? A new chapter will return next Saturday!

Have you ever wanted to lie about who you were?

Do you think it is wise for Daniel to lie about his identity?