{The Purple Pony, Celeblas town. Part 2}

  Great.

  The bartender guy walks specifically towards our table, wiping his hands with a towel.

  He looks to be about middle aged, a potbelly stretching his white tunic outwards, his belt tight around his waist. A shiny bald head reflects the lights that hang throughout the room, a short, dark brown mustache hanging under his nose.

  Without pausing, he swiftly - which is surprising considering his weight isn't exactly...skinny, takes a seat next to Grim.

  Roxie pauses mid-bite, head tilting up as she takes him in.

  "Torion, long time no see friend." He jabs Grim in the side, setting his elbows down on the table as he clasps his hands together.

  "Nigel. Good to see you too." Grim easily replies, wiping his mouth off with a.....napkin?

   "What're you doing all the way out here, huh?" He questions, and I tilt my head down as he looks over at Roxie and I.

   His face clears with understanding, his voice lowering as he ducks down like that would actually help to hide his large self. "Gathering some new recruits I assume?" He whispers, giving a small gesture over towards us.

   Grim studies us for a second before slowly nodding his head. "You could say that." He mumbles into his drink, barely loud enough for Nigel to hear him.

   Nigel grunts in agreement. "Right." He obviously still wants to question him more, but apparently already knows it's futile.

  He stands up. "I'll have a bedroom ready for you and your...friends here." He looks us over again. "Is it just for tonight?" He questions, peering down at Grim over his belly.

  Grim nods in answer. "Thank you." He gives him a kind smile, going back to his food. Nigel looks Roxie and I over again before turning around and walking off.

  Okkkkay.

  I manage to eat almost all my chicken, part of my slice of bread, and a few pieces of  potato.

   Let me just say: I'm good.

   I push my tin plate away, wrapping my arms around my slightly turning stomach. Roxie finishes her own, delicately wiping her mouth off before scooting her own plate back.

  "Ah, that was a filling meal." Grim rubs his stomach, grabbing his staff that's leaning against the wall before standing up.

  "Follow me." He instructs, moving through the room towards the staircase. We get up also, following along behind him like a baby duck would for its parents.

   Grim spots Nigel, giving him a small nod. Nigel nods back, peeking around the corner as he shouts something incoherent back behind the wall.

   The girl walks out again, her eyes immediately landing on us. She keeps her head angled slightly downward, quickly walking across the room and past us.

   Grim turns, following her up the stairs.

   As you come up the stairs you're immediately met with a long hallway, doors appearing every ten feet or so on each wall.

   She leads us back to the back of the hallway, stopping beside a door. She gives another quick curtsy, hurrying past us as she makes her way back downstairs.

  I bring my eyes back to the front as Grim opens the door, a creak escaping the old doors' hinges.

  Two beds, a trunk, and a small table in the corner with two chairs makes up the furniture in the small-ish room. A bed on each side of the room as you walk in.

  Someone doesn't believe in decorating.

  Roxie takes the room in, her forehead scrunching in distaste.

  I'm sure it's nothing compared to what she's used to....Though it's probably better then sleeping on the dirt ground....probably.

   Grim shuts the door, and I quickly pull off my cloak, my skin practically on fire.

  I toss it down on the end of the bed that's on the right side, running my left hand down my warm face before peeling off the pieces of hair that's plastered to my forehead. I get the urge to take my t-shirt off too, everything feeling like it's extra warm for some reason.

  I take a seat next to the cloak, placing my elbows on my knees as I lean forward, my face resting in my hands as I take some deep breaths.

  A dizziness swirls in my head, skin like a hot trail of lava. There's a pulsing deep behind my eyes, a ringing starting up in my ears.

  I rapidly blink as a odd blur appears in my eyesight, my food suddenly feeling like it's going to make a reappearance.

  What's happening? This isn't like before, it's not my...energy. That felt different. This is differe-

  I jump as something touches my left shoulder, my vision swimming as I swing my head up to see what it was.

  Grim stands over me, concern shining in his eyes. "Are you alright, Callon?" He questions, pulling his hand away from my shoulder.

  Roxie takes a seat on the other bed across from me, crossing her arms as she stares flippantly over at me. "Yeah. You look like you're about to puke." She adds, pulling her own cloak off.

   I swallow, ignoring Roxie as I give Grim a small nod. "I'm fine. It's just...hot in here." I explain, bending my head back down as I run my hand over the back of my neck.

   Grim walks across the room, glancing out the shutters that's cover the windows. "You'll be fine indeed. Dark elves are sensitive towards warm climates- oddly enough, though they're perfectly at home in the cold - as we've seen." He pointedly looks at me, a small smile on his lips.

   I frown. Well that would explain some things I've noticed throughout my life. No wonder Orenda never wanted to move anywhere that got horrible hot in the summer.

  She did it for...me.

  "Now I know you have a few questions, so hurry and ask away." He fiddles with his pipe, a strong waft of smoke suddenly curling up my nose and making it curl in diastase.

   Roxie purses her lips. "That group of soldiers weren't orcs...right? So what we're they?" She looks over at Grim.

   He shakes his head. "No, they most definitely were not orcs." He looks between us. "Those were a group of royal soldiers - light elves. The King's higher ups as you could put it." He explains.

   Roxie makes a face. "Well they were jerks. What was up with them bothering that kid anyway?"

  Grim's face falls slightly. "Since they're part of the Royal guard, you could say they expect special treatment wherever they go. And they'll get it no matter what."

  Roxie looks down. "That doesn't seem right at all. How-"

  I cut her off, my hands tightening into fists. "What'd he mean by 'only' a couple years left?" I look up, staring Grim down.

  He blows a breath out. "As I've said before, this king is not friendly by any means. I suppose you noticed the child's pointy ears?"

  I nod.

  "He's a wood elf youngling." He scratches his beard. "You've probably noticed there aren't many male children above the age of fifteen or so around, nor are there many adults either - besides the elderly and the women."

  I see Roxie's head move in a nod from the corner of my eye.

   "Well that's because king Gurthon - once he gained control over Orelon, enslaved all wood elves above the age of sixteen, leaving only the elderly and the women to work the fields and do their work." His eyes narrow.

  Roxie holds a hand up to her mouth, eyes growing wide with disbelief.

  I let a slow breath out, a spark of anger growing somewhere deep inside me as I recall the kids horrified expression - probably afraid he'd be taken early because of whatever he did.

   That's not right.

  "But why?" I ask before I can stop myself, my head still leaning down.

   Grim blows a spout of smoke out, readjusted his seat. "Wood elves were your father's own royal guard - firm believers in their King that would not be swayed. So Gurthon did what he thought best." He stares between us.

   "He enslaved all wood elves and anyone who stood against him, forcing them to work for him: digging deep inside the many caves throughout Orelon."

  His eyes look over at a lantern thing they have hanging on the wall, a light glowing from inside.

   "On earth light is generated by electricity. On this world light isn't generated, it's simply there." He nods to himself.

   Roxie and I stare at him. Our faces I'm sure looking as clueless as possible.

   "It's from a stone to be more exact." He leans back. "The very stone - among others of course, that the king has all of his slaves relentlessly digging deeper into the ground for." He rubs his pipe on his robe.

   It goes silent for a few minutes, everyone processing.

  "Refugee camp," Roxie mumbles from her seat, eyes focused down on the ground as she thinks. "Slaves, recruits...." She trails off, eyes lighting up.

   She looks up at Grim. "There's a resistance, isn't there?" She leans her head to the side, studying him.

  Grim raises an eyebrow in surprise, giving a nod. "Quite the quick thinker there miss Roxie." He praises, making me want to roll my eyes.

   I would've gotten it...eventually.

  "Yes there is a resistance. And I'm part of it as you've probably guessed after putting two and two together - with the help of Nigel of course." He wryly says, a small smile at the corner of his lips.

   Roxie leans back, a aura of satisfaction surrounding her.

   Wonderful.

   "We're working to rid this land of Gurthon and his army. Free those who've been wrongly enslaved, and stop all prosecution that's still going on even twelve years later." He lowers his voice, serious.

   He slouches slightly. "Though I'm sad to say it's not going as fast, or as well as we'd hoped." He informs, looking at me.

   I keep my head down.

  "It's prophesied that only once the true ruler has returned, then we will have peace throughout Orelon again." He motions over at me.

   "And here you are." His voice fades.

   I feel both their gazes on me, my skin only growing warmer. I blow a breath out. "I've already said-" I stop as Grim's voice overpowers mine.

  "I know what you've said, and I said I would honor that decision." He speaks up. "I'm not trying to change your mind, I'm simply answering your questions." He corrects, standing up.

  Still feels like you're trying to do something.

   He walks to the door, placing his hand on the doorknob. A slight dejected air about him now.

   "I'll be back shortly, don't leave the room unless your life depends on it." He says over his shoulder, opening the door before walking out.

  Well that's just dandy.

  It softly shuts, a suffocating silence filling the room.

  I shrug my shoulders out, easing the tension from them as I flex my hands. Roxie plays with her finger nails, her eyes up on the odd....rock light?

A natural substance that emits light. Like it glows like a glow stick? Just think how much better off earth would be if it had that. How much safer.

  Roxie suddenly shivers, wrapping my hoodie clad arms around herself.

I don't see why she's cold. It's boiling to me in here....Right. Elf thing.

  "So um," I look up with my eyes at Roxie at the sound of her voice, keeping my head down.

  She bites her lip, doing everything in her power not to look over at me. They glance over despite her own avoidance, jade green eyes meeting mine for a split second.

   I suck in a surprised breath as there's a sudden zap of what feels like electricity inside my head - ironic I know, washing away just as quickly as it had come.

  Roxie blinks a couple times, breaking eye contact as she brings a hand up to rub the back of her head. A glazed expression falling over her face.

   That was...odd.

   She fake coughs a few times, swinging her feet as she continues to ignore me. "Yeah, um. Real hard mattresses. It almost feels like they're stuffed with straw." She laughs, the sound like small bells....as weird as that sounds.

   I push down on the mattress, my eyes landing on a stalk of yellow on the floor. A bemused smile grows on my lips as I bend down to pick it up, running it over my finger.

   "That's because they are." I deadpan, holding the piece of straw up for her to see.

   Her eyes widen as they land on it, her face falling.

   She pulls a thick strand of red hair away from her face, irritably stuffing it behind her ear. "Great. That's just dandy." She huffs, glaring down at the mattress she's sitting on.

   Silence laps between us again, the air literally feeling heavy to my lungs.

   "Ugh, this is so embarrassing." She mumbles to herself, pulling on her hair. She forces a smile onto her lips - which looks more like a grimace, swinging her head up to look at me.

  "So thank-you-for-letting-me-borrow-your-hoodie-I'd-most-likely-be-dead-or-at-least-frost-bitten-now-if-you-hadn't-of-done-that." She rushes out in one breath, looking completely different from her usual cool/confident facade for a second.

   I stare at her for a full minute. "Was it really that painful to say?" My cheek twitches as I contain a laugh, my head tilting up from its downward position.

   Her face turns a shade redder, eyes looking me over. She abruptly looks away, recrossing her arms.

  "Yeah, yeah. Whatever....jerk." She mumbles under her breath, sliding out her new favorite nickname for me.

   Never gets old.

*Time Skip*

   I sit up from my laid back position on the bed, head swinging over towards the door as it opens.

   My muscles loosen as I realize it's just Grim returning from wherever he's been this past hour.

   Roxie and I have literally just been sitting/laying around as we await his return, no one bothering to speak anymore.

  He comes in carrying a few clothing objects in his hands, quickly shutting the door behind him.

  Roxie stands up, and I follow suit. "Where've you been?" She shoots off, staring at him with questioning eyes.

  "Checking on things, purchasing a few new clothes seeing as you two need new ones." He explains, handing me a bundle from his left hand while giving Roxie the bundle from his right.

   "There's a bathroom directly across from this room, miss Roxie. We may live in what looks like a medieval world compared to yours, but we do have indoor plumbing." He gives a amused smile at the last part, opening the door for her.

  She looks as him with wide eyes, holding the bundle close to her. "Thank you." A small, thankful smile grows on her lips.

   Grim nods, patting her shoulder as she walks out the door. He sets two pairs of new boots on the ground by the other bed, turning back to the door.

  He shuts the door, walking back to his seat by the window. He sits, pulling his pipe out as his eyes land on my still form.

  He pauses. "Sorry, would you like me to leave while you change?" He questions.

  My mind doesn't seem to have caught up with everything. "What?" And that's when it registers. "No, no. It's fine." I shake my head at myself, cursing my slow brain.

   Grim shrugs, going back to working with his pipe - whatever he may be doing to it all these times.

   I reach down, opening the bundle up. A old fashioned looking long sleeved shirt, and a pair of dark brown leather pants.

  Guess it'll do.

  I pull my tattered shirt off, tossing it down on the bed beside the bundle. There's a small hint of relief as my warm bare skin hits the cooler air.

   Grabbing the bottom of the black cotton/something shirt, I lift it up over my head, sliding it down as my arms go through the arm holes.

  I then slide my ratty jeans off, feeling a spark of sadness as I realize I'll never wear those again.

   Hey. Those were one of my favorite pair.

  I step into the new pair of leather pants, finding them the perfect size.....Come to think of it, both the shirt and pants fit perfectly.

   How'd Grim know....?

  I lace up the leather strings across both forearms, leaving the one at my neck loose. I look myself over - the best you can without a mirror.

  Hm, not too shabby actually.....If you're talking medieval time period. Which we are.

  I sit down on the corner of the bed, pulling the larger pair of black leather boots on over a fresh pair of socks. Standing up once I'm done.

  "That look matches you." I glance up at the sound of Grim's voice, only to find him studying me with calculating eyes.

   I give him a dry stare. "Gee, thanks." I deadpan, turning my back on him as I pile my scrap clothes into a messy stack.

  But I guess I really should thank him. I'm not that ungrateful.

  I clear my throat, keeping my back to him. "But uh, thank you." I practically force out, understanding how Roxie felt earlier.

  "You're very welcome." I hear the smile in his voice.

  I look up as the door opens again, Roxie stepping inside.

  My breath almost catches before I stop myself, my eyes unconsciously looking her over.

  If Grim thinks I look good in this style of clothing, Roxie must look....amazing.

  She's wearing a dark brown - almost red, tight fitting leather dress that buttons along the side and comes down to just above her knees. A white, silky long sleeve shirt underneath that hangs open at the top. Laces run down both her sides, revealing the white shirt underneath.

  Complete with a pair of form fitting leather black pants.

    I blink a few times, tearing my gaze away from her.

   Well that was....odd.....Again.

    She blushes once more under both our stares, her right hand disappearing behind her back as she nervously fiddles with her hair - a habit most likely.

  Her hair she now has neatly brushed, the front pulled away from her face as it ties behind her head.

  She bites her lip, shutting the door behind her. She looks down at herself, smoothing the bottom of the dress out with her left hand.

  Grim motions her towards the last pair of boots on the floor, giving her a smile.

  She sits on the bed, pulling the light brown boots on over her own fresh pair of socks.

  Her boots go up to only a little over her ankles, lacing down the front. Kinda reminding me of riding boots.

  Suits her.....I suppose.

  "I just threw everything away. It was a mess." Roxie says, finishing up on her last boot. Grim nods, running a hand through his beard as he looks between the two of us.

   What?

  She faces me, and I feel her gaze take in my appearance. "Yeah....sorry about your hoodie, Callon. I'll get you a...new one?" She fiddles with her fingers, looking down at them.

  What's with everyone all of a sudden?

  I move back to the end of the bed. "It's fine." I answer her, looking back over at Grim. "How'd you know our sizes?" I question, figuring Roxie's fits her well enough.

  He shrugs, not finding it important. "I didn't. I guessed."

  I let a tired breath out, mentally rolling my eyes.

  Crazy old coot.

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A/N

   Hello!!! So peeps! I've got another surprise! (Yes another one XD) I've started another book!

  Please check it out! I'd forever appreciate you! ❤️ (Not that I don't now..but you get the point lol.)

  Whispers Of A Past

  There's the title! (It's a werewolf book if your interested 😉)

   So Important also! I've decided to change Callon's age in the very beginning to him turning 4. Not 3. Got it? Good.

Questions:

   1.) No one guessed it would be the bartender guy who approaches them? (I know at least one of you guessed it would be the light elves. Sorry to disappoint.)

  2.) What's going on between Roxie and Callon?

  3.) Any additional thoughts?

  4.) Who likes their outfits? ✋🏻

  Next update: possibly next week. I'm not one hundred percent sure.

  VOTE!! Comment! Check my newest book!

Maggy