Post by Terrasphere on Mar 22, 2003 21:45:12 GMT
Ch. 7 Foul Play
Eyes glowing with curiosity, Ryu anxiously awaited Lenwë’s response. “I have never seen such inscriptions before in my life,” Lenwë mumbled incomprehensibly under his breath. “However, if you permit it, I would like to examine it more closely. Although I have spent countless hours studying ancient texts from various languages and cultures, perhaps I have skipped over something.” Pointing to the vast library of knowledge beyond the walls of the small classroom, he commented, “Perhaps something out there may contain the answers you seek.”
“But the entire library will take days or even weeks to search,” Ryu whined. “I don’t think we have that long. My dreams have been continually getting more intense, although more informational as well, with each occurrence. What if what my sister said was true?” Ryu looked quite worried.
“Your sister appeared in your dreams? What did your sister say to you?”
“She said that a new evil is growing stronger and stronger the past year.” Looking at Nina and then turning back to the scholar, he continued, “With our experiences last year, you must concede that it is possible.”
Nina barged in, “Ryu is right. Anything is possible. I—I trust his belief in the importance of his dreams.”
Ryu smiling at Nina, Risinger added his views on the subject. “I don’t. Just because he helped save the world doesn’t mean he is right in this instance. Like Mr. Nimue said a few minutes ago, dreams are only manifestations of our inner desires and feelings.”
“That is correct,” Lenwë said, joining in the discussion. “Although dreams are linked to our subconscious mind and spirit, leaving them open to express what even we know on the inside, I do not think that even your subconscious mind could hide a whole new language, not to mention knowledge of a new evil.” Lenwë seemed proud of his statements.
“Whatever, old man. You aren’t the authority on dreams, so…” Ryu argued out of rage.
“Settle down Ryu,” Risinger said, trying to calm Ryu’s anger. “No one likes to be told he is wrong.”
Smirking, the old scholar announced, “I said I would continue to examine this a bit longer. Ryu, if you are so worried about it taking so long, how about searching the library with me?”
Since he felt like punching Lenwë due to his lack of interest in Ryu’s dreams, Ryu thought the old man must be insane for asking him to do such a thing. Trying not to sound angry, Ryu
replied, “I would, but we have a situation to clear up in the Grimfowl Forest, and I would really like to see if my suspicions are true.”
Nina about concur with Ryu’s decision, Risinger spoke first, “Don’t worry about us, Ryu. We can handle the situation alone. In a covert operation such as this one, it would be easier if our group were smaller anyway. We will surely bring back any interesting news.” Nina could not argue with Risinger’s logic, but she did not like his assertion over her in this matter. After all, she is royalty, giving her the right to decide on needed actions.
Ryu thought about it for a few seconds, realizing that he could meet the other members of their former party upon their arrival if he stayed behind. “Okay. I guess I can help Mr. Nimue here with deciphering this message,” Ryu said uneasily. Immediately after agreeing to stay behind, Ryu regretted his decision. How could he possibly get along with a man who’s every view seemed to conflict with his own?
“Let us get to work. We will need all the time we can get,” said Lenwë, twice clapping his hands together as if Ryu were a pet.
Ryu, murmuring indistinguishable words to himself, nodded his head. Waving farewell, Nina and Risinger left the classroom.
“If Ryu is correct about all of the recent disturbances being linked, then the Grimfowl must not be held responsible for this. There would have to be an outside source in this case, right?” Nina questioned.
“Correct, Princess Nina,” responded Risinger.
“Then we should buy disguises if we want to get any information from the public.”
“We can purchase some from the local shops. I suggest we get traveling cloaks, ones in which the brown has faded slightly. It will hide our bodies, not to mention it will allow us to easily blend in with the other vagabonds.”
“Good thinking, Risinger.” With a smile on her face, Nina winked at Risinger and motioned him to leave.
“Thank you, princess.” He cherished moments like these, for her smiles always made him feel warm inside. After Nina returned from her journey with Ryu, King Frederick ordered that a bodyguard be assigned to protect his daughter at all times. At first, they did not get along. But after a few difficult weeks and dozens of diplomatic missions together, they became pretty close friends.
They left the castle altogether and marched off to the marketplace. Unlike most customers, however, they were not looking to haggle with the merchants for good deals. All they wanted were worn-down cloaks. Price was no object. As they arrived, they noticed that the stalls sold various items, ranging from armor and weapons to food and trinkets. Unfortunately, they could not locate any cloaks in the immediate vicinity.
“We should split up,” suggested Risinger, with confidence. “We can find the cloaks much faster that way.”
Disheartened by the multitude of stalls, Nina shook her head violently. She was not used to doing her own shopping, for the royal seamstresses custom-made her wardrobe and delivered it to her each month. Even on the journey with Ryu the year before, she let the others purchase her equipment for her, trusting in their knowledge of the equipment she would like. Although she had almost absolutely no experience, she tried to hide her lack of knowledge in the area of commerce by making an excuse, “We can find a better deal if we shop together.”
“As you wish,” Risinger said, playing along with her. He detected her ruse, but he understood her feelings toward the task.
The pair searched around for while and finally found a booth lined with all sorts of armor and other goods. Noting the assortment of cloaks laid side by side across the table, they ambled up to the old lady tending the stall. After observing the color of the goods and rubbing the fabric between his fingers to get a sense of the quality of the fabric, Risinger asserted himself due to Nina’s apparent fear of dealing with merchants. With Nina watching attentively in the background to learn how it was done, Risinger asked the old lady, “Do you have anything that is more modest—maybe like this one?” He had just found one that perfectly followed the criteria he mentioned earlier and lifted it up to show her.
With a sly grin on her wrinkly face, the woman responded with another query, “Modest in price or modest in appearance?”
Although Risinger assumed that the two qualities were linked, he replied “Modest in appearance.”
In her high-pitched voice, the old woman said, “Today is your lucky day then, young man.” Turning around, she removed some breastplates from the back wall, for behind them was a cloak similar to the one Risinger had chosen. Pointing at it, the old lady appeared astonished by it for some reason. “Here it is. How about two thousand gold pieces?”
“What! The original cloak was only twenty gold pieces!” Risinger mentioned wrathfully. “How dare you try to rip me off! Forget it, woman!”
Nina chuckled, and Risinger tried to leave, but the woman called him back over there. “But you don’t understand,” she pleaded. “This is no ordinary mantle. It has mysterious special abilities.”
“Now you want us to pay two thousand gold pieces for a cursed cloak,” Risinger declared, shaking his head from side to side.
Nina cupped her hands around Risinger’s ear and placed her mouth in them. Nina whispered, “Please, just buy it Risinger. We must hurry to Nabal. We said we would investigate the disturbance, and I do not want to let Ryu down.”
Risinger reluctantly unhooked his coin purse from his belt. After the grueling count of the gold pieces, the old lady stared at them for quite a while. “Princess Nina, it is you! How you’ve grown since I last saw you.” Nina and the old woman talked for a few minutes, after which the stall tender returned to Risinger one thousand of his gold pieces. Risinger was getting impatient, however, so the conversation soon ceased. As the two made their way outside of the bustling market, Nina smiled at her bodyguard, indicating to him that bargaining was easier than she had previously conceived.
Task accomplished they left for their destination. The flight to Nabal, which was to the southwest, would take about nine hours, which meant that they would arrive very late at night. But since they were alone, they could actually talk to each other without seeming rude.
“I pity Ryu for having to stay behind with Lenwë,” said Nina with a dismal tone. “Ryu totally disagrees with him, and yet he must stay there and help him with his work—most likely for days.”
“If it lasts that long,” commented Risinger. “Knowing Ryu’s unpredictable behavior, he will probably either get expelled from the library for arguing incessantly with Mr. Nimue or for assaulting him.” Laughing, which looked strange on his bird-like beak, was not mutual.
“What makes you say that? Ryu is a good person. He would never do those things.”
“Are you sure you know him as well as you think you do? He has secrets. Everyone does. I’ve heard some things about Ryu, and they aren’t something he should be proud of.”
Disheartened, Nina thought about refuting Risinger’s claim, but did not want to continue the conversation. What if Risinger was right? She did not want to know the answer to that question, so she asked, “Can we talk about something else, Risinger?”
“As you wish, Princess Nina.”
Eyes glowing with curiosity, Ryu anxiously awaited Lenwë’s response. “I have never seen such inscriptions before in my life,” Lenwë mumbled incomprehensibly under his breath. “However, if you permit it, I would like to examine it more closely. Although I have spent countless hours studying ancient texts from various languages and cultures, perhaps I have skipped over something.” Pointing to the vast library of knowledge beyond the walls of the small classroom, he commented, “Perhaps something out there may contain the answers you seek.”
“But the entire library will take days or even weeks to search,” Ryu whined. “I don’t think we have that long. My dreams have been continually getting more intense, although more informational as well, with each occurrence. What if what my sister said was true?” Ryu looked quite worried.
“Your sister appeared in your dreams? What did your sister say to you?”
“She said that a new evil is growing stronger and stronger the past year.” Looking at Nina and then turning back to the scholar, he continued, “With our experiences last year, you must concede that it is possible.”
Nina barged in, “Ryu is right. Anything is possible. I—I trust his belief in the importance of his dreams.”
Ryu smiling at Nina, Risinger added his views on the subject. “I don’t. Just because he helped save the world doesn’t mean he is right in this instance. Like Mr. Nimue said a few minutes ago, dreams are only manifestations of our inner desires and feelings.”
“That is correct,” Lenwë said, joining in the discussion. “Although dreams are linked to our subconscious mind and spirit, leaving them open to express what even we know on the inside, I do not think that even your subconscious mind could hide a whole new language, not to mention knowledge of a new evil.” Lenwë seemed proud of his statements.
“Whatever, old man. You aren’t the authority on dreams, so…” Ryu argued out of rage.
“Settle down Ryu,” Risinger said, trying to calm Ryu’s anger. “No one likes to be told he is wrong.”
Smirking, the old scholar announced, “I said I would continue to examine this a bit longer. Ryu, if you are so worried about it taking so long, how about searching the library with me?”
Since he felt like punching Lenwë due to his lack of interest in Ryu’s dreams, Ryu thought the old man must be insane for asking him to do such a thing. Trying not to sound angry, Ryu
replied, “I would, but we have a situation to clear up in the Grimfowl Forest, and I would really like to see if my suspicions are true.”
Nina about concur with Ryu’s decision, Risinger spoke first, “Don’t worry about us, Ryu. We can handle the situation alone. In a covert operation such as this one, it would be easier if our group were smaller anyway. We will surely bring back any interesting news.” Nina could not argue with Risinger’s logic, but she did not like his assertion over her in this matter. After all, she is royalty, giving her the right to decide on needed actions.
Ryu thought about it for a few seconds, realizing that he could meet the other members of their former party upon their arrival if he stayed behind. “Okay. I guess I can help Mr. Nimue here with deciphering this message,” Ryu said uneasily. Immediately after agreeing to stay behind, Ryu regretted his decision. How could he possibly get along with a man who’s every view seemed to conflict with his own?
“Let us get to work. We will need all the time we can get,” said Lenwë, twice clapping his hands together as if Ryu were a pet.
Ryu, murmuring indistinguishable words to himself, nodded his head. Waving farewell, Nina and Risinger left the classroom.
“If Ryu is correct about all of the recent disturbances being linked, then the Grimfowl must not be held responsible for this. There would have to be an outside source in this case, right?” Nina questioned.
“Correct, Princess Nina,” responded Risinger.
“Then we should buy disguises if we want to get any information from the public.”
“We can purchase some from the local shops. I suggest we get traveling cloaks, ones in which the brown has faded slightly. It will hide our bodies, not to mention it will allow us to easily blend in with the other vagabonds.”
“Good thinking, Risinger.” With a smile on her face, Nina winked at Risinger and motioned him to leave.
“Thank you, princess.” He cherished moments like these, for her smiles always made him feel warm inside. After Nina returned from her journey with Ryu, King Frederick ordered that a bodyguard be assigned to protect his daughter at all times. At first, they did not get along. But after a few difficult weeks and dozens of diplomatic missions together, they became pretty close friends.
They left the castle altogether and marched off to the marketplace. Unlike most customers, however, they were not looking to haggle with the merchants for good deals. All they wanted were worn-down cloaks. Price was no object. As they arrived, they noticed that the stalls sold various items, ranging from armor and weapons to food and trinkets. Unfortunately, they could not locate any cloaks in the immediate vicinity.
“We should split up,” suggested Risinger, with confidence. “We can find the cloaks much faster that way.”
Disheartened by the multitude of stalls, Nina shook her head violently. She was not used to doing her own shopping, for the royal seamstresses custom-made her wardrobe and delivered it to her each month. Even on the journey with Ryu the year before, she let the others purchase her equipment for her, trusting in their knowledge of the equipment she would like. Although she had almost absolutely no experience, she tried to hide her lack of knowledge in the area of commerce by making an excuse, “We can find a better deal if we shop together.”
“As you wish,” Risinger said, playing along with her. He detected her ruse, but he understood her feelings toward the task.
The pair searched around for while and finally found a booth lined with all sorts of armor and other goods. Noting the assortment of cloaks laid side by side across the table, they ambled up to the old lady tending the stall. After observing the color of the goods and rubbing the fabric between his fingers to get a sense of the quality of the fabric, Risinger asserted himself due to Nina’s apparent fear of dealing with merchants. With Nina watching attentively in the background to learn how it was done, Risinger asked the old lady, “Do you have anything that is more modest—maybe like this one?” He had just found one that perfectly followed the criteria he mentioned earlier and lifted it up to show her.
With a sly grin on her wrinkly face, the woman responded with another query, “Modest in price or modest in appearance?”
Although Risinger assumed that the two qualities were linked, he replied “Modest in appearance.”
In her high-pitched voice, the old woman said, “Today is your lucky day then, young man.” Turning around, she removed some breastplates from the back wall, for behind them was a cloak similar to the one Risinger had chosen. Pointing at it, the old lady appeared astonished by it for some reason. “Here it is. How about two thousand gold pieces?”
“What! The original cloak was only twenty gold pieces!” Risinger mentioned wrathfully. “How dare you try to rip me off! Forget it, woman!”
Nina chuckled, and Risinger tried to leave, but the woman called him back over there. “But you don’t understand,” she pleaded. “This is no ordinary mantle. It has mysterious special abilities.”
“Now you want us to pay two thousand gold pieces for a cursed cloak,” Risinger declared, shaking his head from side to side.
Nina cupped her hands around Risinger’s ear and placed her mouth in them. Nina whispered, “Please, just buy it Risinger. We must hurry to Nabal. We said we would investigate the disturbance, and I do not want to let Ryu down.”
Risinger reluctantly unhooked his coin purse from his belt. After the grueling count of the gold pieces, the old lady stared at them for quite a while. “Princess Nina, it is you! How you’ve grown since I last saw you.” Nina and the old woman talked for a few minutes, after which the stall tender returned to Risinger one thousand of his gold pieces. Risinger was getting impatient, however, so the conversation soon ceased. As the two made their way outside of the bustling market, Nina smiled at her bodyguard, indicating to him that bargaining was easier than she had previously conceived.
Task accomplished they left for their destination. The flight to Nabal, which was to the southwest, would take about nine hours, which meant that they would arrive very late at night. But since they were alone, they could actually talk to each other without seeming rude.
“I pity Ryu for having to stay behind with Lenwë,” said Nina with a dismal tone. “Ryu totally disagrees with him, and yet he must stay there and help him with his work—most likely for days.”
“If it lasts that long,” commented Risinger. “Knowing Ryu’s unpredictable behavior, he will probably either get expelled from the library for arguing incessantly with Mr. Nimue or for assaulting him.” Laughing, which looked strange on his bird-like beak, was not mutual.
“What makes you say that? Ryu is a good person. He would never do those things.”
“Are you sure you know him as well as you think you do? He has secrets. Everyone does. I’ve heard some things about Ryu, and they aren’t something he should be proud of.”
Disheartened, Nina thought about refuting Risinger’s claim, but did not want to continue the conversation. What if Risinger was right? She did not want to know the answer to that question, so she asked, “Can we talk about something else, Risinger?”
“As you wish, Princess Nina.”
