Snippet #2319948

"You there? State your business."

Gaerielle froze, her hands shaking as she moved to pull her hood even further down. Escaping the Royal Family's mansion was a lot harder than she expected; several times, she had to cause the torches that illuminated the walkways to explode spontaneously so the guards would investigate, leaving her a chance to walk right through. Then there were times like this where the guard would notice her before she could distract him. As the guard came closer, she began to cough violently, hunching her back to better hide her face. "Ah, hello there," she said, mimicking the voice of her elderly tutor back in Theonandias Palace. "Young man, I advise that you keep a safe distance."

She cough once before continuing,"You see, I have caught the Black Chills, but by the grace of His Royal Majesty, I have been permitted to return to my home to recuperate."

Now it was the guard's turn to freeze in his tracks as he began to hesitate. "T-the Black Chills? Why then, you best be out of here quick!"

Gaerielle smiled under her hood, keeping her back hunched as she ambled along the walkway. Although she could not see the guard's face, there was no doubt he must be horrified as he made way for her. The Black Chills were a highly contagious strain of disease that had spread rather widely in the Eastern Continent for some time ever since the Year of Flood. Being just a few months back, there was no doubt the memory of that disease's symptoms were still fresh on the minds of many alive today. Blackened fingers, black patches on the face... Many a pretty face had been marred by this disease, never to be restored.

Made worse by the fact that it was contagious. When the cure had yet to be found, there were even rumors going on about how simply looking upon a person stricken with the Black Chills would curse one with that affliction. It was even said simply standing too close to the person would be enough for the disease to spread. Gaerielle had been playing on this fact (one later proven wrong by Royal Physicians) but had not expected it to work on the guard.

In any case, it mattered little at this juncture, Gaerielle noted as she reached the Palace's exit. Finally easing back into her upright posture, she glanced over to the side of the exit. Picturing an iceberg, she closed her eyes and opened up the connection to her magical pool, as she had been taught. The familiar rush of magical energy through her body seized her as she began to form the object of her thoughts where she wanted it to be. Satisfied with its formation, she snapped her fingers, releasing it into reality. It fell mid-air onto the ground, smashing itself into pieces.

The guards were startled, and promptly went to investigate, as expected. Gaerielle smirked at the success of her plan as she casually strolled out of the exit into the streets of Ugeos.

...

The streets were crowded, filled with people of all walks of life. It was mostly the young that filled the streets, but she could also see some elderly men and women walking down, hand in hand. Then there were the warriors, decked out in full armor with their sheathed swords slung over their back - no doubt, here for the thrills of the arena. Along the streets, there were vendors peddling their wares. Some were interesting, and actually caught Gaerielle's eyes - which speaks a lot about the beauty of the item. Unfortunately, here in Ugeos, the vendors were renowned for selling very well mimicked replicas. It may be pretty, but Gaerielle had no taste for copies.

She continued down, enjoying her relaxed pace in spite of the hurried gait of most people around her. As a Princess, she had never been this close to a crowd before, so this experience was a curious one - and also one that she enjoyed.

However, she was not here for enjoyment, that much was certain. With a long sigh, she began to look around for an inn. First part of her plan, she would rest in the Inn before she sought a 'reliable' partner to travel with. In her mind, she was replaying some of the fairy tales she read when she was young. Oftentimes, the heroes of the story would rest in Inns and gather like-minded individuals with useful talents before going out on their quests. Ideally, this would be the case with her, but she dared not gather too many. She was alone now, with no one but herself to rely on should this person decide to turn on her.

More so for Gaerielle; as loathe as she was to admit, she was far too sheltered. Still, a quest was a quest, and for her, it was far too late to give up on it. After all, starting on it came at a rather huge price. Should she return without completing this quest, she could possibly see a life of solitude in one of the towers of Theonandias. With the dismal realization weighing heavily on her mind, she continued along the streets.