The Untold

Belladonna

 "Hmm, what could I do for you that could stop you from turning me back into my family?" Juliet asked.

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"Winchester?!" Juliet shrieked. "Where even is that?!"

Juliet held a large annotated map inches from her face, scanning it for a town called Winchester. The lady and her gevaudan walked beside her.

"It's the one circled in red." The lady says, jabbing at where Winchester rests on her map with her finger.

"Gods, I didn't know Octovia was this big!" Juliet said, perplexed by the amount of places outside of Calnifier.

"Wow, you really have been cooped up in that kingdom your whole life, haven't you?" the woman laughs.

Juliet's eyebrows furrow, and she turns back to the map. Having no luck in finding a short path to Winchester, she folds the map and groans.

"You're taking me all the way to this town I've never heard of for a reason I don't know, and I don't even know your name." Juliet says, tilting her head towards her.

The woman hesitates. "My name is Seren." She finally says, "I'm a mercenary."

"A mercenary?!" Juliet said in a surprised tone. "Why didn't you kill me and take my stuff?"

Seren rolls her eyes. "I was going to, but I recognized your face as the princess's, and thought I would get locked up if I hurt you. This morning, I saw a search group for you come by, and that's when I realized I could turn you in for around a good fifty thousand larks!"

Juliet huffed. "Aren't you mercenaries supposed to travel in some kind of group?"

Seren hummed. "Let's not talk about that. At least, not yet."

"Trust issues, huh?" Juliet scoffed, "Must be a mercenary thing."

Seren and Juliet continued walking through lush forests and crumbling canyons, things that Juliet had never seen before. She stared in awe at the different trees, instead of them being tall and thin, they were much thicker and lower to the ground with bushier leaves. The cliffside was yellowing, it had withered down from years of harsh weather.

The sun sank below the horizon, and the stars were coming out. Before Juliet knew it, she was face to face with a large gate, two guards at the front.

"We're here." Seren said, smiling. "Xiang, stay out here."

The large wolf yawned, and strode off into a nearby grove.

The two marched through the gates and into the town. It was smaller than Calnifier, but just as busy. There were plenty of shops and inns, each one filled with people. Tall lamp posts and hanging lanterns lit up the dark alleys.

"Come, we have somewhere to go." Seren said, slightly shouting over the noise. She held Juliet's sleeve, and they quickly walked through the streets, turning corners every block or so, until they were standing in front of a small tavern. A sign hung from the roof. It read 'Belladonna'.

"We're here!" Seren smiled, and swung the door open. Juliet stepped inside. It was just as small as Juliet had thought, but was very well decorated. Everything looked sophisticated, even the people dining. There was a man behind the bar, he was wiping a wine glass with a small cloth. Tall and handsome, he wore a black button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a scarlet vest over it. A black belt kept up his dark trouser, he styled black dress shoes underneath. His skin was quite fair, he adorned a serious look on his face, his ruby colored eyes half covered by messy black bangs, the rest of his long hair tied up in a high ponytail.

Juliet and Seren took a seat at the counter. Juliet shifted around uncomfortably, not knowing how to behave at a bar. She looked around, a rusty chandelier hung over her head, its candles faintly glowing. She turned around to Seren, who was eyeing all the fine wines behind the bartender. She caught Juliet's stare and her eyes slightly widened, as if in realization.

"Oh, I'll have a glass of your finest wine please, the same for her."

"Alright." the man nodded in response. He turned around and popped open a fresh bottle and started pouring it into two glasses.

"Wow, so nice of you to be treating me!" Juliet said gratefully, "I didn't think you liked me at all."

"Here you go, enjoy." The bartender put two glasses onto the counter.

Seren eagerly picked it up and sipped at it for a while. After she had finished nearly half the glass, she put it down next to her and looked at Juliet with an amused expression.

"Oh, I'm not treating you." Seren chuckled, "It's the other way around." she laughed

"So that's why you brought me here!" Juliet said angrily, "What should have I expected from someone who threatened to turn me in?!"

"Calm down princess," Seren said between sips. "If people find out you're that one king's daughter that's on the run, you'll be in lots of danger."

The bartender, who overheard everything, quickly glanced at Juliet.

Yep, it's definitely her, he thought to himself. Hmm, what shall I do? The man thought for a moment, and came up with a brilliant idea.

"I'm almost certain you two are first time customers, correct?" He said smoothly, Seren and Juliet stopped arguing and silently nodded.

"Well, I have this experimental bottle I've been aging for quite a while now, I could give you a taste on the house."

Seren's eyes lit up. "Wow, I would be honored!" she said excitedly.

Juliet face palmed. "I'm starting to think you like alcohol a little too much."

Seren rolled her eyes, and continued to sip on her wine. The bartender exited through a door to the counter's left that most likely led to the tavern's wine cellar with two glasses in his hands.

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The bartender made his way down a stone spiral staircase, it was cold and damp, every now and then water would drip onto the stairs. After circling a few times, he stepped onto the cobblestone floor, his footsteps echoing loudly in the cellar. Rows and rows of barrels lined the walls, each with a small dispenser on it. He wandered to a small door, pulled out a key from his pocket, and unlocked it. Inside were several small bottles, some with liquid, but in most of them were flowers. He reached for a small bottle resting atop a shelf and poured a few drops of it into the glasses. He exited the room and locked it up, pocketing his key, and went back to the large wine barrels. He dispensed a dark red wine into the two cups, and hurried back upstairs.

A/N

Well, that was chapter four lol. Honestly, I love the bartender character, I have a lot planned for him. I won't spoil, but you'll see more of him in the upcoming chapters! Anyway, like I said in the previous author's note, I'm going to be busy for the rest of the week, so don't expect too many updates. Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)

See you next time!

- seitri