Meddling Myr

Chapter 1

The bonfire burned faintly in the darkness. Around it sat a small company: a few knights in rugged silver armour, claymore by his side, a common traveller, wearing many layers of cloth over his simple tunic, and a hooded youth. By the crackling fire, the youth's face was only slightly illuminated. The group sat silently inside a cave, by which they had left their horses and wagon.

The unkempt adventurer coughed, breaking the dreary silence. In response, the knights shifted their gaze toward him. The hooded youth remained silent.

"So... how long till we reach Cleros?" The man hesitantly spoke.

"In a week or so," a knight responded. He held his helmet under his arm. His auburn hair rustled in the wind. While rare to most of the world, people of Cleros tended to have reddish hair. "Passing the Elemir forest, we won't be able to rest. It takes three days to go through, and the rest of the path's just fiefs and plains."

"I see." The adventurer squeezed his dusty brown hat. The knights weren't an inconspicuous bunch; the complex patterns of intertwined vines and flowers on their chest plate suggested that they were knights of Cleros. That gave them some credibility. The Guild had advertised this by-wagon trip to be safe in the company of knights, so he didn't expect himself to be the only adventurer on it. 'It must be because of that person.' He glanced at the hooded man. Although the knights seemed trustworthy, the hooded youth remained an enigma.

"We'll be in each other's company for quite a few days, it seems," he muttered, pushing the corners of his lips up to seem amicable, "so why don't we introduce ourselves? I'm Lesley, an adventurer. I mainly work for the Guild in transporting documents."

The auburn-haired knight smiled. "Well, my name is Arlan, feel free to call me so. As you can tell, I'm a knight of Cleros travelling back to the palace."

Unlike Arlan, his peers were not so lively. The rest of the knights remained silent, leaving the air stifled. However, the adventurer was relieved that the tension was lifted, although slightly.

"I am Myr."

The hooded figure suddenly spoke. Surprised, the adventurer and knights shifted their gaze toward him. Myr removed his hood, setting his long black hair free. His grey eyes glinted in the soft flame, and the light cast a soft gradient on his cheeks. Compared to the other members, his face was somewhat feminine.

"I'm simply a wanderer. I go wherever I like. I heard that the Cleros central citadel is a hub for many things, and thus wished to visit it." Myr shrugged.

"I've been to Cleros a few times, but I've never entered their fortress," the adventurer responded. "The marketplaces and residents live around it, outside, so Cleros central sort of has two layers." He waved his arms around to explain. "But only members of royalty and their servants are allowed into the castle. You probably won't be able to get in."

"Ah, that's a shame," Myr smiled. "Lesley, was it? The moon's quite high now. Why don't we all rest for tomorrow's journey?" He patted on the cloth he had laid down and rested himself on it.

"It is pretty late. Goodnight then."