Rya, Quinus, and the rest of the group made their way to the main gate of the village. It was closed at this time of night. Everything seemed fine until they were stopped by the town's guards.
"Oi! Who the hell are you lot?!" A guard shouts atop the wall to the city. He was having trouble seeing whoever was approaching the gate.
"You are not wanted here!" Another guard shouted out next to the first guard.
'Wow... Talk about a warm welcome.' Rya thought as she looked up at the wall.
The captain of the knights walked next to Prince Quinus and held his magical torch up in the air. So, he could show the Town's Guards who they were speaking to.
"You, MORONS! You're speaking to the Crown Prince of Fiafyr! Open the gates this instant!" yelled Sir Menns, captain of the Knights, who was staring at the two guards with anger in his eyes.
The captain of the guards, a large man with a full brown beard, looked down at the knight and then at the twenty-year-old boy with his fancy armor that looked like it had seen better days, "Tch! He doesn't look like a prince to me," He muttered to his comrade.
"Yeah, they might be pulling a fast one on us. And look... There's a Dark Elf with them. They are probably up to something bad. I've heard about the dark elves; they are nothing but trouble. I bet this one is planning on taking over our town."
The Captain of the Guard took a step forward and leaned over the wall.
"If that boy is the Prince, then why does he have a Dark Elf and a Mutt with him!? No respected Royalty would ever be seen with a dog or a dirty elf." The guard said, spitting on the ground as he looked down at the group.
Rya was dumbstruck. 'What the hell?! Is this how every new person I meet is going to treat me? Is this how it's going to be for the rest of my life? GAH! This sucks!!!'
She wanted to slouch in defeat, but her pride wouldn't let her.
*Growl!* "Looks like we're not welcome here, Alpha!" Dalia says with a glare.
"You better sheath your tongues!!!" Sir George snapped back at the city guards.
Quinus looked cool and calm at a glance, but if you could see through his façade, you would notice his clenched jaw and fists as a fury was building inside him. He could shrug off insults being thrown his way, but when they started insulting Rya and the rest of the group... Well, he was starting to get mad.
"I'll deal with this, Sir George," Quinus said to his retainer while he pulled out an amulet that glows when he pours his mana into it.
The amulet is a Royal Sigil that only the royal family and those who have earned the trust of the royal family can have. The amulet glowed as the prince poured mana into it. The glow was bright enough to light up the area, and even the guard's faces changed from smug grins to shock.
"Ahhh, what is this?! A Royal Sigil!?" One of the guards asks as he leans over the wall, trying to get a better look at the Royal Sigil.
"My patience is wearing thin!" Quinus replies angrily while staring up at the guards.
The Captain of the Guard felt a pit form in his stomach. He knew the Prince and his Party had come through their village about a week ago to deal with the goblin menace. Everyone thought it was a suicide mission, and the Prince was only coming by for lip service. But here he was, alive and well, and the guard couldn't deny that the goblin numbers had dropped dramatically. He would be an idiot to continue his insubordination.
"OPEN THE GATE! NOW!" Shouted the Captain of the Guard. He was yelling down to his guards on the ground level.
"Yes, sir!!" They all yelled as they moved towards the rope that raised the portcullis. Four of them grabbed the rope and started to pull with all their might. It didn't take long for the four guards to raise the portcullis before Quinus and his comrades could come into the village.
"Hmph... Should we discipline them, my Lord?" Sir George asked Quinus.
"Make sure to dock their pay for one month, and if they continue troubling us, then we'll do more than that," Quinus replied before continuing, "For now, I want to rest in a proper bed, and I'm sure everyone else feels the same."
"As you wish, my Lord." Sir George said with a bow.
Rya was listening in when she heard Quinus mentioning a proper bed. And it made her feel giddy.
"Oh, my Goddess! I would die for a real bed," Rya moans. She couldn't help herself; it had been so long since she slept in a proper bed. She was so tired from everything that had happened to her over the past few days.
Quinus and the others chuckled at the dark elf, while Dalia was confused.
"I would rather you live, Rya," Quinus teased her with a smirk.
"Yeah, Beta is right, Alpha! I don't want you to die over a bed," Dalia says with a concerned look.
'This poor wolfkin takes things too literally... I guess that's something she'll have to work on in the future.' Rya thought as she rubbed the top of Dalia's head.
"Hehe. Dalia, it's a figure of speech," Rya laughed.
"Figure of speech? I don't understand, Alpha?" Dalia said with confusion.
"She meant it as a joke, Lady Dalia," Percy said with a smile.
"Aww. A joke... I still don't get it," Dalia said with a bashful face.
"You'll get used to it, Lady Dalia. Don't worry about it too much," Percy said.
"Really? I hope so, young one," Dalia says as she wags her tail happily.
"Well, I believe in you, Lady Dalia... Anyway, what's our next move?" Percy asked the group as they waited for the large doors into the village to open.
"We'll have to talk to the Mayor of Kishin first. I'm sure he isn't going to be happy to see us without that traitorous dog by our side," Sir George says with a bit of disdain in his voice.
"Rya... Dalia... Stay close to us. The people of Kishin are not hostile towards non-humans, but they aren't friendly either," Quinus said.
"My Lord? Should we give them our cloaks?" Sir Menns asked as he was looking at the girls. They weren't human, so it would make sense to give them some clothing to hide their appearance.
"Yeah. I think that's a good idea. Hand over some cloaks to Rya and Lady Dalia, Menns," Quinus said.
With that, two of the knights handed over their travel cloaks to the girls. The cloaks were a bit big on them, but they fit.
"Thank you," Rya said as she put her cloak on.
Dalia wasn't too pleased about putting on more clothing, but she put the cloak on without any fuss.
"Lady Dalia, don't forget your hood. You wouldn't want the villagers to see your ears, would you?" Percy asked Dalia.
"I don't see what the big deal is. I don't have a problem showing the world my ears," Dalia replied as she pulled her hood off.
"It's not a big deal outside, but in this village, people will treat you differently if you don't hide your ears and tail," Quinus explained.
She huffed before saying, "Fine. I'll wear the hood," and placed her hood back on her head.
"Good girl," Rya praised her.
Dalia wagged her tail a little after getting praise from her Alpha, "Okay, I'm ready."
It was at that moment that the doors to the village were unlocked. Walking into the village proper, the doors finally open for Quinus and the group. On the other side stood the Captain of the Guard. He and a few of his men stood at attention, waiting for their visitors.
"I'm sorry, my Lord! We were ordered by the mayor, to not let anyone enter the town without his permission!" said the captain of the guard as he and the rest of the guards bowed their heads when Quinus, Rya, and the rest of his party entered the village.
Quinus only shook his head in disapproval in response to the guards.
"You're lucky that the Prince is merciful, Captain," Sir George said through clenched teeth.
"We are eternally grateful, Your Highness! I-It won't happen again!" said the Captain, who had tears streaming down his face.
"Your wages will be garnished for one month. Don't make me add another month because of your behavior, Captain. Am I understood?"
"Y-Yes, Your Highness! T-Thank you, Your Highness!" The Captain stammered and nodded.
"You're free to go about your duties, Captain. Make sure your men don't get out of line either, or the next punishment will be much worse," Quinus warned the Captain.
"T-Thank you, Your Highness. Y-You won't have to worry about that, Your Highness. You have my word, Your Highness!" The captain responded while saluting.
"That's what I like to hear, Captain. Dismissed."
"Thank you, Your Highness!" With that, the Captain turned and hurried away from the group.
***