Karria had no idea why the elf was so excited, but Akkard was staring at the name as well, lightly stroking his beard and looking thoughtful.
In truth, she hadn’t really done much more than a quick scan, so Karria did as she was bid and looked to the top of the list. There, in the first spot, next to an emblem of a golden crown, was a name. One that she’d have never expected to see anywhere near anything remotely noble.
1st Place: Viscount Arbor Emerald, Ryevine.
For just a moment, Karria felt a small thrill of wild excitement and hope. Then reality set in, and she felt that very same hope vanish in an instant.
“There’s no way that can be him,” Karria said.
Sure, Arbor was an uncommon name, but it was not so uncommon that no one else would have it. Besides, they didn’t have a last name, but this one seemed familiar. Arbor’s favorite season, like hers, had always been spring. It meant the blooming of new growth, flowers, and color, and the onset of summer. That was not to mention that Arbor’s favorite moon was the emerald-colored spring moon, which had been shining down upon them for the last couple of weeks.
“Oh, come on,” Kya said, the excitement refusing to leave her voice. “We have to at least ask someone! What are the chances that we would follow someone all the way here from the Flatlands, only to discover that someone named Arbor became a noble?”
“Well, when you put it that way, it does seem a bit strange,” Karria said, trying to keep her hopes down.
She didn’t want to become too excited. She couldn’t allow herself to. It had been well over a year since she’d last seen her brother, the only family she had left. She didn’t want to get her hopes up, only to have her heart broken yet again. Karria honestly didn’t think she could take it.
“As the el…egant lassie said,” Akkard said, barely stopping himself from accidentally calling Kya an elf out loud, “we can just ask around.”
“Nice save there, dwarfie,” Kya said with a grin.
“Guess I deserved that,” Akkard grumbled. “Though it’s really emasculating, and I’d appreciate you didn’t try out any nicknames.”
“Why not?” Kya asked. “You call me ‘lass’ and ‘lassie’ all the time, so why shouldn’t I pick a cute nickname for you?”
“Firstly, ‘lass’ means ‘girl.’ It’s from the old dwarven dialect, before the big war that divided the nations and created the Flatlands. And secondly, dwarves are not ‘cute.’ We’re brawny, tough, and manly!”
“Well, what about your women?” Karria asked, joining in the conversation and glad for the distraction.
“They’re manly, too,” Akkard said, sticking to his words. “Just in a womanly way.”
“That literally makes no sense,” Kya said.
“It does to a dwarf!” Akkard snapped. “Come on, let’s go ask someone about the Arbor on that banner.”
The two girls shared a look as Akkard stormed off, clearly heading for one of the bars lining the thoroughfare. The grins they shared made it clear that they knew who’d won in that exchange, but they decided not to torture the poor dwarf any further. Instead, they followed him off the busy street and into the bar.
It was late afternoon, which meant that the last of those eating lunch had already left, while those coming in for dinner had yet to arrive. That was why, upon entry, Karria wasn’t surprised to see only a couple of patrons – drunks, by the looks of them – nursing mugs in quiet corners. The bartender, a wiry man, looked no older than perhaps eighteen, and jumped as the door banged open, nearly dropping the mug he was cleaning.
“A keg of your best beer,” Akkard said, slapping a gold coin down on the counter.
The young man stared at the coin for a few moments in dumbfounded shock. He likely would have stayed that way, had Akkard not loudly cleared his throat and repeated his order.
“Um…did you mean a pint?” he asked, clearly confused.
“No,” Akkard said flatly. “I meant a keg. If I wanted a pint, I would have asked for a bloody pint!”
The bartender looked at him in uncertainty for a few more moments before the door banged open once again, and a busty woman appearing to be in her late thirties came bustling in, carrying a large crate under one arm, and an entire keg under the other.
“Randall! What the hell is going on here? I leave you in charge for five minutes, and you’ve managed to piss off the only customer who’s actually giving you money!”
Karria had no idea how the woman could have possibly seen the gold coin, as Akkard was clearly blocking it. It was also unclear how she’d known that Akkard was annoyed, but whatever otherworldly powers she was using were clearly spot on.
“Right away, ma’am!” he squeaked, leaping to attention and dashing to the back to fetch the keg in question.
“Sorry for the trouble,” the woman said, coming around the counter and dropping everything on the ground. “Randall’s a good boy, just a little dense in the head.”
“No worries, ma’am,” Akkard said, giving the woman an easy smile. “I’m sure he’ll be fine with someone like you looking after him.”
The woman returned the smile, sweeping the coin off the counter and leaning down to fetch Akkard some change, giving the dwarf a clear view down her top. Karria felt like gagging at the display but stopped herself when Kya pinched her leg under the table.
“So, what brings a fine gentleman like yourself to this crapshoot of a city?” the woman asked as she placed his change on the counter.
“Oh, you know, just going where the road takes us,” Akkard said.
“And who are these two fine young ladies?” she asked, turning to the two of them.
“Old family friends,” Akkard said before either of them could answer. “I was going to drop them in the next city over by their cousins for the summer, but I heard some excitement going on around here.”
“Oh, yeah,” the woman said. “The noble competition is all anyone can talk about, even two weeks after it finished. Though I do have to say that that man who won…” The woman trailed off, fanning herself slightly as a flush crept down her neck.
Randall chose that moment to come stumbling out, lugging the heavy cask and clearly having a hard time with it.
“Give me that,” the woman said in exasperation, snatching the cask from the boy and slamming it onto the counter. “Go mop the kitchen or something. At least you can’t mess that up.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Randall muttered, his shoulders slumping as he headed into the back once more.
“You know,” Akkard said, leaning in a bit. “A cask like this is far too big for just one person, dwarf or not. You look like the type of lady who could throw a few back. So, what do you say? You gonna join me?”
The woman bit her bottom lip for a moment, looking up to the clock behind her.
“Aw, what the hell? No harm in joining a handsome man for a couple of drinks. Can’t have the customers seeing me slack off, so I think we should take this to a more private room,” the woman said, snatching the cask up under her arm.
“Get yourselves something to eat, ladies,” Akkard said, dropping a coin on the counter. “I’ll be back whenever I’m back.”