58 Lunch
1487 Words
"Sorry, Lady Haruna. The call was urgent and I had to come as quickly as possible. I totally forgot about my lunch. Although I could have gotten some for myself with these men." Janus said.
"None sense, if you could have seen the look on your sister's face. She was livid. She scheduled this day for us to have lunch and discuss my observations around the village, only to find her message still unopened in your office. She's looked very upset. I'd rather not deny her, for your own sake and mine." Haruna said.
Curious, this was the first time that Janus heard the lady say something with any hint of attitude. Then a thought came to him.
"Of course! You can do water magic right? You think you can carry out all the water in this pond and put it in a tank?" Janus looked at Halbur and Teeko then back at her.
Haruna peered at the pond, crinkling her nose at the slight toxic smell. The pond was around five feet wide and the water was murky and dark.
"I suppose I can try. But you owe me lunch first. I have a few questions for you. We can sit right there, at the shade."
Haruna pointed at one of the corner areas of the plot, where a huge mango tree rose above the others. It was one of the places in the village where Janus really wanted to install a rope swing or a hammock, but never got the chance to.
Lady Haruna was in fact, carrying two boxes of packed lunch.
"Why your highness, my lady." Nikolai said. "If you find my abode well enough I can invite you into our house and serve you some refreshments along with your lunch."
"It would be my pleasure to be invited inside your home my Lord, but I must refuse. I must have a private conversation with the Prince. We will be discussing matters of court between Wayward Home and Gaddi. I'm afraid there are some sensitive matters that cannot. Besides, the fresh air and shade is lovely at this time of day. If you could provide us with a comfortable blanket to sit on. That would greatly suffice." Haruna said with a curtsy.
"Why you are too kind my lady. It would be our honor to serve."
Nikolai called out to his children to procure the blanket.
Haruna started walking towards the shade.
Janus looked at the men behind him. They were all as flabbergasted as he was. One of the guards shrugged.
Janus sighed and followed her.
#
One of Nikolai's sons came running, he carried a large red-and-white patterned blanket which Haruna took before handing the boy a candied treat.
The boy thanked the lady and bowed before running back home, his face all red.
Janus wondered if his face looked the same, or even worse.
Haruna laid out the blanket with a flick of her wrist. To Janus it looked like a magic carpet had spread itself around to its maximum limit, burying its corners to the ground. Four medium-sized rocks levitated fell to each corner, steadying the cloth in place.
Haruna took off her jacket and hung it up the tree, revealing her pale shoulders and neck were wrapped up in a red velvet coat. She sat down and distributed their lunches.
It was a bento box with rice, topped with colorful vegetables and meat. It was probably something that Yvaine made, with her signature pickled plums situated at the corner and the tempura fritters skewered with olive eyes.
There was a fork in Haruna's box while Janus' had a pair of chopsticks in them.
"You should eat now. I have a lot of questions you know, and I'm not letting you go until I'm done. I have the council's authority, as well as your sister's word." She said.
"Fine. But you promise you'll fix the matter of the pond?"
"I said I'll try."
Janus sighed.
"Doesn't seem to be much of a problem though. It looked like a few hundred gallons at the very least. I could form a conduit of pipes using arcane shapes and create a pressure differential between the pond and whatever tank you can provide. That should suck out all the liquid."
"Fascinating, can magic really do that?"
"Why yes, if you've practiced enough like me. That implementation is needlessly complex though. I could just carry all the water and dump it on your head." She smiled.
"Now that's uncalled for."
"Well, you shouldn't have avoided me. Yvaine wouldn't mind me drowning you in miasma after what you did."
"Sorry I just... Anyway, was there something you'd like to ask me?"
"After I finish my food your highness. A noblewoman such as myself isn't one to chit-chat over lunch."
"Oh, right."
Janus started to eat. Then there was silence, the men who were inspecting the pond had already gone inside Nikolai's house for their lunch. He noticed the field in all its vastness, noticed the breeze as it swept through the landscape, bringing with it scents of flowers and freshly cut grass. The occasional wagon would pass by and wave at them, carrying dried meats, vegetables, and wooden and metal crafts.
Admittedly, Haruna chose a great spot.
When they finished eating, Haruna looked around and took a deep breath.
"What the hell is this place?" She said. Her voice slightly agitated.
"Excuse me, Lady Haruna?" Janus asked. Perplexed at her tone.
"It doesn't make any sense to me. What the in the deserts of hell did you do here? Is there a trick of some sort? Is there some enchantment you're hiding somewhere that I can't see? I've been mulling across my notes in the histories and politics in every other Kingdom, and none of their structures resemble this place. It's a complete outlier." Haruna said.
Janus was taken aback, so this was bothering her?
"That's a huge question right there. Suppose you can elaborate more?"
She sighed before straightening her skirt and fixing her hair over her ear.
"First of all, there are no slaves, no Kings, no Lords. Everyone has their own land, and everyone works hard to build their homes. No one is slacking off."
"That's the idea."
"You have a mix of different races working under you, but none of them are slaves either. I thought Galedon above all treated non-human races as beneath them, but none of that is reflected here at all. They work as scribes, craftsmen, engineers. They even have seats at your council."
"They're really good, you must admit. Have you seen Halbur and Teeko's workshop in the new Gracewood? They've started brewing energy drinks! I mean... potions."
She continued.
"You have thugs and mercenaries, crooks who were previously wanted criminals or vanguards and wanderers with no purpose but to fight and brawl at every waking moment. Yet in here they thrive, with hardly any violence at all except the random brawl at the pub. When duty calls they leave behind their drink, their dice, and run headfirst to the alarm bells. Off to fight some rampaging monster, even in the middle of the night"
"I wouldn't want to get in their way. Last week we had a Wendigo that was ravaging the northside of Brimstone. Seven injuries in total but the beast was slain and they took the skull as a trophy for their fort."
"But you know what the strangest part is?" she continued.
"Aside from the skull? Well, its claws were also massive. Jundra turned it into spearheads."
"Its you!" she leaned in, knees on the ground, finger-pointing directly at him.
"Oh no no, you must have mistaken. I'm not doing anything special here at all."
"Oh no, you won't escape this. First I thought you had placed an enchantment on everyone, like a collective subconscious. Drawing them all to do your bidding. A few dark lords have done the same in the past."
"I wouldn't do--"
"But no, the people are living as if they were nobles. Everyone owns the land and works on it, while still providing time and energy to help those around them. It's absurd. This behavior happens in small tribes and communities but never at this scale. I've never seen this during my travels as an emissary to various countries, and your sister hasn't seen it either. So how do you do it?"
"I don't think----"
Haruna's stare was intense. Her grip was now at her staff.
Janus relaxed. Perhaps the best way at this time was to speak his mind. He took a gulp of water and spoke.
"When I first took over Gracewood manor, these men were slaves. Hounded by the nobility for their labor, taken only to be oppressed and thrown out when they were deemed useless. I was at the castle navigating around court over succession for all my life, while men were out there suffering under whips and harsh living conditions." Janus said.
"But that's the way it works right? The nobility is gifted to lead while peasants are only destined to serve. That's the belief that every country and civilization has had and has since enacted all through our history."
"Well, look at this place Lady Haruna, isn't this proof that they're all wrong?" Janus smiled.
- Writer
