Ostus cast a sideways glance her way, observing Kiara carefully. She made for a passable peasant girl; good. He'd be impressed if he wasn't still mad at her. An underlying desire to want to stare longer didn't help. He looked away.

"You do realize that we will be traveling for weeks," he said as he began to move forward, assuming Kiara would follow. "Long, blistering, agonizing weeks with the sorry likes of you..."

They blended in easily with the crowd, the air filled with the scents of baked bread and sausage, of sweat and horse manure, of flowers and leather... the scents of the marketplace followed the line of traveling merchants toward the city gates.

Astora pride showed in every corner of this city, from the tidy buildings to the clean, dusty roads, to the busy, smiling faces all around. Astora's values meant that there was little in the way of poverty and any traveling merchant lucky enough to sale his wares here usually made at least a little profit. The country wasn't without its faults, its shadows, and dark sides, Ostus knowing every single one of them, but compared to other places he had traveled to, this country was a gem. A dwarf and an elf to his right were discussing finance as they walked. Two goblins were singing a song together to his left; they were drunk, but were not bothering anyone, so Ostus thought it more amusing than anything else. Two young human children sat in the back of a wagon in front of them, feet dangling over the side as they watched Ostus and Kiara quietly. Ostus made a face, then winked. The little girl gasped in surprise. The little boy snickered. Ostus grinned.

Ostus would miss this place. He gazed around as he felt himself begin to relax, taking note of the canopy of the trees and the fireflies just beginning to emerge; Berenike was nothing like this place. The lawmakers of Astora actually cared for their people and worked hard for them. He glanced at Kiara, wondering what role she played as princess for this country. Had she ever walked among her people like this? How would they react if they knew the journey she was about to undertake could possibly end the war?

This made Ostus feel guilty all over again.

But instead of apologizing, he gruffly blurted out, very quietly, "I have horses arranged for us at the stables near the gate. We'll be following a traveling caravan tonight; we'll stay with them for a few days until we draw closer to the mountains. We are to pretend to be a husband and wife. I am a new blacksmith hoping to get started in the business and you can be whatever the fuck you want so long as these people believe you."