[center][h1]*~*[color=OliveDrab]Dominic Greyjoy[/color] and [color=MistyRose]Odette Swan[/color] ~ A Few Days Ago ~ Small Village*~*[/h1][/center]

The Greyjoy remained silent as he flew above Odette, the only sound aside from the rushing wind being the occasional flap of his large wings against the current. 

Within about fifteen minutes of flying, the small village came closer into view; giving detail to the thatch roofs, cobblestone roads, and the general hustle-bustle of people strolling by. 

"Ah, here we are." The Greyjoy spoke up, breaking his long silence as he came to a halt, perching in a large tree and looking down at the young girl below. 

"Ah, good to see you've kept up." The Owl said, not unkindly as he stared fixedly at Odette. 

Slowing to a stop the young blonde reached out her palm pressing lightly against the trunk of the tree that he perched in her light blue orbs gazing out village that was lain out before their very eyes, "I did not wish to slow you up in any way. So I did my best to keep pace with your beating wings."

Turning her attention up to where he sat she smiled gently at him her eyes shining with excitement at the thought that this was actually happening, she was running away from her home and the man who had kept her hostage for all these years, and now right before her was a world that she had yet to explore. Tearing her gaze away from him she let herself get swept back to the beauty of the small village she had heard of but had never once seen, "It's so busy... I've never seen anything like this before, are the people always in this big a rush to get through the day?"

"Oh, of course. Work to do, meals to eat, kids to play with, and not to mention getting a good night's sleep before doing it all again." The Greyjoy replied, briskly turning his head briefly to look down at the village to add emphasis. "I could never get used to it; far more enjoyed [i]my[/i] line of work. But many people like the simple lifestyle. I, for one, think you may enjoy to see a [i]different[/i] perspective of things." The Owl finished kindly, ruffling his feathers slightly. 

"I do not understand why they do not just slow down their pace a bit, will the same results not be achieved if they are taking their time while completing their tasks?" Lowering her head to look at where she was going she moved past the tree her feet taking it step by step as she made her way down to get a closer look at the village and the people that called it their home, "I've always found it fascinating, they seem so swept up in their lives... Too much so that they forget to stop and appreciate the beauty of the world they have the luxury of being able to explore..."

The Owl looked at Odette curiously as she spoke, answering her first question in a rather serious manner, "Many do not have that luxury. Simply not enough time in the day, you see."

"There are a few of those sorts out there. Rangers, adventurers, explorers...those who cannot, or will not conform to life in a small town. I will say, though, if [i]this[/i] intrigues you so, I cannot wait for you to see one of the larger hold capitals." The Greyjoy replied amusedly, keeping his gaze on the young girl. 

Turning her head back at his words her lips parted her eyes widening in surprise a burning curiousity filling her body and causing her mind to derail itself from its original train of thought, "One moment... You are telling me that there are more villages such as this one? And that some of them are even bigger?" 

"Oh, yes, quite...this is one of the more smaller villages around here. Hardly a fourth the size of one of the capitals. Far more crowded there." The Owl replied with a brisk nod of his head (a strange thing to see on an owl). 

"Well? What are you waiting for? Immerse yourself! I'll be watching, don't worry." Greyjoy reassured, wishing he could give her a more warm expression as opposed to the stern vigilance plastered on his...beak.

Biting her lower lip softly she glanced back at the village her fingers nervously playing with what was left of her gown as she listened to his words her feet only moving her forward once he had given her his encouragement for her to go and explore something she was obviously curious about, picking up the front of her dress she pushed herself further letting her feet close the gap between her and the village was lain out before them.

Slowing down once she hit the path she let her eyes glide over everything around her trying to commit as much to memory as she could while doing her best to stay out of the way of those moving about in their day to day lives, catching sight of something out of the corner of her eye she turned to move towards it before the beautiful smell of sweet bread baking in the oven wafted towards her pulling her body in the complete opposite direction her stomach growling at the thought of food.

The Greyjoy, true to his word, kept a close eye on the young girl as she made her way through the small town; flying from perch to perch in order to keep vigil on her position. 

[i]'Wait...'[/i] The Owl began, thinking to himself, [i]'She has no concept of money...or...buying things. Oh no...'[/i]

Flying closer, the Owl was prepared to cause a distraction at any moment should the naive young girl try to unwittingly steal something, namely bread. 

Her eyes widened as she came to a stop in front of the large glass windows her light blue eyes flicking back and forth over the baked goods that were set out on show for patrons to peruse and buy, lifting her hands up she began to play with the ends of her hair before she moved towards the door her eyes closing as she took in the wonderful smell her stomach muscles tensing as she was teased by the goods that she wasn't sure whether she was able to take or not, "Can... Can I have one of those? Are people able to take them?"

"Unfortunately not...I neglected to inform you of what is called an economy. Basically, the citizens buy items such as food, clothes, and the like with money...currency. Then, they make more money either by working, or by selling other belongings. That way the towns can remain stable." The Owl explained thoughtfully, trying (and failing) to dumb down the information. 

Furrowing her brows she looked back towards the bread that was in the small bakery her hand pressing against her stomach to muffle the sounds of her hunger while she tried to process the new information that he had just offered her, "But I don't understand... Why do they not just share with others what they have? Would that not be more productive than this concept of using this money you speak of?"

"Such a concept would damage the economical system, you see. Allow me to explain...the citizens pay taxes to the king, or the noble who lords over the town, or village. These taxes help support the bigger kingdom, which allows it in turn to provide for all its lands. The towns make individual money through shops, which allows it to then use that money to purchase goods for their stocks. The citizens make money by working, which then allows them to not only help support the larger kingdom, but also spend the money buying goods from the merchant, which helps the business trade. It's a long, complicated process that works, quite well." The Owl replied.

Lowering her gaze she stepped back watching as people moved in and out of the building barely paying any mind to her other than the occasional few who shot her strange looks due to her conversing with the owl above, "This world is just so strange..."

"It is, but you'll get used to it, I think. Tell you what: you want a bit of bread?" The Greyjoy asked with a slightly sly look in his large eyes. 

Hesitating a few moments as she thought through his question she glanced down at her stomach the muscles tensed in her hunger before she let her gaze flick back over her shoulder at where the bread was, "I would like some... If it was possible for me to be able to get some. However if the world works the way you say it does, and I am unable to take any for myself, then there is no use in letting my mind dwell on the matter..."

"Hm...as you say." The Greyjoy commented, his tone hinting that it indeed was [i]not[/i] as she said. 

Suddenly and without warning, the Owl then dove [b]into[/b] the bakery, making an incredible commotion with screeches, wings flapping, crashing into various objects, and evacuating nearly the entire bakery as the owner tried inevitably to attack the bird with a large wooden spatula. 

The Greyjoy finally flew out of the bakery, holding a large loaf of bread in his feet. "Breakfast!" He declared before quite literally dropping the bread in hopes that Odette would catch it. 

Turning around as soon as she saw him diving she watched on as he flew about causing everyone in the bakery to fall into a panic running about in order to get away while the owner chased him around swinging a large wooden spatula close behind him, pulling back as he came flying out the door her arms reaching out to catch the bread in her hands as she continued to follow him with her awe in her eyes, "Thank you!"

Hearing angered yells hitting her ears from behind she held onto the bread tightly her feet moving to quickly push her away from the area her long blonde waves bouncing on her back with every step she took, "Does this always happen when one takes something they should not?"

"Like you wouldn't believe." The Greyjoy replied as he soared above Odette, sounding as amused as a child seeing a magic trick for the first time. "I'm not much of a public menace, but I think I've increased that poor baker's chances of a heart attack tenfold." He added with a small chuckle. 

Glancing back over her shoulder she couldn't help the smile that crossed over her lips at the sight of the baker who had been chasing them giving up before shaking his hands in the air out of pure frustration, "People seem to be so angry now... I think all they really need it some fun and their days might be a little more enjoyable."

Slowing to a stop as she felt her lungs begin to burn from all the running she had been doing she hunched over her back pressing against a nearby tree and her chest heaving up and down in an attempt to bring air once more back to her, "Do you know where I might need to head to get to the Pride Lands? I wish to get there as quick as I can... Preferably before the moon leaves the world above allowing for the dawn of tomorrow to appear in the sky."

"I do not know the way specifically, myself...my work, while adventurous, did not take me that far. However, it's quite easy to find a map around here, somewhere that will tell you which way to go. Your best way may be to fly..." The Owl finished, looking quite thoughtful as he spoke. 

Standing up a little taller she pressed her back against the tree trunk her hands lifting the bread up so that she could nibble on it as she listened to him speak swallowing what she had in her mouth before she spoke up, "But... If I fly, then how is he to know that it is me? He does not understand animals that I know of, I shall not be able to converse with him..."

Lowering her hands slowly she stared at the bread her smile fading from her lips as she fell silent for a few moments, "He has seen me as a swan only once before, how do I know that if I show up in such a form that I will even be taken in a serious manner. I might not even be able to see him in that form..."

"We've got at least a few days flight to figure something out, don't worry. But for now, we're still not far enough from Rothbart, so we need to move, [i]soon[/i]. We can make the occasional pit stop at other towns across the way, but I need to get us a map and we need to fly." The Owl replied staunchly, looking out towards the horizon. 

Nodding her head she pushed herself away from the tree her eyes lifting to gaze at him showing him that she understood what he was saying and that she was willing to go with whatever it was he had in mind as long as it got her away from Rothbart's terror, "Okay, I trust you."

Smiling brightly she once more lifted the bread her mind turning to satisfying the hunger that her stomach continued to allert her to as she began to move again putting even more space between them and the village, "Lead the way Dominic, and I shall follow."