Not All That Glitters: A short story.

 Not All That Glitters

“I would never pay two coppers for a loaf like that. It doesn’t even look to be a half-pound unless the beetles add weight.”  

“My bread is not infested! Those are raisins!” The shrill voice rang out in the air. “If you think that by insulting my bread, I’ll give it to you for less, you have another thing coming. You better be on your way.” The baker produced a rolling pin from somewhere under her booth and shook it at the woman.

Collette turned away from the booth fingering the single copper piece in her pocket. It made up the whole sum of her wealth. All her other money had gone towards paying off the loans she had taken out to publish her previous books. Being an author had not turned out to be glamorous at all.

She stole back to the inn where she currently lodged, and slipped in, hoping to evade the detection of the owner. She would pack her things and head on to the next town where, hopefully, she would have more success in cultivating funds to publish her next novel.

As she passed by the dining hall, something glittering caught her eye. She paused; her eyes glued to a little stack of gold coins that the innkeeper scooped up into his pocket. A man had just produced the coins from a plump bag that he wore on his belt. He looked young, Collette guessed not much older than herself, and wore a wide-brimmed black hat with a red feather attached by a gold pin. His clothes were tailored, and his hair trim and neat. Could this be a potential wealthy patron?

Collette’s mouth watered. You could publish a lot of books with that money.

With cat-like grace, Collette glided across the room to the seat by the young man. She sat down, motioning to the innkeeper.

“I’ll have one of those,” she said with a gesture to the young man’s drink. The innkeeper nodded and disappeared through a door. “Are you staying long in Amn, or just passing through?”

“Hmm?” the young man looked up at being addressed. “Not long.”

“I’m Collette Moreau. Perhaps you’ve heard of me?” She held out a hand to the young man.

He seemed to hesitate as though he did not know if this woman wanted him to kiss or shake her hand so did the latter. “Antonio de Delicado. I am afraid I have not heard of you. Should I have?”

“Well,” Collette sat up a little straighter. “I’m a famous novelist. I thought perhaps you might have read my books.”

“A novelist? I have never met a writer before. What do you write about?” Antonio asked with genuine interest.

“I write about monsters. You see, I’m also a monster-slayer. I take what I learn from my adventures then turn them into books. I usually spin them to have a nice romantic twist. My first novel is Romance at the Villa,” she volunteered the information as the innkeeper set down a pint of ale in front of her. “A thrilling tale about a vampire I helped stop. Also, the reason I still eat garlic with every meal.”

Antonio smiled, involuntarily reaching up with a handkerchief to his nose. “How many books have you written?”

“I’ve almost finished writing my fifth. I just need to come up with a good ending. Then it’s off to the publisher! And what do you do, Mr. de Delicado?” Collette abruptly asked.

“Call me Antonio. I am a, well,” he paused as though he had never stopped to consider an occupation. “I suppose you could say I am an adventurer.”

Collette sat down her drink with a slosh and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “An adventurer? I would have guessed the son of a wealthy aristocrat.”

“Well…that too, actually,” Antonio replied with a shrug.

A smile tugged at the corner of Collette’s mouth. Beside her sat a wealthy young man. If she could secure his patronage, then there would be nothing to stop her from living out her dream of being a famed author.

“I’m planning on moving on to the next town tomorrow in hopes that I can find someone else in need of a monster-slayer. If you’re looking for adventure, you should come along,” Collette offered with a smile.

“Really? That is a tempting offer,” Antonio stroked his chin. “When do you leave?”

“A little before sunrise. If you want to come along, be up and ready,” Collette stood. She reached into her pocket and frowned. “Oh dear, it would seem I left my coin purse somewhere.”

“Oh, that’s alright. I can pay for your drink,” Antonio volunteered without hesitation.

Collette smiled, nodded her thanks, and then left to go pack her things.

Sunset the next day found Collette and Antonio in the next town, situated in the best inn that Antonio’s money could afford. After a hearty meal of roast beef and plenty of wine, Collette proposed they take an evening walk.

“You go one way, and I’ll go the other.” Collette pushed a little notebook into Antonio’s hand. “And try to ask around about potential monsters that might be terrorizing unsuspecting citizens. Rumors and whatnot. That’s where we’ll find our story.”

As the evening wore on, Collette found herself in the marketplace. The booths had all been shut up for the night, and the once-bustling streets were deserted. The only remotely interesting rumor she had picked up had to do with the disappearance of several pickled herring barrels. However, Collette felt that it would not make an interesting story and dismissed it from her mind.

A streetlamp sent out inviting beams into the falling darkness, and Collette wandered over to it as she jotted down notes in her book. Glancing up, she scanned the posters that cluttered the wall under the light. Most of them were town announcements. A rise in taxes. A reward for a lost cow. A festival to be held in a fortnight.

A sudden icy chill ran through Collette’s veins. She pulled one of the posters off the wall and studied it. It contained the sketch of a young man wearing a broad-brimmed hat and feather. He had noble features, dark hair, and the beginnings of a mustache. It looked just like Antonio. The poster offered a thousand gold for the return of the young man.

Collette’s imagination began to run wild. It was dangerous and romantic to be traveling with a wanted man. It would make for a good story, and she would do anything to write a bestseller. Invitations would flood in from all the literary societies, begging her to come to speak about her novel. There would be parties, fancy dresses, book signings, and publishers fighting to buy the rights to her future books.

“What is this?” Antonio’s voice interrupted Collette’s thoughts. He snatched up the poster from her hands.

“So, you’re a criminal,” Collette pointed an accusing pencil in his face. “You were probably planning to steal the manuscript for my book so you could publish it for yourself!”

“I am no criminal!” Antonio’s face flushed.

“If you’re not a felon,” Collette began with sarcasm, “you seem to be in much higher demand than the most eligible bachelor in Amn,"

Antonio rolled his eyes. “If you will notice, it says for my return, not capture,” the tension in his voice relaxed. “My family wants me back.”

“Perhaps because you forgot to blow out the candle before you left.” 

“Everything I did was dictated to me. I felt stifled,” Antonio explained without taking notice of Collette’s remark, “I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Well…I’m glad you’re not a criminal,” Collette ventured to say. “It would be a shame for such a nice young man to be evil, though, it would make it easier to turn you in for the gold,” she smiled.

Antonio laughed uneasily. “Yes, well, let’s just keep this between the two of us, shall we?”

The two young people set out the next morning in search of adventure. Days turned into weeks and weeks into the changing of the season. Collette and Antonio fought side by side, going from one adventure to the next. When they were not hunting down some great beast, Collette devoted herself to finishing up her book. She had been making excellent progress and had made it to the last chapter. Antonio would spend his free time exploring the town or city they were staying in, taking everything in like a schoolboy on holiday. The world never seemed to be lacking in interesting things. Collette had noticed this and wondered at her companion’s past. However, the topic had never been mentioned since the night she found his poster.

Inevitably, the two of them become close friends, though on Antonio’s side things had been developing into more than just friends. Collette had sensed this and done what she could to change the subject if she ever felt the conversation headed in that direction. She had never pictured herself as the marrying type. There were too many other interesting things in life to do like go on adventures and write her books.

“Antonio!” Collette called as she stood up suddenly from the table she had been writing at. “Antonio!”

Antonio opened the door to Collette’s room and looked in. He looked stressed, Collette thought.

“Yes? Is anything the matter?”

“No, nothings the matter.” Collette gripped a stack of papers in her hand and held them up for display. “I’ve just finished my book!” she beamed.

“That’s excellent, Collette. Is this the one about Lord Grayel?” Antonio already knew the answer. Collette had read it to him and talked non-stop about the plot to the point he knew it by heart.

“Yes. The Myth of Lord Grayel. You’ll never see the twist at the end. But you can read it once it’s in print. Now I just need to go see my publisher,” she said as she bound the loose papers together with a leather cord.

“I would suggest that we celebrate with drinks or something,” here Antonio paused, and his brow furrowed again. “But…You know how I told you the other day I was running low on money? Well, it is all gone now.”

A thud sounded in the room as Collette let her bundle drop. “It’s all gone? What have you spent it all on?”

“Me?!” Antonio ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath. “It is not as if we have been the most frugal with the money. We have been staying at the best inns, eating the finest food. And then there are the horses to be maintained.”

“What about the money we brought in for the bounty?” Collette looked hopeful.

“I just used the last of it to pay for our stay here.”

“Oh, well, I’m sure we’ll work something out.” Collette slowly sank back into her chair. She had been counting on Antonio’s money to pay for her book. She could not get another loan from her publisher because she still owed them a small sum for the last book. Perhaps she could convince them to give her the money in advance. Her books were good, and she knew that if she could get enough people to read them, there would be plenty of money.

The prestigious publishing house, The Council of Novelists, considered themselves the authority on what was worthy of publication. They had a number of successful works under their belt to prove it. Any author that was anyone published through them. Collette chose them for this reason. Having their name printed on her book practically guaranteed success. However, their name came with a price.

“Mr. Elk, if you could just advance me a little money, I would make good on it. I really would.”

The office of Mr. Elk smelt of decaying paper. The man behind the large oak desk sat in a tall chair. He wore a pair of spectacles that sat on the end of his nose and he peered down at people through them. His skin looked withered like a dry raisin, and he had a disagreeable face.

“Miss Moreau, we’ve talked about this,” Mr. Elk croaked. “The Council of Novelists cannot publish any more of your novels. Not until you pay us back what you owe. Your books simply do not make enough to advance you any money with the guarantee that we will get it back.”

“Yes, but Mr. Elk, I know this novel will do well. Read it yourself,” Collette pleaded as she pushed the bundle forward on his desk.

“Miss Moreau,” Mr. Elk pushed the manuscript back. “I won’t even touch this until you’ve paid back your debt. Now, if you would like to pay off your debt, then we can continue talking, if not, then you must leave. Now.”

“But Mr. Elk!” Collette stood and clasped her hands. “This is my dream! This is my livelihood!”

“Miss Moreau! I have been more than generous with you,” he snapped. “But since you cannot seem to take no for an answer, you have two weeks to pay off your debts, or I will have you arrested.” Mr. Elk thumped his fist on the desk like a gavel.

Collette stood there speechless with her lips parted in disbelief. Mr. Elk handed her the manuscript and called for his secretary to see her out. Once outside, the cold air hit Collette like a brick wall and snapped her out of the daze. Two weeks did not provide much time. She had to think fast of a way to get her hands on money. It was no longer her carrier on the line, but her freedom.

Back at the inn, Collette threw herself on her bed to think. Selling one’s hair did not make much, and her hair smelt like garlic anyway. She had no talent for baking, and one would have to sell a lot of pies to raise enough money. If she and Antonio could take in another bounty or two that could be enough to pay off her debts. She would go check the local pub for any information.

Collette suddenly got up from her bed and pulled out a leather pack from under it. She began pulling things out, carelessly discarding them onto the floor. She finally found what she sought and took it over to the table and smoothed it out. Collette stayed up late into the night staring at it, a growing tightness in her stomach preventing her from sleeping.

The light of dawn did not find Collette in her bed. Instead, it found her knocking at the door of a house. She stood there waiting for some time until a woman wearing a hastily thrown-on robe appeared to answer the knock.

“Yes?” the haggard old woman yawned.

“I would like to see Jasper De Leon,” Collette declared in her best business-like manner.

“A little early for that, isn’t it?”

“I am here to see him on urgent business,” Collette retorted sharply. “So, if this is where De Leon has taken up his residence, you will let me in to see him this instant.”

The woman eyed Collette warily. “Oh, all right. Come in. Wait here,” the woman said with a nod and disappeared up the stairs.

Collette looked about her. Most of the pictures on the wall hung crooked, as did a mirror by the door. She approached the mirror to study herself. In the course of the night, while she made inquiries about where to find De Leon, she must have smudged her face. She reached up with the pack of her sleeve to wipe it away from her olive skin and she smoothed her disheveled black hair. Locking eyes with her own reflection, she seemed to search her soul, contemplating what she had to do. The knot in her stomach came back with a new intensity, and she turned from her own gaze. She reached for the doorknob but stopped at the sound of the woman’s voice.

“Follow me.”

Obediently, Collette followed the woman up the stairs to a small sitting room. It felt cold, and the fire in the hearth sputtered as though it were gasping for life. Collette had barely settled herself in a chair when in through the door came a man. A thin mustache worn twisted into a curve and sinister eyebrows that overshadowed his vulture-like eyes were the only hair that adorned his head.

“Jasper De Leon?”

“Yes,” came the nasally reply.

“I’m Collette Moreau.”

“And to what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting with such a lovely young woman?” Jasper bowed, and as he did so, took Collette’s hand and kissed it.

A shiver ran down Collette’s spine. “Your poster,” she extended the paper. “You’re offering a reward for the return of one Antonio de Delicado. I happen to know where he is.”

Jasper smiled, his crooked teeth showing. “Excellent. And where might that be?”

“First,” Collette held up a finger, “I want to talk about the reward money. Do you have it with you?”

Jasper walked over to a table and produced a key from around his neck to unlock a box that sat covered in papers. The inside of the box yielded a large draw-string bag that he held up for examination.

“One-thousand gold.”

Collette started across the room forgetting her composure in the presence of such wealth. A cruel smile played across Jasper's lips as the bag slid from his hand back into the box. Collette stopped abruptly as the lid snapped shut, and her cheeks flushed.

Jasper shook his head. “No gold, my dear, until I have Antonio.”

“Of course. I can take you to him right away,” Collette turned to the door.

“It is not quite so simple, my dear,” Jasper interrupted. “Antonio is a skilled swordsman. Trained by the finest masters. I know because I was one of them. We cannot simply walk into a room and take him. No. We need something a little more,” he reached up and twirled his mustache, his eyes reflecting the fire, “devious.”

Collette swallowed. “Devious? If you’re planning something that will harm him, then I’ll have no part in it!”

Jasper arched a brow, and his lips slowly formed into a cruel smile. “So, the little woman has feelings for him. It must be very conflicting to like a man but also want the money.”

The color rose in Collette’s cheeks. “My relationship with him is none of your business. I really ought to be asking you what right you have to be looking for Antonio. Clearly, you’re not a relative because you don’t share his good looks.”

Jasper laughed through his nose. “I was hired by his father after he ran away.”

“And you’re going to take him straight back to his family?” Collette asked with suspicion.

Jasper nodded. “So, tell me what it’s going to be. Antonio or the money?”

Before Antonio had a chance to realize Collette’s absence, she had made it back to the inn. Antonio found her seated in the dining hall with a cup of steaming coffee. He ordered his own breakfast and sat down to join her.

“Big plans today?” Antonio asked with an energy that made Collette feel drained.

“Yes. I’ve been up and asking around, and I think I found exactly what we’re looking for,” Collette slurped at her drink. “There’s a little cave just a mile or two outside of the town where a troll lives. He’s been wandering out at night and taking people’s sheep. Apparently, he thinks it’s payment for him to not come into town and terrorize people.”

“Then we shall just have to help him see otherwise. I will have the horses made ready. But first, breakfast,” Antonio lifted his fork to his mouth but stopped halfway, narrowing his eyes. “You seem a little off this morning. Is anything the matter, Collette?”

“Only your morning breath,” Collette looked up from her coffee with a forced smile and left the table.

It was midday before the pair set out. There had been horses to saddle, bills to be settled, and things to be packed. The two of them rode upon their horses with weapons at their sides. Antonio wore his rapier, and Collette carried a large silver-headed mace with cloves of garlic swinging from little bits of leather cord wrapped around the handle. They rode in silence for some time until Antonio broke it.

“Collette, there is something I have been meaning to tell you. These last few months together have been some of the best of my life. I have also become quite accustomed to the strong scent of garlic,” here he laughed. “But most of all, Collette, you--”

“You say that like smelling of garlic were a bad thing!” Collette interrupted. She knew where this conversation would end up if she let him keep talking. She felt unworthy of his love and esteem, especially because of what she was going to do to him. No, what she was currently doing to him.

“No-o. That is not…I was not saying…what I meant,” Antonio fumbled over his words. “I am trying to say—”

“Don’t say it! It will only make things more difficult,” Collette implored.

“I have to, Collette. It burns inside of me! I must say it!” Antonio insisted.

“I-I know exactly what you are trying to say. I completely understand, Antonio,” Collette interjected.

“You do?” Antonio asked hopefully, then he sighed with relief and smiled. “This is wonderful!”

“Of course. It’s only natural that over the last few months you would get used to the smell of garlic. I always wipe down the window ceils every night. Can’t be too careful with vampires running about at night. You don’t have to thank me for doing it. I would do it for any friend. As to the burning inside, don’t eat garlic on an empty stomach.” With that, Collette urged her horse forward.

The location of the troll cave led the pair off the beaten path. It became necessary to leave the horses behind near the road and go the rest of the way on foot. They hiked their way up a rocky, limestone path that brought them to a roaring waterfall. Collette referenced a map she had brought as her guide and pointed out to Antonio the cave entrance.

“That’s where we’ll find our troll.”

“Are you sure this is where the troll lives?” Antonio raised a skeptical brow. “I thought you said he ate people’s sheep, but there is not a living soul for miles.”

“That’s because he killed them all. Now, here’s the plan. I’ll go in and get him to come out. You wait here to ambush him as soon as I come running,” Collette dictated. “Got it?”

“Yes. But I would feel better if you let me go in instead,” Antonio protested.

Collette lowered her eyes and studied her dirt-caked boots. “You’re too noble, Antonio,” she sighed. “However, I’ll go in. You can come running in if I start screaming. Save the damsel in distress.”

Antonio shrugged. “Right then. Let the fun begin,” he said as he pulled his sword from its sheath and took a ready stance.

Collette held a lit torch in one hand and her mace in the other as she entered the cave. The cool air made her shiver. She walked some distance in until she found an nook in the cave wall that had enough room for her to stand in. Discarding her torch into the middle of the floor, she gripped her mace in both hands raising it above her head as she flattened herself against the wall of the alcove. Then she screamed.

“Collette!” She could hear Antonio call to her. She screamed again. Footsteps echoed off the walls, growing louder as Antonio approached. He paused and knelt to pick up the dying torch Collette had dropped, assessing the situation.

“Collette!” he called again.

Collette stepped out of the shadows, “I’m sorry, Antonio.”

Antonio turned. “What--?”

Before he could utter another word, Collette brought her mace down with a crushing blow. Antonio, however, had managed to roll out of the way, the mace only grazing the side of his face and knocking his hat to the ground.

“Collette! Why did you do that?” Antonio demanded, raising his sword. “I thought we were friends!”

“We are,” Collette brought her mace about with another swing.

Antonio nimbly stepped out of the way, parrying the blow with his blade. “Look, Collette, I do not want to hurt you. We can sit down and talk about this.” He held out a hand towards her and lowered his sword. “Is this about what I said earlier?”

“You don’t understand!” Collette charged him, landing a blow to his side, causing him to stagger back with the wind knocked out of him.

“Then make me understand!” he gasped. Collette raised her mace for another blow. Antonio dropped his sword.

“Pick it up!” Collette demanded.

“No. I will not,” Antonio drew himself up to full height.

Collette clenched her jaw, and her eyes filled with tears. “Pick it up, you fool.”

“No.”

With a cry of rage, Collette brought the mace up into the side of Antonio’s head, knocking him to the ground bleeding and unconscious. Tears blurred her vision as she stumbled forward and knelt by Antonio’s side. Her trembling hands reached up and pulled the scarf out of her hair, and she pressed it to the side of Antonio’s head. Collette jumped when the sound of clapping suddenly echoed in the cave.

“Well, it would seem we have succeeded. You have done well, my dear.” It was Jasper De Leon’s voice. His crooked teeth showed in a pleased grin. The elation in Jasper’s voice repulsed Collette.

“I didn’t mean to hurt him so much,” Collette sniffed.

“My men will see to it that he is tended to,” Jasper said as two men entered the cave to collect the unconscious man.

Collette made sure that the two men took the utmost care when carrying Antonio out to a small wagon and she personally wrapped his head. They were just about to ride away when Collette grasped the bridle of Jasper’s horse.

“What about my money?” she demanded.

“Oh yes, the money.” Jasper pulled a coin bag from his belt and emptied the contents out onto the ground. “Your reward, my dear.”

Collette’s face turned red, and her nostrils flared. “That’s not a thousand gold! That’s,” she paused and counted the pieces at her feet. “Ten gold! You scoundrel!” She raised her mace.

Jasper held up a warning finger and shook it. “I would hate to see something tragic happen to Antonio on the ride home. I suggest you run along,” he chuckled and signaled to the others to follow as he rode away.

Collette eventually picked up the gold pieces and pocketed them. She could not tell if they burnt her, or if she had simply imagined it. The gold weighed her down heavily as she retrieved Antonio’s hat that she had knocked off him in the cave. With every step down the winding path, her feet seemed to grow more unsteady with the crushing weight. The big red feather on the hat began to droop as the pitter-patter of rain fell around Collette. When she reached the end of the path, she cursed Jasper’s name. He had taken the horses with him. 

It was nearly midnight when Collette found a roadside tavern where she could stop for the night. Her clothes were wet through to the skin, and she sat shivering next to the fire. The money would not be enough to pay off her debts and get her book published. A person could barely buy two bottles of wine with ten gold.

“What was I thinking?” Collette muttered. I betrayed a man for money, she thought to herself, so I could go live a comfortable, glamorous life while he’s suffering at the hands of whoever that was I turned him over to. He’s probably languishing away, locked in a tower, all his freedoms gone. What kind of a person am I? Selfish is what! I’m so consumed with my desires and dreams that I have no consideration for those around me. I betrayed a friend for money!

A sudden sound of grating followed by a thud filled the air as Collette stood, knocking over her chair. “Antonio needs saving!”

It took Collette three days to track down the group of men that had taken Antonio. Then it took another two days to travel to Elversult where he had been taken. Elversult, a port city, housed the kingdom’s royalty, and it was to their castle that she tracked the group. Gripping her mace, Collette advanced to the gate. She had never stormed a castle before and had absolutely no plan. But that was how she did most things.

“What’s your business here?” one of the two guards at the gate demanded as he blocked the way.

“My name is Collette Moreau. Perhaps you’ve heard of me?” She held out a hand. The guard looked at it flatly. “Yes, well, I’ve come to see Jasper De Leon. I believe he’s staying here.”

“What for?”

“I want to work for him. You see, I’m a hunter,” Collette began.

The two guards erupted with laughter. “Sure, you are. Now run-away little girl before you hurt yourself with that mace.”

The color rose in Collette’s cheeks as she pressed her lips together. “I’m not a little girl,” she stated proudly. “I’m nineteen. And if you don’t let me through, I’ll knock you over!”

The guards continued to laugh, so Collette, with one clean swing of her mace, knocked one guard in the head. He staggered back and sat hard on the ground, dazed. The other drew his sword and advanced on Collette, but being smaller and nimbler, she eluded him and slipped through the gate.

Cries filled the air as Collette bolted for the castle door upsetting servants along the way. She made it safely inside the great hall where she darted down a corridor until her side hurt from running. Now she had to choose which way to go. The tower or the dungeon? She chose the tower. Finding a flight of stairs, she ran up them. The sound of pursuing footsteps echoed in her ear, creating a syncopated rhythm with the beating of her own heart. They were getting closer.

Rounding a corner, Collette found herself in another corridor. She picked one of the rooms and flung herself in there to hide until her pursuers had passed by.

“Collette?”

Collette turned with her mace to smash whoever got in her way. Her hold relaxed when she realized it was Antonio standing there in front of her. He looked different somehow. She finally decided it must be the gold circlet he wore on his head in place of his hat. An odd fashion choice, she thought. “Antonio?”

There were several elegantly dressed people in the room with him. They were all gathered around a table covered in papers and maps. An older-looking man that bore a strong resemblance to Antonio sat in a gilded chair at the head of the table. He wore a larger and more extravagantly adorned gold circlet on his head.

“What is the meaning of this?” he boomed.

“Father, this is Collette Moreau,” Antonio said with a gesture to the woman. Just then two breathless guards came bursting into the room.

“Take this woman away!” The man at the table demanded.

“No! Wait!” Antonio held up a hand. “I want to speak to her first.”

He took Collette by the arm and dragged her out into the hall, closing the door behind him. “What on earth are you doing here? And why are you wearing my hat? I thought I had lost it.”

“I came to rescue you. And I brought the hat because you left it behind. I thought it might be a peace offering,” Collette explained, pulling off the hat and holding it out to him.

“I do not need rescuing,” Antonio said harshly, “Except maybe from you.” He sniffed the air, then the hat. “It smells like garlic.” Then his tone softened. “Thank you for bringing my hat back. My mother gave it to me, and it is one of the few things I have left of her. But do not think this makes everything alright between us. You betrayed me,” he pointed an accusing finger in her face.

“I know. But I wanted the reward money. I needed it to pay off my debts so I could publish more books and not get thrown in jail. I’ve been consumed with guilt ever since. I’ve been imagining you confined to a tower, locked away by your family in need of a friend. I should have been a friend to you,” Collette clasped her hands and fell to her knees. “I’ll make it all right! You have to forgive me. I’ll give all my money to the poor. I’ll never write another book. I’ll—”

“Get up.” This dramatic display of Collette’s made Antonio feel uncomfortable. “Please stop crying. I forgive you.”

“Really?”

“Yes. No harm has really been done. Except the blow to my head. I am clearly not being ill-treated here. No one would dare lock me in a tower. I am prince after all.”

“Wait, you’re a prince?” Collette took a step back. “You’re not an adventurer?”

“Prince Phillip the third of Elversult,” Antonio introduced himself with a flourishing bow. “The older man in there with the booming voice was my father, King Phillip the second.”

“Why on earth would you run away then?” Collette asked in bewilderment. “You have everything. Wealth, power, prestige—”

“And absolutely no freedom to choose my own path in life,” Antonio interjected. “There is more to life than wealth, power, and prestige.”

“I suppose not all that glitters is gold,” Collette admitted.

“I envy you, Collette, and your freedom to go where you will whenever you want. Living every day from adventure to adventure. I wanted that too, which is why I left. That is until you tricked me,” Antonio folded his arms. “Why did you not tell me you needed money? I could have helped. We are friends after all.”

“I was so desperate I guess I wasn’t thinking clearly. But that’s all forgiven now, right?” Collette smiled. “I suppose you don’t need to be rescued and don’t want to come away with me to go on countless adventures that would make smashingly good bestsellers?”

Antonio looked down at the hat he held in his hand. He reached up and removed the gold circlet and replaced it with his hat. “I suppose one more adventure would not hurt anything.”

“Before we leave, though,” Collette tossed her coin bag in the air. “There is a debt I need to settle with Jasper.” She swung her mace, “With interest.”

The End