Ch9-6: Dark-Eyed Stranger
The streets of Baron were already decorated, not even a day after their arrival. Ben was surprised at how quickly the whole city could transform from one huddling under fear of invasion to a victorious celebration. Relief and triumph seemed to be powerful emotions for the humans. And it was in the spirit of these things that the revelry was taking place.
The sound of music could be heard off in the distance as light from the rows of multi-colored lanterns shone down on the heads of brightly dressed people passing in the streets. The scent of many strange foods wafted through the air. Voices were lifted in conversation and in song. The crowds were dotted here and there with the barking of dogs or a scampering cat.
Merchants had put their wares on display… but even these things were at a reasonable price. As if victory in a great battle did a lot for the generosity of vendors.
Refugee mages of Mysidia also took part in the celebration knowing that soon enough they would be able to return home and begin restoring their own city. Some of the mages offered displays of magic for the mystified Baronian children. Others told stories or presented games of chance to delight and amuse.
No matter where one looked, there were people, laughter, dancing or food.
Ben had never experienced something so extraordinary – that he could remember – in his life. From the look on Joran’s face, neither had she. There was so much to see and do and so much good emotion in the air that the two of them had momentarily forgotten feelings of misplacement there on the Blue Planet. So they traversed the length of the festivities, exploring the transformation in the world around them.
“What’s this?” Joran would ask, rushing over to yet something else that was new. She drank in all the details with wide-eyed, childlike wonder. As soon as she was done with one thing, off she went to the next, pulling Ben along behind her. “What’s that?”
The Half Lunar was pleased that about seven times out of ten he actually had a correct answer to her questions. But it also made him realize that there was still a lot about the human world that he didn’t know. So many basic things that he had yet to learn. Or that he might have learned in years long past but had forgotten.
It was hard to tell. But Joran didn’t chide him when he couldn’t provide an answer. So he didn’t scold himself too harshly when he found himself stumped.
Finally, the two of them settled down next to a vendor of food-things where they busied themselves trying one of the strange human concoctions known as cheesecake-on-a-stick. It was not exactly what he would have expected… Ben certainly knew what cheese was. And he knew what cake was. But though it was a yellow color, it was not a cake made completely of cheese at all.
I wonder if Cecil knows of this false advertisement?
The Half Lunar would have pondered the question further except that he felt a strong prickle rise along the back of his neck. The kind of sensation one got when unfriendly eyes were observing. Not knowing where the feeling was coming from, Ben began to search the crowds. But there were just too many people for him to be able to pick out any one watching.
Maybe it’s just my imagination…
“Hey, look at this!” Joran’s voice brought him out of his thoughts.
Before he could protest, the girl had a hold of his arm and was tugging him along to a merchant across the street. There were toys of many shapes and colors decorating the brightly adorned cart. Ben quickly found himself captivated, along with a line of other children, staring at the trinkets and games.
The vendor seemed to be surprised at the sort of crowd he was gathering at his cart. His eyes observed the Master Wizard with a bit of caution. It was hard to tell if the man knew who he was looking at or if Ben’s unusual appearance was causing the stare. When he did approach, it was with a polite tone of voice.
“Good afternoon? Looking for something special for the little girl?” the merchant cracked a wide smile at Joran. “I might have just the thing?”
Ben blinked, taken aback at the statement for a moment. Then he realized that to a human, Joran might seem younger than she really was due to her Lunar build and look.
It’s a good thing that she can’t understand Common. I’d hate to have to explain this one to her.
He also didn’t feel like trying to correct the man, so he simply shook his head answering, “No, that’s okay. We’re just looking.”
“Alrighty then. Just let me know if I can help you with anything,” the merchant replied with a jovial glance at Joran. Then he went back to demonstrating to the children how to make a strange, flat disc travel up and down on a track of string that was tied to his finger.
“How does he do that?” Joran marveled.
“I don’t know,” Ben answered, watching too. Then on a whim, he added, “But I can make fireballs dance.”
She gave a sudden laugh, “I bet you can.”
The Half Lunar laughed, too, with a wide, lopsided grin. Just as he lifted his eyes to glance past the girl’s head, he felt the warning prickle along the back of his neck again. But this time, Ben found himself meeting gazes with a dark-eyed stranger that was watching them from the distant corner.
It was a man of unremarkable build and unremarkable dress. In fact, he almost stood out in the crowd because he was possibly the most dull-looking person there. His garb was a simple brown over-coat and simple brown slacks – though they were finely cut and well pressed, they were drably colored without the slightest adornment. Even his hair was a rather drab brown, somewhat slicked back over rather plain, dark eyes. The face was weathered with middle age and sported the only landmark of personality – the large hook of a prominent nose.
The moment that their eyes locked, the stranger turned away. There was a feeling about him. Something that shouldn’t be there. Something that left a chill.
“Golbez… what’s wrong?” Joran asked, tracing his line of sight back towards the stranger.
Before Ben could answer, two things happened. The stranger turned around to make a rather quickly-walked exit. And Captain Highwind nearly marched over the stranger as the Dragoon came walking up the street from the opposite direction. The two men exchanged low words at the site of the near-collision. Then continued on their way.
The Half Lunar furrowed his brow, uncertain of what it all meant. A moment later, he found himself being flagged down by Kain.
“There you are!” the Dragoon grumbled, approaching quickly. “Cecil’s been asking for you everywhere. Have you been out here all this time?”
“Yes..? Was there… another place I was supposed to be?” Ben frowned.
“I have no idea. But Cecil seems to think so,” Kain replied. “I guess he’s had people looking for you all over the castle. I think he was holding up supper for you.”
“Er… oops?”
“Oops is right.”
“Golbez? What’s going on?” Joran questioned, hearing the tension in the sound of Kain’s voice.
“Uh.. nothing. We just need to be heading back to the castle now. They’re going to have a big dinner, I guess?” he told her in Lunar.
“Big dinner?” she sighed. “Do we have to go back? It’s much more fun out here?”
“I know. And I agree,” Ben nodded slowly. “But when Cecil requests my presence, I really can’t tell him no.”
“Why not?”
“Well… because he’s the king?” he answered with a wrinkled brow, beginning to walk back towards the castle.
“Sooo? It’s a big festival! We should all have fun, right?” Joran waved her hands around.
“Don’t forget that Cecil’s also the one protecting your identity right now,” Ben pointed out.
This made the girl fall silent with a soft sigh. There wasn’t much she could say to argue with that. So instead, she fell in next to the Half Lunar and the Dragoon, walking back towards the castle.
After a bit of silence, Ben finally thought to ask, “Kain?”
“Yeah?” the Dragoon answered, half turned around and hardly paying attention to him. His eyes were following a couple of girls in festival dresses as they made their way towards one of the booths.
“Who was that man out on the street?”
The nature of the question caught Kain’s interest, causing him to turn back to the Master Wizard. “What man?”
“You know… the one you bumped into just before you came over to talk to us?” Ben elaborated.
“Bumped into..?” the Dragoon mused to himself, squinting. It was obvious that the sight of frilled festival dresses did a lot to wipe his short term memory.
“The one with the big nose?”
“Big… nose – OH! You mean Browning?” Kain snapped his fingers with a wide grin.
“Browning?”
“Bradhoc Browning. Yeah, I was a little surprised to see him in town — he comes around every so often. He’s from one of the noble houses in Baron,” the blonde-haired man explained.
“Then he’s a member of nobility?” Ben furrowed his brow, trying to think of reasons why a stranger from the noble class would have been watching him in such a way. Why he would get such chills.
“Well… sorta. The family name lost a lot of their clout after the Crystal Wars. You don’t hear much from any of them anymore,” Kain gave a grimace. There was more to the story, but he wasn’t giving it all.
So the Half Lunar decided to fish, “Did something happen during the War?”
“It’s funny you should ask,” the Dragoon glanced over his shoulder. “The family was never known to be the most upstanding lot. But they really lost their entire name after the Baigan incident.”
“Baigan?” Ben squinted a bit. He knew the name.
Baigan had been the Captain of the Guard who had sold out his loyalty to the Fiend Kainazzo during the Crystal Wars in pursuit of promises and power. There wasn’t much more that Ben could remember about the name – he had probably seen the man once or twice, but never really spoken to him. Baigan had always been one of Kainazzo’s lackeys.
But what that had to do with this situation, Ben didn’t know.
Kain took it upon himself, however, to fill in the blank, “Yeah. Baigan was a part of that noble family. As a matter of fact, I think he was Bradhoc’s cousin.”
“Oh…”
“So, why all the interest in him, anyway?” the Dragoon asked with a frown.
“Er… no reason,” Ben brushed off the question quickly. It might not be a good idea to alert Kain to the fact that he was being watched. Especially since there was a connection to someone like Baigan in the middle of it all.
If he knows who I am… perhaps he’s looking for some sort of revenge?
“Ahhh… don’t worry about Bradhoc. He’s got an inflated ego and he has a taste for women. But he’s pretty harmless,” Kain replied with a wave of his hand. “No one takes him all that seriously – he’s known for having his unstable bouts. If you know what I mean?”
“Uh..?”
“We think the whole Baigan thing knocked a few bolts loose up in his head,” he laughed.
“Hmmm…” the Half Lunar frowned. “If you say so.”
Ben wasn’t quite convinced at the harmless-ness of it all. But the steps of Castle Baron were now under his feet. And the royal dinner was waiting, put on hold without him – he could already see his brother’s scolding face about that! There were far too many other things to worry about for him to dwell on the shadows of a past that he could not remember.