“Your grace, where will be the first destination?” Octavi asked from the coachman’s side.
“Hmmmm..Let’s go to the town square first, we can see a lot of entertaining people there…” Father said..
“Right on, your grace…”
I saw Lady Octavi pass father’s said to the coachmen, we went right on to the town square. On the way there, I saw a lot of people in the city. There were some buildings with some symbol sign on their board, there was an anvil symbol with 2 hammers crossed above it, a glass with some foam on the upper lips of glass, a weighing scale with an object on one side making the scales unbalanced, a fork and spoon crossed each other, and a scissor…
I was so curious about these signs, so I asked mother and father.
“Father, Mother, what’s about the sign in front of some buildings?”
“Ahh…Aurelia, It shows what the building is…” Father answered..
“An Anvil with 2 hammers crossed is a blacksmith, a glass is a tavern and Inn, a weighing scale is a trade market, a fork and spoon is a restaurant, and a scissor is a salon and tailor or boutique.” Mother said..
“I see…”
And there was a unique and more complex sign than other signs. It was a person riding a horse with a sort of banner in his hand and a sword in his other hand.
“And what about that sign? It is more unique and complex than other signs.”
“That sign…It is an army insignia..” Father said.
“Insignia?”
“Or you can call it The Army Sign, that sign you saw is A Cataphract unit.”
“Cataphract?”
“It is an mens at arm unit, where it is an armored heavy cavalry, and it is our best unit…”
“Is there another building like that?”
“Yes there is, I think you don’t need to be concerned about it…”
After some minutes of riding and seeing a lot on the road, finally we reached the town square. It was so spacious, there was a statue of a long-haired woman with a half wing in her back. There were a lot of people, some performers, and some street merchants. There was a juggler who jungling anything that people threw at him, A singer who sang some romantic poem, a trobairitz who composed a rhythm and melody with the singer beside her.
“Aurelia, you can stroll around with Lady Octavi, and Adel. Your mother and I have something to do.” Father said
“Sure, father.”
Mother and Father went alone to somewhere on foot leaving us behind, there was no one who followed or escorted them. We were strolling around the town square, first I went to the statue and wanted to look closer. I realized it was so tall until I was in front of it, I assumed it was 3 times the height of Lady Octavi.
“Who is she, Lady Octavi?”
“She is Gennaia..”
“Gennaia?”
“She is one of the goddesses from the god’s realm, she is the most timid goddess, and other gods and goddesses stamped her as the weakest among the gods and goddesses..”
“Why does she have one wing in her backpack instead of two wings?”
“Because of the incompetent of her being a goddess…” Adel suddenly spoke.
“Well there is a lot of meaning from the wing, and there is some people believe about it was the sign of the weak and the incompetent of Gennaia, and there is some people believe it was the sign about the freedom of Gennaia. Gennaia is the timid goddess, so she usually does not hang around with other gods and goddesses, it means she never does some of the sins of all the gods and the goddesses do, she still be pure as white, and she is the most freedom goddess in god’s realm, where she usually visits the human realm and playing in there, instead in god’s realm. Because she usually transformed into a human, her wings paid the price of the transformation, she lost one of the wings…” Lady Octavi explained.
“So is there any reason for this statue here..?”
“Because she usually came to this city, when she went to the human realm, that’s why there is a statue in here.”
After some took a look at the statue, we went strolling around the town center, we watched the juggler juggling anything from the people throwing anything to him. He juggled bags, balls, and hats. The sound of melody and rhythm attracted me. I went to it and saw it was two girls around 17’s, one was the singer and one was the composer.
“What is the thing that emits a sound in that girl’s shoulder?”
“Oh…that’s a Vielle, and she is a trobairitz..”
“Trobairitz?”
“Trobairitz is a girl or woman who plays instruments to compose a poem…if it’s a man or boy it is called troubadours.”
We were enjoying the performance by the two girls until they finished the performance. After it finished, the singer started to walk around with a small bag in her hand, and people started to give a spare coin to the bag. I didn’t bring any coins…
“Do you bring any coins, Adel?”
“Of course, my lady…”
“Let me give them the coins, my lady, it is your first time to stroll around here..” Lady Octavi said.
The girl in front of us, and I saw the lady Octavi gave some white coins to the small bag. I saw the girl’s face unbelieve what she received. Our eyes met each other, and she lifted her skirt and greeted me, making everyone’s eyes look at us. I was just smiling at her. The other girl saw what was going on and went to us, and she lifted her skirt and greeted me too.
I just waved at them, and started to leave the scene. They waved back at me. I asked Lady Octavi what was going on.
“What Lady Octavi give to them until they greeted at us?”
“I just gave them 8 silver coins…”
“How precious that is?”
“Let’s see…the average inn cost for a day is 10 copper coins with 3 meals, and the luxury inn cost for a day is 40 copper coins with 1 meals, and 1 silver is about 100 coppers coins, so 8 silver coins equals 800 copper coins, 800 copper coins equal 80 days in average inn with 3 meals…Is it not enough, my lady? I can give them the gold coins if my lady wants..”
“I think it’s enough, but is it okay for Lady Octavi to give that much coins?”
“What are you talking about, my lady? Silver coins have no meaning for us..”
“Ehhhhhh..?” I was unbelieve what she said..
“Let’s ask Adel how many coins his grace and madam gave for you my lady, Adel how many coins his grace and madam gave for this occasion?”
“It is about 50 platinum coins…” Adel Answered.
“What are the values of those coins?”
“The lowest one is copper, silver, gold, and platinum. 1 platinum coin equals 100 gold coins, 1 gold coin equals 100 silver coins, 1 silver coin equals 100 copper coins, so 1 platinum equals 100 gold coins or 10.000 silver coins or 1.000.000 copper coins, and Adel has 50 platinum coins…” Lady Octavi explained.
“Ehhhhh…Why did father and mother give me so many of those coins?”
“I think it’s just small things for them…” Lady Octavi said.
“Ehh! Small things? That much coins is a small thing.”
“Yes, it is.”
“EHHHHHHHHHHHH”
We continued strolling around the town square. Now, we went to the street merchant. I saw a lot of pendants, hair clips, and many ornaments in the ground in front of the merchants. I looked around at them.
Suddenly, I heard a noise behind me, I saw Adel grab a little boy back who passed behind her. The boy was around Aurelio’s age and had shabby and dirty clothes.
“I felt a little hand itching my hips, and I found the little hand of it.” Adel said while lifting the little boy with one hand.
The boy kept struggling in the air “RELEASE ME! RELASE ME!”
“Hooohhhh…there was someone who tried to steal from us..” Lady Octavi said with a scary face and her hand readied in his sword.
The boy’s face was so scared and he wanted to start crying..
“What are we gonna do with him, my lady?”
“First, lower him from your hand..”
Adel lowered him and started to release the boy from her hand……Suddenly, the boy started to run, but Adel’s fast hand could grab him before he ran. He was still trying to run, while Adel was grabbing him.
“OI…LITTLE BOY! ARE YOU DARE TO RUN FROM ME” Adel with a scary tone said to the boy.
“Waaa…waaa..” The boy started to whine.
I went in front of the boy, lowered my body, started to calm him down..
“What’s your name?” I said.
“I don’t have it…”
“You don’t have a name?”
“I think he is from the street, my lady…where some of the people threw their kids to the street, so they don’t have any name…or know their own name.” Adel said.
“Hehhh!, what a horrible thing to do…”
“Wait, my lady…I think that kind of street is gone, so there are no kids living in the streets anymore…….YO BOY ARE YOU TRYING TO LYING?” Lady Octavi said.
“Ehhh..ehh..ehhh…No I am not lying to you…I am living in the streets…”
“So why are you stealing from us..” I said
“Because we haven’t eaten for two days…”
“WE? What do you mean about that?”
“There are my little sisters…”
“You have little sisters?”
“They are, but they don’t have any blood related to me, they are just like me, thrown by parents in the street…”
“So you took care of them, and protected them, what a brave boy…”
The boy was blushing..
“Can you show me where you stay and I want to meet with your little sisters?”
“What are you going to do with us? Are you going to sell us?”
“Of course not, I just want to see where are you staying? Do you mind?”
“……Okay….then you can come…”
“That’s amazing…”
Lady Octavi came to me and whispered at me..
“Are you sure about this, my lady?”
“I whispered back “It’s okay..” I said to him “Okay, boy, she will release you, but you must not run, and lead us to where you stay.”
“Alright…”
“Adel, you can release the boy…”
Adel released the boy, and the boy was well behaved, he was not running from us. He started to lead us to the street he came from. The place was a little bit far from the town square, and it passed some weird and dark alley far from the public.
We arrived at the street where he lived. It was in the cramped and dirty street, and I didn’t see any little girls in there.
“I don’t see your little sisters in here, boy…” I said
The boy put his fingers in his mouth, and started to blow it, making the sound of whistling. Suddenly, 3 little girls came from the dark corner, we went there, and saw a lot of papers in the ground, it seemed they were used as their mattress.
The 3 little girls had brown hairs, and brown eyes. The boy had black hair and black eyes..
