Artimus brought his horse - well, his former horse which was now his daughters - to a stop at the North gates of Meriddia and walked him through gently. He was dressed very simply, with a white shirt, leather pants and a pair of boots that came to his thigh. What was missing - and he felt almost naked without it's familiar weight - was his sword belt and rapier sword.
The streets of the city were wide enough to lead the horse through, and Artimsu knew the streets well from his years living here. he knew where he was heading.
He passed several groups of guards, recognising some of them and nodding in passing to them. That was good. He needed people who could recognise him to say he had passed throught his way. He knew someone would come looking for him eventually; if things went wrong then he was counting on it.
He stopped outside a tavern he knew well, tied his palamino outside, took the saddlebag and went in. He ordered a drink and took a table, then removed a sheet of paper from the bag and began to write a letter.
Once finished he sealed the letter in an envelope - both of which he had gotten from another tavern, that one in Salarain - and dripped a few drops of candle wax onto the envelope. Using a small metal stick he engraved his initials and an embellished picture in the soft wax before it dried, then once it had done, he turned it over and wrote on the front.
He wrote the name of the recipient on the front and a note that the letter was NOT to be opened until a certain date. That date being one month from today. Once he was finished he put the rest of the blank paper back in the bags and went outside, leaving a few coins on the table.
He replaced the saddle bag and headed up the road to a blacksmith he knew.
There he purchased a very inexpensive short sword, which he attached to the saddle and then continued on his way through the city.
He stopped outside a particular shop. It was unmistakable really. The window sparkled with crafted delights. It was closed, of course; the owner was elsewhere at the moment. He pushed the envelope through the door and continued through the city.
He reached the East gate, greeted the guards there, whom he knew, and had a small conversation with them. Nothing personal, just catching up. They asked him where he was heading, seeing how not many people used the East gate these days, and he lied and said just out on a ride. He patted the sword on the saddle to indicate he would be safe from any highwaymen or ruffians who might try and steal from a lonely traveller, then he mounted his horse and left the city, riding East hard.
2011-01-10, 13:52