[table][row][cell][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/sIWBspG.png[/img][/center][/cell][/row]
[row][cell][sub]Location: The Royal Cabin, Wenyr's Home, & The Blacksmith Forge[/sub][/cell]
[/row][/table]

For a brief moment, Wenyr had been worried about the prince not reacting to his knock at the door. His benefactor had given him quite the rundown about Dawnhaven prior to his departure, but how to address a prince properly had not been a real part of that. One just so rarely had the opportunity, so he should consider himself very lucky to be here, Wenyr figured. Yet what if he'd screw up ? When the entrance was finally opened, he could almost feel the rush of adrenaline running down his back.

Just as Wenyr finished his probably rather half-assed curtsy, he spotted that the prince had closed the door just as quickly as had opened it before. Preserving the warmth inside one's home was a quite understandable thing, but needlessly exposing oneself to the cold outside was not. Had he... had he just disturbed the prince in some kind of difficult affair ?

"Hello Flynn!" he replied, putting up a slightly nervous smile. "Seems I have found you first. Did I interrupt something important ?" It was a complete shot in the dark, but maybe camouflaged in enough politeness not to be noticed as such. If the situation was inappropriate somehow, he needed to figure it out before talking about his list of items first. Negotiations could shatter to bitter pieces if conducted under the wrong circumstances!

[color=337d71]“Don’t worry, you have excellent timing.”[/color] Flynn lied, his tone warm and reassuring as he noticed the nervous smile on the blacksmith's face. The Prince had many talents, but his mother often praised his ability to become a chameleon among people the most. Flynn could easily compartmentalize his stress while under the public eye, shifting into whatever others needed him to be in that moment. “As a King should”, his mother would proudly remind him. Wearing a mask every day was mentally draining, but he knew he was adept at making the people of his kingdom feel comfortable around him, never letting on how much stress he was truly under. 

Flynn paused, considering how best to steer the conversation away from any potential awkwardness. [color=337d71]"Actually, I was just thinking about the progress on your new home. Why don’t we go see how it’s coming along?”[/color] 

Stepping away from the cabin, Flynn gestured for Wenyr to follow him towards the area of Dawnhaven where they had been building most of the homes, only a short walk from the royal cabin. [color=337d71]"I am told it should be completed within the next day. I've heard your forge is already finished in the town center, as well."[/color] 

Flynn clasped his hands behind his back as he walked along the gravel path lit with torches, his eyes scanning the construction progress of each home as they passed. [color=337d71]"You can take up room at The Eye of The Beholder until everything is finished. I will pay for the inconvenience, of course.”[/color] 

A few minutes later, Flynn paused in front of a cabin home that was nearly complete. Stacks of wood lay outside, evidence of the ongoing work. [color=337d71]"Home sweet home.”[/color] Flynn chimed, holding a warm smile as he looked to Wenyr, hoping that he would be pleased. It was nothing like the luxury of living in the capital of Aurelia, far from it, but it would at least keep him safe and warm. 

On the superficial level, Wenyr's visit seemed to keep going like any one of the clock towers in Aurelia's capital: smoothly and with pinpoint accuracy. Yet it took a lot of deliberate ignorance not to know just how considerable the effort to make them do so was and the blacksmith had little doubt about the same thing holding true with the prince's approach to this meeting as well. To suspect that not every gentle smile and not every lucky coincidence was real, but to consider the possibility that they actually were in the specific instance was the double edged blade every merchant and artisan had to both defend against and wield himself, the question of which of these two was the right thing to do being a complication in its own respect.

Seeing how Flynn paid attention to the construction work around him as they walked was almost even more interesting for Wenyr than paying attention to the construction work himself. He had not met the prince for any significant amount of time before, so trying to have a glimpse at just how good (or bad) hands the future of Aurelia rested was tempting. He halfway inadvertently stayed slightly behind Flynn so the latter hopefully wouldn't notice Wenyr looking at what he did, at least until they finally arrived at the site.

[color=yellow]"Home warm hope I hope it will be. I've heard the winter can be quite harsh here."[/color] His eyes instinctively wandered towards the skies as if there was any good news to be seen there, but there wasn't. Wenyr was eager to go inside, but also didn't want to waste the prince's time. Flynn had to be a busy person after all. [color=yellow]"I'm sure it will look as good on the inside as it does on the outside already."[/color] Maybe his stay in Dawnhaven would turn out to be better than he had actually thought of prior to his arrival ? [color=yellow]"And the forge is at the center of town, you say ? Good choice! That way the smell and smoke won't annoy the entire neighborhood."[/color] The walk back and forth from his cabin to the forge would not hurt either -- unless it had to be in the middle of a ferocious thunderstorm of course, but that kind of thing would put anybody in distress. Wenyr had not really cared much about the local weather yet except for the obvious that it was way too dark for way too long a time during the 'day'. He still called it that way out of sheer convention, but that mental inertia would not hold up for long anymore and he might lose track of time entirely at some point, the blacksmith anticipated.

[color=337d71]"So,”[/color] Flynn continued, turning towards Wenyr, [color=337d71]"Your patron sent us a list of supplies required for you ahead of time, so we have much of them in your forge already. Sunni should be expecting another shipment of goods soon, as well.”[/color] 

[color=337d71]"Let’s go take a look at your new forge as well.”[/color] He said decisively, guiding Wenyr out of the designated neighborhood area and towards the middle of the village. As they walked, Flynn pointed out various shops, some already built and others still under construction. He indicated the courier's office, the inn, the apothecary, the merchant's exchange, and the alchemy chambers. 

[color=337d71]"Here we are.”[/color] Flynn said, pausing just outside the doors to allow Wenyr a moment to take in the structure of the building. After a few moments, Flynn pushed open the wooden door and stepped inside, waiting for the blacksmith to follow. For now, the forge was cold and quiet, but soon, Flynn hoped, it would be warm and filled with the symphony of metal on metal, each strike of the hammer against the anvil resonating through the building. 

Wenyr craned his neck to have a look onto the structure from bottom to top, noticing the large chimney immediately. It was the telltale sign of a forge and this one had probably been built a tad higher so the smoke could spread out over people's heads instead of coming down onto them. A sturdy construction it seemed, but he was no expert on this. His true realm lay inside and behind the walls.

[img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1253197009788076095/1254152867132997756/thee_muse_inside_a_medieval_forge_with_a_firepot_and_an_anvil_ab75d134-c0bd-4129-88b6-c66587c64497.png?ex=66787460&is=667722e0&hm=22dd05540b3f35e7028ed7a3b5a6454e69eb509f2772425cd673e30162b71f4f&[/img]

The sight of an anvil cast that subtle bit of a twinkle in Wenyr's eyes that was indicative of great anticipation. He stepped forward and took a deep breath of the cold air, then touched the large, complex counterpart for his hammer with his calloused hands. [color=yellow]"This is the smell of nothing an artisan experiences on only two occasions: Before the workshop is put into action for the first time and after it has gone out of commission."[/color] He blinked his eyes towards the prince. [color=yellow]"Not that I'd expect the latter to happen in any foreseeable time!"[/color] The place looked great and it probably was even large enough for some people to have a stay once the freezing cold had started to reign outside.

[color=337d71]"As for Dawnhaven,”[/color] Flynn began, walking out of the blacksmith's shop and gesturing towards the surrounding areas as he spoke, [color=337d71]"When people aren’t working, you’ll likely find them at The Eye of the Beholder.”[/color] he noted, then his eyes trailed to the north, where the Aelios temple stood along the ridge of a mountain, next to a natural hot spring. [color=337d71]"Or the hot springs, especially as it gets colder.”[/color] He smiled, his gaze returning to the rugged man before him. [color=337d71]"Is there anything else I can do for you today, mister Targath? Any questions?”[/color]

[color=yellow]”There are [i]hot[/i] springs?”[/color] Wenyr’s amazement about this news was pretty blatant, so far he had imagined those ‘springs’ to be much more like your usual case of a steady water supply. [color=yellow]”That could save a lot on firewood in the winter. I’ve been rather concerned about Dawnhaven starving of fuel and other goods while the passes are likely closed for heavy traffic.”[/color]

Flynn smiled genuinely at Wenyr’s interest in the hot springs. While most people enjoyed hot springs, to an Aurelian they held a deeper significance. Not only were they considered sacred in their homeland, but they also provided a comforting reminder of home in such a cold and unforgiving environment. [color=337d71]"I knew this would be a good place to settle once the hot spring was discovered.”[/color] He chimed happily, making a mental note to himself that a trip to the hot spring would be nice after such a stressful day. 

Wenyr pulled his cloak a bit tighter around him as the outside was still significantly colder than the inside with the added wind and snowflakes. [color=yellow]"You are probably right. I assume my patron must have figured the same, because at least as far as I know him he's not keen on committing to things that don't have a prospect of actually working out."[/color]
At this moment, a brainwave hit the blacksmith: Flynn might be the perfect opportunity to find out more about his own employer. It wasn't that he knew nothing about him, but those nobles tended to keep their secrets and he was just eager to learn more about the man with that much coin. Wenyr had to suppress the idea of asking the prince right now, feeling that it might be inappropriate. [color=yellow]"Speaking of him...My patron must have paid a lot of attention when I spoke to him. This looks very good so far. I could start producing the most important things in advance as far as possible if there is any need. Do you think we should put priority on certain things more than others right now ?”[/color]

The hot springs didn’t go out of his head but not only for the nice outlook of taking a bath there. A steady source of warmth from the earth could maybe be exploited in other ways, too. He would just have to gather some ideas first and then make a proposal maybe.

As Flynn considered Wenyr’s question, his thoughts drifted back to the Lunaris guards who had arrived in Dawnhaven unannounced. Briefly, he wondered if he should have the blacksmith focus on crafting weapons. Would they need to arm the townspeople if the Lunarians attacked? Was the King of Lunaris planning to declare war? The Queen of Lunaris was dead, and the King was clearly unpredictable. Adding to his concerns, Dawnhaven was also settling on the King’s land, far from Flynn’s home country. 

[color=337d71]"Swords, spears, axes, and shields.”[/color] He decided, trusting that the blacksmith would understand their position. The Lunarian’s posed a large threat on their own, but so did the blight-born that were being welcomed into town. [color=337d71]"Horseshoes, as well. We should make sure our animals are well taken care of.”[/color]

[color=yellow]"Understood."[/color] He had honestly not expected this answer, and even though it was a perfectly valid one and working on weapons tended to be much more rewarding than other items in terms of learning and just accepting the challenge, they also meant serious business in an entirely different sense of the word. A sense that left an imaginary, but bitter-sweet taste on Wenyr's tongue. [color=yellow]"I will get to work on these as soon as possible. Are you expecting trouble ?"[/color] The question had just burst out of him quicker than his mind had been able to catch it. Now the blacksmith bit his lips for having dabbled into what probably was politics.

Flynn turned to the blacksmith, weighing how much he should confide in his fellow Aurelian. [color=337d71]"I…”[/color] Flynn locked eyes with the man who was clearly older than him and had lived a much tougher life in many ways. [color=337d71]"I hope not. But one can never be sure…”[/color] He sighed, letting his words hang in the air for a moment [color=337d71]“I would appreciate your discretion with the rest of the town. I don't wish to cause alarm, but recent events have me concerned,”[/color] He admitted, deciding that his armorer was one of the people he should be putting trust in, if anyone. Wenyr could help him better if he knew the Prince’s concern, though Flynn wasn't yet ready to reveal everything. The announcement about the Queen would have to wait until tomorrow. Octavia needed to grieve, at least for the day. [color=337d71]"I trust that I can count on you?”[/color]

Wenyr nudged his head towards the door they had just come out of, a gesture that they should get back in. There was no reason to believe in anyone eavesdropping on purpose, but preventing accidental events was often better than not to. The sturdy door's first ever test would not prevent anybody from coming in, but to deny the spoken word the way out. The blacksmith's face had turned more serious than before as he addressed Flynn: [color=yellow]"You can. However, if I may, I would not recommend revealing more detail to me than you think is absolutely necessary. Not that I would not trust myself on that, but I can't tell what I don't know even by pure chance."[/color] He paused briefly, digging his fingernails into his mane to scratch his head a little. [color=yellow]"That being said, I should probably try to make the weapon crafting business a bit more of a discreet affair as well ? I mean, if anybody sees how the town is stocking up on arms and armor, it is easy to add one to one."[/color]

[color=337d71]"We will provide newer weapons to our knights here.”[/color] Flynn said once he had followed Wenyr back inside. [color=337d71]"We can use that if anyone starts asking questions, for now.”[/color] Flynn’s mind raced with ideas on how to maintain discretion and avoid raising alarms. 

[color=337d71]"We can trust Sunni, the town merchant, and Orion, my advisor, with this information, and no others. Sunni can attest that we are trading arms for goods, if necessary.”[/color] He sighed, the weight of the day evident as his Princely demeanor faltered slightly.

[color=337d71]"I hope that we will not need these weapons, but… we must be prepared, if we do.”[/color] Flynn added, giving the blacksmith a faint smile, [color=337d71]"Thank you, Wenyr. I won't say more on the matter for now. Perhaps my concerns will ease in time...”[/color] He tried to sound optimistic, but a sense of unease lingered in his thoughts, hinting that his suspicions might be justified.



[hr]
[sub]Collaboration with [@Fetzen][/sub]

[hr][hr]
[CENTER][h3]TIMESKIP[/h3]
[sub][color=f5bd02][b]Current Moon Phase:[/b][/color] Full    |    [color=f5bd02][b]Current Weather:[/b][/color] 30 Degrees, a light snow is beginning to stick to the ground    |    [color=f5bd02][b]Current Time:[/b][/color] 7pm[/sub][/CENTER]
[hr][hr]