⌘ Chapter 4.

Unlike Fyford or Cranber, the Jewel of Colla wasn't built with defense in mind, but beauty. The Azure ocean, aqueducts, canals and brightly colored flowers and plant life made me feel as though I was taking a stroll through the hanging gardens of the Golden Palace. It's the only emulation that has even come close to the glory of that lost place. For that reason and that reason alone, I love Colla.

☼ S.V, Scholar of Dawn.'

"Why didn't he get mad Barnas? Why didn't he just spill the beans about what he was really doing there, or plead his innocence?" Ves asked. They were standing outside in the night keeping watch together, both watching out for enemy attacks aswell as keeping an eye on the prisoner so he didn't make another escape attempt. "He's a fool, as you said." Barnas replied.

After that frustrating conversation with the strange man, he'd obediently returned to Ves and Barnas' caravan and let himself be tied down inside. During the whole process, Ves got the odd feeling that he was permitting her to escort him. He didn't look like someone who was being held prisoner. Someone who was going to be delivered to the magistrate for judgement and potential punishment in a labor camp or mine.

In that sense, Barnas was right to call him a fool. But Ves thought that the man had a weird feeling of dignity about him, an air of mystery, of something she didn't know, and a strangely noble way of carrying himself. Of course, it was likely that he was just as Barnas said. A fool. Some runaway village fool, an idiot playing at being a noble, as evidenced by his obvious lack of knowledge.

But if that were the case, why wasn't he worried about facing the magistrate?

Over the course of their night watch, Ves checked on the man several times to see how he was getting on. She found him sitting on the floor inside the caravan, his legs crossed and his eyes closed.

He was frozen like a statue, and did not stir or budge in the slightest, nor acknowledge her presence at all. Ves wondered if he could sleep like that. Just what was this strange man doing?

Come dawn, Ves rubbed her eyes and yawned. She was ready to nab a couple hours rest once Mina and the others got up. They'd watch Jack while she and Barnas grabbed a few hours of sleep on the move.

She'd check on the Jack fellow one last time, then go wake the others and get him out of her caravan. She couldn't wait to kick off her boots and rest a few hours on those soft, silky pillows. Well, they weren't really that soft, but compared to the ground they were like fluffy clouds.

Poking her head through the canvas, she spotted him still in the same position, unmoving. The Jack fellow opened his eye to look at her, and Ves felt a sudden thump in her chest that she willfully ignored. He was just a young man that enjoyed his antics, and had a little more dignity and a strange way of carrying himself. Nothing more.

"Did you sit like that the whole night?" Ves asked just to break the awkward silence of him simply staring at her with no shame or attempt to hide his gaze.

"Yes." Jak said, staring straight at her with an almost bored expression. She felt her cheeks flush red. "And why'd you do that?" She asked as she climbed into the caravan. She could feel herself losing it, but there was just something about this man that infuriated her.

"To rest, of course. That, and I needed to think." He replied. Ves threw herself at a pile of pillows in the corner with a sigh, and a nice tingling sensation assaulting her spine as she relaxed. "Think? Have you come to your senses then?" She asked.

"If by that you mean, have I suddenly become someone else then no, I have not." Jack replied. "So what were you thinking about then? Regretting your little trip to the ruins?" Ves asked as she lay there in the pillows. She was feeling much more relaxed now, and her eyes were already threatening to droop shut.

She really needed to get some shut-eye, but the Jack fellow was being more straight forward than last night. Perhaps he'd answer her if she just asked simple questions. Having nothing to lose, she decided to go for it.

"Why were you in those ruins Jack?" She asked, keeping her tone neutral and trying to match his nonchalant and uninterested expression. Jack shrugged.

"Events have transpired for which I have no true explanation. At the conclusion of these events I was sent to the ruins. Just that." Jack replied.

"But why not somewhere else?" Ves ran a hand through her hair trying to untangle a little knot that had formed during her night training with Barnas. No, not the kind of night training that would require the unsheathing of a secondary weapon. Just ordinary hand-to-hand sparring to stay in shape.

"It was probably the only place left that had a crystal." Jack mused, and Ves' eyebrows rose at the mention of a crystal. He couldn't possibly be referring to the object which powered the ancient gates, could he?

"It must've been a rather remote gate, though I doubt the rebels didn't know about it. Perhaps they just deemed it insignificant enough to not immediately destroy, and so here I am." Jak said, as though that explained everything.

Ves sighed. "There you go again with your talk of rebels, you even mentioned the gate." Jack opened his mouth to reply, but Ves held up a hand. She was tired. "Fine, fine. I'll leave you to your delusions Jack. Besides, it's rather endearing to have someone crazy along for the ride. Makes things a little more interesting I suppose." Jack frowned.

"Are things in Dorwine really so dull as to require the presence of a foreign prince to spice up the every day life of some random nomads?" Jack inquired, looking genuinely puzzled.

It was the sincerity that got her. She just couldn't help herself and started to laugh. Then a huge yawn took away her ability to speak for a time.

"Blood and bones, a prince! Haha, fine. I'm wrecked. You're free to go if you wish." Ves said, undoing the robe sigils with a lazily drawn negation sigil.

As the ropes fell from Jacks wrists he shot her a questioning glance. She continued. "No use keeping a madman prisoner. I'd much rather have him as a travelling companion instead. What do you say? Stay with us until Midshear atleast?" Ves asked.

"Would that happen to be the hub of civilization in this region?" Jack asked. Ves chuckled. The man was relentless in keeping up his act. She reached down to pull off a boot.

"I guess you could call it that. It's a logging and farming town. Got its name because of the hordes of sheep that roam the area and the large wool industry there." Ves said, pulling off her other boot. She grinned and threw her boots at Jack with a laugh before flopping back down on the pile of pillows and closing her eyes.

She didn't hear the thud of an impact, so he must've caught them. "Good catch. Be a dear and bring those to Barnas. He knows what to do." Ves said. She realized she was being silly, probably because she was so tired.

Cracking open an eye, Ves observed the strange Jack fellow. He had indeed caught her boots.

There was an amused smile on his face. "Very well then. I shall bring these to your manservant gripping the handle of his axe waiting just outside." Jack said.

"I AM NOT A MANSERVANT!" Barnas yelled, startling Ves. Once her surprise passed, she chuckled and waved a hand at the strange man.

"Go. I'm too tired to deal with you right now." Ves said. Jack did as he was told and got up to leave. Ves closed her eyes and wiggled her toes in the air, enjoying her sudden freedom from the stuffy boots. Her feet hurt a little from walking all day and sparring all night, so it felt divine to finally free herself and relax.

She promptly fell asleep.