Franor the Tailor
(Or Crime Does Pay, And Well At That)
(C) 2004 Gren Remoz Drake (gren_remoz@yahoo.com)


Once, long ago, the Great Northern Road wound from Feldspar, deep in the south
and bordering on three oceans, to the Northern Kingdoms thousands of miles to
the north.  Years of neglect had turned this once mighty road from the major
trade route it was to little more than patches of paving stones amongst the
ever-encroaching brush.

It was on one of these patches of stones that Julie stood as she examined one
of the few milepost signs to remain standing.  It read 'Mile 427 South'.  Josh
stood just behind her and read the sign over her shoulder.

"South of what?"

"Not much anymore; Torador was used as the base of the numbering in this area,
but they did something or another that really upset the gods and now it's a big
lake."

"I always thought gods were easy going sorts."

Julie turned to face Josh.  "Depends on the god.  Venerable Seca, for example,
has some rather peculiar ideas about what constitutes the ideal life.  Her
ideas do not involve much in the way of free will."

"Oh." Josh looked around at the dense forest that had slowly appeared as they
had moved north.  Although Feldspar was mostly pasture land, that was a long
way off now.  "Do we have much further to go?"

"Just another couple hundred miles.  Once we get into Vusdez I can finally see
Sirillion again; I hope I can convince him I'm me.  Then I'll stop by and visit
mother.  I've put that off far too long."

"You really know Sir Sirillion?"

Julie nodded as started following the tattered remains of the former highway.
Josh followed close behind her, not wanting to loose her again, especially
since he'd demonstrated several times that he was incapable of following the
remains of the road.  "That was before the whole virgin incident.  I haven't
seen him many years."

"Virgin incident?"

Julie grinned.  "From what I've heard, he found out one of the little kingdoms
north of here was offering a reward for the rescue of its vestal virgins.  He
took on the trappings of a knight and 'rescued' them.  That was only shortly
after I started my way south."  She shook her head.  "Not my best move." Then
she grinned.  "But it seems things didn't turn out all that bad!"

"Hey!" a voice called from the brush.  A man stepped out in brightly colored,
spotted clothes and an absolutely ridiculous looking hat.  A small pack rested
over his shoulders.  "You know the way south?  I thought I'd find myself one of
those southern kingdoms!"

Julie stared at the man.  He was obviously the fool from some king's court,
although something most have gone bad if he was looking for a southern kingdom.

"You look familiar.  Who are you?"

The man laughed, waving a stick he held in his hand.  "I sure don't recognize
you!  I'd recognize a lovely beast like you anywhere!  I am the fool Evestal,
and what a fool be I to have fooled my master, King Evane of the Twenty-Second
Kingdom."  He grinned.  "You've heard about the kingdoms north of here?
There's so many that they didn't bother naming them, but just gave them
numbers!" He laughed, although it sounded a bit forced.  "Its just as well,
though," he said, sobering up quickly, "there's all to many demons there and
are they ever surly this time of year!  The cold just doesn't suit any creature
born of the fires of hell."  The last bit was whispered, and followed by
another forced laugh.

"You mean there's more demons ahead?" Josh asked.

"There are some behind?" The fool frowned. "Perhaps I needs to rethink my
plans.  Being disemboweled is not on my agenda any time soon."

"The warlock I dealt with proved his foulness twice-over by consorting with one
of their kind.  Both the warlock and the demon have been defeated."

"It sounds like they've had enough of adventure down there; since you've been
so far south, perhaps you can tell me what has become of my darling Julie
Sawitze?"

"Sawatzke," Julie said automatically.

The man frowned. "Pardon?"

"That's Sawatzke, not Sawitze."

"You're sure about that?  Its not exactly a common name and I've yet to hear
more than a handful of people get it right."

"Old Carthy Sawatzke was sure.  He didn't get his reputation by politely
correcting people after all."

"You're-you're related to Bloody Carthy of the Corpses?" Josh's eyes were wide.

Julie shook her head.  "Not related, no.  But he had no heirs and so he
more-or-less adopted me.  Mother was always delighted about that."

If anything, Josh's eyes got wider.  "Your mother approved of your spending
time with the most ruthless mercenary leader in modern history?"

"I learned to defend and stand up for myself.  He had no time for slouches."

The fool cleared his throat.  "You sound as though you know my beloved darling
Julie well."

"If Julie Sawatzke is your darling beloved, then I am her.  The bastard warlock
in Feldspar used the last of his strength to curse me good and well."

The fool shook his head.  "That cannot be, my beloved would surely be
resourceful enough to escape the confines of such a curse!"

"In Feldspar?  The only person in Feldspar who had a clue what he was doing
magically was the Warlock himself.  Well, and the demon, I suppose."

"Hey!" Josh shouted.  "That's my home you're disparaging!"

"Face it Josh," Julie replied, "Feldspar is many things, but magical is NOT one
of them."  She turned back to the fool.  "Did you ever encounter Sir
Sirillion?"

"Alas, poor Sirillion!  The Lords of Vusdez stripped him of title and land both
after that rather embarrassing incident with the virgins.  He asked me to watch
for an old time companion of his."

"You have found her.  I myself had been seeking him and had hopped he would
recognize me despite all that has occurred in the years we've spent apart."

The fool grinned and pulled off his hat to reveal a head of greying hair.  "I
am glad to hear that!  Now I can ditch this awful costume and be rid of the
fool Evestal once and for all.  I have already buried Sirillion, now this
hideous costume can follow.  Its the most dreadful thing I have ever made!"

He tore the shirt off his back and tossed it into the bushes.  Then, digging
around in his pack, he pulled out a plain brown tunic and pulled it on.

"Oh my dear Franor!  It has been far too long!" he said.

"What is going on?" Josh asked.  He both sounded and looked confused, becoming
even more so as Julie and ex-fool spoke.

"My Julie, oh, my Julie!" he swept her up in her arms, lifting her for a moment
with the strength of his embrace.  "It has been too long.  But now we are
together once more!"

Then his face contorted, as though he had stuck his hand into something most
unpleasant.  "You did this AWFUL repair?  I think this fine vest may just have
been ruined!"  Franor ran his hands over the vest, tracing the seems.  "Well,
there may be hope yet.  It is a shame that I lost that tailors shop."

"Just how exactly do you know this man?" Josh demanded of Julie.  She supposed
his concern was understandable; he was still in desperate love after all.

"Josh, this is my brother, Franor.  He was a tailor in Ark Vazual some years
ago.  Franor, this is Joshua Williams of Feldspar and several titles."

"Oh,"

"Now, my dearest sister of sisters, just what did you do to those poor
clothes?"

Julie grinned conspiratorially.  "The warlock's curse ruined mine so I stole
his."

"Right off his corpse?  No wonder they're so bad!  We'll have to get something
decent for you just as soon as possible."

"Are we still going to look for Sir Sirillion?" Josh asked.

"No need," Franor said, "he's dead and buried and its best he stay that way.
Quite a price on his head after that last incident with the virgins.  Come,
gather and we'll see what fun I've got in my pack."

"What, camp right here?  In the middle of the road?" Josh looked around at the
remnant of the highway.

"Why not?  Its not exactly a high traffic area." Franor grinned, then began
unpacking his pack.

----


Julie woke the next morning and, after stretching, stood and started packing up
the camp.  Neither Josh nor Franor had woken up yet.  Not surprising.  Josh had
yet to wake up before her and Franor always was more of night-hawk.  By the
time that she had the camp packed, though, they were both awake.

The journey that day was lively, Franor regaling them with tales of his
'travels' with Sir Sirillion, both before and during his knighthood.  They
reached a town just as the sun was beginning to set.

Franor took the as the group got in sight of the gate guards.  "Just let me
talk; I know how to deal with these sorts."

"Don't we all?" Julie replied, grinning.  "Go ahead."

"Hello the gate!" Franor called out as they approached.  "We are but three
simple travelers who seek shelter from this dark, forbidding night!"

One of the guards made an effort to stand, although it wasn't enough to
actually get him upright.  "Why here?  Aren't there plenty of other towns for
you to bother?"

"Is there a problem with this town?"

"The only problem," the other guard said, spitting out the words along with
bits of saliva, "is the bloody tourists that think we're fools!"

Franor stepped up to the guards, stopping only a few feet away.  "I am no
tourist," he said, drawing himself upwards.  "I am known as Franor the tailor.
Many seek my services, but few receive them for they are reserved for the most
important of people."

"Franor?  You that tailor that did the emperor's own clothes?"

"Aye, I remember him.  I did indeed deign to create for him an outfit suitable
for the gods themselves, little did he appreciate it!"

"I'm sure that there's somewhere you can stay, then.  I don't see any problems
with rich tailors and their friends, eh?" he turned to the other guard who
nodded.  "So, who are your friends?  They rich too?"

"Ah, but this is my darling sister, Lady Julie of the Unpronounceable Name.
She had some trouble with a warlock in the deep south.  And next to her is her
betrothed, the honorable warrior Sir Joshua Williams, Champion of Feldspar."

"They are noble?"

"Both hold rank in the kingdom of Feldspar."

"Then certainty you may pass.  I'll take you too an Inn myself.  My companion
can keep the gate well enough for a bit."

The guard turned and started into the city.  The threesome followed him,
quickly arriving before a grandiose hotel.  The guard stayed outside as they
entered, disappearing back into the descending night after they were inside.

Franor walked straight up to the counter.  "Sir!"  After a couple moments a
tired looking old man stumbled out from a door behind the counter.

"What do you want?"

"We three require rooms.  It would be preferred that they would be
interconnected."

"I don't know if we have any free,"

Franor leaned over the counter.  "There better be!"

"Names?"

"I am Franor, tailor extraordinaire, and this is my dear sister, the Lady Julie
and her betrothed Lord Joshua."

"The Franor?  The emperor's own?"

"If there is another, I do not know him."

"I heard you were beheaded."

Franor grinned.  "The executioner's axe missed."

"You're sure?  You aren't a zombie?  I'm afraid the undead are not good for
business and unless you're still alive, I can't give you a room."

"Do I look dead?  Believe me, I am very much alive!"

The old man bowed slightly.  "Follow me sirs, and ma'am." He lead them up a
flight of stairs to a set of rooms that formed a kind of cul-de-sac at the end
of a hallway.  Julie stepped into the middle one and looked around.

It was amazing.  After spending so much time in the kingdom of Feldspar the
room seemed immense; the furniture was luxurious.  She shed the cloak, tossing
it over a finely engraved chair.  Her pack landed on the seat of that selfsame
chair.

Franor entered through the side door.  "Good enough?"

"After Feldspar?" Julie laughed as she spoke, "This place has bigger closets
than my room there."

"Good.  Now we can get down to the real business: your clothes.  I don't have
the tools or materials to make more, but I might just be able to fix yours up
some.  I'm not sure about the blood, though; that tends to stain rather badly,
especially with this kind of fabric.  You want to take a bath?  I could use the
water afterwards to work on these stains.  Can't guarantee anything, though."

"I'm sure you'll be a better job than any of the so-called tailors I could find
with shops."

"That is the benefit of experience, my dear."

Ignoring her brother's presence, Julie pulled off her vest and tossed it in her
brother's direction.

"You know," he commented, "you look good despite all that fur."

Her shirt caught him in the face before falling to the floor.

"Hey!  What was that for?"

She grinned at him.  "I'll remind you about that while you're freezing cold
this winter, eh?  The world doesn't revolve around your sense of aesthetics,
you know."

"Sorry!"

"You will be."  With that she pulled her pants off, doing it slowly, making a
show of her actions.  It didn't take long for her to realize she'd need a lot
more practice to get used to having a tail; as things stood it got in the way a
lot.

Now naked, Julie wrapped a towel around herself and pulled the bell cord that
would summon a servant.

"You mind stepping out of sight for a moment?  The last thing we need is for
rumors start circulating."

"You take all the fun out of things," Franor said, but he still slipped through
the side door just as the servant arrived.  Julie allowed the servant to take a
single step inside before speaking.

"I require a bath.  Make sure the water's hot and bring it up here promptly."
She didn't bother to look at the servant.

"Of course, ma'am.  I will be but a second."  The servant took only a moment to
retrieve a large tub, depositing it in the middle of the floor.  Then he began
the long, laborious process of filling it.

----

One room over, behind the sturdy wooden door that separated the two rooms, Josh
paced back and forth across the worn wooden floor.  The room had surprised him,
being larger than the king's suite back in Castle Feldspar.  The riches around
him were not what he thought about now, however.  Rather, he was thinking about
this tailor; Franor.  He knew that Julie said he was her brother, but they
seemed ... indecently close.

Not only that, but there was the matter of Sir Sirillion yet.  Although his
beloved Julie had not found him, she seemed more than happy with this brother
of hers.  Indeed, he seemed to know an awful lot about the personal affairs of
that noble personage (Josh would have to hear more about the supposed events
involving the virgins before he'd let that effect his judgement).

Since Franor had joined them, Julie had paid all too little attention to him,
far less than even mere friends (let alone the betrothed they were) should.
Her attention seemed to be taken entirely by her brother.  He supposed this
was, at least in part, understandable.  By the sounds of it they hadn't seen
each other in years.

But they seemed overly familiar, even for siblings.  Sometimes they struck him
as being more of a pair of separated lovers, but even the thought that they may
have - no, he couldn't even think of it.

Still, what if they were even now alone in her bedroom?  It could be
inappropriate; although he wasn't entirely sure about how that rule was applied
between siblings.

With a part of him dreading what he might hear, he placed his ear against the
door.  He could hear the sound of water splashing--probably she was taking a
bath--but nothing else.  Trying to still his heart, he placed his eye against
the keyhole in the door, peering through.  Only for an instant, though.  After
that he tore his eyes away; Julie had stripped the dirty and torn clothing
she'd stolen from the warlock off and had been standing naked, fortunately
facing away from the door.

As he prepared himself for the night's rest, Joshua silently berated himself.
In attempting to find his beloved Julie doing wrong, he himself had nearly
wronged her.  He would have to admit his wrongs to her and beg her forgiveness
in the morning.  Right now it could only make things worse.

----

Julie sat on the edge of the large bed as the servant brought pails of water
up.  The towel was wrapped around her, preserving her modesty.  A year ago,
when she was human, it would have been pleasantly warm on a cold night.  Now,
covering her fur it was stiflingly hot.  Still, a certain modicum of modesty
was expected and who was she to disappoint?

Eventually the tub was largely filled.  Julie shooed the servant out of the
room, locking the door behind him and bracing the lone chair under it.  The
blanket soon covered the chair as she stretched, feeling all her limbs (and she
sure had a lot of those now) as they stretched out, some, like her wings, for
the first time in days.

From her pack she pulled out the old hair-brush she carried with her and set it
on the edge of the tub.  Then she lightly tapped on the door to Franor's room.

"You decent?" he asked through the door.

"Hardly!" she replied.  "I didn't know you wanted to fix my clothes while I was
wearing them!"

"I don't know; it could be fun." Franor passed into her chamber as he spoke,
shutting the door softly behind him.

"Go ahead and have your bath while I fix up your clothes; I'll want to wait to
clean them until after I've gotten them fixed."  Slipping back into his room
for a moment, he returned with his own pack and pulled out a needle and several
spools of thread.

While Franor was fetching his tools, Julie climbed over the edge of the tub and
slowly lowered herself into it, allowing the warmth of the water to permeate
through her fur.  She could feel her muscles relax as the water had its way
with them.

"You know," Franor said, watching her relax for a moment, "You may not be the
woman you were, but you may just be better looking."

Julie ignored his comment, instead picking up the brush and starting to work
her way through her fur, working it vigorously to get the dirt of the previous
weeks out.  She knew perfectly well that he wasn't finished his comment, just
as well as she knew he meant what he said.

"Why," he concluded, "how many men will ever get such a resourceful wife in the
same package as a warm furry body for those cold winter nights?"

Julie threw a handful of water at him.  "Oh, be quiet."

"Now, now.  The management will be real upset if you ruin their carpet."

"Have you looked at it?  Its even dirtier than you, old man!"

Franor waved the clothes in the air.  "Be good or I'll just tear these up!"

"Planning another midnight departure are we?"

"I think we've had enough of those, my dear.  Now stand up, I need to take some
measurements."  Franor pulled a measure from his pack and took more
measurements then Julie suspected he really needed.  "I don't suppose you'd
consider shaving that fur off?  It makes this much harder."

Julie shook her head.

"Didn't think do."  Franor grinned.  "Probably a good thing; it'd make quite a
mess.  Wish I still had a shop, but that emperor had it sacked after our
misunderstanding."

"It also," Julie pointed out, "wasn't in this city."

"Twice a shame, then.  Hopefully I'll have something that actually fits by the
time you're done your bath, eh?"

Julie sank back down into the water and returned to scrubbing the dirt out.
Even without the hordes of shampoo she knew she'd have to buy, she was turning
the water black.

By the time Franor was finished some hours later, the last vestiges of twilight
had long vanished.  Julie had finished her bath and was laying on the bed, half
asleep with a blanket pulled over her body.  Damp fur, she was finding, had
problems all its own.

"You want to try it?" Franor asked.

"Eh?" Julie looked up, not really hearing him.  She could see him holding up
the vest.   It looked like it'd gained a few holes, but she knew he knew what
he was doing (he'd made all her clothes before this; perhaps when he was
settled again, if he ever was, she'd get him to make her some more).

"You want to try your new clothes?"

Julie stood, tossing the blanket on the foot of the bed.  She pulled the pants
on, feeling the dampness from where Franor had washed them.  Then, pulling the
vest on, she turned as though modeling the outfit.

"Looks good," Franor said.

"Certainty feels better!"  She slipped the shirt on under the vest, marveling
in the new comfort the outfit allowed.  Stretching her wings outward, she was
amazed at how much she could move them.

"Of course, the outfit won't be quite as warm as it would have been, but you've
got your fur to help take care of that." Franor hesitated for a moment before
continuing.  "Why don't we try out these new clothes of yours?"

Julie turned to face her brother.  "Just what are you thinking?"

"Genfell Manor is just outside of town; we could be there and back in time to
visit a fence I know."  He grinned. "It'd be just like the old days."

"Franor," Julie began, but he cut her off.

"Just you, me, and a bag of liquid assets?  What do you say?"

Julie shook her head.  "Really, it sounds nice, but-,"

"But you're not going to?  Come on.  What good's a new identity if you don't
put it to use?"

"In case you haven't noticed, I can't exactly blend in with a crowd anymore."

"How about this reason then?  I don't actually have the money to pay for this
fine room.  I don't know about you, but I'd rather not have to disappear in the
middle of the night."

Julie took a moment replying.  She neither wanted to go to court for nonpayment
nor to leave in the middle of the night.  As it stood, there was no way she
could pay their bill either.

"I suppose we don't have much of a choice.  Lets try not to make a habit of
this."

Franor grinned.  "And just why not?  Come, let us get started.  Dawn isn't
getting any further away!" He climbed out the window, landing softly on the
convenient rooftop outside.  Together, they made their way down the side of the
building.

----

Josh laid awake in his bed.  He had been unable to stop thinking about the
doubts he'd had about his beloved, and the more he thought, the more they
bothered him.  How could he have doubted one he loved so much?

Eventually, after many hours of tormenting himself with such thoughts, he
decided that he had to apologize now, even if it meant waking her from her
rest.

Standing, he pulled his clothes on.  Then he and stepped over to the connecting
door and knocked lightly on it.  Receiving no response, he knocked harder.

Still, not only did his beloved (but wronged) Julie not open the door to look
on him with sleep-filled eyes, but there was no sound at all from within.
Admittedly, their time on the road had gotten him used to the fact that she
slept quietly, but it had also shown him that she slept very lightly.

Kneeling, he peered through the keyhole once more.  He could see that the bed
still looked untouched, as though she had yet to lay herself down to rest for
the night.

Steeling himself against what he might find (and against his own conscience
that told him it would only make things worse) he opened the door and stepped
through.

The bed wasn't slept in.  Nor was there any sign of Julie.  A large tub sat in
the middle of the room, filled with cold murky water.  Clearly she'd had a bath
and then left.  There was a distinctive chill that Josh put up to his own
nervousness.

Where could she have gone?

Walking over to the door that connected to Franor's room, he tapped lightly
upon it.  Receiving no response he looked through the keyhole and found no one
inside.  Stepping in, he saw that there was even fewer signs of habitation in
here, as though the occupant had barely stopped to adjust his clothes.

Walking back into Julie's room he felt the chill again.  Glancing around once
more he noticed that the window was open.  He pulled it shut before returning
to his own bedroom.

Where had his beloved gone this late in the night?  There were precious few
hours left until dawn and it looked like she'd slept not at all.  Perhaps ...
perhaps he needed to know more about her night life before he apologized.

If anything, he had more difficulty sleeping now then he had before.

----

The robbery started out wonderfully; Franor had the door open with barely a
movement of his hands.  Both where inside the darkened building, door closed
and locked behind them, in seconds.

After glancing the kitchen they started looking through the cupboards, tossing
anything of value into the sacks they'd brought with them.  Julie acquired a
set of fine silverware in this search, but there was little else portable
enough to be worth taking.

"Just how much do we need?" Julie whispered.

Franor flashed her a sickly grin.  "All of it."

"Oh.  Damn." Julie shot a glare back at Franor before continuing through the
large mansion, rifling through anything she could and tossing anything of value
in the sack.  Although there were many items of value, few where small and
light enough that she could take them and many of those that were were so
fragile that there was little point.

Then again, the decorators evidenced a several lack of knowledge about some
items as well.  In one of the hallways on the third floor, a suit of armor
stood in an alcove.  Before her visit to Feldspar, even she wouldn't have
realized it was a replica.  It was the style and design as the one suit in
Feldspar, but had many 'features' that would have made it nearly impossible to
move in.

Other than those items which she recognized as fakes (generally too big to take
anyway), Julie found the most on the third floor.  Probably nobody expected
thieves to be so bold to go this far up in the building, or, perhaps, so good
as to make it; she had no idea what kind of security she may have failed to
see.

She obviously did fail to see something.  The appearance of a pair of guards at
the end of the hall, flooding the hallway with light from a lantern, gave her
the idea that it was time to go.  Whatever they'd gotten would have to be
enough.

"Franor!  Time to go!"  She didn't wait for a response, but ducked around a
corner into the previous hallway, tossing the bag just inside one of the open
rooms, then darted towards the alcove with the replica armor.

She pressed herself into the alcove, squishing herself between the suit of
armor resting there.  Her wings were pressed against her back and her tail was
wrapped around her legs.  With a moments work she had managed to fit herself in
behind the armor.

Unfortunately that wasn't fast enough.  The pair of guards that'd been chasing
her came to a quick stop before the armor, turning to face her even as they
were stopping.  By the time they'd finished stopping, their swords were already
leveled at her.

"Surrender!  If you surrender now you won't be executed."

"Sure; whatever you say."  She needed a distraction and the armor was just what
she was looking for.  A fierce shove sent it toppling and the two guards dove
to catch it before it smashed on the floor, thereby demonstrating that they
clearly had no idea how bad a replica it was.  The suit in Feldspar, even with
its long years of wear showing, was better than this one.  If they'd put up a
cheap replica, imagine what they'd pay for a real one!

Even as she considered selling the owner of the mansion Feldspar's armor, she
didn't stop.  She grabbing the bag she'd tossed into the previous room, and
caught up with Franor further along the corridor.

"They don't know I'm here yet so just get yourself out," he told her.

"You might have chosen somewhere without a resident guard!" She didn't stop as
she spoke, but simply continued down the hall.

"Well I hardly had the time to case the place."

"Mother always said you needed to plan," Julie replied as he ducked into a side
room and disappeared inside.

Not a moment after he was out of sight, the guards appeared. They took their
time going down the hall, undoubtedly thinking that there was nowhere she could
go.  She wasn't going to let that stop her escape, however.

She charged through the door at the end of the hallway, barely bothering to
open it.  Using her fist to smash the window of the room beyond, she jumped
out, allowing her wings to keep her from breaking her legs on the patio below.

She landed right behind another pair of guards.  Before they had time to
respond, she spun around, slamming one with her tail and raking the other
across the face with her finger-claws.

By the time they recovered enough to give chase, she was at the balcony.  They
were quick though, and the one almost got a grip on her tail as she leapt off
here as well.

Rather than the controlled fall she'd used before, she spread her wings and
glided away from the mansion, bag nestled between her wings and just behind her
shoulders.

It was interesting, she thought as she glided lazily into the night, that
though this was the first time she'd ever gotten to use her wings they
presented her with no trouble.

She landed just out of sight of the town wall.  It proved to be as easy to
scale from the outside as it had from the inside and in moments she was inside
the town, standing in a dark alley.

One of the houses bordering the alley had a lantern burning in the window, so
she made sure to keep out of sight of anyone that might be within.

Once past that point she made her way to the light post she and Franor had
agreed to meet at.  She had no doubt he'd get out.

After she'd been waiting for about an hour, she saw someone approaching and
felt a flare of hope that it was Franor.  This fell when he came into the
lamp's light.  He started towards her, but as he got closer seemed to change
his mind left.

Another hour passed before Franor arrived.  He had his bag over his shoulder
and was panting as he came up, clearly out of breath.

"Took you long enough.  Have trouble getting away?"

"Those guards insisted on searching the whole building; I had to keep on my
toes to avoid them.  You have had it easy; makes me want some wings." He
grinned.

"Lets go find this fence of yours."

----

It was nearly dawn when they reached the inn once more and this time they
entered through the main door.

"Wasn't that fun?" Franor asked.

"You always did have a warped idea of fun; I've always said it'd get you in
trouble."

He grinned.  "You're right.  It does.  But its worth it."

"At least until they chop off your head.  There's at least one place where
that's the punishment."

"True, how true."

Their conversation was interrupted by the man standing behind the desk.
"Seņor; welcome to our establishment.  What can I do for you today?"

"I'd like to pay for our rooms," Franor told him.  He pulled the pouch that
held the money he'd gotten from the fence out from his pocket and counted out
the fee for the room.

"Thank you seņor.  You will be continuing your stay?"

"Sadly no, I wish I could stay longer at your fine establishment, but I have
pressing business elsewhere.  Unfortunately, I can't speak for the lady,"
Franor gestured at Julie.  "A most beautiful woman, even despite the curse
placed on her by a villainous worker of dark magics in the far south."

The innkeeper turned to Julie, "Seņora, you may wish to inquire at the
University of Magic.  You will be staying?"

"Yes, thank you. I think I'll be stay for a few more days at least."  She
counted out the additional coins.  By paying in advance she wouldn't have to
make any more unplanned midnight expeditions.  The stack of coins gleamed on
the counter for only a moment before the innkeeper scooped them up.  Julie paid
no mind to what he did with them, but continued on towards her room.

"So what is this pressing business you have?"

Franor laughed.  "Its really pressing that I be elsewhere.  I'll probably visit
mother for a while; the gods know she could use a bit of cash.  She's still
taking in children."

"That's good to hear; I do hope she can manage."  Julie herself was one of
those children.  Although mother had no visible means of support, Julie had
always had clean clothes, good food and solid roof over her head.  She even got
a few years worth of a classical education.  That was much more than many
children who were raised by their parents got.  Although he'd never said
anything about it, she believed that Franor was no more mother's real child
than she herself was.

This wasn't to say mother made things easy.  It was mother who hooked her up
with Carthy.  Her mother certainty didn't have it easy; Franor was her brother
and probably at least ten years older than she was and she was by no means a
kid anymore.  He'd told her once that mother looked old when he was young.

"She always has before."

"Tell her that I might stop in sometime in the next few weeks.  It'd be nice to
see her again, maybe help out some."

"I will," he said.  Then, opening the door to his room.  "Shame our meeting had
to be so short."

Julie grinned.  "Probably a good thing.  Fare thee well."  She walked into her
own room and pulled off her vest, tossing it onto the chair.  She had her shirt
mostly off when she heard Josh speak up.

"Ehm?"  She noticed that he was sitting on the chair and had pulled the vest
off of his face.  He dropped it on the bed.  Since she'd already removed it she
tossed the shirt on top of it.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Uh, well," Josh hesitated a moment, staring at her.  "Where were you last
night?"

"Paying for our rooms."

"With your brother Franor?"

"He helped, yes."

"And just how much did he get?"

"I don't know; I didn't pay much attention when he cashed in."

"Cashed in?"

"With the fence."

Now Josh looked confused.  "The fence?"

"Yes, the fence."

"Er, right.  I'm sure you know what you're doing."

"Yes.  As soon as you move, I'm going to bed.  Its been a long night.  Then,
I'm going to visit the University of Magic; it came recommended to me regarding
my condition."

"Good." Josh said.

"Ehm."  Julie looked at him pointedly and, after a few minutes, he got the idea
and returned to his own room.

Moving her shirt and vest back to the chair, then dumping her pants there as
well, Julie climbed into the bed, pulling the covers up to her neck, allowing
them to take from her the night's cold.

Tomorrow would be a new day and she felt better than she had in years.  Other
than being really tired of course.

It was not long before she slept, untroubled by guilt or conscience.


----


** Random Thoughts by the Author **


Herein is where I poke holes in my own work!  Actually, its just my comments on
a handful of items in the story that occurred to me while editing.  Mostly these
are funny things.

Feel free to skip this if you want; its not necessary to read this to
understand the story.  That said, if you do read it, feel free to tell me your
thoughts on this, specifically whether you'd be interested in seeing this kind
of thing in the future.

Now, onto the articles.


* "Franor?  You that tailor that did the emperor's own clothes?" *
Although this line has no connection to the fairy tale 'the Emperor's New Suit'
I can't help but think of that tale every time I read this line.  The suit
Franor designed was, unlike the one in the tale I've the honor of mentioning,
quite visible and, if anything, would have been quite gaudy.  Emperors tend to
be like that.


* "Both hold rank in the kingdom of Feldspar." *
Neglecting to mention, of course, that one of them is, rank aside, exiled.


* "I heard you were beheaded." *
Another accidental reference, this time to the movie 'Escape From New York'; in
particular people in the aforementioned film tended to say to Snake Plissken 'I
heard of you; I heard you were dead.'  (if I've misremembered slightly, forgive
me; its been quite a few years since I've seen the movie)


* But they seemed overly familiar, even for siblings.  Sometimes they struck
him as being more of a pair of separated lovers, but even the thought that they
may have - no, he couldn't even think of it. *
In my original notes Franor and Julie weren't siblings, but _were_ former
lovers.  I don't remember why I changed this, but that's the origin of their
closeness.


* "Er, right.  I'm sure you know what you're doing." *
Josh of course, not having a clue what she's doing.  Being both an honest
person, and from a rather backwards country (truth be told; which I just did)
to him, a 'fence' is a barrier enclosing property.  To Julie, a fence is a
dealer in stolen goods.



Hope you had fun! (I did)
Gren Remoz Drake
Feb, 2005