1.4 Dark and Cold: Poster Girl

I felt an unpleasant, tingly itch on my face. Still half-asleep, I rubbed my hand over my cheek. Another one, then another. When I opened my eyes, I saw the grey heavens preparing for yet another downpour.

I turned around to the circle of stones; the fire had long stopped burning. High over my head, I stretched my arms out, realising that I slept quite well on the grass. After a big yawn, I got back on my feet—without the slightest inkling of where to go.

As soon as I faced the forest, I thought back to the monster I had beaten. I quickly shook off the thought of making that my route of escape and faced the city of Fryzwald again.

It’s still early in the morning, so I could probably sneak through unnoticed.

* * *

Or so I thought… The moment I climbed down the wall, I faced a poster hanging with my head on it.
It read: Missing – Leith. Finder to be rewarded by His Majesty.
What a vague reward, was the first thought that popped to mind. The second one was how inefficient this poster is. It was certainly drawn with magic based on the me depicted. The only thing that’s the same is my scar. Though I guess that none of the guards who had seen me could accurately draw me by hand.

I turned away from the poster and noticed many more spread all over my field of vision. Suddenly, I remembered a close friend from the administrative department at the academy who could summon an endless amount of drawings from memory.

I grabbed the one hanging on the wall and closely inspected it. Just as I thought, the image’s ink doesn’t match the rest of the poster. Which got me wondering, is the administrative department working on this?

For some reason, I felt relieved. These posters make it seem like the king lost his kitten, I’d be a lot more terrified had the Fenrir Brigade—consisting of this kingdom’s strongest knights—been on my heels.

At ease, but still in a hurry, I made my way through Fryzwald, en route towards Maganmur where the large walls of the kingdom end. It’s only build to protect the riches after all. Then, once I’m out of the walls… I have no clue. Though I suppose we’ll cross that bridge when we get there; first, making my way out of here.

* * *

Out of Fryzwald, passing the cities southward until I reached to the furthest protected point from the capital: Maganmur. Everywhere I went, I saw posters spread, and caught the glances of many. Though I guess that has more to do with how I was rushing through the streets and these blades still stuck on my back.

Once in Maganmur, I slowed down in pace, giving myself the chance to catch a breather and as a bonus, I stand out a little less.

Thus far, this is the city I’m the least familiar with. I know of a fountain, a big statue, but their location on the other hand, not a clue.

Just as I was thinking that, I saw a girl with fluffy golden hair hanging posters up outside an armour shop. She had a big pouch strapped around her waist with more posters in them. She turned her head all of a sudden.

Before I realised I was staring, I got lost in her bright forest-green eyes. When I snapped out of it, our eye contact startled me half to death. I turned away, though as soon as I did, I felt a hand spinning me around by my shoulder.

“Saw ya starin’, your eyes didn’t happen to catch this missin’ lad, did they?” She pointed at the image of me on one of her posters.

“Ah, uh… no. Haven’t seen him.”

What startled me even more was hearing such a thick accent coming from someone that lived in these parts of the kingdom and appeared to be my age.

“Argh, I’m beat ya know. Hangin’ up these posters all day long ain’t no fun,” she nagged as she reached for the posters in her pouch. “Three… four… five—”

“Seventy-eight posters,” I mindlessly interrupted.

She slowly turned her head, locking her eyes to my chest, neck and then my eyes—hers wide opened.

“Ya can tell by just looking… huh?”

I should’ve kept my mouth shut…

With her pinky, she split up about half the posters and shoved them in my hands. “How about we split ‘em in two ‘n’ I’ll hand ya sum of me coins. Deal?”

I really want to get out of here as quickly as possible, though letting this chance of racking up coins go by would be foolish.

“…Alright, you got a deal.”

A bright smile appeared on her face, “I knew ya’d say so! Let’s meet at the fountain when yer done, m’kay?” She handed me a bottle of tree sap.

I nodded and went off to hang these posters up. Nearing the end of the street, I realised I had no clue where to hang them up in the first place. I turned around again, she hadn’t budged an inch.
“Hey, um—” I was about to call out to her, but I didn’t know her name, and shouting out ‘poster-girl’ seemed a little rude.

“Hah, the name’s Anna,” she smiled.

“Right, Anna, where do I hang these up?”

She simply smiled again and said, “Hang ‘em in places where they’ll catch sum eyes.”