“Who the fuck was that?” Anora blurted.<br/><br/>“The guy who cut me earlier.” Ardur quickly responded.<br/><br/>“How did he, how did he find us so fast?” Her hand shot to her side as she let out a small squeal of pain.<br/><br/>“I don't know.” Ardur responded. “But if he carries through on his threats we need to be prepared.”<br/><br/>“Indeed.” Anora responded quickly before she let out a louder squeal as she clenched her teeth and her eyes closed.<br/><br/>“You should get some rest.” Ardur said as he leaned back on the bar. He passed over his mug of alcohol. Anora started to push away the drink but Ardur pressed. “No, drink some of this. It'll help numb the pain.” He said as he thrust the drink closer to her face.<br/><br/>Anora's eyes grew wide as they tried to focus in on the mug in front of her. Taking a second to focus, she reached out and grabbed the mug. She held it in front of her lips, a mere inches from touching, as her eyes remained fixated on the drink inside. A clear liquid was all she could tell. Her eyes darted back to Ardur as if looking for a way out. Ardur simply responded with his hand motioning for her to drink. She took a quick sip, and the bruning sensation going down her throat nearly caused her to gag.<br/><br/>“What..” Pausing as she coughed. “What is this drink?” She asked as a look of disgust fell over her face. Her hand raised the mug up to her eye level. She scanned the mug but found no indication of what the drink was.<br/><br/>“I don't know, it's not my drink.” Ardur said as his lips formed a playful grin.<br/><br/>Anora's head tilted to the side as the look of disgust faded from her face, forming a puzzled look instead. Ardur let out a small laugh as his hand pointed to the man beside him. Anora moved to the side to get a look and the puzzled look on her face was replaced with one of astonishment. A man who's easy life was evident by the thick layers of fat surrounding his stomach, chest, face and every last part of his body. His face was planted firmly in the bar counter in front of him, vomit on both his shirt and the bar top was everywhere.<br/><br/>“Must be strong stuff.” Arudr joked. “He only had two mugs before he passed out.” Ardur finished as he reached behind him and grabbed his mug, which was substantially larger than the one he gave Anora. “This is my drink.” He said as a weak smile filled his face. His eyes fixated on the mug for a brief second before they rolled back revealing just the whites of the eyes. A fast second later and the mug was to his mouth, the bottom facing the ceiling, and grog spilling both down his throat and across his face.<br/><br/>“Seems you need this hard stuff.” Anora said as her hand gripped the mug, and after a hesitation, took another drink. Her eyes shut in an instance as she let out a gasp. “How can you deal with this so called drink?” She said as her eyes opened slightly. Her hand shot to her throat and began to rub it. “I don't even feel it working.”<br/><br/>“Oh, you poor lass.” Ardur joked as he slammed his mug down on the counter.<br/><br/>“Another?” The bartender asked.<br/><br/>“Another indeed.” Ardur responded as he tilted his head. “And one for my friend.” He said as his finger pointed towards Anora. The bartender nodded and went back to work.<br/><br/>“You will feel the effects soon enough.” Arudr said as he turned his body to face hers. His hand reached out and grabbed the mug from her hand, placing it on the bar besides him. “But back to the subject, what do we do about your” Pausing as his hands made air quotes “Long lost brother?”<br/><br/>Anora's face quickly turned to anger. “He is no brother of mine.”<br/><br/>“But the fact remains that he claims it, and is a hell of a good fighter to boost.” Ardur retorted. “Do you recall a brother, or for arguments sake anyone who was around your family that would claim to be one?” Ardur asked as the bartender handed a large mug to both Ardur and Anora.<br/><br/>“No.” Anora blurted as she took a large drink from the mug.<br/><br/>“Think harder Anora.” Ardur pressed.<br/><br/>“No I don't have, I don't think I have a brother.” She said as she began to feel lightheaded. “I feel weird.”<br/><br/>“Now you feel it.” Ardur chuckled.<br/><br/>“I don't remember a brother, sister..” Pausing as she thought hard, her eyes falling to the bottom corners of her vision. “I remember my sister name was Firosa.” She said as she took another drink. “I don't remember much about her, but I remember she was always playing with some boy.” She said as she took another drink.<br/><br/>“Slow down girl.” Ardur said. “You will be no better than that drunk in an hour at this rate.” Finishing as he pointed back at the drunk man. “But this boy, remember him.” Ardur probed. “What was he like, a commoner or did he walk with a sense of grace?”<br/><br/>“No, no he was not of common birth.” Anora said as images of his appearance flashed into her memory. She remembers him in many of her early memories, be it on a walk with her mother or simply playing in the courtyard of her manor.<br/><br/>“I remember this boy everywhere.” Anora spoke. She was about to take another sip, but the look on Arudr's face told her not to.<br/><br/>“Like, where exactly.” Arudr spoke as he again raised the mug to his mouth, bottom to the ceiling, and poured more alcohol down his throat and across his face.<br/><br/>“The marketplace for starters.” Anora said as she placed his mug down on the bartop. “Every time mother would go to the marketplace he was there with two toy swords.” She said as a smile fell over her face. “Mother loved the marketplace. Her home away from home.” She said as an even larger smile fell over her face. “She would go down there every week and I would always go there with her.<br/>“ She said as she took another sip. “One time they were out of cabbage, oh her favourite vegetable was cabbage. When they said they were out, she got furious!” Anora said as a loud laugh escaped from her lips. After a second, she stopped the laugh and adopted a serious face once more.'<br/><br/>“What is wrong with me right now?” Anora asked.<br/><br/>“Alcohol makes us all honest, my friend.” Ardur chuckled.<br/><br/>“I don't like it.” She said as she placed the mug back down on the table.<br/><br/>“Don't feel your side as much, no?” Ardur asked.<br/><br/>“Not as much, no.”  Anora shyly spoke.<br/><br/>Ardur laughed as he looked back towards the bartender and asked for another.  The Bartender was cleaning a dirty mug with a cloth that still had traces of food long since cleaned off the plates of customers.  He shot Ardur a look as he placed this mug underneath the tap, and poured in alcohol.  The bartender maintained eye contact as the bartender finished off the drink, complete with him scalping off the foam top that protruded far from the edges of the drink.  The bartender placed the drink on the bartop near Ardur, and asked a question.  “You plan on paying me anytime soon?”<br/><br/>Anora quickly found her coin purse and grabbed a few of her gold coins.  She quickly placed them on the bar.  “His drinks and my own for the night.”  She said as she allowed a weak smile to return to her face.  Feeling weird, she also pointed out Sheo, Magnus, and everyone else in their group.  “Make sure they have their fill as well.”  She said as she hiccoughed.<br/><br/>“Anora the generous all of a sudden.”  Ardur joked.<br/><br/>“Credit the alcohol.”  She said as she raised her mug in the direction of Sheo and everyone else in her general direction.  “We need this night.”  Anora said as she looked back towards Ardur.  “The following days will not be easy.”<br/><br/>Ardur returned her gaze once more, and gave a nod in agreement.  “These are good people.  At least they're not the usual, overweight caravan leaders we're used to.”  He finished as he reached out his mug close to Anora.  Anora pressed her cup hesitantly against Ardur's before the pair took a drink.  “You should go and get some rest like Cyrus and Selen.  We need at least one person who won't be hungover in the morning.”<br/><br/>“I think I will stay here for a while longer.”  Anora replied.<br/><br/>Meanwhile Cyrus and Selen silently left their group behind and retreated towards their room.<br/><br/>“Is it true, grandfather?” Selen asked<br/><br/>“Is what true, child.  Remember to be specific.”  Cyrus lectured<br/><br/>“Was that Lason Divinio?  Did Anora have a brother?”  Selen pestered.<br/><br/>“I have heard stories of him.  Vanished after a bandit attacked his convoy on the way to the capital.”  Cyrus responded as he thought.  “No mention of him after that if I recall.”  He paused as he opened his door.  “Come child, let us get some sleep.  We need our rest if they keep drinking like that.”  He scolded.