Chapter 3

Ron sneaked out of the castle through his secret route. It was a dark murky pathway underneath his grandfather’s bedroom which led to a cave at a riverside not far from town.

His grandfather had showed it to him before he passed away. They used to go on so many escapades together. Witness festivals, celebrations, annual games and competitions and so much more. But after his grandfather died, his father became more strict on him which left barely any time for him to go out and have fun. 

He didn't like to be indoors all the time like some housewife. He preferred to go out, interact and see what the world was like. Reading from novels wasn't enough. This time, he took one of his grandfather's disguises. It was a black wig and crappy mustache. 

After he reached the cave, he took off his royal clothes, folded them neatly then stuffed them in a bag. He then put on the wig and mustache, coupled with a dirty brown robe. He looked like a beggar. Exactly what he was going for. As long as he minded his own business, he wouldn't have trouble with anyone. He also stuffed some gold coins into a pouch and hung it around his waist.

To complete the look, he wore a pair of worn out shoes and put a blade of grass between his teeth. He even felt like a beggar. This time, Ron was going to town not to have fun but to gather information. 

The night was young and the full moon was out, bathing the town in it's silvery light. The streets were packed. People were walking all around, going about their daily business, selling products, some talking, others playing games. Music could be heard from different corners together with clapping sounds and cheers. The people of Ashenmore were more lively in the night.

Ron entered a tavern. It was full of men, laughing, drinking and eating with different scantily dressed women on their laps. Ron has never been one to engage in the pleasures of the flesh. His father had sent a teacher, female to be exact, to educate him in such things but he never participated because he didn't swing that way. 

"A cup of ginger ale please" he said to the bartender, sliding a gold coin on the table then he sat on a stool.

The old bartender's eyes gleamed. He picked up the coin, bit it once, smiled and stuffed it into his pocket. He is called Old Jack. He has thinning white hair, yellow skin and tobacco stained teeth.

"What do you want to know?" he asked in a low voice. Old Jack knew these kinds of people. He had been doing this job since he was 15. No one paid a golden coin for just one cup of ale. He poured Ron some ginger ale and gave it to him.

Ron didn't drink. Instead, he asked; "What do you know about the King in the North?" 

The old bartender gasped and quickly looked around to make sure no one was watching or listening. "King in the North? That's a very tough one" 

Ron slid another gold coin. "I want to know everything you know"

The bartender was very greedy. He thought that this person looks poor but seems to be rich. Why not make information more expensive? "The North is a place not a lot of people visit. It's very hard to get information about it. What I know is very little..."

Another gold coin was placed on the table. Ron knew Old Jack was greedy but his information was reliable. He wouldn't have bothered about this but this was about his sister. He needed to know all he could about Netheridge. It wasn't anywhere on any map he had studied and he had those maps memorized. 

Unknown to poor Ron, a few people had already noticed the exchange. Particularly a man with silver hair wearing a black robe sitting two stools away and a group of dangerous looking men by the side. 

The bartender was happy. Three golden coins could last him a few months. He leaned close and started to whisper; "Very few people know about the North. No one knows how the King came about. It's like he just appeared out of thin air with a whole Kingdom. The entire thing seems fishy and those who go there never come back so we hardly know anything. We do know that they're very rich in resources. They have many things unknown to man and are believed to be developing faster than our Kingdom which is the biggest and most developed place in all the lands. Rumours also have it that the King is going to marry our princess. I don't know if it's true"

'Oh it's true alright' Ron thought. But, without knowing much about the Kingdom, why would his father agree to marry off his daughter? Was he bribed with money? But they have money. What else could his father want and why did the King of the North want to marry his own sister? 

"What are these resources the North have that we don't?" he asked. "Why is it so mysterious? Is the King a good person?

Old Jack shrugged. "I have no idea. I heard they specialize in jewelry trade though. The most expensive and highly demanded type is their ice crystal. Some say it's made of real ice but I think that's just hogwash because ice melts. How can it be used for jewelry?"

Ron was getting annoyed. Ice crystals my foot! He paid three gold coins to know nothing! The information he got wasn't concrete. He bet it was just a bunch of rumors.

He didn't want to go to some foreign Kingdom without knowing anything about it not to talk of leaving his sister there with a man he hasn't even met. He decided to try another place. Netheridge can't be that well hidden that no one would know anything important. 

He finished his ginger ale and walked out of the tavern. Unbeknownst to him, he was being followed.