In that time he had learned to better wield a variety of weapons, had bested John at chess, and had learned to read at a semi-competent level. At least, he read enough to know what ‘semi-competent’ meant. His hardest challenge to date, however, was the one that appeared when he was visiting the townsfolk with Thorald. He was supposed to be Thorald’s bodyguard under order of the King, but Thorald told Merek that there wasn’t really anything to fear. Merek was just along to have some fun. “Considering that’s all but unknown to you,” Thorald chuckled as they headed into something called a ‘tavern.’ It was… loud. The place was full of people, most of who were singing along with a woman playing a lute. Merek looked around, taking everything in at a glance, making sure no one made any suspicious moves.
