All three guards followed him. Sighing, Jory ignored them.
The smooth castle walls were like an endless maze. He was about to ask his silent cadre for directions when he saw a break and went for it.
Colors. The bright colors were almost blinding compared to the calm cool colors of the castle. Smiling, Jory dived into the crowds, trusting his guards would follow or not.
It was important that he followed traditions, especially with his mother looking on. In his mother's culture, one always provided mates with three things, a blanket to warm them and show concern for their comfort, a weapon to show confidence in their ability to protect the family, and a piece of jewelry to show they were cherished.
The vendors called to him from the sidelines. A hawker of blankets showed brilliant swathes woven into intricate designs. Perfect. With a flicker of a glance towards the guards, Jory entered the booth.
"Can I interest you in something, sir?" the dark-skinned man asked with a flash of blinding white teeth. With cunning eyes, he examined Jory's clothes.
Jory smirked back. He could afford any price, but what fun was that?
Pretending indifference, Jory looked over the wares, thinking of his lovers. Remembering the luxury of Val's chambers, Jory picked out an exquisite red blanket with a dragon picked out in black. The material had a sensuous feel, reminding him of his enthralling lover, and the dragon reminded him of Precious. He also found a silver-colored one, again with a black dragon that reminded him of Rai.
"I like these," he told the hovering salesman. "I want these for my mates."
"Excellent choices." The other man's eyes appeared warm and sincere, as only a dedicated salesman's could be. Jory was pleased to note the man didn't balk when he mentioned more than one mate until he realized the man probably thought he was hedging his bets.
After twenty minutes of haggling, Jory ended up paying a lot less than advertised but enough that the salesman probably made a comfortable profit. The blanket merchant wrapped them prettily and arranged for delivery. "Your men will like these very much."
"Yes, I believe they will."
Pleased with his purchases, Jory went through the other stalls. Seeking specific gifts, it took him a while before his eyes lit on a blacksmith stand. Hanging from a hook was a series of throwing knives.
Excited, Jory weaved through the crowds to examine the weapons. They looked even better up close.
"Can I help you, sir?"
Jory turned to see a man who could challenge his new guards for massiveness. "Yes, I'm looking for mating gifts. My culture demands that one of the gifts I send to my new mates is a new weapon. I need something fine for each of them. Money isn't a problem but quality is."
The blacksmith leered at him. "Are you sure you don't want to dump your mates and try out a real man?"
Mal, Revyn and Trius growled behind him. Jory laughed.
Revyn stepped forward, brushing Jory behind him. "Use more respect. This man is mated to both Duke Klarian and King Raiston."
Precious plopped onto Jory's shoulder and gave a low hiss. The guards and the blacksmith froze.
"Where did you get a black dragon?" the blacksmith asked in an awed whisper. He glanced around, and his brow furrowed. "And where did it just come from?"
"I don't want to cause any trouble," Jory said as the tension escalated. "You guards step back. Precious is sweet, but I've seen what she does when she thinks I'm threatened, and I don't really want to have to explain acid burns on four people."
With a final glare at the blacksmith, the guards left the stand.
Jory gave the other man a friendly smile, but it went unheeded. The blacksmith had a wary eye on his dragon.
"Are your mates really Lord Klarian and the king?"
"Yes."
The blacksmith's sharp eyes scanned his stock.
"I thought a sword for Rai and a set of throwing knives for Val."
Nodding, the blacksmith headed for his stand of swords. He reached out for a flashy one with a dragon on the front.
"Not that one."
