"Get up your lazy *ss grey, the royal festival is about to start and you are sleeping around. The town square is still in need of a proper sweeping and here you are. If you don't do it, i'll make sure you don't get pay for today".
Hearing the man's voice, a boy of about sixteen years groggily wiped his eyes as he looked up. He saw the angry man standing over him and jerked up fully awake now.
"Do you want to be fired? Can't you see that the halls are still dirty and you are lying here sleeping off." The man barked at Grey who stood up confused.
"But sir, you only said i should i deliver the fruits to the hall. Nothing was said about cleaning it up." The young boy said with a confused expression on his face.
The man's face seemed to contort in anger when he heard him say that and grabbed him by the collar. "When did i ever say that? Now go and do what i ask you to do if not you will not receive your wages." The man shouted.
The young boy gulped and when the man let go of his shirt, he immediately ran to look for a broom to sweep the floor.
'But i was not lazing around, and you never said i should sweep the hall after carrying the fruits from ten kilometeres away.' The boy was angry, but would not dare show it in front of the man who was gradually calming down as he watched Grey pick up a broom and start to sweep.
Today was the royal festival in their nameless town. Every once in a year, the royal officials from the palace would come to the village to take the annual tax and the villagers would host a festival in their honour.
Rich merchants and traders would come to give their produce to the royal official in hopes of getting close to the royal family.
Grey had no money and he was an orphan who had to perform menial tasks in order to survive each day. Today he had been given the task of transporting 15kg of fresh fruits that retained some of their spiritual quality in them.
He had trekked with the sack of fruits on his back for ten kilometres, using several hours on the journey. He had hoped to get some sleep and get some strength for the next job while he waited for the person who hired him, but was not expecting to still be treated like this.
Everyone knew he was a broke pauper who survived only by doing menial tasks everyday and some people would take pity on him and give him some tasks to do, but this man was wicked and wanted to take advantage of Grey by threatening him with his wages.
He was poor after all and no one would come to his rescue if he reported so he had no other choice. As he swept the hall, he noticed the intricate carvings and designs on its walls. They spoke of great luxury and expensive taste.
In all his life, he had never been given the chance to enter this hall whenever a festival was being hosted and could only ever watch from the outside.
"Hurry up Grey, or do i need to reduce your wages to make you work faster?" The man said with irritation obvious in his voice and even without looking, he knew that the man was very angry and could do what he said if he got annoyed any further.
So he increased his pace and swept faster, and in half an hour he had managed to sweep the hall clean of any dust and grime.
Sweat rolled down the side of his face as he sat down by the side. He looked up to the man waiting for his next words.
But instead of hearing the sound of his pocket, he heard the man propose another job.
"Since you are done sweeping, how about you do another job for me again?" The man said but his face did not look like he asking, instead grey felt that if he refused he would not be paid. So he sighed and said he would accept the job.
"Good" The man nodded in satisfaction. "When the royal official comes, i want you to serve him. He doesn't like people getting up close and personal with him so keep your distance from him, lest you annoy him". He said with a strict voice with which grey nodded tiredly
" Great, now once you have done this job i will pay you your money in cash and in fact, i'll even double it." The man said to which grey just nodded again. Seeing grey just nod and not talking, he felt annoyed but soon let go. He gave grey some particular instructions before hand and gave him an item.
***
By the time the sun was setting, people began to gather into the hall and soon things like decorations and beautiful furniture were put in place.
In a short while, more people started to come in and by nightfall the royal official and his small cohort came in as well.
Surronded by flocking merchants who followed them closely. They would laugh at the things the officials would say and try to get close to them, but the officials still kept them at arms length. Not wishing to converse with them too much.
After the arrival of the officials, the festival officially started and they were lead to a high seat overlooking the hall like kings. Their gazes held smugness and contempt.
When it was time to start the festival, the angry man called Grey and gave him a gold cup with beautiful designs fitted for a king.
"Go and give this cup to the official, and don't forget to add that thing to it." Angry man said and urged grey along.
Grey had a bad feeling about it, but didn't know what was wrong. Still walking away with the cup in his hand, he sighed.
As he turned round the table, his vision darkened slightly, due to the fact that he had not eaten since morning and carrying the 15kg of fruits on his back for 10 miled was no small thing.
'I must be veru tired to be dozing off like this. Better lemme get this done, and quick about it.' He hastened his steps slightly.
The official still with a nonchalant expression on his face, brought out a scroll embroidered with the royal family insignia and opened it. Prepared to read it out loud, everyone's eyes focused on him.
Only Grey was still walking. Just as he was nearing the official and about to drop the cup at his side, he slipped on the carpet and spilled the contents of the cup on the body of the official and also, on the royal scroll.
Everyone's eyes widened in shock. The angry man couldn't believe it and wanted to faint instantly.
The royal official was angry and suddenly thrust his arm out at grey, who had not expected it and was weak to block it.
The arm landed on his chest and grey felt a strange power enter his body. Before he could even react, he was blown away by a sudden gust of wind and hit the wall with a loud bang.
"He's a cultivator!'' Someone found the voice to speak and everywhere was soon thrown to choas.
Maids quickly rushed to try and clean the spilt contents of the wine away from the royal official's body, but a sudden gust of wind blew everyone away.
The royal official was very angry it seemed and looked ready to kill everyone but after his cohort calmed him down, he sat down back and said in a cold voice to everyone present.
" Is this the welcome the royal constable of the royal family gets when he comes to such a back water village. Insolence! It will not be tolerated. Everyone in this village will pay Five thousand gold coins and a hundred spirit stones for such direspect to forgiven." The royal official said with traces of anger still in his voice. "And i also want him dead too, for defiling the royal decree of the royal palace." He said with arm outstretched towards Grey who was still in the wall.
"And sorry your grace, we cannot kill him because it is the custom of our land not to kill anyone. Instead, i suggest we whip him a hundred times then banish him from the village that he may never come back. It may be a more severe punishment for him." A man came up and said, trembling before the royal contable. His face was full of fear amd sweat was dripping from his head to the floor. He was sweating bullets.
"Fine, but he better be gone in the next two hours, if not..." The royal contable said with disdain in his voice. Not caring if grey died or not. Just wanting to know that he had been severely punished.
"Yes-s, m-my lord". The man stammered before moving away with fear still on his face.