Spellbinder - 2001-06-13
revor grinned at Selene's hopeful announcement as he helped her aboard the stallion. "I certainly hope our trip will be rather boring. I could use a little monotony right now." He urged Starstruck forward in response to Selene's request and he was delighted as she leaned back against his chest, which caused the knight to wish for once he wore no armor.
Trevor enjoyed the ride with Selene immeasurably. He thrilled to her every touch and longed to hold her close to him. He had experienced the affections of other women before, but never had he felt such emotion rush through his heart. It seemed that the others had merely been conquests and not truly lovers. Selene, despite her age, seemed so mature and sophisticated compared to the country girls he had known. She maintained a shell against the outside world, no doubt a by-product of her royal heritage. But once you got past that, she was a warm and caring person. He remembered his mother Sherai telling him to never judge a book by its cover. Here was her advice proven quite dramatically.
As the couple rode on they exchanged brief expressions of affection, sometimes a word or a touch. It amazed Trevor that they had come to this place in their lives so quickly and naturally. The hours rolled by happily for the tired, yet satisfied pair. Trevor saw the village at the same time Selene did and replied to her query. "Well, where we are is, I believe, a village called Covingham." He leaned forward and kissed Selene's cheek. "They have something you've been pining away for. The Inn. You know, the kind with bath tubs, beds with real sheets, and lots of good food. And most importantly, no wyverns to make bath time 'interesting'." He grinned at Selene's delighted squeal.
They entered the village a few minutes later. Starstruck nearly trotted as he sensed the end of their journey. Several children ran beside them and gawked at Trevor's armor and pointed at his sword. One young lad caught Trevor's eye as the youngster watched them pass, a wooden sword clutched in his small hands. The knight saw himself as a young boy playing the courageous knight in shining armor, defending the weak and rescuing fair maidens from imaginary dragons. Trevor saluted the boy and winked at him knowingly. The boy's face lit up in a wide, toothy grin as he raised his sword to the sky in response.
The Inn was the largest structure in the village and so was not hard to find. The tired travelers dismounted Starstruck near the entrance. Trevor held the horse's reins and turned to Selene, his voice thick with fatigue as he spoke, "Why don't you see about getting us rooms while I see to Starstruck, all right?" He was so tired he just turned without waiting for an answer and led the stallion toward the stables. There he turned the care of Starstruck over to the hostler, a narrow faced young man who regarded Trevor with brown eyes that revealed little. As Trevor turned to leave a horse caught his eye. He approached the beast and recognition widened his eyes. It was Jetta, Azari's horse. She was here, at the Inn? He spun about and asked the hostler, "The owner of this horse, was she a woman with green eyes and auburn hair? A very beautiful lady?" Jarren nodded. "How long has she been here?" the knight inquired. "Oh, I'd say about a day, maybe two." was the reply. Trevor slipped a few coins in his hand and nodded his thanks.
Trevor joined Selene inside a few moments later, his head spinning both from exhaustion and the knowledge that Azari was nearby. He took Selene's arm and steered her toward the stairs. He whispered gently, "I believe Azari is here. I saw her horse in the stable." He steeled himself for Selene's reaction.
Spellbinder - 2001-06-14
After the knight left the stable Jarren looked at the coins in his hand and sighed. With a Knight of Torrigan nearby it would make his life more difficult. He would have to lay low for the duration of the knight's visit lest some traveler should notice missing items and alert him to Jarren's activities. It also meant that getting close to the green eyed beauty and her necklace would have to wait as well. With a muttered curse he attacked the next stall with vehemence, hay and manure flying this way and that as he vented his anger.
Amber - 2001-06-17
She slid to the ground with Trevor's help, patting Starstruck's flank absentmindedly as she looked at the building, the Inn, almost missing Trevor's instructions. By the time they sank in, he was already leading Starstruck away. "Trevor?" She called, but he didn't hear her. "How do I get rooms?" She asked no one but herself. Sighing helplessly, she turned back to stare at the Inn. It didn't look like much, honestly. Only the battered sign swinging creakily over the door proclaiming unadornedly "INN AND BAR" gave any clue to its use. Its roof looked like it would cave in at any moment, and the entire structure had a warped, weathered look and feel to it. It was a building that had stood through ages and resisted all that had been thrown at it, from human attacks to nature's fury to the simple wear and tear of time. She frowned; if not for the overpowering need for a bed, bath, and food, she would have marched back to Trevor and asked to be taken someplace that didn't look like it was going to fall down. But, she chided herself, they didn't have the energy to travel anywhere else. They'd have to make due.
She approached the door, reaching out her hand to open it, when it was suddenly thrown open. She was nearly plowed over as several drunks staggered out the door and into the main road of the village. She drew herself up angrily, glaring at them and wishing they knew who she was; then they would have had to bow and apologize to her.. She sighed and quickly pushed her way through the door before another bunch of drunks could try and add her to the wall behind the door.
Selene found herself standing the central room of the Inn. The first thing she noticed was the fact that it was bigger on the inside than it seemed from the outside. Next, her nose wrinkled as her eyes found the entrance to the bar -- and her nose the scents emanating from it. The smell of spirits and sweaty bodies was not, to her nose, pleasant, and she wrinkled it in distaste at their actions as well as how bad it smelled. A burst of laughter accompanied her as she stepped further into the room -- away from the bar. To her right a stairway curved up into the second floor. To her left was the bar. Directly in front of her, hanging on the wall was a large tapestry. It was the Map of the Known World, decorated by sea monsters and fantastical creatures, more for show than any real practice. Below it stood a man in back of a desk piled high with scrolls and papers.
Her eyes rested on this curious man. He was balding on top, two shocks of white hair stuck to either side of his head like clouds that had been glued there. He had a large nose, red, like his cheeks, which were plump and rosy. Two bright brown eyes watched the small world of his Inn with a sort of jolly amusement, lighthearted yet not dumb at all. He was master of this Inn. His eyes settled on the woman standing in the middle of the room, and brightened curiously.
'Well well! Look at that, my my my.. What a pretty little thing, what is she doing in my Inn? What a soft little puppet, lost too, what a shame. I certainly hope she isn't alone, by the Sun!' He smiled at her, catching her eye, and was rewarded by a shy, dazzling smile. 'Either a noblewoman or a priestess of some sort. Whatever she is, she doesn't belong with this rabble ho ho no no...' Still smiling warmly, he beckoned her over.
Selene felt instantly that this little man was harmless, and trustworthy. She didn't know why she felt that way, but his smile reassured her immensely. She held her head high as she crossed the room to his desk, folding her hands on his desk. "Where do I inquire as to the available rooms?" She asked, her tone nonchalant, even though she basically had no clue what she was doing, and it showed. He chuckled, and glanced at the mound of papers before starting to dig through it.
"Now where on high an' mighty hen hoppers and rooster roasters is that book? Mariah always said that I would loose my head if 'twasn't attached to my neck ho ho!" A feather pen settled on his shoulder as he dug through the mound, tickling his nose. Selene winced as he let out a mighty sneeze, papers and scrolls fluttering all over. "Dear dear look at that!" He chuckled, clucking at himself amusedly. "Book book book..." He muttered, digging around in the mound that remained on the desk. Selene smiled quietly and reached over to one side of the desk, pulling out a thick, black book, the only book in the pile, and handing it to him. He chuckled again and opened it, pulling out paper after paper. Thin, elegant writing with a thicker, smaller writing covered page after page, and he snorted annoyedly. "Six and twenty blackbirds! I told Mariah not to do this!" He raised his head and beamed at her. "Excuse me, poppet, Mariah's messed up the book again. I'll be right back with what rooms we have open." He chuckled at her, patting her hand, and headed for the stairs, muttering phrases to himself as he went. "Wet hens in the middle of a desert, I'm going to have a word or two with that wife of mine! Of course, she'll have more than two and twenty for me! Ho ho ha ha!"
Selene watched him go, reaching up to run a hand through her curls, pulling them out of her face. She turned and looked over her shoulder as Trevor came in, smiling widely to him. However, what she was going to say died on her lips at his expression. She looked at him, tilting her head slightly in bewilderment as he guided her towards the stairs, away from the crowd near the bar. She leaned forward to hear him, for he was talking quietly, and blinked several times, for a moment unable to comprehend what he was talking about. "Azari's HERE?" She repeated incredulously. She opened her mouth to speak but her reaction was put on hold by a loud chuckle and "By a lamb's wool!" from the top of the stairs. She turned to see the inn keeper standing at the top of the stairs, grinning knowingly at both of them. She glanced back at Trevor as if to say "What??"
The innkeeper practically bounded down the stairs to grab their arms, looking at them delightedly. "Well now! I am such a air head, yes I am! What a dunderhead! To think such a pretty little poppet as you" he patted Selene's cheek, positively beaming, "would be all alone!" He clucked, shaking his head. "What a fluffbrain am I! Of course, it all makes sense, if you just think about it!" Selene was more than a bit puzzled at the man's strange behavior.
"What makes sense?"
"Newlyweds!" He burst out, clapping his hands together. "Ah! The fair noblewoman, traveling with her new husband, a lord knight, to his manor! What a scene! What a story! What an epic! Makes me wish I was young again! Ho ho! You sir," He address Trevor, cuffing him playfully on the side of the arm, "better keep an eye on that lovely young lassie of yours or you're going to have competition! ho ho! The men'll flock around her, but I'm sure she's got eyes for you only!!" He chuckled again, apparently not noticing that Selene's cheeks were burning.
"But we're not-"
"Of course! Don't even ask, fair lady. I won't press on you for the story of your love, no no .. You need rest! Come come!" And then, not even waiting for an answer, he took both of their arms, nodding at a servant, "fetch their bags boy!" and leading them up the stairs. "I have the perfect room for you two! Ho ho lassie by the sky, why didn't you tell me you had such a dashing lad looking after you?!" He chuckled again, his nose getting even redder in his excitement. He called to a maid in the hallway, still pulling both of them along. "Hi ho Krya! Child of mine, apple of my eye, here's a happy couple for you! Prepare baths for both of them! And make sure they're good and hot! And don't forget to tell the chef to prepare a meal for them, they're probably famished!" He chuckled to himself.
"But, sir, I'm trying to tell you that-"
"Oh of course it's no trouble! An additional discount for you too! Ha! I think I'll buy my wife some flowers when I get home tonight, all this young love is giving me quite the spirit! Ho ho ha!" He'd led them down another hallway, chattering as he went. "Here, Suite number two, for traveling royalty and the happy couple! Here you go here you go by the twinkle in my wife's eye it's a nice one!" He threw open the door, shoving them both in. "Balcony on the right, be sure to shut it up tonight! Firewood for the fireplace to one side of it, don't worry about using it all up one of my sons'll restock it! Krya will be up with some towels for your baths and I'll have my cook prepare you a nice, quiet luncheon just for you two!" He chuckled and pounded Trevor on the back, pulling Selene down to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Good luck and a lovely night to both of you!" And then he exited, and could be heard exclaiming and chuckling to himself all the way back down the hall.
Standing in front of the door, Selene ran her hand through her hair and looked at Trevor. They were both quiet, Selene out of puzzlement and embarassment "Are all the people in Torrigan either crazy or drunk all the time?" She finally asked, her voice with a slight laugh in it.
Copyright (c) 1999-2001 Abigail Laughlin and the members of the Circle of Stone.