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[#55FIWJ8WH]

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10-Feb-2011 16:07:15

Caydock

Caydock

Posts: 6,279 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Derthi came into view around six hours later as the two men came to the crest of a large hill. They had exited the forest an hour before and Rowan was thrilled by the change in scenery. The sun was low in the west but still bright enough to blind vision, so Rowan held up his hand to shade his eyes while he studied Derthi. The larger village was centered in the middle of a few hills and the first thing Rowan noticed was that there were children running down the few streets. Even from this far away he could hear their laughter and he smiled at the infectious sound. When he looked to the northern horizon he could see dozens of tiny farm homes dotted around the landscape. The countryside spread so far that it seemed as though the whole of Adakae was laid out before him, but Jonathan laughed when Rowan commented on it. “This is nothing. You should see the view from Rematan. The whole city is on a mountain and you can see for miles.”
“Maybe you can take me there someday,” Rowan said jokingly.
“All the way to Rematan? Heaven forbid.”
Jonathan had left his horse and wagon at the bottom of the hill; they had climbed it only to see the view because Old Bradbuck would never make it up, let alone down, with a rolling cart behind him. They were forced to take a roundabout way to the village, through a valley, which took about an hour.
By the time they arrived in Derthi, the town had settled down and the children were all inside their homes, to Rowan’s disappointment. Rowan realized that, from a distance, the houses had seemed small, but up close it was clear that they were spacious and cozy, a far cry from the backwards ways of his hometown. It was obvious that Derthi was no rural forest village and there was even an inn and tavern combo, with a neighboring stable, sandwiched between a few of the houses. The sound of a banjo accompanied by a flute could be heard from the inn and Rowan found himself bobbing his head to the rhythm.

14-Feb-2011 20:45:56

Caydock

Caydock

Posts: 6,279 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Jonathan smiled, “Great, isn’t it?”
Rowan, assuming he meant the music, nodded, “I’ve never heard anyone play so well before.”
Jonathan laughed, “I meant being here. This is what a village is supposed to be like.”
“Oh…that too.”
An old man was sitting in front of the tavern and he waved to them, “Evening, travellers!”
Jonathan returned the greeting and then said, “Is there room in the inn tonight?”
The man started to nod, but gave in to a fit of coughing, bending over and making so much noise that Rowan wouldn’t have been surprised if he had awoken the whole village.
After a minute the man straightened and replied, “There’s always room in this inn.” He gave vent to a hoarse laugh but was soon coughing again.
“Thank you,” Jonathan said pleasantly. He slid off of his seat and took his horse’s bridle, leading him to the stable while Rowan followed suit.
“Did you see that?” Jonathan called to Rowan. “That man talked to us.”
Rowan was getting a little tired of the Aridy jokes and pretended he hadn’t heard.
There was a single lantern in the stable, sitting on a counter, and its glow revealed that almost every stall was empty. A young man was sitting on a stool, leaned against the wall with his mouth hung open, snores emitting. Jonathan cleared his throat quietly and, when there was no response, cleared it a little louder.
Rowan pushed his way to the front and kicked the man’s boot firmly with his own.
“Oh, m’ apologies, sirs,” said the man after he had rubbed the sleep from his eyes and realized that two customers were standing in front of him. “Are you staying the night in the inn?”
Although he thought that that much was obvious, Jonathan nodded. “We’d like two stalls for the night, please.”
The man received their payment and stored it in a faded, grimy leather pouch that hung from his belt. *Thanks much, sirs. I’ll take your horses now, if you please.*

14-Feb-2011 20:46:16 - Last edited on 14-Feb-2011 20:47:13 by Caydock

Caydock

Caydock

Posts: 6,279 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Although Rowan was reluctant to surrender the care of Victory to a stranger, the sounds coming from the tavern were tempting and he was eager to get inside and listen. Besides, the stable-hand’s face brooked no argument about whose job concerned horses and Rowan allowed the man to take Victory’s bridle from him.
After Old Bradbuck had been unfastened from the cart Jonathan said, “You’ll understand if this cart stays here for the night? I’ll move it first thing in the morning.”
The stable-hand looked over from where he was brushing Old Bradbuck, “Of course, mister merchant. I’ll make sure no one steals nothing.”
“Thank you,” Jonathan said wryly, although he meant quite the opposite. Judging by the man’s previous slumber, the merchant doubted that the stable-hand would be doing much sentry duty in the night. But Derthians put much stock into the honor system and Jonathan felt secure in the fact that no one would steal his goods.
Leaving the stable, the two men entered the tavern and were greeted by the raucous noise and putrid stink that stereotyped inns everywhere. A few men looked away from the night’s entertainment and nodded a greeting to Jonathan. The merchant came through the town often enough that he was a well-known face.
Rowan was disappointed for the second time that night as he saw both the banjo and flute player sitting down to eat. It appeared that they had delivered a good enough performance that they were now worth a meal.
A slim, pretty girl with a flushed face hurried towards the two newcomers, her curly blond hair bouncing around her shoulders as she went. “Hello, Jonathan,” she said, smiling at him, “will you be spending the night?”
“Good evening, Lydia,” the merchant replied, bowing slightly. Rowan noted curiously that of all the people they had met tonight, this was the first that Jonathan had greeted formally. “Yes, we will be spending the night. Do you have any two-bed rooms available for rent?”

14-Feb-2011 20:48:03

Caydock

Caydock

Posts: 6,279 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“Two-bed rooms? Why…” Lydia appeared to see Rowan for the first time. “And who is this?” She took in Rowan’s muscular form and the sword slung over his back. “A bodyguard?”
Jonathan grinned smugly, “This is my employee. Rowan, this is Lydia, and Lydia, this is Rowan.”
Rowan forced a smile on his face, aware that Jonathan was trying to impress the girl and hadn’t meant the sentence cruelly. “Pleased to meet you.”
Lydia ignored his greeting and turned to Jonathan, beaming excitedly, “Jonathan! You’re moving up in the world! Yes, yes, a two-bed room it is!”
She rushed away, almost tripping over a chair and upsetting a farmer’s tankard of ale. His cranky, “Watch where you’re going!” was lost on her as she disappeared up the stairs to prepare the room.
Jonathan stared at where she had last been dreamily, a wistful look in his eyes.
“Ah.” said Rowan.
Jonathan looked at him curiously, “Ah what?”
“Now I understand why you dislike Aridy so much.”
“And why might that be?”
“There are no girls there.”
Jonathan snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t like Aridy because it’s secretive, silent and there’s no tavern for a man to get a decent drink. And there’s no one to talk to.”
Rowan pushed it a little farther, “No girls you mean.”
By the glare Jonathan gave Rowan, the younger man decided to drop the subject and not press his luck. He needed to stay on Jonathan’s good side if he hoped to be paid at the end of the trip.
Lydia soon returned and, ignoring the angry shouts from customers demanding refills, she went straight to Jonathan. “The room is ready. Would you and your employee like to eat before going upstairs?”
Rowan, his stomach painfully empty after he had refused to eat the chili pepper stew, looked imploringly at Jonathan. Fortunately for him, Jonathan was almost just as hungry, even though he had devoured the entire pot by himself. “Yes, thank you.”

14-Feb-2011 20:49:20

Caydock

Caydock

Posts: 6,279 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Rowan trailed behind Jonathan a few steps as he unsuccessfully tried to fit in between two tables. The skinny merchant could slip in between easily but Rowan, who, while being in top physical condition from his constant workouts, was built more powerfully. As the pair of tables jostled from his blundering attempt, a jug of beer sloshed around and spilled a bit of the liquid onto the wood. Rowan beat a hasty retreat as the owner of the mug shot him a look that would have killed a lesser man.
By the time Rowan had found an appropriate path through the tavern, Lydia and Jonathan had arrived at the table, which was near the back but still within seeing distance of the stage if the entertainment continued.
Lydia stood at the foot of the table and, once Rowan was sitting, asked, “What would you and your employee like tonight, Jonathan?”
Rowan huffed to himself. Would he be *the employee’ for the duration of the trip? He fervently hoped not; it had only been one day and he was already growing weary of the title.
Jonathan thought for a moment then said, “We’ll have whatever our lovely waitress decides.”
In Rowan’s mind this was a capital offense. With his luck Lydia would bring Jonathan a massive steak and he would be served beans. Rowan meant to say so but, before he could, Lydia dashed away, once again ignoring the cries for service coming from the customers.
Rowan satisfied himself with saying, “I hope she knows what she’s doing. If she cooks anything like you do I think I’ll go back to Aridy.”
Jonathan was galled, “I’ll have you know that I am a prime cook! And dinner will be amazing, I guarantee it.”
He was correct. The meal consisted of a bowl of steaming hot beef stew, a hunk of buttered bread and a plate of piping hot carrots.
Lydia also brought Jonathan a piece of chocolate cake which she discreetly handed to him, making sure no one else was watching. “I took this from the kitchen,* she whispered, “eat it quickly!”

14-Feb-2011 20:50:14

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