Private Tales No Avoiding Fate

[Zera Leigh]

The loud clanking of mugs and glasses carried through the windows just as easily as the smell did. Someone shouted and the other patrons joined in a discordant chant that culminated in the strumming of a lyre and cheers. Inns like this always had a quality to them that those in the larger cities lacked. Zera picked up another barrel, hefting it under his arm before stepping off the back of his wagon and setting it on the ground. The music added a bit of cheer to an otherwise dreary night outside. He squinted up at the cloudy sky in time for the rear door of the inn to open. A bit of light cast across the side of his enormous frame.

"Zera! You're early!" Came the rumbling laugh of an older man. Zera set the barrel down and rubbed his lower back. The small four sided lantern that hung off his belt flickered a bit when he turned to face the source.

"Bellic! Good to see you!" Zera laughed, stepping away from his cargo and extending a shovel-sized hand. Bellic grasped it in his own hairy grip. The innkeeper was tall for a human but still a head and a half shorter than Zera. He boasted the biggest walrus mustache that Zera had ever seen and a bigger gut to go with it. He was a jolly, portly man in his late fifties who had seen enough of the world to find contentment in the simple things. Much like Zera.

The two shook hands and Bellic looked past Zera. He made a face, "That's more than what I ordered, Zera," He said a bit grimly.

Zera nodded and scratched the back of his head, "Had a little extra left over and a little birdie told me you were seeing a bit more business than usual recently."

The Innkeeper shook his head, "Damn that Sparrah. That boy doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut about a man's business. He ought come home and settle down rathern' run about like a git."

Zera burst out laughing, patting Bellic on the shoulder, "He just loves his father, Bellic. Let the boy live a little so he can appreciate home more, alright?" Zera said, walking back over to the barrel and lifting it. Bellic grunted irritably but didn't provide an argument. "Leave the door open for me, would you? I'll get the rest in, then it's off to Elbion proper."

Bellic stepped back inside, grabbing a rag from his belt and wiping his hands. Zera respected a man who cared about cleanliness when handling food. "Then you stay the night, it's getting dark, no arguments this time Zera. It's a full day that way by wagon."

Zera smiled to himself and nodded, he wouldn't turn down the man's hospitality. It felt good to earn a kind word now and then. He glanced back to find the doorway empty and the warm light of the inn glittering against bottles and glasses. He looked back over the road that stretched along the route from his own home to Elbion. His eyes glowed for a moment before he breathed a sigh of relief and made for the door with his first load. "Looks like it's going to be a quiet night."

 

[Caelestis no Elani]

Elbion was… Huge. It had only been a couple days since she arrived with her best friend, Gihada. And Caelistis was no closer to adjusting to the big city than she was when she first saw the large, sprawling city from the ship that carried her. She did have to give it credit, though – it was particularly beautiful at night. The lanterns and candles lit, the city was bright.

Caelistis, though, was in the midst of severe culture shock. Kierkeborg was nothing like this. The Estate was well maintained, exceptionally designed and curated over centuries. Caelistis, granted, was really only allowed in certain parts herself. She rarely was allowed out and about the full Estate, except during hunting parties or when she sneaked out by herself. The girl hadn’t experienced a large, populated city. Or multiple cultures intermingling.

With the bit of coin they did have, they used it to have a couple good nights of sleep in inns and taverns. After weeks on the run, a bed was amazing. The nice people who helped them out of Mystmarch even gave her a nice outfit, that she was trying to keep clean as best she could. And a full, satisfying meal itself was a blessing from the Gods themselves. Caelistis was already thin from the usual hunger she felt, but her cheeks had sucked in more than ever before.

While still very sore, most of the bruises had healed. Only smudges of the bruise around her neck remained, where she and Gihada were almost caught.

Their money was getting tighter every day. Luckily, they still had plenty of trade items, especially various furs that Caelistis had skinned, to get them through. They had to be frugal.

She left her friend in safety, and explored. She needed to find some ingredients to the ointments she was given. And, they needed foodstuff. And really, any other basic survival supplies. They couldn’t order from the inn, anymore. So, with a bunch of furs on her back to trade and a coin filled purse, she went off. To where, she wasn’t really sure. She was really too timid to ask for directions and quickly realized she was in over her head.

An inn was just up the road, though. Maybe she could hop in there, reduce her anxiety, and figure out a plan. It didn’t take long before she was only a few feet from the front door. She took a deep breath as she could hear the noises from inside – clanks of mugs, singing, but the smell was heavenly. Or, perhaps, she was starving. With a sigh, she figured it was likely both. She stared the door as she gained the courage to enter the building.

 

[Zera Leigh]

Zera set down his third barrel of mead for the evening and there were still four more to go. Zera stretched his back and rolled his shoulders, getting to grab the next when he saw a small shape flit past in the darkness. He frowned, watching the figure dart toward the front of the inn. He set down the barrel and turned his head, looking in the direction of the figure. His eyes glowed faintly before dimming back to their usual icy smolder. Eyebrow raised, he stepped out from the rear of the inn and leaned over the small stone fence that lined the road.

There, just in front of the door, a small waif of a woman stood with a look of longing on her features. She was pretty and tragic looking in a way that reminded Zera of some of the sappy books he read now and then. The inner light of the tavern beat against her features in a way that highlighted her skin, drawing attention to the faint smudge of dark on her neck and the drawn nature of her cheeks. She was sick, or hungry, or both, Zera looked back at his wagon before scanning the surrounding area. As far as he could tell she wasn't being pursued.

The man-giant leaned a bit more over the fence and raised a hand in greeting, "Excuse me? Miss? Could I help you with something?" He called, trying to sound as friendly as possible in spite of his frightening appearance.

 

[Caelestis no Elani]

Caelistis was frozen, unsure of what to do. She tried to talk herself out of her predicament. Just go, she thought, this isn't Kierkeborg anymore. But, it was still a struggle for her break the customs that bound her for 42 years. Elbion wasn't like that her old home, though. People had free will. A servant could leave and find a new profession, if she so chose. Estates didn't seem to exist. It was just shop after shop, with employees in each one. Maybe she and Gihada could open such a shop. Or a bakery!

She gulped as she sighed, the half-Elven girl nearly defeated by her own self-doubt. Her thoughts were broken by a voice, though. Her eyes widened as she glanced towards a rather large, tall man. He wasn't bad looking but his size alone was quite intimidating. Especially the piercing, blue gaze from his orbs. He sounded friendly, though. That counted a lot, by itself. She gave a very weak, worried smile.

"Oh... I'm sorry, I'm just..." She didn't know what to say. She took a moment to try to shake her nerves, "I was, um, looking for something to trade, or, well, directions at this point," she said quietly as she looked down in a show of respect - or as any servant would do to someone who was in a higher rank in life. "I was going to go in to ask..." She stopped speaking as she realized she was only digging her metaphorical grave. She couldn't exactly admit she was too much of a scaredy cat to enter a darn inn, especially for asking something as simple as directions or whatever..

 

[Zera Leigh]

She was clearly frightened and unsteady in her surroundings. Was she new to the region? Zera tried not to make a pitying face when she made eye contact with her feet. He leaned on the stone fence while she spoke. She needed directions and was probably hurting for money. That was normal for travelers but she clearly looked like she was new to the whole practice of travel. Simply handing her some coin and pointing her in the right direction would not help her in the long term. He frowned, trying to figure what he could possibly do to help.

He sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Come off it, do not look at your feet like that, I am just a beekeeper," he said gently and then brightened with a smile, "Are you hungry? I have some sliced meat, cheese, and bread in my wagon. I hope you like mead because that's about all I have!" He guffawed and broke into a toothy smile.

He waved her over to the fence, he couldn't let her in the back as that would be a breach of Bellic's trust. He could at the least give her something to eat and give her some advice as to how to approach Bellic. The gruff man had a soft spot somewhere beneath that grizzly demeanor. He hurried over to his wagon without waiting for her to accept his offer and grabbed the satchel that lay behind his riding seat. Digging through it he assembled a hearty sandwich of a few slices of meat and cheese between two thick and springy loaves of bread. He wrapped it in a cloth and grabbed a sampling mug from the interior of his carriage, pouring out a helping from the tapped barrel he kept for the same purpose.

"Here we are!" He crowed, approaching the fence.

 

[Caelestis no Elani]

It wasn’t her place to be here – she was supposed to be… Well, anywhere but here! She bit her lip uncomfortably as she thought about what to say or do. Maybe if she just ran, he hadn’t seen her face enough. Run as far away as she could and just hide in her little tent for forever.

But, his voice was soothing and he explained he was just a beekeeper. They didn’t have a lot of bees in Keirkeborg. It was too cold except during the short spring and summer months. “A beekeeper?” She asked as she slowly looked up at those piercing blue eyes. She was pretty sure, in her stratified class-rank mind, that a beekeeper was still immensely higher than hers.

But, she did as asked. “I’m sorry, I’m just… New, to the city.” And in a way, regular life. She gave a little nod when he asked if she was hungry. She was… Starving, honestly. She had been ever since they felt, and was always in hunger before that. “Are you sure? I don’t want to be a hassle,” she said quietly but with a clear 'yes, Gods please' kind of tone. She gave a small smile back to his big, toothy smile.

The young woman walked over to the edge of the fence as she watched Zera fix her a sandwich and a mug of mead. When he handed it back, she accepted it. Her eyes showed immense thanks. “Thank you so much, what do I owe you? I have some fur… And some coin but... I really wasn’t supposed to use it…” She admitted as a hopelessness came out of her voice.