Lost In Battle

4

By the time the moon shone down on us, we arrived in a picturesque village. Whitestone houses were neatly placed side by side, though they looked like they had long passed their prime. Tarps took the place of windows and doors, and some roofs had started to cave in slightly.

We silently made our way to a run-down inn, which looked like it hadn't had any proper guests in years. It didn't look like the most comfortable or trustworthy place to stay, but traveling in the hot sun all day, I was too worn out to object. Pushing the rug covering the doorway aside we stepped into a small, dimly lit room. The scarce candles just barely gave me enough light to make out a short, stout man, sitting alone at a table with what seemed to be a bottle of wine—or at least a bottle that used to hold wine.

"Sir?" Cora spoke gently. "We were hoping you would have a room for us? Just for one night."

"You have money?" The man grunted, seemingly uninterested. It was a fair question of course, I mean I didn't even know if we did. Cora didn't respond, instead she pulled a small leather pouch from her satchel and proceeded to toss the innkeeper a few coins. 

"We'd like some water for the horses as well." 

The man suspiciously eyed the two of us for a second before swiping the gold pieces off the table. I suppose I'd be apprehensive as well, after all I was still wearing my own clothes that were absolutely filthy by now.

"I have one room." He murmured, while vaguely pointing to a door behind him.

"Wait? You mean as in only one room available, or only one room in general?" I asked bewildered. The place looked deserted. Surely no one else had been there for months.

"Only one room in general."

"What? But you're an inn? Isn't it your job to provide lodgings for travelers?" I could feel Cora staring at me, silently begging me to just keep my mouth shut.

"Does this look like a successful inn though?" 

Before I could make us appear even more disagreeable Cora had grabbed me by the arm. She quickly thanked the man as she accepted the key and forced me towards the door the man had mentioned. 

"You have absolutely no filter, do you?" She tried to chastise me, but the small upward curve of her mouth betrayed her true amusement. 

"You can't deny that I had a point. I mean, imagine if a bakery only had one loaf of bread. It doesn't make any sense." She shook her head with a small chuckle and stepped into the room. 

Inside, it was cold and musty but at this point I didn't care where we stayed anymore, as long as I got to sleep. The chamber was nearly empty, safe for a small table and a single bed. The rug covering the window swayed lightly in the wind, letting in the cool night air.

"You can take the bed. I don't mind." I said, already plopping down on the hard floor. "Goodnight, Cora."

Cora looked like she wanted to argue, but my eyes had already started to close. I vaguely felt her drape a blanket over me, softly whispering goodnight before everything went quiet.

It was a fitful sleep. Dreams came and went, none of them staying long enough to leave more than a sliver of a memory. By the time the blinding sun woke me I felt like I'd hardly slept at all. Cora was already sat atop the table, mindlessly twisting her hair up. 

"I don't suppose I could just get five more minutes?" I sighed, brushing my curls out of my eyes. With a smile she jumped to the ground and walked towards the door.

"We leave in ten minutes. Don't make me wait." She chuckled. "Oh and there are clean clothes for you laid out on the bed. Lord Hermes was kind enough to have his servants pack some for you."