Power and The Queen

Chapter Thirty.🟢

"Give me more!" The lady whined waving her mug above her head.

"That's enough for you today, you din' pay for yesterday!" the tarven owner yelled back stopping his servant boy from going to her.

"I wi- just-i -Give me more I say more!!" she yelled even louder and let a giggle very strange for a woman her age.

The tavern owner shook his head and walked away. He kept moving, inspecting that his other customers were well served. That woman was insane if she thought she could drink ale at his tavern without paying up. He did not care that she was recently widowed.

When it was time, he would get his coins or he would get it through other ways. He nodded past a customer that sat next to the crazy woman and moved past her to the next when someone grabbed his arm.

The grip was so strong he was sure this person was fully aware of himself and not drunk like most of the people in his tavern. He tried to turn around but was unsure of what to do. This person could be here to cause trouble in his business.

"Give the lady what she wants." He spoke in a very cool tone.

The tavern owner stole a glance at the person holding his arm. He seemed young as he turned around as slowly as he could, noticing this man was dressed in a dark cloak. His outfit said he was a traveller, not from Ovalon. Travellers always thinking they know better. He forcefully pulled back his arm, which almost led to him falling, but he regained balance quickly.

"Oh yea? Are ye going to pay for the ones she had for days and not paid!" he yelled, splashing saliva on the traveller's face.

By now the tavern was quiet and everyone watched to see what will happen. The man did not look the tavern owner in the eye. He kept his eyes on his own mug of ale.

"Give the lady what she wants." He repeated.

This time he pulled out something from his cloak and pushed a coin in front of the bearded man and not just any coin, a gold coin. The man's jaw dropped with a clang to the dirty tavern floor.

"That should cover it or do you desire more?" he asked him, still keeping his eyes down.

"This would do just fine, kind sir. She can drink here anytime she wants." the bearded man bowed with a huge grin and ran to give orders to his employees.

Within seconds, the woman had a full mug of ale in front of her and the tavern owner was nowhere to be found, probably somewhere hiding his good fortune. She took a satisfying gulp of the ale and sighed in content. The traveller observed her as she drank mug after mug, giggling and laughing to herself. She was presently very drunk, but it seemed she aimed to be wasted from drinking.

"Let me know if you have a need for more, Melinda." the man told her, taking a sip of his ale.

She slowly dropped the mug, though it appeared the mug slipped from her fingers and pried her eyelids open.

"You know my name." She stated.

The traveller was amazed that she still had a bit of a clear thinking to remember her name or to realise that a stranger knows her name. It made him understand a little of how she has survived this place without someone laying waste to her by now.

"I do." he replied. "We cannot discuss here I need to get you home." the man told her in a low tone only she could hear.

"I cannot trust- cann-" she staggered.

"Your daughter sent me." he said, and she stole a glance at him blinking a couple of time then she got up from her stool.

"Stay away from me." she coughed out and staggered out of the tavern. He sighed, finishing his ale as he went out after her.