The Sun's Muse

XII- The Inn

Chapter twelve- The Inn

"Its getting dark, I think there is an inn three miles from here."

Prince Yeon threw his head back a bit and tilted his neck to the side as an act of stretching. They have been riding on horseback for approximately 8 hours, since it was a long journey back to the royal palace.

The evening breeze played against the nape of his neck, giving him goosebumps. He had an uneasy feeling pulling on his mind the entire time. He felt like something was waiting for them somewhere along the way, but then again it may just be his paranoid brain talking.

Chul pulled on the reins of his horse once they reached the small gated inn. It seemed like the humblest place possible, and if someone was tasked to harm them on their journey back to the palace, those people would probably not look for them in a place like this.

They were greeted by a young woman  in her early twenties, who they soon found out was the inn keeper's wife. She led them through the front yard where her husband was chopping up firewood.

"Good evening, My Lords." He greeted. Prince Yeon and Chul returned the gesture, and walked behind the woman towards the small quarters.

As Prince Yeon looked around the small area inside the residence, a middle-aged woman who sat on a table caught his eyes. She looked straight at him, her eyes narrowed and her lips tightened into a line which almost resembled a frown. Her stare sent a shiver down his spine; the look she gave him seemed to be a mixture of terror and bewilderment, which bothered him even more.

"Would you care for a hot meal, My Lords?" The lady asked.

"Two hot meals and two baths, please." Prince Yeon requested, giving the lady a smile.

Chul raised a hand up to feel the air. Something felt uneasy and increasingly humid, a suffocating feeling that was not there earlier.

A storm, perhaps?

Just then, the young bodyguard felt a presence within the vicinity, making him clutch the sword at his side. However, it was as if an invisible force was pushing his arm down, preventing him from lifting it up.

"It is the darkest of night, but you shine obnoxiously as if it is the prime of day."

Prince Yeon turned his head quickly to the direction of the voice, where the middle-aged woman stood, staring curiously and intensely at him.

"Who are you?" Prince Yeon asked in an authoritative tone.

"What does that matter? I do not think a person who doesn't even know himself deserves to ask such a question in such an authoritative manner." The older woman said with a tight-lipped smile.

Prince Yeon's eyes widened at her bold statement. He tilted his head to the side, giving her a calculating look.

"Even the mannerisms are the same." The woman said, chuckling to herself.

At this point, Prince Yeon had just concluded that this woman in front of him is insane, and that they need to get away from her.

As this thought popped up in his mind, the lady let out a humorous laugh.

"You are shining so brightly you might as well blind me. But what is the sun doing here on the ground, instead of soaring in the sky?" She asked, taking a step towards the young man.

"Lady, what are you talking about??" Prince Yeon asked, giving her the most confused look that he can possibly make.

She shook his head at him and took another step to reach for his shoulder. Prince Yeon flinched, but he couldn't move her hand away because of the energy that the woman emitted.