Ch.1: The Innkeepers daughter
Waiting for his friend to catch up Chris watched the sun disappear under the horizon. On a good day it would have been a close thing to reach the next town before dusk, and today had not been a good day, not at all. Rain had greeted them when they wore up in the haystack they had been offered by the friendly farmers wife to sleep in. In return for a few songs and a story, most townsfolk would offer a haystack or a corner of the barn to sleep in, but Chris would have preferred a proper bed. The sun had come out sometime during the day, but by then they both were soaked to the bone.
Matt rounded the hill and cursed when he saw the chimney smoke they had been seeing for hours now come from behind yet another hill. "That town better have an inn," he grumbled, "another night in a haystack will be the dead of me." Chris glanced sideways at his friend, it had been long since the last inn. there had been an inn in Halfhill, the town they passed two days ago, but some bard had already been performing when they arrived and they could not afford to pay for a room. Many innkeepers would gladly offer a room and food if they promised to perform all night. Artists resulted in a full common room and a full common room promised money.
They quickly rounded the last hill and found themselves looking at the town where they hoped to find a bed. Brownriver was not a large town, but since it was the only town in miles with a bridge across the Swift it could count on a steady stream of travelers and thus had a rather large inn. The inn was called Mothers Kettle and when Chris and Matt entered they were greeted by warmth and laughter. The large common room was cosy but by no means full, and the innkeeper was very quick to promise them food and beds when Chris played a few tunes of 'the mayors daughter' and Matt demonstrated some of his juggling.
It was a night like many others. They started with a few songs, Matt singing and Chris playing his flute. Then they showed a few juggling tricks. Later, Matt told the story of 'the hunt for the Silver Snake' and Chris sang the 'Hymn of the rose.' Then they left the tables that had served as stage and went to the kitchen to eat.
It didn't take Matt long to have a pretty kitchen maid sitting on his knee.
"It never took Matt long" Chris mused eying his friend softly whispering in the girls ear. Probably he was telling her how pretty her brown curls were or how much she resembled the Hunting Queen. Matt had a way with saying things to women, always knowing exactly what to say to make their eyes glitter. Chris was also good with words, just not with saying them. Chris wrote most of their songs, and especially the bawdy ones were usually very popular, but Matt sang them. He always gave Chris the credit he deserved but women usually fell for the singer, not the writer. Chris didn't mind much, usually, he did not have Matt's insatiable appetite for women, but he wouldn't mind someone to warm his bed a little more often.
He was pulled out of his musing by someone pulling at his sleeve. A small girl was looking up at him with big round eyes. As soon as he looked down at her she hid herself behind the skirts of a woman who had been standing two passes behind her. "You ask him Elly" she whispered.
"I don't think so, you wanted to hear the story" She winked at Chris, "he won't bite."
"Could you tell of the mermaid and the water castle?" the sma3l girl whispered.
"I was putting her to bed," the older girl said, "but she refused to go to sleep before she heard the story."
The little girl was forgetting some of her shyness and squatted between Chris and her sister. "Will you tell it?" she pleaded.
"I will," Chris answered, "deep, very deep under the sea lies a kingdom...." He told the story while letting his eyes wander over the other girl, she couldn't be much younger than him. She had a very pretty face and long brown curls. He toughed about what Matt would do, he had heard his friend enchant a girl a thousand times. When describing the beautiful mermaid, he added some of the girls features. She caught his eye and he gave her a small smile. A blush appeared on her face, making her even more pretty.
Just when he finished the story, the kitchen door banged open. The innkeeper was standing in the doorway. "I'm not feeding you lot to entertain my kitchen maids" he growled, and his face darkened when he added: "or my daughters."
Before Chris could say anything the small girl ran to her father and said: I asked him to tell about the mermaid father!"
"Well..." the innkeeper seemed a little calmed, "You boys better get back in there before people start leaving."
Matt blew a kiss at the kitchen maid before entering the common room. Chris didn't dare to do anything of the sort for Elly with her father standing there, so he just gave her a quick smile before following his friend.
The night went by in a blur. People shouting songs they wanted to hear, and applauding and laughing at Chris' compositions. When finally the last guest went up to his room, Chris put his flute in its wooden case and went to the bar. The innkeeper smiled and put two silverlings on the bar: "That and a good breakfast tomorrow," he said, "You did well. I'll ask one of the maids to show you to your room."
