Chapter Twelve: Rialtige
The next morning came all too soon if you ask me. I was quite content to hold Jealile late into the morning but yet we knew that we had to get moving. The day would not wait for anyone and the road was calling us ever onward towards Kincaid. The sun was up and climbing ever higher by the time we were ready for the road. As you can imagine it takes some time to hitch the wagon, load it, and then arrange the equipment, supplies and personal stuff in it just so. Of course we had to have breakfast and tend to the minor things that all of us need to attend to before hitting the road.
I was tying down the last strap to conceal the contents of the wagon better. I had purchased a piece of canvas from one of the local merchants and had stretched it over the back of the wagon. Its purpose was to keep the elements out as well as keeping prying eyes out as the Guard had suggested. At the front of the wagon just behind the driver's bench I had arranged a few chests in a sort of bench of their own. I left just enough room for your feet, so it made a nice little spot up front where we could all sit in comfort near each other.
Had I known that we would have had this many people with us I would have arranged more suitable transportation. That coach was looking better than ever now. But alas that would have made at least four horses, one wagon and one coach. One for luggage and one for people! Hardly practical and this would have to do, never the less nobody seemed to complain much about the transportation.
About this time I noticed coming towards us a familiar face that I recognized from the night before, so I smiled and waved hello. It was one of the Innkeepers daughters, Revealia as a mater of fact. She was speeding toward us at that moment and did not wave back at me or responded to my greeting at all. Following shortly after her was a man dressed in an all black robe and black hat. Revealia's face was red and I could see that she was angry about something. The man behind her looked slightly disinterested and didn't appear to like being roused to trouble this early in the day.
"There they are!" Revealia snorted as she got near to us. "There are the adulterers!" She shouted so the whole street could hear as she pointed to Yeoline and myself.
"What on earth are you talking about?" I replied indignantly with a look to match, pretending not to know what she was talking about.
"I know what happened last night! I'm not stupid you know!" Revealia hissed as she drew too close to my face.
"Are you sure about that?" Yeoline shot in with glaring eyes.
"I know sex when I hear it!" Revealia snapped, glaring at Yeoline then back at me. "Admit it! You couldn't remain faithful to your one wife could you?" Revealia said with gritted teeth as she glared at me.
"Calm down my child, there is an orderly way to handle this." The black robed man said at last. "I am Reverend Petroliech and I am here to settle accusations of adultery between the two of you." The Reverend said slowly and deliberately. "Tell me, what happened last night my child, what did you see?" The Reverend finished and pointed to Revealia.
"I'll tell ya plain enough! He had . . . relations with her?" Revealia said pointing to Yeoline and myself once more.
"Relations? Please be more specific my child." The Reverend said calmly, now appearing more interested in the whole business that he had been dragged into.
"Sexual Relations!" Revealia said in a hushed tone.
"Is this true?" The Reverend asked me with a raised eyebrow and a distasteful look on his face as he spoke to me.
"Absolutely not!" I replied indignantly.
"Are you sure my son?" Reverend Petroliech asked, taking greater interest as he slightly glared at me. "Don't compound your sins by lying about it!" The Reverend said with his greatest tone of doom and warning. "I ask you again my son, did you have sexual relations with this woman?" The Reverend finished with a forgiving look that expected my forthcoming confession as he pointed to Yeoline.
"No, No, No, No, No, No, No!" I repeated with the force of my conviction pounding my fist on the cart to punctuate each word. I hoped that I didn't have to deny my relations with Yeoline, as it didn't seem right to deny the expression of love for someone so dear. We were ambushed as a manner of speaking and caught unawares. I only hoped that she would understand, the looks that she gave me at the time told me so.
"Admit it! You did her last night didn't you?" Revealia spat at me with hatred. "I did not have sexual relations with that woman!" I said loudly pointing at Yeoline with a finger that looked dangerously close to accusatory.
"I know what I heard! I know what I saw!" Revealia snarled an inch away from Yeoline's face as the four breasts that were proudly on display last night were mashed together now.
"Tell me my child, what exactly did you see and hear last night?" The Reverend asked Revealia calmly.
"Well." She said in a calmer tone and backed away from Yeoline. "Late last night, I saw that one go into their room and shortly thereafter heard sounds of 'sexual relations' happening in there! It didn't take much to figure out what was happening!" Revealia said sounding proud with herself looking down her nose at Yeoline and myself.
"Is that all?" The Reverend asked with a raised eyebrow of doubt.
"What do you mean is that all? That's enough isn't it? I heard them have sex!" Revealia snarled at the Reverend.
"What I mean my child is, did you SEE them having sex? Do you have any evidence?" The Reverend asked curiously and patiently waited for an answer. Revealia sputtered a bit for a moment, muttering to herself flashing evil glances at all three of us.
"What about that stain!" Revealia said at long last pointing to a stain on Yeoline's dress. It was a small circular stain on the upper bodice of the blue dress over the right breast.
"What stain?" Yeoline snorted, not knowing what Revealia was talking about.
