Alex stopped behind a tree, panting with his chest hurting. He started back, not hearing a single thing from the forest. "We lost them." He mumbled, sighing and looking at his sister. "Are you okay?"
"It's my question, is the wound on your shoulder okay?" She cried, checking on his back as he carried her.
"It doesn't hurt, I'm sure they had poison in it, but I'm quite durable." He smiled, looking into the horizon and seeing a massive city. "I'll find an alchemist there and get something to help, for now, how are you?"
"I didn't get injured," She shook her head, "You can put me down,"
"I won't," He kept her on his back, "The cold hurts you, remember?" He looked down and pointed out that she was barefoot. Of course, he had snatched her from her bed.
"I won't hurt, I'm not that sick." She tapped his shoulder, "Put me down, you've carried me for an hour if not more." She couldn't let him carry her for longer, ^Brother is hurt. I know that since his back is hunched forward a bit. He always stands straight with his chest pushed forward even when carrying me. I'm sure the exhaustion and poison are getting to him,^
"If I said I'm not putting you down, then I'm not!" He screamed and she gasped.
The two of them fell silent for a second, "Brother, are you angry?" She stared at him, mumbling, ^He must be, grandfather probably died and we were driven away once more. But, he's been calm and he never screamed at me like this,^
"Sorry, Emil," He looked down, "I didn't mean to scream at you,"
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure you're just exhausted," She smiled, patting his head, "Let's find a place to hide in until morning,"
"The safest place is the city," Alex looked at the city ahead of him.
"That should be Downfort, it's known for its soft and fluffy white bread." Emil smiled, "It's also quite cheap, only two coppers a loaf,"
"Is that so? As expected from my sister, you know everything," He smiled, looking back at her.
"I only read a lot of books and maps since I can't leave my bed,"
The two slowly walked down the hill beneath the moonlight until they reached the city's gate.
Albeit mostly useless, the city was surrounded by a massive wall, an ancient architecture from a long-forgotten age. In the past, those walls used to be several meters thick and at least ten meters tall to stop monsters, but now, they are merely used to defend in wars like a castle.
"Who are you two?!" A guard shouted, pulling a lantern and dropping it down with a rope from atop the wall. "Children?" He gasped, "What are you doing outside at this hour?"
"Bandits attacked our house on the other side of the forest. We managed to run through the forest, but we want to find an inn to spend the night in." Alex shouted, staring back at the guard.
"More bandit attacks?" He sighed, "I can't open the gate for you now, I don't even have the keys and I can't get them until the morning. For now, head to that farm there to spend the night." He pointed into the distance.
Alex looked back across the hills and wheat farms, seeing a large wooden building in the distance.
"That's the traveling merchant inn. It's outside the city, but they are cheap and you can spend the night there and be safe. Come back in the morning to enter the city," He reached into his own pocket and pulled out a silver coin, "Take this to pay with. I doubt you had time to carry money with you,"
TAP! Alex caught the coin and looked at it, "Thank you!" He replied with a smile.
As Alex turned around to head toward the inn, the guard called him back, "Don't worry, we'll send a battalion to your house in the morning. Everything will be alright,"
Alex nodded to him as he walked away.
****
The inn, fittingly called travelers' rest, was the only place merchants could spend their night if they happened to arrive at night. It's a large wooden building with a stone base and three floors, a marvel of architectural genius made by the city's skilled builders. It has over fifty rooms, a tavern, a restaurant, and a tiny church at the lower level all linked inside. It might not reach the most luxurious inn the city could offer in comfort, but the dirt cheap price of seventy-five copper coins per adult, or fifty per child is a worthy trade when compared to camping outside.
Alex walked into the inn's garden and looked around, the horse stable to the side was filled to the brim to the point two horses were asleep in the same place. "I hope we'll find a room," He mumbled.
"It looks filled," Emil added, looking at the massive building ahead of them.
Alex approached the door and pushed it open, walking directly into the tavern. The place was indeed filled to the brim with each table having at least two people sitting for a drink. They stared at the two kids who came at such a late hour, and the bartender walked from behind the counter and approached them.
"You shouldn't wander out at this hour, go back to your home. I can send someone with you if you're scared," He said with a smile.
"Bandits attacked our house on the other side of the forest and we managed to escape. The gate guards told us to spend the night here and report to them in the morning," Alex replied, staring at the bartender's eyes.
He could hear the merchants gasping, mumbling about if they should send goods out tomorrow as bandits being around the forest is bad news to them. "What kind of bandits they were," One asked from the back tables.
"I don't know," Alex replied. It was better not to say they were targeted. It was always like this, keeping those details out was for the best. The last time he told the guard that some people were trying to kidnap his sister, the guards had said they'd have to send his sister to a city to live in a private shelter, which sounded too suspicious for him to let her go on her own. Nobles were known to use their power to take advantage of people in need, and even the guards couldn't help them against that.
"The moment they attacked the house, I grabbed my sick sister and ran away." Alex looked at the bartender. "I didn't get a chance to see too many of them."
"What did they look like? Did they wear black or use crossbows? Did they have a magic contract holder?" The merchant asked again.
"I saw them carrying swords and covering their faces, but I didn't notice much. It was pitch black," Alex growled and stared at the bartender, "Can we get a room?"
"About that," He turned around and headed behind the counter, "We have only one room left, a single bed."
"I don't mind, we'll take it," Alex pulled the silver coin he got from the guard, "It's only fifty copper coins then?"
The bartender stared at him then at Emil, "You sure? I can see if one of them would give you their room. I'm sure some took an extra bed,"
"As long as my sister got a bed, I don't care where I sleep," Alex replied, "And more, that would leave us with some money for food," He approached the counter and picked the menu. It was engraved on a small wooden board.
"What do you want?" Alex asked Emil with a smile.
"Forget about food, where will you sleep?" She asked.
"In the corner, or sit here in the tavern till morning," He tapped her forehead with the menu. "You know I can fall asleep standing,"
"That doesn't make it good for you," She smacked him on the head, cracking her wrist and then growling in pain. "It hurt,"
"Careful, I have a thick head," He giggled, taking the room keys from the bartender and heading toward the stairs. "Room twenty-one, second floor to the most left of the first corridor."
As the siblings went upstairs, one of the merchants in the tavern stared at them, putting his hands together, "So here you came,"
Alex opened the room's door and smiled, seeing the clean bed. "This is a nicer room than I expected," He looked at Emil's face. "Isn't it?"
"It's clean. I read it's rare to find clean rooms in inns like this one." She said as Alex walked inside, putting her on the bed.
"I'll go down and bring you something to eat. You rest for now." He quickly walked out.
"Be Careful!" She called after him.
Alex walked downstairs and sat beside the counter, "Is the food ready?"
"You didn't order, but I did put some in the oven for you. Bread and soup, I also added some apples that I had, they're free," The bartender smiled.
"Thank you," Alex looked behind the bartender and saw the soup getting heated inside a red-crystal oven made of steel.
"Want to drink something?" The bartender asked with a grin.
"I'm a kid," Alex giggled, "I don't drink, but can I get some water?" He smiled, "Yeah, I should take some to my sister as well," He looked away, ^I say that, but I do drink usually. I need to keep my eyes out for a second attack so I shouldn't drink now…^ He used to steal wine and beer from their grandfather's stash.