A man in his early twenties, dressed in the uniform of a royal courier, leaned against the stone wall of a small roadside inn.
He tore into a loaf of bread, chewing steadily while he waited for a fresh horse to be prepared. The innkeeper, a rotund older man wiping his hands on a stained apron, stepped outside and called over to him.
"Don't you want to come in and rest for a bit, lad?" the innkeeper asked.
The man swallowed, then smiled politely. "Thank you for the offer, sir, but I've got an important duty on the go. Can't linger."
"Oh?" the innkeeper responded with curiosity. "And what kind of important task is it that has you on your feet like that?"
The young courier rubbed the back of his head, grinning a little sheepishly. "I'm delivering a letter," he said. "My lord asked for it to be delivered in a day."
The innkeeper's eyebrows shot up. "A letter? Delivered in a day? And where's it headed?"
