Chapter 21: Resting Days. Part One
Coal slowly opened his eyes, feeling the weight of his head and the dull throb of his temples.
His vision was blurry at first, but as he blinked the room came into focus.
He’s lying in their room next to the window on the floor.
He tries to sit up slowly and groans as a wave of dizziness washes over him.
His throat feels dry and scratchy, and his mouth tastes like stale ale.
Taking a look around the room, he can see Gwen and Gary on the other side of the room in a pile surrounded by empty mugs.
The faint, lingering smell of alcohol wafts through the air, reminding him of their celebrations through the night after they all passed their exams.
Trying to fully stand up, Coal notices that the world feels like it’s tilting slightly to one side. Ignoring the pounding in his head he stumbles over a mug and goes face first into a basin of water.
Quickly flinging his head back out of the basin he is more alert and awake.
He leans back down to drink some of the water before starting to get fully dressed.
While dressing himself in clothes and armor he thinks more about the night.
Korr kept getting them rounds of drinks to celebrate and telling them tales of his exploits in the southern deserts and northern jungles.
Coal decides to let Gwen and Gary keep sleeping, but not piled on each other so he puts each of them in their beds and puts a blanket on them before heading down to see if he could get something to eat.
“Why a fine good morning to you Coal! How’s your first hangover? Also just so you know it isn’t morning it’s about two in the afternoon.” - Korr
“Just fine, I’m feeling alright! Some food would be nice though.” - Coal
Korr chuckles and nods, grabbing a plate from behind the counter and piling it with a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast. He slides the plate towards Coal with a grin.
“Here you go, lad. You’ve earned it after last night's celebrations. I can't believe you all passed your exams! You should be proud, you’re all destined for greatness.” - Korr
Coal smiles, feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment wash over him.
He tucks into the breakfast, savoring the taste of the food and feeling the energy returning to his body.
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As he eats, he hears the sounds of the busy tavern around him - the clinking of mugs, the laughter of patrons, and the chatter of voices.
He knew that he needed to focus on his studies and his training, and that meant cutting back on the drinking and partying.
It was a lesson that he would need to learn sooner or later, and he was determined to take it to heart.
Finishing his breakfast, Coal pushed the tray aside and stood up, feeling much better than he had a few minutes ago.
He thanked Korr for the food and then headed back upstairs to check on Gwen and Gary.
As he entered the room, he saw that both of them were still sound asleep, snoring softly.
Coal smiled and shook his head, feeling a sense of fondness for his friends.
They had been through so much together, and he knew that they would always have each other's backs.
With that thought in mind, Coal sat down on his own bed and closed his eyes, letting himself relax and enjoy the moment.
He takes some time to relax in bed before heading out to just walk around the castle.
A few hours of relaxing and walking around was a nice change of pace from the last few weeks of his life.
He finds and plays with the kids he met during his first few quests in the kingdom before eventually heading back to the Fire Boar and getting himself a lot of food.
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As Gwen and Gary slowly regain their consciousness, they begin to realize the consequences of their night of revelry. Their heads are pounding, their stomachs are churning, and their limbs feel weak and unsteady.
Gwen sits up in bed, rubbing her temples and grimacing at the pain in her head. She glances over at Gary, who is still asleep and snoring softly.
As she tries to shake off the fog of her hangover, Gwen notices that the sky outside is growing dark. She checks her watch and realizes that it's already late afternoon.
"Gary, wake up," she groans, nudging him with her foot. "We slept through the entire day."
Gary groggily opens his eyes, squinting at the sudden brightness of the room. "What time is it?" he mumbles.
"It's late afternoon," Gwen replies, trying to suppress a groan as she swings her legs out of bed.
"We wasted the entire day sleeping off our hangovers."
Gary sits up and rubs his eyes, yawning widely. "I guess we partied a little too hard last night," he says, his voice still hoarse from sleep.
Gwen nods in agreement and looks over to where Coal should be sleeping, but his bed was empty. She thought about going back to sleep, but then then her stomach rumbling changed that thought.
"Let's go down to the tavern and get something to eat," she suggests, standing up and stretching her limbs. "Maybe some food will help clear our heads."
Gary nods in agreement, and the two of them make their way down to the tavern. As they enter, they see Coal sitting at a table, already eating a hearty meal.
"Hey guys," Coal greets them with a smile. "How are you feeling?"
Gwen and Gary groan in response, sinking into chairs across from Coal. "Terrible," Gwen admits. "But this food smells amazing."
Coal chuckles and passes them each a plate. "Eat up," he says. "It'll make you feel better."
They all eat and head back up to their room and play card games until they all go back to sleep
As they played card games, Coal noticed that his friends were not as talkative as they usually were.
He wondered if they were feeling embarrassed about their behavior from the night before.
"I'm sorry if I was too much of a mess last night," Gwen suddenly said, breaking the silence.
"It's okay, Gwen," Coal replied reassuringly.
"We all celebrated a little too hard, but we passed our exams, and that's what matters."
Gary nodded in agreement, and the three of them continued playing cards, chatting and laughing until the fatigue from the night before began to catch up with them.
"I'm going to bed," Coal announced, stretching his arms and yawning.
"Goodnight, Coal," Gwen and Gary replied in unison.
Coal climbed back into his bed, feeling grateful for his friends and the bond they shared.
As he closed his eyes, he made a mental note to take it easy on the alcohol in the future, but for now, he let himself drift off to sleep, happy and content.