Westfjord rested at the bottom of the fjord next to Älskare Delar, the now frozen river that cut between the cliffs. Seth and Gloria stood at the top of the cliff and stared down, the sun setting behind them.

It had taken Seth and Gloria two days to reach the top of the fjord. While it grew colder with each passing day, no heavy snow had come while Seth and Gloria were on the road. Despite Seth’s efforts to engage Gloria in conversation, she was still subdued. Seth felt there was nothing he could do to break her gloomy demeanor.

As they got closer to Westfjord, Seth felt the ice woman receding in his mind. Her presence remained within him, but she felt distant. Doesn’t matter to me. He thought staring down at Westfjord. I’m just glad for the break. His mind felt clearer than it had for the last week.

Wind brushed past Seth’s hair as he peered at the steep trail leading down. Long way down. He thought. Heights didn’t bother him. When he sailed into Stormvale two years ago, he enjoyed being in the crow’s nest, but the wind and steepness of the path did concern him. Seth looked at Gloria to gauge her reaction. She gripped her coat tightly and hesitantly looked over the edge.

“Do heights bother you?” Seth asked.

“Not terribly,” Gloria answered, her face pale.

Seth had a feeling it bothered her more than she let on. “Stay close to me and we’ll take it slow.” Gloria nodded and stepped closer to him.

Seth found the trail entrance and started down the rocky path. The wind pushed against him but wasn’t violent. The path was steady beneath Seth’s feet, which comforted him.

Gloria gasped slightly. Seth glanced back. “Are you doing okay?” He asked.

Gloria’s eyes were fixed on the drop below. “I’m fine,” she said.

““Don’t look down," Seth said. "Keep your eyes on the trail, that will help.”

Seth saw Gloria’s eyes quiver and start to shift back to the drop, then she focused them back on Seth. “I’ll try,” she said.

It took half an hour to reach the bottom of the cliffside. By then, the sun was well behind the cliff and Westfjord grew dark. Seth and Gloria stepped onto Westfjord’s cobblestone streets and looked about them. The buildings were tall and built from carved stone that had weathered years of persistent wind.

“Ho there!” A voice called. Seth and Gloria looked for where the voice came from. A beardless dwarf strode up to them with a handful of pamphlets. “You look like travelers looking for a place to stay! Come to Lovers Respite! Tonight, they’re hosting the magnificent Treedle, a bard all the way from Fremur! Dinner and drinks included if you stay the night!” The dwarf pressed a pamphlet into Seth’s hands.

“Er, thank you,” Seth said.

“No problem!” The dwarf smiled. “You better hurry before they run out of beds!” Then the dwarf left to hand a pamphlet to another person walking by.

Seth looked at the pamphlet. The cost to stay the night was reasonable, not to mention food came with the bargain. Seth’s stomach growled. The idea of a hot meal was tempting. He handed the pamphlet to Gloria. “What do you think?” He asked.

“Sleeping somewhere warm would be nice for a change,” Gloria said, shivering.

Seth took the pamphlet back and put it in his bag. “Alright, let’s head over then.”

It wasn’t hard to find Lovers Respite, Seth noticed other people wandering through town with the same pamphlet in hand and followed them until he and Gloria reached a thick tall building with three spires and black oak timber. Warm light poured out of the windows and music drifted from the door.

“Come on!” Seth said, quickening his pace. The two of them squeezed through the door and into the inn.

The inn was full. People were crowded around most of the tables and near the hearth was a half-elf man – Tweedle, Seth guessed – playing a fiddle. Seth pushed his way through the crowd to the bar at the front.

A woman stood behind the bar writing in a book. She handed a key over to a man ahead of Seth. “It’ll be three silver,” she said. The man handed her the silver, then walked off towards a table. Seth stepped up. Without looking, the innkeeper spoke, “Are you staying the night or just enjoying the show?”

“Staying the night,” Seth answered.

The innkeeper scribbled something down and handed Seth a key. “Third spire, on the third floor, second door on your right.” Seth took the key and memorized the directions. “Three silver.” The innkeeper said.

Seth handed her the silver. She took it and gestured to the dining area. “Find yourself a seat and one of the girls will be by to give you and your wife some bread and stew.”

Seth’s voice caught in his throat, “Oh she’s not-”

“He’s not my-” Gloria said at the same time.

“I can help who’s next,” the innkeeper said moving on from Seth. The crowd shuffled Seth and Gloria away before they could finish correcting her.

Seth looked at Gloria and his face flushed. “I-um…” He stammered before his throat went dry.

Gloria blushed and pulled her hair. “It was a reasonable assumption,” she said.

The air between them was awkward. Seth tried to smile. “Would you like to find a seat?” His voice felt tight.

Gloria tucked the hair behind her ear and cleared her throat. “Yes, let’s do that.”

Seth looked around the dining area and spied a couple of seats at a table near the hearth. Seth grimaced. It was going to be hot for him. He glanced at Gloria. But she could use the extra warmth. He thought.

“Follow me, I found us a couple of seats.” He said. Seth pushed through the crowd and got to the table. “Is anyone sitting here?” He asked the other patrons sitting on either side of the gap. Two hulking men turned and glared at Seth. He nervously took a step back. "I see, sorry to have troubled you."

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Then Gloria stumbled through the crowd. “Sorry, it took me a moment to get through.” She looked at the seats and her face fell. “Oh, are these seats taken?”

The glares vanished and both men shook their heads. “Oh, no miss," They said in unison, their tones suddenly brightening, "the seat next to me is open.” Seth found the change in tone disturbing.

“Oh excellent,” Gloria said breathlessly. She looked up at Seth. “Which seat did you want?”

“I guess, I’ll sit here,” Seth said, picking the seat on the right and sitting down.

The fire in the hearth raged and was already unbearably hot for him. Beads of sweat formed on his brow. Seth wiped his forehead. Gloria needs the warmth, he reminded himself.

Gloria took the seat on Seth’s left. The man on Seth’s right looked disappointed, but the man on Gloria’s left eyed her with a hungry curiosity.

A barmaid came by with two bowls of stew and bread in one hand and two tankards of mead in the other. She set them down in front of Seth and Gloria. “Enjoy!” She called before walking off.

Seth picked up the mead and took a long swig. After the long trek today, it was good to drink something. The mead was sweet and a fire radiated through him. Seth put the tankard down and blinked. His head felt a little fuzzy.

“What’s a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?” Seth looked over and saw the man sitting on Gloria's left, leaning on one hand with a tankard of mead in the other. Seth watched his gaze travel up and down Gloria. Something burned within Seth and for some reason, Seth found that he didn’t like him.

“Just here to spend the night,” Gloria answered focusing on her stew.

The man tried again. “You got a name, love? My name’s Agmundr.” Seth noticed Gloria trying not to make eye contact.

“You know,” Agmundr went on, eyeing Gloria’s hair. “You don’t see too many humans with hair like yours, makes me think of-”

Gloria slammed her spoon down and turned to look at Seth, “This is some good stew, Seth!” Gloria said with a forced smile, "have you tried it yet?"

“Not yet,” Seth answered eyeing Agmundr. Nope — He decided he hated the guy now.

Agmundr shifted his attention to Seth. He sized him up, then smirked. “You know," Agmundr began. "It's customary in Westfjord to share a drink when you share dinner with a stranger. Care for a drink, stranger?”

Seth sensed the challenge and took his mug. He narrowed his eyes. “I’d be glad for one.”

Agmundr grinned, showing yellowed and blackened teeth. He signaled to a passing barmaid. She came by and refilled their drinks.

Agmundr raised his mug. “What should we toast to first? Ah! To the Lovers Respite! Skal!” Then he chugged his mead. Drops of mead trickled down his bearded chin.

Two can play at that game. Seth thought, raising his mug. “Skal!” He toasted and chugged his mug as well. It was difficult at first, but Seth quickly found his rhythm.

Both Agmundr and Seth slammed their mugs on the table. The sound could be heard throughout the entire inn. A few heads turned their way, but Seth didn't care. Both men glared at each other, while Gloria shifted uncomfortably between them.

Agmundr grinned again and laughed. “Not bad, how about another?”

Boldness surged through Seth. “As long as I get to make the next toast.” He said with a confident grin.

Gloria fidgeted with her hair and nervously turned to Seth. “You really should eat something; We had a long day."

“In a minute,” Seth answered, not breaking eye contact with Agmundr. He held out his tankard for a refill, then raised his mug again. “To Weath-” Seth caught himself. “To Westfjord!" He toasted. "Skal!”

Agmundr held his mug high and laughed. “To Westfjord! Skal!”

Seth drained his second drink and slammed it down. His head now was full-on buzzing and the inn was beginning to wobble. What are you doing? He scolded himself. That was too close! You need to be done now! You’ve never drunk this much before! But Seth found himself already holding out his tankard for a third drink. I can't stop now! He thought.

“To The Fjord Plains!” Agmundr toasted. “Skal!”

Seth held his tankard high. “To The Fjor...Plains!” His tongue felt funny. He paused.

"Slowing down?" Agmundr taunted.

Seth glared back. "Of course not," his mouth felt like molasses. "I'm just giving the toast a proper pause of respect. Skal!" Seth raised the tankard to his lips and started to chug. This one took a bit longer to drain. Come on, Seth! He pushed himself. Don't let this guy win! Seth slammed the tankard down a bit harder than he meant to.

He looked up at Agmundr with a victorious smirk. "See?" The table wavered in front of him.

“Seth," Seth looked up into Gloria's concerned face. "I think you’ve had enough," She pushed his stew towards him. "Please eat something or at least drink some water."

Seth smiled stupidly at Gloria. The firelight cast a glow on her hair and her eyes sparkled in the flickering flames. She was...“So pretty.” He mumbled.

Gloria’s eyes widened and her cheeks turned bright pink. “What did you just say?” Her voice a mix of surprise and something else Seth couldn’t put his finger on.

Seth’s heart froze for a second. Did I say that out loud? He wondered. He wasn’t sure. Seth could barely hear Agmundr laughing behind Gloria.

Gloria regained her composure, rose from her seat, and glared at Seth and Agmundr. “Alright, that’s enough!” she cried. “Look at the two of you!”

Seth and Agmundr looked from Gloria to each other. Agmundr’s eyes looked a little bloodshot; he grinned, “Is she always this cute when she’s angry?” He asked. Seth stammered and blushed.

Gloria growled and grabbed Seth by the arm. “We’re going now before you can’t walk.” Seth was startled by how strong she was and stumbled after her.

Agmundr laughed after Seth. “Looks like tonight’s going to be fun for you, boy!”

Fun? Seth blinked. What did he mean by that? He started to whirl back to make a retort, but Gloria pulled him along.

At the bottom of the steps, Gloria spun around and held her hand out. “Key!" She demanded. "Now!” Seth patted his pockets. Where did he put the key? Ah! Yes! He pulled it out and handed it to Gloria. She snatched it and pulled Seth by his arm up the stairs.

Seth stared at her vibrant bouncing red curls. They made him think of a rolling river at sunset. "Your hair is pretty,” he mumbled. Gloria tripped on a stair and her shoulders tensed. Seth frowned. “Are you alright?” He slurred.

Gloria didn’t say anything and continued up the stairs. Concern filled Seth. “Gloria?” Seth stumbled up the steps. “What’s the matter?” No answer.

When they reached their room, Gloria pulled the key out and unlocked their door. Seth could see her face was a bright red. Is she mad? He wondered. Seth swayed and caught himself on the hall wall. “Did I do something to upset you?”

Gloria avoided his eyes. She opened the door and pointed inside. “Go wash up and lay down.”

“But…” Seth slurred again. His vision was getting blurry.

Gloria rolled her eyes and sighed. She took his arm and pulled him into the room. Gloria sat Seth on the bed, then went to a pitcher and bowl.

“Honestly!” she exclaimed, pouring water into the bowl. “What were you thinking?” She scolded and wet a washcloth.

Seth felt dizzy and laid himself down. “I had to,” he answered. It was getting harder to talk and the room was spinning.

Gloria came over and laid a washcloth on his forehead. Seth wished he could feel the coolness of a washcloth right now. It would make him feel so much better.

“No, you didn’t,” Gloria answered. “He was just being a harmless flirt.”

Seth closed his eyes and hoped it would stop the spinning. His stomach churned. “He was bothering you; I had to do something."

“Getting drunk isn’t exactly the first thing I would think of.” Gloria retorted.

Before Seth could say anything else, he put a hand to his mouth. All that mead was about to come up. He heard Gloria grab something. When she came back, Seth rolled over and threw up. He opened his eyes and saw Gloria holding a chamber pot with his vomit swirling in it. She eyed him.

Seth squeezed his eyes shut in embarrassment and groaned, “Sorry.”

Gloria sighed and touched a hand to his cheek. “The thought was sweet,” she said. “You really didn’t need to do that for me.” Seth opened his eyes and saw Gloria smiling faintly at him. “You should get some rest. We’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

“Wait,” Seth tried to get up, “you should get the bed.” He rose but fatigue and dizziness hit him, and Seth wobbled on his feet.

Gloria laid him back down and shook her head. “I’ll be fine, I’m used to sleeping on hard surfaces.”

“I can’t let you sleep on the-” Gloria drew a sigil and a faint golden glow shimmered around her hand. She reached out and touched his forehead. Weariness overtook Seth and he felt his eyes drooping shut.

“I’ll be alright,” he heard her say as sleep dragged him down. “You need it more than me anyway.”