Elara awake in the inn after a restless night’s sleep. She was tossing and turning, playing over the previous nights events and the interesting person that had saved her from the men. Opening her eyes groggily, she wiped the sleep from her eyes with her nightgown while surveying the room. It was a smallish room with a single bed, a bedside table and a night light. She didn’t have much time before she slumped onto the bed last night so she hadn’t unpacked the trunk she had taken with her when she left her home.

“I miss my home,” she pondered whistfully. It might have been hell in that house but she put so much work into making the house a home, it was almost a shame to leave it.

She pulled herself out of bed and dragged the trunk onto the bed. Unfastening the leather straps and flicking it open, she was hit with the old musky smell. The trunk had once been her father’s and she can’t remember the last time it was opened before she grabbed it as she fled. She’d had the trunk packed for years and hidden it under the bed so her husband never knew that it was full of her old clothes that came with her dowry. Ruffling through the clothes, she picked out a blueish green tunic and black trousers. Pulling on the clothes, she had to tie the trousers a lot tighter, as since she had packed them, she had become very gaunt and had lost the majority of her curves. “They’ll do,” she thought as she resigned herself to the clothes bagginess.

She made her way downstairs, making sure to take her time on the steep stairs. There was no one in the inn this early in the morning except the elderly bartender.

“Good morning love, what can I rustle up for you for breakfast?” He welcomed cheerily.

“I couldn’t impose sir.” She apologised.

“Oh none of that ‘sir’ business please missus and its no trouble.” Said the man warmly. “Please call me Toby.”

Embarassed, Elara rifled through her pouches in her trousers and pulled out a single copper coin.

“What can I get for this?” She asked.

“Don’t worry miss its all been paid up by that wizard fellow,” he confirmed. “Nice person that.” He mused, rubbing his leg thoughtfully.

She sat down at one of the benches as the bartender came around the bar with a pitcher of water and a pewter cup.

“So what can I get you?” He asked again.

“Could I get two eggs on a slice of toast?” she replied meekly.

“Of course you can, I’ll be right out!” Toby almost sped behind the bar into what Elara could only guess was the kitchen. She then started to smell the most delectable smells wafting from the kitchen which she could barely describe. Soon after, Toby came out of the kitchen, apron on and a plate of eggs, beans, sausages and toast.

“I took the liberty missus as the gentlemen did pay a kings ransom for your breakfast and I didn’t want to short change you.” He said honestly.

“Thank you so much!” said Elara tearily.

It had been at least a decade since she had had a home cooked meal cooked for her to this quantity and she could imagine her parents kitchen and the chef shooing her out of the kitchen as she ran around stealing little pieces of sausage and toast as a ten year old. After having eaten and drunk as much as she could, she gently got up to leave, with her stomach so full, she thought she would burst.

“Thank you Toby, I really appreciate it.” She said thankfully. “That was the most delicious meal I’ve had in a long while.”

“It was nothing m’aam,” Toby said blushing slightly as he rummaged around in his apron. “This is for you,” he said as he pulled out a coin purse.

“What? I couldn’t take money from you!” she exclaimed, realising how badly it sounded as soon as she said it. “I meant, I don’t deserve this,” she meekly confirmed.

“It’s not mine missus,” he clarified. “The nice wizard gave me that to give to you. I’ve not a clue what is inside it, only that it’s meant for you.”

“You’re an honest man Toby,” she said tearily, as she looked inside the coin purse and saw what could have been more than twenty gold coins.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“He’s an absolute mad man.” She thought to herself. “What kind of person would give away money to a stranger, especially this amount?”

“Thank you Toby,” she said as she pulled out a couple of the gold coins.

“Are you sure m’aam?” he enquired hesitantly.

“Yes Toby,” she said assuredly, grabbing his hand and shoving the gold coins inside his palm.

“If you don’t want or need them, at least give them to a traveller in need like myself?” she pressed. With the biggest and most flourished bow she had ever seen, he bought his hands behind him as his nose almost hit the floor. “Thank you Toby,” she said embarrassed, as he rose slowly, showing his age.

The bartender grabbed the plates and almost ran back into the kitchen where he stayed as Elara contemplated her next actions.

“I should really see what this town had to offer as I’ll need some provisions for the journey to Felia.” She thought, standing up from the bench and making her way towards the main Inn door.

“Toby,” she shouted, “Mind if I leave my things in the room? I’m just popping out for a bit.”

“Of course m’aam,” his disembodied voice shouted back from the back room. Lifting the latch of the inn door, she was hit with the morning sunshine . Bleary eyed and lifting up her hand to protect herself, she inched into what looked to be the top of the town square.

The town wasn't very large, with the inn standing prominently atop a slight slope that overlooked the square. Surrounding the square were houses arranged in a semi-circle. In front of these houses, little market stalls offered a variety of goods, ranging from trinkets to food, armor, weapons, and magical artifacts.

Elara hastened past the first couple of stalls, adorned with fish and cheese, as the lingering scent threatened to overwhelm her senses. Still feeling quite full from breakfast, she found herself dangerously close to needing to empty her stomach. She happened apon a magical artifact stall whereby she could see rings and amulets humming with an other worldly hue.

“Good Morning!” said the very chipper young lady behind the stall. “Are you after anything in particular?” The lady had long plated brunette hair slung over her shoulder, a white blouse and a green corset with a green skirt.

“Just browsing,” said Elara amiably. She cast her eyes over the magical items until her eye was drawn to an amulet with a stone a black as night. In the bright morning sun, it appeared as if the stone was devouring all the color around it, and even Elara found herself transfixed, unable to look away.

“That’s an excellent piece,” said the seller excitedly. “It was the amulet used by one of the early priests of the dark cults at the beginning of the Silver Age.”

This didn’t make any sense to Elara as history was never one of her strong suits but she couldn’t help but to be transfixed by the amulet.

“What does it do?” She asked still staring at the amulet.

“To be completely honest I have no clue.” The lady said honestly, “But people say that it can ward against the darkness in the brightest of places in some of the strangest ways.”

“How much for it?” She enquired.

“Twelve silver coins.” The lady stated.

Elara rummaged in the coin purse and pulled out two gold coins and handed them to the lady.

“Thank you very much, and here’s your change.” Said the seller as she handed her back eight silver coins. “For that you could probably grab a small knife from the seller over there?” She pointed to a stall just across the square, where a large balding man with a long beard waved with a smile. “He’s also my oaf of a husband.” She said with a smile and a wave back at him.

“I’ll think about it,” said Elara cautiously. She was thinking about whether a sword would be a good idea, but then she remembered that the last time she did any kind of sword play, she was seven years old and was playing with the lords and lady’s children while her parents were mingling with their banquet guests. Her eyes glanced over the other stalls around the square, until she saw one with travelling trinkets such as tunics, coin purses, suitcases and walking staffs.

“That’s it!” She exclaimed and she purposefully made her way towards the stall.

“How much for the wheeled suitcase?” She asked before the seller had the opportunity to greet her.

“Um, thr – three, g – gold,” he stammered. The seller was quite young and couldn’t have been more than late teens and was probably looking after the stall for his parents until they handled the lunchtime rush.

“Can you put those wheels onto another suitcase for me?” She quizzed.

“Not sure m’aam,” he said a bit more confidently now. “You would need to pay for this suitcase anyway as they would need to be taken off first.”

Elara thought to herself for a long while before responding,

“Ok I’ll take it.”

As she withdrew the three gold coins, she could sense the boy's gaze lingering greedily on her coin purse. Placing the coins into the boy's hands, she noted their rough texture, likely from the leather work required to craft the items he sold. She took the handle of the suitcase and wheeled it away back towards the inn.

She made her way back to her room, not bumping in to Toby in the inn,

“He must be washing up,” she thought.

Opening up her old suitcase on the bed, she remembered when she had been given it on the day she was married. Her father told her to, “Always keep her thoughts in her brain and her clothes in her suitcase.”

“Dick,” she thought outloud. No wonder she ended up pawned off to the husband that she’d ended up with.

She put the other wheeled suitcase on the bed and started to move all of the items across in to the new container. When she was finished, she grabbed the wheeled suitcase and wheeled it out of the room leaving her old one behind.

“Thanks Toby!” she shouted as she made it to the bottom of the stairs, her head glistening with sweat. Noone responded back and the inn felt silent. Not wanting to interrupt the bartender if he was still cleaning in the back, she wheeled the suitcase out of the front door of the inn. Making her way through the square, she nodded to the different stalls as she walked past. In the distance, she could see the forest through the large open field, its entrance looming ominously.