After the events of the previous evening, Vern and I decided to rent a room from the innkeeper. We even took him up on the offer for dinner and breakfast...for an extra charge of course. Given the terror I felt on first entering the inn, it turned out to be a fairly pleasant stay, albeit a bit drafty in the room.

Before we leave, we ask the innkeeper for directions, and surprisingly we have been headed in the right direction. We say our goodbyes, and give the innkeeper our apologies once again for the confusion, and head out.

The morning is cloudy and cold, but slowly it turns into a pleasantly warm afternoon and evening. We only stop to rest a few times, and snack on jerky and bread for lunch as we walk. Much of the time is spent in silence, except for Vern’s humming, which after a good night's rest, doesn’t bother me half as much as it did before.

I’m in the middle of constructing a wonderful poem about the bugs living in the trees, when Vern grips my shoulder and smiles brightly at me.

“Do you hear that?” He asks. I turn my head and listen closely. After a moment I begin to hear the faint sound of an instrument.

“A lute?” I ask. Vern nods emphatically.

“Yes, which means two things. One,” he lifts a finger, “an inn so we don’t have to sleep on the cold ground. And two, alcohol and pretty women dancing.” He lifts his second finger and gives me a wink. I shake my head, with a smile.

“Vern, all I ask is that you don’t get us into trouble by hitting on the wrong person.” I say, already imagining what danger he could get us into. Yet...I do admit it sounds appealing.

“Don’t worry so much Ren. With my quick wit, I’ll get out of any trouble I get into.” I stare blankly at him.

“Like you did with that traveling merchant’s daughter? If I remember right, both her parents beat that ‘wit’ right out of you.” I say, smirking at Vern. He waves the thought aside.

“That was years ago..”

“One and a half to be exact.” I cut in.

“Precisely. When I was younger, dumber, and not as learned as I am today.” Vern finishes, and gives me a smack on the back.

“Come on, let’s go find the women of our dreams. Or, at least the women who will fulfill our dreams tonight.” Vern says and marches a steady pace down the path, clearly eager to get there. I follow, content to leave my concerns to myself for the time being.

This inn is in much better shape than the previous one, and busier too. Horses fill the stables, and even from down the road, I can hear the noise that fills an inn at night. Music, laughter, and singing. Vern boldly walks to the door as we arrive, seemingly in his element. The inn is fairly packed, with most of the tables taken, and the stools at the bar full.

No one spares me more than a glance. Instead, all eyes are on Vern. Or, more accurately, his stupid hat. I see a few people snicker, and Vern turns to them with a brilliant smile. I head immediately for one of the few empty tables in the back of the room, while Vern only stops to place his lute delicately in the seat beside me, before going to talk to a pretty woman at another table. Soon, they’re going to the front of the room, where people are dancing to the jig being played by the bard. I sigh briefly. I really don’t know how he does it. I suppose it’s a gift he was given, in return for his intelligence.

“Hello, what can I get you?” A slim and cute server comes over to me. She has brown hair tied in a ponytail, a light smattering of freckles on her cheeks, and bright green eyes. I sit a little straighter in my seat, and smile brightly at her.

“I’ll just have an ale.” I say.

“Okay, it’ll just be a minute or two.” She says, and walks off. My eyes follow her until someone blocks my line of sight. I sigh again. If only my brain could make more than one thought while I was in the presence of a pretty woman. I glance towards the front of the room, where Vern is dancing wildly with a different woman now.

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A few minutes later, Vern comes back to sit with me again, somewhat out of breath and his face flushed. He grins stupidly at me.

“You should join me after I catch my breath, it’s quite fun.” He says.

“You know I can’t dance, Vern. I’ll just embarrass myself.”

“I’ve been doing that for a long time now, and it seems to work alright.” Vern says with a chuckle. I can’t help but smile.

“Here you are.” The server says, placing down a tankard of ale in front of me. I hand her a few coins.

“Thank you kindly.” I say. Vern gives the server a charming smile.

“You have wonderfully green eyes. They’re deeper and more full of life than the leaves of a maple tree in mid summer, and I’m sure you’re sweeter than a maple tree as well.” Vern says smoothly. I scrunch my brow.

“Wouldn’t it be the sap that’s sweet, not the tree itself. I think the tree would taste pretty barky or leafy, depending on where you bit into it.” I blurt out. Vern and the server look at me with blank expressions, and a few seconds pass.

“What?” I ask. They glance at each other then laugh.

“You’re cute. I like you.” The server says, her eyes lighting up as she looks at me. I feel my cheeks redden from her stare. “Listen, me and my friend over there,” she points to another woman, with blond hair working at the bar, “are going to go somewhere else after this to have an afterparty of sorts. Would you like to join us?” She looks at me expectantly. I glance at Vern who is nodding very animatedly.

“Sure, we’d love you.” I say, and she smiles again.

“Great, we should be done here in about an hour.” She says cheerfully and heads back to the bar. This time I don’t watch her leave. Instead I turn to Vern, shock clear on my face.

“She thought I was cute.” I say absently.

“She did indeed. It’s not as great as handsome or sexy, but cute is enough to know she has interest.” Vern says, then he pretends to be sad. “My little boy, he’s growing older by the day. Soon he’ll leave me for a new family.” He says, forcing fake sorrow and affection into his voice. I touch his hand and look at him earnestly.

“Trust me Vern, if I could leave you and start a family with that woman, I wouldn’t waste another second at this table.” I say. We laugh loudly.

True to her word, about an hour later the server and her friend come find us at our table. As they approach, Vern stands, takes off his hat, and gives a small bow.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Vern.” He says grandly. Then he deftly takes the blonde woman’s hand in his own and gives it a quick kiss. The woman giggles and smiles sweetly at him.

“My name is Lorra.” She says, her voice soft. I turn to the green eyed woman.

“Hello, my name is Arren. Sorry for not introducing myself earlier.” I say with a shy smile.

“That’s alright. My name is Krin.” She says, then reaches out her hand. I stare at it dumbly for a moment, before realizing what she wants. I hurriedly grab her hand and kiss it gently, already feeling the heat rising to my cheeks.

“You were right, Krin. He is cute.” Lorra says, which only makes my cheeks redden more. Vern laughs heartily.

“He is, but not as cute as you are.” Vern says to Lorra. She places a hand on his arm.

“Stop it. You’re lying.” She says in a half-hearted denial. Vern places his hand on top of hers and leans in to whisper in her ear. She giggles again, heat rushing to her cheeks. I look at Krin, trying to think of something to say, when her eyes meet mine. I look away awkwardly and she laughs quietly. Then, she interlaces her arm with mine and grins at me.

“Come on, let’s go.” She says, and pulls me along. Vern and Lorra trail several feet behind us. The night is chilly, and as we get further away from the inn the only sound is Vern and Lorra whispering behind us, and cicadas buzzing in the distance. Krin leads us to a small house set a little back in the forest. It’s a simple darkwood house, with one window and a door facing us. Krin unlocks the door with a key, and goes in first. I follow into the dark room.

Suddenly, I’m yanked to the side, into an even darker corner of the room. My hands are tied swiftly together. My mind works in slow motion, trying to figure out what’s happening when I realize.

“Listen, I respect what people want to do in private, however I’m new to this so I think this is a bit extreme right off the bat.” I say gently, trying to not hurt her feelings. My eyes adjust to the dark enough to make out the shape of a pipe, as it hits me in the face. Before I can go fully unconscious, the only thing I can think about is:

Why my poor face again?