"I don't think anyone's—" I was cut off by the rough voice of a woman.
"No stragglers are allowed. We don't do charity." A plump woman held a broom from the staircase and spat out the words with disgust.
"No stragglers her mam, only travellers. My wife and I. My brother is puttin' the horses in your stables as we speak." My mouth almost dropped to the floor as I heard the change in the prince's accent and of the fact that he addressed me as his damnedwife. No longer Apollon royalty, he spoke with the accent of southern farmers. The woman just stared at us, eyeing us suspiciously. As if to make a point, Adrion took out five gold Apollon coins. The woman's eyes widened at this and made her way down to us. She grabbed the coins and bit down into each one. A much more approachable smile graced her face.
"We don't get much folks around here to stay for the night I'll tell you that. Excuse my hostility earlier on." The woman guided us to a table near the fire hearth and took a damp cloth to wipe at the thick layer of dust that seemed to sit on all the tables.
"Your generosity is appreciated, mam," the prince still spoke in that accent, his eyes cast down.
"You can call me Agatha. I'll have a bean rooster stew heated up for your family." She laid three jugs of ale onto the table and left. I pulled the hood of my brown cloak down as there was no one here who would recognize me. My hair was dyed and no one would be able to tell that I was the girl from an arena group.
"Your wife?" I whispered harshly at the prince.
"You would be of more importance if you were. Therefore, I used the title. Have an issue with that...wife?" He emphasised the last word. My cheeks heated and I thanked Nocturna that the light in the inn was too dimmed to have it noticed. My annoyance and anger slowly simmering. The prince's eyes shone beneath the hood of his cloak, his eyes scanning my face. Hissharp eyesight taking me in. The inn door opened suddenly, I gripped my fire blade and sighed in relief when I saw Inanov dripping rainwater onto the wooden floor as he made his way to us.
Pushing the ale set in front of him away from himself. "Is the village always like this?" he asked looking at me.
I shook my head. "No," I whispered while looking around. My heart was beating faster than usual. An uneasy feeling settled in my stomach. "Something isn't right here," I answered. The prince and Inanov looked to each other and then looked back at me.
"Ah, I suppose this be your brother, huh?" Agatha now laid a watery looking soup in wooden bowls in front of us.
"Thank you for taking us in mam," Inanov's fake accent matched Adrion's. If Agatha was not here, I'd have laughed.
"Pleasure is mine. Glad you found the stables. I'll have my husband feed your horses." She nodded, giving each of us chipped wooden spoons.
"Why is the village so quiet?" I asked her curiously.
Agatha, as if for the first time, looked to me instead of the men. Her eyes widened and then narrowed. "She doesn't share the same accent as you two." I bit the inside of my cheek and Inanov was throwing daggers in my direction with his eyes.
"No, mam, married her out of the country. A beauty she was compared to the maidens in my village. Like the sky on a still summer night," the prince answered with charm that had her smiling while my cheeks burned hot.
Agatha’s gaze settled on me. "Keep your lady safe. The pretty ones seem to die the quickest around here of late."
"What do you mean?" I questioned and gripped the blade at my thigh.
"Quite a mouth on this one, huh?" She looked at me then looked around her, seemingly checking her surroundings before answering.
"A plague has swept the town. I think it may be a curse. No plague wipes out a certain group of people. None I say."
"What's happening to the people?" I lean closer, trying to understand the woman.
"The girls. All the young pretty girls. Daughters, sisters, young wives. They’re all falling ill, nearly dying I say," she harshly whispers, as if someone would hear.
"What are they falling sick from? How many have died?" Inanov was the one to ask next. The prince looked tense, seemingly not wanting to engage in conversation at all, but also intrigued by what the woman was saying.
"Some of them have died. But those who have not died... they end up elsewhere." Agatha fidgeted with the hem of her apron, seemingly uncomfortable.
"No one knows why it happens or when it began. Families with young daughters, sisters or even wives are keeping them indoors, hidden away. We still do not understand what is infecting them," she spoke softly and then looked to the kitchen.
"I'll make sure there are clean sheets in your room, remember—keep your wife safe ey." She looked intently at the prince and then left. A gnawing feeling irked my thoughts.
"This village sounds mental." Inanov stroked his jaw and squeezed the bridge of his nose. The prince was silent.
"You don't truly have to worry about keeping 'your dear wife' safe, you know," I joked. He remained still. Then woke up, the chair groaned as it slid back. "We have an early start tomorrow; I want to be out of this god's forsaken inn by first light," he growled in annoyance and went up the stairs. His stew was untouched and so was mine.
Inanov lightly sipped on his, scrunching his nose at the taste and then downing the rest. "Eat. It might taste a bit on the rough side but when it comes to being a guard, food is important. No matter the kind or taste. As long as it's edible," Inanov spoke and put a spoon filled with watery beans into his mouth.
“Unless you get food poisoning,” I muttered and smiled when I caught Inanov smirk, trying to hide his laugh. I didn't have to listen to him, but he was right. I put a spoonful of what must have been rooster into my mouth and swallowed. I nearly choked at the taste but it was indeed edible, the soup was getting cold so I began to eat it a bit faster. The sooner I finished it, the sooner the torture of tasting it will be over. "For a royal guard, I would have expected you to eat only the best kind of food offered." I smiled.
