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1308 - THE COCKMANNAN INN

He pulled up out front of the inn.

I felt dazed and kind of confused.

Having trouble focusing.

The inn stood where the lane widened, a low stone house with a sagging roof and a yard of churned mud. There was a sign, written in simple lettering, nailed to a post, with an image painted on it that was clearly supposed to be the local cock stone landmark.

I said, “Bodes well for our honeymoon that the inn has a cock painted on the sign.”

He laughed.

A door stood open to the common room and the smell of ale and boiled grain came out to meet us. A boy was sweeping without much conviction, but still the place looked more upscale than any of the medieval inns we had stayed in so far.

I expected Torin to dismount, but instead he called out, “All hail!” We waited a minute, and then he called out again.

Finally a man, the innkeeper, emerged from the inn. “What say ye, Sire?

“Dost ye hae a chamber? With a lockin’ door?”

The innkeeper answered, “Nae, Sire, they are all full of travelers.”

Cathbarr stomped. Dude meowed.

Torin said, “What dost ye mean, full? Hae they paid for the night?”

“Some, Sire, some will pay in the morn.”

Torin was as irritated as his stamping horse. “How much coin did they give ye?”

The innkeeper said, “Four pennies, tis a poor lot.”

“I will double it, move them elsewhere.” Torin reached in his pocket, pulled out a few coins, and tossed them down.

Torin added, “And ye need tae go fast. We need rest after our journey.”

The man took the coin, pocketed it, and said, “Aye, Sire.”

He whistled and a stable boy came running from the back of the inn. The innkeeper instructed him, “Lad, stable their horses.”

Then to us he said, “I will ready yer room.”

Torin dismounted the horse, and put up a hand to help me down.

I said, “Man, Torin, watching you take charge. That was hot.”

His rough hand enclosed around mine and he looked up in my eyes, with a grin. “The princess is randy for her Torin — ye hae lost all patience and are ready for m’grand pike? Let us go bed ye in the inn of the cock.”

I slid to the ground, right up against him. “Oh my Torin, you are at attention.”

He ran his hand through his hair, “Aye, I canna think…” He slung a bag over his shoulder, and positioned it in front of his pants. “Dude, ye must follow along if ye want tae ken where our room is, we hae tae make haste.”

I laughed as we passed through the door. “Make haste? I think you ought to think about something else so it’s not so hasty.”

He kept his eyes straight ahead, “Aye, mo leannan, I am thinkin’ on bein’ in auld man Inis’s store room countin’ his neeps, but it inna workin’.”

I looked at the side of his face. “Auld man Inis’s neeps sound horrible, why isn’t it working?”