Chapter Nine:

Thanks to the bright magical lights on top of the street poles, the streets of Crossroads were not dark on this overcast night. The rain had stopped earlier in the day but street was still damp and dotted with puddles. I led the way to the Blushing Maiden Inn on foot with Arafel while Dalliance rode her pony. Fortunately, I didn't get lost and spotted the Inn's sign further down the street.

I showed Dalliance where to stable her pony for the night. As she did that, I spent a few minutes with Thunder, making sure that he had been treated well today. My horse seemed eager to get moving once more, and I had to admit that I was as well.

"We'll be on the road again tomorrow," I whispered to Thunder as I stoked his mane. "You'll be free to run once more. Maybe we'll have some excitement along the way."

Rejoining the girls, I led them into the Blushing Maiden Inn. The Inn was busy at this late hour. Many adventurers filled the common area this evening. I moved up to the bar and got the innkeepers attention.

"Welcome back, miss," the Innkeeper said in greeting. I don't recall ever catching his name, so I made no attempt to address him with anything beyond 'Innkeeper'. "Will you be having a bath this evening?"

"Yes, please," I answered. "I also have guests for the night. We're leaving for the Frontier Lands in the morning, so a early breakfast would be most welcomed."

"Consider it done," the Innkeeper responded. "Have a pleasant evening."

After saying my goodbyes, I made my way back to Dalliance and Arafel. Together we climbed up the stairs in the back of the common area and traveled down the short hallway to the room I was using. I opened the door and allowed my companions to enter first.

"This is amazing!" I heard Arafel say. I chuckled as I knew what she was feeling as that was my response the day before.

"It is... cozy," Dalliance admitted.

I closed the door behind me as the girls looked around. Dalliance sat her gear down on the table, while Arafel was still taking in her surroundings. It was clear to me that she had never had a room in an Inn as nice as this. I could relate to that. From what little I know about Arafel, it seemed that she was the Seeker I had the most in common with.

"The bedrooms are behind those doors," I said pointing to the three doors along the back wall. "I'm using the middle one, so the other two are free to use."

"Thank you," Dalliance said as she picked up her gear and chose the room on the right. The remaining room on the left was for Arafel to use.

"How could you possible afford something like this?" Arafel wondered aloud. "I thought you said that you were from a small farming village?"

"I couldn't afford this room," I admitted. "I traveled to Crossroads with a girl by the name of Lyra Stinson. She said that we was an apprentice to a Lady Jallarzi Sallavarian and that they had reserved rooms such as this between here and Elcadan. Lyra left for Gateway this morning, but told me that I could use the room for as long as I was in Crossroads. So now I am sharing it with my new friends."

"Then we'll have to thank this Lyra, should we encounter her," Dalliance casually stated as she stepped into her room. "This is far nicer then what I was expecting."

"Yeah, really," Arafel agreed. Picking up her belongings, she took them into the lone empty bedroom. "I really need to get out of this armor. My shoulders are killing me!"

"I know what you mean," I told Arafel. "That's why I left my armor here for the day. In fact, a hot bath comes with the room. One of those will make your shoulders feel much better."

"That sounds like fun, "Arafel agreed. "Be right back."

The girls closed their doors and I presumed that they were getting settled in for the evening. While they were doing that, there was a knock at the door. Answering the door, I found that the serving boy had arrived with the water for the tub. I left the door open so that the boy could ferry the hot water up for the tub. Spotting a bottle of Rennydale Red bedside the tub, I picked it up along with several glasses. I then took a seat in one of the easy chairs by the fire place and waited.

Dalliance was the first to come out as she really didn't change her clothes much. I would later learn that mages didn't really wear armor much. It was too limiting on their movements. I really didn't understand it, but then again I swung a sword and didn't toss spells.

I poured myself a glass of wine and offered Dalliance one. She accepted and once she had the glass in her hand, the elf closely examined the wine. I had seen elves before, but most off in the distance. They didn't seem to like to associate with other folks, at least that had been my experience. I really didn't know what to make of Dalliance. She was a girl, obviously, but she was an elf and elves were a mystery to me. Her size made her seem childlike at first glance, but she was much older than I was.

"Smells nice," Dalliance noted and then she took a sip. The taste seemed to please her. "It has a pleasant taste."

"It can give you quite a hangover if you have too much." I told Dalliance.

"I'll manage, Stephanie," Dalliance answered with a smile. I would later find out that to an elf, Rennydale Red was as mild as milk was to me.

By now the water boy had filled the tub and after making sure he was gone, Arafel emerged from her room. Much to my surprise, she had removed all her clothes and made a beeline for the tub! The young woman settled into the tub and quickly was feeling her aches and pains melting away.

Once finished, Arafel dried herself off, donned one of the robes hanging on the pegs and joined us before the fire. I poured Arafel a glass of wine while she dried her hair before the fire.

"Thanks," she said accepting the drink. "I could definitely get used to living like this."

We were into our second glasses of wine when Arafel asked out of the blue, "So, since we girls are all here which of the boys are you interested in? So we don't end up chasing after the same one."

"What?" I blurted out, nearly choking on my wine. "What do you mean?"

"I believe Arafel refers to the tendency of men and women to break off into couples," Dalliance explained. I couldn't tell if she was being genuine or teasing me. As a mage she was very smart, much smarter than I and sometimes subtle comments would go over my head.

"I know what she meant" I said defensively. "It just surprised me. I really hadn't been thinking about that."

"What's the matter, Stephanie?" Arafel told me giggling between drinks of her wine. "Don't you like boys?"

"Yes I like boys!" I had no way of knowing, but I would wager that my face was turning red by the this unexpected line of questioning.

"You have been with a man before, haven't you?" Arafel continued to teased.

"Yes, I been with a man before. Well, he was actually a boy at the time, but it still counts."

"Oh, this sounds like it could be a good story," Arafel noted, her interest in this subject increasing.

"Come on," Dalliance urged. "Share with your friends."

Between all the ale I had earlier and the wine, my tongue was far looser then normal. So I told my new friends the story of my first time with a boy.

"His name was Colin Sheppard and we actually started out hating each other. I was tall as a child and the other kids picked on me, but Colin was the worst of the bunch. When I was fifteen, he got me so mad that I just punched him right in the face. Gave him a nice black eye."

"Somehow, that just fits you, Steph," Arafel noted.

"Next summer I ran into him again out in the fields. We were both sixteen by then. He started picking on me and I went to hit him and missed. We ended up wrestling on the ground. I don't now what happened, but somehow we changed from wrestling to kissing and things just went from there. I think we were both surprised by the way it all happened."

"They say that there is a thin line between love and hate," Dalliance said in her infinite elfin wisdom. "I think this Colin actually liked you and that's why he picked on you to get your attention. He figured it all out when you were wrestling and it ended up in romance."

"Maybe," I said with a shrug. "I was strange, but it was nice."

"So what happened next?" Arafel wondered.

"We saw each other the rest of the summer, but then broke up in the fall. He was getting ready to take on more responsibility on his family farm and would be looking for a wife. I was too busy fighting off wolves and bandits to make a good farmers wife. It probably was for the best."

"I don't have any plans for romance right now," Dalliance answered, sparing me any further embarrassment. "Much like Stephanie's tale, romance tends to blossom when least expected. That is the way I prefer it compared to stalking and seducing a male."

"But where is the fun in that?" Arafel wondered aloud. "I look at it this way: we're involved in a very dangerous profession. It wouldn't surprise me if half this group is killed along the way. Life is too short for regrets, so I am going to live each day like it was my last. After all, it really might be."

That really gave me something to think about. I knew that adventuring was dangerous, but I never really worried about dying before. I had seen death before, but I was not what you would call accustomed to it. I really hoped that Arafel was wrong and that many Seekers wouldn't die along the way.

"So," I said after long period of uneasy silence. "Who are you interested in, Arafel?" After all, it was only fair that I turn the tables on her.

"There are a few choices," Arafel noted. "Validar has to be at the top of the list. He is handsome and a noble, so he would make a fine prize."

"Perhaps," I countered, "but I can't see someone like him settling for a commoner like either of us. I can't imagine what his life is like."

"Ti-cat has some possibilities." Arafel continued. "Moorland is too shy for my tastes."

"It wouldn't surprise if the mage pursued you, Stephanie," Dalliance noted.

"Moorland? Why me?"

"Mages tend to be fragile people," Dalliance explained. "They need protection and I know I'd feel safer with a warrior like you around. After all, he did sit right across from you at the dinner table where you couldn't help but notice him."

I shook my head and said, "I can't see it."

"Cereld's a priest and I can't see me dating a holy man," Arafel said. "Finrod might be interesting. He has a dangerous edge to him. I think he could teach me a thing of two. That's about it."

"No interest in dwarves?" Dalliance asked, her right eyebrow arched.

"Too short and too fuzzy for my tastes," Arafel said with a laugh. "I'm not sure I want to know what is underneath all that hair!"

Dalliance and I laughed as well. We girls talked for a while longer before retiring for the evening. Tomorrow was going to be a big day. The Seekers were going to begin our journey to Gateway.