Killing Chivalry

Chapter 15 - Retail Therapy

The next morning she went to stretch, still half asleep, and winced at the stiffness and pain in her legs.

"Oh god."

Blinking and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she glanced around the room, but the knight wasn't there. There was a narrow window near the ceiling that let enough light in to tell her it was definitely morning. Their packs and the food sack were there, and there was a plate on the table with some kind of bread that seemed to have bits of something baked into it. The basin of water was also still there. So was her phone.

She suddenly remembered she'd been playing music on it and got a sinking feeling in her gut. She fumbled for it, slapping her hand across the table until her fingers hit the screen. Biting her lip, she tried to power it on, but it stayed dark. It had played out the last of its battery on mute. She cursed and tossed it back onto the table, blinking away sudden tears of frustration.

She debated trying to fall back to sleep, but the ache in her legs was getting annoying now. With a sigh, she uncurled herself and moved to the edge of the bed. The bread actually looked good, and didn't seem to be burned at all. She reached an arm out of the cloak and took it off the plate, picking at it and trying to figure out what the little bits were.

Some kind of dried fruit most likely. She tried it, and while it was oddly flavored, it wasn't bad. Settling back on the bed to rest against the wall, she picked her way through it while listening for sounds from the room below.

It was eerily quiet after how rowdy it'd been the night before. Most of the voices were women shouting orders about cleaning or cooking or fetching things. Airyn ate the entire loaf of bread and still debated trying to go back to sleep.

Footsteps just outside the door and the sound of the handle clicking caught her attention. She held her breath until it opened to reveal the knight standing there, then blew it out in relief. "You couldn't have knocked? What if I'd been dressing?"

He blushed and mumbled an apology, closing the door quietly behind him.

"Where did you go? Why didn't you wake me?"

He stood near the door, looking guilty. "Well—You looked like you were resting well, my lady. I got food for you, and talked with the innkeeper for a bit. I didn't leave."

She grumbled under her breath, more upset about her sore legs and her brick of a phone than what Koeska had been doing.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to disturb you."

"It's ok." She rubbed her hands over her face. "Mornings aren't really my thing."

He nodded and walked to the table, then bent down to pull his pack and their food bag across the floor. "We'll be on our way soon. Do you have any private things left to attend to?"

"I don't suppose this place has a shower?"

He smiled and stood, depositing both bags on his bed. "No. You won't find a shower in this world at all I'm afraid. Unless a waterfall counts. They're much colder, though."

"No showers? Ever? Maybe we should go back to my world and live once we've rescued the princess."

The knight stopped rummaging in his pack, a blush turning his bronze cheeks ruddy. He avoided looking at her, clearing his throat and pulling a small leather pouch from his pack, which he stowed inside his vest.

"Do you need more time, my lady?"

Her brow creased and she wondered why he seemed so uncomfortable. "Maybe a few minutes to change my clothes at least."