The King's Bride

A Surprising Visit

Everleigh stands behind the counter, wiping a mug and looking over at the room before her, seeing if any of the few patrons there needs a refill on their drinks. As she meticulously wipes the mug, she thinks back on the last six months and knows that this was definitely not how her parents ever wanted for her to end up as, a smile creeping onto her lips.

When Everleigh arrived at that village late the night she left the Castle, she was just searching for a place to rest for the night before moving on. But when Lucia saw how heartbroken she looked, and offered her a job in return for a room in the back of the tavern, Everleigh didn't hesitated and accepted, never imagining she would still be there all these months later.

Everleigh never meant to stay for as long as she did. All she wanted was to get some time to get her head straight and decide where to go next, somewhere no one would come looking for her. She smiles softly and knows that, all in all, she has made the right decision in staying in that village.

Her attention is pulled to a cloaked man sitting down at one of the more secluded tables of the tavern. "Time to get to work.", she thinks as she puts the mug away, securing the rag on her apron, before walking over to the man.

-"Good evening. What can I get you?" - She asks with a smile as she approaches him, his face obscured by his hood.

-"A pint and two minutes of your time."

-"I can get you the pint, friend, but my time isn't for sale."

-"Two minutes is all I need."

He lifts his head just enough to look at her, his hood slipping slightly back, revealing Josh underneath it, her smile disappearing.

-"What are you doing here, Commander?" - Her voice is low, not wanting to alert her other patrons of who is sitting among them.

-"Like I said, I just need two minutes. Please."

Everleigh looks into Josh's eyes and can tell that there is something weighing heavily on him.

-"We close in fifteen minutes. Meet me in the alley out back."

She walks away to get his pint, wondering why is he there. Everleigh gives him his pint and walks back to the counter, picking up a new mug and starts wiping it, her mind running miles an hour, wondering how he found her, her eyes not leaving the man nursing the pint in front of him.

Everleigh studies him, noticing how his shoulders are slumped forward, how he fidgets with the handle of the mug, how his leg bounces under the table or how his eyes don't leave the liquid inside of the mug, as if contemplating whatever is on his mind.

She knows that something is either horribly wrong or this is the last place he ever wanted to be. Or maybe is a mix of both, who knows? She wonders if maybe something has happened to Jensen, but if that was the case, they would've heard already, seeing how every merchant that comes from the Castle always stops there for a pint before resuming their travels.

Everleigh thinks that that can only mean that Josh doesn't want to be there, and if she is honest with herself, she doesn't want him there either. She has been happy in this village, working at the tavern, and she doesn't need, nor want, whatever problems Josh is about to bring into her life.

She looks around, only a couple of other patrons still there, all scattered around the room, and knows that no matter what Josh tells her, she isn't going to let him, or Jensen, take that little slice of peace away from her.