Lilyanna

Chapter Seven

Lilyanna steps outof the cell and gives Emrys a small smile. "Thank you, Emrys."

Emrys clears histhroat rather nervously and glances around the empty dungeon they arestanding in. "Y-You can call me Merlin."

Lilyanna pauses inher steps and looks at Merlin. His cheeks have a tint of pink likehe had spent too much time in the cold weather. She then smiles at him and continues walking through the dungeon. A couple of stepslater, Merlin joins her in stride. A few minutes later, they arestepping out into the sunshine and a cool breeze.

Lilyanna stopsagain. This time it is the feeling of the warm beam of sun on herbody. In that moment, she hadn't realized just how cold it had beendown in that dungeon cell. She closes her eyes and lifts her face upto the sky to get more sunlight on her face and instantly feels thecoldness that had started to settle in her bones start to seep outof her body, thawing her.

When Lilyanna opensher eyes, she finds Merlin staring at her with an expression onhis face that she has never seen. It makes her puzzled. She opens hermouth to ask why he was looking at her in that way, but then, out ofthe corner of her eye, she catches sight of the tavern she had stayedin the other night. She quickly grabs Merlin's arm to get hisattention, even though he is still looking at her, and points towardit. "Would it be alright if we stopped at the tavern to grab mythings before we head on up to the castle?"

Lilyanna's questionseems to bring Merlin out of his stare and he glances at the tavern.He raises an eyebrow in surprise. "You stayed there?"

Lilyannastraightens her posture. "Yes, I did." She then marches right upto the entrance. She looks back at Merlin, who is still standing inthe same spot. "A lady must do with what she has available"

Merlin tilts hishead in consideration. "I suppose that's true."

They enter thetavern and Lilyanna walks right up to the bar, where she sees thesame man that had given her the room upstairs working. She leans overthe bar and lets her magic rise up to the surface so that she ispretty sure that every sensitive magical person would be able to feelit in the air. She gives the man one of her sweet smiles that nobodycan deny. "My good man, how much is it going to take for you tofavor my coins back for the room you rented me the other day now thatI won't be staying there anymore?"

The man scowls. Hethen gets a gleam in his eye that he probably thinks Lilyanna andMerlin don't notice. He leans over the bar so that there is only afew inches in between Lilyanna and the man's face. "What if Ialready spent all the coins you gave me?"

Now, at this point,any other naive woman would have backed down and accepted that theywouldn't be getting their money back. But Lilyanna wasn't naive. Sheleft that part of her after the first time her father punished herfor doing magic. Her magic was also telling her that the man waslying to her, so that was a bonus.

What Lilyanna doesis: turn her sweet smile into a sharp one, like the blade of afreshly sharpened sword. "And what if I were to say that I havebeen offered a much better commendation than these," She gesturestoward the tavern as a whole with her arms and hands. "how wouldthat make you feel?"

The man sneers. Helooks her up and down like is suddenly disgusted with her appearance."I would feel like a king to get rid of ya out of my tavern."