Not born to be a princess

Part 4

"Took ya long 'nough!" Ignis slurred as we found him with two empty pitchers of ale in front of him at a table.

"Already get rooms?" I asked in a ahlf huff as he winked at a passing barmaid who blatantly ignored him.

"Yep, room 5 and 8." He hicuped handing over the two keys one to me and one to the master.

"Perfect, i'm starving." I sighed, tucking the key in my pocket and turning to look for the barmaid.

"She ain't gonna come to ya! She's mean!" Ignis called to me as I found her taking an order from some handsy men.

"Excuse me sweetie, can I get a pint and whatever's hot off the stove?" I asked, tapping her shoulder. She turned ready to snap at the man flirting with her, but seemed to deflate seeing I wasn't a man.

"Sure, what table?" She asked jotting it down on her pad.

"The one with the drunkard idiot." I chuckled pointing to Ignis. She huffed and ran off to fetch the orders without a verbal complaint.

Ignis had taken to humming along with the piano player when I made it past the rowdy men in the pub. He barely even glanced at me as I sat in the open seat against the wall with barely enough room for even someone as thinly wasted as me to shift.

"Only thing we got hot, and ale." The woman called dropping a bowl of stew and the pint in front of me with a kind (if a little exhausted) smile before leaving again.

"You didn't have to get me ale!" Ignis called reaching for the pint, but I smacked his hand before he could.

"This is mine, go fetch your own." I scoffed, pulling it closer and taking a swig of the bitter liquid. I got more than a few odd stares as I dug into the steaming hot stew as the liquid settled in my empty stomach.

"Why you look a perty girl!" A man slurred stepping up to the table, and leaning over to face me.

"Woman, red dress. Go flirt with that floosy and leave me be boy." I waved off, making him smirk and tip his hat as he dashed around to the woman twirling a curled lock of hair around a finger and glancing at the half empty ale in front of her.

"You been to a bar before?" Master Wallow asked, looking concerned as I shrugged and finished the hunk of beef I was chewing befor ei responded.

"Often with my battle instructor. His eldest son owned it for the longest till he was called into war. Last I was in his daughter in law was running it and doing pretty well." I shrugged, finishing off my ale and drinking the broth of the stew while the boys both looked at me shocked.

"You sure we have a princess and not a awesome girl from the city?" Ignis asked, still addled with alcohol.

"About now I can't be too certain." Wallow sighed watching me closely as I watched everyone curiously. Men hit on women, and the lucky ones were pulled to the back rooms by the collar of their shirts. Several hussies sat around waiting for men to need their 'services'.

I could easily tell who was drunk, who was just getting started, and who was drowning their sorrows in ale. It was like a entire new social order in a bar like this. The frequents who all sat huddled over one man telling stories, the travelers like us who watched the others cautiously, and the ladies who came in for their own reasons.

"I'm going to bed, i'll see you both in the morning." I announced, cleaning up my bowl and mug and setting it on the bar as I passed heading for the stairs.

The bed was a nice change from napping with only a rough blanket as warmth. Though I could have done without the loud shouting and slight crashes from below. Heron had already roosted in the front sign, chittering his own dull night every time the sign threatened to throw him to the ground.