The Raven & The Spider (CURRENTLY UNDERGOING HEAVY EDITING)

Chapter 27 - Better To Have Loved And Lost

Your POV (Second Person):

Wow. A thirteen year old fending for herself on the streets of London. You thought with a slight laugh to yourself as you rode your horse through the brick buildings of the city. Oh well... I should be grateful. Many others have it worse than me. Some people have never had a loving family in the first place. I guess it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. At least that's what Alfred Lord Tennyson says.

You listened to your horses hooves clop across the cobblestone streets and watched the busy people bustling about in the sunny afternoon. It was nice that it was finally getting warmer after the long and tiresome winter you'd just experienced. Maybe being in London was a new start for you. Maybe you could actually make something of yourself here.

You sighed sadly. Okay, first thing's first is finding a place to stay... You peered around the streets but didn't see any nearby inns. You traveled around the streets of London for a while until coming across a quaint looking tavern. The wooden sign above the door read, "The Alabaster Owl".

You took a breath as you dismounted your horse, tied it to the fence outside, and stepped inside. You gazed around the crowded yet welcoming looking interior of the inn. Wooden tables and chairs were arranged all around the big room, and a fireplace with comfy armchairs was held in the corner. On the other side of the room was what seemed to be a bar and check in counter, so you made your way over there first.

"Um, excuse me ma'am." You caught the attention of the woman working behind the counter in the most polite way you could.

She looked up at you and smiled warmly. "Yes, dearie?" She chirped cheerily. The woman was dressed in a simple, yet elegant long-sleeved azalea pink frock with a freshly ironed white apron on top. She seemed to be in her late thirties and her slightly messy brown curls were tied back in a low pony-tail. Freckles dotted her cheeks and her warm hazel colored eyes had given full attention to my presence.

"Would I be able to stay here for a while, until I can find a more permanent place to stay that is?" You asked nervously.

"How long will you be staying?" She asked curiously.

"I'm not quite sure." You admitted.

The woman brushed the brown curls behind her ear and eyed you up and down. "How old are you exactly, my dear?" She asked suspiciously.

"Um, thirteen." You answered honestly.

"Goodness!" The woman gasped with alarm. "Do you have no family, little one?"

You shook your head sadly.

"No one else to go to or to stay with?" She asked with shock.

Once again you shook your head and stared intently at the ground.

"No no no, we can't have that!" Insisted the woman as she came over towards you and wrapped an arm around you. "Do you need work?" She questioned suddenly.

You looked up at her kind face and nodded.

"Well in that case, why don't you work here for now? In return for working here, I'll let you stay in my home with me. It's just right next door, so it shouldn't be a problem, as long as you agree."

You thought for a moment. It would be strange living with a stranger you knew nothing about, but it would cost way too much money to stay in an inn's room for a matter of weeks, even if you had a job! Plus, this woman seemed very trustworthy, and you typically weren't wrong when it came to using your intuition. You hesitantly nodded, which caused the woman to grin from ear to ear happily.