Black Crystal Part 1 - The Origin

Chapter Fifteen ~ The Comfortable Inn

November 6th, 1809.

City of Eugene, Oregon Province.

Garen, Peter, Lucius, and Lenora spent three days running away from the Bishop. They would have someone keep watch each night while they rested, and if they heard the Bishop getting close, they would all wake up and keep running. Needless to say, they were beyond exhausted. None of them even had the energy to keep walking. Three days of running with no food, no water, and hardly any sleep. By the time they arrived in the City of Eugene, just two days away from the Capitol, they didn't even acknowledge it. Peter collapsed to the ground and passed out, quickly followed by Lucius, who simply couldn't stand any longer. Garen looked at Lenora, who seemed to be toughing it out, but her eyes closed and she nearly fell. Quickly, Garen grabbed her and held her as her consciousness fled. He fell to his knees, but he didn't at all loosen his hold on Lenora. That protective instinct kicked in as he looked at her.

"We're going to be okay," he whispered. Slowly, Garen used all of his strength to stand, holding Lenora more securely. Once he finally stood, he turned towards Peter and Lucius. "I'll come back for you two... okay?" Slowly, Garen began to limp across the city's empty streets. His shoulders were weighed down heavily with his sword, the shield he carried, and the fact that he held Lenora, but all he could think about was finding a place to allow Lenora to rest. The fog disappeared, but rain fell from the clouds above. "Hello!?" Garen exclaimed with extreme desperation in his voice. "Can somebody help us!?" Garen grit his teeth and started to sob quietly at the realization of their situation. He looked down at Lenora, who had her eyes open. She didn't speak, but she wrapped her arms around Garen and held onto him tightly. That was enough to make Garen keep walking. He could barely hold on, but he wasn't going to let anything happen to Lenora. Nothing would stop him from that either.

Finally, Garen approached what appeared to be an inn and he struggled to open the door. The door swung open from the inside, and a middle-aged woman stood there, looking at him with an expression of shock. She turned into the inn and shouted. "Hey, Horace! Get over here!" She knelt down and looked at Garen with the most sorrowful expression. "Oh my goodness, child..." she placed a hand on Garen's cheek. "Please, come in, come in! Get out of the rain! Here! Let me take care of her." The woman held her arms out and tried to gently take Lenora, but she was reluctant to let go of Garen.

"Are there any vacant beds?" Garen asked weakly, limping into the inn. "I need to set her down. And my friends... my friends outside..."

"Don't you worry 'bout a thing, sweetie..." the middle-aged woman kept a hand on Garen's back, leading him towards a room on the first floor of the inn. "Here; let the young lady rest in here." She opened the door and Garen slowly let Lenora down on the bed. Her grasp on Garen loosened as soon as she felt the comfort of the bed, and she promptly fell asleep. As soon as the middle-aged woman saw Lenora's face, she gasped loudly. "Is that... Princess Lenora!?"

"I've gotta get them..." Garen whispered, holding himself up against the wall as he promptly began to limp out of the room. The woman stopped him and knelt down.

"Who else is out there?" she asked. "My husband and I can get them and bring them back here."

"Two young men," Garen whispered. "At the south entrance of the city... They're on the ground..." Without hesitation, the woman hurried out of the room and grabbed a jacket before heading out the front door. Garen limped towards the bed Lenora laid on and fell to his knees again. "I promised I'd keep you safe..." he whispered, grabbing her hand as she slept. "I didn't want anything to happen to you. But..." Garen began to sob against the mattress, feeling complete fear and sorrow. Suddenly, he felt Lenora's fingers wrap around his hand tightly. Garen looked at her. She still looked asleep, but she firmly held his hand in return. A slight smile came across Garen's face. "I won't let go, okay? I'll be by your side until the very end, Lenora..."