The Realm of the Purple Dragon - Children's Fantasy Adventure Novel (on Amazon)

Sample Chapter - Chapter 21 - The Lonely Inn

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The Lonely Inn

Just before noon on her third day travelling along the harbour road, Ellenor reached the lonely inn the Bard had told her about.  She decided it would be a good idea to use the gold she had to pay for a decent meal and perhaps ask if she could take a bath.  So she asked the Purple Dragon to wait somewhere nearby and out of sight, and then she entered the inn.

It was fairly small inside and there were only two men drinking in the tavern.  They sat by a homely looking fire drinking from what appeared to Ellenor to be cups made from some sort of animal’s horn.  She shivered as she thought back to the Unicorn and then realised in relief that they were too big to be unicorn horns, but the idea of drinking from an animal’s horn was an unpleasant thought to her all the same.

Ellenor then realised that they really were men and not dwarves, and concluded by the style of their clothing that they were simple folk - farmers or perhaps fishermen.  When she walked up to the barkeeper and asked if he served food, the two men looked up from their drinks and laughed,

“Careful Osten!” One of them joked.

“One whiff of the good stuff and you might have a drunk on your hands.”  They laughed again and, as the barkeeper threw them a withering glance, they turned back to their conversation.

     “We do sell food, lass.  Sit down and I will come over in a minute and take your order.”

Ellenor thanked him and went and sat as far away from the two men as possible.  No sooner had she sat down than a serving girl about her age came over to her table with a bowl of water.  Ellenor assumed it was for drinking but, when the girl saw her raise it to her lips to drink from it, she giggled,

 “No silly.  It is for washing the dirt of the road from your hands and face.”  And she produced a towel. 

Ellenor turned a bright berry red.  “Of course it is,” she mumbled, clearly embarrassed by her ignorance of this local custom.   However, the girl appeared not to notice her awkwardness and she turned back to give her a shy little smile as she walked away.

  “You must be a real lady to be allowed to travel alone without a male escort, although you look more like a lad in those clothes.”  Ellenor blushed again and the girl’s father, the Inn Keeper, smacked her on the bottom and gave her a stern look as she passed,

“Asa, go back to the kitchen, girl.  Your mother needs help making the bread.”  And when he came back over to Ellenor with her order he said:  “I’m sorry about my daughter, Miss; she’s just a simple country girl and doesn’t recognise a lady when she sees one.”  Ellenor blushed again; she certainly didn’t think she could pass as a lady in this Realm or any other.  She pulled herself together and said:  “I met a travelling Bard on the way here yesterday, and he recommended that I ask you for a bath.  He said you have one of the finest bath houses in the district.” 

The man stopped midway to putting Ellenor’s bowl down on the table.  “What did this Bard look like, Miss?”  he asked Ellenor, looking her firmly in the eyes.  Ellenor happily described the Blue Bard with his large, floppy blue hat, blue robes, staff, arm ring and long, brown curly hair and beard with side plaits.  Then, as an afterthought she added:

  “Oh!  And he only had one eye.” 

The men in the corner were suddenly silent and looked over at the girl and Inn Keeper, who returned their gaze cautiously.  He then put the wooden bowl of stew and crusty bread down in front of Ellenor hard enough to make them jump guiltily for eavesdropping.  Then, still staring at the men and daring them to comment with a now fierce facial expression, he placed a cup of milk next to the bowl.  Then he turned back to Ellenor and continued to ask about the Bard.