A Tale of Crown and Country

Reila

Aldira would have to wait. Travel wasn't instantaneous, and Reila and Castin had the misfortune of living on the other side of the Inglewood forest. Without a horse or cart that meant at least four days journey, if you were quick. A more realistic vision was five days, and much kinder on the body and soul. People made the trip often enough, but without a good reason it wasn't deemed necessary.

    Luckily for them, Reila had a good enough reason to keep them motivated the whole trip. Castin had the good fortune of attaching himself to somebody with a goal, and so made it his journey's goal to make sure Reila's goal was achievable.

    The first stop on this wild adventure was Odeila, a larger town than their home of Quaelsi. A murmur of activity greeted them in the town. Unlike their home, Odeila was a bustling marketplace and cornerstone of trade with Jayakan. Outside of Aldira and Regros–though neither of them had ever been to the latter–it was one of the most diverse towns in Allriya.

    Dry air swept across the highlands, rustling the yellow grass growing in clumps beside the road as they entered the city that stuck up like a sunflower in cobblestones out of the surrounding fields. Odeila was Quaelsi multiplied: wider streets, two main squares, more inns, more shops, more people, more noise. The life of the town dwelled well past nightfall; it sneaked its way into the streets, the walls, the people itself. A never-ending cycle of merriment, courtesy of Jayaki merchants and a lax justice system, far enough from the capital and large enough to support itself, if Aldira was the land of dreams Odeila was the realm of distraction.

    Reila stuck close to Castin as they walked through the streets. Dusk was upon them and Odeila wasn't nearly as safe–nor familiar–as Quaelsi. A building reminiscent of their own town off one of the main streets caught Reila's eye. It looked cleaner and fresher than the rest of the buildings on the street. Combining that with the steady-stream of customers coming and going from the establishment and the relatively low nightly fare made it an ideal place to spend the evening. The Wairton Inn was to be their home for the night.

    Inside the inn was warm and the atmosphere merry. It was both friendly and rowdy; the louder customers did not threaten the safety of others, and if they did, well a large gentleman in a dark shirt escorted them out of doors. Men and women of varying backgrounds drank and ate together. Business transactions occurred at the bar and romances began in the back corner.

    Reila and Castin made their way through the crowd to the bar where they enquired after a room to let for the night. They were led to a quieter room in the back–the being much larger than visible from the front, had many quiet lounges in the rear of the establishment for patrons playing cards and events of the like. A teenaged girl around Castin's age excitedly took the correct number of coins from their hands and gave them a small key on a string. It was rather inventive, very ingenuitive, and incredibly sophisticated. The girl was all smiles and spoke in a high-pitched squeal the entire time. Reila had attributed it to the excited air of the party going on in the other room, but she soon realized this was how the girl acted all the time. She was short, with a round face, long blonde hair, and deep-set brown eyes. Her name was Obira, and her family owned The Wairton Inn, having named the establishment after their family name.

    Obira took them to their room and asked if they would like to join the festivities downstairs. Castin told her of their long travels and how tired they were. The girl was unfazed.

    "Such a long journey!" she exclaimed, always gleeful. "Whatever is the reason?"

    "We're on our way to Aldira," Reila answered. She rather liked the girl, her smile and good humour were infectious. Besides, she knew Castin was about to say something mean to the girl, and she kind of wanted to join in downstairs.