A Stolen Crown (17 page)

“Elvanar?” he asked.

“Yes. I have family there,” Ariana said. “I don't know what kind of reception I might receive, considering that there were some difficulties between my mother and her family, but I am the rightful heir to the Maramyrian throne and we have treaties with the Elves, agreements that they will assist us in times of need, and I consider this to be a time of need.”

They left Mountain Ridge hold that morning and decided to take trails again instead of the main road in order to avoid the countless caravans of Maramyrian soldiers now making their way to Rivergate Keep. Even so, Aaron and Ariana ran into a few patrols but Aaron kept his bow ready to make it look as though he was hunting for their next meal. To anyone who saw them, they looked like regular mountain folk. It was mid afternoon when they finally cleared a rise and Rivergate Keep appeared before them.

Nestled high in the mountains among the dark green forests and the crags and cliffs of rock, there was a kind of plateau through which a river had cut a path. It ran right through a large town that was very similar to the one they had just left, except that it was much larger. The inner city, with its stone buildings and heavily fortified construction was surrounded by a heavy stone wall and the buildings of the outer city were mostly wooden but were also bordered by a thick stone wall. From their vantage point, they could see that the smoke rising from the many chimneys across the city, swirling in the air above from the ever-changing mountain winds. What made the view of Rivergate breathtaking were the two massive waterfalls right in the center of the city, one of them falling from the mountains above, and another one falling from the edge of the city, down to the dark forests below the mountain plateau. They made their way down the trail and soon found themselves at the gates of the mountain city.

As a result of sitting at something of a crossroads between various lands, Rivergate Keep had become a center for trade and any number of strange travellers passed through its heavily fortified walls over the course of a day, bringing items and curiosities to sell or exchange for other goods. The guards gave Aaron and Ariana little more than a glance mostly, it seemed, to ensure they did not look or speak as though they were Kandaran. At first, the fact that Ariana's cloak was pulled over her head gave the guard cause to take a closer look, but when he glimpsed the angry-looking scar that ran the length of her cheek, he quickly understood why she hid herself. Aaron gave the man the same story he had given to the guards at Mountain Ridge Hold, along with the same fake names they had used, and they were admitted to Rivergate without further question.

The city was a place of industry, and workmen were busy building new structures and repairing roofs and walls that had been damaged by the heavy winter snows. The streets were teeming noisily with people and more than a few Maramyrian soldiers. An interesting part of the city's architecture was the number of fountains that had been built into the streets. They were crowned by a large fountain in the main square of the town that shot a great spout of water up from a large stone urn and landed in a pool around it. Aaron was amazed that the builders of the city had been able to harness the power of the river in such a way and Ariana told him that Rivergate Keep had been built long before the Maramyrian kingdom even existed. Aaron hoped to have a chance to take a closer look around the city once they had found a place to stay for the night.

They had inquired at the city gate about lodgings and the guard had told him that with all the soldiers arriving in preparation for the war and the commanders and captains staying in the city, most of the inns were almost full up but they might still be able to find rooms at a place called the Three Ducks. They tied their horses in front and entered the tall wooden building.

Inside the main common room was a bar, fairly well lit but smoky, with a staircase at the back wall and a door leading to the left into a small, enclosed yard. A woman stood behind the bar leaning on her elbows seeming to be reading something. As the pair entered the room and the door swung shut behind them, she looked up. She was an older woman, and her squarish face matched her squarish body. She was not pretty but the ruddiness in her features and a brightness in her eyes made her at once appear somewhat attractive, or at least extremely friendly.

“Good day to you. Welcome to my humble establishment. The name’s Milli,” she said as she stood up straighter. Aaron smiled back while Ariana glanced around the common room. “I suppose you’re looking for a room then are you?”

“Yes, do you have one?” Aaron asked.

“Of course, but you’re just in time. We’re almost all full up. It's gettin' busy what with all these soldiers about. But hey, what’s good for business is good for me.” She smiled. “Do you have horses?” Aaron told her they were out front, tied to the post. “Well, I’ll have one of the girls bring them around back. I’ll have to ask you for one night’s payment up front though, just one night, an' you can pay me every morning after that if you’re planning to stay longer. You two look like honest folk, not like some of these soldiers. I’m makin' them pay all in advance.” She squinted an eye then winked at them light heartedly.

“Thank you very much,” Ariana said from beneath her hood as Aaron dug for a few coins. “Does the tavern get busy at night?” She looked around the somewhat battered looking but clean common room. The woman laughed

“It does get a might rowdy, especially with the soldiers and all, but we manage to make them behave,” she told her. Aaron passed Milli several coins, which the woman promptly deposited between her cleavage and then took her pen to her log book. “Your names?” she asked.

“I am Edward, and this is my wife, Katie. Glad to meet you Milli,” Aaron told her. Milli glanced at their hands, neither of which had wedding rings on them.

“Of course,” she said with a smile and she leaned forward to try to get a better look under Ariana's hood, but Milli discretely pulled back when she saw her hand come up and pull the hood closer over her face. It seemed as though the girl did not want anyone to look at her, which was not a rare thing in this particular establishment. “Well, that’s enough to keep you folks well an' good for the next couple days at least, depending on how much ‘your husband’ drinks, mind you,” she joked lightheartedly. Ariana understood.

“Oh, we won’t be a bother at all, neither of us.” She nudged Aaron in the ribs and he nodded dumbly.

“Good then. I run a very discreet business. Your privacy will be well respected here.” Ariana smiled at the woman, understanding all too well what kind of establishment they had happened upon. Oblivious to such things, Aaron realized that he had not had a drink of ale since Maramyr. He had acquired a taste for it while at the Academy.

“Actually,” he said, “I think we could probably both use a decent meal and a jug of ale. Is the kitchen open?” Milli smiled at him.

“Yes, just about. I’ll show you your room and will send one of the girls to make sure it's up to scratch. You can drop your things there and the stove should be warm by the time you get back down.” She pulled on a rope behind the bar and within moments a young, dark haired woman wearing a slightly faded, blue satin dress came down the stairs. “Carly, can you show these nice young folks to the room at the end of the hall upstairs?” Milli turned and pushed open the door to the kitchen as Aaron and Ariana followed Carly.

Carly led them down a long hall with a low ceiling. She was a pretty young woman, with a kind of tired innocence about her expression. She smiled at them, which seemed to be an effort and when she stifled a yawn, Aaron wondered when the girl had last slept. They reached the end of the hall and a door opened to a large room. Inside, was a very large bed with rich looking, red satin coverings. Off to the side was a sitting area with a table and several couches that were draped with patterned red satin to match the bed. Set against the wall was a large fireplace sat in a stone hearth and there was also a washbasin that looked big enough for three people. The walls were decorated with tapestries and framed paintings, all of which involved women who were unclothed or in various states of undress. Aaron felt his face turning red at the pictures and he stared at the floor, feeling a little embarassed.

“I hope everything is to your satisfaction,” Carly said, her voice thin and quiet, but with a breathy richness to it that Aaron found distracting. “Let us know if you wish to bathe and we can have some water brought up. If you need anything else, my room is the first on the left.” She gave both Aaron and Ariana a suggestive glance and pointed back toward the hall in the direction of her room. Ariana thanked her and Carly left, closing the door behind her. Ariana glared at Aaron, though she was not sure whether to laugh or be completely appalled.

“Do you know what this place is?” she asked, almost accusingly. Aaron was taken aback.

“It's an inn?” Aaron said, even though he now had a pretty good idea that a lot more than eating, drinking and sleeping went on here.

“Things sometimes get noisy," Ariana muttered, intoning what Milli had sai. "I’ll bet! One of the girls...this is quite the establishment.”

“Well, look at it this way," Aaron said with a shrug. "Anyone important, who could possibly recognise us, or you for that matter, wouldn’t come here then, right?” Ariana rolled her eyes.

“Aaron,” she shook her head and then sat down on the edge of the bed. “You have so much to learn.” She smiled tiredly and tilted her head back. “Oh, my!” she exclaimed.

Aaron looked up. Set into the ceiling above the bed was a large mirror. Ariana giggled, putting her hand to her mouth. Aaron looked at her, confused for a moment, then he understood the purpose of the mirror and he could not help but crack a grin. Ariana lay back on the bed and stared in the mirror, frowning when the hood of her cloak fell away from her face and she saw her scars staring back at her. Aaron sat down on the bed next to her and reclined against the large cushions and pillows then he looked up at the mirror and realized just how different they looked from the royal princes and proud new captain who had left the crown city of Maramyr what seemed like a lifetime ago.

They both closed their eyes and Aaron could feel the tug of Ariana's power at his mind. He reached out with his own and they shared their thoughts and emotions for the first time since they had left their winter refuge. Aaron could tell that the princess had changed since the day before last when she had seen the scar on her face, but he did not realize just how deeply it had affected her. Now that he could sense her feelings directly, he could tell how much her confidence had been shaken. It was as though all the things that had happened over these past months had all piled together and this last thing was what had finally gotten to her. Even though Aaron could tell that she had already decided that the scar on her cheek was far less important than the problems she faced, it was a painful reminder of how daunting things had become. He did his best to send her feelings of encouragement and warmth, hoping she might feel better.

Aaron opened his eyes and realized that he had fallen asleep. The room was dark, the daylight having fled the windows and he felt around the bed for Ariana but she was gone. Aaron pushed himself to his feet and was about to venture toward the door when he heard a noise in the darkness. A splash. He focused his mind, drawing upon his power, and even though it was a little painful to do, he saw his vision shift and he was able to see easily. He looked over and saw Ariana sitting naked in the large bath basin. He also noticed a kind of sweet, flowery smell wafting in the air. Ariana turned her head and saw him standing, staring at her and Aaron all of a sudden felt very embarassed. It had been one thing when they were stranded in the mountains, but now that they had returned to civilization, Aaron was reminded that Ariana was the Crown Princess of Maramyr and that it would be inappropriate for him to see her any other way. He let go of his power so he would not see her.

“Aaron,” she said. “Good, you’re awake. I think we slept for a while. Could you please ask Milli to send me some towel cloths. You go down and eat. I will join you in a little while.” Aaron nodded, knowing that she could see him perfectly well with her own power.

“Oh, before you go,” Ariana said. “Do you like the scent of these bathing oils?”

“They smell nice,” Aaron told her, not knowing what else to say. He knew that women liked to make themselves smell like flowers. He had nearly had a sneezing fit once when he and Borrican had accidentally ventured into a perfumery during one of their jaunts around the city of Maramyr and he was amazed at how many different scents could be purchased at such a place. While he preferred the smell of leather and steel, or the fresh smell of evergreen forests, he supposed that something about the scent of sweet flowers was appealing.

“I think so too,” Ariana commented. “People can say what they want about these women who work in such places, but they certainly know a few things about perfume.”

With a nod, Aaron headed out the door toward the common room.

On his way down, Aaron dodged a man who was lurching drunkenly up the stairs with a woman on his arm, one of the girls, he guessed. The heavy smell of pipe smoke hung in the air in the large room, which was now lit by a fire at the hearth and many oil lamps placed throughout the room. A minstrel was playing an obscure tune in the corner and the room was full of soldiers who Aaron gaged to be Maramyrian footmen. Scanning the room, he looked for anyone of rank but could only see common soldiers, many with girls on their arms, all of whom were dressed in different yet alluring outfits, some scanty and others quite elaborate. Aaron worried that someone might recognize him, but figured that only the captains from the Academy would really know what he looked like, so hopefully he would be safe so long as he did not draw attention to himself. Still, he pulled the hood of his cloak over his head and took a seat at the bar. Milli greeted him, smiling.