Armhianthia by Arbhin Cioc (cat reading book .txt) 📖

thought it time for something to eat and opened one of those covers from under the seat. He pulled a bag from underneath it and pulled it open. With one hand inside he felt for something to eat, till his hands struck on an apple and he pulled it out.
Nodding for his trophy he took a bite. He was halfway his apple, unaware of the outside world for a change, when suddenly the coach stopped.
Luse looked up from his apple halfway his bite. With the bitten peice of apple in his mouth, he opened the coach door and looked outside. Five horsemen in leather jackets stood in front of the coach, the coach driver was nowhere to be seen, but he heard him speak on the other side of the coach. Closing the door he went to the other side of the coach and peered through the window. He saw a sixth horseman at the side of the coach, speaking with the driver. When he opened the door, the horseman turned his head to watch. Eyeing Luse he heeled his horse and approached. With one hand he opened the door fully, leaving Luse standing in the open space. Realising the piece of apple still stuck between his teeth he started to chew. Sadly though, it left him no possibility to speak right away. With a serene face the horseman demanded Luses duty in Lagus.
Chewing the apple piece quickly away, he threw the rest of the apple away. This horseman’s attitude made his appetite vanish quickly. He swallowed the apple, straightened his shoulders before he answered.
“My business is my own, soldier.” Luse did not care whether this man had a rank or not. “By hospitality of Prince Trakand have I had the possibility to use this coach to travel to my destiny.”
The horseman did not look very happy to be addressed as a soldier. If his face had been sour before, it definitely was rotten now. “King Roghar is sure not liking other royals property out on his lands.”
Luse suddenly felt this was not going right. If he didn’t take matters in hand, it was for sure that he had to travel on foot or be send back to Nadirand with the coach.
He was an Eagrival, but as much authority an Eagrival has, he never could out rule a king.
“If you could move your squadron, my man, then we could pass.”
The horseman did not look any impressed. “And to where did you want to go?”
“We’ll be travelling to Arkena, where the coach will drop me off. After that, I will travel alone.”
The horseman thought for a moment, then said: “We will escort you to Arkena. From there, the coach will return with the driver and you can do, whatever you came here for. But I won’t allow a Nadirand coach to enter a Lagus city without proper escort.”
Without waiting for an answer, the horseman turned his horse and signalled to the squadron to make way. “And it’s Lieutenant for you, Eagrival.” Saluting he heeled his horse and shouted orders to his men. The coach driver stepped off his seat, and closed the door for Luse. Not much later, the whole caravan was moving. Back in his seat again, nothing much has changed for Luse. The road was still the same for him. Only the exterior has changed since every now and then a horseman was appearing outside the window. Two horsemen were riding in the back and the rest was riding in front. But every now and then two of the horsemen from the front fell back to catch up with the two riders in the back.
It took the rest of the day, when the lieutenant changed direction. He fell back from the front of the company, to the coach driver, then a bit more back, signing Luse to open the door. Luse opened the door on a small crack, enough to be hearing the lieutenant but not big enough to fall through. “There is a small in just outside this road. With your consent we will spend the night there.”
“That would be wonderful, lieutenant.” Luse replied. “After five days on these seats I can do with a good bed.”
The lieutenant nodded and heeled his horse back to the front again. Not much later, the coach turned course and they left the big road. The sun was now directly shining through the coaches window on the left side. It had now turned orange, slowly turning red, leaving coloured shadows of trees on the front panel of the inside of the coach. Not much later, Luse became aware of some small farm houses. A little fence around the houses held the spares amount of animals in. When the coach passed the houses, Luse could see the men and women working on the land, children doing their best to help. More people were helping with the animals, shaving them for the full season. There were more houses then farms, most probably they all worked together for one big farm. And all were responsible for the total income of the village. Not much later the horsemen halted their horses and the coach stopped too.
The silence after so many days of listening to the rattling of the wheels left a strange sound in Luses ears. He remained seated for a couple of moments to get used to the silence, before leaving the coach personally. Luse felt a moment of relieve feeling real ground under his feet. No more rocking and swaying, but solid sturdy ground. He exhaled a big sigh then turned back to the coach and reached for the panel under the seat to get his bag out.
The driver was already taking care of his luggage, while the lieutenant was talking to the innkeeper. It was a little square of cobble stone. Three houses made out of wood stood around the square and gave it a visual border. One of them was turned into a little inn. A sign hanging on the front of the house told Luse that the inn was called ‘The Stay’. Heaving the bag on his shoulder Luse walked over the sandy stones of the square towards the inn, while horses were guided to the stables and entered the inn.
Stepping through the door, Luse was addressed by the innkeepers wife. She was standing in the middle of the room, with cloth in her hands, trying to get her hands on everything at one time, cleaning the room for the unexpected guests. As Luse opened the door, she turned on her heels to see who entered the room. Her cloth still in her hand she eyed Luse as if daring him to make anything dirty. But Luse was so tired of the long road he only wished one thing: sleep.
“Good evening, my lady.” Luse greeted the lady. “Could you please show me a room, where I can put my stuff?”
The lady made a short and quick reverie, then turned to show Luse upstairs. Luse followed her silently, till the lady turned to Luse. “For one night, was it?”
“Yes, my lady. One night only. Tomorrow I will be sitting on those hard seats again.”
With a stern face, she pointed a room to Luse. “I will ask my husband to make you a warm bath.” Luse turned surpriced to watch the lady, “That would be lovely.” Without further due, he stepped through the door.
The small furniture room only had a chair, a cabinet for clothes and a bed. But Luse didn’t mind giving them a second glance. He tossed his bag on the chair, and laid his body on the bed. Even though the bed was not the best he had had, after five days of hard coach seats it was a relieve to relax his back. He felt every muscle in his back ease down. For his idea he had only been laying for some moments when he heard a knock on the door. He lifted his head off the pillow, then heard a voice on the other side of the door.
“Your bath is ready, Sir.”
“Thank you, my lady. I am on my way.” Luse answered the door. He pulled his legs off the bed, then sat straight for some moments before standing up. Glancing through the window, he saw that it had lookout over the village square. The coach and the horses were already gone from the square. From the other two houses at the square came yellow light through the windows throwing silhouettes over the stones. He must have been laying longer then some moments, most probably an hour if not more. His bones felt tired even, how long had he been travelling. Not willing to make the woman wait much longer and not wanting to have a cold bath, he hurried to the door.
Outside the door a young girl, twelve or thirteen years old, was standing there, waiting for Luse.
“My mom told me to lead you to your bath. The water is still warm.” The girl was twelve years old and from the day she could walk, she had been helping out for her parents. She pointed to the direction where the bathtubs are standing. Then walked ahead of the man downstairs. The guestroom was now filled with peole she didn’t know. She looked a bit weary towards the weapons of the soldiers, she had seen them enough to know what they can do. Leading the elder towards the door to the back, she was happy that she could shut the door and leave those drinking soldiers behind. Although she knew she had to get back there later again. They walked down the hallway to one of the doors on the right, she opened the door for the older man.
“The water maybe still warm, my lord.” She told the man. The man smiled gently and thanked her.
“I will ask my father to warm another bucket of water for you, my lord.”
The man bowed his head in a nod. “That would be wonderful, thank your father from me, if you please.”
With a sharp nod of the head the girl showed that she would do so. After pointing Luse where he could find the soap and towel, she turned and left the room. Closing the door behind her, she walked further into the hallway to the backdoor. The evening air was fresh and made her feel better.
“Stupid soldiers.” She muttered to one of the goats standing outside on a rope. She looked up at the stars and tried to recall all the stars as she had learned them from her father. She always wondered what those points of lights were. Sometimes they seem like a giant fabric laying over the earth, where someone with a pin made openings where lights of the day came through. But other times she had the idea that that was not fully true. She turned away from the sky and watched the backside of the house, the lights up at the single window, beneath the roof was lit with a yellow glow. The small glasses held by strips of metal in squares were yellow by themselves, but with the light coming through from the candles now, made them even brighter yellow. If the night really was a piece of fabric, like a blanket, that light would make a new star.
She broke her gaze from the night and walked back inside. She had to help her mother. She hesitated by the thoughts of the soldiers inside, and the stupid beer that made them do all strange things. But helping her mom was more important.
Reluctantly she stepped back inside.