Elwen the Conquered

The trip to Ravensburg was almost complete. The walls of the city were in sight, though the actual city was hidden completely by the walls that surrounded it.

The walls were truly massive, rising from the ground like cliffs. They were thicker at the base than at the top, so there was a slight angle to them, making them stronger while still preventing someone from just walking up the walls. There were no towers, but there were buildings sitting on top of the wall, where the city’s garrison stored the heavy equipment needed to move the gates. There were also many smaller buildings, which were used as guard houses or armories. There were many little flags that adorned the edge of the wall, although Elwen couldn’t recognize what they were. She thought that they could be the flag of the kingdom or the local ruling lord, but they were all of different colors and shapes, so she didn’t think that was the case.

The walls were made of large grey stones, although one of the merchants told her that was actually only the surface of the wall, the wall was actually a huge earthen mound, which was then covered in stones for strength. It was so thick that it would be nearly impossible for attackers to break through the wall without digging through it.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the gates of the city. The double door gate to the city was fully opened, with guard stations on the left and right of the gate. The guards had to check everyone going into the city, so there were long lines going to both guard stations, one for foot traffic on the left and the one on the right for vehicles. They joined the line on the right, as they were in a wagon.

Although it was partially obstructed by all of the people and wagons in front of them, she saw an intricate design inscribed into the brass door. The design featured a large raven, taking up most of the space on the door, and for some reason it looked like it was breathing fire. Elwen found it rather peculiar, as far as she knew there wasn’t anything like it. Was it some rare monster from the city’s founding myth? Or was it an actual monster? She hoped it was fake, as it looked terrifying.

The line on the left was going quicker, although the progress was in small steps. The vehicles in their line needed to be checked before entering the city, which took time, but there were also fewer groups in line. There were six groups ahead of them, four of which were small carts, peddling goods from the villages in the local area, and two were larger wagons, a bit larger than their own. Elwen couldn’t tell what the one in front was carrying, but the one closer to her was full of wood planks.

Progress forward was slow, it seemed that the guards spent five or six minutes on each of the groups seeking entrance to the gate. The line on their left continued to advance at a steady pace, making it seem as if they were stuck in a standstill.

When it was finally their turn, the guards had them drive forward and stop at the guard station. One of them asked the merchants a bunch of questions about what they were carrying, where they came from, and so on. They opened and searched a few of the crates, verifying the merchants’ statements. Although, they didn’t search all of the crates, so if someone just put a crate of contraband in the back, they probably wouldn’t notice. They did check for hidden compartments, though.

The guards didn’t seem to even care about Elwen and Varian. In fact, it seemed like they were trying to just ignore them. It was a lot better than with the guards to Krinsburg. As soon as the guards were done, they were waved through the gate.

Once they passed through, Elwen could see the bustling city. It was very busy, at least compared to Krinsburg. It was probably the most crowded city they had been to, even more so than Rielton, which she had considered to be a relatively prosperous city. Maybe it was just the scale of the two cities. Rielton seemed a lot smaller.

The sun was starting to get low when they were finally admitted into the city so they immediately headed towards a local merchant association, the buyers for their cargo. Once they delivered the goods, the two merchants would pay them and they would part ways.

The streets of the city were much brighter than the streets of Krinsburg, despite it already being late. It seemed that the streets were wider, allowing more light in. Many people were out and about, making it somewhat difficult to move in the wagon. They had to travel slowly, to make sure they didn’t run over anyone, and they couldn’t turn very easily either. The buildings were plastered in various colors, without any order to the coloring. Each building individually looked quite nice, but putting them all together made them look more like an eclectic mess. Still, Elwen thought that it was kind of cozy. The mess was very organic, very human. She liked it.

It didn’t take long for them to arrive at their destination. It was a large building, painted in light yellow. There was a small courtyard to the side, with a set of stables hidden in the back. There was a large door facing the courtyard at the back of the building, most likely leading to a warehouse. It looked like the courtyard was where the merchants would load and unload goods. Whoever the architect was, they seemed to take special care in designing the building for the merchant’s convenience.

After dropping off Davis at the front door, Rax drove the wagon into the courtyard, positioning the back facing the door just a few meters away.

“Well, now that we are here, I think we can consider the job complete,” he said, taking out a small box from underneath the wagon’s driver seat. Opening it, he took out a small bag. Carefully counting the contents, he handed Varian two dozen or so coins, summing to their agreed price, eight gold coins.

“Pleasure doing business with you.” Varian said, double checking the amount. “Everything seems to be in order, so we’ll be on our way.” He declared, and the two of them made their way out of the courtyard and back onto the bustling street.

“Umm… Did you ask them where to find an inn?” Elwen asked, making sure stay close to his side and hold on to him so she wasn’t swept away by the crowd.

“I did, a little while before we entered the city. They said there is a good one up the road. It’s a little on the expensive side, at least compared to the ones we’ve stayed at so far, but they said the food is good and the rooms are nice, so I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try it.”

“Sounds good!” She said, beaming at him.

It was a short walk to the inn, but it took much longer than it should have. Not just because the crowd was slowing them down, but also because she kept dragging Varian over to window shop. She couldn’t help it, some of the shops had really nice displays.

They still arrived long before sunset, but they didn’t really have time to go out and do anything. If they tried, they would get stuck out in the dark. That wouldn’t really be a problem, if there were streetlights, but there weren’t any. Instead, anyone traveling at night was required to carry either a torch or a lantern to light their way. Guards were also suspicious of anyone travelling at night, so the probability of being randomly stopped was much higher at night. Now that they were out of the Empire, that wasn’t really an issue, but they still wanted to avoid any trouble if possible. You can’t get in trouble with the guards if they have no reason to suspect you.

The inn was similar to the building merchants used. There was a courtyard on the side, with stables, although both were larger. The stables could hold many more horses and there was a space set aside in the courtyard for guests to park their carriages. There was no door on the side, instead there was a path leading behind the inn. That was probably where they took their deliveries.

The front of the inn had a porch, with several sets of tables dispersed on it. The inn was renowned enough for its food that they became quite busy at times, so they set up places to eat outside as well. When it got really bad, they could set up tables in the courtyard too, but there weren’t any there now. The face of the inn was white with wooden beams used as decoration, much like Tudor style house. The entrance was a set of large wooden double doors, painted to match the color of the wood beams.

After they entered, Elwen saw that the inside was filled with patrons of the inn, eating at tables scattered throughout the inside. The entire place was well lit and warm, there was a large fireplace in the back that provided the entire building with heat. Little vents distributed the hot air evenly throughout the building, making even the areas farthest from the fire warm and cozy. There was a path that led to a counter on the other side of the room, with a couple of doors to the side.

The innkeeper, or at least the barkeep, was at the counter, cleaning of a glass. Varian approached him, with Elwen in tow just behind him.

“How much for a room for the night?” He asked.

“Thirty silvers for a single, fifty for a double.” The man responded.

“How about a twin? Are any available?” Varian didn’t want to push his luck, especially since there was the option not to, and Elwen knew it. They had to get separate beds. If that was in separate rooms, so be it. It would just be a little more expensive.

“Aye. It’s the same as a double, fifty silvers.” The innkeeper responded.

“And the meals?” Varian asked.

“Ten silvers each.” He said, finishing his cleaning of the glass. He returned it to a spot hidden under the counter and moved to the right a few steps, fishing something out of a drawer.

“Can we take them up to the room? It’s a little crowded down here.”

“If you want. Just don’t make a big mess if you want to stay another night. Room cleaning is five silvers if you want it done during your stay. Of course, the rooms are cleaned between each guest.”

“We’ll take the room and whatever the special is for the meal.” Varian declared, opening his coin purse and fishing out the necessary coins.

“Here you are,” the man said, handing them a key, “enjoy your stay. I’ll have someone take your food up to you once it’s ready. It’s up the stairs to the right, second door from the end on the left. The bathrooms on the left end.”

Varian looked at the doors for a second, before returning his gaze to the innkeeper.

“Ah, the stairs are on the right, sorry about that.”

The two went up the stairs, heading for their room.

When they went inside, Elwen saw that the room looked very comfy. There were two beds, a coach and an armchair with a short table between them, and a desk in the corner. There was a large window on the wall, complete with long curtains. There was a small closet with extra blankets, but the beds already had enough on them. There was no TV, but that was to be expected. As far as she knew, there was no similar technology in this world.

Their food arrived a few minutes later, steak and potatoes with what appeared to be steamed asparagus. After finishing, Elwen grabbed her pajamas and toiletries from the bag of holding and headed to the bathroom. After a long bath, she dressed herself and completed her nightly routine before returning to her room. Varian left to do the same, and she laid down on her bed. It was soft and fluffy, definitely the best bed she had laid on so far. It wasn’t exactly perfect, but it was very comfy, especially after a long day of travelling.

She felt like she was melting into the bed as she tossed about for a little bit, finding the most comfortable position. She made sure to pull the blankets up all the way, and soon found herself falling into slumber.

Varian returned soon after, smiling when he saw Elwen’s sleeping form. He made sure to lock the door and put his sword under the bed, just in case, and took his position in his own bed, mirroring her. Soon, he too fell into the dreamland. Although his dreams were of a different nature than hers.