Dark eyes

The beech forests around here reminded her of home. Of how the sunlight slanted through the trees one saturday morning when she turned for a last look at the village. How the light framed the distant shapes of her mother and father, waving her goodbye, the small shape of her little sister beside their mother, waving her little hand too. Elayna wondered if she remembered her older sister anymore, the one that left and never came back.

It was strange how that memory was so strong and real, as if it were just a week ago. How many years had it been? Must be closer to ten than five. It had been a peaceful life, with a lot of love and care from her family and kin. Work at the fields, the smell of fresh bread when she came home, the like. A perfect living for some. Not for her. Not that she disliked peace and quiet, or fresh bread. That last, her stomach was quite dying to have right now. It was just that the familiar and easy-going routine was not enough. Maybe after ten more years of travelling the world, she would be satisfied with that kind of life. Still, she did find herself crying in the middle of the night sometimes, thinking of her long gone home when she shivered under a bush. But it was only in the dark hours after midnight, when the sad and frightening things were closest to the heart. She tugged a stalk of timothy from the side of the road and stuck it in her mouth, chewing on it. She should visit them sometime. She had thought of that every year.

The road turned down a slope, and a couple of whitewashed houses came to view. Elayna grinned. This was the life.

The village ahead looked like a good start to her summer. Not too big, but not too quiet either, maybe a hundred and twenty houses in all. There should be some good taverns there, with fine drink to be had and a soft bed to sleep on. Well toss that. If she had her way she wouldn't need the bed for sleeping. She had washed and combed her dark brown hair to a soft sheen this morning, and the top button of her tunic was left open to make the low neckline even more attractive. A thin silver chain circled ner neck snugly, matched by tinkling earrings. She had a touch of eyeshadow around her blue eyes and her lashes wore mascara. It was not in her style normally, but by god she had been so bored for half a year that she was willing to provoke a bit.

She walked down the road to the village, taking her time, her backpack feeling light as she weighed the choice of ale against cider and wine. She checked her breeches and the hem of her tunic to see they didn't display too much dirt, whistling a bit. She was going to put some snap into this place right now.

The road changed into the main street of the village. The shops lining the street were abustle with the good country folk running their trades, busy even this late in the evening. Cabinetmakers, seamstresses, weavers and barbers, even a herbalist's shop. It might be fun to visit a few of those tomorrow before walking on, but now she was looking for a place to throw her backpack in, get some food and catch some good dance music. A wooden sign hung ahead of her over a tavern door. Three Crowns. Elayna rolled her eyes. There must be a Three Crowns in every third village, or some other number of crowns in any case. She wanted something with a little punch.

Turning at a corner to scan the signs of the crossing street, she spotted one with two big brown birds prancing around each other. The Fighting Capercaillies. She smiled. Well that had some imagination to it. Maybe the food would be inspired, too. She set step towards the tavern, admiring the skillfully carved windowpanes as she came closer. It had an air of quality to it, just the sort she was looking to put some of her savings into. She swung open the heavy door and was met by a delicious smell of roasted potatoes and beef that made her mouth water.

"Welcome lass," a graying woman with a big smile called from the door to the common room. "Be right there."

Elayna walked past the sturdy reception desk to take a peek up the staircase. A woven tapestry hung on the wall along the stairs, another good sign. She smiled as the woman came to the front hall, wiping her hands with a cloth. "Hello there young mistress," the woman said. "Looking for accommodations?"

"And a good hot meal," Elayna said with a grin.

"Well you've found the right place," the lady said merrily. She put on reading glasses and thumbed open a book, then looked up at Elayna. "One?"

"Yeah," she said with a rueful smile. "For now."

The woman smiled fondly. "Four pounds for single room, meal and breakfast."

Elayna dug out her purse. It was not too bad at all.

Soon she was climbing the stairs with key in hand, feeling good about this place. She found her room and opened the door. The bed was really big, and there was even a comfortable-looking armchair. If not for her stomach grumbling she would have tried the bed. She set her backpack on the floor and eyed the bed again. Well, the food could wait for a few minutes more. She lay down on the soft mattress, careful to leave her dusty boots and hem outside, and sighed with pleasure. So soft. A bit too soft even, for some things she had in mind, but that could be lived with. She relaxed for a while and then sat up, smoothed her hair a bit in front of the mirror hanging on the wall, then headed downstairs.

The common room was big and stylish, with dark wooden beams across the low white-painted ceiling, and carved wooden panels along the walls. There was a good number of folk there already, some eating, some chatting over mugs of ale. She gathered approving smiles as soon as she stepped in.

"Hey miss," a fellow from a nearby table called with a winning smile. "Join us for a cider?"

Elayna beamed. "Later, ok?" He was fine-looking, with light brown hair and a slender body. Certainly someone to catch for a chat later, to start with. She waved her hand to him and his friends as she walked past their table. It was nice to be appreciated.

The innkeeper, Anne as she had told Elayna to call her, had a table ready for her in a cozy booth opposite the common door.

"There you are", Anne said. "Just in good time." She motioned for Elayna to sit down and poured ale into a green glass, then went to the kitchen and returned with an assortment of plates on a large wooden tray. "'A lot of everything', wasn't that it?", she said with a warm smile. "Oh, and be sure to catch the music and dance later in the evening."

Elayna's mouth watered at the array of food. Fresh rolls piled high next to a block of butter, roasted potatoes and meat pies, sliced ham, two kinds of salad and a dozen things Elayna didn't even know a name for. Oh, this was worth her four pounds twice over. She picked up knife and fork and happily lost herself in the feast.

Finally she took the last roll and spread the remaining butter on it, nibbling it in contentment. Her stomach was more than full, but she was not going to leave anything. The room held a lot more folk now. Her skin tingled from excitement as she ran her eyes across the people. This was what she was looking for. There was a nice bearded man a few tables from her, not much older than her, maybe twenty-six or so with strong arms and dark hair, laughing with his pals. Elayna watched him for a while, then smiled, stood up from her table and headed to where he was sitting. Her eyes caught a reddish-haired young woman sitting next to him, previously hidden from her view. The girl laughed with the rest of them and then ruffled the bearded fellow's hair. A girlfriend, then, probably. Elayna didn't mind. With a full stomach and an inn full of pleasant folk, she was not about to think twice over a man already taken, no matter how strong his arms were. She scanned the rest of his friends with mild interest as she passed the table, then picked out another table full of young men, this time with no girls. She walked to the table and leaned over the back of an unoccupied chair with a smile.

"You mind if I sit here for a while?", she said.

"The longer a while, the less we mind," a brown-haired man said with a twinkle in his blue eyes. Elayna couldn't help but giggle. She liked people who had a way with words. His hair curled nicely around his ears, too. She sat down and waved her hand to a serving girl.

"A cider," she yelled over the din, then turned back to the table. There were four men in all, all seeming like jolly fellows.

"I'm Elayna, nice to meet you," she said with a smile.

"David," the blue-eyed man replied. "A pleasure."

"William," the dark-haired one sitting next to him said. He seemed a bit too flashy for Elayna's tastes, with a slick grin and his shirt unbuttoned at the top. Elayna suddenly realized she had her own tunic unbuttoned too. Ah well, she thought with a smile. Shouldn't be too quick to judge.

"Peter." The brown-haired man beside her in a striped shirt was a bit heavier, around the waist particularly. Not that it should matter really, but Elayna kind of liked the slender type more.

"Mathias," the last man said, his grey eyes kind as he smiled at her. He had long hair gathered in a ponytail at the neck and a nice white shirt with green embroidery. Close second after David.

The serving maid came to the table and set a mug of cider in front of Elayna with a smile that she directed at the men too. Elayna thanked her and sipped at the drink. Sweet and nice.

"So, you all from around here?", Elayna asked.

"Yes," Peter said, sounding like it was a bad thing.

"Peter here would like to travel, but he needs to finish his apprenticeship with the tailor first", David said with a grin.

"How long does that take?", Elayna asked.

"Two years at least," Peter said with a sigh. "It's not like I don't want to be a master as soon as possible, but it would be so nice to get around a bit."

"Despite his looks Peter is the hardest worker you'll ever meet," William said. "Puts higher standards for his work than his master ever has." He slapped Peter on the shoulder. The rest murmured in agreement. Good fellows.

Elayna immersed herself in the conversation and the good cider. They were all such nice men. As she chattered with them, telling tales of her travels, exaggerating just a bit, laughing and enjoying the cider, the inn slowly filled with people. The remaining chairs at her table filled too. She was having a hard time remembering the names of all the men around the table. It was not like there weren't a lot of other girls at the inn too, but a lot of the fellows seemed to prefer her over the local girls. She was feeling good, getting so much attention and having such a good time. She was looking forward to the dance, and to what might happened after that. She was beginning to choose who to dance with. The thought warmed her inside. She wanted to have some love tonight.

At a clamor near the common door she looked up and saw the musicians coming in, greeted with clapping and cheers. They threaded through the crowd to the raised platform at the side of the room. People pulled tables further away from the dancefloor facing the platform. The musicians, two men and a woman in white shirts and trousers, waved at the people as they set their instrument cases on the side of the platform and sat on stools. The taller, blond-haired man took a zither out of his case and plucked it softly for a while with his fingers, adjusting the tuning, then pulled out two slender hammers and started playing a beautiful melody. The crowd quieted down and listened to the elaborate notes he twined together with his instrument. The other musicians went to fetch water and ale as he continued playing, then returned and picked up their instruments, a goblet-shaped clay drum and a long flute. The first man let the notes of his instrument turn slowly into a quiet stream of melodies that ended in a intricate chord. The crowd was silent as the last note fell. As the sound faded, the man suddenly continued with a bright and fast variation of the melody, and the drum started a catchy rhythm with lots of intricate rolls and snaps. Elayna's foot began to tap on the floor.

"Dance with me?", she asked David.

"With pleasure." David rose and took her hand as they headed to the dancefloor. People were already dancing, but there was plenty of room. Elayna let herself be carried away by the slightly exotic rhythms and melodies, by the haunting voice of the flute.

After five tunes or so she stopped to take a deep breath. David danced well.

"Let's take a break for a while," she said.

They walked back to the table through the milling mass of people. Elayna ordered another cider and lay back with a happy sigh. Some people had left the table to dance or maybe to see their friends in other tables, but as soon as she returned, many nearby men turned back to her table or returned from elsewhere. She couldn't help smiling.

Suddenly she noticed many of her table companions' heads turning to the common door, and she sat a bit straighter to see for herself. More musicians, maybe? Following the gaze of the people by the door her eyes met a young woman who was walking in. Her dark hair reached to her dark brown eyes, with two long slender braids that hung at her cheeks and the rest cut short at the back. Younger than Elayna, she wore a white shirt and a short brown skirt. Elayna didn't need the men's reactions to see that she was very pretty. Some of the men standing beside Elayna with their mugs of ale in hand started towards the door at sight of the new girl. Elayna gritted her teeth. All of them really didn't need to crane their necks so much to see her. Maybe she could just turn around when she saw how full the room was and go somewhere else?

No chance of that, though. The dark-eyed girl walked through the crowd followed by interested eyes, and sat down at a table. Immediately a crowd gathered around her and the chairs of her table filled in a blink. Elayna tried to loosen her jaws a bit.

"Is she from around?", she managed with a smile.

"No," William said slowly, turning his head back. "Never seen her before."

"Right," Elayna muttered under her breath. So she would have to share that advantage with the girl. There was no reason to hate her for it, but Elayna found it easier to just try to forget her. Which would have been a great deal easier had the girl not sat in her view.

As the evening changed into night, she did not quite forget about the girl but she did accept her, in a way. Glancing at her every now and then, Elayna began to feel that the girl was a lot like her, out in the world wanting to enjoy the company of others, trying to find nice people to talk with and be happy with. To find someone special, perhaps. But Elayna saw it in her eyes as the girl watched her own table companions, the same feelings she had. She looked just a little bit sad and alone, even here with so many happy people.

The thing was, Elayna liked the men in her table, liked most of them a lot. They were good honest fellows. Just... not what she was looking for. Up to this morning she had thought she just wanted to let herself loose and have fun, to have sex with someone to make up for all the boring months. She had thought that anyone could do as long as he was nice and fun and reasonably good-looking. It was just that now that she had a good selection of those, it seemed like the world's notion of "anyone" was not the same as hers. Or maybe she just wasn't as wild and easy-going as she liked to think. The better she got to know them, the more she felt like being friends with them, not kissing them. Some were too nice and kind to think of in that way. Some were too rough with their talk. Some were enjoying the ale a bit too much. Mathias was all but sleeping, his far-between comments getting nonsensical. Elayna didn't want to be too picky, but being with a drunk just didn't hold any interest at all. All of her thoughts she could see reflected at the other girl's table. She too seemed to be enjoying the attention and her company, but the way her eyes wandered off from her table and into the crowd told Elayna that she, neither, had found what she wanted the most.

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