A Bard’s Tale (Excerpt) 12/12/18
Neil listened to his father, taking the horse, his lyre, and a few snacks for the trip. Without the cart, the trip was significantly faster. He found himself truly hopeful for the first time in awhile that he might be doing exactly what he felt he should be doing.
He arrived at the inn with a quarter hand remaining before sixth bell. Credence, Jack, and Fiona were just finishing up with the daily cleaning when he walked through the door to the warm and inviting common space.
“Perfect timing,” Jack said, “I was just getting ready to call it quits.”
“We were finishing up anyway,” Credence said, slapping him playfully on the arm. “I like the new clothes.”
“Where did you get these?” Fiona asked as she grabbed at his clothes, feeling the material between her fingers. “It’s so light but thick at the same time. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
“They were my grandfather’s clothes when he was still traveling as a minstrel,” Neil replied as he pulled the lyre off his shoulder.
“What kept you so long?” Credence asked. “Was your father giving you a hard time again?”
“Surprisingly, no. I had to do some odd chores before I left, but my mother was kind enough to finish them up for me before I left.”
Neil looked around the room and felt a stab of panic when he saw that no one was in the room with them. As though on cue, a set of loud boots thudded loudly on the floor above and he could make out the beginnings of a heated conversation just muffled enough that he couldn’t hear what it was over.
Jonathan M. Leighton, Jr. 