"You just had to pick the slums to stay for the night, didn't you?" Ragnus grumbled to his companion as they sat down at the table. "We'll probably be robbed blind by morning. Not that we have anything that they'll want," the old dwarf added with a huff.

Isendir cast his friend an amused smile. "Ah yes, I forgot. Old men like you make prime robbery targets since you're so helpless."

Ragnus looked at Isendir from under lowered, bushy grey eyebrows. "Hmm. You're one to speak."

"I am not old, Ragnus," Isendir said, pulling his chair closer to the table, "just...aged. Thirty five is still young for us."

"Hmph. Well, young man, how about you call that lass over here so we can get something to eat." Ragnus drummed his gnarled fingers on the rough, dark surface of the table. "I'm starving."

The tavern the two had stopped at to spend the night in was dimly lit, dirty, and made the two seasoned travelers glance over their shoulders more than once. The windows were covered in grime, and the sign outside was so old and weathered that whatever had been written on it had long since become unreadable. 

It was deserted, save for a woman scrubbing the floor not far from where Ragnus and Isendir sat. Isendir gazed at her for a while, squinting his eyes in the dim light. She wore brown breeches that came to her knees, black, worn out shoes and a large, loose fitting raggedy shirt with long sleeves. She had unkempt short, fluffy black hair that hid her face. Her skin was a pale grey, showing that she wasn't human.

As Isendir watched, she pushed her hair behind her right ear, allowing Isendir to see a pointed ear and high cheekbones. An elf. And a male one, at that.

"Ragnus, I'm fairly certain that 'lass' there is actually a 'lad'," Isendir grimly whispered to the dwarf.

Ragnus grumbled something and turned his pale green eyed gaze to get a better look. He pursed his lips. "Hmph."

"Excuse me, young man?" Isendir cautiously called out.

The elf's eyes widened. He instantly jumped to his feet, almost knocking over the bucket of water next to him in his haste to get up. He scrambled over to their table.

"Please forgive me! I had no idea you two came in! I-"

"Hey, calm down." Isendir raised his hand. "No need to get worked up."

The elf's ice blue eyes stopped shaking. He forced himself to breathe slower. "Sorry...sir."

"That's better. Do you have a name, elf?" Isendir gazed at him intently.

"Aerysdren, sir. Aerysdren Ravenshard. But...you can call me Aerys." The elf shrugged his thin shoulders. He spoke with an extremely thick accent, and it was obvious that he was still struggling to pronounce some words in Common.

He looked to be around fifteen or sixteen in human years. There was a hopeful light in his ice blue eyes that made Ragnus's old and caring heart break.

"Aerys?" Isendir repeated. "Where do you come from, Aerys? You seem a bit too young to be out on your own."

Ragnus cast Isendir a gentle eyed glance. He sighed and shifted to a more comfortable position in his chair, preparing for a long wait.

"I come from Sheeth Alinar, sir. Born and raised there," replied Aerysdren. He kept drying his hands on the towel attached to the belt around his waist, despite them already being dry. He wasn't used to people treating him with such kindness. "I um...came here after a falling out with my parents. You must forgive me if my Common isn't that well. I am still learning."

Isendir shook his head and dismissed it with the wave of his hand. "You speak it very well. I am sorry about your parents. That must be terrible...my parents loved me very much as a child, although they're probably a bit disappointed in me now," he added with a slight smile. "But why come to Iksyn? Elves are not exactly a common sight here."

"Uh...." Aerysdren rubbed the back of his slender neck. "I thought I could get a job as a fisherman here, because of the um, you know, giant lake around town. I grew up in one of my homeland's many fishing villages, so I thought, you know...."

"I take it that it didn't work out very well?"

Aerysdren shook his head and smiled. "Nope. But Cassian offered me a job here. Thought it would be good for business if he had an 'exotic' around. He taught me Common, gave me a small hay bed to sleep in in the cellar. He's...harsh, but I cannot complain. I've always been passionate about not starving to death, after all!" He laughed awkwardly.

Ragnus shook his head. "Cruel bastards."

Aerysdren, hearing him, heaved a soft sigh. His youthful elven features took on a sad expression for a brief moment. He shook his head and put on another smile. He had to stay optimistic. "I am sorry for rambling, sirs. What can I get for you?"

"Why are you sorry, Aerys?" Isendir smiled warmly, his dark brown eyes filled with kindness. "I enjoyed our talk." He pulled out a small coin purse. "Two tankards of mead and spiced potatoes. Do you know if there are any rooms available?"

Aerysdren slowly reached out with his pale, slender hand and gently grabbed the coin purse. Blue veins stuck out from his hands, running up through his arms like racetracks. "I just cook, clean and serve people, sir. Or anything else that Cassian tells me to do, I guess. I actually do not know if we have any rooms available at the moment. But I can go check after I bring your food out, sir."

He turned around and walked back into the kitchen.

"Poor kid," Ragnus mumbled once he was out of earshot. "Can't imagine how bad he's being treated here. Did you see the dark smudges underneath his eyes? He looks like he's starving."

"Probably because he is." Isendir sighed and rested his head on his hand. "He looks about fifteen, sixteen. He is far too young to be going through this."

"He's much older than you, Isendir." Ragnus cast his friend a grin from behind his beard. "That lad is probably fifty five years old."

"No difference. Even if he is older than me in elven years, he is still just a kid."

"You're a good man, Shatterstorm." Ragnus stroked his long white beard. "Never stop being who you are. But you need to stop being so damn melancholic all the time. If I catch you staring at the stars one more time while you're on watch at night, I swear to Byrex I'm going to throw a rock at your head." 

Isendir had dark brown eyes that were indeed usually filled with absent minded melancholy. He wore his hair in dreadlocks that he normally tied up behind his head to keep out of his eyes, and he had the dark skin of a Highlander. A few streaks of grey were apparent in his black hair. A scar stretched across his right cheek, and he always wore a golden chain around his neck with a tarnished, silver band around it; a gift from his late wife, plus his wedding ring.  Recently, he had begun to grow a light stubble. The Highlander had once been a knight, although if one saw him, they would think outlaw, not nobility. 

About fifteen minutes later, Aerysdren returned. He sat the two tankards and the plate of potatoes down in front of them.

"Thank you, Aerys." Isendir smiled wearily up at him. "Why don't you sit down with us? You look like you could use a break."

Aerysdren's blue eyes lit up in delight for a split second at the offer. It immediately went away, and was replaced with a somewhat sad smile.

"Thank you, sir, but Cassian would kill me if he saw me slacking off. And I still have a floor to clean, unfortunately." He looked over at his rag and bucket and waved at them. He turned back to Isendir and Ragnus, suddenly remembering something. "Oh yeah. I almost forgot. There is one room available. Ten steel pieces. I'm afraid you two will have to share."

At this, Ragnus grimly reached into one of his pockets and withdrew another small coin purse. He poured its contents out on the table, aware of Isendir's scrutinizing, brown eyed gaze upon him. The coins rolled around for a bit, then plopped down on their steel backs with a clank.

Isendir squinted his eyes at the coins on the table for a few seconds before angrily turning to Ragnus. "I thought you said we had enough for both a meal and a bed. I went to the tavern in the slums for a reason, you know!"

"Blame me, do ya laddie?" Ragnus groaned and put a hand on his wrinkled forehead, his other hand drumming on the table. He eyed Isendir from between his fingers. "Damn tinhead. I told you to sell your spurs."

"And I told you, old man, that I would die a hundred deaths at the hands of the knights before I sold them!" Isendir jabbed a finger at Ragnus. He huffed out a sigh and adjusted his knapsack. "I guess we'll be sleeping outside with the wolves again. At least we get to eat."

Aerysdren giggled. He abruptly bent down and dug ten steel pieces out of his shoe. "Do not worry about it! I will pay for your lodging myself. You people are funny."

Isendir looked at Aerysdren with wide eyes. He shook his head at the young man. He had completely forgotten that he was still standing there. "No, you're not. We cannot accept your money in anyway, Aerys. We will be fine. We have been doing this for a very long time."

Aerysdren smiled again, loosely swinging his arms around his body.

"Accept my actions, sir. It is the least I can do for you," Aerysdren continued. "You two are the kindest that I've met here so far. It gives me hope!"

The two companions stared at him in shock. Ragnus smiled and shook his head.

"Alright, son," he said gently. "We accept it. Do yourself a favor and keep care of yourself around here. There's a lot of nasty people around this part of Iksyn."

Aerysdren nodded. "I know, sir. I can take care of myself." He slightly pulled his sleeve up, revealing the tip of a small knife, carefully hidden. He smiled again and handed Isendir a key. "Last door down the corridor. It is a bit cramped, I'm afraid."

"Thank you again." Isendir nodded gratefully to him. "Please, call me Isendir. This is my friend, Ragnus."

"Hello!" Aerysdren playfully waved at the both of them and grinned. "I've never met a dwarf before. Are they all like you?"

"More or less," Ragnus grumbled.

"I hope we meet again, Isen-Isendir," Aerysdren said, struggling with his name. He smiled sheepishly and ran a hand through his mess of black hair. "You'll have to tell me about your adventures someday. You two look like you've seen a lot of the world. I envy you."

Ragnus grunted and gazed at him from under his bushy eyebrows. "Be careful what you ask for, laddie. Living on the road ain't all it's cracked out to be."

~-~-~

The room they had been given was true to Aerysdren's words; it was cramped. Furnished with an old bed on a wooden frame and a window, it was definitely not made for two men to share. But as Isendir put it when they had first seen it, Ragnus only counted for 'half' a man, so they should be fine.

Flustered and angry at the Highlander's remark, the old dwarf made Isendir roll his bedroll out on the floor and sleep there.

"I don't know why I stay with you," Ragnus later grumbled from where he lay. He stared up at the dark ceiling above him. "I should just drop you off somewhere along the road with a sign that says 'free doorknob'."

"Really? And what would you do without me, old man?" Isendir returned with a slight smile. "I'm the one that keeps you alive."

"Ha! That's a good one, laddie." The old dwarf chuckled and stroked his beard. "You wish you were half the warrior I am."

"You mean to say the warrior you used to be." Isendir sighed and rolled over on his side. He sneezed when he accidentally breathed in a whiff of dusty and dirty flooring. "I dunno why I put up with you all the damn time. Never once met a dwarf that grumbled or complained as much you do. I bet my soul to Fibius that I never do either."

"You know why you stay with me, Shatterstorm." Ragnus let out a deep breath as he turned over with his back facing Isendir. "I'm the last bit of family you have left."

Isendir smiled sadly at his friend's words. What the dwarf said was very true. "Unfortunately. But in the end, you're the only bit of family I need to keep moving along. Do me a favor and wake me if I'm not up by dawn," he added. "I want to bid that Aerysdren fellow farewell before we leave."

"I would not worry about that kid if I were you, lad. He's bound to outlive the both of us either way," returned Ragnus. "I don't care much for elves as it is. Always so damn snobby, walking around, silently judging us. I have to keep reminding myself that the Fae are a lot worse. But who knows. I've never met a Fae before." He shut his eyes, and that was the end of the conversation. The old dwarf began to snore before long.

Isendir always made an effort to fall asleep before Ragnus did whenever they slept in an inn, and the reason for that effort was quite obvious. Dwarves were known for their thunderous snoring, and if anything, Ragnus's was even worse. 

The Highlander heaved a deep sigh through his nose and tried to get comfortable. It was the first time the two had slept indoors in almost a fortnight. It felt good to be out of the elements for a change, despite the poor conditions. The room smelled strongly of beer and stale bed sheets. 

About an hour of tossing and turning, Isendir finally managed to fall asleep. But before he did, the Highlander had the very odd, and very sudden feeling that he would not see the sun rise the next day. He didn't really pay it any attention, but he did fall asleep with his hand on the hilt of his sword.

But that would not help him for what was to come.

***🐉***
This chapter is dedicated to my dear friend on here, TheaMayy, who just also happens to have written my favorite story on wattpad♡

If you have any criticism or suggestions, please tell me!! I am working extremely hard to improve, and I feel this chapter could use a lot of improvement.

Thank you so much for reading and voting, and until next time~

also, if you're interested, there is a list of the gods and goddesses in the back 😊

~-smookie-