Chapter Two Hundred and Sixty-Three - See Ya Later!

“Welcome!” the man said with a spinning twirl that ended with a bow. “To the grandest inn in all of the capital: Dewdrop Inn.” Little magic whirls and sparks took to the air behind him, flipping and twirling like teeny-tiny fireworks before they burst apart and transformed into pretty flowers.

I clapped.

“Greetings,” Bastion said, obviously not as impressed by the manservant’s display. “We’re looking for some rooms for a few days. I was hoping that I could speak with Jared.”

“Certainly, sir Paladin,” the manservant said as he rose from his bow. He took in my friends and I at a glance, then nodded as if to himself. “I’m afraid that, while spectacular in its own right, this lower entrance is not as fabulous as the one above. I only hope its meager splendor is enough for such esteemed guests.”

We were standing on the ground-level of what Bastion called the Gold Gistrict. We were close to a big wall, one of the many that we’d crossed so far while navigating the city. This one had purple banners on it, so I guessed that it was the Purple District where the castle and a bunch of other important places were.

The Gold District was filled with businesses. Every building we crossed had an understated entranceway with a plaque telling passersby what they might expect within. The topmost floors looked a lot more interesting, but I couldn’t reach them without abandoning my friends and I wouldn’t do that.

“Follow me, if you please,” the sylph who was guarding the bottom-floor entrance to the Dewdrop Inn said.

We filed in after him and found a small, but well-decorated, waiting area. There were sofas and some potted plants, freshly painted walls and a couple of bookcases filled with interesting books. It was spotless, and I could only imagine that they must’ve had a couple of people with Cleaning magic on the staff.

The far corner of the room was taken up by a spiral staircase that rose up and up, with spinny wrought-iron rails and magical lanterns casting an eerie-white glow onto marble steps.

The sylph paused and bowed to us again. “Would you do me the honours of allowing me to carry your belongings to the topmost floor?” he asked.

Amaryllis gave him her bag, but Awen said she wanted to keep hers. I did give him my spade, mostly because I was worried I might bonk one of the lanterns on the way up. As it was, the room might have been downright opulent, but it felt a bit... cramped?

The ceiling was tall for a sylph, but for a bun it was a tiny bit on the shorter side. The stairs were worse, with my ears batting against the steps above with every step. “Who’s Jared?” I asked Bastion as I hopped up to be next to him.

“The owner of the Inn,” Bastion said. “I’ve stayed here before. Twice, but I suspect that’s enough for him to remember me.”

“Why would you stay at an inn when you’re in the capital?” Amaryllis asked. “Don’t the paladins have barracks?”

“We do. An entire keep in the Purple District, as well as barracks within the royal castle and estates. And it’s not unheard of for a paladin to sleep in a guardhouse. Both times I was here, I was escorting someone.”

“Oh, diplomacy stuff?” I asked.

“Something like that,” Bastion said. “Keep it between us, but some members of the royal family like to spend time outside of the castles and palaces. Less stress, I suspect, and they get to see things that they wouldn’t, otherwise.”

I noticed Awen and Amaryllis nodded, but I didn’t quite get it, not really. I had never really been stuck in any one place for that long. It was usually very much the opposite. I could sympathize still, but not from personal experience. “So they’d stay here?”

“For a night or two,” Bastion said. “With a complement of guards, regardless of how safe they thought they were on their own.”

“The city seems pretty safe,” I said. It was definitely one of the more protected places I’d ever seen. Lots of big walls, plenty of guards.

“Goldenalden is a very safe city,” Bastion said. “But people who are looking for trouble tend to find it.”

We reached the top floor with just a bit of huffing and puffing. It was a good thing we were all so active or else I think the stairs would have been too much.

The top floor was very wide and tall, with a corner dedicated to a small garden filled with bright flowers in full bloom, and there was even a small tree, its trunk bent over to skim near the roof with a bench tucked below it.

Round tables dotted the room, with comfy chairs next to them, and at the far end was the kind of reception counter that I expected to see at an inn, though this one was a lot fancier, with a stone top and wooden sides.

“Ah, Mister Jared is right there,” the manservant said with a gesture to the counter.

A sylph was behind it, sitting on a stool and examining some papers with glasses perched on the tip of his nose. He wore an apron over a clean shirt and vest. His head rose when we approached. “Ah! Greetings and welcomes. Dewdrop Inn--there’s always a seat for a new friend.”

I decided that I liked Mister Jared.

“Hello sir,” Bastion said.

“Paladin Coldfront! It has been some time,” the old sylph said. He bounced off his seat with a flutter of his wings. “How can I help you, sir paladin?”

Bastion gestured. “I have a few... guests for you here. Travellers from all across Dirt. They’re looking for a place to stay, and I gave them my solemn word that your inn was the greatest in Sylphfree.”

“Ah-hah!” Jared cheered. “That it is! Now, what sort of accommodations are you looking for?”

“We’re looking for a room with at least three beds,” Amaryllis said. “I don’t think we require your finest, just a place to rest for the next week.”

“We can certainly accommodate,” Jared said. “I have a fine suite on the third floor. Four modest rooms and a shared common area. We can include meals at your discretion as well. We have some of the finest chefs in all of Goldenalden here. Though if you want to test your palate beyond what we can provide, then I of course have some suggestions to offer as well.”

“That sounds nice,” I said. “Are there any neat things to see in Goldenalden? I want to play tourist!”

Jared laughed. “There’s plenty! If you tell me what you enjoy then I can direct you that way, but you must see the Orange District’s parade. It’s held every day at noon, rain or shine. And of course there’s the museum next to the congress, which is itself a wonderful building to admire.”

“Oh,” I oh-ed. “That sounds neat! What’s the parade?”

Bastion was the one to answer. “The Orange District is on the far side of the Green District from here. It’s where the local branches of the armed forces are stationed, at least the more bureaucratic part of the army. There’s also a training camp, and every day soldiers practice marching in formation. It draws a bit of a crowd.”

“There’s a somewhat mean-spirited tradition involving civilians trying to make the soldiers in formation laugh,” Jared said. He looked like he was working hard not to smile. “The officers encourage it, and people tend to enjoy seeing some poor cadet being berated for failing to keep a straight face.”

“That sounds mean,” I said.

“Traditions are often unkind,” Awen muttered.

“Shall I show you to your rooms?” Jared asked. At our nod, he flew over the counter with a buzz of his wings and quickly removed his apron to toss it behind him next to a fancy brass till. “Come along, gentleladies.”

Jared walked with a skip in his step, arms gesturing grandly as he spoke about the great meals they had on offer, the wonderful wines, and the spectacularly soft beds.

I couldn’t help but grin as we went back down the stairs until we reached the third floor. A corridor bisected the floor, with doors on either side of the wide passage. Jared fetched a key out from his pocket and unlocked one. “Here we are,” he said with a flourish.

The suite was exactly what we needed. A wide room with some comfy sofas and a table surrounded by seats. There was a desk in one corner, next to a happy potted plant, and four smaller bedrooms, with windows overlooking the street below the inn. We had a big washroom too. It would have been annoying to share it, but I think we were all used to it after the Beaver.

“This will do,” Amaryllis said with a satisfied huff. She immediately started negotiating with Jared, whose smile never wavered as Amaryllis deployed all of her trickiest tricks to lower the price. The manservant that had greeted us at the entrance brought our bags in and set them off to the side, then left with a bow.

I spun around, then sighed. The next step wasn’t going to be fun. Still, we could put it off for just a little bit longer.

Once Amaryllis forked over the gold and Jared bid us a good afternoon, we were left with just the four of us in our little quarters.

“So,” I began.

Bastion nodded, very solemn and serious. “I should be returning to report and to announce that I’ve returned. I imagine that the demand for paladins is quite high at the moment, with so many important diplomatic events occuring in such close proximity.”

I pouted. “It still sucks that we won’t be seeing you much,” I said. “If you have time off, you have to come and visit.”

He chuckled. “I will. I promise, as long as you’re in Slyphfree, I’ll make a point of visiting when I can afford to.”

When he could afford to. That meant that he probably wouldn’t have all that much time. “Alright,” I said. I’d take what I could get. “You were a great crewmate, and there’s always going to be room for you on the Beaver. If you ever get tired of being a Paladin, then I’m sure there’s plenty of adventuring to do, and we could always use one more friend.”

“Thank you, Broccoli,” Bastion said.

“I... will, with some reluctance, admit that my initial impression of you was wrong,” Amaryllis said. “You are as honourable as your reputation entails. I hope all of your comrades in arms are as just and level headed.”

“My initial impressions were also quite wrong,” Bastion said. “For all of you, I think. You’re a kinder soul than I would have imagined, Awen’s delicate nature hides the spine of a true adventurer and I suspect she will have just as many songs as her uncle one day, and Broccoli, I think your unique morality is quite eye-opening.”

Amaryllis huffed the huff of someone who didn’t know how to take a compliment.

“Hugs?” I asked.

“Certainly,” Bastion said.

I squeezed him tight-tight. I’d miss Bastion. He was stoic and hard to read, but he was a nice person, dependable and strong, and willing to help others just because it was the right thing to do.

“I don’t know what you’ll be up to next,” I said. “But make sure to make plenty of friends, and keep them close.”

“I’ll be sure to take some of the lessons I’ve learned to heart,” Bastion said. He sighed while glancing at the door. “I think this is goodbye for now. I would ask that you three stay safe, but I don’t think you’re capable of that, so I’ll instead ask that you watch out for each other, and try not to burn down the capital while I’m here.”

“We’ll do our best.”

***