A quarter hour after emerging from the forest, the trio entered the town of Stoneroost through the main gate and onto the main street of the town. The town resembled how Gwen imagined a medieval town would look, with shops and houses lining either side of the main road. The main road was about as wide as a two-lane motor road composed of dirt instead of asphalt.
The air was dry and smelled slightly of horse manure. Looking around Gwen saw a few people hanging laundry to dry from the second story windows of some of the houses. Directly inside the wall to the left was a round guard tower attached to the wall of the town. The second building from the wall was three-story tall and had a sign with a chicken holding a mug of beer and a bed on it under the name The Feathered Hen Tavern and Inn. To the right of this building was a smaller structure which appeared to be a stable.
Turning towards Gwen from atop his horse, Tristan smiled, pointing at the tavern. "This is it, home sweet home, for the time being at any rate."
The brothers rode over to the stable next to the tavern. They dismounted and helped Gwen dismount without falling on her face. They then walk the two horses into the stable, handing the reigns as well as four copper coins to the stable boy, who to Gwen's surprise looked to be only about thirteen. Gwen and the boys then turned around and headed to the tavern.
Upon opening the door Gwen was greeted by the loud and bustling cacophony of chatting, laughter, and drunken singing that was the interior of the tavern. To the left of the entrance was a bar top with chairs positioned along. Standing behind the bar was a large muscular woman next to whom the two average sized women flanking her looked like children in comparison. To the right of the entrance Gwen saw a collection of wooden roundtables with wooden chairs and stools surrounding them, half of which were occupied by men and women drinking and merrymaking. Many of the patrons appeared to have just finished their day's work, while a few appeared to have been sitting in the same spots for much of the afternoon. A few more barmaids were flitting around this area filling drinks.
"Why donsh ya come spend tha night with me sweetie. I'll give ya a good time," the man slurred.
Gwen turned to ask Tristan or Gabriel to help the girl but was shocked to see both of them with bemused smiles on their faces watching the scene play out. Just as Gwen was about to rebuke the boys and tell them to go help the girl, a loud voice pierced the bar.
"Ya'd best knock off your flirting with my girls or I'll be putting ya to bed in with the pigs for the next few days, myself," The large barwoman retorted to the drunken man in a jovial but serious tone.
The man immediately released the barmaid and looked to give her an apology.
"That is Helga, the owner and mother hen of The Feathered Hen. She keeps order and serves the drinks. She has been doing so since her old man left the tavern to her. No woman need worry about a thing in this bar with Helga around. She can beat any man in this town in fisticuffs. She also takes in any girls and young boys from the street and gives them jobs in her tavern to keep them from being forced into shadier businesses," Tristan explained, leading the group into the tavern and waving at Helga.
The trio walked over to a table in the corner of the tavern where a middle-aged man beckoned them to where he was sitting. The man appeared to be in his mid-fifties and was beginning to go bald. He had a slight gut and was wearing fancy clothes. The man's face and hands were rough and worn, like he had worked hard in his younger years to accumulate the wealth he was displaying through his clothing.
"How'd the scouting trip go for my two favorite young adventurers?" the gentleman asked cordially, pulling out a seat next to him for one of the brothers. "I trust that you have fair news for my old ears. How are the proposed routes through the Western Stonespear forest?"
"Only mediocre news, I'm afraid," Tristan stated with some dismay in his voice, "The two proposed western routes were not viable. They stray too close to the Lesser's cave. As such, the northern curving path is the only option."
"That is truly a shame," the corpulent merchant said. "I guess I was hoping for a miracle from you two."
The merchant handed Tristan a small bag of coins before standing up.
"Now excuse me but I must be going, and I wouldn't want to distract you two from such a wonderful young lady," the merchant said with a chuckle, standing while tossing a few coins on the table and grabbing his hat and cane. He then turned to leave, tipping his hat to Helga on the way out.
Taking a few of the coins from the bag, Gabriel walks up to the bar counter and hands them to Helga. "This is to pay for our tab and board for the night," the boy pauses for a moment before continuing, "Are there any empty rooms next to our room, so that Gwen can have her own room?"
"Sorry, Gabriel, but there ain't any empty rooms near yours. Let's call the gal over here and I'll tell 'er what she can do," The burly barmaid informed Gabriel.
Gabriel waved for Gwen to come over. After a few seconds he got her attention, and she made her way precariously through the tavern trying to avoid bumping into any of the drunken patrons.
"Missy, unfortunately I can't get ya your own room, so you'll 'ave to stay in the same room with the boys who brought ya here. But ya don't 'ave to worry about a thing, these boys are two of the nicest boys that 'ave ever stayed at The Feathered Hen. They've always been kind and courteous to my girls and 'ave never once tried to woo any of 'em. Ya shouldn't 'ave to worry about 'em doin' any funny business to you, but if they do, ya just come running on downstairs and into the door behind the bar and tell me and I'll teach the both of 'em manners so they never forget, ya 'ear?" Helga told Gwen with a smile, her eyes kind and welcoming. Then turning her attention to Gabriel, she continued, "Now I expect one of ya nice young gentlemen to give up 'is bed for the lady here. Ya brothers can sleep together or one of ya can sleep on the floor. Ya can ask Chrissy for an extra blanket and pillow."
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Gwen was awoken by a rooster's call. She had a rough night's sleep on the less than perfect bed and chicken feather pillow. It was certainly the most uncomfortable bed upon which she had ever tried to sleep. Groggily, she rubbed her eyes.
Well, what do I do now? I guess since I can't go back into that cave, I'll have to find a different way home.
Gwen looked over at the two boys who had saved her life. They were sitting together on the other bed. The two brothers returned her gaze. "First, I just want to say, thank you both for saving me and bringing me here yesterday."
"So, what are you going to do next? We were going to take today to rest before we start our journey to the Capital tomorrow, so I don't see why we cannot help show you around town and help you find your bearings" Tristan said, grinning, his hands behind his head.
"I guess that is fine," Gabriel agreed.
"I'd like to figure out a way to get back to my home," Gwen stated, "but getting accustomed to my surroundings seems to be the best I can do right now."
"I think I remember Helga mentioning something about one of the townspeople being Displaced," Tristan encouraged. "Maybe they might know something. Let's go ask Helga about it."
The group decided to head downstairs to speak with Helga. On their way they passed a few barmaids cleaning the hallway and empty rooms.
Downstairs, they found Helga standing behind the bar counter.
"Good morning, Helga," Tristan called to her as they crossed the mostly empty bar floor to get to the exit door. "Do you know anyone in town who knows about the Displaced?"
"Yes," the large woman replied, "Cyrene, the town blacksmith is Displaced. 'Er forge is next to the river. Just follow the main road, ya can't miss it."
"Well let's head there right away." Tristan turned to leave.
"When you visit Cyrene, tell 'er that she better come 'ere more often. It gets lonely at night without 'er company."
"We shall, Helga." Gabriel responded, waving as the trio exited the tavern.