Lucien was inside the kingdom infront of the gate now. The autumn breeze was making his visit cooler.
The guard who first stopped Lucien said,
"Hey, merchant. "
Lucien thought that he recognized him and felt like his whole plan was going to shatter like a glass hit by a rock.
The guard continued, " You should not enter the kingdom with the blood in your wheel. Clean it and after that enter the kingdom. ".
Lucien took a breathe of relaxation.
" I apologize mister guard. I will clean it right away. ".
The guard felt suspicious and asked,
" Why do you have blood on your wheels and why is your voice familiar. ".
Lucien now had to think of an excuse. He said, " The wheels have blood because I ran over an innocent rabit searching for food for it's family and I do not know why you think my voice is familiar. ".
The night was coming and the guards had to attend other buisnesses too, so he let go Lucien but before that, he told him to clean the blood as the creature coming in night gets attracted by the scent of the blood.
The creatures can't hear, can't see and can't taste but they can smell and sense anything. The creatures which come out at black moon night, there hearing and sensing power increases tremendously and to avoid any danger, no one is allowed to carry anything with the scent of blood.
Lucien got off his ride, asked for some water and a cloth from the guard and started cleaning the wheel.
The water, it was crystal clear. Lucien could see his own reflection and the reflection of the red sky inside the water. It was like he was looking into another world which was the same copy of this world. The cloth he got was a woolen white cloth.
The sky, it was red. It was not red because of the crimson moon but because when the sun sets and come out, the sky becomes orange-red due to atmospheric refraction.
Lucien cleaned the blood from the wheel and from the ground as he walked a few distance on his ride inside the kingdom.
He returned the cloth and the water to the guard and he threw it out of the kingdom from a very small window in the main gate.
Lucien get on his ride and went further inside the kingdom. He could see many flowers shop. Those shop have multiple colors of flowers and all of them were real. He could smell their pleasant scent.
The streets were lined with countless flower shops, each bursting with blooms of every kind. For a moment, it felt as though he had stepped into a vast garden, where nature itself had painted a masterpiece. The autumn breeze curled around him, carrying the soft fragrance of petals, making the moment feel even more serene.
Those shops were not very big; made up of mud bricks mostly. At the time when Lucien arrived there, the shopkeepers started closing them as the night was coming.
Lucien was looking for an inn and on the street, there were not many people around.
He stopped and asked a person about an inn nearby.
The person was male, he was not very old, it was like his 20s just started. He had wheatish complexion and his clothes were not different from other males, knee size tunic and a trouser tied at the waist. He had short black hairs and sleepy eyes. It was like this youngster was consuming drugs.
Lucien questioned,
" Hello young fellow, I am looking for an inn and if you know where can I find one, can you do me a favor of telling me the way? ".
The youngster first looked at his face and then said with a thin voice,
" Nothing is free in this world my friend. Pay a price and know what you want. ".
' Nothing is free, huh. ', these words somehow made his expression change from calm to cold but he somehow still maintained his composure and asked,
" What price are you looking for such a silly information? ".
He replied, " Silly or not, information is an information. Pay me with 2 copper coins and get your information. ".
His voice was telling Lucien that he was pretty much consumed my drugs. He had no control over his body and mind.
The 2 copper coins could give Lucien a night stay in a very cheap inn(shared space only).
He said, " Isn't it too much for just a silly information, my friend? ".
The youngster replied, " If you do not want to pay, get lost! Do not waste my time as it is of way more importance than your information! ".
He increased his voice while completing his words which made Lucien irritated. His hands touched his sword, ready to slice his head off but he somehow controlled himself.
He grabbed the coin pouch he got from the old merchant from his left hand and took out 2 copper coins from it with his right hand and payed the youngster.
The youngster said, " See, it was this simple. ".
A smile came on his face which was telling Lucien that he was just going to waste these coins on drugs.
His mouth opened to talk and a very strong smell of alcohol came out of it which made Lucien took a step back. Lucien could smell it from the beginning he started talking to him but it grew stronger now.
The youngster started talking, " Go straight from here, take the first turn to the right, then pass 3–4 houses, and you'll find the inn.".
His mouth closed and Lucien took a breathe. He was holding his breathe until his mouth closed because of the strong smell of alcohol. Lucien hated any kind of intoxicating drink.
He get on the oxen and gave the command, "GIDDAP! ".
Giddap, it was a basic command given to oxen during the medieval era to walk or to walk faster.
Oxen walked until the first turn came and Lucien gave a command, "GEE! ".
Gee, the command to move right. Not all oxens understand these commands; only those who were trained well.
The oxen took the right turn and by now, almost every shop was closed and there was barely any soul on the street.
Lucien saw a inn after he crossed 4 houses.
He gave a command to the oxen, " WHOA! ", a command to stop.
The oxen stopped and he looked towards the inn.
The inn was bigger than almost every house he saw here. It was of 3 stories high and it was purely made up of timber wood. It's design, it was kind of simple. A thatches roof, with a window between the inclined surface of the top. The door was also made up of timber and clay and straw mix were used to fill walls between the wooden beams.
There were 2 clay pot ppposite to each other and both of them had chrysanthemum flower which helped in making the look of the inn more better.
Lucien tried both, pull and push on the door but realised that it was looked from the inside. There was a wooden handle on the door which he used to both pull and push.
He knocked on the door and said, "Hello, I seek a room to spend my night here. ".
After few seconds, Lucien heard that the door was opened and then someone opened a door for him. It was a chubby man in his 30s.
His clothes were not able to cover his stomach as he was too fat. His thick hands were sweeting which made Lucien feel disgusting at the first sight.
His soft cheeks; no, they were not soft but it was like they were falling of his face but somehow, still intact to his face.
He could barely see his eyes because of the fat on his face. He had very short black hairs which made his look even more disgusting.
He was no doubt, the owner of the inn.
The chubby owner said, " Welcome sir, we have rooms available for you, from a comfortable to a very cheap room. You can get any room you want. ".
He was standing in a welcoming gesture.
Lucien found his way of talking very disgusting because every time he spoke, his saliva would spit out from his mouth.
First thought Lucien had was to find an another inn but he didn't want to push his luck anymore, he was tired for the night.
The owner saw his wagon and said, "We also offer parking to the carriages and wagons of our fellow costumers. If you want I can show you around the parking. ".
Again, the saliva spit put from his mouth and Lucien felt very disgusting now. He just wanted to walk away from there, but had no choice.
He didn't want to see the parking and said, " I'd rather let you park my wagon. ".
The owner called his worker and the worker went to park the wagon.
Lucien went inside the inn and from the inside, the inn was more beautiful. The fire place in the middle of the inn made up of black stones, the wooden tables and chairs, the wooden benches for drinking and the wooden shelves on the wall in a pattern to place candles for light.
Infront of him was the benche was drinking and behind the bench were the wooden barrels which had all kind of drinks in them.
Lucien looked around and on his left was the staircase which connected the ground floor to the first floor and beside the staircase was a corrider which led to the kitchen and probably the storage room.
When Lucien first saw the owner, he thought that the inn would be worse from inside but from the inside, it was clean and beautiful.
'Never judge a book by it's cover got real for me here. " thought Lucien with a chuckle.
The owner noticed his chuckle and asked, "Is there any problem sir? ".
Lucien shook his head in denial and went ahead and sat on a chair. He was hungry.
The owner questioned, " Sir what type of room do you want and the type of meal and for how much day? ".
Lucien questioned, " Can you first tell me the price? ".
The owner spoke, " You can get a shared room with 3 times basic meal for 4 silver coins per day where as a private room with 3 times luxury meal for 7 silver coins per day. ".
Lucien furthered questioned, " What type of room and meal will I get in 7 silver coins, explain me in detail. ".
Luciens thought from the beginning was to get a private as he hated crowd and people around him.
The owner spoke, " You will get a feather mattress, better bedding, white bread and fresh eggs for breakfast, meat stew and vegetable for lunch and roast meat, fine bread and wine for dinner. ".
Again, the owner spit saliva while talking and his hands in a gesture intront of his chest to convince Lucien.
Lucien said, " Can you change wine with water? ".
First, the owner paused before saying anything because it was the first time someone denied wine but then he spoke.
" Of course, of couse. ".
Lucien had correct 7 silver coins in the coin pouch he got from the old merchant.
He opened the pouch and took out all the silver coins. Those coins had shine of their own which amazed the inn owner.
" Such fine coins. " was the only statement came out of his filthy mouth after he saw the coins.
The grabbed the coin with his sweety hands and went to put them in his drawer.
He ordered his chef to prepare a luxury dinner for Lucien, wine excluded.
From the sight and the amount of workers it had, it was clear that the inn was well to do but something was annoying Lucien.
He was annoyed by the fact that there was an area for royalty in the kingdom but despite that the inn owner opened his inn in the area of commoners.
He sat there for a while and his meal arrived. The smell was pretty amazing and the smell the roasted meat attracted the attention of the workers.
The inn was empty, there was no costumer except Lucien.
Lucien took a sip from the water and first ate the roasted meat. It was delicious. The hygiene was fully mainted and it was very rare for a moderate level inn to have such hygiene.
He finished his meal and said to the owner, "Would you mind showing me my room? ".
It was the first time the owner saw his sword.
He spoke, " Yes, why not sir. But before I want to ask are you by chance any mercenary? ".
Lucien paused and looked at the owner with cold expressions which froze the owner too.
The owner spoke, " I didn't mean it in a rude way sir, I was just curious. ".
Lucien spoke, " It is the basics to erase any type of curiousity which can make your constumer leave your service. ".
The owner bent down his waist and said, " I apologize sir. ".
Lucien remained silent and his eyes fixed at the stairs. The owner understood his sign and took him to his room on the third floor.
On the second floor, there were the shared rooms and on the third floor, there were the luxury private rooms.
Lucien didn't see the second floor much but the third floor, it was luxury compared to the ground and second floor.
The candles were placed in very attractice manner and the red carpet made the look more better.
Lucien went inside his room and in his room, the fur mattress pleased his feet.
There was a bed with proper bedding and a wooden table and chair beside it with few papers and inks. At that time, paper was really costly and to get it in the luxury service, Lucien found it very suspicious.
There were 2 drawers attatched to the table and a candle on the table.
Right above his bed was a small wooden window which he could open and close.
The floor was made up of wooden planks and was producing sound at every step.
Lucien looked around and on his left was a small wooden wardrobe which made him more suspicious.
He removed every kind of clothing from his body and he went to his bed as he was quite sleepy.
The moment he lay down on the bed, his eyes started feeling heavy. The window was opened, letting the autumn breeze come inside.
He closed his eyes and then heard a knocking on his door, a very violent knocking.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!