Luck’s descent (BL)

When Ylre returned to the inn where he was temporarily staying, Rue was standing outside the entrance, waiting contentedly. Ylre smiled lightly, "I'm here, shall we go in?"

"Did you resolve it?" Rue wondered.

Ylre nooded, "Yes, all set up," He opened the door, allowing Rue to enter.

They walked slowly to the inn, where the mood seemed lively despite the evening hour. Against the entrance was a long reception desk, behind which the elderly owner of the business stood. The rest of the space was filled with tables full of the people, giving it more of a pub feel.

Ylre found one of the free tables near the stairs and sat down. Rue followed him and looked around contentedly, "Do you live here?" He wondered.

"Temporary," Ylre nodded and handed Rue the food menu, "I'm traveling, I just stopped by." He clarified.

"Me too," Rue smiled contentedly and looked at the list of unfamiliar dishes, "what should we drink?" He asked.

"Since I drank your mead, I'll buy you a new one…and as for food…I'd recommend something light since it's evening…maybe sweet." He moved his hand down to the desserts where his finger stopped on the apple pie.

"Cake," Rue remembered, "I forgot." He looked towards the exit.

"I'll buy you a new one," Ylre smiled.

"You don't have to, I have money," He objected.

"Today it's on me...you can invite me somewhere next time," He knew he already suggested it in the game room.

Rue thought about it for a moment, before nodding, "I will."

As soon as he had chosen, one of the waitresses stopped by their table and gave them a gentle smile, as if her job was her pleasure: "Good evening, have you chosen?"

"Two apple pies and two meads," Ylre said, whereupon the waitress wrote down the order and disappeared again.

"Do you like apple pie too?" Rue asked excitedly.

"Of course," Ylre smiled, gently propping his chin with his hand before looking at Rue with pleasure, "but I haven't eaten it in a long time, I'm glad you gave me the chance." He added.

"Me?" He blinked.

"I wouldn't go to dinner alone," Ylre smiled.

"Ah," Rue understood and moved on to the topic that he was interested in, "I wanted to ask something. When you travel, where are you actually heading?"

Ylre smiled, "I don't know... I just want to see new places. I think the best thing about traveling is when you don't have a destination...you stop where you want, do what you want, stay as long as you want and keep going until you come across the next place that piques your interest."

"I think the same," Rue's eyes lit up with enthusiasm, whereupon he gently approached Ylre across the table, "Have you been to many places?"

Ylre smiled softly, "I was."

"Where, for example?" He wondered.

"I would like to say everywhere...but one keeps finding new places," he laughed, however I've been to every country. But I spent the most time in Equil, in a village called Mellia."

"Mellia?" Rue blinked as the name was familiar to him, "In Equil."

Ylre looked at him for a moment before he smiled softly and continued, "It's a nice village, one of the few that keeps and cherishes its history and honors its ancestors for over three hundred years...it's beautiful there and the people are the friendliest to strangers," he clarified.

"I think I've heard of it before," he mused.

"I wouldn't be surprised...it's known for more things than historical interests," Ylre said.

"What else?" Rue asked as he really couldn't remember where he had heard the name.

"For example, there is an apple tree," he began, "it blooms all year round. It is protected and is said to grant wishes." He clarified.

"Wishes?" Rue didn't understand.

"Supposedly it can replenish luck," Ylre laughed, "It's their most valuable place, the people of Equil believe in anything that gives them a chance of getting more luck than they were born with. I haven't seen that ever happen, but supposedly there was one case in the past...when there could be one, there could be two...and when there could be two, it could work on other people."

"Interesting," he nodded as the waitress placed apple pies with drinks in front of them.

"Anything else?" She wondered.

"No," Ylre said, moving his fork to Rue's cake, "I just thought of it when I see how much you love apples." He clarified.

Rue looked at the apple pie and smiled gently: "Yes, apples will fill you up, reduce your thirst, they are sweet, you can make many kinds of food of them and you can buy them cheaply, or you find them in nature," he happily cut a slice of the cake.

Ylre watched as he put a piece in his mouth and smiled in satisfaction before doing the same, "You're right." He nodded.

"I'd like to see it," Rue commented after enjoying the taste of the cake for a moment.

"The village or the apple tree?" He asked.

"Everything," Rue pointed out, "is it somewhere far away? Can you tell me how to get there?" He wondered.

Ylre just smiled softly, "In a little while it will be a year since I've been there... I'm planning to visit it again," he began, " if you want, we could-" he tried, when his words were broken by a loud voice.

"How did that bastard get here?!" Rue heard a familiar voice. He looked at the staircase from which Laren was staring at him. He was obviously drunk, so he didn't have his usual restrains.

The young man, who had caught him drinking water from the river the forest this morning, ran up to them and aggressively hit the table until their mead almost spilled.

"Did you follow me here?! It's because of you that Prince Nielle got mad at me today...yet you still dare to come here, bastard!" He raised his voice as a pair of guards caught up with him from the stairs.

"Laren, calm down, I heard it was your own fault, don't make a fuss, shut up," one advised.

"My fault?! This Lacrisan was stealing water from the river, he's suspected of theft, but he's walking around town freely. I caught him and it´s my fault that I got punished! You know what? Don't talk to me, I'm not in the mood for your moronic bullshit!" He snapped.

After Prince Nielle and Rue left the camp, he had to ask one of the guys for the punishment that Nielle gave him. Fifteen lashes weren´t strong, and everyone already knew how to spare him only to fulfill the prince's orders, but that didn't change the fact that his whole back was on fire. If it weren't for this weird guy, he would never have upset the prince today, and Laren knew it.

"Guards! Throw him out! Kick him out now!" He yelled at the pair of guards at the entrance who looked confused at Laren.

Everyone in town knew him, everyone knew he was one of the important men in Nielle's service, but everyone also knew he had a tendency to overdo things. Especially when he got drunk at his young age. However, no one wanted Laren to run to the prince and make trouble for someone, as he was usually reliable and Nielle always verified his words by questioning the suspects. That's why no one wanted to be on his bad side, even though he often behaved inappropriately.

"What's going on?" They walked up to the table where another pair of guards and Laren were already standing.

"This Lacrisan is a suspect in cases of theft, moreover, he stole water from the river...I will not sleep under the same roof with someone I am investigating!" he clarified and glared at Rue with a hostile expression, "Bastard." He growled, but the second the guards approached the table, Ylre stood up abruptly.

Everyone stopped and measured him in confusion.

"Get closer and you won't need a roof to sleep anymore," he said irritated, after which Rue finally spoke lightly and stood up.

"It's just a misunderstanding, I spoke with Prince Nielle, I'm not a suspect, it has been just a misunderstanding," he smiled at the guards.

"It´s true, I heard Prince Nielle let him go…Laren, what are you doing?" one of the guards sighed.

"Don't listen to him! Even though the prince let him go, he's still a suspect to me and should be in prison," he growled, but the moment Ylre stepped forward and stood between him and Rue, he backed away, "what do you think you're doing?"

"And you?" Ylre glared at him with his blue pupils, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Laren, calm down," one of the guards pulled him back.

"Me?" He grumbled.

"When Prince Nielle said he´s clear, he is. Isn´t your job listening to his commands?" The guard asked.

"I always act in the prince's interest," Laren clarified.

"He had you flogged because you pissed him off while you were dragging the case, didn't he?" he reminded, "When he finds out that you're going to keep making a mess here, what do you think he's going to do?"

Laren fell silent for a moment, thinking. He was quiet for a moment before glancing at Ylre and tried to look back at Rue. Ylre took a step to the side, blocking his view. After a while he sighed and backed away:

"I wonder who will rent you a room tonight! Anyone who does so will have a problem! Do you hear?!" He shouted and stormed out of the inn, probably to inform the nearby businesses to whom they shouldn´t provide shelter for the night.

The guards sighed deeply and parted. Ylre and Rue were left alone again.

"What a weird child." Rue laughed softly, confused by his behavior.

Ylre glared at the door, "I think we'd better go back to the room," he clarified, giving Rue a gentler look.

"He said that no one would rent me one," he recalled, "but that´s okay, I´ll sleep outside, I haven't slept in the open space in years." He didn't think it was a problem and started to leave when Ylre gently stopped him.

"I'll take care of it," he promised.

"You don't have to," Rue smiled gently, "I don't mind sleeping outside, the forest is a nice place, and I wanted to see the stars for long time." He explained happily.

"You can go for a night walk, but it's not safe to sleep outside at night. Someone will rob you, at best," he clarified.

"Really?" Rue was surprised, not understanding why anyone would do that, "Why?"

"Because that's how people are," Ylre explained, "Wait a minute." He stated, walking towards the front desk while Rue looked behind him in confusion. It took a while for Rue to follow him and stop at the stairs as if he didn't know if it was appropriate for him to get involved,

Ylre stood in front of the reception desk, "You heard what happened. He´s my friend, I want you to let him sleep here today," he said to the owner.

"You heard," said the man, uninterested in unnecessary conflicts, "Laren is an idiot, but somehow Prince Nielle takes his words for granted, I don't want to close it here, because his Black guards will run in here. I won't rent the room." He clarified.

"I don't want a room, I'll take him with me," he took out a bag from his inner pocket and placed it on the counter, "when you're afraid of losing the inn, you can always buy a new one." He laughed and discreetly pulled out a beautiful diamond crystal from his pouch.

The man looked at him in shock, covered his hand in a second, as if he was afraid that someone would notice the precious stone and said: "Where did you get it?" He whispered.

"It doesn't matter. The important thing is that it'll be yours if you don't make trouble and let him sleep here," he nodded towards the stairs at Rue, who meanwhile was talking to the waitress who offered him something.

The man looked at him doubtfully for a moment, after which Ylre sighed and withdrew his hand: "Okay, if you don't want to, there will be another inn in town that will accept the offer," he said, after which the man grabbed him sharply.

"I didn't say I wouldn't take it," he said, "I can buy two inns with that stone, if you really give it to me, feel free to stay here as long as you want." He declared.

Ylre smiled softly, "Just for today," he said, leaving the man with a stone that an ordinary person could barely see in his life.

He almost started to leave before he turned back and said: "One more thing, I have a restless sleep and when I wake up, I can be hostile...if by chance someone breaks into our room looking for more money, there is a chance that he won't get out alive," he laughed, "take note that I warned you." He clarified and went after Rue, who was patiently waiting.