The Curse of Tyvem: The Voiceless

Journey

        Lavender made her way to the quiet inn she had secured lodging, and handed the reins to Briarwave off to a young stable boy.  She was tired and frustrated and really needed a f*****g bath. Now she had to add the blood that stained her from mid thigh to kneecap to mud and s**t that caked her pants and boots. She shouldered her bag with her belongings and stepped inside.  At least this place was warm and friendly.  Also important to note that it was clean, which was no small task with her budget. Oh, and no one wanted to kill her here.

    "Can I get a bath drawn in my room?"  Lavender gruffly tossed a copper piece to the lady running the front of the inn and she bobbed her head in acknowledgement.  Maids quickly started filling buckets of water with from the cauldron over the fireplace.  Two sturdy looking young men carried a wooden tub up to her room. Lavender slowly trudged up the stairs behind them, aching with each step.  She was sure she'd pass out from exhaustion of not for her current audience and the need to clean up a bit before her journey in a few short hours.

    She entered her room and threw her bag on the floor beside the bed. It was sparse but warm and comfortable. No lice or scabies to be seen. The maids made their trips to her room and soon she had a tub half full of warm water.  She undressed and slowly slipped into the delicious warmth.  Her body coming more alive as she sunk deeper inside it's heat.  Due to her height, she couldn't submerge her legs and chest at the same time, so she reluctantly bent her knees and submerged to the neck.

    To her surprise, the inn supplied her with a fresh cake of lye soap. She must of smelled worse than she thought.  She quickly lathered the soap with a towel and began to work.  She hit all the critical parts first and then dunked her head under.  She stayed there for a moment and laid in the silence, taking in her surroundings and the sensations.  Her hair swirled around and lightly tickled her face.  Her knees were cold but that didn't bother her.  The best part was the silence.  If she could breathe underwater she would stay there all night.  She just wanted to be, but there was always something Lavender needed to do. With a large sigh, she surfaced and began to scrub her hair. She stayed in that tub until the water was almost cold, reluctantly getting out. 

    She dried off and grabbed some fresh clothes from her bag to wear.  She kept two sets, one to wear and one to store. After she had on her shirt and brushed out her long blonde hair, she grabbed the soap and began to wash her shirt, vest, and pants in the bath tub.Once those were decently cleaned, Lavender laid them out by the fire on a chair and got into bed. She couldn't sleep long, but she could take a quick nap.  

    As Lavender slept, she was visited by disturbingly vivid dreams. All she could see was a large glorious dragon flying overhead and a deep sense of helplessness.  She was screaming out for help, but no one was there to help her.

    Lavender awoke with a start and her face felt funny.  She brought her hand to her cheek and pulled it away in shock. Tears?  She hadn't cried since she was a girl. Lavender wiped the tears from her face and hopped out of bed. She threw on her fresh pair of pants and winced as the rough fabric rubbed her fresh wound.  It wasn't bad, but it definitely wasn't good. She banged her boots together to loosen the dried mud and threw those on.  Lavender stuffed her white shirt into her emerald green pants and threw on a brown vest. Thinking of the journey ahead, she hastily plaited her hair and threw a twine tie on the bottom to keep it from becoming loose.

    Luckily the fire had burned warm enough to dry her clothes.  She did not have time to repair her pants before heading out but was sure she could find some down time to mend the tear.  She stuffed her freshly laundered clothes into her bag, rechecked her coin to be sure no one stole from her in her sleep, and headed out.

    There was a faint glow as the sun made its climb into the skyline over the mountains. The dew made everything look lush and sparkly.  She could enjoy the stillness of the early morning. Her breath came out in white puffs due to the cold and the cool air invigorated her.  Even though she physically felt like she had been thrown off a cliff, mentally she was prepared.  With three hours of sleep and a bath under her belt she retrieve Briarwave from the stables and set out for Lord Blackburn's home to meet Tyran and begin their journey.