ArHi FF:1: The BEASTS and the BLEEDING ROSES - Page 69

Not read yet.. but commenting to just add in my archive... so that i can enjoy in weekend!!

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Reader Surprise Two: Incursion

Strangely, I found myself entering the inn and looked around to see that it was empty. The innkeeper stood at his counter, in his usual beige apron, cleaning the counter with a washcloth. His back was turned to me but he heard my footsteps as I approached him, snow trailing behind me from what remained stuck to my boots from my entrance.

He turned around and inwardly flinched when he saw it was me. It hadn't gone unnoticed to me but I pretended as though I hadn't seen it. I nodded in greeting and he nodded back, with a disappointed frown.

"I came in to remind you that there will be a gathering of the Circle this Saturday as well," said I, "Dingle will be the one ordering the ale for us. You will remember her as the one who visited you once when I was not here and eagerly asked you about the location to the Raizada Castle and you crossed your arms across your chest and waited for her to get the message and leave?"

I was smiling when I said the last line, imagining it in my over-imaginative little head, but my grin fell when I saw how detached and expressionless the innkeeper looked.

"What is it?" I asked anxiously, "Is something wrong?"

The innkeeper suddenly moved towards me and though we were of the same height, his bulky size gave me the impression of looking at a man double my height.

"You stay away," said the man in a low voice, his words threatening but his gaze helpless, "I cannot have you in this inn anymore with your bunch of thirsty listeners trooping into my inn every now and then!"

I was appalled, "What the! How...why..." I was at a loss for words and still recovering from the shock of this unexpected turn.

"I said what I said and you need not question it, mind," said the man firmly and he turned.

I stood where I was standing and took a deep breath before telling, "I will not leave until you tell me the reason behind this change of affection."

"Affection?" asked the man, turning around, his face confused, "I showed no affection to you lot."

I smiled cleverly, "Oh yes, you did, mister." I poked at his chest, "You, sir, I have noticed often, would pay close attention to every word of the story I shared with my Comrades and before we arrived you would set out chairs and tables by the fireplace just enough to seat us all. You would watch us in our Circle drinking, narrating and listening with that proud smile of yours and I knew your heart was warmer than the warmth of the fireplace which is why this inn felt like a home for us all."

He only stared and I continued gravely, "My Comrades and friends will be terribly disappointed to learn of this new outcome but I will not leave presently until you tell me why you decided so."

Just then the sound of many horse-hoofs racing towards the inn came to our notice and before I could react, the innkeeper had lifted me by my waist, my travelling-sack and all, and hoisted me on his shoulder.

"What the! Put me down!" I hissed, feeling my head reeling with the speed in which the hoisting had happened.

He said nothing until he had taken quick heavy steps towards to the storeroom beside his counter, threw me upon a load of filled sacks and shut the door with the whispered warning, "Stay quiet!"

Then the door was shut and I sat in the dark trying to comprehend what had just happened. That was when I heard the sound of many men, around half a dozen actually, storm into the inn from outside and as they walked the spurs on their boots clinked and I realised they were the ones who had come on the horses we had heard.

I leapt out of the bed of sacks and tiptoed to the door. Leaning my ear against the door, I tried to make out what the hassle was about.

"Where is the storyteller?" a familiar voice asked, but I couldn't place the familiarity yet.

"Which storyteller, Captain sir?" the innkeeper asked, as though he knew not what a storyteller was.

There was the sound of rummaging and chair legs scraping on the wooden floor and I presumed the other men where inspecting the place.

"The one I had come asking for last time," said the other one impatiently, and I frowned, where had I heard that voice before?

"Didn't come this way today, Captain sir," said the innkeeper, sounding very convincing.

"Very well," said the Captain as though after giving it a long thought, "I leave for now. But I will come again, mind, and I will not stop until I've put an end to this crazed narration."

I moved to the sacks again and sat in contemplation, my chin pressed on my hands, my elbows propped upon my knees. Someone was after me and the innkeeper had asked me to not come to the inn anymore in fear that I may get caught.

The door opened just then and the silhouette of the innkeeper stood in the doorway, "They've gone."

I stood up and emerged out of the room, "Who was it?"

"Captain Responsibility."

Ofcourse! I gritted my teeth, "What in the world of Arhasia does he want now? I am doing my duties at home and studies as reverently as I can when I am not needed in the inn. That stupid Captain had no need to come thundering over the land to get me to stop something I love."

The innkeeper shook his head, "He has been told of your reverence for this tale you are narrating and he even learnt that it was someone from the other inn who was telling you this tale."

My face paled, "Did he find her?"

"Whom? The lady who tells you the story?"

"Yes?"

"I don't think so," said the innkeeper casually, "They went in search for her but he could find no trace of her existence. However, he is certain that he can get you and that is why he is after you. And he knows that if he gets you, he can easily get the lady as well."

I nodded, my hand clenching upon my sack. I looked up, "Captain Responsibility is really annoying when he tampers with things he has no need to fiddle with."

The innkeeper shrugged, "Leastways, I do not want you to get caught."

I sighed, "Well, does this mean I must stop my tale, then?"

The innkeeper cast a sad look in my direction but said nothing. I felt my heart sink at the turn of events. I would have to stop the story after all then, if Captain Responsibility himself and his nosy set of soldiers were on my heels. He was an expert and was bound to catch me anytime soon. Once he had set out on finding something, he was sure to surface having found it.

I had made for the door when the innkeeper called out, "Wait!"

I looked over my shoulder, my expression sad but the light in my eyes curious.

The innkeeper had a solemn gaze, "There is a place here that he will not think of looking."

That got my interest and I turned around and walked towards him, "Where?"

"I'll show you," he picked up a lantern, though it was still daytime, and then led me across the room to the stairs at the far end. There was a grandfather clock standing there in the corner and I had always known it to be standing there, unmoved, like as if it were part of the inn though it never functioned and its dial was dusty and both the hands of the clock were eternally pointed to the mysterious 12 whose 1 was missing its top part.

The innkeeper looked around as if checking to see if anyone was watching but it was certain no one could, for we stood to a corner of the room where no window or no door was visible. Besides there was no one in the inn expect for the few cooks busy in the back-kitchen.

The innkeeper opened the dusty glass door of the tall man-sized grandfather clock, and pulled at its lifeless pendulum. To my amazement, a soft thud resounded within the clock and the interior wooden board at the back of the clock stirred with a slight groan as if awakening after ages. The board moved and I was gaping soon into a dark hole in the inside of the ignored grandfather clock.

"Is that a-" I began, still amazed.

"This way," said the man smiling and he lifted his lantern and led me to step into the grandfather clock. It was dusty and cramped inside and we had to squeeze ourselves around the pendulum hanging from the centre to emerge out into the black hole. It's a wonder how the bulky innkeeper had made through that clock without getting stuck!

His lantern and his memory guided us to the destination and after a long walk through a narrow pathway, enclosed by walls on either side, we soon found ourselves in a room that baffled my senses. The ceiling was very high and the walls were made of hard rock but smooth and cold to the touch and there was a massive fireless furnace to one side of the wall that was bigger than the furnace above.

The floor was cold rock as well but so smooth, you could have skated upon it. There were no windows but there was enough space to seat a 100 people.

"How is it?"

"Impeccable," I whispered, breathless in my belief that at last I'd found the right chamber for my tale to find justice in terms of atmosphere.

"You can clear this place up before Saturday comes," said the innkeeper.

"And what of the Saturday?" I asked concernedly.

"You don't worry," said the innkeeper, smiling warmly, "You can have your little Circle in here any time you feel so. I will come down with the drinks myself, if need be, and this way I can hear the wondrous story when you begin telling them."

I smiled widely, "You are the greatest innkeeper and the warmest friend we Comrades could have ever come across to trust in Arhasia!"

"I wouldn't be this warm and considerate if it hadn't been for your story and your happy little group giving light and life to my gloomy little inn," said the innkeeper. "I have not many visitors often and your little group is my only hope. I cannot lose you to stop coming and I could not lose your to Captain Responsibility either, so I was in a fix until I remembered this little room."

"This is a blessed choice, sir," I nodded gratefully, looking around the dark wide room, "I shall begin working on mending this place and readying it for Saturday right this minute."

"Wouldn't that need more than one hand? I could be of some help..."

"No, you must mind to the inn lest someone comes in and knows not where the innkeeper is," I said and then I added, "You could however do me a help by sending pigeons to some of my friends and Comrades and if there is anyone who is not busy or uninterested, they could come and offer me a hand at perfecting this place for our special little moments together."
"Very well," said the innkeeper and I smiled.

Now, what I plan to do with the place? I do not really know. But since it's a place we are going to treasure from henceforth, I decided to make it feel extra cosy and warm with the glow of our friendship, bound by the story we are all attached to.

After clearing and cleaning up the whole place, I plan to start a roaring fire to heat the cold place up. Then I shall bring in some fresh clean rugs, warm and thick enough to sit upon, and spread it all over the wide room. It would be really cozy to sit huddled and cross-legged upon the rug, (or one can even lay down) while we explored together the tale of Lord Arnav and his village girl.

I might hang lanterns from above according to the number of those gathered in the room listening to story so that if we must leave or move about, we will each have a lantern to ourselves. It will also look as though there are stars in the dark room when we gaze up at the tall ceiling and see the lanterns hanging there.

I plan to not make the innkeeper come trudging in with drinks for us every now and then and I have decided we could perhaps keep a long sturdy table at the rear and place five or six clean barrels upon it, barrels with taps to pour drinks from. Each barrel could hold an ample supply of ale, warm tea, warm coffee, hot cocoa or whatever it is that you wish to drink of. There would be clean mugs set apart for each of us and we can pour ourselves a drink whenever we want as I narrate the story.

These are some propositions I have jotted down in my mind and as soon as I know how many of you can reach here to help me, I could start on putting my ideas into accomplishment. Of course, if you have some ideas to perfecting this little haven of ours, it would be delightful to consider them.

Looking forward to restoring this abandoned secret hole into the Cave of the Arhasian Comrades for the next meeting of the Circle on Saturday!!

In case you do not remember the First Reader Surprise, visit:

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/fan-fictions/2901910/arhi-ff-1-the-beasts-and-the-bleeding-roses?pn=34�

To return to the Index

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/fan-fictions/2901910/arhi-ff-1-the-beasts-and-the-bleeding-roses

It's amazing!! Your writing skills always leave me short of words!!

wow

god onee..

Nice surprise !!!
OMG as though the waiting for a whole week to hear the story is not enough ,this annoying Captain is behind our back.Thank the inn keeper for giving a safe accommodation to let us hear the further parts.
This apart,I loved your writing in this part.It was no less than fantasy.

Wow...you always amaze me Aqui!..where do you get these ideas from? Stunning ❤️

0ther than the st0ry itself...I L0ve Y0ur Surprises!!!

He was a gem...shifting of the place..ooh this one is even more intriguing...no probs...