Kae looked on in awe. “Is this Hardwick? I didn’t know it was so close to Kilrough itself. And I thought the Highway at least snaked around the mountain!”
“It does, farther in towards the middle. The road narrows and makes its way up and around, almost to the peak. But Hardwick…” Loren stopped. The princess was suddenly overcome with such emotion that tears began to form in her eyes.
Kae smiled. “Hardwick means that you’re halfway home.”
“Home.” Loren said the word in a whisper, so faint that she didn’t believe it herself. “How long has it been since we left Aldoran?”
“I don’t remember. The days started to blur together after a while. Especially after the Plaguelands.” Kae paused and couldn’t help but laugh. “Princess, you are amazing. You led us through the Plaguelands, the Plaguelands of all places! And you made sure we wouldn’t die there.”
“It was a foolhardy plan and you knew it.”
“Yeah. But it worked.” Kae looked out over the hill, down towards the sprawling little town. There was a happier, freer feeling to the small buildings nestled together than there was when they arrived at Sagna. The city at the base of the volcano was larger, but it felt more oppressed. “You made it work, Loren.”
“I will have to say that was luck.” The princess looked out over the hill along with Kae. There was a peacefulness there, overlooking the town of Hardwick. The breeze blew coolly through their hair, and Loren sighed. “It feels like we’ve been away for far too long.”
“What will you do once you’re home?” The huntress asked, looking curiously over at Loren. Her expression was neutral, only curious, but Loren saw the nervous hitch in her breath. There were words Kae was still too scared to say.
Loren smiled, with the lingering feeling that Kae was asking about herself. What would the princess have in store for Kae once they returned home to Aldoran? The princess smiled, she already knew.
“My lady.” Warmaster Sairus called from a respectable distance behind them, once he saw the girls had stopped talking.
The princess of Aldoran looked back over her shoulder. All the way down the hill was the line of soldiers marching steadily towards her. “Yes, Warmaster?”
The panther Beastman rode up beside them. He gestured towards a large stone structure with an expansive field surrounding it, within the shadow of the mountain. “That is an outpost of Aldoran, my lady. We can camp there and get much needed medical care for the men.”
Loren nodded. “I see. Thank you so much Warmaster, I trust you and the Spymaster will care for our brave soldiers. Will there be space enough for me and my friends within the outpost?”
The Warmaster blinked slowly. He looked back to where Spymaster Isran was idling by the road. The Spymaster gave him a wink and gestured dismissively. The panther sighed and turned back towards the girls. “My lady, it is mine and Spymaster Isran’s opinion that it would not do well for yours and your friends to recovery to spend the night among the rowdy men. Perhaps you can find better accommodations within Hardwick’s inns.”
“You would rather we spend the night away from you all?” Loren asked, surprised.
“Well, he has a point, princess.” Kae mused. “You do love your beds and inns. We might as well go; we never got to see Hardwick the first time around.”
Kae’s eyes glittered with excitement. They were captured early on by Hamilcar’s men before they were able to reach Hardwick. The princess got the feeling that Kae had wanted to see the town for some time. Loren laughed. “Do you think we should go?”
“Yes!” Kae said. “I’m surprised you’re still asking me, princess. I thought you would jump at the chance to sleep in a proper bed.”
Loren’s gaze faltered. She looked towards the town, not quite seeing it. “A proper bed, I suppose…” a memory flashed before her eyes of Haedria’s leering face. She blinked. “Kae, would you—“
The huntress smiled kindly. “I will be with you princess, don’t worry. Just like before.”
Tears welled in her eyes as Loren smiled.
The inn at Hardwick was much larger than the one at the border town. As Hardwick was a checkpoint town directly past the Kilrough Mountains, it itself saw a lot of business. Merchants and nobles, everyday travelers and adventurers would pass through the town for supplies, rest, and whatever else they might need. This caused Hardwick’s economy to boom, and the surrounding amenities to increase in quality. As Loren and her friends passed through the town’s bustling marketplace, the group split up. More accurately, Cassendir spotted a booth with teetering towers of books, packed with scrolls and pen-and-ink sets. The scholar had run off into the crowd before anyone could call him back. Kaiten had simply laughed and told the girls he would keep an eye on the mage and that he would meet them at the inn later. Ma’trri, tempted by the butcher stalls and his cast off scraps, stayed steadfastly beside Kae.
Hand in hand, Kae and Loren made their way through the crowd, elbowing and shuffling past the humans and Beastmen crowded around an auction, another crowd gathered around a street performer swallowing swords, and a lion Beastman selling chickens. Loren stopped and stared at the lion, puzzled, as it was the third almost identical merchant she had seen.
Kae pulled the princess along with her and away from the Beastman’s chicken stall, laughing the whole way. The huntress still held the bag of cherry candies from the Spymaster, and offered one to Loren. Loren smiled, opened her mouth, and let Kae slip a cherry candy in.
The sign above the inn was written in soft pink paint in a delicate, flowing hand. It bore the name “Feathernest Inn” and featured a drawing of a ferret, curled up asleep atop a pillow. The
