Shaking my head in a frustrated gesture, I decided to take a bath and dress myself to go down. I was hungry and maybe I could get something to eat. I remember seeing a tavern at a glance before I went back to sleep. I frowned when I realized I was naked. My dress was laid out on the back of a chair. I swallowed dry when the thought of Alec taking off my clothes haunted my mind. Looking around I looked for a combination and found it next to the dress. I took a deep breath to control my nervousness and got up from the bed wrapped around the sheet. I walked to a vat in one corner of the room. The water was still warm when I came in. That made me feel a huge relief in my body. Because of the horseback riding, it all hurt a lot.
While I was bathing, I got to thinking about the meeting I'd have with my sisters. Suddenly a fear came over my whole body because of the reaction they would have when they realized that I had been alive all this time. Will they be disappointed or hurt by me? Maybe they'd never speak to me again. That thought brought tears to my eyes, but who could blame them if they came to hate me?
The door suddenly opened, making me raise my head apprehensively. A lady came in carrying some towels and a little wrapping in her hands.
- I hope I'm not in the way! - she said in a soft voice and approached. - The gentleman downstairs asked me to bring you some things and, if you were awake, told you to find him as soon as you were ready. He'll be waiting for you in the tavern in front of the inn.
She smiled when she handed me the package and turned around to get out.
- He also said he might be hungry, so I suggested the tavern. They serve a great soup and a good broth there.
- Thank you!
Settling down, the woman left the room closing the door right behind her. I opened the package and noticed it was rose-smelling soap. Smiling, I used one and kept the other. It took me some time to bathe, because I couldn't lose much time with the bath at the camp. Being surrounded by men wasn't always very good. After drying my hair, I put the dress Alec left on the chair. He was different from the dress he had given me on the way there. It was made of green pie. That was the symbol of the MacCalister clan. I got dressed quickly and decided to leave my hair loose. I hadn't left them like that in a while, and I could barely remember that I had so many clusters. I barely recognized myself by looking at myself in the mirror in the bedroom.
The dress marked my body subtly. It's been a while since I've worn a dress like that. I took the opportunity to hide some daggers under the dress. When I felt ready, I left the room and walked towards the inn. It was night and it was cold, but the dress was long sleeves that went to my wrists and covered the scars. This way, I didn't have to wear my leather bracelets.
As you said, the tavern was right in front of the inn, which was very good, because I didn't want to walk around dressed like that for long. I agreed to wear a dress, but I didn't intend to parade with that pie, at the risk of someone realizing that I was a MacCalister. That should be kept secret.
The place was quite large, different from the tavern I used to frequent in the village near Edinburgh, and it was pretty crowded for a cold night like that. I looked around hoping to find Alec quickly, but I couldn't locate him anywhere. I sighed with frustration and putting my hands on my waist I did a new sweep. I was about to walk to the innkeeper when a hand grabbed my arm pulling me hard. I thought it was Alec, but when I looked to the side, I saw a tall, badly clothed and very bad-looking man.
- The pretty lady dances with me! - the man determined to keep dragging me across the hall. He smiled and I realized he had rotten teeth.
- The pretty lady won't be dancing with you tonight. - he said by pulling his arm. - And if you keep touching me, I'll rip your eyes out with just one of my fingers.
The man laughed and I almost threw up with the foul smell that came from his breath. In fact, he smelled pretty bad, too. It was a smell of booze mixed with sweat.
- You're so beautiful, it's worth the risk. - he said, before he grabbed me and kissed me.
I bit the guy's tongue, who screamed with pain.
- Nobody touches me! - ...I've stirred up.
- Bitch! - he shouted before he came at me and tried to hit me, but I easily strayed from the blow. He looked up and I smiled.
I grabbed both of his ears and hit a head-butt on his forehead with a handle on my hands. He staggered backwards, so I grabbed a piece of wood that was close by and hit his head hard. The big guy fell unconscious on the floor and I looked around in a silent gesture of challenge. All the men who were following the whole event turned to what they were doing before and soon the noise of conversation settled in the enclosure. I threw the wood on the floor and wiped my hands, hitting each other.
- Are you
