Traveling South

Alice's little journey didn't go unnoticed. Despite her and her entourage dressing down, there was still plenty of attention at the city gates. It wasn't everyday that the princess would leave the capital, and she's sure that by the time she's back, people will be whispering about her potential suitors and which nearby kingdom was courting her at a chance at king Cassian's throne.

"You'd think they've got something more important to talk about," Alice mutters quietly as she exits the city gates to the salutes of nearby guards. She gently pushes her steed with her stirrups and it speeds up to a trot, helping her escape from the attention of the citizenry. "Like the state of the harvest. Or the serial killer in the city."

"Gossip is valuable," Katherine replies with a slight shrug. In a strange twist of fate, the maid was actually the best horse rider out of the three, owing to her upbringing and life before being recruited by Alice. Even Finley, who was riding his war horse, was impressed by her handling of her mount. One day, Alice is going to ask her for some lessons. "And you're currently the city's hottest topic. Everyone wants to know who you're going to marry."

Alice rolls her eyes, wanting to leave this topic as soon as possible. She'd never admit it, but she'd like to buck the trend and marry for love rather than for politics, but she knew she needed all the help she could get, so her wish was unlikely to be granted.

"...Do you have someone in mind, my lady- I mean! Alice..." Finley inquires softly, shivering when he felt Alice's glare at his poor choice of words. "I'm just curious... It seems someone as capable as you could have anyone you want..."

"Hah! Anyone I want eh?" Alice replies with a harsh laugh. "You should know that there's no one in this damned city that I want. Sycophants and leeches and little else... Unless you're expecting me to say that I want you?"

"Huh? No, I..." Finely stammers, and Alice laughs again, but this time a bit more softly.

"She was kidding," Katherine says with a smile of her own as she nudges her mount closer to the knight. "Don't take her too seriously when it comes to these matters."

"Kathy! You're spoiling the fun!" Alice pouts. In truth, these quiet moments with those that she trusts were moments she enjoyed the most. No stress, no worries, and no plotting. It was just a shame that these two were the only ones she could trust...

"Is that an inn I see?" Alice asks. The sun was dipping below the horizon, and the temperature was slowly dropping. The original plan was to rest at a nearby village named Pemtle, but their pace had been slower than anticipated. At this rate, they'll arrive in Pemtle a bit past midnight, and riding in the dark made them potential targets for bandits.

This close to the capital, it was fairly unlikely to be attacked, but the chance was always there, especially when they were only a party of three. With the current state of the kingdom, Alice couldn't blame anyone driven to desperation. As such, perhaps it was wiser to stay at this inn for the night to avoid traveling in the shadows.

"Hm, this place doesn't seem particularly... inviting," Katherine replies, her eyes narrowing as the inn came closer into view. The building was rather old, with a barely there stable. Moss was growing on half the walls, and cracks were visible in the other half. As they got closer, they could hear drunken voices from within as well. "What do you think, Alice?"

Alice pauses, placing her hand on her chin to consider their next move. What was riskier, going to a sketchy inn, or riding with only the moonlight to guide them? Decisions...