The Inn of Contention

She sat near the top of the grassy hill, wind blowing through her hair with a lightness effecting a lover's touch. An interesting description, thought Crimena, considering the only lover's touch she had ever known was that of the water-etched blade cradled in her lap.

She had been told to come here, that someone would meet her here. She was getting tired of waiting however. This someone had been due an hour past and by this time, whatever curiosity she'd had about the mystery person had long since vanished into irritation.

'This. Is. Ridiculous.' She said aloud to the morning air, levering herself up from the grass. She scowled at the stains on her hauberk, silently reminding herself once again that she needed to scrub off the traces of blood from her last skirmish. 'Ah well' She sighed and started to make her way down to the inn in the valley below.

~*~

Kal groaned as he made his way down the stairs, flinching from the lances of light that seemed to permeate the room. Making his way to a table he slumped down and motioned for a tavern maid to bring him the Boar and Spear Inn's vaunted hangover cure. Vaunted because it actually seemed to work, although it was foul stuff, possibly worse than the hangover in its own way.

Nursing the cup Kal sighed. He'd missed his meeting. After taking all this time to set up a mysterious meeting with Crimena, his fellow caravan guard, he'd gone and gotten himself hammered into next Tuesday and missed his chance. 'Of all the stupid, wretched, idiotic...'

A female leg slung over the chair near him causing him to look up as Crimena settled herself down into the seat and scowled. 'They didn't show.'

'Who?'

'Whoever the damn hell I'm supposed to meet. They bloody didn't show. The entire flaming morning gone down the ever-so-murky drain.'

'Ah.'

They both lapsed into silence for a bit.

'Crim?'

'Yeah?'

'I called ya to that meetin'. Got drunk last night an didn't wake up until now, which is why no one showed up.'

'Oh.'

Kal waited.

'Why.'

'Had somethin to ask ya.'

'You couldn't ask it here?'

Kal shook his head. Crimena nodded.

'C'mon.'

~*~

Crimena unlocked the door to her room and led the way inside. 'Lock the door behind you.' As he moved to do so she unhooked her sword belt and laid it on the bed. Turning around Kal was confronted with the image of the woman he loved with a fierce vengeance stripping off her hauberk and chucking it on the bed as she went hunting through drawers for a shirt with only a sweat stained breast-band between her and her dignity.

'Start talking.' Crimena found a shirt and starting buttoning it up, casting an impatient look behind her shoulder at the tongue-tied man behind her. 'Well? Snap out of it Kal!'

'He jerked, eyes snapping to her face. 'Sorry.' He muttered. 'I wanted to talk to ya bout...well, that is to say...'

Crimena sighed. 'Spit it out Kal. I've already wasted most of the morning.' She stalked over to him and stood in his face with her arms crossed. 'Well...?'

Kal was...well, just as he'd gotten his words together in sentence's in his mind she had to come stand an inch away from him with her power and her scent and her crossed arms squeezing her breasts slightly so that...he veered from that dangerous train of thought, took a step away from her.

He was afraid, Crimena realized suddenly. Afraid. Of her. She softened her tone. 'Cmon Kal, you can tell me anything, I'm your best friend. Whatever it is, I promise I won't freak out. Promise.'

He took some heart at these words and gathered up his courage. 'Marry me.'

Her eyes narrowed and she took a step back. 'What?'

'Marry me.' His eyes took on a pleading look. 'I'd make a good husband, really. You'd never want for anythin. You could give up this hard life, we could settle down and-'

'No.'

Kal's eyes took on a wounded look.

'I don't want to settle down Kal. I'm not the kind of girl who'd be happy in some village knitting her days away-'

'Then we won't settle down. We'll...we'll become travellers or-'

'Kal. I'm sorry. I can't marry you. I like what I do. I know it's dangerous but I don't want to stop. I know you Kal. You wouldn't be able to live with the fact that I'm putting myself in danger everyday, that you won't be able to keep me safe. and you wouldn't realize or be able to accept that I don't want to be safe. I'm sorry...but the answer is no.'

~*~

Kal sat in his room, a broken man. Tears streaked unashamedly down his cheeks, now that he was alone. She had refused him. More important, she had annulled their contract. She'd left, left him all alone. Alone. He contemplated killing himself now, picking up his sword, positioning it against his heart and thrusting it through his body in a final dramatic motion, Crimena's name on his lips. He knew she would mock this image, could imagine her derisiveness and that stopped him. Even now when she was gone. Instead, he went down to get a drink.

~*~

Crimena took no looks back as she left the valley and the man she secretly loved behind. She knew he would cope, he would survive. She knew they both would. She wished they could have been together but she was far more pragmatic that Kal had ever been. She knew that, if they had indeed gotten married, they would have been torn apart from the inside.

At least this way, they had a chance. Not with each other, but a chance.