The Inn and a Young Lady

Tylen walked in between Maia and Cleon, the former took the front while the latter took the rear. For most part of their stroll, his pirate companions kept the atmosphere light.

"Maia, is there like a potion that can give me powers?" Cleon wondered out loud with his hands behind his head, staring at the sky.

The Prince heard Maia sigh, "For what reason would you want that?"

"It seems pretty cool." Cleon continued, "Plus the princess is fire dominant, right? If we find a potion to make us all water dominant, she'll be throttled. Oh, oh, oh! What about shapeshifting? Like Deelah's power? There should be a potion for that. It wears off over time, of course. Eh, but that would mean we need to be fast."

Maia answered him in the same monotonous tone, "Cleon, the princess' past is in the past. For all we know, she'll be a great ruler."

"But she murdered her sister! What makes you think she'll be a great ruler if she can spill her sister's blood? What about peasant blood then? To her, It's probably comparable to a mouse."

Maia shook her head and left him alone to his strange thoughts.

Tylen had half a mind to ask Maia about Celios and magic. He heard stories about the island before. He imagined what would life be like if magic existed in the main continent.

"I think we need to give you a pseudonym, Your Highness, or I'm afraid we'll be caught."

Tylen snapped out of his thoughts upon hearing Maia's voice. She had turned around to face him, now walking backwards, while Cleon had stepped up to match his strides.

"You're right." Tylen replied. Then, he frowned, "But nothing comes to mind. Do either of you have a suggestion?"

He looked at each of them. Maia bit her inner cheek, still walking backwards and still in the right direction. Beside him, Cleon scratched his chin, scowling at the sky.

The serious faces of the two made Tylen join the fray. He pressed his lips together, thinking of what name could he go by.

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"Lynet!"

Maia and Tylen stopped in their tracks. They stared at Cleon who had snapped his fingers when he blurted out his idea.

One glance at their expressions wiped off the victorious smile on his face.

"What now?" He groaned.

"It's a feminine name." Maia pointed out, her eyebrows raised at the obvious problem.

Cleon froze for a second. It was a feminine name, he thought then, huffed to himself, but did that mean it couldn't be used? Why not consider it for a while?

Not able to admit defeat, he resorted to convince Tylen, "Well, why not crossdress as a girl, Your Highness? It's less conspicuous if someone were to look for you."

Tylen waved his hand over the idea, his head aching from the image of him in a dress, "I will not crossdress as the opposite gender."

"Eh, Why not? I'm telling you it's a good idea. If you have enemies searching for you, no one would think to look for a woman."

"It won't happen, pirate." Tylen started walking again, Maia on his right side.

"Well, dang, your loss." Cleon sulked defeatedly with his head bowed and his arms crossed over his chest, reluctantly following them.

A few feet left until they reach their destination, Maia spoke to Tylen, "Since you and Sir Hayden like to switch places, we'll call you, Nyt, from now on."

Tylen repeated the name to himself, already feeling the name imprint his soul. He nodded to let her know of his approval.

"Welcome aboard then, Nyt!" Maia cheered, slapping his upper back. The Prince winced from the force of her hand.

She skipped ahead and opened the door to the inn, a small bell ringing as it swung. Tylen went in after her. Behind him, he could hear Cleon mumbling comments about the new name.

The interior of the inn was warm and cozy. To their right were rows of mahogany tables for dining and to their left was a lounge area for guests to relax in or to discuss matters over coffee/tea.

In the middle was a desk for accommodating incoming guests. It was wedged between two staircases that led to the bedrooms in the upper floor.

A woman in her 30s, her black hair in a bun, paused from cleaning a dining table with a rag to look at the front door.

"Maia!" She exclaimed. A bright wide smile appeared on her face at the sight of the redhead. She dropped the rag and walked over, wiping her hands on the white apron she wore.

"Aunt Aina!" Maia answered, her arms already open for a hug.

The woman embraced her tenderly. After that, she pulled back to pinch her cheek, "What did I say about calling me, aunt? It's sister. Sister Aina."

Tylen stepped aside, quietly observing the scene unfold. The woman had a youthful face but her hands were worn from house work. She was also taller than average but quite slim. Her purple skirt flared off from her waist, the hem almost touching the floor.

Maia pulled back and whimpered. Sister Aina laughed and caressed the red cheek lightly. Then, she moved on to the guest who was standing on the doorway and faking a cry.

"What? No love for me?"

Sister Aina chuckled and wrapped an arm around Cleon's neck in a headlock.

He immediately grabbed her arm, trying to pull it off, "Ow, ow, ow! Sister Aina! Not fair! Why do you only torture me?!"

Sister Aina let him go only to squeeze his cheeks, "It's good to see you too, dear."

"Cleon in pain, Cleon in pain! Ow!"

Maia snickered at his predicament. When she stopped, Cleon cupped his cheeks and stuck out a tongue at Maia to which she answered the same way.

Sister Aina shook her head at the sight, the smile she wore since they came in still on her lips.

"Come, dears," she grabbed their arms and pulled them to the dining area, "You must be famished. Let me get you something to eat."

Tylen trailed behind, keeping his steps as light as possible.

"Hana! Maia and the others are here! You know what to do!" Sister Aina shouted towards the back as the group sat on the benches, Maia and Cleon on one side and Tylen on the other.

Finally, Sister Aina's gaze landed on Tylen, a question in her eyes, "And who's this?"

When she didn't notice him earlier, the Prince suspected that she thought of him as a separate guest. Still unsure of what to say, he looked at Maia with wide eyes.

Right away, Maia cut in and introduced him, "This is Nyt. He's new to our group. It's his first time out on a job."

Sister Aina's stare stayed on Tylen. Her brows rose at Maia's words, "Really?"

The skepticism in her voice made Tylen tremble. He thought of a million things to say but in the end, he decided to play it safe, "Yes, I am. How do you do?"

"I see...," she sighed and smiled, "Well, then, you're more than welcome to stay here. I hope you brought your appetite. No one is allowed to grow hungry under my watch.".

"Sister Aina has the best food!" Cleon blurted out in praise.

"Oh, you're exaggerating."

"I'm serious!" He argued. His starry eyes pierced at Tylen, "Tyl—Nyt! Whatever food you had in the past has nothing on Sister Aina's food, I promise."

The Prince licked his bottom lip, feeling intrigued at the claim. The best chefs in Teralyn were situated in the palace but the confidence in the blue-haired pirate's voice made him want to test his words.

"I'll be looking forward to it." Tylen smiled at Sister Aina.

"Then, I hope it meets your expectations," she replied courteously before she knitted her brows. She looked at each person on the table, "Is Raz not with you?"

"I'm here."

Right on cue, Tylen saw Raz come through the front door, his corner lip curved upwards. He strutted as he made his way inside. Each step he took emanated swagger and disinterest.

A few female diners glanced at him as he passed by. One of them tapped their companion and pointed in his direction. Her friend turned too fast and hit her glass of water. It fell directly on Raz's way and broke into pieces.

Raz stopped in front of the spilled water, his eyes staring at it indifferently. In turn, the girl panicked at his expression and stood up.

"Oh, I—I'm sorry. Wait a moment, I'll clean it." She whimpered, bending forward to pick up the shards.

Raz grabbed her wrist quickly. The girl looked up but he didn't meet her eyes. Instead he stared at her hand.

"Don't pick it up. You'll hurt your hand." Tylen heard him say, "You use them for your work, don't you? If you injure them, you won't be able to sew for a while. You have enough wounds from needles, don't you think?"

Tylen glanced at the girl's hand. Sure enough, her fingers were bandaged in several places—particularly the tips. It was a sign of clumsy needlework.

The girl blushed from her ears and down to her neck. When Raz finally met her gaze, he grinned and pulled her up.

In no time, a helper came to the scene and cleaned the mess.

"Take care now, miss." Raz reminded politely before he left her and headed for the group.

When Raz finally reached their table, he placed a hand on Sister Aina's upper back and kissed her cheek.

"How are you, Sister Aina?" He greeted her, his lips blooming into a warm smile.

"Raz dear!" She hugged him tightly. Raz chuckled at her enthusiasm, patting her back. Tylen didn't think their landlady's smile could be any more wider than it was at this moment.

A waitress stopped by their table and served the group some water. She kept her head low as she placed a glass in front of each guest. When she was done, she left quickly.

Tylen grabbed a glass of water and began to drink, realizing his throat was parched as it flowed down his mouth.

Suddenly, Sister Aina pulled back, her hands firmly gripping on Raz' shoulders.

She squinted at the gangly pirate from head to toe.

"You look slimmer than I remember," she said.

She stepped back to get a better look. The longer she stared, the deeper her frown became.

"Have you been skipping meals?"

Before the pirate could answer her, Sister Aina reprimanded, "You know what that does to your body, young lady!"