Luckily, horses are quite a bit faster than lycans, and it wasn’t long before the ambushers were left in the dust.  The horse tired quickly, already fatigued from the journey.  Foam flecked its sides, and Fridolf attempted to bring the horse back under his control now that the predators threatening it were no longer close by.

Unfortunately for the senior lycan, the horse objected and reared up with a frightened whinny.  Fridolf was caught by surprise, as this horse was not known for such behavior, and was unceremoniously dumped to the ground.  Thus freed, the horse took off running, leaving the winded lycan gasping on the ground.

Fridolf caught his breath and forced himself to his feet with a deep groan.  Everything ached, and it was bitterly cold.  There were signs it had snowed at least once in the month he’d been away from home, and judging by the smell of the night air, it would again very soon.  The merchant was not as young as he had once been, and he knew it would not be safe for him to linger here for long.  It was cold enough to be dangerous even to a lycan, and he expected the three who’d tried to attack him would still be seeking him out.

Looking around, Fridolf wasn’t sure where he was.  This part of the woods was unfamiliar to him, and there were no familiar scents in the area.  Though, admittedly, it would be hard to pick up any but the strongest of scents in this cold.  He set off in the direction the horse had gone, hoping to find the foolish beast so he could stand a better chance of getting home.  He supposed he could shift, but it would be impossible to track the horse down if he did because he would be forced to carry his clothes, which would put his own scent too close to his nose to detect anything else.

In the distance, but close enough to be alarming, Fridolf could hear the howling of three lycans, which he assumed were his would-be attackers.  The merchant pressed on, following the scent of the horse as well as he could.

To his surprise, the trees gave way to a wide open space, and a short distance away he could see a wall.  It was tall, and made of thick stone blocks.  There was an overgrown path barely visible in the grass, that led up to an iron gate.  The gate didn’t seem to be the original gate for the wall, as it was noticeably shorter than the wall.  It would be too tall to jump over, and spikes at the top discouraged climbing.  A younger lycan than Fridolf could probably make the jump over that gate, but he was not as fit as he once had been.

Fridolf approached the gate and rattled it lightly.  It swung open, much to his surprise.  He quickly stepped in and shut the gate behind him, hoping it would deter the pack lycans from pursuing.  Once inside, he looked around.  He may have been getting older, but there was nothing lacking about his night vision.

The sight that greeted the merchant was a very standard looking keep.  There were squared towers at the corners of the keep wall, and the view through the open portcullis showed a spacious inner bailey.  He saw what looked to be a stable just inside the keep wall, and approached it to peek inside.  He was surprised to see a couple horses inside.  One was an enormous black percheron, the other a docile-looking dun plow horse.

So this place is probably not deserted then, he thought.  He wandered out of the stable and further down the path, until he saw the main doors to the castle.  With an abundance of caution, Fridolf approached the doors.

“Hello?” he called out uncertainly.

There was no response, as far as Fridolf could tell.  He knocked on the doors and waited.  Still nothing.  He tested the doors to see if they were unlocked like the gate had been, but they didn’t budge.  He knocked again, harder this time.

“Hello?” he called out again, “My horse threw me, and it’s bitterly cold.  Is-is anyone home?  May I shelter here for a while?”

There was no response for so long, Fridolf began to think the castle was empty after all.  Just as he was about to turn around and go sleep in the stable, where at least it would be warm, the big castle doors swung slowly inward.  Beyond, Fridolf could see the dim glow of firelight deeper within the keep.

The lycan hesitantly entered the foyer.  The door to the great hall beyond was open, with the light coming from beyond that, so he went that way.  The door on the far side of the great hall was also open, and the light seemed to be coming from that way, and looked brighter, so Fridolf thought it must be closer.  He followed the light down a corridor to a sitting room.  There was a roaring fire in the fireplace there, and the oil lamps on the end tables were lit.

“Th-thank you for your hospitality,” Fridolf stammered a bit as he looked around for any signs of the castle’s inhabitants.  The place appeared empty, and the lycan was a bit unnerved.  He made his way over to one of the plush armchairs by the fireplace.  He felt that sleeping in one of those chairs would be the least obtrusive he could be to his unseen host.

He settled into the seat and tried to relax and get some sleep.  Hunger gnawed his stomach, making it hard to sleep, and he shifted restlessly in the chair.  Finally, his stomach let out a particularly loud growl, and he flinched.  He wasn’t sure why he flinched.  It just felt kind of obtrusive to make such noise in this strange place where he definitely did not feel as though he ought to be there.

There was a long moment of silence, and then, he heard the sound of wheels rolling across the hardwood floors.  He turned in the seat to see a small meal cart rolling towards him, untended.  It stopped when the wheels bumped into the area rug the chairs rested upon.

“O-oh.  Thank you, that is very kind,” he said awkwardly.  He stood, pulled the cart alongside the chair, and sat down.

Pulling back the silver cover over the dish revealed a steaming bowl of hearty stew.  It smelled like venison, potatoes and wild onions.  Next to the bowl was a couple thick slices of crusty brown bread with butter.  Inspecting the accompanied mug revealed a mulled wine.  It was simple fare, but Fridolf appreciated the warm and filling nature of the meal.  He ate quickly and neatly stacked the bowl and mug under the silver cover.  He set the cart back on the hardwood so it would be less effort for the servants or whomever provided it to collect.

Fridolf settled back into the chair, and soon fell asleep listening to the lulling crackle of the fire at his feet.

The senior lycan woke early the next morning.  He was stiff, and a bit sore, but felt well-rested nonetheless.  To his surprise, the cart from the night before sat by the chair, and it was clear by the condensation on the dish cover that the contents of the dish were hot and fresh.

The contents were again simple, but filling fare.  A nice porridge with butter and cinnamon, a side of crispy bacon, and two fresh hard boiled eggs.  The mug this morning was full of steaming hot apple cider, with more cinnamon.  Fridolf noted the cinnamon with great interest, as it showed the provider of the meal was able to afford fine, imported spices, despite how simple the food was otherwise.

As he had the night before, Fridolf neatly stacked the empty dishes and returned the cart to the hardwood, trying his best to be a good guest.  He would have liked to do more, like wash the dishes himself, but he didn’t know his way around and didn’t think it was wise or polite to explore the castle.

“Thank you for your kindness,” Fridolf said, looking around for any sign of his benefactor.  “I will take my leave now, and not impose on you further.  Thank you again.”

The merchant retraced his steps from the previous night to find the exit.  It was still early, but the sun was up, and reflected with almost blinding brightness on the freshly fallen snow.  As Fridolf started down the path, his boots crunching through the ice-crusted snow that now covered the path.  He noticed with surprise that his chestnut bay horse was tied to a hitching post outside the stable.  The animal looked freshly groomed and glossy, and the leather saddle on its back was freshly polished.  Fridolf had no idea who had found the horse, or how, but it was obvious it had been well cared for during the night.

As Fridolf recovered from his bafflement at the sight, a bit of green off to the side down another path caught his eye.  Puzzled, he went down that path to investigate.