The rain had died down to a soft drizzle by the time they reached the next city in the early evening.  Similar to the one they had departed from earlier in the day, this city was surrounded by a singed wall that clearly had seen better days.  Two stiff-looking guards were posted at the city gates.  They shuffled slightly when Astatine and Eskil approached them on their horse.  

Astatine presented his token to the guards at the city gates.  They seemed to recognize the symbols since they did not question him.

“Where can two weary travelers find lodgings for the night?” he asked in Daksinabhasa.

“There are a few in the center of the city,” one of the guards replied.  

“Thank you, good sirs,” said Astatine.  As they went through the gates, the guards stared at Eskil’s silver hair with curiosity.

***

They approached one of the inns and an attendant led them to the stables where they could leave their horse for the night.  They then went through the inn’s main entrance.  Astatine spotted a small dining area off to the side.

“Want to eat first?” he asked.

“Um…sure,” Eskil replied.

They sat down at an empty table with bench seats.  Eskil placed his lute and bag next to him.

Another attendant immediately approached them.

“Good sirs, what can we get you?” the attendant asked in Sargeshi.

“What’s your specialty?” Astatine asked.

“We make a really good palov - that’s a rice dish with meat, carrots, and barberries.  Our manti is also good - those are meat dumplings with a topping of sour cream.”

“Sounds good.  Bring them both.”

“Of course, good sir.  Would you also like some tea?”

“Yes, please.”

The attendant headed towards the kitchen at the back of the room.  Astatine glanced over at Eskil and noticed that he looked uneasy.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

“Um….no…just that…I haven’t been to a place like this before…” Eskil replied.

Astatine raised his eyebrows and looked around the dining area.  It was not particularly fancy.  The wooden walls were worn with age, although there were some potted plants on the window sill to liven up the atmosphere.  This place is a rather modest inn.  He’s probably been sleeping on the streets this whole time…

The attendant returned with two cups of tea and set them on the table.  He then dashed back into the kitchen.  Astatine picked up his cup and blew on it to cool it down before sipping carefully.  There was a subtle smooth fragrance to the tea leaves and he took another sip.  Eskil had his eyes lowered and stared at the steam wafting from his cup.  He finally picked it up and sipped cautiously.

Astatine scanned the room again and spotted a tattered map hanging on one of the walls.  He walked over to it and motioned to another attendant.  

“Can I borrow this for a moment?” he asked.

“Go ahead, good sir,” the attendant replied.  “It’s outdated now since the occupation began.  We just don’t have any new maps to replace it with.”

“What city is this?  We’re not from around here.”

The attendant pointed to a spot on the map.  “We’re in Orkent.”

“Thank you.”  Astatine returned to the table and placed the map down in front of Eskil.

“This is a map of the Western Region.” He put his finger on the same spot the attendant had pointed to earlier.  “We’re here right now.” 

Eskil nodded silently.

“Do you know where you’re from?” Astatine asked.

Eskil frowned as he stared at the yellowed map.  He reached over and put his finger on the table to the left of the map.  Astatine raised his eyebrows and gave him a questioning look.

“The place I’m from is further west,” Eskil explained.

“There is no place further west than the Western Region.  The westernmost part is just a mountain range.”

“I’m from further west than that.  I crossed those mountains…”

“Are you sure?”

Eskil sighed.  “I’ve been going in the direction of the sunrise since I started traveling, so I’ve only been traveling eastward.”

They were interrupted by the attendant arriving at their table with a tray of food.  He placed the dishes on the table and also put down utensils and plates.  Eskil’s eyes widened.

Astatine smiled.  “You look like you haven’t seen this much food in ages.”  He began to scoop rice onto Eskil’s empty plate.  Eskil looked at him in shock.

“Where I’m from, it’s a custom to serve your guests before serving yourself,” Astatine explained.

“Thank you…I don’t know how I’d be able to repay you…”

“Don’t worry about it.  Have as much as you want.”

***

An hour later, only a few grains of rice remained in the platter that had held the palov, while the other platter was wiped clean save for a smidgen of sour cream.  Astatine downed the rest of the now cooled down tea to wash everything down while Eskil finished chewing on the last of the manti.

The attendant approached their table again to clear out the plates.  “Is there anything else I can get for you, good sirs?”

“No, thank you.  These dishes were more than enough,” Astatine said.

“Was everything to your liking?”

Astatine flashed a charming smile.  “Everything was delicious.  Say…I have a question…”

“Yes, good sir?”

“All these cities are under occupation, and I’ve seen a lot of poverty on the streets in the other city that we just came from.  But I noticed that the taverns and inns seem well stocked, as if business was booming.”

“Ah, that is a good question.  I can’t say too much about other places, but before the occupation, we didn’t have too many travelers staying here, so we weren’t doing too well.  Once the occupying forces came, they took up most of the rooms in the inn for their own purposes.  Sometimes we also get foreign administrators staying here, since they need to run the city they took over.  They all need to eat, so shipments of rice and flour come in, and we get vegetables and meat occasionally.  Our job is to keep them comfortable while they occupy our inn.”

“Interesting…Do you have any rooms for the night?”

“We may have some left.  Do you need two rooms…or just one?”

Eskil had been sipping the last of his tea and nearly choked on the water after hearing what the attendant said.

Astatine glanced over at Eskil and noticed that his face was flushing and his shoulders were hunched up.  He turned back to the attendant.  “Two rooms, please.”

Eskil’s tension eased somewhat and he relaxed his shoulders.

“All right then.  I’ll get you two keys,” said the attendant.  “Also, there’s a city-wide curfew.  Everyone is supposed to stay indoors after dark unless they’re part of the occupying forces.”  He walked away.

Eskil looked up at Astatine.  “You really don’t need to pay for my stay…I’m already indebted to you…”

“Don’t worry about it.  It’s already getting late and there’s a curfew anyway,” Astatine replied.  “Were you planning to sleep in the streets?”

Eskil looked down at the table.  The attendant returned with the keys and handed them over.

“These rooms are on the second floor.  The room number is on the key.  Although you can’t go outside the inn at this hour, we do have a courtyard you can hang out in.”

Astatine put down some coins on the table to pay for the food.  “All right.  Thank you.”  He turned back to Eskil.  “Shall we see the courtyard?”

“Um…sure…”

***

Astatine and Eskil walked down the corridor leading to the courtyard carrying their belongings.  There was an awkward silence between them.

“You know,” Astatine said, “if you really want to pay me back, you can just play another one of your songs.”

Eskil glanced up at him. “Oh?”

They reached the courtyard.  There were a few flowering trees surrounded by circular stone benches.  Astatine settled down on one of them.  Eskil sat down near him and reached for the lute that was hanging on his back.  His bluish gray eyes shyly met Astatine’s hazel ones.  He began to strum the lute.  Soft melodies filled the courtyard.  

Astatine drew his knees up and rested his head and arms over them.  He smiled softly as Eskil closed his eyes and lost himself in the music.

***

It was late at night when they finally left the courtyard and went upstairs.  Their rooms were right next to each other.

“Well, I’ll see you in the morning,” Astatine said.

“Yes…um…thank you…for the food,” Eskil replied softly.  He opened his door and began to step in.  “Um…good night…”

“Good night,” Astatine said.  Eskil went into his room and closed the door.  Astatine gazed at the door of Eskil's room for a moment before entering his own room.

He set his belongings on the small table, removed his cloak, and settled onto the bed.  Not the most comfortable, but it was fine.

Is Eskil really from beyond the Western Region? he wondered as he stared at the ceiling.  I have so many other questions I want to ask.  He took out the token and traced over the engravings with his fingers.  But I only said I’d accompany him until the next city, and that’s where we are now.  That means we’ll be parting ways tomorrow.

A dull ache began to form in his chest.  It definitely was not from the food, he was certain of that.