The Traveler and the Maiden

The snow began to fall just as the night did. The traveler, already quite cold, pulled his coat around him and hurried toward the only inn in town. It was a shabby place, in a shabby town, but he figured even a leaking roof was better than none. The door creaked as he pushed it open, and he quickly shut the door behind him, blocking out the cold darkness.

The ground floor of the inn seemed to be set up as a bar of sorts. The tables were worn, the chairs creaked, and the bar was warped, but there was a fire in the fireplace and a small crowd of patrons. The traveler looked around, trying to find a place to sit. A couple of old men were playing cards at one table, a burly soldier was taking up another, and a group of young men who had already had a bit much to drink were stumbling around the third.

The bar, at least, was mostly empty, with only a young maiden sitting in a corner, away from the crowd. She wore a worn cloak, lined with fur, and was covered in bandages, as if hiding an old injury. Even so, in this shabby place, she stood out like the snow had, drifting against the dark sky. It had been a while since he'd had anyone to talk to, the traveler thought, as he sat down next to her.

He ordered a drink, and asked the maiden if she wanted one. She gently refused, but thanked him for the offer. The traveler rested his elbows on the bar, waiting for his drink and wondering how he could break the ice. "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" he asked. Small talk was not something the traveler was particularly good at. "I am looking for my sister." the maiden replied. "What happened to her?" the traveler asked. Perhaps, he thought, he should have asked that better. "I do not know." the maiden replied. Yes, the traveler mumbled to himself, he definitely could have asked that better.

An awkward silence lingered on until the traveler's drink came; never had cheap beer filled him with such relief. He pulled his drink closer and stared down at it. Had the bartender just looked at him strangely? The traveler couldn't tell, but as he nursed his drink, he glanced at the bartender out of the corner of his eye. The traveler couldn't put his finger on it, but something seemed off.

Shaking his head, he turned back to the maiden. "What's your sister like? I travel all over the place, I might run into her somewhere." he asked. "She is like me, but larger and with more arms." she replied. "I'll keep my eye out for her, then." said the traveler. He felt a bit confused. Something sounded off, but he couldn't put his finger on what. He took a sip of his drink and listened. The drunken chatter was quieter than he remembered.

The traveler looked up, and caught the bartender staring at him. There was something wrong with the bartender. He was too long, too thin. Pulling back carefully, the traveler glanced around the bar. The bartender was't the only person who had been staring at him. The old men at the table, the burly soldier, even the drunk men, all of them were watching him out of the corner of their eyes. Their too black, too round eyes.

Setting down his drink, the traveler slowly stood up. "Hey, I think we should get out of here." he whispered to the maiden. Almost as slowly as he had, the bartender started to move toward the end of the bar. "Something's wrong, we need to get out of here." he whispered again, louder this time. The burly soldier stood up, hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Was that a sword? The traveler couldn't be sure. "We need to go!" the traveler shouted, grabbing the maiden by the arm and pulling her out of the inn.

He could hear the crowd following him, shouting strange words in a language he didn't understand. The road was rougher than he remembered, the buildings more twisted. He could see distorted shadows in the windows, overgrown figures coming out of the doors. He ran faster, and the growing crowd followed.

The traveler made it to a small clearing, just outside of town. His breath was ragged, his legs weakening. "Go!" he shouted at the maiden. "Run! I'll delay them as long as I can!" The traveler watched the maiden's form disappear into the snow and the darkness, then turned and faced the monsters that had gathered behind him. He wasn't a soldier, or a mercenary, or a bandit. All he had was a knife.

It wouldn't be enough.