Three men chanced upon a tavern, each hemmed in bronze and donning pointed wide brimmed hats. Their clothes could be interpreted as gaudy, yet each wore it with a a dignified grace that had many a man turn to them in wonder. Though soon the same eyes cast on them turned back to their drinks and the booming conversation continued.  One of the men, this one fair faced and youthful, took off his hat and held it to his chest as he walked forward to the barmaid behind the counter. With a charming smile and half lidded eyes he spoke.“M’lady, I and my companions seek board for the night.”
With a meek smile he took a gold coin from his purse and placed it on the counter. The barmaid looked at the coin carefully, as the man continued.
 “A pitcher of your finest wine, and a warm meal too if you could m’lady.”
She took the coin and called for a young girl, a girl seemingly no older than eleven years. She stared for a while  as the men stood around idly like sightseers , eyeing up the towns-people and the kings banners that decorated the stony walls.
“Day dreamin’ again! I didn’t give birth to you to you to’ -
One of the men in the band, this one squat and old whispered.
“Din’t tink ta’ peasants be ti’s unpleasant wit ta younglin’s Eva” he said.
Eva was the newest member of the band, he had this mean veneer coupled with a perpetual scowl that a  hid a soft and skeptical man.
“Aye, I understand now why the king’s guillotine be rusted shot.” Said Eva
The barmaid straightened her back and smiled at her daughter. “We have special guests Lydia, show them to their seats.” The woman smiled at the men, “please forgive me daughter. Quite the trouble when they get this age.” The woman turned away casting an angry glance at her daughter before going to the kitchen.
Lydia walked towards the men, and pointed them towards a table in the far back of the tavern.
“Coulda dun a’ much ah’selves.” Said the squat of the three.
Her mother came back with a platter of the drinks and looked at Lydia. “I said show them to their table! Gods, just take these!” She handed off the platter to Lydia, the girl let out a defiant sigh and turned towards the men. “This way please.” The slow mocking tone in her voice only made her mother more furious.
“Before I go back, I didn’t catch ya’ gentleman’s order.” Said the barmaid
The fair faced man smiled, and with a seductive tone of voice spoke to the woman. “Would you mind deciding for us.”
“Sir I could show you the menu-”
“Please, call me Moldric fair lady. I’m sure you have exquisite tastes my dear.”
“Ah, well Moldric. It takes more than flattery to win me over lad.”
Lydia groaned, and the other two men hit each other at their sides, laughing. It was hard for Moldric to regain his composure, but for a moment he stood there with one eye twitching as the woman continued
“ I’ll give you a couple a’ bowls of fish stew, best yew ever had, I bet me life on it.” she said .
Lydia set the wine pitcher and the mugs onto the table, and walked back towards the counter. The men sat around happily, pouring their fill of the drink into their own mug.
“As for your rooms, we’re quite full for the night. But for a few more silver I can get you into the stables out back.”
Moldric looked at her and with composure broken asked her. “W-was that coin I gave you worthless, My dear?”
The squat man and Eva sat around slowly nursing their drinks choosing to let Moldric handle it.
“Here now, you shoulda known, that coin just covered the wine and just barely ta’ stew. It ain’t gonna’ too be cheap with the king’s banquet the night hereafter either.”
“But my dear, me and my companions are of noble stature…” said moldric
“Would you rather sleep in the gutter with those friends of yours?” she said
 “We demand you give us board!” yelled moldric, he almost leaped out of his chair as he said this. But Eva flashed his finger and held the man in place. Moldric sat there face and muscles frozen stiff.
“Eh…. Haa.. Shhaa” Is what he was barely able to make out before the lady looked at him with a furrowed brow.  The squat man argued with Eva for a moment as they reached and pulled back their companion.
“Sorr’ about a  da lass! He goo’ company when cha’ get ta’ naw him.” Said the squat, nervously.
“Quite the lively one you have there, ba’ that tone a’ his ain’t gonna getcha anything but a kick to the side of the curb. Should I go and get a guard?”
Eva looked at the lady with a coy smile, and pulled a silver coin from his purse. The lady eyed him with disgust, spurring him on to pull more out of his purse. He then took out another coin, and then another, and another, until he had a handful.  All through this Moldric’s brow twitched ever so slightly. They weren’t going to hear the end of this when it was over.
“Please take this, we promise not to make any trouble. We’ll also take the board at the stable.”
She frowned. “The stable’s price just went up, ya’ lookin’ at a gold crown for it.”
Eva looked at the squat wizard, and pulled the man nodded. Eva then put his hands on Moldric’s coin purse. Moldric sensing this tried to kick and scream, but he could only breathe a few more deep breaths, and rattle his leg.
“Here be the coin miss.” Said Eva.
The lady smiled, “Pleasure doing business with ya.”
As she went on her way Eva waved his finger and the spell broke it’s hold over Moldric. Moldric leaned over the table, knocking over a mug and just barely knocking over the pitcher of wine, and the others share of the drink. The squat man and Eva did move the drinks away from his however, as he laid his head on the table breathing heavily, and sweating.
“You bastards...” he said.
Eva took a drink from his mug. “what did you want us to do? Watch you fight with a bar wench, and have all three of us end up in a dirty cell?”
The squat man nodded slowly, as he made a matter of fact face as he drank.
“I’ll hang you by your tiny legs  Frosch.” Moldric said in a low groan
“What’s done is done.” Said Eva.
Lydia through all of this watched the men drink, she watched the men when they argued with her mother. She saw the light glow from one of the men’s fingertips. Their clothes, their manner of speech, their money, and now finally the strange sign of what her mother had told her was long gone in days before the church. Magic. Could it have been magic? Just as her mother came back from the kitchen carrying the stew, she called for the day dreaming Lydia.
“Aye. Take this to them you hear? And for gods sake take orders, the food in ya’ bowl ain’t come from  dawdlin’.”
“Yes, mother.” The girl kept her sarcastic tone, the same as before, slow speech, and a scowl.
“Keep waggin’ that tongue  and I’ll have ya’ married  ta’ da ol’ bishop.”
Lydia frowned at her mother, and took the platter from her hands. The three strange men bellowed and laughed loudly as they spoke, spilling their drink on themselves as they continued to talk and sing. They stopped once they saw Lydia in earshot.
“Here’s your meals.” She said
The men all stared at the bowls in a bit of disgust, it wasn’t the fact that the meal was fish. They had been used to it, it had been that they were not accustomed to eat the same meals as peasants would. With out the fragrant spices and prepared by an artisan chef.
Moldric stared at the fish’s eye in his bowl, “I suppose this will do for us lass.”  he said
She felt insulted by the reception, this had been food she had eaten since she was a baby.
“If fer bein’ wizards yew lot is a couple ‘a babbies.” said lydia
Moldric’s and Frosch’s eyes went wide, “Wizards! Where would you get such an idea lass?” said Moldric.
“Ah, don be coy’ wit me, I saw the light comin’ outta the bug eyed one.” said lydia
Eva’s strong face took on a more serious visage, as he stared at the girl.
“You have good eyes girl. Very good eyes.” Said eva
Lydia’s lips curled into a smile, “so I was right, eh?’ She looked down for a moment at her feet with a frown. “But ma’ says you all shoulda been extinc- extinc whacheva’ ya’ call it, can’t even tink of the word of all things.”
Eva’s face relaxed. “It’s extinct.”
“Ah! Ya’ tis be ta word.” She looked at the the three men in wonderment, though Moldric stared at her nervously as his gaze jumped from Eva to her, and her to Eva.
“She is but a child Moldric, calm yourself.” Said eva
“Aye, but what if she tells anyone?” He replied
“What’chu lot doin’ here of all places? Didn’t tink chu could find any magic here.” Lydia said
Eva smiled, “One does not merely find magic little girl. We follow where the spirits call, and there we find the true artifacts that hide naked to the eye of many a peasant.”