A/N: Thanks for checking out this story! It's not going to be an extremely long multi-chapter fic, but it's definitely longer than a oneshot. At first I had it written as an extremely long oneshot, but then I decided to split it up into several chapters so it wasn't overwhelming. I still hope you all enjoy it!
Outside the walls of the castle, a wicked snow storm was commencing. The sound of whipping wind could be heard in every room, and one could not see more than a few feet outside the windows. Giant snowflakes flew by, creating nothing but whiteness in every direction. A considerable amount of snow had already accumulated on the roads and in front of the doors in Drylliad, causing many residents limited access to the outside. If the storm continued at this rate, it would be nearly impossible for anyone to leave their homes.
Not good news for Tobias, who was currently at an inn about a mile outside of Carthya's capital city. As part of his apprenticeship, he had traveled here to preform what was supposed to be a brief surgery for the inn keeper's wife. There had been an accident in the kitchen, causing her to cut open one of the vital veins in her arm. Tobias had arrived just before she had lost too much blood. The entire procedure shouldn't have taken him more than a few hours. He should've been back in Drylliad before supper.
Not long after he had finished up with the inn keeper's wife, however, a man rushed into the building carrying another man on his back. The one being carried was bleeding from his head and fading in and out of consciousness. There had been a carriage accident not far from the inn, and the man who was bleeding had hit his head hard on a rock. Tobias took care of him before the injury worsened. By the time he had finished, it was quite late outside, and Tobias was exhausted. As an extra form thanks, the inn keeper gave him a room to spend the night in, free of charge. Tobias would ride back into Drylliad at first light.
When Tobias looked out of his window the next morning, all he saw was whiteness.
It was now late into the night, two days after the surgery had taken place. The snow hadn't let up once since then, and it was slowly being apparent that he and the other lodgers were going to be stranded at the inn for a while. As those two days went on, more and more people showed up at the inn's doorstep, seeking shelter from the storm. The inn keeper had to work accordingly, making sure that everyone had a warm room and something to eat. Despite the obvious drawbacks, no one seemed to mind. All the lodgers were in high spirits as they laughed, talked, and drank in the inn's dining room. Lively conversation was being had in every corner of the room as people embraced meeting new travelers from all over the kingdom. Here in the inn, people found a happy shelter from the storm.
Everyone, that is, except Tobias.
The young physician sat by himself at the bar and watched the conversations unfold before him. He drummed his fingers on the bar counter and bounced his legs nervously. The dining room was so crowded that Tobias didn't even see the need to have a fire going; the heat from everyone's bodies alone was enough to keep the room toasty. He reached up and wiped sweat off of his brow, then looked over at the grandfather clock on the far wall. Ten minutes until one. Tobias had hoped that the storm would at least slow by midnight so that maybe he could start back home tonight, but of course, his luck was beside him. If anything, the storm had only gotten worse.
"Is there anything I can get for you, sir?" a young woman with light brown hair asked from behind the bar.
Tobias glanced behind him, and then turned back to face the girl. "Did you mean me?"
The girl laughed. "Yes, you. Can I get you something to drink?"
Tobias considered this for a moment. He had never been one to drink casually, but given the circumstances… He glanced at the clock again, and then at a window nearby. Not noticing a major change in either, he sighed. "Oh, why not."
The girl walked to the other side of the bar to pour his drink. Tobias drummed his finger on the counter again and looked behind him at the activity. Hearty laughed erupted from a table by the door, followed by a clanking of glasses together. Tobias wrinkled his nose. Drunken merriment had never really been his forte; that was more Roden's area of expertise. Besides, he had seen far too many injuries as a result of one drink too many. It just didn't seem worth it to him.
"Here you go." The girl returned and set a glass of frothy brown liquid in front of him.
"Thank you," Tobias said. He examined the drink carefully before raising the glass to his lips. It was overwhelmingly bubbly and filled his mouth with an uncommonly bitter taste. He choked down the sip and made a face at the glass, then at the young woman who had served it to him.
"What is that?" he asked.
"Ale," the young woman giggled slightly. "Not much of a drinker, are you?"
"No, not especially," Tobias said, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.
The girl smiled warmly at him. She had dimples and straight, white teeth. Her smile reminded him of someone back at the castle, someone who he hadn't seen in two long days and missed dearly. Tobias' heart ached.
"We don't usually get too many lodgers like that around here. It's kind of refreshing." She leaned over the counter slightly and considered Tobias with her hazel eyes. "Say, aren't you the doctor who stitched up old Mrs. Tippit a few days ago?
Tobias chocked down another sip of the ale and nodded. "Yes. Although, I'm actually a physician's apprentice, not a doctor." The girl laughed again, although Tobias didn't understand what was funny.
"That's fascinating," she said, placing her hand under her chin and staring at him again. "What's it like, traveling around and fixing people up?"
"Well, I don't typically travel around. My mentor sent me here to get a feel for what it was like to preform that specific type of surgery. Artery surgeries aren't all that common at the castle, which is surprising considering the king."
Tobias smiled at his joke, and the girl smiled back, although he suspected that she didn't understand it. Her were wide and shining, soaking in only bits of what he said.
"So you live in the castle then? That must be exciting." She used her arms to push herself forward, even closer to his face. Tobias shifted uncomfortably in his seat and started looking around the room. The girl apparently was immune to his discomfort and continued. "What's it like, being so close to royalty?"
Something about her voice changed as she said this. She had a small smile, more of a smirk on her face and a glimmer in her eye that Tobias couldn't quite identify. She leaned forward even more so that the gap between her face and Tobias' was much smaller than before. Tobias leaned back obviously and drummed his fingers on the bar.
"It's quite comfortable," Tobias replied nervously. "My wife and I are very content with our living arrangements." The girls eyes looked blankly at him, and she titled her head. "My heavily pregnant wife," he added for extra emphasis.
The girl stood up straight and opened her mouth to say something in return. Before she had the chance, a large arm was thrown over Tobias' shoulder as a loud, booming voice crashed into his ears.
"S'cuse me, ma'am. How about you give this young sir a rest and serve everyone in this room another round, on me!" The man who said this faced the dining room and held up his other arm at the crowd, beaming drunkenly. The dining room erupted in cheers, whoops, and the clanking of glasses together.
Tobias turned back to the young woman only to see that she had already turned away to begin filling up ale pitchers. Her back was rigid and her movements, stiff.
The man's arm was still around Tobias and it clapped him once on the shoulder before taking the seat to his right.
"Thought you looked like you were in a bit of a sticky situation," the man said. "Just thought I'd lend you a hand."
Tobias gave the man a small smile. He was right; the conversation with the barmaid had become awkward very quickly. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."
The man waved him away. "Nah, don't you worry about it. I would've wanted someone to do the same for me, is all." He turned in his seat and watched as the young waitress began filling the glasses of the already drunk patrons in the room. Then, he turned back to Tobias with a small smile. "Don't mind little Cora; she's always been a little too friendly. She don't mean nothing by it."
Tobias scrunched his eyebrows and studied the man. He was thick with muscle but not very tall, definitely shorter than Tobias. He had a black beard that was neatly kept close to his face, thick black eyebrows, and short black hair. His large brown eyes glinted with humor, and his smile looked like he was just about to tell a joke that Tobias was sure he wouldn't find funny.
"How do you know this about her?" Tobias asked.
"Who me? Well, I travel around a lot. I've stayed at this inn about a dozen times, maybe more. Kinda have watched little Cora grow up, you know?" The man sniffed and looked around. "But where are my manors? I've yet to introduce myself!" He held out a large, hair hand to Tobias. "Bertie Towler is the name: traveling salesman extraordinaire!"
Tobias took the thick hand in his long one and shook it. Or rather, Bertie shook it roughly. "Tobias Bultain, apprentice physician of Drylliad."
"Great to meet ya, Toby!" Bertie said, clapping Tobias on the back. "And now that we've been properly introduced, allow me the courtesy of topping off your drink. Cora!"
"Oh no, please. That won't be necessary," Tobias said quickly, covering the top of his drink as Cora started over near them.
Bertie raised an eyebrow. "Not really a drinker, I take it?" He shrugged and waved Cora away. "Oh well, suit yourself." With that, he downed a small glass of golden liquid that seemed to have appeared in front of him.
Tobias raised his eyebrows and shook his head. He looked around the room one more time, then risked a glance at the grandfather clock. A quarter after one. And the storm was still going strong. He sighed and placed his elbows on the bar, dejectedly. He considered going to bed, but what was the point? There wouldn't be any hope of leaving any sooner if he went to bed now. He might as well tough it out awhile longer to see how the weather progressed.
"So you say that you're a traveling salesman, Bertie?" Tobias asked, turning to face the man. "What sort of things do you sell?"
Bertie downed another shot and slammed the glass down before answering. Tobias jumped at the noise.
"Well, that's the thing about the sales business, Toby," Bertie began. "It's not so much about selling the product as it is about selling yourself. Do you understand what I mean?" When Tobias looked at him blankly, he continued. "Let me put it this way. If I were as dull as a piece of paper and didn't really say much, do you think people would notice me in a place like this?"
"No," Tobias said. He immediately thought of himself. He wasn't as dull as a piece of paper, was he? And he didn't say much to the other lodgers because he was just waiting for an opportunity to start home. Surely that wasn't a bad thing, right?
"And do you think that everyone in this room would like me as much as they do if I hadn't bought them all a round of drinks?" Bertie asked.
Tobias looked around the room of intoxicated individuals and sighed. "No, I suppose not."
"Exactly my point!" Bertie exclaimed, slamming both of his hands on the bar, causing Tobias to jump again. "It's all about having a personality, making connections. Because if you do that, then you make sales. Simple."
Bertie sat back and beamed at Tobias as if he had all the secrets of life all figured out. Tobias nodded his head but had an eyebrow raised. "Uh huh. That's all very intriguing, Mr. Bertie. So what is it exactly that you sell, though?"
Bertie downed yet another shot (how many was that now?) and turned to Tobias to answer. "My dear Toby, I sell the gift of words. I allow people from lands all over to communicate with one another in the most intimate way possible."
Tobias stared at the man incredulously. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talked about stationary, boy! Paper and envelopes from exotic lands to transfer beautiful words from your head into physical writing! Love letters, death notices, endings of war or dynasties, all transcribed for the reader to see!"
"Wait. So what you're saying is that all this hype of yours is all about selling stationary?" Tobias asked.
"That's exactly what I'm saying!" Bertie said, smiling widely.
Tobias looked at Bertie for a long time, and Bertie smiled back at him. Tobias turned back to face the bar and said, "Cora! Can you please bring me a shot of something. I don't care what, but make it strong."
Bertie laughed heartily and clapped Tobias on the back. "That's the spirit!" Cora placed a drink in front of both the men. "Cheers, Toby my friend. To your health and mine."
They toasted to that and then downed their shots. The liquid was strong and burned Tobias' throat on the way down. He struggled not to gag. It tasted like he had swallowed straight rubbing alcohol.
Bertie swallowed his with no trouble and faced Tobias again. "So Toby—I overheard you saying to little Cora that you had yourself a girl."
"Aye," Tobias replied, lightening up slightly at the thought of his wife.
"Well?" Bertie said, giving him a look. "What's her name, what's she like?"
Tobias smiled genuinely for the first time that night. "My wife's name is Amarinda, and she's probably the most amazing woman you could ever meet."
Bertie smiled too, and then his eyes widened. "Wait, you don't mean the Amarinda, do you? The Princess Amarinda of Bymar?" Tobias nodded. "Then that means that you're the Tobias, King Jaron's most trusted regent?"
Tobias wouldn't go that far, but he nodded his head all the same. Bertie's eyes widened even further and his face erupted in a grin. "Well, I had no idea I was sitting with near royalty all this time!" He turned and faced the crowd in the dining room with one arm around Tobias' shoulders. "You hear that, everyone? We've practically got a prince in the inn! Another round for everyone!"
Just like the first time, the dining room exploded in cheers. Tobias wiggled himself from Bertie's arm and faced the bar again, embarrassed. Bertie sat beside him and beamed.
"Well isn't that wonderful! I could not be more honored right now," he said. "Then it's true, isn't it? That Princess Amarinda is expecting?"
Tobias nodded. His wife was extremely pregnant. She was due to have the baby very soon, and hadn't been feeling very well when Tobias had left Drylliad two days ago. He hoped that nothing had gone wrong this late in the pregnancy while he wasn't there to help. If something happened to Amarinda or the baby… No, he wouldn't think of it. He couldn't, or else he'd start worrying like crazy. But still, not knowing what was going on with his wife right now was eating him away inside. He hadn't been apart from her once since she had told him that she was expecting, and of course the one time he left the city would be when the biggest storm of the winter arrived, snowing him into the inn. He couldn't even get a messenger out to see how Amarinda was doing. He was might as well have been blind.
"Are you excited to be a father, Tobias?" Bertie asked. "Now, I myself don't have any children, but I can imagine it's something that one highly looks forward to."
Tobias smiled and looked down at his hands. "I've never been more excited about anything as I am to be a father," he said. And it was true. Tobias was thrilled to meet his son or daughter for the first time. From the moment that Amarinda told him she was pregnant until now, Tobias has felt nothing but pure, unadulterated joy. He knew from that moment that he would be a great father to his child. Sure, he was terrified of a lot of things: what if the baby doesn't like him or Amarinda? What if something goes wrong during the birth? What if he can't give his child everything that they need? What if something happened to him and Amarinda and their child grew up without parents, just like Tobias had? That was his biggest worry of all.
But truthfully, all those fears were greatly outweighed by Tobias' happiness. Before his own father had passed away, he had been so good to Tobias. At least, that's what his grandmother had told him. But Tobias knew he would be an even better father to his child. He promised himself from day one that he would protect the baby with his life, just as he had promised to always protect Amarinda.
"Well, that's really nice, Toby," Bertie said, cutting into Tobias' thoughts. "But you know, not a lot of men are cut out for that life. Why, I could tell you a story about my own father that would make you not want to have any children at all—"
"Cora," Tobias said, cutting Bertie off. "Can you please bring me another shot of whatever that was before?"
Bertie howled and slapped Tobias on the back again.
Suddenly, the door at the far side of the room burst open and a heavily bundled up man rushed in. He stomped off his boots and removed his scarf and hat, revealing a face with cold red cheeks and a snow-covered mustache. The table closest to the door raised up their glasses and toasted to him, while he smiled and hung up his coat. He then squeezed in between the tightly packed tables and sat next to Bertie at the bar.
"Cold out there, friend?" Bertie asked the man.
The man laughed. "'Cold' doesn't even do it justice. It's the worst blizzard I've ever seen out there, and I've seen a lot of blizzards. It's a good thing that I found this inn, and with a heated barn, or I don't think my horses would've made home."
"Where are you coming from?" Bertie asked.
"Drylliad, which isn't more than a mile from here, so that should show just how bad it's gotten," the man replied.
"What's going on inside the capital?" Bertie inquired. It had been a question that Tobias had wanted to ask for days, but no one who came to the inn seemed to know anything. He half listened to the conversation and half let his eyes wander around the room. Half past one. Whipping snow outside. A table of drunkards singing by the staircase.
"Not a lot. The inns are all pretty filled up from people not being able to leave when they had planned to. Some residents have even offered up their homes to people who don't have a place to go."
Cora set Tobias' drink in front of him. He looked up to smile at her, but she avoided his eyes and moved to the other side of the bar. He shrugged and picked up his glass, bringing the rim to his lips but not sipping quite yet.
"There have been a few accidents from people trying to take their carriages out and slipping on the ice. One man broke through the ice on the Raving River and was treated for hypothermia. Apparently, every doctor in Drylliad has got his office full." The man took a long sip of his ale and smacked his lips. "I was also told that there was quite commotion at the castle yesterday morning."
"Oh yeah?" Bertie said. "What sort of commotion?"
"This is just a servant's talk, but apparently, the Princess Amarinda started going into labor late in the morning but wouldn't see the midwife yet. She claimed that her husband was trapped out because of the storm and she would not have her baby without him."
Next to Bertie, Tobias' glass fell from his hand and shattered on the counter. Pointed shards and whiskey exploded all over the bar, causing Bertie and the man to jump.
"Hey, are you all right, Toby?" Bertie asked. "You don't look so good."
But even as Cora began to wipe up the counter and clean up the glass around him, Tobias did not move a muscle. He couldn't get that man's words out of his head.
"Tobias, I really don't feel well," Amarinda had said as she laid in their bed. "My stomach hurts terribly and I have such a headache. Do you have to go to right now? What if I get worse while you're gone?"
"If I don't go, then the poor Mrs. Tippit will most certainly get worse," Tobias had replied. "I'll be back this evening. Then, I'll give you a full checkup and make sure everything's going alright. I promise." Then, he had kissed her forehead, grabbed his bag, and was off.
That was nearly two days ago. The signs were showing even then, but Tobias had brushed them off. How could he have been so blind? He was supposed to be training to become a physician, and yet he didn't even notice what was wrong when it was right in front of him.
"She wouldn't see the midwife yet. She claimed that her husband was trapped out because of the storm and she would not have her baby without him."
Tobias suddenly felt dizzy. The room began swirling around him, the voices and sounds all muddled together into one long blur. He gripped the sides of the bar to steady himself and took deep, focused, breaths. He knew that if he didn't, he'd end up giving Cora something else to clean up besides just glass and whiskey.
"Are you okay, Tobias?" Bertie asked him again, putting a large hand on his shoulder. "You're not going to throw up, are you?"
But Tobias didn't really know. All he knew was that Amarinda was all alone at the castle, in labor with their first child, and he was a miles away from her, trapped in the worst snowstorm of the decade.
Please leave a review on your way out!
Just would like to add that every song I listen to now makes me think of The Ascendance Trilogy in some way. Is that healthy?