Chapter 6: One Last Night

"Will there be anything else, dear?"

"Um, no, Jan, thank you," Alena replied, looking about the steamed room before her with awe. This wasn't just some tiny, wooden box with a single bench to sit on. Probably half a dozen people could comfortably rest in here. A myriad of lush ferns decorated the walls as sweet incense caressed the princess' senses.

The short, portly women behind her nodded and said, "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Carlosso and I will be busy getting the tavern ready for tonight."

The princess turned to her host and smiled. "I take it the two of you get quite the crowd most nights."

"Not so much at this time of the season," Jan replied, "but we still have our local regulars. Nothing satisfies lonely fishermen more than a night of good food, drinks, and company."

"I see. Well, thank you for setting this up for me."

"Think nothing of it," she merrily said. "You definitely looked in need of some relaxing. Once you're finished, the three of you should come down for something substantial to eat for a change as well. I know you travelers don't get much to eat all that often, being on the road a great deal and all."

"Isn't that the truth," Alena laughed.

Once Jan left, the princess secured the lock on the door and took off the robe she was given. Draping a fluffy, white towel over her shoulders, she made her way to the bench and leaned back, allowing the steam in the room to soak through her skin and into her weary muscles.

Apparently the steam house was an idea a former owner of Caran's Crest had borrowed from a hot spring resort somewhere in Branca when he passed through it. Initially it was built just for his use, a personal refuge from the typically damp and dreary climate of Cape Caran, but subsequent owners of the popular inn saw greater potential in its usage and, for a modest price, anyone could make use of it.

Alena smiled. Leave it to Endorian entrepreneurs to find a way to make money out of anything, even in a place as squalid as this.

While showing them to their rooms, the bartender, named Carlosso and who they learned was also the owner of Caran's Crest, explained that his ancestors initially lived in Endor but decided to set up a wayfarer's inn at Cape Caran, sensing the fledgling fishing town would boom due to their home country's growing power in those days. Since Santeem's land levies were less than Endor's they set up on the north side. Of course, who could have predicted Santeem's interest in its eastern lands would wan and the Old Merchant Road would decay because of it, leaving many would-be entrepreneurs out of business? However, Carlosso's ancestors were determined to stick things out and, while not prospering, managed to keep the old inn running to this day thanks to repeat business from local fishermen and the merchants from Endor who dealt with them.

Letting out a relaxed sigh, Alena rolled out her towel on the bench and laid down on her stomach, resting her head on her crossed arms.

The princess felt slightly guilty for enjoying herself at the moment in such a leisurely manner, especially considering all she'd seen in the last month. With a cruel mercenary at their backs and an army of orcs assembling, Alena was anxious to keep on the move.

Yet where could they go from here? Endor or Bonmalmo seemed likely candidates but traveling through foreign countries would prove difficult without proper identifications; the security at ports was normally much more difficult to fool than peasants in the outback. And if they identified her, their journey would be over in an instant, with her put into protective custody until the next ship departing for Santeem left.

She supposed they could go west, into Scàtch Desert and maybe even the Forest of Kordra but what lied in those regions? The Wild Lands were difficult enough as it was. The last thing she wanted to do was venture into territory no one had ever settled since Santeem's foundation.

And, as much as she was surprised to admit it, Alena was growing tired of life on the road. Of course, with such civility about her at the moment, her judgment was undoubtedly less than impartial but she felt her travel fatigue would eventually catch up regardless of the circumstances. She'd done more than she ever imagined on their journey and, while more adventure probably lay in wait for her should she remain traveling, Alena found herself yearning more to return home.

Was that what Brey meant when he said he aimed to make amends for taking her this far? Had he suspected she would feel an urge to return once they drew closer to populated areas and was subjected to a mere sample of civilization again? That was assuming a fair amount but then her old tutor had shown amazing foresight into her character on more than one occasion thus far. Alena would not put it past him to have assumed a twinge of homesickness as well. Undoubtedly their next course of action was amongst the things he mentioned needed discussing after she enjoyed herself in the steam house.

For now though, the princess just wanted to lie in the steam and let all of her troubles melt away with the sweat on her skin, if even for a few brief minutes.

Once satisfied with her excursion, Alena rubbed any excess moisture clinging to her body and draped the robe back on. The early evening air was chilly once she left the steam house, and she quickened her pace back inside the main building. Using a back door leading straight upstairs to where a dozen suites lay tucked away from the tavern's view, the princess made her way inside her own room.

Lying on the bed was a simple auburn gown loaned from their hosts as their traveling clothes were being washed. As she put it on, the princess was amazed at the courtesy shown by Carlosso and Jan. She wondered whether she, Brey, and Cristo were just lucky to be given royal treatment right now or if this was normal service provided by the staff of Caran's Crest. If it was the latter, then even some of the most lavish establishments of Endor could learn a few things about pampering their customers.

As she dressed, Alena could make out the busy banter of several patrons in the tavern below, likely the many shop workers and fishermen unwinding for the night. She wondered what the attraction of such an activity was. The thought of drinking until vomiting, as was typically the case she heard, was so unappealing that the princess rarely drank anything containing the slightest hint of alcohol; perhaps politely sipping some sweet wines when visiting Bonmalmo and Endor, as was a tradition with every meal in those countries, but no more. Even her over-abundant curiosity about the world never led her down that path. Still, there had to be something about it that constantly drew people to such behavior. Whatever it was, the princess figured she'd never have the inkling to discover it.

Once finished making herself presentable to the public (a rather quick task lately thanks to her shortened hair and lack of cosmetics), Alena left her room and made her way towards the tavern below where the sights, sounds, and smells of Caran's Crest quickly barraged her.

The tavern truly was a different sight in the evening than what she first encountered earlier in the day. At least half a dozen men and women filled every table in the place where large plates of entrees and empty steins littered their centers. Serving girls wearing short dresses generously revealing their more appealing attributes hurried about like busy bees, carrying large platters of food and drinks with amazing skill and grace. Some tables were grouped together to form large gatherings of the village folk, each engaged in raucous talk with quite crude choices of adjectives to emphasize their points. Whatever their discussions were about was lost in the noise of other equally passionate chatting from every other group in the tavern. How anyone could hear one another was beyond the princess.

Descending the stairs, she noticed a few tables of mostly men glanced her way, some keeping their eyes locked on her for longer than she felt comfortable with. For the most part, though, everyone returned to their attention back to their comrades, perhaps saying something about her presence, perhaps not.

The princess was quick in finding her companions, as they were sitting at the only table with just two people at it, opposite of the stairs and tucked into a corner. A half-eaten platter of entrees lay in the table's center with two empty steins and an empty wine glass circling it.

Carefully making her way through the crowd as to not bump into anyone accidentally, Alena joined them, casually greeting them even as her voice was lost in the noise.

"Beg a pardon?" Brey asked, lending an ear to her with a raised voice.

"I said 'hello'," she repeated, this time louder. She paused, looking around for a moment. "It sure is loud in here."

The old tutor nodded as he reached for one of the entrees. "It's about normal for a place like this," he said. "You get used to it as the night wears on."

Alena shook her head. "I don't know how anyone can get used to this."

Brey picked up one of the empty steins and banged it on the table in reply. Alena couldn't help but let a single giggle escape at that response.

Almost as though in response to the old tutor's action, one of the serving girls showed up at their table, a thin-faced individual but attractive nonetheless. The anxiety of what promised to yet another busy night seemed to weigh heavily on her eyes but she still presented herself energetically when asking if they would like anything more to eat or drink.

Brey immediately asked for another stein of ale then, much to Alena's surprise, so did Cristo. When asked if she would like one as well, Alena was about to politely decline when Brey said that she would. Before the princess could object, the serving girl was off to collect their drinks.

"Brey!" Alena nearly sputtered.

"You're old enough to drink," he said, quite casually.

"I know that," she replied. "But I don't like ale."

"How do you know? You've never tried it."

"It smells bad enough. I'd hate to know what it tastes like."

"It's a special occasion, Alena," Cristo said.

She looked at her bodyguard. "It is?" He nodded. Suddenly, she realized what he meant. "This is our last night, isn't it," she solemnly concluded.

Cristo nodded again. "We've come to the end of this journey, I'm afraid."

Alena gave him a light smile. "Don't worry. I was sort of expecting it, anyways."

Brey gave her a startled look. "Really?"

"I'm tired of being on the road, to be honest," she said. "Besides, I can't think of any place we could go. I'm sure to be recognized the moment we try to enter another country."

Cristo and Brey shared a content smile as their drinks arrived.

They each grabbed a stein and Brey held his up. "Then let us toast," he heartily said. "To a journey we shall never forget. Cheers!"

"Cheers!" Alena and Cristo chimed in and the three travelers clunked their wooden mugs together.

While Brey and Cristo took large gulps of their drinks, Alena tentatively tipped her stein into her mouth, allowing just a slight trickle down in order to get a taste of the ale. As the smell of it hinted, the drink was quite bitter. Yet, it was also chilled to quite a refreshing state as well. The princess felt she could stand the taste of it so long as she didn't gulp it down in huge mouthfuls as she'd often seen Brey indulge in.

As the night wore on, the travelers re-lived a few of their adventures over the last two months, reveling in the triumphs and somberly reminiscing about the defeats that only strengthened their resolve to overcome later ones. Through it all, they came to realize the bond they formed over the course of their journey, no matter how tenuous it seemed at times, had grown stronger than Alena assumed it ever could have if they never left. The princess felt no matter what fate lay for them once they returned home, they would resolutely face it together.

Hours passed and so did the drinks. Despite drinking as much as her companions, Alena could definitely feel a numbing euphoria creeping upon her as she emptied a third stein. She assumed it was the alcohol causing it but if she was getting drunk, it didn't bother her as much as she thought it would.

In fact, she felt a little excited by the prospect now. Here was an opportunity to do at least one more thing she'd never before and probably never would again. After all, such activities as getting drunk on ale were typically forbidden for a princess. Might as well enjoy herself while the opportunity was here.

"Brey," she suddenly said, interrupting her tutor in mid-sentence as he was telling the story of fighting rabidhounds outside Tempe again. "How many drinks have you had?"

"Hmm?" he said, slightly caught off guard by the question. "Oh, half a dozen, I'd imagine. Why?"

A playful smile crept onto Alena's lips. "I'll bet you a day's worth of study time that I'll have finished more than you by the end of the night."

Brey's eyes bulged with surprise and Cristo nearly sputtered in mid-drink. "What?" they both said.

"You too, Cris," she said, a competitive spark lighting inside her.

"A-Alena," Brey said, "This isn't-"

"You aren't scared to lose, are you?" the princess asked mockingly.

"No, it's just-"

"Then let's go," she exuberantly shouted, slamming her empty stein onto the table, which drew a few curious looks in the process. "Girl! Two more, now!"

"Alena…" Cristo started to say but was instantly cut off by Brey.

"That bet is on," Brey aggressively replied. "Girl, one for me as well!"

"Brey!" Cristo exclaimed. "We really shouldn't-"

"Come on, Cris," Alena said, leaning over the table to pull her bodyguard into a playful headlock. "You've finally started lightening up after nearly a month of being so aloof. Let's have some fun for at least one night."

Cristo managed to worm his way loose of Alena's hold and lightly push her back into her seat, where she couldn't help but giggle at his discomfort. The bodyguard gave Brey a stern look and evenly said, "This isn't what I had in mind."

"Plans change spontaneously when drinks are aplenty," Brey mischievously replied.

Cristo let out a disgruntled grumble and stood up. Without a single parting word, the bodyguard quite casually walked to the tavern's entrance and headed outside.

"Cristo!" Alena stood up and called out to him. "I was only joking with you! Come back!"

"He'll be fine," Brey assured her, lightly pulling her back down. "He just wasn't expecting this much, that's all."

"Drat," the princess grumbled, slumping into her seat. "I really thought he had gotten over that damned attitude of his."

Brey cast a glance at the entrance. "I think he just may have," he mumbled to himself.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing," he quickly replied as their serving girl arrived with their drinks. "You certain you're up for the challenge? I already have quite the lead on you, you know."

Alena grabbed one of her two steins, took a deep breath, and downed as much of the drink as she could handle in a single sitting. Her throat felt as though it would contort, perhaps even close right off, if she did not quit soon but her resolve kept her going. Once she felt she couldn't stomach no more, the princess let out a hearty breath, wiping a rather large foam moustache from her lips. Only a quarter of the stein's contents remained.

"You see, nothing-" The princess was momentarily cut off by the need to belch. However, years of dignified training to control such actions allowed her to simply breathe it out. "Um, nothing to it," she finished sheepishly.

Brey looked at her for a moment, then studied his fresh stein. Taking a deep breath himself, the old tutor managed to down the entire drink in one, slow, steady motion. After wiping the foam from his whiskers, he smugly said, "I'm afraid I have a few more years of experience on you as well."

Frowning, Alena quickly polished the rest of her drink and then grabbed the next one. She took a few steadying breaths and followed suite, copying Brey's technique as closely as she could. It was a struggle but the princess did manage to down the entire drink in one gulp as well. She triumphantly slammed her stein on the table, doing her best to hide the discomfort her stomach was now feeling having received so much ale in such a short amount of time.

Brey nodded approvingly. "You just might manage it after all," he said. Turning to the closest serving girl, he shouted, "Two more!"

"Could we wait a moment," Alena asked, unconsciously rubbing her stomach. "I think I need to let those last ones sit."

"Of course," Brey replied.

Alena slouched back into her chair, wondering what she got herself into. Sure, she'd proven she could match her tutor at drinking but he was correct that he had a fair amount more of experience than her. What if he also had a higher tolerance of alcohol as well?

Two more steins arrived and Brey reached out for his. "I wouldn't recommend trying to down another one right now," he said, a cautious tone in his voice. "Just take it easy if you can't handle it."

Alena's brow furrowed. "I've killed trogs and orcs, Brey," she stubbornly retorted. "I think I can handle little mugs of ale."

Her hand shakily reached forward for her new stein, missing the mark twice before getting a good grip on it. It felt heavier than those before for some reason but no matter. She was compelled to make her point and she steadfastly took as many large gulps of ale as she could muster, emptying half of the stein in the process. This one wasn't as bad as the last one and, once her stomach settled a little, the princess finished the rest of the drink off.

Brey had yet to even take a sip his own.

"Impressive," he curtly said, "but I really think you should slow down a bit."

"Nothing doing," Alena said, her words having a hint of slur now. "I'm going to beat you and that's that." She called for another and managed to finish it off in four large gulps, her face turning quite flushed in the process.

Brey still had yet to take a sip of his own.

"Ready to call it quits, old man?" the princess asked, slouching forward with her elbows on the table.

The old tutor closed his eyes and took a little swig of his drink. "Not just yet," he said, "but you really should slow down. The human body wasn't meant to take that much of anything so quickly. It might make you sick."

Alena offhandedly dismissed his concern with a light curse. "I feel fine," she said, snacking on one of the appetizers.

"That's because you're getting drunk," Brey replied. "Things always feel fine when you're drunk."

A sudden thought occurred to Alena. "Hey! Is that why people always drink?" she asked, her voice now quite augmented.

A small frown formed on Brey's lips as he withdrew his stein from it. "Amongst other things, yes," he said.

Alena frowned as well. "That isn't really helpful, Brey," she said. "What do you mean by that?"

The old tutor put his stein down. "Sometimes the pain of existence is too great for some," he explained. "There is a tendency for many to drown their sorrows in drink, often to the point that it consumes them."

The notion of such individuals briefly sobered her, but it only allowed Alena to feel ready for another drink. Having a new stein in her hand, she held it in the air and confidently replied, "Well, that won't happen to me, I assure you." She then tilted the drink down.

Brey sipped his drink and somberly mumbled, "I certainly hope so."

Moments after she finished her drink, Alena suddenly hiccupped. At first she thought it was just an accident but soon another followed, and many more after that. She then noticed Brey spinning in his seat, as though her eyeballs were rolling all over the place. Nausea quickly crept upon her. "Um, Brey…"

The old tutor looked at her. "Oh," he said. "I knew you shouldn't have drunk that many so quickly."

Alena shakily stood up, leaning onto the table. "I think I…" she muttered, her words losing cohesion as she struggled to maintain her balance.

Brey grabbed her and guided the princess to the eatery's entrance. "You should get some air." She nodded, rubbing her head.

Cool night air rushed by her as they went outside. The light from the eatery did little to penetrate the darkness around them but Alena did see a few individuals wandering and standing about, probably seeking brief respites from the noise inside Caran's Crest; compared to inside, it was quite peaceful in the street.

Unfortunately, the tranquility did little to help the princess and she began to retch uncontrollably. Seconds later, she found herself on all fours, vomiting all of the ale she had consumed.

She did not know for how long she did this. Everything about her became a blur, her only focus getting rid of the excess alcohol and bitterly criticizing herself for her stupidity. She should have known better than to drink so much, especially on her first time. She vowed to never let it get out of control again.

During the ordeal, she was vaguely aware of Brey huddled over her, doing whatever he could to help. She also noticed Cristo standing nearby, perhaps having just returned from his walk from wherever. Suffering through this was bad enough but having her friends watching was downright humiliating. They seemed to be saying something to each other but Alena couldn't make it out. Whatever it was, it probably was about her and what they should do about her situation.

"Please," she mumbled, "whatever you do, don't let them know about this when we get home. I'd never live it down."

There was a pause from her companions before Brey replied, "I'm not going with you back home, Alena."

Those words caught Alena off guard but she did not have long to contemplate them before she started retching again, this time unconsciousness overtaking her in the process.