A.N.- YAY, the semester is finally over! This 'year' is over. Some of you may know the relief of finally completing the senior semester in college. For those who don't, be glad. So...here's the plan, I'm going to finish this story :P I generally know what's going to happen, but bugger it, I want to know for sure and I want to see the character's get there. Any suggestions, feel free to make. Questions, comments...the works. You never know, I may decide to finish this up, go back and touch things up, make it a book or something, could be fun =) Til then, enjoy!

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(Naetalia)

The air was cold enough to put a chill through a person's body even with the thick winter overcoat and gloves. We rode steadily during the day, only stopping to pause for a meal. The next stop could wait until we had arrived. It was a beautiful day, clear blue skies, white puffy clouds. If things weren't as urgent, I would have loved to stop and simply enjoy it.

My mind constantly flickered down to the frog. I didn't want to make a wrong movement, and I could just imagine how terrible it would be to ride in the dark the whole way.

Before we had left, I made a trip to my room to change into something more suitable. I hoped he had heard the whole conversation and was relieved when he nodded his head in reply. Yet staying behind wasn't much of an option, and I'm sure he realized that. He moved back towards the pouch a moment later.

I hope he's all right still.

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The sun was low in the sky by the time the pair arrived in the busy town. Tales had reached Naetalia of Mantleton's "after hours" life. It had never been anything she thought important to remember, although now that they had arrived the stories began to come back to her. It was not the sort of town that 'proper' people traveled unless they had little choice in the matter.

People dressed in rags were scattered all over the road with gleeful expressions. Some made their way to buildings that were quite obviously well used taverns. Dark houses lined the streets. Naetalia felt a singe of fear at how dark they would grow as the sun went down even more. She didn't even dare move her hood, which she had lowered around her face as they passed by a questionable ally.

Dren, on the other hand, seemed to find nothing out of the ordinary. He remained silent, keeping the horse at a steady pace down the roads. No one bothered to even look at him for the most part, and likewise, he appeared to keep his eyes firmly set ahead of himself.

They turned a few times before finally coming to a small, darkly lit building. It rose up to a second story, fitting in neatly against other, similarly built structures. Naetalia's eyes darted to the old sign depicting the inn's symbol, a black ribbon encircling a dagger. Certainly Dren wouldn't consider staying---? He dismounted casually and moved to tether his horse. He tossed her a nod.

"We'd better get inside," he remarked quietly. His voice was deeply stern. "Not safe on the streets for too much longer."

Naetalia nodded in response and lowered herself from the horse. She waited as the man securely tied it up for her and motioned for her to go inside.

The musty smell hit her hard as she entered. Alcohol drifted through and the sounds of a man's cough could be heard from the bar as the pair walked to the inn's main counter. The woman behind it was deathly thin. Her skin was pale with a gray tint. Frazzled locks of what could have once been golden hair were pulled up casually on top of her head and pulled partially beneath a dark cloth. Her alert blue eyes seemed strangely out of place as they focused on the escort. With an exchange of nods between the two, she silently placed a key in his hand, giving him hardly a second glance. Never acknowledging the cloaked woman by his side, the thin woman went back to busying herself at the counter, turning her gaze to a pair of overweight drunks at the table along a far wall.

A sudden stir drew the young woman's attention back to the parcel attached at her waist. As if some instinct were guiding her, she looked out the window they were passing before entering the hall. The sun was almost down.

"Dren?"

The man paused and looked back at the young woman.

"Are we heading to the rooms?"

He nodded and continued walking down the hall. He paused again before one of the doors, unlocking it, and motioning her inside. As she entered, her nose crinkled in response as she found that the smells from the other parts of the inn lingered in the room as well. Did she really expect much else? It was a simple room. There was a dusty dresser and a small, single, unmade bed. A window.

Naetalia turned as she heard the door lock behind them. She felt the movement from the pouch again and worry began to seep in some more. He had to get out of the pouch.

Dren moved to a nearby wall, finding a nitch just barely deep enough so that he was able to get a grasp on it. He pulled it, bringing the wall forward to reveal a second room. It was much like the first in shape only with no window. There was a dresser and a bed as well, although not like royalty, they were much more inviting than in the other room.

"We'll leave before sunrise tomorrow. I suggest you get some sleep."

He motioned to the far wall of the hidden room.

He motioned to the far wall of the hidden room.

"If anything happens, or you hear any sort of fighting from my room, search that wall, there is a panel like this one. It leads through the inn, and out into the ally on the side," Dren smiled for the first time since she had met him. It was nice. Made him seem a lot softer in appearance. Perhaps that is why he didn't.

"We should be fine until then, this inn has seen some times and is fully prepared."

He turned without another sound and closed the panel, leaving Naetalia standing alone in the room.