Let us begin with that chapter, shall we?
Chapter 3 – The Princess, The Elf, The Demon and The Wanderer Part 3
Bean, Elfo, Luci, and Koga had arrived in Southwold. Bean scanned the area around her in awe. Everything looked so much cleaner and more organized. Everyone didn't look so withered or on the verge of death. Here in Southwold, people looked full of energy. The neighbours and townfolks were in groups, conversating and laughing. Some were waving at Koga as he trotted by on his horse. They greeted him, welcoming him back to the village.
"Hey Koga, it's good to see you!" said one of the villagers
"Hey, William. It's good to see you too!" Koga replied, waving at him with a smile on his face.
"By the gods, is that Koga? He's gotten so big!" said another villager.
"HEY, GUYS, KOGA'S BACK!" said a young boy named Samuel. His hair was short and blond, his eyes were bright blue, and his skin was pale. The other town kids came rushing to greet Koga.
"KOGA!" said a young girl named Isabella, whose hair was long and brown, and her eyes were brown.
"Well, if it isn't Southwold's local delinquents!" said Koga, smirking at the kids as they followed.
"Koga, where did you go?" Isabella asked worriedly. "You just suddenly disappeared."
"Nobody told you I left home to start my travels?" Koga asked.
"Well, yeah...they did after you just up and left without saying anything!" said Samuel, pouting.
"Yeah, I have a habit of not saying goodbye like that,"
Samuel looked over at Bean, Elfo, and Luci. But his eyes were more transfixed on Bean. "Who's the White-haired big lady? Her teeth are like a beaver."
A vein popped on Bean's head, but she smiled and looked down at Samuel. "It's not nice to say rude things like that to a girl kid. They might sock you in the face!" She bawled her fist at Samuel, which caused him to back away, terrified.
"Oooh, what a cute kitty!" said Isabella, her eyes glowing at Luci.
"Ugh...I give up..." said Luci, facepalming
Isabella let out a small gasp. "It talked!" She clasps her hands on her cheek. One of the other kids that were following looked over at Elfo. "Whoa, is that a troll?"
"Hey, I'm not a troll; I'm an elf!" Elfo said, taken aback.
"Yeah, right! Your face is too weird to be an Elf!" said one of the other boys.
"Ouch...right in the self–esteem..." said Elfo, sighing, patting his chest where his heart was.
Koga did his best to hold in his laughter but failed and started laughing loudly. This caused Bean to tug roughly on the back of Koga's long black hair. "IS IT FUNNY, KOGA? HUH?" She yelled at him.
"OW! NOT THE HAIR!" Koga yelped.
Then Isabella gasped again. "Oooh, I get it! She's his Girlfriend!"
"What?" said Bean, her eyes widened at Isabella.
"No way! Koga could do much better than that!" said Samuel, sticking his tongue out at Bean.
"Ok! THAT'S IT! COME HERE, YOU LITTLE RUNT. I'M GOING TO RING YOUR NECK!" Bean roared, glaring at Samuel. Samuel and the rest of his friends laughed and mocked Bean as they ran off, shouting something to do with Bean and her buckteeth.
Luci just laughed. "Those kids are awesome,"
Once that greeting was done, Koga parked his horse at the stables, and he, Bean, Luci, and Elfo got off the horse and stretched. Koga hitches his horse and lets out a big yawn. "Man, I can't wait to sleep on something that's not solid ground," He said tiredly.
"I can't wait to get a good drink in my system; it feels like ages since I had one," said Bean
"Well, if it's a drink you're looking for, then there's a bar inside the inn," Koga informed her. He turned around to her, and she was gone. He looks at the doors to the inn, seeing they are open. "Well..."
Bean walked into the bar with a big smile on her face. The bar and inn had such a warm and happy feel to them. Everyone was drunk but looked cheerful and happy to be around one another. All of this was different from the bars she would normally go to. At the front counter of the bar, a jolly-looking woman with her blond hair tied in a knot was cleaning one of the drinking glasses. She laid eyes on Bean and greeted her."Hello there, Missy! Welcome to Barbaras Bar and Inn!" She said gleefully as she placed the glass down. "Staying for a night, or do you wanna get drunk?" She asked with a giggle.
"Both!" Bean said, walking over and sitting down on a stool. "Are you the owner of this place?"
"Yes, that I am! My old man passed away two years ago, and I became the owner and renamed it Barbaras Inn!" Barbara explained happily
"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that," said Bean with a slight frown
Barbara smiled at her. "Oh, No worries, sweetheart," She then rubs her chin and looks at Bean. "I don't think I've seen you around these parts before."
"OH, uh yeah, I'm not from here. I'm just travelling, is all," said Bean, smiling nervously.
"Oh? Where ya from?" She asked curiously.
Bean answered vaguely when Koga, Elfo, and Luci entered the bar. Barbara, along with a few other guests, gasped when they laid eyes on him. "HEY KOGA'S BACK!" said one of the guests. Everyone went over to greet Koga and pat him on the back. Barbara nearly suffocated him when she brought him into a big bear hug, causing Koga to let out some groans of pain. "Ooooh, I'm so happy to see you again! You've gotten so big! And my goodness, dear, you need a haircut!"
"It's good to see you too, Barbara, and no thanks," Koga replied, patting Barbra on her shoulder.
"Come on now! I'll treat you to a drink on the house!" said Barbara, bringing him to the front counter.
As Barbara prepared the drinks, Koga, Elfo, and Luci sat beside Bean. Some of the guests were all looking over at the four of them. Some were talking pretty loudly.
"I must have had one too many...is that an elf and a cat sitting at the bar?"
"Wow, I've never seen an elf that looks like that before...is it sick?"
"Forget the elf; that cat looks weirder..."
Luci grumbled, "Just let It go, Luci...let it go...they'll burn in hell soon..."
"Am I that weird looking?" Elfo asked himself.
Barbra placed four glasses on the table. Bean noticed how small they were compared to the others in the bar. "Can I get a bigger glass, please?" she asked politely.
"Oh, so you can handle the beverages, huh? Certainly, missy!" said Barbara as she switched Bean's glass for a bigger one.
"Looks like Luci was right. You do love your alcohol." Koga said, placing his right elbow on the table and resting his chin in the palm of his hand.
"Look, If it's one thing that I love is a nice cold glass of beer!" said Bean, licking her lips as Barbara began pouring her glass. "That and It washes all of the nasty thoughts away."
"Hahaha! That's right, my deary!" said Barbara with a grin. "Oh, are you travelling with Koga?"
Bean grabs her glass by the handle. "Well, in a way, yeah..." She had almost forgotten that Koga was sent out by her father to be retrieved and returned to Dreamland. Now the four of them were being pursued by an organization to get a key that involved Dragons. This wasn't Bean's idea of being free.
"Oooh, that's nice! And I see you also have some little travelling companions with you as well. Especially this cute one right here," Barbra smiled at Elfo. "What's your name, little one?"
"I'm Elfo!" said Elfo, as a big smile grew. Finally, someone doesn't think he looks weird.
"Names Luci Toots; nice beer, by the way," said Luci as he had already drunk his whole glass.
Barbara giggled at Luci as she cleaned the already drunken glass jugs. Bean looked at Koga and noticed that he took a few sips, his face twisted slightly. Bean raised a brow and then smirked at Koga.
"What?" Koga placed his eyes on Bean.
"You know Koga, you don't have to drink if you don't want to," Elfo said, staring at him.
"What's that? Is Koga still a lightweight?" said one of the guests sitting at the table.
"I'M NOT A LIGHTWEIGHT!" Koga shouted at them, and the bar erupted into laughter as he blushed in embarrassment.
"Oh, Koga, ignore them. You know they're just teasing," said Barbara, letting out a few giggles herself.
"Not a lightweight, huh?" said Bean, grinning at Koga. "Prove it then, oh mighty wanderer."
Everyone In the bar said an "OOOOOOOH" As they watched in interest. Koga growled and glared at Bean, who was looking at him, grinning from ear to ear. Bean was the first to start the drinking contest as she lifted her glass mug, chugged it all within seconds, slammed it back onto the counter, and let out a loud burp. Everyone in the bar erupted into loud cheers for Bean. Koga's jaw dropped, and he stared at Bean in shock. "Well, come on, Koga!" said one of the guests. Koga stared at his glass. He lets out a sigh, and he does the same as Bean. Bean's eyes widened slightly, surprised that Koga chugged his beer and slammed it to the table. Everyone watched him eagerly. Then, Koga grinned. "S-See? I'm not...a lightweight, hahaha!" After that, Koga passed out face-first on the table.
"Tch...Lightweight," said Bean, poking Koga's head in victory.
"Hey girl, what's your name?" Someone asked her
"Tia-I mean, uh, just call me Bean!" said Bean, chuckling nervously
"CHEERS TO BEAN!" said The man, chugging his whole glass and flopping onto the floor.
"Tsk tsk, the boy still gives in to the peer pressure when he doesn't have to," said Barbara taking Koga's glass away from him. "If it's one thing Koga can't stand is a pint."
"So, does Koga come by this town a lot? He seems pretty popular here." Asked Elfo
"Oh no, Koga grew up here," Barbara informed.
"Ooh, no wonder he picked this town over the other one," said Bean, sliding her glass over to Barbara for a refill, and Barbara did so.
"Oh yes, I remember the first time our local swordsman brought him back from the mountains," said Barbara, reminiscing about that day.
"Wait, what?" said Luci, confused. "He was born in the mountains? I thought you said he was raised here?"
"Well, technically, he was raised, taught, and loved here in town," Barbara corrected herself. "A few swordsmen went to the mountains to chase a giant troll that killed our livestock. Once they made it up to the mountains, they found the troll cut in half. And there he was, small, wild, wide eyes with a sword in hand. Well, that's what one of the swordsmen said."
"He...killed a fully grown troll when he was a kid?" said Bean in disbelief.
"Yup, when he was..." Barbara paused, remembering, "I'd say he was six."
"SIX?" said Elfo, slamming his hands on the table. "NO WAY!"
There was a loud burp that came from a man behind Bean. A piece of his ear was missing, along with his right foot. "It's not a lie, little Elf..." said a man named Marco. "That lightweight over there was relentless. He came out at us swinging with a sword in hand and sliced through our swords like butter. He only lacked proper sword training."
"That's Marco; he was one of the local swordsmen who watched over Southwold," Barbara explained.
"I still would be if I weren't looking like this," said Marco, burping again.
"So...Koga was left in the mountains?" Bean asked him.
"Everything Barbara told you Is what we know about Koga. When he was fully taught how to read and write, there wasn't much he could tell us. We don't even know if his family is alive or dead." Marco explained.
Suddenly, Koga lifts his head, causing Bean, Elfo, and Luci to flinch in surprise. Koga held his hand over his mouth and ran to the back. Barbara giggled. "Called it. Ahh, that brings back memories." She smiled. She then turns to Bea, Elfo, and Luci. "So, will you all be staying the night?"
"Yeah!" Bean nods. She then feels around for her pouch. "Umm...uh..."
"Don't worry," Barbara whispered. "It's on the house too,"
"Thanks!" Bean whispered back, smiling.
Once nighttime had come around, Bean sat on her bed, staring at the night sky. She couldn't sleep at all. For the first time in two days, she thought about her father. She wondered what he was thinking right now. Was he worried about her only daughter? Or was he more concerned about the wedding? Bean looked over at Elfo and Luci, who were fast asleep on the other bed. Bean could only guess what was going through her father's mind. But as for Bean, she had made up hers. Bean gets out of bed, places her boots on, heads over to Elfo and Luci, and shakes them roughly.
"Guys, come on, get up!" said Bean as quietly as she could.
"Hey, I'm trying to sleep here..." Groaned Luci, opening his eyes. "What's going on?"
"We're leaving, come on,"
Bean looked down at Elfo and began shaking him. "Elfo, wake up!"
"N-No, Daddy Elfo! I'll be good! Don't spank me on the bum-bum!" Elfo cried as he quickly lays up. The two of them were staring at Elfo. And Elfo just stared back. "Uh...I wasn't talking in my sleep, was I?"
Bean and Luci just looked at each other for a moment. "No, not at all," Bean replied. "Anyway, come on, Elfo, we're leaving,"
"Already?"
"Yes, we are. Besides, it won't be long before Koga takes us back to Dreamland, and I am not going back! So let's go," said Bean as she slowly walked towards the door; she placed her hand around the handle and opened it quietly. "First thing I need to do is get my sword back..."
Bean snuck down the hallway to Koga's room. She opens the door steadily and peeks in. She sees that Koga is fast asleep. She slowly walks in and looks around. Three swords were sitting in a corner: one greatsword and two shortswords. Bean walks over to where her sword is, and she ends up knocking her foot against the bed. "SHIT!" She whispered. She looks at Koga. Koga didn't wake up at all or even turn over.
"Bean, hurry up," Luci whispered to Bean.
"Alright, alright," Bean replied quietly as she grabbed her shortsword. She gives one last look at Koga. Koga looked as though he was having a nightmare. His teeth were clenched, and he was sweating beads.
"Bean, what are you doing?" said Luci as he stepped in quietly, carrying an empty bag.
"N-Nothing," said Bean as she turned away from Koga to look at Luci. She then watched Luci pillage around the room, taking some things from Koga's satchel. "What're you doing?" She said in a whispered panic.
"Just borrowing some things for the road," Luci replied, mindlessly tossing whatever he could get his hands on in the empty bag. Luci ties it up and throws it to Bean. "Come on, let's roll,"
The Trio left the inn and headed outside. Bean tied her sword around her waist and untied the horse from the baring. The three of them mounted the horse, and they rode off. From afar, a group of people that hid in the shadows was watching from a telescope.
Noland scoffs as he watches Bean ride off. "I had a feeling that punk would lead them back here," He puts away his Telescope.
"What's the plan, sir?" asked one of the goons.
"You two, go into the inn and see if he has the key, you and you," He points at two others. "Will come with me to get the princess," said Nolan as he got on his horse. "Move out."
Two teams entered the inn, and Noland and his other two goons went after Bean.