As they entered the lobby of the inn, Crow took a moment to look around. It was surprisingly nice compared to the inns in the outskirts of Brerra. It wasn’t lavishly decorated, but it was well maintained. The floors had been recently swept, the ceiling wasn’t boarded with wood planks, and the space was well-lit by strategically placed lanterns. It was amazing how much better condition this peasant inn was than the ones he had known in his own kingdom. He wondered with a pang of wistfulness if the outer villages would have looked like this if the king of Brerra hadn’t taken all of their money.

He suddenly realized he didn’t know anything about the Younisian king. What kind of a person was he? By the looks of the of the towns they had been passing through, the man seemed much more generous than the king of Brerra. [i]Yet his kingdom is the one that will be annexed[/i], he recalled dolefully.

Crow stepped up to the counter with Hartley, rolling his eyes when the boy tried to reserve a separate room for himself and Penelope. It was a ridiculous request, but it was one Crow secretly wished he could have made as well. The thought of sharing a private room with her sent his heart racing once more, and he had to remind himself to focus on the task at hand.

[color=fdc68a][b]“Well, how big of a room are you looking for?”[/b][/color]

Crow glanced back over his shoulder to see William subtly gesturing the number two. He shot the knight an annoyed look. [i]He really expects us to sleep on the floor, even though we’re doing all the work around here?[/i] Crow wouldn’t stand for that. He turned back to the innkeeper with his best charismatic smile, speaking loudly enough that the knights standing behind him would be able to hear: “We’d like a room with five beds, one for each of us.”

“Fortunately for you, we have one room left of that size,” the man behind the desk reached for a key on the wall behind him. “That will be eighty-five Tael.”

“Great,” Crow said. “One moment.” He turned away from the man and stepped over to William, who was trying to suppress a glare, and held out his hand. “Well? I need money to pay for this room.”

“You fool,” the knight curled his lip at him. “A room that big is going to waste our gold.”

“I would have been fine sharing a bed with Hartley,” Crow shrugged. “But I had a feeling you’d find a way to make us sleep on the floor if we paid for just three beds, so here we are.”

William’s face reddened with anger, but after a moment, he handed over a satchel, “Just buy the damn room.”

“Thanks a lot,” Crow smirked at him and took the satchel, returning to the innkeeper. “Let’s see. Eighty-five, you said?” He cast Hartley a swift, pleading look, hoping the boy would figure out he didn’t know the conversion rate for Younisian Tael.

Fortunately, Hartley understood and jumped in, handing the innkeeper four gold coins and one silver. “Keep the change,” he said with a wink.

The man handed Crow the key to their room and gave him brief directions to find it. He nodded his thanks and headed back to the others. “I don’t know about you, he grinned smugly at William. “But I’m ready to pass out on a nice, soft bed tonight.”