The Green Gate

"I stalked into the Green Gate, ignoring the curious glances of the other patrons, and made my way quickly up to my room with its gorgeous view of the terrible forest. My mood, an uncomfortable combination of fear and anger, so darkened my vision that I sat down on my bed, back to the wide windows, and sulked for several minutes, not intending to leave the room until I made my way down in the morning. I fully meant to leave the looming green darkness and its cold-eyed denizens far behind me.

But in the end, my resolve was no match for my hunger. I had not eaten since breaking my fast on the road, and with the suddenness of a flash of desert lightning, the memory of the savory smells wafting through the common room as I marched through came back to me full force. I had seen several cups and mugs as well, and felt certain that there was some mead to be had, if I would only venture forth and ask.

The folks in the common room looked up as I came back down, and judging from their reactions, the smile I had plastered over my disgruntled scowl was only imperfectly affixed. However, several of the folk there nodded to me before turning back to their own business, and soon I was able to get the innkeeper’s attention, order up some of the delicioussmelling stew, and settle into a large corner table to survey the room around me.

The meal was almost immediately delivered, with a cup of cool, particularly sweet mead, and I nodded my thanks. There was meat in the stew, I was almost certain, but it was overshadowed by a dizzying array of vegetables, many of which I could hardly identify. It was all fresh, and exploded with flavor and some light, earthy seasonings that reminded me, with a shiver, of the forest.

I had not quite completed my dinner when a large blonde man leaned closer from a nearby table with a grin not altogether friendly. “They’re not so easy to deal with, eh?” - The Journal of Tarik Al Farabi