A Servant Lost (Alys Book #1)

Chapter 25

Saying good bye to Esme, Dimia, Rose, and Rohan was one of the most difficult things Alys had ever done. Despite Alys' anxiety that her friends would try to talk her out of leaving, not one of them did.  Each one seemed sad as she told them in person one-on-one, but they understood.

Esme tried her best to put on a brave face and not cry, but Alys could see the unshed tears in her friend's eyes.

Dimia only hugged Alys tightly and wished her the best. Alys could not bring herself to so much as look at baby Joss, let alone hold him one last time. The baby that had once filled her with anticipation of her own baby's arrival now stood as a painful reminder that her baby was dead and she and Dastrehan were childless. Rose was obviously disappointed to learn that Alys would be leaving the palace, but she too did not offer any objections.

Alys left the day after she had spoken with Dastrehan.  Rohan accompanied her, true to the king's word.  Alys knew that her personal guard was not thrilled with the idea of her departure, but to his credit, he did not voice his objection.

They traveled on horse back, just the two of them.  Though Alys was no longer used to the freedom of not having several guards with her, she knew that it was best to travel in small company in order to not draw any attention. 

After two days, they stopped in a large village called Bexley.  It was bigger than Alys would have usually chosen, but she wanted to blend in and not stick out like a sore thumb.  It was also quite central in the Tarkam lands; there was slim chance of any raids or attacks by neighbouring kingdoms.

Alys boarded at an inn overtop of a tavern.  Rohan spent one day in the town to ensure she was okay before he departed.

Standing in the plain room that was now her rented home, Alys unpacked the bag of her few belongs.

Clothing that Rose and Esme sent with her that was nice, but not too fancy for a woman of middle status in a village.

Her sapphire necklace.

A beautiful brush from the palace that Alys had been using for a number of months before she left.

A large sack of gold and silver coins that Rohan had left with her.

Alys looked at the coins and her eyes misted. These coins were the last attempt King Dastrehan had made to try and keep her safe.

But what would she ever do with them? Shifting through the coins, she knew there was at least enough to purchase a small house in the village somewhere. But a woman buying her own house? Alys did not think that was something that would be allowed nor accepted by the other villagers. There was enough to keep paying for her room in the inn and for food for awhile, but eventually it would run out.

Alys pushed aside the matter for the moment, suddenly overwhelmed. She wrapped the sack of coins in a spare set of undergarments and placed them along with her other clothing in the simply built wardrobe. 

During her first week in Bexley, Alys spent the majority of her time in her room.  She left it only when she needed to buy a meal in the tavern. She tried to avoid going to the tavern in the evenings when it was filled with loud and drunken men. During the nights she was often awakened by loud noises from the tavern below, but after a few nights she was starting to become used to sleeping through the noise.

After a week of staying in her room, she was driven outside by her boredom of the plain wooden walls, floors, and ceilings that provided no interesting details.

The weather was still hot. The streets usually had very little traffic during the hottest hours of the day, so those hours made the perfect times for walks. Throughout the weeks, Alys explored her section of Bexley, and even managed to find a trail that led out of the nearest border of the town and into a forest.