Chapter 4 MR AND MRS FRIZZLEWITZ

BEAU

Evan did not move a single muscle. His gold eyes stayed fixed on the tax notice nailed to the wooden pillar, wide and unblinking. For a man who usually commanded every room he walked into, he looked completely lost, as if the floor had just opened up and swallowed him whole.

"Moving or paying?" the innkeeper barked, slamming his heavy fist onto the wooden counter. "I do not have all night to stare at two wet fools staining my floors."

Evan blinked, slowly turning his head toward the man. His jaw worked for a second before his usual proud scowl returned, though his voice sounded far more strained than before.

"I asked for your best room," Evan said, forcing his chest out. "And I expect proper service. This place smells like a pig pen, and your beer is not fit for horses."

My stomach dropped straight into my boots. I grabbed the wet sleeve of his coat, yanking on it with all my strength. "Evan, shut up," I hissed under my breath.

He ignored me completely. "You are lazy, rude, and clearly lack the mental capacity to run a proper business," he continued, looking down his nose at the tavern keeper. "Now fetch me a key before I lose my patience."

A sudden wave of heat radiated from his chest. Inside his inner coat pocket, the pocket watch let out a sharp, metallic pulse.

For a fraction of a second, the whole world hiccuped.

The loud noise of the tavern cut out completely. The orange flames of the wall torches froze solid like painted glass. A wooden mug slipping off a nearby table hung mid air, suspended above the floorboards.

Then, with a violent jerk, time snapped back into motion like a stretched spring releasing. The falling mug hit the floor with a loud crack, splashing dark ale all over the floorboards.

The innkeeper did not seem to notice the strange pause, but his face had turned bright red with fury at Evan's insult. He raised two thick fingers and let out a sharp whistle.

From the dark corner near the kitchen, two massive green figures stood up. They were easily eight feet tall, with thick jawbones, tiny yellow eyes, and shoulders as wide as barn doors. Real, live ogres.

"Throw these two out," the innkeeper growled, wiping down his rag. "And make sure they land in the deepest puddle on the road."

"Touch me and you will lose your hands," Evan warned, stepping forward instead of backing away. "Where I come from, your kind is only barred to stay in the northern lands, you filthy beasts!"

The larger ogre did not bother answering. He reached out with a hand the size of an iron shovel, grabbed Evan by the collar of his fine coat, and lifted him off his feet. The second ogre grabbed me by the back of my apron before I could even make a run for the exit.

"Wait!" I yelled, kicking my legs in the air. "He is an idiot, I do not even know him!"

It did not matter. The front doors slammed open, and the two giants tossed us both straight out into the dark, pouring rain.

I hit the muddy road hard, sliding a few feet before coming to a stop. Rain poured down from the black sky, soaking through my dress in three seconds flat. A loud splash right beside me meant Evan had landed in the dirt too.

I wiped wet hair off my face and turned to glare at him. He was sitting in a deep puddle, his fine coat covered in brown slime, looking completely stunned.

"Are you insane?" I shouted over the sound of the storm. "You just had to open your big mouth! You could not just stay quiet for five minutes!"

"He was disrespectful," Evan spat back, wiping mud off his leather sleeves as he pushed himself up. "I am a Lord of the Realm. I will not be spoken to by a common tavern keeper, nor will I be handled by monsters."

"You are thirty years in the past!" I yelled, throwing my hands in the air. "Nobody here knows who you are! Nobody cares about your family name! Right now, you are just a tall man with fake money and a terrible attitude!"

Evan opened his mouth to shout back, but the heavy rumble of wooden wheels cut him off.

A covered cart pulled by a tired brown horse came around the bend of the muddy road. A single yellow lantern hung from the side of the cart, swaying back and forth in the wind. The horse slowed down as the driver saw us sitting in the dirt.

The cart stopped right beside our puddle. The driver reached up and pulled back her dark hood under the lantern light.

My breath caught in my throat.

She had silver hair pulled back in a neat knot, deep lines around her kind eyes, and a warm, familiar shape to her mouth. She wore a thick leather apron over her wool dress, and poking out from her side pocket was a small set of brass tools.

It was Mama Wells.

She looked a bit younger than the woman I knew in my own time, but there was no mistaking her. It was really her.

My heart pounded against my ribs. I wanted to scream her name, but I bit my tongue until it hurt. To her, I was just a stranger lying in the dirt.

"Oh my goodness," Mama Wells said, her voice soft and full of concern. "What in the world are you two doing out in this storm?"

Evan pulled himself up to his full height, brushing a lump of wet grass off his arm. He took a deep breath, puffed out his chest, and opened his mouth.

"I am Lord Evaniel Dray..."

Before he could finish the word, I swung my elbow with everything I had, slamming it right into his ribs.

Evan let out a loud wheeze as the air left his lungs. He doubled over, clutching his side and coughing.

I dropped to my knees in the mud, put my hands over my face, and started crying as loudly as I could. "Oh, it is terrible, ma'am! It is just the worst thing!"

Mama Wells gasped, leaning forward. "What happened, child? Where are your things? You have not even a coat or a bag."

"We were traveling from two towns over!" I cried, wiping fake tears while keeping one knee planted right in front of Evan so he could not step forward. "We just got married three days ago! On our way here, a group of terrible men came out of the woods! They took our horse, our bags, our money, everything!"

Evan stopped coughing and stared at me like I had lost my mind. I shot him a glare that promised murder if he spoke.

"Robbed?" Mama Wells said, her face pale. "Oh my days! You poor things!"

"Yes," I sobbed, squeezing out real tears. "My poor sweet husband tried to fight them off, but they were too strong."

"Say no more," Mama Wells said firmly, waving toward the back of her cart. "Climb in out of the rain right now. I will take you to my place."

"Bless you, ma'am," I said, grabbing Evan by the arm and dragging him toward the cart before he could recover his breath.

We climbed into the back among wooden crates. The cart started moving again, rolling down the dark road.

Evan leaned close to my ear, his jaw tight. "What was that?" he whispered, his voice shaking with anger. "Why did you hit me? And what kind of story was that?"

"I saved your life," I whispered back. "If you told her you were a Dragon Lord with no money, she would have left us in the mud. Now shut your mouth and pretend you love me."

Evan looked like he was going to choke on his own spit, but he closed his eyes and leaned back against a crate, muttering under his breath the whole way.

After twenty minutes of bumpy riding, the cart stopped in front of a cozy property with two houses. The main house was lit up, while right next to it sat a much smaller house with a single front door.

Mama Wells walked us up to the smaller house, unlocking the door with a brass key.

"My brother used to stay here, but it has been empty for a while," she said with a gentle smile. "It only has one small bed, but it will keep you dry for the night."

"It is wonderful," I said quickly. "Thank you so much."

She paused at the doorway. "I never did catch your names, dear."

Evan opened his mouth again. I reached back and gave his arm a hard pinch.

"Frizzlewitz," I blurted out with a wide smile. "I am Isabeau, and this is my husband, Evan Frizzlewitz."

Evan froze. The look on his face was pure horror.

"Well then, Mr. and Mrs. Frizzlewitz," Mama Wells said with a warm laugh. "I will be back in a bit. I should get you some dry clothes."

She turned and closed the door behind her, leaving us alone in the dark room.