Role

Chapter 10

Mother always tried to make the inn a more magical place than it truly was.
Each time she picked up a bottle of wine, she would tell ______ and anyone
else who would listen about the time the Sultan himself had stopped in for a
drink. There had been plenty of other 'famous' folk who had spent the evening
at the bar. The Harbor Master used to frequent the inn - but he had gotten too
drunk and Father had banned him and all the dockworkers. That happened over a
decade ago, and Mother still raved about it.

The life of an innkeeper was one of constant toil. Linens needed cleaning,
food needed to be checked over, and supplies had to be ordered and picked up
from the market. When you did manage to sleep, you had to pray that no
drunkard would come banging on your door claiming there was 'an urgent
emergency'. Then, you woke up and did it again and again. Holidays were
anything but sacred, and it didn't take ______ to understand why Mother drank
so often.

______ hated the life that she had been promised to. When her brothers and
sisters would return home with tales of far off lands, she would daydream of
her own adventures. But the Inn was -always- waiting for her - like a hideous
pre-arranged marital partner that everyone else was eager to fawn over. Guilt
kept her hands busy and her mind free from anger. Beneath the surface of her
heart, resentment welled up and seeped into her arteries, threatening to spill
outward in the blink of an eye.