#yes deal with my insertion of non-Viking elements like cards

[battleofthegroundeddungeon]

Two Locations (BOTGD2)

It was cramped inside the safe house. Even if the building had been roomier and populated by half the number of humans, it would have felt cramped. The very situation - of being forced to hide against his will - made the simple cottage walls feel like prison bars. It didn’t matter the front door was unlocked. Everything he wanted to do was locked from him.

Egil hadn’t slept well all week. He sat upright, leaning against the walls, adjusting and readjusting his position as he tried to get comfortable. Futile. He listened as one of his daughters shifted in her sleep. Even the building, creaking and groaning, stirred restless. 

He stood and began to pace the room.

----

Many villages scattered the countryside. One, located at least a week’s ride away from the safe house town, looked fairly similar: small, unassuming, with nothing more than a few clumps of cottages and a single street of modest markets. But there were still enough women and men around for a tavern. Frankly, the lack of anything else to do but farm and weave made the tavern more necessary. Drinking boredom away was the town’s hottest recreation.

Moonlight led him up the road; lamplight invited him inside. About a dozen customers sat circled around the tables, reaching in for cards, meals, or pints. A short-skirted waitress wandered between them, forcing herself to smile as she handled inebriated complaints. A fiddler stood on a table near the back. The sawing melody was unrefined, but Egil recognized it all the same: a folk tune about a man who out-manipulated demons through a series of disguises. 

He sought out the friendliest looking group and pulled up a chair uninvited. He plopped both elbows on the table, pulled out his most winsome crooked grin, and asked, “Mind dealing a hand for another player?” 

----

Mera was snoring softly. So was Avara. Jonas was awake, outside, monitoring the neighborhood for suspicious signs. Jonas had taken more night watches than anyone else combined, it seemed. He really did seem wound up about this hiding business.

Well. Awake as he was, Egil could relieve his brother. He wasn’t sure Jonas had the ability to relax, but taking watch would also help Egil. He needed to do his part. He might not feel comfortable being king, but this simple duty was one he could handle. And the more he could prove to himself he deserved the crown, the less tedious these nights would feel.

----

Three golden coins landed crown-side up. The symbol of the king glinted on the table. Ironic, given as he’d run away two weeks ago to forsake kingly duties. And run away from running away, too.

Look, if he was going to leave the castle to save his skin, he’d do it on his own terms, his own way, not holed up because Stonegit said so.

Last he’d heard, Avara and the rest of his family had left for shelter anyway. Interesting they hadn’t gone looking for him. Though maybe they had, and he just hadn’t caught wind of it yet.

That had to be it. King though her son may be, Mera wouldn’t let Egil off the hook for this one. Someone was searching for him.

Heh. Let them try. Better here than whatever cramped quarters Stonegit had prepared. Here, at least, he could continue living a decent life.

The fiddler was playing loud as Egil set down the Jack of Diamonds and won his hand.

----

Egil found Jonas near the edge of town.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” his brother said in return.

He sat down next to Jonas. They stared at the full moon in silence.

“Pretty quiet night for a Tuesday, amirite?” 

“Mm.” 

It was hard to tell if Jonas’ response was an agreement or a disagreeing noise trying to get Egil to shut up.

They lingered in silence.

Egil tried again.

“Dad ran away too, huh? Way back in those days.”

“Also for duty,” Jonas pointed out. Egil could feel his brother opening up for discussion; this conversation was apparently more agreeable than the calendar comment. “Standing up for what he believed was right, fighting for the rights of his citizens, even though that meant leaving the castle and capital and what many of the higher ups believed proper of him.”

“This still feels different. Ya know. Dad went out to fight. We’re... we’re hiding.”

“The rebels also went into hiding sometimes.”

“I guess.”

Jonas looked over at his brother, the first eye contact he’d made all night. His light eyes glowed from something internal, not just the outside moonlight. He leaned in, and emphasized kindly, “You’re doing the right thing.”

“Yeah yeah yeah, I know.”

Egil sighed, feeling imprisoned, even though he’d left the building. 

“I know.”

They fell into silence again, and this time, Egil didn’t try to reignite conversation. They let the night softly sigh as wind whisked through their hair. 

Pretty quiet night for a Tuesday, indeed.

----

In the cramped tavern quarters, Egil had never felt more free. Drinks and money flowed, voices rose and fell, excited shouts sometimes drowned out the fiddle, and Egil had caught the pretty young waitress with a wink... and she’d smiled back. Once this card game was done, he’d be winning something else tonight.

Among the ruckus, he heard many things. Conversations of town gossip - “Ya hear? Melid’s pregnant again, and she ain’t been ’round her husband at least a year.” Conversations of the king - “Did you hear? King Egil fled the castle to go in hiding. Bet he’s locked up safe, wherever that is.” Conversations of everyday life - “I feel like the full moon’s keepin’ us all awake. This place is pretty busy.”

“Yeah! Pretty rowdy night for a Tuesday, am I right?”