A Night at the Pub

“A hush had fallen over the palace. Everyone, from the King and Queen in their stately chambers to the dormice in the gardener’s privy, had pulled up their sheets, drawn their curtains – or nearest equivalents – and the general slumber had begun.

Almost.

The old man softly shuffled down the corridor, sack under his arm, breath wheezing over his scattered yellow teeth as his boots tickled the flagstones. The lantern in his hand cast a weak light, but it mattered not. He knew the peaks and troughs of the uneven stone well enough and he trusted his feet to carry him through.

No, the lantern was a precaution for anyone else who might be wandering around this late at night, lest they accuse him of sneaking.

He snuck up to the door with a silent huff and doused the flame, already feeling drained and exhausted.”

Jeegs is an old man. Jeegs is a tired man.

Jeegs, however, is also the Princes man - and that makes his life very difficult.

When he reluctantly promises the Princeling an evening escape to watch a renowned Harper down in the city, only trouble can follow.

But it’s just one night, one quiet night at the pub. What could really go wrong?

7,243 words

Submitted to the Indie Bites Issue 13 ‘Rogues and Royals’