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Miriam awoke after having the dream again only this time, she was able to put a name with the face in the dream. She didn't know how it was that she had been dreaming of someone she had never met, but there was no denying it. He was sleeping somewhere down the hall from her right this minute. She heard footsteps in the hallway and then the sound of the door closing and knew someone was up and in the bathing room. She got out of bed, went downstairs and out the side door into the back courtyard. She got some water from the pump and splashed it on her face and then decided to go see if Yosef was awake yet.

"Uh...hi," he replied to her greeting. "I didn't hear you come in. I was going to get something to eat, but no one was in the kitchen. Am I supposed to get my work done before I eat?" He deftly pocketed the ring before she could see it.

"Well, I suppose if you come with me, I can find you something to tide you over until I get the hot porridge made. Come on, we'll go see what we can find." She turned and left and he followed her back inside.

Ophelia was getting dressed as she heard people moving around in the Inn. It was probably Robinton she thought, as he was always an early riser. She left her room and seeing the door to the bathing room closed, she headed for the stairs. She thought once again that she should have more than one bathing room for her guests, but where to put it was the thing.

She walked in the common room and saw Robinton in his personal chair, feet propped up on the stone bench that encircled the fireplace. As usual, he had gotten the fire going already and was warming his feet. "Good morning Harper," she said. She seldom called him by his name and she never could figure out why, but then he never seemed to complain either.

Turning at the sound of her voice, he looked at her and smiled. "Morning Ophelia. Fine day it is too. I do believe I heard Miriam in the kitchen not too long ago, so perhaps breakfast is soon to arrive."

She smiled in return and walked into the kitchen to find her daughter busy at work, making the morning meal. "Any sign of our new helper this morning," she asked her daughter.

"Yes Mother. He just finished having a small snack and went back out to see to his chores. He was up before I was this morning. I think he's going to be quite a help around here. Oh and someone had already gotten the fire going in here."

"That would have been Harper Robinton dear. He's out in his chair with his feet in front of the fire. He must heated up some water for whoever is in the bathing room," she answered.

No one was coming to his aide, so he slowly made his way along the wall of the stall and eventually got to the door. He quickly exited and locked the stall door behind him and gave the upset stallion a chance to calm down. He on the otherhand decided he was through mucking stalls for the time being and went out to the pump to clean up before going back inside to see about another round of food.

Eliander was not used to sleeping in a building such as the Inn, so he was up early and out the door before even the birds began to stir. He had been walking through the nearby forest, taking in the fresh air and listening to the sounds that filled the space between the trees. However, the sun was now up and he felt the call of hunger drawing him back to the Inn. His dreams the night before had been of long forgotten elves. Brought on no doubt by the conversation of the night before. He did not usually create confrontations with men if it could be avoided, but the subject was one that was close to his heart. He reached the Inn and upon entering, found the old harper sitting by the fire. Not wishing to speak with him just yet, he found a seat at a table some distance from him and sat down to wait for someone to come take his order.

Eliander looked up as Miriam approached his table and informed him as to what there was to eat. "I will have both the porridge and the bread when it is ready. As for drink, do you not have any wine? I would prefer wine over the other choices you mentioned."

"Why yes, of course we do. I shall bring you the wine now and the food when it is ready." She turned and walked over to where the harper was sitting. "Don't burn your shoes this time," she said to him as she walked up behind him. "You know how the cobbler hates it when you do that. I'll bring your breakfast out as soon as it's cooked. Would you like another ale?"

Robinton looked up over his shoulder as he heard Miriam's chastisement. "I will endeavor not to set my feet on fire this time, I promise," he replied with a chuckle. "No thank you dear. I think I shall wait for my breakfast and then you can bring me some water instead." He turned back to the fire as she went off to the kitchen.

Yosef walked in through the kitchen door and saw Ophelia busily at work. He limped over to the chair next to the fire and sat down. "Yosef," said Ophelia, as she saw him limp across the floor and sit down, "What happened to you?"

He didn't want to tell her what had happened, as it would make him look foolish, so instead he said, "I got too close to one of the stallions when I was mucking out his stall and he stepped on my foot."

She put down what she was doing and walked over to him. "Here, let me see that," and she reached down and picked up the injured foot, gently removing his shoe, then the sock. "Well," she said, inspecting his foot, "it doesn't appear to be broken, but you'll probably have a good bruise later today. Here, prop it up on the stool and I'll get you a cold cloth to put on it." She pulled a stool over and he rested his foot on it as she went to get the cloth. Miriam walked back into the kitchen then and saw him sitting with his foot propped up.

"What happened to you?" she asked him. He told her the same lie he had told her mother and she offered her sympathy and then went about getting the breakfast meal ready. He sat there and watched the two women working, as memories of his own mother came flooding into his head.

Renfir came down the stairs and into the common room humming a tune from the night before. He looked around the room and saw Robinton sitting in front of the fire with his feet propped up. He headed over to him and nodded a good morning to the elf he had met the night before. Pulling up a chair next to the bard he said, "Morning Robinton," and then realized the man was snoring. He quietly rose, put the chair back and walked over to where the elf was sitting. "Mind if I join you? It appears the old man didn't get enough shut eye last night."

Eliander looked up at Renfir and motioned for him to join him. "Join me if you wish." Renfir sat down and said, "So what do you plan to do today?"

"I had not given it much thought. Why do you ask?" Eliander asked in return. He wondered what it was that this man wanted with him.

"Well, I plan to head into town and ask around to see if I can find out anything about the book. I thought if you weren't doing anything, you might like to come along."

Miriam took that moment to enter from the kitchen with a tray laden with bowls of porridge and plates of bread. She first went to the elfs table as realized that she didn't have enough bowls and plates for everyone in the room. She put a bowl down in front of Eliander as well as a plate of fresh baked bread and said to Renfir, "Were you wanting to eat sir?"

Renfir looked at the bread and at the bowl in front of the elf and replied, "I'll just have some of the bread lass. Oh, and a mug of ale if you don't mind." Miriam nodded in acknowledgement and moved on to where Robinton sat, snoring ever so loudly. She nudged him gently to wake him up and put his breakfast on the table to her left. "Your breakfast is here harper," she said and then she turned to see the other person seated in the room. Her heart fluttered as she realized who it was. She knew she had to speak to him; it would look rude if she went back into the kitchen without asking him if he wanted breakfast. She compromised though and simply said, "I will return shortly with your breakfast sir." She had no idea if he wanted breakfast or not, but then she didn't think he would be sitting there if he didn't. She hurried back into the kitchen and busied herself with getting two more meals prepared. Yosef watched her from where he sat, eating his own bowl of porridge and marveled at her ability to move around so effortlessly.