Finney
We stopped in the town of Finney. Arriving soaking wet and trembling to the bone. We got rooms at the Crank. An inn that sat near the coast of a rocky beach with black water slinking in and shimmering moonlight dancing on the rippling surface. The inn was made of hastily packed brown brick with a mixture of long and average sized ones smeared together. The tables were scratched polished cherry wood.
The inside of the inn smelt like salt water, fish guts, and firewood. I grabbed a seat nearest to the fire, trembling and holding myself as I tried to warm up. Mellzie got the same idea and sat across from me, hair like a wet rat’s, clumped together and hanging limply.
The warmth of the fire never felt better. I used my scarf to mop up the snot running out of my nose, hoping I’d have time to wash it later. Godson got rooms for us all and ordered us each a bowl of soup. We all got soup but Jamie and Godson got fish and bread as well. They shared the bread with us though and I was grateful to eat anything, especially something warm.
The guys drunk shots of whiskey to warm up. Didn’t even offer us girls none. While Godson was gone, Jaden let us sip some from his cup. The innkeeper was a tall thin man with whiskery greyish hair, a beard, and eyes that crinkled in the corners when he smiled. He was attentive, refilling our cups when empty and constantly throwing logs into the fire when it dimmed.
“Where’r you guys travelling to?” asked the man, grinning to expose two missing teeth, the other teeth caked in grime.
“Brodie,” mentioned Godson.
“O, er going to the burning witch festival? I heard it was quite the thing to see. I can’t go meself. Don’t have the stomach to watch a person burn alive. Even demon worshippin’ ones,” he said.
“We’re enlisting to fight the Night King,” Jaden said who was always interested in a conversation. I always admired how friendly he was and wished I could be the same. I was so closed off all the time and afraid of rejection.
An eyebrow flared in interest, he stood there with both hands on his hips, regarding us all in the whole for the first time.
“The women too?”
Jaden grimly nodded. Even though women have died at the wall for hundreds of years, people were still surprised the King would have the gall to ask women to fight. Every able-bodied person over 12, the king had said. And everyone knew that.
“Pile hill, huh? I’ve heard stories of Pile hill. Nightmarish ones. You know why they call it Pile hill, right?”
I shrugged though no one else did.
“After Piles of Bodies,” Jamie said, boredly revealing the punchline.
“Pile hill is a place where people go to die, that’s what I heard. I was lucky, when I was a young man going there was voluntary. Can’t believe they’re sending all the men and women nowadays. You two ought to get married and pregnant if you know what’s best for you. And if you can’t get married just get pregnant. I know a few guys that’ll help you with that, me included.”
He grinned particularly at me, an ugly smile, and I wondered if that was the best I could do.
“There’s plenty of men here at this table to help,” Jamie said laughing, and gained a slap to the back of the head from Godson for it.
“They all know of the dangers, are well versed in it. And have bravely decided to join regardless,” Godson said.
There was no other choice really, either enlist or be called a traitor and hung. Either way you die.
“Good luck to you then,” he said with a stiff nod and went to pour ales for a group of men who’d bumbled in. They all looked like bears, fat and hairy and old. I focused on dipping a piece of bread into the little bit of squash soup I had left. While Godson wasn’t looking, Jamie switched his bowl with mine and got up. His bowl still nearly full.
“Where you going?” Godson asked.
“To piss,” he said, gesturing towards his crotch area and walking out of the room. I was surprised at the kindness. Sometimes Jamie would be nice to me, then he’d sober up and do something really cruel. So now I was on my guard, waiting for it to happen.
I was tired enough to sleep but stayed up anyway. I’d never seen the ocean and even though it was cold I changed my clothes and went out to drag my sword along the coast the blade kicking up rocks and pebbles in its wake.
And I wasn’t the only one with the idea. The boys frolicked along the shore, skipping rocks and joking around while clouds of fog poured out of their mouths.
“Are YOU afraid of goblins and dragons and blood drinking witches? Are you afraid of a place called Pile of Bodies hill where the young go to die?” Scheppa said, mimicking the man’s accent.
“Of course not, why would I be afraid of that? Who would be afraid?” Jamie said, joining in on the joke. He had nothing to fear or at least not much. He’d be a captain, one of the guys who stood in the back, telling the rest of us what to do.
“Most of all, are you afraid of the Night King with holes where eyes used to be, razor sharp teeth and fleshy bat wings protruding out of his back?” Scheppa said.
“I heard he has 13 arms,” said Blinkie.
“I heard he is 10 feet tall,” said Jaden.
“I heard he has horns on the back of his head and neck made from the broken bones of his enemies,” said Scheppa.
“At least you can fuck your way out of it. Were I a girl, I would,” said Jaden. I sat on a boulder, absorbing myself in the lullaby of the waves, washing in and out against the rocky shore. I shrugged.
“Would you do it? Get pregnant to avoid the war?” Jamie asked, eyes really wanting to know.
“Get pregnant for what? So, the child could starve? I have nothing to offer a baby born into this world. I have nothing to offer even myself. Getting pregnant to avoid wars is for girls with families,” I said.
The guys sat in solemnity, not having thought of this, but doing so now.
“Unless you find a guy with money, to take care of you,” Jaden said.
“With this face, and this skin?” I said, pinching my own flesh. Jaden looked away quickly in the embarrassment of these true words. But no one disagreed.
The silence stretched on so I said, “This Night King guy sounds swell, I can’t wait to meet him.”
Forced laughter pierced the air. We all stared up at the too bright moon, blinding and big. And I wondered if it’d be my last full moon. This moment felt barely real knowing it may be one of my last. But it seemed harsh to think of this. I had enough of the ocean by then. And I wandered back to bed. It felt like as soon as my head hit the pillow, I had to get up again, right before dawn to continue on the road.