As dusk began to fall, Beren suggested the group stay overnight at an inn in the village. They made their way to the only inn available to book rooms and dinner.
"Excuse me, sir. Do you have any rooms available?" Beren asked.
"We do. Twenty bronze coins per room," the innkeeper replied. (Note: 100 bronze = 1 silver, 100 silver = 1 gold coin)
Beren was taken aback by the price a room for the night usually cost around twelve silver, sometimes less. "Why so expensive? A room for the night doesn't usually cost this much."
The innkeeper answered, his tone bitter. "Seeing the crest on your carriage, and hearing a bit of news from outside you're from the palace, aren't you? Do you even know, Sir Knight, that monsters agrora have been attacking this village? And what has the kingdom done? What have the lords and knights like you done? Nothing. You just stand by, not caring, like cowards. On top of that, the lord of Worin keeps raising taxes however he pleases. Just looking at you people makes my blood boil. Twenty bronze per room take it or leave it."
Hearing this, Beren had no choice but to pay the steep price. Once payment was made, the group settled into their rooms. But something about the innkeeper's reaction nagged at Beren, and he called a short meeting with Prince Aedrin, the three knights, and Halven.
Beren turned to the three knights who'd come along Koral, Haren, and Bazel. "Did you notice how the villagers reacted to us, and how the innkeeper spoke? They clearly don't like us being here. It's like they see us as enemies."
"You're right, Sir Beren. The villagers were giving us such cold looks," Koral said.
"Is it because we're from the kingdom, or because of the crest we're carrying?" Bazel asked.
Halven, whose knowledge and eye for detail surpassed the others', finally spoke up. "Ever since we entered this territory, something's felt off. There are barely any guards in some places, none at all even though the kingdom ordered every regional lord to strengthen security so people would be safe from the agrora. But look at this place. It's a mess. The villagers look exhausted, unhappy. It's nothing like the atmosphere back in the capital."
"Sounds like this region has serious problems," Beren said.
Prince Aedrin spoke up next. "So the lord of this territory hasn't followed the king's orders at all. Instead of reinforcing the guard, there's no security here whatsoever. That's probably why they resent us especially with this banner flying. I suggest we take down the flag on the carriage and hide it until things settle down."
Everyone agreed with the prince's suggestion. Beren ordered Koral and Haren to take down the royal banner and stash it inside the carriage, making it look as plain and ordinary as possible like something a common merchant might drive.
Once they'd rested, Prince Aedrin's group set off again, their carriage now disguised to look like an ordinary trader's cart.
They were about halfway through their journey when someone blocked the road ahead. A group of eight people surrounded the prince's carriage bandits who had apparently been watching them since the village, waiting for the moment they'd let their guard down.
"Hey, stop right there! Hand over everything valuable in that carriage, and you can go," one of the bandits demanded.
Beren immediately gave a warning. "Leave now. I have no intention of giving you anything."
The bandits drew their weapons and began closing in. The knights responded by raising their swords, and the fight broke out all the bandits charged at once. Beren moved first, with Koral and Bazel right behind him three against eight. But trained knights were simply on another level, and the bandits were quickly overpowered.
Yet once the bandits were rounded up and tied together, Beren was certain they weren't real bandits at all. Their gear, their fighting style everything about them screamed amateur. Even their weapons were nothing more than farming tools.
"Are you people actually bandits?" Beren asked.
The question left everyone confused, exchanging glances. Prince Aedrin asked, "If they're not bandits, then what are they?"
Finally, one of the tied-up men spoke. "We're just starving farmers. The agrora destroyed our entire harvest, but the taxes never let up so we had no choice but to rob people. We've never killed anyone, though. This is the first time we've ever done something like this. When we saw your banner in the village, it was obvious you were someone important whether from Lord Worin's estate or the kingdom itself. Seeing that just made us angry. We wanted revenge."
"Why do you hate the people of Worin, or the kingdom, so much?" Halven asked.
The youngest of them answered. "Isn't it obvious? The people in charge only care about themselves. The agrora keep attacking us, and no guards, no knights ever come. We villagers have had to defend our own homes. And when knights do show up, it's only to collect taxes taxes that are already far too high. It's disgusting. Looking at people like you makes us sick."
Silence fell over the group. Even the young man who'd spoken glared at them, his eyes a mix of fury, grief, and years of buried resentment and the silence that followed felt heavy enough to choke on.
Then Prince Aedrin pulled out nine gold coins. "Here. Take this, and stop robbing people. Use it to rebuild your village. As for the lack of guards and knights I promise I'll speak with Lord Worin myself, and I'll see that justice is done."
Halven looked at him, alarmed. "Your Highness, do you understand what you're saying? Don't make promises so carelessly."
"I give you my word as a prince, as the crown heir. I will bring justice," Aedrin said firmly.
The bandits were set free, and they thanked the group before leaving. But the youngest one turned back one last time. "I'll be waiting for you to keep that promise, Your Highness." Then he left, and the group made their way back to the village.
With the road clear again, the journey continued. But after what had happened, Prince Aedrin found himself more troubled than ever, wrestling with what true justice really meant and for the first time, he realized just how small his world had been. He was nothing more than a frog in a well, blind to everything beyond it.