Taking a brisk canter along a pathway on a cold night, Feck was in his head as usual. Each time he tried to talk to anyone he just could not formulate the words he wanted to say. Inside of his mind he was screaming the words, but his mouth would not work, it was as if he forgot how to open his mouth.
Of course, his latest faux pas was with his twin, Fick. Fick always loved to make him feel inadequate. Fick was the older of the two, more outgoing and for the lack of a better word pompous. Everything he did was perfection, and he did not have to try hard at all. Fick's words still ringing in his ears he decided to canter a bit then walk and think.
His mind was so lost in thought he did not realize where he was. A small pub he had not recalled seeing before appeared within his line of sight seemingly out of nowhere. "Strange" he thought to himself. As the word bounced about in his mind he walked towards the dwelling. His head down, ears back a bit he was cautious but curious as to what this place was.
He sniffed the air although the scents were strong and assailed his nostrils, he did not detect any danger. The air seemed a bit heavy more than likely due to the large fire in the hearth inside the tavern. It was a bit chilly and those who traveled needed a place to eat, swarm themselves and if need be procure a room for the evening.
Stepping up to the large wooden door he nudged it open and so many smells overwhelmed him. Shaking his head he backed outside to get a few clean breathes of air so he could clear his head. He looked inside and saw the inside was almost full. Turning his just his eyes he looked left, right and then straight ahead. He was trying to ascertain danger, but nothing was amiss.
He stepped back inside and made his way to the long bar and placed a order. He had walked a long way and was hungry as well as thirsty.
He asked what table and the maid behind simply said "Anywhere is fine, go on now. I will bring your order shortly" before trotting off towards the kitchen.
Looking around he found a table that seemed to be out of the way but close enough the maid could easily locate him. He settled in and awaited his order. His mind was lost in thought he noticed a nice, cozy fire near where he was and basked in the warmth it provided. The flames were soothing to him, they were almost uniform, and the colors were pretty. He pondered the issue with his twin. He knew he was the weaker of the two but sometimes he felt invisible. Even their parents favorited Fick since he was the first born. He always rubbed that in Feck's face. He loved to taunt him over this and there were times he felt like leaving and never returning. As his mind played over the different scenarios in his life the maid appeared with his order.
She set it down and he nodded and simply said "Thank you" before turning back to stare at the fire. In doing so he failed to notice the frown that formed on her lips. For a split second she seemed agitated but regained her composure and nodded in return and walked off.
Mindlessly he fiddle with his drink cup, swishing it about and moving it back and forth. The sound of the liquid inside soothing in a way. He picked up the cup and took a drink as he gazed into the fire. The drink was very sweet, unusually sweet but it was very tasty. So tasty he guzzled it and flagged down the maid to ask for another. She approached with a smile, and he said "Another drink if you will" with that she turned and retreated to the back of the tavern to get him another drink
As he waited his mind felt a bit muddled, looking around the room everything became a bit out of focus. "Odd" he thought to himself. "I only had one drink and it should not have affected me like this" he muttered to himself. He decided to pay his tab and head back home while he still had his wits about him.
He stood up and he felt a bit dizzy, shaking his head he walked slowly over to the long, wooden bar and told the maid standing there he wished to pay for the second drink a different maid went to get him. She seemed puzzled. She stared at him for a moment and asked "What other maid? I am the only one on duty" and she seemed a bit unsure of him and the look in her eye made him think he was losing his mind. He took a second to collect his thoughts and then said "You are the only one on duty? Odd. There was a lovely young maid who served me a rather sweet tasting drink and I asked for another and now I am not feeling myself, so I want to pay and go" with that he took out another coin and handed it to the young maid. "Thank you" with that he turned and walked out.
He began to feel very unsteady on his feet. He was not sure if it was the drink, the fact he was so worked up over the fight with his twin, the warmth and the smells of that cramped tavern or all of the above that was making him feel like this. He did not wish to jump to conclusions. He decided to take it slow and walk as well as he could. His breathing he tried to keep even. He felt his anxiety rise and it felt as if it would overwhelm him. He knew he needed to calm himself and quickly. He focused on each step as well as checking his landmarks to get himself home as quickly as possible. He just felt off.
As he walked, he caught sight of something familiar. It was a friend of his family. He approached and suddenly everything went black. When he awoke, he was surrounded by his family, and they seemed concerned. He asked what happened, but no one knew. Something in the back of his mind niggled at him, he felt as if his drink was tampered with but he didn't know if he could prove it. He recalled he felt fine before the drink but afterwards he felt off.
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