It All Comes Crumbling Down

The widow had just said “Four months”. To think that the wet rot had been going on for this long, I was shocked at the integrity of the inn.

“Four months?” I looked at her with a surprised look. I concluded that her husband must have been the one in charge of the inn, thus, the wet rot must have spread after his death.

Also, it seemed that the widow didn't know of wet rot and its dangers to wooden establishments such as this inn.

“Yes... sire?” she began to feel worried from the expressions I was showing her.

I needed to confirm my conclusion so I asked, “Wait, tell me this, the...‘wet spots’ when did you first notice them in the inn?”

What she said next sent shivers through my spine...

“Well, I first noticed the wet patches a month before my husband passed away.”

I stepped away from the pillar immediately. “A month? You're sure you had these wet spots a month before your husband died!? That's almost 5 months since your inn's been infested with wet rot? Do you not realize the risk you've put your guest in!?”

My reaction prompted Paige and Lord Ferdinand to rise from their seats and stand behind me in a form of caution.

As I slowly retreated from the pillar, my feet faced the door that led out of the inn.

Mrs Williams responded to my actions and with a worried look on her face, she asked, “My prince, what could be the matter for you to act this way? It's just a little rotting on the side of the wood. It's not something to make a scene over."

I chuckled as I explained, “Haha, You still don't get it, do you!? Let me explain, Wet rot can affect any form of wood that is regularly exposed to dampness. A roof leak, burst tanks, a poorly connected water system, a leak of any type in the house, and so on are all possible causes. All of these scenarios, as well as others, are likely to cause damp rot. And guess what happens when that rot spreads...”

She kept silent.

With both of my arms out, pointing out everything thing made of wood, I exclaimed, “It infests everything that's made of wood! Rotting it from the inside out! I guess you could call it a parasite for wood”

I walked up to Mrs Williams, leaving Paige and Lord Ferdinand by the door.

I approached her face to face with my spectacles gleaming in the light, and although I already knew the answer, I felt the need to ask, “Do you really not know what wet rot does to unprotected wood that has not been treated or replaced for months?”

“N-Not at sire. Please, what does it mean?” she asked sincerely.

I whispered, "Everything Crumbles!"

Her eyes widened and she asked, "W-Wait. Sire, what do you mean?"

I answered her, “It means that your precious inn may soon end up crumbling to pieces. And from the looks of it, it seems you unknowingly sped up the process.”

“What!? I did!? W-What do you mean, sire!?” she stuttered.

I explained once again, “I mean that when wet rot-affected timber is dry, it becomes incredibly brittle, it begins to crack and crumble easily.”

She refused to believe me, she stood there and refuted me with an angry look. “But that's not possible, the inn has been holding strong since then. So a few of the pillars and wooden structures are a bit wet, but that doesn't mean that my inn, my husband's inn will crumble!! So don't you say such a thing to me!!”

I looked at her with pity.

Lord Ferdinand became enraged and approached the widow with malice, “How dare you!? You stand before the Prince of Gladia, his royal highness and refute his claims in such a disrespectful manner!? Do you wish to forfeit your life!?”

Lord Ferdinand's statements surprised me, I couldn't decide if he was acting so out of his will or due to the servitude I had put him under.

"Is he trying to kiss my ass, right now?" I thought to myself.

I also noticed that even Paige seemed frustrated but refused to act out, probably because he knew that he was nothing more than a low-class commoner to a middle-class noble like Mrs Williams. So he held it in.

"Huh?" I thought and smiled.

Before Lord Ferdinand would act out and unleash his aura on the poor widow, I went to him, and with a nonchalant shake of my head, I stopped him by his shoulder and gestured for him to stop his advances.

He said no more after that and respectfully returned to my side.

I stepped towards one of the central pillars, placed my hand against it and rubbed it slightly. I placed my head on it with my ear glued to it as I listened for hollow sounds while lightly knocking on it three times.

I let out a smirk and chuckled after what I heard. I immediately retreated my head from the pillar and asked for Mrs Williams to come to me.

She approached me but refused to look at me eye to eye, face to face. “Look at me,” I said, and she did.

I placed my hand on the central pillar, “You see this central pillar?

“Yes, sire. What of it?” she responded with an annoyed look, still trying to avoid my gaze.

I chuckled, “Haha...! Well, let's just say that it's the only thing holding this entire building together. Otherwise...”

*KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*

I knocked hard on the same pillar three times and after doing so, I waited.

There was total silence for a few seconds, before...

All the pillars rumbled.

I smiled, “There it is!”

Rumbling and vibrations filled the lobby, lanterns shook, tables fell and bottles fell and shattered. There was a heavy disturbance in the structure of the building that prompted, one by one, all four smaller pillars to slowly crack, crumble and fell apart.

There were a few yelling and screaming...

—“Is that an earthquake!”

—“What the- How!?”

—“Ahh... A pillar crumbled to pieces!!”

—“Run away! Run away!!”

—“It's crumbling! Run!!”

Everyone in the lobby apart from Paige, Lord Ferdinand, I, and Mrs Williams who fell to her knees from the shock, ran for their dear lives the moment the four ceiling pillars began to crumble. Dust from the crumbled pillars rose into the air and clouded our view. But we still stood there with our feet strong and firmly on the ground.

After a while, once the disturbance of the structure had stabilized, all the guests that were staying in the rooms situated on the upper floors hastily ran down the stairs and immediately exited the building.

Once the dust settled, we noticed that the other central pillar was still standing but had a huge crack on its body. And just like I said, the one pillar that I had knocked on three times was still standing strong, undisturbed and uncrackable. And I think I knew the reason why?

I believed that it must have been due to the polish they applied to it and the other central pillar. Although, the other polish must have been weakened and penetrated due to the wet rot.

“My Goodness...” “What chaotic scenery...” Lord Ferdinand and Paige were perplexed by the sudden collapse of the four ceiling pillars.

The windows were broken, bottles and pieces of lanterns scattered across the floor, and the ceiling by which the pillars held up was now leaning down and caving in, hanging on the little support the two central pillars provided.

For just a moment, I looked around at the mess that surrounded us and thought, “It all came crumbling down, huh? Though, I had expected even more destruction.”

Then I looked down to see deep into the shocked Mrs Williams eyes, “Do you believe me now?”

She looked back at me from the floor from which she was on her knees, then looked around the lobby of her inn.

Her eyes dimmed, and in a despairing tone, “How...?” she muttered with her face staring at the floor.

“It seems that you still need some time to process what just happened, I would explain but I feel that you wouldn't be able to understand the reason either,” I stated as I casually left the inn.

I left the inn and straddled Moonlight. Paige and Lord Ferdinand followed, while on Moonlight, I took a moment and looked at the inn past the door into the messy lobby and still saw the widow, Mrs Williams, still on her knees, still in shock.

I sighed, feeling pity for her. “Doesn't she realize that there's still time to fix the inn?” I thought.

I rode closer to the entrance of the lobby and from on top Moonlight to the despairing widow, I said, “Listen to me! Fret not! You will be able to rise from the rumble, it matters not that the pillars have crumbled and fallen. As you can see, one pillar remains strong and unbroken.”

She looked at the one pillar that was unaffected by the disturbance and light slowly began to emerge in her despairing eyes. “Prince Phillip Of Gladia, tell me, is there truly a way to fix... Everything? She looked at the rubble that lay all around her.

I felt that I couldn't, no, I wouldn't leave her to her own devices so I descended from Moonlight and went into the inn once more. Paige and Lord Ferdinand followed suit. I took a knee towards Mrs Williams, held her by the shoulder and firmly said, “Yes, there is a way. But it'll take some time to finish.”

“But it took my late husband years before he was able to build this inn,” she lamented.

I laughed, “Hahaha, worry not! With my guidance, we'll be done in a few weeks.”

Her eyes gleamed with hope as bright as ever, “Tell me! I do what I can, sire!” she exclaimed.

“Take my hand,” I picked her up and we stood, “Very well, I'll show you the way. But first things first,” I said, raising a finger to illustrate.

“What is it, sire?” she asked with much curiosity on her face.

I said bluntly, “I'd like some tea, please.”

She was a bit startled, “...Tea?”

“Yes, I wasn't able to enjoy the first one you made, so I'd like another. Make it hot!”

“She chuckled and curtseyed, “Haha, very well, your highness.”