In The Dark Of Night

Ren sat near the flickering light of the lantern in his room, fingers drumming lightly on the wooden table as his thoughts wandered. 

His eyes were fixated on the small map on the table in front of him but he clearly wasn't actually seeing it. His mind was elsewhere.

The inn was silent, save for the occasional rustling of wind through the trees outside. 

Sleep seemed to have forgotten him as he sat, his mind too preoccupied with what he had to do.

Three very important things, each one important enough to put him ahead of the coming disasters. If he failed even one, things could get very hard for him in the future.

The capital was still weeks away, but it felt like with every step he took towards it, the more he could feel the pressure of what needed to be done.