“Thas whuts I said, I’m curtain of it!” The dwarf chuckled, beard braids wagging, and Ludo was having trouble deciding whether he was being mocked or the dwarf was making a mockery of himself. Either way, he was starting to understand why he was the only customer.

“Also, I was hoping to purchase supper. Something warm and filling.”

“Comin’ right up, on the house!”

Ludo frowned. “What’s the catch?”

“The catch o’ the day? River trout, I believe, as fresh as a spring rain, it is.”

“No, I meant, how do you stay in business if you give away your ale and food?”

“With due respect, not everythin’ is about coin.”

“Not in my experience.”

“Well, we’ve curtainly had diff’rent experiences then!” With a swirl of his braids, the dwarf was gone, disappearing through a set of double doors that presumably led to the kitchen.

Ludo shook his head, considering whether he’d made a mistake. Debating whether to take his leave while the man was in the kitchen. While he thought about his next move, he took in the rest of the room, with its raised tables and chairs and nondescript décor. It was mostly of little interest until his gaze reached the bar itself, which was a fine specimen. Its surface seemed to shine from within, as though a thousand tiny flames had been infused within the lacquered stone’s surface. Behind it, he expected to find the usual assortment of bottles and barrels promising escape from one’s problems, but instead all he found was a wall that was bare save for a rod and a rectangular, brown curtain that was maybe three feet tall by two feet wide.

He frowned at it for a long while, fighting the temptation to throw it aside and see what, if anything, it hid. Had the dwarf been baiting him the entire time? Pretending to say ‘curtain’ by mistake when really it was a test of his willpower?

Just then, the doors burst open and Ludo had to quickly twist back around, pretending to be making a stretching motion. “Grilled river trout with an assortyment o’ tubers an’ roots!” Welbernius said brightly, hobbling up the steps and reaching as high as he could to slide the plate of steaming food in front of him.

“Thank you,” Ludo said. “And the ale?”

“O’ course, o’ course, I have it righty here!” He reached into a large, bulging pocket in the front of his frock and produced a frothing glass that had, miraculously, not spilled while being bounced and bumped along. Then, to add to Ludo’s shock, he reached in another pocket and produced a second glass. “What shall we drink to?”

Ludo stared. “To free ale?”

“Aye! To free ale!” They clinked glasses and then Ludo took a tiny sip, hoping he’d manage to disguise his reaction to the foul liquid.