It is now early morning, just after first light. The sun is peeking over the horizon and into a cloudless sky. Rain was heavy last night, but it has now cleared up. Paths and byways are still quite muddy.
Cook and the kitchen crew have been up for quite a while. The fire in the common room has been relit and is crackling merrily to drive away the dawn chill. The smell of freshly baked bread and sweet rolls wafts out from the cooling racks in the kitchen, as does the heavier scents of potatoes fried up with onions, thick slices of bacon, and scrambled eggs. Pots of thick oat porridge mingle their homey fragrance into the welcoming scents.
Early risers in the Inn are nursing cups of strong, sweet tea as are those farmers up early about their business . . .
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