Guy looked up at the sky.  “At least it’s no longer raining,” he said.

“Yes,” Much replied.  “We were lucky the abbot had work we could do indoors this morning.  And he’s paid us enough we can pay to stay in an inn tonight.  And for now, if we take the route through the forest we can probably find some shelter if it does rain heavily again.”

Their route took them longer than they had expected, but it had meant they were able to avoid being soaked when a sudden downpour had occurred.  By the time they reached their destination it was getting late, but the sky had cleared and their clothing was mostly dry.

The landlord of the inn was pleased to see them, for trade was slow.  He was even more pleased to see the coins they offered for a meal, and instantly ordered his wife to heat some stew, whilst he poured two large tankards of ale.  Much and Guy made the most of their meal, before the innkeeper showed them to the small guestroom for the night.

They rose early the following morning.  The innkeeper’s wife gave them porridge and some bread, before they departed.

It was a glorious day, and Much and Guy appreciated the early morning sunshine as they walked.  The track led them by the side of a wooded area, and they noted many of the spring flowers were starting to bud.  They saw no-one else on the track, and as they walked they listened to the birds singing.

After walking for a few hours they came to a crossroads, and turned from the track they had been following onto a more well-beaten path.  Here they met a few other travellers and Much enquired from one of them how far it was to the priory.  He was pleased to be told it should take them less than an hour to get there. 

As they continued on their way, Much said to Guy, “We should get there in time to do some work this afternoon in return for board and lodging.”

Guy pointed to the sky.  “And if we’re lucky, we’ll be working inside again.  It looks like the rain is back again.”