Chapter 3

Krarshe stretched carefully in his new bed, the bough of a rather large tree near the stream, and yawned a great white plume into the chill morning air. The tree was certainly less comfortable than the ground, the sunlight woke him more readily, and he had to endure the cold without a campfire, but it was worth it to avoid waking up covered in insects. He had been able to put up with it one more night before finally deciding on this new bed. After two glorious, albeit cold and sore, mornings, he was convinced it was the right decision.

As he lay there basking in his itch-less morning, he heard the rustling of leaves and the call of a familiar, hushed voice.

"Karshe?"

"Up here, Lycia. I'm still in my wonderful new bed."

"Is that what you meant yesterday?" she asked, approaching the large tree, clad in her heavy cloak and usual pail in hand.

He leaned over and looked down at her. "Sure is."

Lycia cocked her head. "If you say so," she said with a wry smile.

"At least you won't jump when an unexpected friend makes an appearance."

"No, that millipede the other day was gross."

"Not as bad as the spider."

"A spider?! ON YOU?!" Her body spasmed in an involuntary shiver. "Yeah, keep sleeping in that tree."

"That's the plan," Krarshe said as he rolled over and off the tree branch, landing on his feet with a crunching of dead leaves. "Oh, what did you bring me today?"

"Nothing special. A farmer in town gave us some eggs. Or, a lot of eggs. Too many... So, I bought you some."

"You mean foisting them off onto me."

"I could just take them back if you don't want them," she teased.

"Oh no, no. The food you brought me yesterday was graciously received, and today is no different. Your kindness knows no bounds."

Lycia smiled sheepishly as she reached into the pail and pulled out four eggs wrapped in a cloth. "It's no problem. Really. I'm not a fan of eggs anyway, so you're helping me out by taking them." She handed them to Krarshe. "Again, we have a LOT of eggs."

"Pleasure to be of service then," Krarshe said with an exaggerated bow. He took one of the eggs, cracked it open with one hand, and drank the gooey innards with a gulp. As he went to eat another, he noticed Lycia's face contorted in a mix of horror and disgust. "What?" he said, feeling his cheeks warm as he wiped some egg from his lip with the back of his hand.

"That... is... disgusting..."

"What? Why?"

"I-it j-just is, okay."

"I know you don't like eggs, but-"

"I don't like them when they're cooked. I couldn't even fathom what you just did. That was... ugh." She hunched and gagged.

"You cook them normally, huh?"

She stared at him blankly.

"I mean, I've only had them this way. A man I travelled with once used to like eggs and this was how he ate them."

She continued staring for a moment before just shaking her head, defeated. "It's still crazy to me that you're sleeping in these woods. You eating eggs like that is nothing by comparison... I'm going to get the water. You can... just do whatever with those eggs while I'm gone." With that, she took the pail and walked past Krarshe toward the stream.

Krarshe quickly cracked open the other eggs and sucked them down before chasing after her.

"So, any changes with your mother?"

Lycia sighed. "No... She's just being so stubborn about it." She leaned forward and dipped the pail into the stream. "I just don't understand it."

"And she won't say anything?"

Lycia shook her head. "Not a word. Just that it's for my own good." She stood back up. "I'm sorr-"

As Lycia turned, she slipped on the rock, flinging the pail and falling toward the stream. Krarshe lunged and caught her, his foot also slipping on the wet stone and plunging into the ice-cold stream.

"You okay?" he said after they both had their stability back.

"Y-yeah..."

"Ooh, that might be bad," he said, watching the pail float down the stream, bobbing and bumping against the rocks as it went. "We should probably... get..." He trailed off as he looked down at Lycia. The blonde girl, still in his arms, was turned away from him as best she could, the blush spreading to her ears. Krarshe felt his heart pound as he quickly released her. "S-s-s-sorry."

She shook her head. "N-no. Y-y-you're right. The pail... We sh-should grab it..." She tucked the braid behind her ear, disregarding the rest of the stray hair.

<Illustration 1>

"I- I- I'll g-get it," he said, dashing after it. Wisdom save me, what's wrong with me?! He caught up to the pail after it got caught, wedged between two rocks. He refilled it, taking the moment to surreptitiously splash some cold water on his face, and walked back to her. His heart was still racing but the water had calmed him down, enough to notice his one boot sloshing.

"Thank you..." Lycia said as he returned, still averting her eyes.

He swallowed hard and said, "Umm... Here, let me carry it back for you. It- It's... rather heavy."

"How about I carry it back then?" said a stern voice.

Krarshe and Lycia both turned to see her mother, standing before them with her arms crossed, jaw set and brow furrowed.

"M-Mom?!"

"I TOLD you to stay away from my daughter," she said, glaring at Krarshe.

"W-wait! Mom!"

Taliarrah grabbed and pulled Lycia toward her and held up a hand in front of Krarshe. "Hias gra!" An orb of flame erupted in front of her open palm, hovering there. "This is your last warning. Stay. Away. From. My. Daughter."

Krarshe swallowed, his eyes fixed on the fireball.

The orb dissipated. "Let's go, Lycia."

"But-"

Taliarrah silently dragged Lycia away, ignoring all of Lycia's pleas as she did.

Krarshe was left standing there, cold, one foot sopping wet, holding the water pail and the cloth for the eggs.

* * *

Late night, after most of the patrons had left, Krarshe made his way into The Tavern. Try as he might, he couldn't find an official name for the tavern. There was no sign outside bearing any sort of name, just a carving of a mug of beer. The villagers only seemed to call it "the tavern", so Krarshe just adopted it as the name.

The taverner came up to him. "Just the usual," Krarshe said to her. He wasn't particularly interested in food today, just something so he wasn't going to sleep hungry.

She gave him a nod and went to the kitchen. After but a couple of nights, she and Krarshe had already settled into a routine: come in, ask for whatever food was available at that time of night, drink a cheap ale, and leave. The order wasn't particularly complicated, but Krarshe credited the small number of regular customers for the speed at which it became the norm. Esther came back out a minute later and plopped the mug of ale in front of him.

"Thanks." He shifted closer to the counter while simultaneously pulling the mug closer. The murky liquid rocked in the wooden cup, reflecting the candles mounted on the wall next to him. Hias gra... He'd been thinking all day about the spell Taliarrah had used earlier. The spell was short, barely an incantation at all. He was certain now that she was the kind of teacher he was looking for, capable of truly teaching him about magic. He tried the spell countless times today, but with nothing to show for it. Mostly. There were a few times it seemed to spark to life only for bolts of lightning to shoot out, hitting nearby trees or flying off into the sky.

Regardless, Lycia's mother knew magic. Not just knew, but understood magic at a fundamental level. This was the kind of teacher he was looking for. There was just one small problem. Or, perhaps a large one: the animosity she had towards him was bordering murderous intent.

Krarshe sighed and took a drink from his mug.

"Sounds like things are going well."

Krarshe turned around to see Marcel, smiling knowingly. "Not how I'd describe it."

"Do elves not understand sarcasm?" he asked, pulling out the chair next to Krarshe.

Krarshe inched his chair away from Marcel, putting him right up against the wall. "Oh no, I've used it numerous times. Just not a topic I feel like joking about right now."

"Oh, my apologies," said Marcel, taking no time to use the distance Krarshe had created to slide his chair even closer.

Krarshe could feel his back against the wall, literally, as he tried to press backwards. "It's fine," he said, taking another sip from his mug.

"So, Karshe, was it? I'm here to listen, if you'd like an elder's wisdom. ... Actually, how old are you? Is that rude to ask?"

Krarshe looked up from his mug. Marcel's smile was sincere, almost enough to make himself smile too. "Probably older than you, if I were to guess."

"Guess I should be asking you for advice then." Marcel gave out a laugh and slapped the countertop.

"Marcel! What did I tell ya about trying to scare off my customers?" Esther came back out, bowl of stew in one hand and shaking a wooden ladle at him with the other.

"Why do you always suspect I'm harassing customers? Can't I have a friendly chat?"

"No, ya're just being nosy." Esther put the bowl in front of Krarshe. "If he starts to annoy ya, just let me know. I'll smack him for ya."

"Hey now, I'm just trying to help a boy who's looking down. I want to help take care of my elders."

Esther gave Marcel a look. She brushed it off with a roll of her eyes when Marcel's smile widened. "I ought to smack ya even without his say-so, just for good measure."

Marcel just laughed harder at her threat. As Esther returned to her work, he turned back to Krarshe. "So, feel like talking about it?"

Krarshe knew how this would play out. Resigning to his fate would make this quicker. "Well... After an incident this morning, I'm certain Taliarrah is the teacher I was looking for."

"Oh? Well, that's good then!"

"The problem is she clearly hates me."

"That's less good."

"In fact, the only reason I'm so certain was because she aimed a spell at me this morning."

"Ooh... I take back what I said. That's bad," Marcel said with a grimace.

"Thus the issue I'm struggling with."

"Mmm... This might be a more serious issue than I thought." Marcel rubbed his stubbly chin for a minute. "I figured she just didn't trust an outsider, but this..."

"I figured I'd be past that, given the relationship I have with Lycia."

Marcel turned abruptly. "With Ellycia? What do you mean? You two aren't..."

"Aren't... what?"

"You know, having sexual relations."

"What?!" Krarshe nearly fell out of his chair. "No no! Nothing like that!"

"Oh. My mistake. Sorry about that."

"As if I could..." Krarshe took a drink from his mug, turning toward the wall, hiding his face as best he could.

"No need to get that red in the face, lad. It's perfectly natural. She's a pretty girl and all. No need to be embarrassed."

Krarshe could feel the heat on his cheeks spreading to his ears. "L-look, it's not like that."

"Okay, okay. Guess we can rule that out..."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if you were... well, that, I could understand Taliarrah's behavior. Since it's not..." Marcel thought for a full minute before continuing. "Nope, can't think of anything."

Well, THIS was a useful conversation...

"Maybe you just need to show her more of your sincerity."

"What?"

"Maybe she just needs to see more of the good side of you. Based on the two times I've spoken to you, I'm going to guess you haven't talked to her much."

Krarshe froze. He studied Marcel's face for a second as the older man took a drink from his mug. ... So he isn't just some oblivious krun... Ugh. Krarshe pulled his stew closer and meekly took a spoonful.

Marcel laughed. "Don't feel bad, I didn't mind. I know I can be a bit... tough to deal with."

Is he reading my mind or something?! "Sorry..."

"Again, don't feel bad about it. At least I don't seem like just some obnoxious old man now, right?"

"... Mmm. I didn't give you enough respect. I guess you taught me I should respect my juniors."

Marcel roared with laughter, nearly falling off his chair. The few remaining customers all turned to check what was happening. After he settled down, he said, "Right! Ooh, you got me good there!" He patted Krarshe on the shoulder. "Well, even if Taliarrah doesn't like you, I do."

Krarshe gave a slight smile. "Thanks."

"Sorry to interrupt the festivities, but it'll be the usual. Six coppers," said Esther, coming up to the two of them. The young server boy was pulling up a chair again, beginning his recitation of The Five Curses, signalling closing time. "And Marcel, when are ya going to pay up?"

"It's fine, isn't it? I don't have my coin purse today. Just keep track of what I owe for next time."

"Ya been forgetting ya purse for a cycle now!"

"Uhh... Just come by the house tomorrow. I can pay you then."

Esther groaned. Taking Krarshe's money, she said, "Boy, don't ya turn out like him, ya hear?"

Krarshe nodded.

As Esther walked away, Marcel said, "Guess I should get out of here before she comes back. Ah, right. Karshe, where have you been staying?"

"Hmm? Oh, I've just been sleeping in the woods."

"The woods?!"

"Yeah, is there a problem with that?"

"It's dangerous out there after sundown, lad! You're lucky nothing's found you sleeping out there!"

"I wasn't aware the forest was that dangerous." Didn't seem dangerous to me, at least. "Why are the walls so small then?"

"Honestly, the walls are more to show the border of the village. Taliarrah put up some sort of barrier spell, and that keeps out most of the creatures."

Krarshe thought back to the strange sensation he felt walking through the city gate. "A barrier?"

Marcel nodded. "It repels malicious creatures, she said. Well, most of them. She did say it wouldn't be effective for really powerful monsters. But, if one of those appears, we have bigger issues."

"Hmm. Well regardless, there weren't many options other than the woods. This village doesn't have an inn."

"We don't usually get many visitors, that's why. Or, rather, any visitors. We ARE in the Forest of Vale, after all."

"... Is this forest really that dangerous?"

Marcel nodded. "If it wasn't for Taliarrah's spell, we'd never have survived here. The forest keeps bandits away, which is great, but merchants very rarely come here. We have to send people out with armed escort to bring any goods here. Or ask Taliarrah to get them when she goes out from time to time. Ellycia too, but she's still too early in her training to go out alone for extended periods of time. According to Taliarrah, at least. I don't know anything about magic or her training." He laughed and took a final drink from his mug.

Krarshe used the moment to quickly finish his stew and wash it down with his remaining ale.

"Oh! How about you come stay with me?"

Krarshe nearly choked on his drink. "What?" he said between coughs.

"I've got space in my home now. You could come live with me."

Krarshe thought about his interactions with Marcel for a second before responding. "Umm... No, I wouldn't want to intrude on your family."

"Nonsense! Besides, it's just me there now."

"Oh, but I don't have a lot of money on me, and I'd be too ashamed to freeload."

"We can work out the payment later then. I can't just let a visitor to my village sleep in the woods. It'd make me look uncaring."

"I couldn't ju-" Marcel's words finally hit Krarshe. "YOUR village?"

"I didn't say it the other day? I'm the village headman."

Krarshe took one look at Marcel's sly smile and knew right away. "You intentionally omitted it, didn't you?"

His smile grew. "Guess I can't deceive my elders. Oh!" Marcel snapped his fingers and pointed at Krarshe. "How about this? You live with me in exchange for helping me with my work?"

Krarshe raised an eyebrow. "What kind of work...?"

"It's nothing bad, I assure you. Just helping out around the village. You know, various errands, carrying things. Just whatever people need help with, really. It's not hard, just a lot of it to do... Oh! Maybe this could be worth twice the value."

"Twice the what?"

"If Taliarrah sees you helping out around the village, maybe she'll come to trust you more. I get a helping hand, you get a place to live and can try and get her approval. So?"

"Hmm..." The offer seems good, but Marcel seems... odd. I guess it beats the forest. The tree branch will be there if I need it, I guess. "Okay. I'll take you up on your offer."

Marcel smiled. "Happy to have you, Karshe. And let me say this officially, as headman: welcome to Valenfort."