Honey and Meat

Lucian sat on his bed, fumbling with his pendant, remembering the day his world went up in flames. He looked at the black, star-shaped gem nestled in the middle. The real owner, Dumas, had never returned from the Garden raid.
"All the better," he thought solemnly. The gem was the cornerstone of his success, after all. He didn't know how it worked, but it lessened the toll his spells had on him. He looked at his right hand. The scarring from when he burned Dumas’s face off looked horrid. Unlike with the Giant Gnoll, there was no Lilly here to patch him up anymore and healing magic was rare in Rytelle. There was no way to fight himself through the densely populated Wildlands without it.

Thump thump thump.

Someone was banging on the door. He tucked the pendant under his shirt and opened it.
Amon stood there with a stoic expression, his right arm poised for the next knock.
Without lowering his fist, he greeted Lucian with:

"Are you awake?"

Lucian blinked. "What?"
Keeping eye contact, Amon lowered his arm but said nothing.

...

"What do you want? I told you we’d go tomorrow."

Amon kept staring at him, as if expecting something. Finally, he spoke.
"My training for the day is done. What do I do now?"

Lucian stared back. "Okay? How is this my problem?"

Amon’s eyes narrowed to slits. His lack of reaction was starting to feel… oppressive.
"The sun is at its highest point. Tomorrow is still far away. Tell me what to do until we go."

"...What? I’m not your father. Figure it out yourself."

The answer caught Amon so off guard that he actually stumbled back a few steps.
This was getting ridiculous. Lucian brushed past him and headed for the market in search of a very late breakfast.

Munching on some novel treats from the capital, Lucian found he couldn’t enjoy the meal. Amon was still tailing him, step for step. Finally, Lucian snapped.

"Do you seriously not have anything better to do than follow me around all day?"

Sensing the hostility, Amon straightened his back and met his eyes with a steady glare.

"No."

Lucian was starting to piece the puzzle together.

"Are you... stupid?"

Amon’s glare sharpened.
"Valtherion aren’t stupid. They are brave!"

He pounded his chest twice with his fist, with a proud smile on his face after the second beat.

Lucian stared in shock. His black eyes must be made from Hookshade scales, he thought, noticing the total absence of light behind them.

Before he could put his scattered thoughts into words, a tap on his shoulder saved him the trouble.

"Flynn." Lucian almost couldn’t believe it. He was genuinely happy to see him. In fact, any company was preferable to this tanned, muscular wall of meat.

"Lucian! My man, my guy. I see we’re both enjoying the blessings from the capital already."
Beside him stood the beautiful young woman who had once charmed Flynn out of all his change during a previous visit.

"Lucian, this is—"

Ignoring Flynn’s formal introduction, the young blonde brushed past him. She pressed herself lightly against Lucian’s arm and gave him a honeyed smile with her amber eyes.

"Pleasure to meet you, Lucian. I’m Amelie, but my friends call me Amy." She took his arm, ensuring she had his full attention.
"I’ve heard stories of a brave young man who throws himself at the monsters plaguing our land with reckless abandon. Always returning battered and bruised, yet alive and determined to continue."

The sweet scent she carried was intoxicating. In Cacela, appearances and fragrance were afterthoughts. Most people bathed once a week, if that. Washing in the nearby river left you vulnerable, and the water brought into town was better saved for drinking or weapon maintenance.

Amy stood out like a jewel in the mud. Fair skin, silky hair, a clean dress adorned with colorful trinkets. She looked more like a princess than a merchant’s daughter on these streets.

But Lucian wasn’t one to be swayed. His mantra reminded him that affection was just a ploy for personal gain. She was no different from the others.

He shrugged her off. "Whatever you want from me, I’m not interested."

Amy was clearly taken aback but recovered quickly. "I only wanted to meet the man who inspires stories in others. I hoped to see if he lives up to his name and to tell me if the stories are true over a flask of wine."

Her smile almost pulled him in as she reached for his arm again. This time, before he could push her away, she let go. Her eyes now fixed on Amon.

"You didn’t mention he had such a striking friend, Flynn."

"Uhh… em…" envy caught his tongue. This was not how he imagined things to play out.

"What’s your name, handsome?" she asked, tracing her finger along Amon’s sculpted arm and biting her lip ever so slightly.

"Amon," Amon said flatly.

His looks enough to keep her interested, she leaned in. "If your friend here is rejecting me, how about we have some fun together?" Her touch became bolder, openly feeling the muscle under his shirt.

"Yes."

Amy’s eyes lit up. Happy with her conquest, she looked at Lucian with gloat. Until Amon stepped back and reached for his sword.

"Where is your weapon?"

Lucian, Amy, and Flynn froze, all of them staring in confusion. Amy was the first to recover.

"It was nice meeting my hero. Come Flynn, we shall drink."

As they walked away, Flynn turned back, giving Lucian a thumbs-up through tears of gratitude.

Lucian was still processing the bizarre chain of events when he caught sight of Amon’s utterly blank expression. That did it, Lucian burst out laughing so hard he nearly tipped over. Even the stinging tears felt great. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed like this.

Then he did. It had been with Lilly. The memory sobered him and his laugh died.

Once composed, he straightened and met Amon's gaze. Then he made a decision.
"I know what we’re doing today Amon."