Know Thy Neighbor

Things had settled down for Loomholm, and Ariana was slowly absorbed into the community. 

Over the next week or so, some of the villagers would visit her at the house she was staying in. Some would bring gifts or food, some would just check in, but many of the women would come to fill her in on the village gossip. 

Filian would drop in from time to time just to complain about her husband, the mayor, who Ariana learned was named Joseph. She complained about how he was always fussing with that broom of a mustache, how he was obsessed with this wax that a merchant sold them some months ago, and how awful it smelled.

She would gush about their son, Junior, and how strong he was becoming. She would boast that Junior could fetch the water by himself these days, and how he was going to be taller than her any day now. 

The two would commiserate on the woes of gardening, and Ariana would describe her struggles with the wild boars. It was from this exchange that Ariana learned about the plant the boars hate. It seemed to put out a smell they didn’t like, and it’s pollen seemed to hurt them, so they gave it a wide berth. 

Ariana made several portions of her stew to share with the villagers. She was even able to improve it thanks to some flour that the elderly woman, Inga, shared with her. Apparently, she was the mother to two of the hunters she met: Collin, the eldest, often served as night watch, and Kristof, the youngest, had a talent for scrying magic. The third hunter was her husband, Carlov. According to her, he used to be an adventurer until an encounter with White Tusk injured him. Inga had nursed him back to health, and they fell in love. 

Ariana was also able to make some fried bread with spare boar suet. It made for a great sopping companion for the stew. Of course, she also shared this with the village. Her guard, Alvin, was a big fan of her cooking. The boy was able to recover a bit over the course of the week, eventually resolving to help with the cooking however he could. 

Despite his position with Albert, he was apparently a relatively new addition to the corps, placed there by family connections. He had much to learn. 

Ariana took the time to teach him how to use a knife, showing him the proper posture, the proper hand placement, how to keep rhythm, and a few of the different cuts she knew. It took him a bit to figure out, but she had nothing but praise for his efforts. 

After the initial turmoil of arrival in this world, it felt good to settle in and become acquainted with her new neighbors. She felt that this suited her far more than all the fighting. 

At the end of the week, Albert had returned. His guards weren’t with him…

But he wasn’t alone.

He was with another blonde man. This one had much longer hair pulled back into a high ponytail. He seemed to have a pleasant expression, but it felt more like the sort of smile you’d see on a salesman. 

The two invited themselves into the house Ariana was assigned to. Alvin stood perfectly still by the door at attention. They sat at the table and the long-haired man gestured to a seat. “If you could join us, miss.” He spoke clearly. He had a calm, neutral tone as though he had never raised his voice in his life. 

Ariana sat down as requested. The man laced his fingers together and rested his hands on the table. “I hear you’re the one keeping an eye on Alvin for me. You have my thanks.”

Ariana, mildly confused, tried to match his decorum. “Of… course. Alvin has been a delight, and very handy to have around.”

The man gave a nod and looked to Albert. “It seems I was worried for nothing, brother. By your report, you’d made it sound as though my son would be in worse condition.”

Albert grumbled. “Am I at fault if you are hard of hearing? I told you he was keeping guard over a demon woman. A very crafty one.”

The man chuckled slightly and turned back to her. “Forgive my brother, he has a tendency to be a bit dramatic.” He placed a hand at his chest in self-emphasis. “I am Aldwin Caviston. Word has reached me of your triumph over White Tusk. Very impressive. There was a bounty for that monster, and as the one who dealt the killing blow, as well as protected my kin, it seems fitting that you receive the reward.”

Aldwin reached the hand from his chest down to his side, then retrieved a small pouch. He set it on the table with a small schff of coin. “Thirty gold pieces for the boar, and another five for Alvin’s care.”

Ariana looked at the bag. “Thirty… five…” Aldwin nodded. She had only recently learned the currency of this world. There were iron coins, then bronze coins, then silver, and finally, gold. There were also half coins and quarter coins in the iron and bronze. Each whole coin was worth a hundred of the coin before it.

She learned the other day that one of her apples would go for an iron-and-a-half. Doing some rough math… her eyes widened as she realized the absurdity, this was probably worth an entire orchard’s lifetime harvest. Even a single gold coin was far beyond reasonable. “I… I’m sorry, I can’t accept this, it’s too much…”

“It is the exact amount warranted,” Aldwin refuted, “White Tusk has persisted against adventurers and soldiers alike for generations. As the casualties of its tyranny grew, so too did the price upon its death. During the reign of my grandfather, It was two gold pieces. When I was lad younger than Alvin is now, it had a bounty of thirteen gold pieces. Under my watch, I have seen the value soar higher and higher. I had believed that White Tusk’s age would have caught up to it by now. Perhaps it finally has, or perhaps you killed the beast at its zenith. Regardless, it lies dead by your hand. You are well within your rights to claim this prize.”

Ariana struggled to come up with the words. She couldn’t really say he was wrong, but it still felt like far too much to her. There would be no way for her to even use gold coins in this village. One coin could probably buy the land the village sat on, and another three could probably buy all the houses.

Then the idea came to her. She looked at Albert. She smiled and turned her gaze back to Aldwin.

“Mister Caviston… I couldn’t possibly use all of this gold by myself, and besides… I wasn’t the only one that fought the boar. I had help from the village, and Alvin, too. He was very brave, and protected the village. The reward should go to the village. Though, I don’t think they could really use it, either…” She glanced at Albert. “I know, it could be put towards the village’s taxes!”

The two men and Alvin seemed shocked. Aldwin gave a loud, genuine laugh that caught both Albert and Alvin off guard. “Perhaps you were right, Albert, this one is crafty!” The sigh of a good laugh escaped him. “Very well, this has been entertaining enough, I’m willing to make an exception for this.” He slid the bag over to Albert. “This should cover Loomholm tax debts, I assume.”

Albert seemed dumbstruck. “I… for now, it should… suffice…”

Aldwin carefully observed Ariana. “An amusing woman to be sure… Amusing enough that I think I’ll ignore being addressed as Mister Caviston.” Aldwin stood. “Right, let us be on our way, then. Alvin, come along. You as well, Albert.” He casually made for the door before stopping and turning back to her. “Oh, you are free to leave this house at any time. I’m sure you’re eager for some fresh air.” He and Albert exited the building.

Ariana stood up from her chair as Alvin breathed a sigh of relief, almost as if he had been holding his breath.

“So… Albert is your uncle?” She inquired.

“Yes, he is. Father insisted I train under Uncle Albert’s soldiers to… toughen up.

Ariana smiles to him. “I think you’ve proven you’re plenty tough enough already. After all, you were the one that took the boar’s attack head on, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, and my chest still hurts…”

“You’re more capable than you or your father might think. You’ve gotten pretty good with a knife, too.”

Alvin returned her smile.

They said their goodbyes to one another then the Cavistons dead a meeting with the mayor.

Ariana took that time to return to her tent and garden. Sleeping in a bed was definitely more comfortable, and the company was nice, but that was not her house, nor her bed. Come to think of it, she wasn’t sure who’s it was for that matter.

She spun her magic through the tent, filling the inside walls and the leaf along the bottom with cotton. She stepped in, and it was much softer, warmer, and quieter than before.

She settled in, exhausted from the talk.

Aldwin was right, she missed the fresh air.