A Field of Blooming Begonia [Rewritten 8/20]

 “Young mage, where did you get that staff, if I may ask?”

The elf stepped closer to my companion, to her staff, still clearly obsessed with it. She held it out, gave it an examination, and her face turned bitter.

“Someone back home gave it...”

“Really now, who is this someone?”

“It’s… Sorry, don’t remember, anymore.”

“You forgot? Where are you from then?”

It was hard to tell whether she was trying to keep it a secret or if she had truly forgotten. Her brows frowned, getting more uncomfortable, and I chimed in.

“What's so special about that staff?”

The elf stood back up from bending down to better match my companion’s height, staring into me for what felt like minutes, even if it was only a few seconds.

“I think even you can tell that the wood and crystal are both impressive, but the gold and silver engravings are magically made. It holds a lot more magic, but most masters in alteration can’t make them.”

An ominous aura around that elf made itself apparent the moment his gaze met mine. Thinking about it, it had always been there, just unnoticed, hiding behind his back ever since we first met.

He continued forth, dropping the talk about my companion’s staff. I followed, but with part of my mind occupied by him.

Wildly overgrown grass almost twice our height, stretched from the river banks to over the horizon and blocked our path. Like the tree-sized flowers that sprouted all over Fladmon or the clusters of osmanthus that walled up the Blossomfall rivers, vegetation this size in Northern Maralic wasn't uncommon.

With no bridges in sight, crossing the river and walking around was impossible. The man, the other traveler we were escorting, stepped up ahead with a sword in hand.

“I’ll cut this down.”

“Wait, stop! You’ll attract the angel moths.”

I stopped him before he was able to cut down too much, and the elf came up and helped me give context.

“You are talking about those massive butterflies from the lowlands, right? Coming out in summer to feast on grass and leaves, before laying their eggs and dying out in winter. I’ve heard stories that some farms and villages got their crops and harvest destroyed because one got too close.”

“We also don’t have solvents or other potions for its silk, it will be difficult if one shows up.”

I added, and he sheathed his sword. The blade flashed in the sunlight, and I caught a glimpse of it as he put it away. Its spine was beat up, the edge chipped, and some spots rusted. Strange to see someone with a weapon like that while wearing such high class apparel.

The grass was sharp and heavy, making it hard to push through. We stopped for the occasional alchemical reagents growing on the blades that caught the elf’s attention, but before long, we found a small clearing for us to rest.

Not having gloves got my hands cut a lot, but the calluses took most of the damage, so it didn’t bother too much. Sitting down, I reached into my bag for bandages to wrap my hand up. She came up and sat down next to me, giving her staff a shake.

“Need some healing magic?”

I nodded yes and opened up my palm. She waved her staff around and started casting.

“Can’t we just sail up the river? Won’t that be a lot faster?”

“Ships and boats are only allowed to sail down stream, to let trade ships getting to the open sea easier. You can only sail up on the rivers that lead straight to the capital, but even those have a tight schedule.”

The cuts sealed, and the magic attracted the elf’s attention.

“Impressive, so you are also a master at the school of restoration, in addition to being the owner of that incredible magic item, casting spells without the spell ingredients. Did the people who gave you that staff also teach you that magic?”

“Eheh… Some of it, yeah.”

###

We found another clearing before the sun had set, this one big enough to have a fire lit in the middle without risking burning down the whole field, along with a path leading to the river for some fresh water.

The two travelers set up their tents while my companion gathered some dried grass and sticks for me to start a fire. The rain a few nights ago was making the tinder harder to light, and by the time I finally got the fire going, her horse decided it had finished its meal and laid down next to me to be brushed.

“Isn’t it nice to travel with someone instead of going alone?”

She came over with a prepared pot, hanging it over the fire to let it simmer before sitting down next to me.

I looked up, staring into the starry sky, and took in the warmth from the fire, trying to remember why I was so reluctant to travel with people, even if my previous accompanied journeys weren’t this enjoyable, awful if I had to be honest.

Waiting for my answer, her eyes followed mine, searching for constellations.

“It is quite nice.”

“See? Told you from the start. The soup should be ready now, can you take it off the fire?”

She chuckled and went over to bring us bowls and spoons. We ate together around our little campfire, and the man sat across from me, reminding me of when he cut down that grass earlier.

The stance he took looked well trained, and his swings were packed with strength. He didn’t talk much and was always either out of my sight or had his back turned to me, but when I was given the chance to look at him or listen to him speak, it felt like he was ready to fight at any moment. The elf is a wizard and the man is a capable fighter, why would they need us just to travel to a city that’s not even that far away?

“What’s the matter?”

Noticing me staring at him, his leg loosened.

“Oh, no. It’s… Nothing.”

He shifted his sitting position to one that made getting up easier. The elf saw his friend getting uneasy and turned to me.

“Now… If there’s any problem, you can tell us.”

“No really, I was just lost in thought.”

By now the sun had set a while ago, and the silence of night was only getting quieter by the minute as we finished our meal.

“Hmm… It is getting late, we will be in our tents then. Let’s aim to leave this field of grass by dusk tomorrow.”

They stood up and the fire flickered, their footsteps muffled by the moist grassy ground. Did he sit differently just because it was uncomfortable or was he about to attack if I had said something wrong or that elf didn’t intervene? My companion yawned behind me, bringing me back to reality, and I took a deep breath, letting out a sigh. It really is getting late huh.

“Will you be sleeping in the river? You need to rest in water right? I can watch over you if you want.”

I took out a piece of rope from the satchel leaning against the sleeping caramel.

“And take out your hand, let me tie this around your wrist so you don’t float away.”

She paused for a bit, a little surprised. She had been the one offering me different things, but I still hadn’t done anything to return the favor. It took a moment for her to gather herself, but when she did, a joyful face emerged.

“Yes, thank you!”