Taking deep breaths of fresh air, I ride through the lovely mountains, heeled by my new faithful followers.

Their loyalty ultimately lay with King Alexander, but once they’ve witnessed enough of my natural grace, they’ll be as much mine. I giggle softly, covering my mouth as the horse moves rhythmically under me. The road winds down out from the lower peaks into the valley where Haldor’s Stand rests.

I was tempted to detour and head directly to Alverston’s ruins, but decided not to go against the King’s wishes so soon. After all, if something happened to his knights, someone would have to pay for their lives. If I can gently turn their loyalties away from their King, I may have what I want in the end. A little bribe here and there, a compliment and my charm to reward them, no man is a fortress.

Everyone has their limitations and weaknesses. The wind races through my hair as my horse charges beneath me. I throw my arms to either side, exhilarated at the cool rush. The town comes into sight, a sprawling long city surrounded by surprisingly impressive stone walls. As adorable as their other communities were along the way, this one seems to understand the harsh realities of war.

Our horses reign to a trot from a full tilt gallop as we near the southern gate. My horse’s nostrils flare and the smell of his sweat rises to assail my delicate nose. Flies harry his flanks, buzzing bothersome around us. Ugh, sweaty horse smell.

Two guards stand at guard currently facing off against another ‘visitor.’ The figure is dirty, wretched and small.

Hmm… is it a girl? She’s a little too small to be a dangerous vagrant. Why are they crossing their weapons in front of them like that to bar such a cute thing’s entrance?

Reigning my horse, the figure shouts loudly, “Stupidity likes to have a shower!”

What?

“Colorful crawfish springs true!” The figure gesticulates her arms and the soldiers stand stoically against her spouting of utter nonsense .

“Our gratitude is still not very regular. Flow,” she begs loudly.

“What game are you playing, child?” I ask with a soft smile as I bring my horse to a stop by her side. How amusing!

She looks at me, hiding her face with her cowl, not meeting my eyes. Reaching up to clutch at my foot in my stirrup, she pleads, “The flow of quizzes is omni-present. Too much like candy. Flow.”

“Your little game won’t work on me.” My eyes narrow and I kick my leg free of her clutch. “Are you begging for a coin, wretched thing?”

“Tomorrow brings both pleasure and pain.”

With a sigh, I look at the guard, shrugging. “I’m Asuseni of Melna on a quest set by King Alexander. Open the gates!”

The girl puts her hands on my leg and pulls more insistently. She mewls, saying, “Tomorrow sickens me! Flow!”

My eyes widen at her touch and reflexively I lash out, sending the wretched beggar sprawling on the dirt with a single palm strike. “I apologize for the abruptness, but I don’t have time for a poor fool.” Digging into my coin purse, I pull out a copper and flip it into the dust next to the girl.

“Get yourself some bread and look for a job.” The soldiers with their furry armor bow and uncross their weapons and knock on the gate. Moments later it opens.

The girl rushes to her feet to rush into the town, but with a quick movement, I remove my parasol from its holster and knock her back using it. The girl falls senselessly to the dirt.

She looks up with anger-filled eyes boring into me, her fists clenched. Still unable to see her features, I sense her emotions sharply.

She hates me. I can understand why, but if the soldiers won’t let her inside, it won’t do me any good to take pity on her and demand that she enter with me.

Trotting ahead with the soldiers, the girl yells behind and I hear the soldier’s weapons cross, clinking together to bar her way, “Tomorrow gambles with lives, happiness, and even destiny itself!”

The gates slam closed behind and the mists roll in on me, burying me and darkness once again claims me.

With a groan, I sit up from where I’m laying on a bench in the back room of the café. Ugh…

Flashes of memories flood through my head. Fighting off a knight that wants to kill me, facing off against a King, beating down a rambling, wretched beggar…

My brows knit and Ela rushes to me to throw her arms around me. “Hana! Please, you have to stop doing this thing that you do all the time. Are you sick?” She presses her forehead against mine and I blush. “When you pass out like this, I get worried about you.” Her eyes well with tears.

I sigh softly, smiling softly. “I’m fine. I just… it happens. I don’t think I’m sick or anything like that. It’s something else. I have very strange dreams when I pass out.” My head feels packed with fuzz.

Another memory flashes through my head. A teacup spinning in whiteness, a black glob of kofi dousing that lady. I start actually feeling sick. “Shit… did I really throw a hot cup of kofi at that girl?”

Ela lets go of me and suddenly bursts out in laughter, clutching her stomach.

“Oh, yes. No one will go near her right now except for Bryant. He’s been apologizing for a half an hour and this girl keeps threatening legal procedures against you and the café. Brenna has been grinning smugly the whole time. Saria checked on you a few times, worried about you too. Bryant says that you should apologize when you wake up when you feel up to it.”

I nod and shake my head. “Of course I should apologize. I probably hurt her. I’ll see her right away and beg for her forgiveness.”

Rising to my feet. Ela looks up at me and trots over to me and seizing my shoulders, she butts her head against mine with a nod. “For courage, Hana.”

Adjusting my skirts, I rush out from the back room into the main dining area and then outside to the verdana. Coming to a hurried stop in front of Asuseni, still facing off with Bryant, I bow low and lower myself to the ground, pressing my forehead to the flooring of the verdana.

“Don’t do that, Hana!” Bryant exclaims, bending down to haul me up and I stubbornly keep myself pressed on the ground, though it’s hard to do considering how much stronger he is.

“Oh my. You feel so badly that you’d grovel before me?” Asuseni says softly. “With such an expression of contrition, I can’t help but accept.”

Rising to my feet, I smile at Asuseni, grateful that she wasn’t harmed. “I’m glad that you’re alright. My fainting spells come and go without warning. Even so, I don’t think…”

“Nonsense.” Asuseni says with a grandiose manner. “It’s water under the bridge. We’ve agreed that you’ll serve me while I’m here. Obviously, having you serve me in my home poses a grave danger to my person. You won’t be allowed to hold any sharp objects while fetching me things, understood?”

With a sigh, I nod acceptance. “Very well, but I won’t go beyond my set hours.”

“And you’d be personally paying for her overtime wages if you ever asked her to, assuming she agreed,” Bryant adds with a smile.

“Understood.” Asuseni graciously nods, looking at me with a smile, although there’s a glint of something approaching malice hidden in her eyes.

Asuseni doesn’t demand my attention for the rest of the day, seemingly happy to watch me scurrying around while I fill the orders of the rest of the various customers.

Everything goes very well, except for the occasional bursts of wind from the doors as they’re opened by the customers, blowing up my skirt and showing off my panties to anyone watching. I get so haggard and wary of peeping eyes, seeing them everywhere, men hoping for another peek at my underwear any time the door opens. I become so anxious that I keep an eye on the doors, inevitably starting to make mistakes with the orders I take. 

Sitting would be a nice solution to the problem of keeping my skirt down, but waitresses aren’t allowed to sit while taking orders.

When my shift is over, I’m wild-eyed. 

Asuseni couldn’t have done it, right? No… it‘s probably just been a windy day. I’d believe that if it weren’t for a fact that no one else’s skirts flew up like mine.

Walking home with Ela, I look over my shoulder to make sure ‘her ladyship’ isn’t stalking me. After a long walk, we reach the proper street and enter the yard of Bret’s home and we slip into our typical patterns for the evening. With one exception to the rule, Bret at some point today set up some strange straw-filled dummies in the yard.

Eyeing the summies with suspicion, I push my way through the door inside, seeing Bret rise from crouching in front of the hearth. A cheery fire crackles behind him. He looks at me with a chuckle, knuckling his back.

“My back’s a mite out tonight. I arranged some dummies for you to practice on. I’d like you to practice horizontal and vertical slashes as well as stabs to get the basics downpat. One hundred per of each three should do it for your training today. Feel free to try anything else you can remember from our sparring sessions.”

My stomach feels like it’s going to drop through the floor. “Are you kidding? I’ll never gain strength smacking straw dolls all evening.”

Bret smiles wryly at me. “That’s true, but as inconsistent as your swordplay abilities tend to be, building strength is a thing that will take time and losing a day of training here and there won’t hurt. Anyway, knowing how you’d feel about losing a day, I went and set up those dummies for you. Beat ‘em around until you’re tired enough to get some sleep.”

Ela looks at me with sad eyes as Bret heads to his room and closes the door.

What’s gotten into him?

“I can try sparring with you, Hana… I don’t know how to use a sword, but…” Ela offers softly, moving to the closet where the practice swords rest.

“Don’t worry about it, Ela. If you want to make us something humble to eat, I’ll beat those strawmen silly. It’s something to do, at least.”

With a giggle, Ela brings a sword to me and passes it to me. “That’s what I like about you, Hana. You always look at the bright side of things. I have a hard time doing that.” Taking the sword from her, I give her a firm hug.

“Thanks, Ela,” I say warmly.

She blushes and smiles warmly at me, seeming to feel happier, herself.

I go outside and smack the strawmen around as I said, doing as Bret told me to do and while I’m at it, Jak perches himself on the wall as usual. He watches me thoughtfully as he munches on some bread. On one occasion, when my movements become more sluggish and tired, he laughs. He doesn’t offer any suggestions for how to do it better. As time passes, I start feeling like both him and ‘her ladyship’ see me as their private entertainment.

Grousing, I continue to beat the dummies on my own, sweating from every pore by the time the door opens with the sound of wood grating on stone and Ela calls me, “Hana, dinner’s ready! I warmed up a bucket of water in our room so you can wash up.”

“Got an extra portion?” Jak asks Ela with a broad grin and saunters across the yard past me to the door.

“I’ll have to ask Bret. He’s paying for our food.” Ela whinnies softly.

“I’m sure he won’t mind.” Ela watches uncertainly as he pushes into the house. This is the first time he’s asked to be invited to dinner since we came. Did he eat with Bret regularly before we showed up?

After entering the house myself, and hurrying to my room, I firmly close the door. Before changing into the baggy and cooler clothes that were scavenged off the villagers, I wash up. With some measure of relief, I settle down at the table and Ela sets a humble stew of fruit and vegetables in front of me with crusty bread.

Jak takes a big spoon of the stew for himself, his lips spreading in a satisfied grin. “This is a queenly repast, Ela,” he compliments the anxious horse-girl. She looks at Jak with startelement and blushes. “But without any meat on the table, it’ll be far harder for Hana to build up muscles.”

“Good point,” Bret says with a smile, entering the room, clutching his back. “But we don’t want to offend Ela.” He takes his typical chair, arching his back. He bends down over the bowl that Ela sets in front of him and takes a deep whiff. “It really does smell wonderful. You can do so much with so little, Ela.”

“What happened to you?” Jak asks Bret, wincing as he lifts his arm to take a bite of stew.

“Oh,” Bret laughs. “I had to knock some sense into some revelers at Barlyn’s tavern. One was so knockered out by his ale, he was making a huge fuss. I managed to throw him to the ground long enough to arrest him. He bucked like a wild horse.” Ela stares at Bret and he coughs loudly. “Ahem, he’s coolin’ his head in the cells right now.”

“Ah, a fighting injury.” Jak pushes his chair back and walks over to poke Bret’s forehead. “Lean forward, boy.”

Bret frowns, but does as Jak says. He leans onto the dinner table after pushing aside his half-filled bowl of stew. Jak probes his back with his fingers and suddenly jabs two fingers deeply into his spine.

“YAIIIIII!!!” Bret roars, leaping to his feet. “You old dodder! Do you like torturing people in pain?! Have you no shame? Do you like watching people suffer?!”

Untroubled by Bret’s reaction, Jak reseats himself and takes another spoon of his stew into his mouth.

I watch Jak wearing my suspicion on my face.

Jak shoves another bite of stew into his mouth, unconcerned about our staring. Even the peaceful and timid Ela glares at him.

After a moment, Jak chuckles, rubbing his hands together. “You’re all a mite too hostile.” He looks at Bret. “Tell me, my boy, does your back really still hurt? Takes a while for it to kick in after the initial pain.”

Bret blinks, frowning as he twists his torso left and right and shakes his head.

“No?” Jak laughs merrilly. I look at Ela uncertainly and back to Bret, tilting my head. “Thought as much. Let’s enjoy our meal, everyone.”

Gazing at Jake, I blink in shock. He cured Bret’s back pain with only a poke?

“It feels like I’ve rested for hours.” Bret rubs at his back and laughs ruefully. “It hurt like hell when you jabbed your fingers into me like that, Jak, but I do feel more limber.” He grins. “I’m sorry for accusing you.”

Jak nods noncommittally and turns his attention to Ela. “Young lady, I see how you’ve been supporting Hana and Bret with your cooking and you’ve been making yourself busy doing chores, aside from your work at the café, but did you put any thought into why Hana is training?”

Ela blinks, surprised to be spoken directly to. Her horse’s ears sprout and flick as she thinks.  “Um… she wants to be an adventurer. I don’t really get why, but I want to support her.”

“Hmmm… do you really?” He rubs at his beard with a smile. “Have you thought about what it means to become an adventurer?”

“Um… no… I don’t really know what they do.”

Bret laughs and speaks up, showing his admiration for the occupation, “They put their lives on the line for the common man.” Bret says with a grin. “They’re obliged to learn some magic, a fighting art that would pass muster. Once licensed, they face dangers outside this town, deep in the mountains and elsewhere. With a license, you can go almost anywhere.”

“Well put, boy.” Jak nods. “It means putting yourself in danger to protect people, completing tough jobs for money rewards, and such. That means that if you intend to follow Hana into danger, you’ll be a burden to her as you currently are.”

Ela’s jaw drops and her eyes become dewy. She looks down into her bowl and a tear falls into her stew. “I—I’m sorry… I thought I could help her, given my natural abilities, but…”

“Girl.” Jak interrupts Ela’s sobbing with gently spoken words, “Have you not thought of learning a fighting art yourself?”

Ela blinks in shock and disgust. “I… I don’t like the idea of…”

Jak gently overrides Ela as she sinks into herself. “If you do learn how to fight, you can become her valuable companion.”

“Jak… don’t!” I say, leaping up to my feet. Jak puts a hand up to silence me, his eyes still fixed on Ela’s miserable frame.

“....”

After a while, looking up at Jak, Ela’s lips writhe. “I—I can’t… I can’t harm things. I won’t kill.” Her eyes overflow with tears and she flees into our bedroom, closing the door behind her.

“Hmmmm…” Jak sighs, eyeing his stew. With a shrug, he returns his attention to finishing off his meal.

I offer Jak a smile, despite how I feel about how he pressured Ela. “You’re wise, Jak, but I don’t think she can do what you suggest.”

“...That’s up to you, young lady. Nothing motivates that young girl more than you.” Jak picks bits of fruit rind from between his teeth and takes a bite of the bread served with the stew. “Do you want to have to leave Ela behind to protect her?”

“... No.” My eyes narrow in hurt at the thought of leaving friends behind.

“Once you cross the threshold and become a true adventurer, you’ll have to consider the safety of your companions.” Jak says around a mouthful of stew. “As useful as her horse form should be to you, if she isn’t trained in combat, just a mere arrow, a spell, a trap could take her life and yours with her own. If she was a normal horse, perhaps this wouldn’t be a concern, but she’s a dear sweet child, not a mere horse.”

“... Jak…” I say around a tight throat. “What makes you think that she even wants to…”

“Ohohoho! She likes you a great deal. Even though her nature is gentle, I think her desire to aid you could catalyze real change inside her. With the right kind of convincing, I think she’ll realize it. If you manage to convince her to fight by your side, send her to me. I have a few tricks in my repertoire to offer, and one in particular will suit her most, given her nature and the traditions of her people.”

I nod thoughtfully, excusing myself to head into our room, seeing that Ela’s already in bed. She lay under the covers. Stripping off my baggy clothes, I climb into bed with her. She doesn’t move an inch, and given that she isn’t snoring lightly yet, I decide that she’s probably still awake. With a moment of thought, scootch close to her and wrap my arms around Ela. She sobs softly the moment I touch her, feeling my arms wind around her, squishing her to me. I blush all the while, but press my head against the back of hers, getting a whiff of her hair. She smells like grass as though she sets time aside each day to roll in it. She smells like nature itself.

“I’m sorry, Hana… I-I… I don’t think I can stay with you.” Ela moans softly. “Your path takes you a dangerous way, away from me. It would be best for me if we could just live freely in the wild together, not bothering with humans.”

“I can’t do that, sweet Ela.” I say softly. “I can’t. I admit that I’m tempted to accept your dream. It would be all too easy, running away, but the easy path isn’t the right one this time. I want to do what I can to make things better here.”

“...” She doesn’t say anything for a long moment and I remain quiet, pressed against Ela, holding her soft body in my arms.

“...You want to kill and fight things to make things better? I mean… it doesn’t make sense to me.” Ela asks softly, sniffling.

“Yes… sometimes it’s necessary to hurt others. If it’s monsters, we’re putting them out of their misery. I won’t be happy taking a life, you know. I know how grave that is…”

“Are you sure you’ll always stay the way you are today? You’ll keep your soft heart?” Ela asks me, turning and looking into my eyes with liquid eyes. Her cheeks are flushed and she quivers.

“My gentle Ela,” I say gently, letting go of her to stroke her head between her pointy ears. “You don’t need to worry about anything tonight. Just sleep on it. But no matter, I want you by my side, if that’s what you want.” I rub my forehead against hers. She gives a soft little whinny as we share each other’s body heat as we drift off to sleep together.