“Before we start,” Anwen said, holding two brushes standing in front of Esperance’s pen. She changed from her brown tunic into a cloak which covered her hair and a pair of rubber boots. “I’d like to apologize for my behavior last night. It wasn’t like me at all.”
“R-Really?” Stefan wondered. “Do you mean it?”
“Yeah. It feels wrong to hurt someone you don’t even know. I started feeling bad…”
The girl covered her mouth with her arm, insultingly trying to ‘hide’ her giggling.
“…ha, nope! You think I’d be sorry for defending my dignity? You should be ashamed for even thinking that! Your head is so far up your ass that you don’t think to apologize first when we both know you started all this!”
Stefan’s head hung low, the words of the girl cutting him like a blade.
“I guess I expected too much.” Stefan sighed.
“As you should! I only said that because Gareth wouldn’t be upset at me for saying nothing. You know, the way Gareth talks about this Kallista Laine lady, you’d think you’d act like her, but nope! You’re just an asshole.”
“I’m sorry, okay? I—I guess that being in this new weird place stressed me a bit. B-But that’s no excuse for my actions. I hope you can look pass this.”
Anwen smirked, having finally cemented her spot as the victor among the two children.
“I’ll be right back. Stay put.” She ordered.
Stefan had no choice but to obey, since he was the loser. He looked at the black stallion who was minding his own business, munching on hay left in a corner.
“Esperance, do you have to deal with her? I hope she doesn’t behave that way with you too. Oh, what am I even saying? You’re way better than I am.”
Less than a minute later, Anwen returned with a garment in her hands.
“I got you a shirt,” she presented it to Stefan. “It’s one of Gareth’s that he used to wear years ago. It’s still a little too big but it won’t be a huge issue.”
“Finally!” Stefan exclaimed. “You know how weird it is to walk around without a shirt in front of people you don’t know? Thanks, Anwen.”
“Oh, I’m not giving it to be nice to you. This is dirty work. I’d rather not have to scrub horse shit out of the pores of your back in the shower, especially with your arm being like that and all. Once our job’s done, you’re going to give that back to me. Got it?”
“Aye-aye, captain.” Stefan groaned.
“Put those boots on before you step in here. You don’t want your shoes anywhere near that stuff.” Anwen pointed out.
Stefan nodded and switched out of his shoes to the rubber boots laid out in front of the pen. The two entered the enclosure as Esperance perked his head up from eating and stood still, as if he was trained to do so.
“I hope you’ve at least seen a horse before.” Anwen said as she used one of the brushes to gently push off the dirt starting from Esperance’s face.
“I have. Can’t say I’ve taken care of one, though.” Stefan shrugged, carefully observing Anwen moving her brush along Esperance’s silky mane and attempting to repeat her movement on his back.
“You don’t have horses where you’re from?” Anwen asked.
“Nope. We usually travel on foot in Derban. When we head outside the settlement to forage or trade, we use sled dogs.” Stefan said.
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“Interesting. Are they cute?” Anwen asked.
“Uhm… I guess so.” Stefan shrugged. He had only thought of dogs as a mode of transportation, so he didn’t know how to appraise their appearance.
“Are they really? I’d love to see them if we ever go up north, one day. Esperance is an adorable boy, but when he’s the only animal you see all day, it gets repetitive.”
“I really hope I can go back soon,” Stefan said absentmindedly. “Joakim’s probably wondering where the hell I went.”
“Hey, watch it!” Anwen suddenly yelled, grabbing the wrist that controlled the hand Stefan used to brush Esperance.
“What’s wrong?” Stefan said as the touch from the girl caused him to flinch.
“That is a soft brush you’re using. We only use that kind for tails and manes. You use hard brushes on body fur. And you’re scrubbing way too hard, you’re pushing the dirt into his skin. You must sweep the dirt off, not rub it in.” Anwen explained.
“So that means you’re using the hard brush on his mane.” Stefan said, amused.
The expression on Anwen’s face indicated indignation, and she held the hard brush in front of Stefan.
“Switch.” She simply said.
‘She could at least thank me for reminding her.’ Stefan thought as he exchanged brushes with Anwen.
About 10 minutes later, the cleaning of the beast had finished. It was time to refresh his abode.
“You rake out the straw on the ground, I’ll put new straw in.” Anwen instructed. She waited outside as Stefan pulled the waste-laden straw away with the tool. He struggled to keep the collar of Gareth’s long shirt above his nose and mouth, doing all he could to keep the disgusting fumes out of his system. Anwen could do nothing but laugh as she watched the poor boy suffer.
‘It’s like she enjoys torturing me.’ Stefan thought.
His job ended soon after, and it was Anwen’s turn to finish their work. He gritted his teeth as he saw her gracefully spreading the straw around the pen with no issue at all. It made him mad that although she had to be desensitized to the smell, she still made him do the tougher part of the job.
“Gareth better make us something good to compensate me for this.” Stefan groaned in annoyance.
“I’ve eaten his food for the past 10 years,” Anwen shrugged. “I don’t complain.”
“Hold on…” Stefan furrowed his brow. “10 years? You’ve lived here that long?”
“Mhm.” Anwen confirmed.
“Oh brother,” Stefan said, palming his face. “I better die before I even stay anywhere near that long in this place.”
“It is what it is.” Anwen said, neither agreeing with nor disagreeing with him.
“Wait, so… if you’re my age, and you’ve lived here for a whole decade… Gareth basically raised you, then. Shouldn’t you be calling him dad or something?”
“He’s always been Gareth to me. It might seem strange to someone like you who grew up in a more normal environment, but that’s how things go down here. Damn it… I don’t even know why I’m telling you this.” Anwen said, making it clear her disinterest in the topic.
“Speaking of family… how does he know about my mum and uncle? Do they all know each other?”
“If I had to guess, yeah. He never talks about them to me directly, but… keep this between us.”
“Alright.” Stefan said.
“Well… sometimes, he talks in his sleep, and I always hear it. He says all these random names, like Ms. Laine, Ruben Holt, Andria, Hallstein, Rhona… I even hear my own name, too.”
“That is crazy,” Stefan said in surprise. “He doesn’t seem like the type of man to do that.”
“Doesn’t concern me, to be honest.” Anwen admitted. “It doesn’t make sense to investigate someone for something they can’t control. Also…”
She held out her hand, expecting something to be placed in it.
“Right.” Stefan said. He pulled the shirt off his back and gave it to Anwen, who quickly took it back.
“Thank you. Now, let’s go make the table. Gareth must’ve started cooking already.”
“Aw, man.” Stefan complained.
“Freeloaders get nothing!” Anwen exclaimed. She grabbed Stefan’s wrist and dragged him along to the dining room. “You better get used to this. We do Esperance stuff every other day, and dining table stuff three times a day. It’s our routine.”
A few hours after a simple yet delicious meal, which was contrary to Stefan’s expectations, the three human residents of the base gathered in the library. Stefan was sitting in a wooden chair with arms. Gareth and Anwen tied his arms and legs down tightly, which caused him discomfort. On top of that, all he wore was a pair of pants.
“Is all of this necessary?” Stefan asked nervously.
“For the Initiation to go by fast, we need as few obstructions as possible. That includes clothing, but for obvious reasons you’re wearing pants. You will also be tempted to thrash around, which is why you’ve been tied down. I understand that this is embarrassing, but it’s necessary. You will want this to go by fast.”
Gareth held out both of his hands, each containing a single shard of Utrium. This was it. Even if Stefan was able to, he couldn’t turn back now. Stefan gulped, not understanding what he had gotten himself into. But this was it. This was the Initiation that would allow him to slay the Titanians and return to Derban.
“This is how you will begin to thank me for getting you out of that forest.” Gareth said, approaching Stefan.