Rudeus strolled alone through the village, his mind wandering to the events of last night:

Friesia, the silver haired girl, showed them to the guest house, where a change of clothes had been left for them. She left while they changed, and soon returned with an amazing feast! Dairy must've been the staple here, because the stew came with a dollop of the best sour cream Rudeus had ever tasted, the buttered bread was even more flavorful than what they served at the palace, and, to top it all off, the cheesecake dessert was as rich and creamy as it possibly could be.

Rudeus stepped over a trail of rocks that led over a creek, playing hopscotch on each one until he made it to the other side. His mind, with nothing else to think about, wandered back to that question: What is the most important quality for a leader? He felt a bit ashamed that he hadn't considered this question sooner. Damn, he should've been able to answer right away! After all, he would be the one to rule the Aurelios Kingdom someday.

Rudeus wandered off into the rolling hills of clover. Things were so peaceful here, though always a little dim. Last night, Friesia explained that magic was responsible for regulating the light levels and feeding the crops, so there was no day or night. People here did things on their own time. He wondered where she had gone off too. Remembering her face made him a little bit giddy.

Rudeus wandered up a hill, and found himself face to face with a shaggy cow! They stared eye to eye for a moment, and then the cow burped in his face, causing him to hurry to the side with his fingers pinching his nose. A green horned, green haired, green eyed villager was there, brushing the luscious locks of the cow. Her horns were about the size of his pinkies, and she had a stern expression upon her face. He shrunk back a little as she looked over at him.

She offered her brush to him. “Want to try?”

Rudeus hesitated for a moment, but despite her stern expression, she was patient as she waited for his reply. After a moment, he accepted the offer: “Sure…”

He took the brush, and started at an odd angle. The green horned villager shook her head no, put her hand over his, and guided it in a straight and confident motion.

She explained: “You must follow the direction of the hairs. Do not rush things, but act strongly. If it takes a whole day to brush a single cow, so be it.”

After a moment, she released his hand, and he continued brushing on his own, confidently following the direction of the hairs. He asked: “If it takes a whole day to brush a cow, how do you brush them all? Surely some cows would get neglected, wouldn't they?”

She shook her head no. “One villager can care for two cows, and not all the villagers take on that task. We must only take the responsibility we can handle. This is reflected in the quality of the dairy, which increases the quantity of the food, which causes us to care more for our cows. It is a healthy cycle.”

Rudeus spent quite some time brushing the cow. It was a simple and meditative process, and besides, the cow was soft and gentle. When he was done, he gave the brush back to the villager, and bowed his head politely. He had a newfound respect for the way people lived here.

“Thank you.”

The villager nodded. “Of course.”

Rudeus continued his exploration over the rolling hills, his mind calm and clear. After another while of wandering he came across a vegetable patch, where Gnobby was picking weeds. Gnobby looked up at him, and gave a wave: “Lo there! Come give me a hand, will ya?”

“Sure.” With nothing better to do, Rudeus walked his way over and began weeding. Weaving his way around carrots, cabbages, beets, potatoes, savory sage, rosemary, and thyme, he was a ruthless plucker of that which didn't belong in the garden. However, if Rudeus was fast, Gnobby was faster; His hands were a blur, and a pile of weeds stacked up behind them even as he watched, like a dog digging a hole.

Rudeus asked: “Woah, how'd you get so good at that!?”

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Gnobby looked up even while his hands kept working. “Us gnomes are natural caretakers. Natural tricksters too, according to th’ chief. That's why she's working me dry over here.”

Rudeus remembered something about a debt. “You borrowed something?”

“Heh. You could say that. An entire wheel of cheese. I kept it safe and sound in me belly! I woulda returned it if she asked… Well, one way or another.”

Rudeus laughed as he continued his work. Soon, he came across an absolutely massive weed that was so big, he couldn't pull it up! Gnobby spotted his struggle, and came over to help.

“Ye gotta be careful with th’ big ones. Best deal with them before they get too big, but when they do, ye gotta dig around the roots and pull it all up. Else, it'll just grow back, and yer efforts’ll be for nothing.”

Rudeus watched as they carefully pulled the soil away, slipping their fingers between the roots, and pulled the whole weed up slowly. It seemed like ultra slow motion after their previous speed, but it was important to be thorough when dealing with an issue this big.

With the whole thing out of the ground, Gnobby hefted it up with a lopsided grin, as if it were the biggest fish they had ever caught. It was practically as tall as they were!

After Gnobby was finished admiring the weed, he made another request: “Be a lad and go cast this in the river, will ya? Feed th’ fishes and whatnot.”

Rudeus nodded and took the weed. It really was massive. Gnobby pointed him in the right direction, and, hefting the weed over his shoulder, he went to go complete his task.

Soon, Rudeus arrived at the lazy river, and threw in the weed with a great Sploosh! With nothing better to do, he began skipping rocks across the surface of the water. When he got bored of that, he sat and watched the water flow. After some time, he saw something shimmering, flowing down the river, and disappearing from view. After a little while longer, he saw another one of these things.

His curiosity got the best of him, and he worked his way up the river to find the source of the strange things, and perhaps to figure out what they were. It didn't take long for him to stumble across his answer:

It was Friesia, crouched by the river with something in her hands. Her silver hair was tied in a neat bun, exposing the tiny little bumps in the corners of her forehead. They couldn't exactly be called horns, they were too small for that, but she definitely wasn't what Rudeus would consider a normal human.

“Hey…” Rudeus started.

Friesia looked over at him. And then, she looked away, using her hands to cover the corners of her forehead with a blush on her cheeks.

“Why are you acting so embarrassed? I think they're quite pretty.”

Friesia blushed even harder. She turned her back to him, taking a moment to let down her hair, covering her horns. Then, she wordlessly looked back at him.

“Uhm… I saw some shiny things in the river, and was curious about what they were. Do you know anything about that?”

She gave a little nod.

Silence.

“Okay, uh, can you please tell me?”

She thought for a long moment. And then she whispered, just loud enough to hear: “Come. Sit.”

Feeling just a little like a dog, Rudeus obediently obeyed, sitting beside her.

“Watch.” She whispered.

Cupping her hands together, a cloud of frost began to form. It swirled around like a blizzard, droplets of moisture crystallizing and collecting together. Frost grew as naturally and slowly as a plant; Soon, a lotus flower bloomed. It was beautiful in its fragility, petals as thin as a knife’s edge, catching and reflecting the dim ethereal light.

She held it up for Rudeus to see.

“Woah! That's amazing!”

She smiled sadly as she sent it off down the river. Rudeus sat there with her, and watched it flow away.

“Why did you send it away? I would've kept it if you didn't want it!”

She whispered: “These things are temporary. They are fun to create, but quickly melt away when not maintained with magic power.”

She picked herself up, and brushed herself off. Looking him in the eyes, she whispered: “I am off to see my mother. Are you ready to give her your answer?”

Rudeus blinked, stunned by the silver of her irises: “Uhm… Uhh… Yeah…”

“Follow me.”