Melody was about to shut the door, but the girl looked so immensely crestfallen by the rejection, that she couldn't help but relent. She invited Risa inside for some tea and biscuits.

"It's peach blossom tea," signed Melody. "I have apple jam if you'd like some."

Risa took off her boots to reveal green feet with neatly trimmed toenails. For some reason, Melody had expected gruesome talons, and she realized storybooks weren't to be relied on. Apart from size and skin tone and ear shape, Goblins weren't really that different from humans. Risa stood wistfully by the door, holding her boots defensively, as though she'd never been invited into someone's home before and didn't know what to do. She kept glancing around the small living room, eyeing the small circular table by the sunlit window, the view of the orchard, the little woodstove, and the basin where Melody washed her fruit. There were shelves stocked with red honey and various kinds of jam and even some dried fruit, and Melody knew it smelled inviting. She found herself hoping the goblin liked her home.

"You can have a seat," signed Melody, motioning toward the table where two chairs waited. She paused to wonder if anyone had ever welcomed a goblin inside like this. Could there be trouble? But she decided it was alright. She'd always been rather good at reading body language, and Risa was a good person. Melody was sure of it.

The girl lifted her hands, then shut her eyes and sighed, visibly lowering her shoulders. Her lips stretched into a tight smile, and she placed her fingertips to her chin as she motioned, "Thank you."

Risa left her boots outside and walked slowly through the living room, pausing to stare out the window before sliding a chair back. She was roughly half of Melody's height, so when she took off her hat and sat down, her feet dangled. She almost seemed like a little kid, except she was green, and her ears stuck out like little branches and, despite everything Melody had ever learned about goblins, she thought Risa looked beautiful sitting in the sunlight.

Once Melody brought the teacups over on a tray and set them down on the table, steam swirling with the scent of peaches, as well as a dish of biscuits and a jar of apple jam, she sat down and studied the goblin who stared worriedly at the meal. Melody recognized that worry; it was her own distaste for too much food. Risa must not be used to eating regularly, and something in Melody's chest tightened.

Risa had large expressive eyes, vividly green, as though they were precious gems. And her skin was an even deeper shade of green that reminded Melody of the leaves from her garden. Risa had her long dark hair swept behind both ears so that it all went down her back, but it framed her face nicely. Melody once kept her hair like that too, but now that it was gray and thin, it was much easier to tie it back and keep it out of the way.

"Are you alright?" signed Melody when Risa had not touched her food.

"Yes," signed Risa, making a green fist and bobbing it up and down. But she shut her eyes and bowed her head so that some of her hair fell forward to hide her face. Then she swept it all back behind her ears, opened her eyes, and started to sign frantically, as though she just couldn't contain herself anymore. "Please reconsider. Your honey is so treasured by so many, many people, and the few jars I manage to buy from your village always sell so much! Everyone loves it! We can make so much gold together."

Melody motioned toward the tea, and once they'd both had a sip, she folded her hands, trying to collect her thoughts. The taste of peach blossoms filled her mouth. A flower floated in both their cups, it was sweet and soothing, and she'd even mixed in a spoonful of her honey. That added a slight thickness to the sweetness, giving the taste some weight, some form... some affection. She tried to calm her racing mind, but she was touched that Risa had bothered to learn fingerspeak. It wasn't easy, and to speak it so fluently, to be so quick. Am I happy because I have someone to talk to or am I happy because she's so pretty? But Risa's argument wouldn't work; Melody didn't care about gold. She flicked her fingers away from her nose as she signed, "I don't care about gold."

Risa's jaw dropped. Her eyes grew even larger, even brighter, and when she blinked, it was so dramatic that Melody almost laughed. Then Risa shook her head like she couldn't believe that, her pointed ears flopping. "But gold is the most important thing."

"I don't really like it," signed Melody. She didn't want to say she was greedy, in case that was insulting or offensive to goblins, but she always hated the concept of money. She was glad that her honey and her fruits got her everything she needed, and she'd had enough to help people, giving away silver and gold to people whose homes needed repair or mothers who needed coin to feed their children. Despite that, she had more than enough gold saved, more than she could ever spend with the time she had left. She was old now, old and feeble and tired, and the world had left her behind. But she was comfortable. She was satisfied.

Taking another sip of tea and biting into a biscuit, Risa screwed up her face like she was thinking very hard. Then as she chewed, she signed, "I don't like gold either. I hate what it does to people. But we need it, don't we? I need it. My children need it. My family. Everyone. Isn't that why we work so hard? More gold? So we can be safe?"

Melody couldn't argue with that. And the girl had children? A family to take care of? She licked the gaps in her teeth, running her tongue against the edges. Then she sipped more tea and reached with a shaky hand for a biscuit. Apple jam always cheered her up. She wasn't sure why she felt so sad.

"Can I call you 'Granny,' by the way? I heard the others call you that. Everyone says you are so kind. Even the bees!" Risa's fingers moved so quickly, they were nearly a green blur, and Melody was afraid to blink. She might miss a word. "Are you offended I suggested Granny's and Goblin's? We can call it just Granny's. But I didn't mean to call you old or anything like that. I'm sorry. I have a bad habit of getting too excited and I was so happy to finally meet you."

When she finally stopped signing, Melody saw that Risa's fingernails were not as neat as her toenails. These had been chewed down to dark, garbled nubs. Was that a nervous habit? It must've been; Melody had done the same when she was young, waiting for her father to come home, waiting to smell the drink on him before he opened the door. She couldn't help but feel Risa's anxiety. The girl was so earnest and energetic, but buried under all that, buried in the way she paused sometimes to catch her breath, and the way her eyes wavered and glanced to the side, there was a deep, rippling sadness. It reminded Melody of her mother. Of how she'd felt after her mother passed. And how she'd felt all her life. Alone. Wanting to be loved. Wishing to connect to the world like everyone else.

"Tell me about your children," signed Melody. Children was one of her favorite words. Its sign was patting the air in front of her, as though she were patting the heads of several invisible children. As though she were showing affection to the children she never had.

The question must've caught Risa off guard because she paused and blinked. She'd taken a deep breath as though she'd been ready to start another flurry of fingerspeak. Her lips twitched with the promise of a small smile as she mouthed and signed, "I have two boys. Innis and Lars. Innis is almost four. And Lars is still a babe. They're sweet little buckets but..." She shook her head, her mouth opened wide so that Melody could've counted every tooth - she must've been laughing. Her shoulders shook. "Innis is fiercely protective so if anyone but me or his uncle or auntie gets near Lars, he's ready to fight. Poor little bugger. Wants to be a Hero when he grows up."

Her face darkened at the word hero. Her hands shook; she'd held that for a second too long - the sign was the motion for bravery, two fists moving forward from the shoulders, followed by the sign for person. Risa quickly scarfed down another biscuit, before continuing. She went on and on about her children, and how curious they were, and the things they loved to eat. "I can trick them into eating anything," she signed with a sly smile. "As long as a drop of your honey is on it."

Melody liked hearing about the children. Some part of her had always wanted them, and she'd often daydreamed what that might've been like, to have children of her own. Surely, she would've had grandchildren by now, but she'd always dreaded not hearing her child cry, especially in an emergency. Never hearing them laugh. Never hearing them call for her. And what she dreaded most of all was giving birth to a child who also couldn't hear a thing. She wasn't sure if she could be strong enough; she was afraid.

The grocer's eldest son, whom she could've married all those years ago, who'd always been so shy and polite to her, had settled down with another girl from the village. His siblings left to work in bigger towns, but he stayed behind to look after the shop and raise his family. He'd had so many kids. They'd all be rolling around whenever Melody visited with her basket of honey and wagon of fruit. She'd always appreciated how the grocer's son learned a few words of fingerspeak. He'd taught his children as well, though it was only the niceties. But they grew up calling her Aunt Melody, and then later Granny, and then everyone in the village knew her only as Granny.

He'd passed away a few years ago, and Melody had forgotten his name, but his eldest daughter now ran the shop, and she was Melody's insight into the rest of the world. They spoke mostly through writing, through infrequent letters sent by post or in person, scribbling messages on a notepad. Some of her siblings had become Heroes - a warrior, an archer, and a healer - and others worked in King's Hovel as builders or businessmen. She'd remained behind to look after the grocery, and she was a sweet young woman who now had a few children of her own.

It was through that family that Melody fantasized about what her life might've been. Married and settled, with children and grandchildren, all off in the world doing their own thing. Would she have been happy? What would've happened to her bees? What will happen to them once she died? Perhaps they'd all leave, and the trees would stop flowering, and someone would cut everything down for firewood. The orchard would vanish, just as the village was fading away, everything swallowed up by the woods. Everything a memory.

Maybe if she'd had children of her own. Maybe if she hadn't been so selfish and withholding with her life. So afraid to be alive.

Sighing, she watched Risa's eyes, her moving lips. How green those lips were. A darker shade than the rest of her face. Her long slender fingers curving and moving to form shapes, words. Those chewed-up fingernails. Risa had a brother by the name of Garo, and he had a wife called Sylla. They didn't have any children, so they were always happy to look after Risa's. And that was how she was able to start her mushroom stand.

"I have a good nose, see." She pointed at her little green nose. "All goblins do, but mine is the best. I can find all the good mushrooms, and everyone buys them. And slowly I added new things. Roots. Nuts. Herbs. And my stand got really big!" She stretched out her arms to display the size. "Sylla and Garo help me now. Garo quit his job in the coal mines - that was dirty, horrible work that was no good for his lungs, and no good for anyone. And we're all happier now."

"So why do you want my honey?" asked Melody. It sounded like Risa had built a great life for her family. Her stand was doing well. She'd overcome so much.

Risa straightened her shoulders. She grabbed one ear and twisted it, as though she was trying to wring out a towel. Then she opened her mouth and spoke before remembering. She sheepishly raised her hands. "I want to be part of something amazing. I want to do something amazing. Your honey is... magical. The taste is unlike any other honey I've ever had, and everyone I've sold it to always comes back to ask for more. Even though I'm a goblin. They come and talk to me. And ask me to get them more, and I never tell them where I found it. But do you see what that means? We can be bigger than all of them fancy humans and elves and their gold and their big houses." She paused and seemed shocked again, completely aghast. Her bottom lip trembled and she bit down to keep it still. Then, with shaking fingers, she apologized again. "I'm sorry, I forgot to ask. Do you even want to work with a goblin?"

Once again, Melody felt a fierce tug on her heart. Sadness. Pain. Hope. How many other people had Risa tried to work with only to be turned down? Her hands were so weathered and beaten; she wasn't trying to cheat anyone. She wasn't being greedy. She'd worked so hard all her life. For her children. For herself. And she was so proud of everything she'd accomplished. Her heart was in the right place, and she was smart. Cunning. Beautiful. She recognized that even the wealthy would come talk to her if she could provide something they wanted. She was trying to take advantage of that. Trying to overcome expectations. She was vying for change. She was strong. She was stronger than anyone Melody had ever known. Stronger than any of the Heroes she'd read about in her books.

A lump formed in Melody's throat trying to picture everything Risa and her family had gone through. How they would be treated in the inner kingdom. And yet that's where she was trying her best, surrounded by people, by humans and Heroes and everything. Melody reached out to take Risa's hand, and the girl flinched.

She flinched so violently, Melody was afraid she'd done something wrong. But then she understood. Risa had expected a slap - Melody knew that flinch. The expectation of pain. It was how she'd felt around her father.

Slowly, she reached forward again and placed her wrinkled, pale hand over Risa's. The goblin stared at it for a long minute before lifting her face. Her eyes rippled like puddles in the rain. Snot glistened on her lips. She must've been crying, but Melody could only feel Risa's pain.

And maybe it was time. Long overdue, but maybe it was finally time to see the world, to try new things, and to work with someone wonderful. To have a friend.

With her free hand, Melody made a fist, a bony fragile fist, and bobbed it up and down. "Yes," she signed with a smile. "I would love to."

-.-- --- ..- / .- .-. . / ... --- / --. .-. . . -.

Their partnership began with a journey. Risa had a large wagon with two enormous water buffalo, their dark coats glistening sleek in the sunlight. They flared their nostrils and flicked their tail, but they seemed like mellow creatures, and Melody had met plenty before throughout the village, so she knew how to get them to like her. She fed them some carrots and scratched the fur right behind their horns, and within minutes, she'd won them over.

As Risa readied the wagon, moving aside boxes and things to make room for a guest, Melody went to say goodbye to her bees. She'd never left the village before, and her bees seemed to sense her restlessness. They came to nuzzle against her cheeks and her arms. Then Melody locked her door and jingled her keys to remind herself she had them with her and left. Not that anyone would try to break in - the bees would sting any intruder to death, as they've done to many a stray deer or rabbit that had come to feed on the orchard's plants - and she trusted everyone in the village.

Melody sat on the wagon beside Risa, whose feet didn't quite reach the footrest, and, with a tug on the ropes, the buffalo began to trot away. The journey through the kingdom was tiresome. Heavy rains from the day before had churned the roads into mud, and there were many carts and wagons and carriages struggling every which way. Everything became so foreign, so different from her sleepy village. Melody had never seen people who weren't like her. On the King's Road, there were royally dressed elves and muscular, enormous orcs, and angry, round-faced dwarves. Everyone seemed so busy, so determined to get to their destinations, and nobody seemed happy about the muddy roads.

But most everyone ignored her and Risa. They were just an old lady and a goblin; she supposed they didn't make much of an impression, but she didn't miss the dirty looks people shot Risa. The way noses curled. The way people shook their heads. Risa had her straw hat pulled down so low that it nearly completely covered her ears. Didn't that hurt? wondered Melody. To stuff her ears into the hat like that? At such an angle? Was there something wrong with her ears?

Elves had pointy ears too, though theirs were much smaller and less noticeable - very similar to human ears. And the dwarves had their round ears, little circles that stuck out of their heads. They seemed harmless and cute, but Melody thought Risa's was the most beautiful. So why did the goblin girl seem so ashamed of them? But she decided it wasn't her place to ask such questions, and instead focused on the rolling countryside, the numerous trees, and a small Elven village they passed through.

These villagers dressed very differently from the people in Melody's village: flowing, crimson garments. Teal and silver dresses. Everyone was so tall and so pretty, though none of them spared Risa a glance except for one who motioned for them to hurry along. A few glanced worriedly at Melody, but she didn't know what to make of that. They went through some woods, then over an old bridge to cross a very wide river. The sight took Melody's breath away, and the refreshing scent of rushing water, the feel of it in her lungs, was unlike anything she'd ever inhaled before.

As they drew nearer to King's Hovel, the central town of the kingdom, Melody noticed more goblins about. Risa wouldn't look at them; she kept her head straight, staring ahead, her hands on the reigns. Melody couldn't blame her. These goblins seemed to live on the roads. They were hunched over and missing teeth and wore dirty rags. And the smell. Melody held her breath; these goblins were ragged and foul. Most lay on the sides of the road with sacks of clothes and tin cups, begging for coins. A few came up to every cart or wagon that went by, shaking their cups, their faces pleading, their lips moving rapidly.

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Risa explained that most goblins couldn't purchase homes. They either lived in the wilds and grew feral and were hunted down, or they suffered here on the outskirts of King's Hovel.

"The King," she signed. "Issued a goblin tax to keep us out. Most homes cost two or three times as much as it would anyone else." With a tight smile, she explained how she'd opened her stand and struggled and worked very hard to buy a home. But she was one of the lucky ones.

Many goblins turned to the red-torch district to earn enough. And many more did the dirty work nobody else wanted to. "We're small, see? Even smaller than the dwarves. So in the mines, we can squeeze right into tight spaces and work better." Others simply gave up and tried their luck in the wilds, living in the woods and the forests, foraging off what they could find. "But not me," signed Risa passionately. "Not my children. They're going to have better lives. And their children will have even better."

Melody learned about Risa's late husband, Edgor. He'd been laboring in the mines with her brother until, one day, on their way home to the cave where they'd had to live at the time, some Heroes stopped them. It was a random check, they'd said. Then they accused Edgor of stealing food. In truth, Risa admitted tearfully, they had been stealing. Food cost too much with the Goblin Tax, and they weren't allowed to forage. Were they supposed to starve? They had young children and were struggling to make ends meet. "It was my fault," she signed, staring at her feet. Her husband was slain on the street. No arrest. No trial. No chance. All for a loaf of bread. He'd taken the blame so that Risa's brother, Garo, could get away.

"They don't treat us like other people folk," she signed slowly, pausing to rub her ears and make sure they were still tucked neatly into her hat. "We're just disgusting creatures to them. But look? I can talk. I can think. I can feel. What's the difference?"

Melody licked her lips, her hands twitching to respond, but she didn't know what to say. Risa fell into a gloom as the buffalo led them up another road, and neither of them spoke for a while. In the distance, she could see the towering wall of King's Hovel. Some called it the Great Wall, others the Great Defense, but what they were defending from, Melody didn't know. Dragons and monsters couldn't possibly be real, and she'd concluded the wall was a vanity project. Blue and decorated with flower patterns, it was a beautiful sight, but the area around King's Hovel was completely flat. As though all the trees that once stood here had been chopped down and used for their wood. But the road was so busy, so filled with commotion, she found it so conflicting to think of the space as empty.

There were so many, many people, and she hadn't even entered King's Hovel yet. What were all their lives like? She glanced at Risa, wondering about all the things she and her family had gone through. Melody wanted to know more. People were just like books, and she'd read all the books back home, and no one else she'd ever met had ever intrigued her like this. For the first time since her mother passed, Melody found herself caring for someone else. She asked Risa more questions about her life, if it was alright to ask.

"It wasn't always so bad," signed Risa. "For a while, we had a nice piece of land. A small house and a garden." She smiled when she signed the word garden - three motions of grow where her fingers looked like plants pushing out of the dirt, and then a circular motion for area. "That's why we wanted kids. Edgor had a good job at the mines, and I was good at growing mushrooms. We had a good life. But then some humans took a liking to our land. Said there were metals in the dirt. And since we were just goblins who couldn't read, who couldn't write, and had no use for such metals, they took it from us. We had a baby so we couldn't be out on the road, and Edgor found us a cave. He worked overtime at the mines." She rubbed a corner of her eyes and wiped away a tear.

Melody sniffed as well, wishing she could reach over and hold Risa's hand again.

But then Risa straightened her shoulders. "After that, I taught myself to read. I learned all the languages. I can swear in all of them! Common tongue. Elven. Dwarven. Well, I don't know any Centauran yet cause they won't really speak to me, but fingerspeak!" She paused, swallowing as she tried to stifle a naughty smile. Then she made a rude gesture with her fingers: she made a small circle with one hand and inserted a finger into it. Her face lit up with joy, and she broke down laughing, her legs kicking in the air, and Melody couldn't help but laugh too. But not too loudly. She hid her mouth with the back of her hand.

After a while, Melody signed, "I'm so happy to have someone to talk to again. It's been a long time."

Risa grinned. "I had to learn, didn't I? If I wanted to work with the best honey maker in all the lands." She leaned forward, eyes wide. "And I was so surprised! You didn't kick me out right away. Most old folk do. They don't even spare us a glance. Too dirty, they say. But you are nice, Mrs. Granny. And I promise, together, we will be amazing."

Shaking her head, Melody stifled another laugh. "My first name isn't Granny. Everyone just calls me that. My name is M-E-L-O-D-Y."

Risa's jaw dropped. Then she apologized three times. "Do you have a name sign?"

Melody shook her head.

And Risa twisted her lips, rubbing her chin as she stared off to the side of the road. Then, almost bouncing in her seat, she turned back to Melody. "Okay, so how about this?" She made a fluttering motion with her fingers, rising from her navel and moving outward from her chest, as though she were exhaling. "Because your name means song, and because I think you are so pretty and kind. Is that okay?"

Pretty and kind. Melody's heart swooned. She shut her eyes and nodded, unsure of what to do with the feelings emerging inside her weathered old heart, fluttering just as Risa's fingers had. Then she asked if Risa had a name sign.

"Nobody's ever given me one," she said sadly.

And Melody knew right away what to give her. She touched her fingers to her lips, as though she was picking something up, as though she might be blowing a kiss. She stretched out her fingers as she moved her hand away, miming a flower blooming from her face.

"Are you saying I talk too much?" signed Risa with a sly look. Then she burst into another fit of laughter. "I love it. Thank you, Melody." And when she signed Melody's name again, with her new name sign, Melody found herself blushing.

That seemed to have cheered Risa up, because she started to fingerspeak quickly again, pausing only to guide her buffalo around traffic as they neared the entrance gate. Each curve of her fingers made Melody's heart skip, and the girl could talk so much! Enough for both of them. Melody loved to watch; Risa was more beautiful than the forests and the river and the sky.

She watched Risa's face move as she mouthed every word; watched how her eyes blinked, and her cheeks rippled, and how her green tongue flicked against her teeth. The rise and fall of her shoulders and chest with every breath. Melody didn't think it was surprising at all that Risa picked up languages so easily. It seemed like all she ever wanted to do was communicate.

She described her wonderful stand, her loving family, and it was so evident how proud she was of herself for achieving so much despite everything stacked against her. And it hurt Melody to think about Risa losing her home to greedy humans. To be forced to live in a cave with young children, and then to lose her partner. That anguish... Melody shared a few things as well. She wanted Risa to know more of her. She signed about her mother. About her father who'd abandoned her, who was definitely dead by now. She spoke about the kind grocer and the boy she'd almost married all those years ago.

Risa was again surprised. "How could you not get married?" But Melody smiled and shook her head and tapped her earlobe.

To which Risa yanked off her straw hat, causing her ears to spring out, and, for the first time since her mother passed away, Melody laughed openly in front of someone else.

Risa started laughing too, her dark hair bouncing in the wind, and Melody's heart raced, terrified that Risa would find Melody's laugh revolting, that she was laughing at Melody's laugh, and that this would be the end of their blossoming friendship.

"You have a really pretty laugh," signed Risa.

Melody bit her lip. In that moment she recognized what was happening, why she'd agreed to come with the goblin girl. What she'd wanted for a long time: to be heard by someone. To have a friend. And she'd been afraid of losing this, still afraid of her laugh, even after so much time.

But this feeling was strange. It wasn't contentment. It wasn't the calm of her bees nor the gentle bliss of tasting honey. It was stronger even than the cozy warmth of a full belly before bedtime. This was something more, something she hadn't felt since that day, almost forty years ago, when her mother caught a fever. This was... happiness.

.. / -- .. ... ... / -.-- --- ..-

When did I get so old? wondered Melody as the buffalo led them through the massive ornate gates of King's Hovel. Sunlight shimmered up and down and across the flower patterns, and it was all so exquisite. She wondered how much it cost to build such gates, to erect the blue walls that enclosed the town. They seemed to stretch right up into the sky.

Her breath caught in her throat; she'd thought the King's Road had been busy, but the town was even more alive. Everywhere she looked, there were people and carts, almost all on top of one another. Buildings rose hundreds of feet tall; did everyone live in towers? Everything was so tightly packed together. How did anyone have any space to breathe?

She saw several groceries and bakeries and butcher shops and blacksmiths. Smoke and scents filled the air. Some of it was good, the aroma of cooking and spices, but much of it carried the stink of molten metal or burning waste.

"Try not to breathe too much," signed Risa.

The town was split into organized blocks, each one lined with various shops. Above the shops, grew the buildings like trees with rows upon rows of glass windows. Melody thought she could spot people moving beyond them, and she marveled at how different life was in King's Hovel. Each building must house hundreds of people. Her entire village could probably fit in one.

And everyone seemed to be angry. Angry or busy, she couldn't tell. They were all red in the face and moving, walking or riding horses or driving buffalo. It must all be deafening, she thought with a small, tired smile. She didn't think in all her years that she would see anything like this.

Beyond the gate, once Risa had shown some papers to the human guard who'd squinted suspiciously at her, there was a queue of wagons and carriages slowing them down. But Risa was still fidgeting nervously, adjusting and readjusting her grip on the reigns, her hat, her shirt.

"What's wrong?" signed Melody.

Risa shook her head. "I'm just hungry. But we're almost there. Then I'll show you my mushrooms."

Melody leaned back in her seat and fanned herself with one hand. It was so much hotter in town, and all the sights and smells were overwhelming. She shut her eyes and cut herself off from the world as their wagon jostled steadily down the busy street.

She must have dozed off, because, their wagon came to a sudden halt, and one of the buffalo stepped back and bumped into it, jostling Melody awake. Two guards in navy blue uniforms stood outside, one of them with their hands on the buffalo's side. He was a stocky human who didn't seem much taller than Melody, but he had a mean face, as though he'd bitten into a sour apple by accident and the expression had gotten stuck. The other was beautiful. A centaur, the first centaur Melody had ever seen up close. She marveled at his graceful form, his long, powerful legs. His body was slender, and the golden locks of hair on his head moved gently with the breeze. For a brief, curious instance, she wondered what it would be like to ride on his back, the way she'd seen Heroes come into town on horseback. But that thought vanished when the centaur's handsome face twisted into a nasty grin, and he pointed a spear at Risa.

"They're Heroes," signed Risa when she saw Melody's worried look. "They protect everyone." They said something to her, and her face fell.

But before Melody could ask what was wrong, Risa gingerly took off her hat and held her ears so they didn't spring out. The centaur reached forward and grabbed one of them, rubbing it between his fingers.

Melody froze, her heart stuck in her throat. The guards exchanged grins, and then the centaur patted Risa's head. Something cruel and twisted sparkled in his eyes, and he no longer seemed handsome to Melody. And when he placed a finger under Risa's chin to raise her face, Melody couldn't help but cry out.

Which turned his attention to her. He smiled and bowed slightly, trotting a step backward as he did so. His face contorted into a pleasant mask again, and when he spoke, she didn't care to know what he was saying. Risa motioned for her to nod, and that's what Melody did. That seemed to satisfy the Heroes.

Later, once they'd gotten further into King's Hovel, Risa explained that the Heroes had asked if Risa belonged to Melody.

As soon as she understood what Risa meant, Melody's head spun. The sun whirled across the sky, and all the bustle and business of the town melted into a mess of light - her stomach heaved. She hurried down from the moving wagon, nearly tripping and falling onto the road, ignoring all the people who stared. Risa stopped the buffalo and rushed over.

Melody had to retch. And what's what she did, doubled over on the side of the wagon as her stomach emptied. It felt as though her heart and her lungs would come up as well.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," signed Risa frantically, tears glistening on her cheeks. "This is my fault. I shouldn't have made you come all this way. I'm so sorry!"

Melody raised her hand. She waved it gently before wiping her lips. "I'm just an old woman," she signed. "I'll be fine. I wanted to come, remember? I wanted to meet your family."

Risa tugged a handkerchief out of her pocket and tiptoed to wipe the sweat off Melody's brow, which brought on even more glances and stares from the people around them. Risa seemed to shrink when she noticed, and she climbed back into the wagon and returned with a satchel of water.

.. / .-.. --- ...- . / -.-- --- ..-

The sun hung low in the sky by the time they reached the stand. Darkness spread slowly, but to Melody's astonishment, things were even busier on this side of King's Hovel.

"We're at the corner of the shopping hub" explained Risa. "Everyone comes here to buy things. Foods. Tools. Over there are clothes and household goods. And then down here -" She brought the buffalo to rest with a tug on the ropes.

At the end of a row of shops and stands, selling everything from salt to spices to dried meats, there was a large wooden stand that had been shabbily hammered together. On the front, someone, presumably Risa, had painted the word SCRUMPTIOUS in neat letters.

Melody thought that was rather fitting. It looked worn down, but it reminded her of home. It looked lived in. Well-loved. It was larger than the wagon, and there were baskets of plants, fruits, and potatoes on display. There was a big flat tray of white mushrooms, and two goblin faces, wide-eyed and worried and wearing hats, stared out from behind. They must be Risa's brother and sister-in-law.

"What do you think?" signed Risa once she'd jumped down from the wagon. She beamed up at Melody. "We have the freshest ingredients. Straight from the land! Just no meat."

She helped Melody down and then walked behind the stand where there was a little wooden carriage containing a bundled-up baby. Standing nearby was a small goblin boy with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. He had slick black hair swept neatly to one side and a button-down shirt tucked into a pair of shorts. As Melody approached, he grabbed a hat and stuffed his ears into them.

Once Risa explained who Melody was, the two adults relaxed right away. The brother, Garo, wore a faded linen shirt and was chewing on a piece of straw. A gruesome scar went up one of his cheeks and gave him a fearsome appearance, but he shook Melody's hand warmly. His smile was genuine. His wife, Sylla, who covered her ears and hair with a red bandana, offered Melody a bouquet of red and brown mushrooms as well as a dish of cooked rice. Melody accepted it graciously as Risa had explained beforehand that refusing a gift of food was extremely rude to goblins.

They chattered excitedly and took Melody's hand to lead her over to the one chair they had behind the stand. Risa translated as quickly as she could, but Melody didn't need to know what they were saying to see how much love they had for one another. They were good people, and she trusted them. They kept motioning for her to eat, and she did so with a smile, signing back how delicious it was. They'd sprinkled some dried herbs over the rice, and there were chunks of potato and carrots inside, and the weariness from the long journey faded from her tired limbs.

As she ate, customers rushed up to the stand, and the day's business resumed. The shopping hub was a large square full of people with shops on each side, and behind them were small structures like storage spaces or public restrooms or statues. The hub seemed like the flattest place in King's Hovel and all around it, the buildings rose like mountains. There was even a small area of grass with benches where people relaxed, and children ran around. Risa called it a park.

But behind the Scrumptious stand was a shabby home. It looked like a large box, and it must've once been a storage container, but Risa and her family had converted it into shelter. It wasn't large, and it looked even shabbier than the stand, but Melody was glad they didn't have to live in a cave. A part of it was still used as storage, as Garo and Sylla went back and forth from the stand repeatedly, bringing out more baskets of things to sell.

And the number of customers coming up to the stand! Every single one of them did a double take when they spotted her sitting with the goblins. A few frowned or tried to speak to her, but she smiled and waved them off. Risa told her they were asking if she was alright, if she needed any help. Risa looked so bashful translating these questions, as though she was afraid of the answer, that Melody almost laughed again. Which made Risa laugh and she added, "They think we're saving you for dinner." She shook her head but then signed, "Don't worry. We don't actually eat meat. See?" She hooked fingers into the sides of her mouth and stretched her cheeks out to reveal her teeth. They were all flat.

Melody wanted to give Risa a hug. She thought about all the stories she'd read of goblins stealing babies in the night. Hunting down lone travelers, swarming them in packs. Infestations. Monsters of the wilderness. But looking at Risa and her family who celebrated every customer, welcomed them with love and kindness despite the milquetoast responses, or even getting ignored or talked down at - a few just barked orders at them and tossed the coin behind the stand - it seemed to Melody that these well-dressed people were more monstrous than the goblins. How could people tell such lies? How could anyone treat someone else in such a disgusting manner?

Then she remembered the Waggle Dance Fever and how many of her villagers had died alone, kicked out onto the road or having to run away to the woods or be burnt alive. People had been so afraid. She shook her head, feeling the weight of all her years and how distant her childhood nightmares had been, and how distant her mother's love had become. She was half a day's travel from home, in the heart of the kingdom, happy to be with a goblin family.

She watched Risa greet every customer, and how excited she was each time despite their visible disdain. But some of the elves and several dwarves and one centaur reacted with surprise. Their grim expressions turned into smiles once Risa got them talking. Risa explained later that she switched to their native tongues, which was a rarity in King's Hovel where most people were expected to learn and speak Common. But Risa loved switching between languages. "The more I switch, the faster I learn!" And there were even a few customers who relied on fingerspeak.

Melody had never met another deaf person before, and she was astonished when they greeted her after Risa introduced them. There were other humans, a few elves, and even one orc. Some even had children with them, and they were all so happy to see that Risa knew their language. Melody remembered the pain of having to point and gesture and thought about how wonderful it was that Risa made such efforts for others.

She reached out to touch Risa's hand, and the goblin girl turned around to ask if she needed anything.

Why are people always asking if I need something? wondered Melody. But then a thought bubbled to the forefront of her mind, a thought she'd never expected to have. I need you, she wanted to tell Risa. And, in the confusion of flustered feelings, as heat rose to her face and she blushed, she forgot how to sign for a moment. I'm too old to be having such thoughts.

She took a breath to compose herself and signed, "Let's become partners. I'd love to work with you."

Risa's eyes went comically wide again, and wider still. For Melody it felt as though her heart was expanding with them. And when Risa grabbed both of Melody's hands and jumped up and down, and when her family joined in, Melody's heart felt so swollen with joy and love, that she thought it would burst right then and there.