Anoa disappeared shortly afterward; she didn't notice when it happened. He did that a lot; it had something to do with being an ascended being. Relma had to walk home on her own after that. As she did, she found that lugging all this treasure was hard. Her hands hurt from the weight of the bags, and they kept bouncing against her back. She was not looking forward to getting home.

And how was she supposed to explain all this money to Aunt Pan?

Before she could think about that, Ajax came out of the trees, loping on all fours. It was a habit he fell into when he was excited or running. She had the feeling that he had been watching for a long time, though. How long was an important question?

Ajax was holding a rabbit with a broken neck in his mouth. His mouth was bloody. "Hello, Relma." His voice was accusing, and he sniffed the air suspiciously.

"Ajax?" said Relma. "What are you doing here?"

"Hunting rabbits," said Ajax. "Then I picked up your scent?"

"Oh, you did," said Relma, shifting the bags of gold to the ground. They hurt her shoulders.

"Who was with you?" asked Ajax.

"A friend," said Relma, not wanting to lie.

"There was someone here. I smelled them," said Ajax. "They smelled like blood and death."

"Alright, fine, so I was visited by the spirit of Anoa the Bright," said Relma, annoyed. "Now lay off, will you." And then a bag slipped out of her hand and spilled gold all over the ground. Relma kneeled down to begin putting it back in.

Ajax looked at the bags. "Where did you get all this gold?"

"Anoa led me to it," said Relma. "It was an ancient cache he had. I want to buy armor so I can participate in the Tournament of Kings while in disguise."

"You realize Pandora will catch you," said Ajax. "Assuming I don't report you in the first place." Relma looked at him, feeling a bit irritated. But also confident that no such thing would happen. "I've got plans for that. And if you don't tell anyone about this, I can get you into the Tournament of Kings as well." How was she going to do that?

Ajax scoffed and wiped the blood from his mouth. "Why would I want to enter something like that?"

"Well, the Tournament of Kings is going to be where all the best warriors in Harlenor fight it out," said Relma. "If you were to be the winner, it would prove that the brood of Telix is stronger than the others."

"As if they'd ever allow me in," noted Ajax.

"You could still get in," said Relma. "All you'd need was some armor."

"We don't have your human obsession with shiny things," scoffed Ajax. "We don't keep gold around, so we can't buy armor."

"I've got a lot of gold here," said Relma. "I could purchase us both armor. Mine could hide my face, and yours could hide your ears. Then we could enter as foreign knights."

"Hmmm. And how will you ensure the blacksmith doesn't report us?" asked Ajax.

"Would it be so unusual for me to want to make my own armor?" asked Relma.

"No," admitted Ajax. "But if you also buy me armor, that will raise questions. Also, you need more than a disguise. You also need to prove you are nobility, or you won't be able to enter the core tournament.

"And we'll need a background. Something we can tell other people about who we are and where we come from.

"Otherwise, you'll just attract attention."

"Oh," said Relma. "Um, you seem to have thought this through."

"Well, I was planning to enter the tournament in my own name in the first place," said Ajax with a shrug.

"You were?" asked Relma. "But, um, you're part demon."

"My Father is the Lord of the Wolven Forest," said Ajax. "Officially. That makes me nobility. They can dislike me for it all they want, but they can't legally deny me the chance to enter."

"Oh," said Relma.

"As for armor, I don't need it," said Ajax. "I prefer to keep mobile."

"But that will put you at a huge disadvantage," said Relma. "You should at least get some light armor, right?"

Ajax shrugged. "Maybe. Either way, it isn't enough to stop me from telling Pandora what you've been up to."

"Oh," said Relma. How was she supposed to talk her way out of this?

"Fortunately for you, I like spiting her," said Ajax. "And I like you. So we'll just pretend as though this didn't happen.

"Do you want some of this rabbit?" He motioned with the body. Still red with blood.

"I um..." Relma wondered how to decline politely. "I don't like eating meat raw."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"Why not?" asked Ajax.

"I don't know. We humans just prefer to cook it first," said Relma.

"How can you know if you don't like it without ever trying it?" asked Ajax.

Relma couldn't say she did know it wasn't better. She'd never eaten raw meat. "I don't know. It's really bloody."

"Try some," said Ajax.

Relma really didn't want to be rude. The meat was a big deal for Telix's brood. So she reached forward and took the rabbit, drawing it back and looking at it. She wondered if it had suffered. Taking a bit, she struggled to get the flesh off. Pulling away, she chewed on it. The texture was awful, but she kept her distaste from her face as she finished it. She swallowed and gave the rabbit back.

"How is it?" asked Ajax.

"I..." Don't lie. "I think it's an acquired taste."

Ajax shrugged. "To each their own. So, where do you plan to hide all this loot? Or do you think Pandora will just not blink at you, showing up with a bag full of gold?"

"Well, um... I guess we could bury it," tried Relma.

"Where?" asked Ajax.

"Uh, how about here?" said Relma, gesturing around.

"And do you intend to walk all the way here every time you make a withdrawal?" asked Ajax. "Will you be able to remember this location?"

Relma realized that she would have to walk a long way. And that she probably would need to remember this location. "Oh, right. So, where do you recommend."

Ajax smiled. "Follow me."

The wolf boy led her through the trees and into more civilized lands. The bags were heavy, but Ajax helped her with them. Soon Relma realized she recognized the field they were walking in. Eventually, they came to a hillock with a tree growing out. Ajax motioned. "We should bury it beneath this tree here. You do have a shovel, don't you?"

"How do you know so much about burying treasure?" asked Relma, not wanting to answer.

"I've buried many things in my time. Now put the bags down and help me dig."

Relma obeyed and watched as Ajax got on his knees and began digging at the ground. His claws tore through the earth, quickly digging down. Not wanting to be a layabout, she kneeled down and tried to help.

He looked at her attempts at digging in disgust. "You really are terrible at this; you know that. How do you mortals get anything done with such bad hands."

"I don't have a shovel," said Relma.

"Right, because, of course, all animals need a bit of metal on a stick to make the most basic of actions," said Ajax. "Just forget it; I'll dig the rest."

And dig, he did. Relma marveled at how he cleaved through the earth. Before long, he had made a hole large enough to put all the bags into it. Ajax stood and smiled in satisfaction. "Alright. I think that is deep enough. Now put it in, and let's get to Gel Carn. Before Pandora decides you're late."

"Right," said Relma.

Relma was only too glad to leave the heavy burdens behind. She was less glad when she neared Gel Carn. And even further less glad when they found Pandora waiting for them on the road. Ajax fled.

"Relma, where have you been?" asked Pandora. "Why is your mouth covered in blood, and why are you covered in dirt."

"I, um, I had to do some work with my hands," said Relma.

"And the blood?" asked Pandora.

Honesty was the best policy. "Okay, fine, " Ajax offered me some raw meat, and I tried it. Then I helped him in digging a hole to hide something."

"What was it?" asked Pandora.

"Just some valuables we found," said Relma. "Why does it even matter?"

Pandora eyed her. "You've been spending far too much time with Ajax lately, Relma."

"He's not that bad," said Relma. "I mean, I know he kidnapped me once and tried to force me to marry him. But that was months ago, and I wasn't mistreated or anything. That's just how his people work. And he's been much nicer since."

"The satyrs of the Black Marsh practice ritual cannibalism," said Pandora. "That's how their people work. It doesn't make it good behavior. And given that he is a hostage, it is only natural he be nice.

"I don't see how any of this makes it a good idea to eat raw meat? You could get sick."

"I could barely choke it down, honestly," said Relma. "Anyway, animals do it all the time."

"Yes. But you are not an animal," said Pandora. "Go get yourself cleaned up at once."

"Yes, Aunt Pan," said Relma. And she walked past. Then she stopped. She felt like she was at a crossroads. Anoa had promised to disguise her, but she didn't like going behind Aunt Pan's back. "Aunt Pan?"

"Yes," said Pan.

"Would it be okay if I joined the Tournament of Kings in disguise?" asked Relma.

Pan eyed her carefully. "...Is this going to be one of those things where if I say no, you find a way to enter anyway?"

"Maybe," said Relma, shifting. She wished Aunt Pan didn't have such piercing eyes.

"Why do you want to enter the Tournament of Kings?" asked Pan, putting a hand over her eyes.

"I want to prove myself and test my skills against real people," said Relma. "I know I'll probably get knocked out in the first round. But I want to try."

Pan looked at her. "Very well, then. I'll arrange a disguise for you."

Wait, what? "Really?"

"Yes," said Pan. "But, I do have conditions."

"What are they?" asked Relma.

"First, you have to raise the money to pay for armor yourself," said Pan.

"Okay, that sounds difficult," said Relma. Aunt Pan probably thought that would be an insurmountable hurdle.

"And second, if you face someone in the tournament who completely outmatches you, you will give up," said Pan. "The ability to know when you are beaten is a virtue that you need to learn. I don't want any nonsense about powering on through sheer determination."

"Okay," said Relma.

"And third, if by some miracle you end up winning the prize money, I will hold onto it until you are of age," said Pan. "It isn't that I don't trust you, but having that money on hand makes one a target. If you wish to access it, you may request it, and I will consider giving it to you early."

This condition didn't really matter to Relma. It wasn't like the money mattered to her; she wanted fame. But, this, something was wrong. "Why are you even making these conditions?" she asked. "You know as well as I do that I couldn't raise the kind of money for armor overnight. Not without help."

"Of course I do," said Pan. "But I feel I ought to keep all my options open. And if you can get someone to give you the money, that is an accomplishment. I'll be very impressed, dear. "Speaking of which, you're not allowed to take any loans to get the armor."

"This doesn't seem fair," noted Relma.

"True. But you're asking me to help you break the rules," said Aunt Pan. "And taking a loan of that level would be a massive investment that could haunt you for years. So you'll have to get someone to give you the money, free of charge.

"I don't expect you'll even be able to get past the first step, but if you do, I want to make sure you do something you'll regret.

"Also, I reserve the right to make up new rules as they occur to me."

"Okay, I agree," said Relma. Of course, this would be much easier with Aunt Pan's help. Now she just needed to find a way that she already had the money, gently.

"Good," said Aunt Pan, looking back to her work. "Now get cleaned up, and then you can explain to me where you got the money for armor."

Okay, this was going to be an awkward conversation. "Yes, Aunt Pan."