Valentin was awakened on the ground by the movement of rustling fabrics next to him. He roused himself from the morning haze, trying to stretch the sleep out of his body.
Exhaustion had finally saved him from the prospects of a sleepless night. His body eventually fell into unconsciousness and he slept motionlessly for the rest of the night. The dry cabin and full stomach made his sleep more pleasant than previous nights. However his insides turned when he looked up at the smiling face that stared down upon him, piercing his spirit.
“Good morning, Valentin? Did you sleep well?” Morna asked sweetly.
“Yeah, boy, did you have a good rest? All that hollering and you still went deep into the night,” Charlon chimed in venomously, a look of derision on his face. Robert seemed no longer interested in Valentin and laced his boots in the corner.
Valentin’s mind was awash with confusion. Morna’s cheerful demeanor was no longer something to be seen as trustworthy, but there was a feeling of genuine interest and affection that passed her lips. It almost felt that yesterday was a cruel hallucination of the world and maybe Morna was the kind woman that Valentin originally met. However the emotions and feelings from last night were still fresh wounds within the boy’s mind. There was no possibility it was a fabrication.
“I slept well,” Valentin responded, half telling the truth and half not wishing to risk displeasure before reaching his destination.
Morna clasped her hands together happily, deepening the turmoil within Valentin’s psyche. “That’s wonderful. I’m sure you felt quite safe and reassured with us.”
Valentin broke eye contact and got up from the ground and shook some dust from his cloak. He couldn’t understand his “savior” and therefore didn’t know what answer to give her. The warm and affectionate delivery of the words felt like taunting barbs to the boy when he thought about the threats she levied against him the night before. But were they intended as such from Morna? What should he think? It was all unclear.
A simple breakfast of bread and jam was quietly eaten by the six occupants of the cabin. Valentin’s appetite was not strong but he ate anyways. He kept glancing at Morna to see if this meal also came with a cost. All his secretive looks earned him another jarring look of pleasure from Morna.
“Can’t keep your eyes off me, eh? Well, you’ll need to be patient. I am going to do a short patrol before we leave,” Morna announced. “Charlon, Robert, you two come with me. Gervin, you can pack everything up. We’ll be back in Lutant by day’s end.”
After the meal, the three warriors quickly departed from the cabin, the two in front grumbling away the laze of the morning. Before fully leaving from sight, a lingering smile was directed at Valentin. His heart went cold while fluttered fingers bade him farewell. Muffled footsteps disappeared into the woods and the boy was left with Gervin and Bassett.
Gervin peeked out the doorway to ensure that the departing warriors were out of sight and then went back to laying down. “I’m going to sleep some more, you two pack up.” The man rolled onto his side away from the two boys. “Be sure to be quick about it, whatever grief I get from Morna I will pass on to you.”
The man quickly fell into slumber while Bassett hurried to collect the items on the ground and secure them into canvas backpacks. He moved with surprising deftness in his work causing Valentin to reminisce about the servants of the Duvin Manor. He looked up to Valentin and beckoned him over.
Valentin scuttled over to him and crouched next to the boy. From this distance, Valentin could make out that Bassett was a bit older than he was. He had soft features as though the Mother sculpted him with exceeding care.
He spoke from the throat and his voice was unexpectedly airy and delicate. “Help me carry the cookware to the stream. Most of the remaining work will be cleaning it all before packing it away.”
Valentin quietly nodded and the boy filled his hands with bowls, spoons, and knives. Bassett lifted the iron pot and started walking towards the door. Valentin was close behind. He hadn’t noticed the day before but the other boy was a head taller than Valentin but he appeared to be thinner than the younger Valentin. Despite his lithe frame and light gait, he carried the large pot without much fuss.
A short yet silent walk led the two boys to a nearby stream. Bassett placed the iron pot on the ground and Valentin gently set his armful of objects next to it. The two of them rinsed the cookware in the cold water of the stream and set them on a cloth to dry. Valentin glanced over at the other boy who was absorbed in the work in front of him.
“My name is Valentin, what’s yours?” Valentin decided to break the silence with a question he already knew the answer to. Even if he did know, he was told that introductions were important. As far as he was concerned, Bassett was the only one that he wanted to know.
“Hmm?” The boy paused his work and looked up at Valentin. “Oh, my name is Bassett. Nice to meet you, Valentin.”
Additional words lingered on Bassett’s lips, desperately trying to escape into the world but the form had yet to be determined. Bassett swallowed those words before sighing. “I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for?” Valentin asked.
Bassett clenched his fists and a look of frustration crossed his face. “I just watched. I saw you stare at me with pleading eyes and all I felt was relief that it wasn’t me this time. Though it was strange,” Bassett turned his apologetic eyes back onto the stream and dipped in another bowl. “I wouldn’t have expected Morna to be the one. I’ve never seen her do that before.”
The fact that this seemed out of character for Morna did little to assist Valentin’s mental state. “So she doesn’t do that often?”
“Well it’s not like I’ve been around her for a long time or anything,” Bassett conceded. “I’ve been under her watch since mid Fomhar and while she seemed amiable enough whenever we spoke. However, she always looked displeased with something. When I first met her she called me another bore and shook her head in disappointment. I didn’t know that’s what happened to people she was interested in. Again, I’m sorry.”
“Could you have done anything?” Valentin responded, going back to his cleaning. It was too late to blame Bassett for what happened. If anything, Valentin felt angry at himself for being unable to do more. He was told he had immense power and was unable to do anything to protect himself. The dull ache in his side reminded him that action would have met worse consequences but it did little to salve his anguish.
“No, there wouldn’t be anything I could have done,” Bassett conceded. “But it still doesn’t feel good to say that. To know how worthless you are. I even abandoned my village and look where I am now.”
Bassett turned his head down to focus back on his cleaning. Valentin did his best to hold up his own end of the work. He washed the cutlery with a clean rag, removing the caked on food and grime before tossing it on another cloth.
“Say, Bassett, are you from a village around here?” Valentin broached the topic, uncertain what he would say if the connection proved true.
“I am from a fishing village nearby.” Bassett found the next words difficult. He wrung his hands together and swallowed his anxiety. “It was attacked by raiders and I fled with some others. I’ve been with these warriors ever since. I was taken down here with them to show them where the attackers came from, but they never got that close to the village.”
“When I was traveling through the forests, I came across two razed villages on the coast, one about a half day’s trip from here.”
Valentin’s jacket was gripped by Bassett’s wet hands. He looked at Valentin with a crazed look of hope and grief. “You saw it? Was there anyone there? Where was the other village?”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Valentin turned away, not able to look Bassett in the face. “The other village was around a day south of here. There was nobody. Not a single living thing in either village. I’m sorry, Bassett.”
The grasp on his jacket loosened but not fully released. Valentin turned back to see Bassett with his head hung low. Bassett’s hands trembled and Valentin felt the tremors in his chest. The boy looked up with tear stained cheeks but a look of serenity on his face.
“Don’t worry, Valentin. At least now I don’t have to wonder.” His arms dropped to his sides and he tried to retain composure. “Say, did you see any bodies?”
“Unfortunately in the southern village, the funeral pyre had been interrupted by a storm and the flames were extinguished before their spirits could be fully released. The nearby village was fully destroyed. The only body I found was off the trail I took to get here. I think they were killed by a javelin.”
“So that was your fate, Sirro, left alone to rot in the woods.” Bassett sighed. “I hope you died thinking that those that you lost your life for were valuable. Unfortunately I won’t live up to those expectations.”
Bassett’s slouched posture and self-flagellating language made Valentin feel he found a kindred spirit. He looked as his regretful and sighed.
“Don’t punish yourself too harshly, Bassett. I’m not much better,” Valentin answered. He sat on the ground with his knees tucked to his chest and looked into the stream. “I abandoned my uncle to get here, my whole family, my home. And for what?”
“I guess we are a pair of disappointments then,” Bassett wiped his eyes and smiled. “I should be grateful that I’m not being hunted.”
“That hunt ends tonight,” Valentin said with conviction in the hopes that it would give him some confidence that he currently lacked. “I was told that they would give up if it meant going through Ferron.”
“I haven’t met him myself, but I have heard rumors about him. He sounds intense.” Bassett moved to sit directly next to Valentin. “If you don’t mind me asking, why are you being pursued? And why hunt a child so intensely that you need a warband leader to stop it?”
Valentin sat in silence. Could he trust a boy that he just met with such an important secret? Would Bassett change when he found out? Things were different than what Valentin was led to believe and now he didn’t know what to do. However, he did feel some level of kinship with the boy that sat next to him. It’s not as though you couldn’t become fast friends with someone. He needed to tell Bassett something.
“It’s because of my blood,” Valentin explained minimally, satisfied that he hadn’t betrayed himself.
“Your blood?” Bassett stared intently at Valentin’s attire and nodded. He folded his arms and made a satisfied face. “I understand completely now.”
“Y-you do?” Valentin replied nervously. Had his vague answer created a larger clue than he had expected?
“Of course,” Bassett said confidently. He pointed a finger at Valentin who turned and winced in anticipation. “You’re an important bastard!”
“Huh?”
“You are the illegitimate child of a Tiarna and you’ve been revealed to the court. This happened with our chief a few cycles ago so I know it when I see it.” Bassett explained with a mature attitude. “He had a child before he was married and the kid challenged his legitimate heir for control of the village. It was a very violent affair that ended in the death of both. So it wouldn’t surprise me if wealthier nobles hired killers to get rid of potential rivals to their throne. Am I right?”
Valentin tilted his head in surprise and looked at Bassett, who beamed in pride at his farcical discovery
“Well,” Valentin considered the explanation Bassett came up with. “It’s not exactly that, but it’s kind of like it. An important figure wants me dead because of my blood but I can’t explain more than that…”
“Don’t you worry, Valentin, I won’t tell anyone,” Bassett patted Valentin on the back reassuringly. He got up and stood there for a moment before reaching his hand down to Valentin. “We need to look out for each other. Say, Valentin, how about you and I make a pact of our own?”
“What kind of pact?” Valentin asked warily.
“Well you’re an important person, these tasks are beneath you. So how about I become your personal servant? I can take care of enough work for two. I will also keep the others from harassing you when Morna isn’t around. All I ask is that when you help us out when you get Ferron’s protection.”
“How would I help you?” Valentin spoke slowly as his mind had begun deliberating. “I won’t have any money and I will already owe Ferron a heavy debt. I’m not sure what I can do for you.”
“We are fed, but the situation in Lutant isn’t great. I can’t ask for much because doing some tasks for you won’t be worth much. So we can start with trust. That doesn’t sound too bad does it?” Bassett extended his arm further down. “Is that good enough for now?”
Valentin was fearful of incurring another debt. All of his mercantile training was in the exchange of money for product or service. He was inexperienced with these sorts of transactions which made him foolish. In his foolishness he felt that he already had made a dangerous mistake. However, he could not escape the deep feeling of how alone he was in this unfamiliar corner of the country and he was desperate for someone to rely on. Before him dangled a potential path towards profit. Could he afford to pass it up?
“All right, Bassett, let’s form a pact.”
The two boys clasped hands and Valentin was lifted to his feet by Bassett. The taller boy gave Valentin a hug. He did not return the gesture. Instead, he patted Bassett’s back several times.
“Pleasure to be of service, Master Valentin.” Bassett smiled and bowed deeply at Valentin.
“Just Valentin will be fine. If you call me that title around other people they will know about my status,” Valentin corrected, not keen on being called Master.
Bassett nodded in agreement. He turned around to see the half finished work in front of him. The boy quickly spun around to face his new employer. “How about we begin this pact after we leave? Our conversation took a little longer than expected.”
Valentin walked past Bassett and sat next to the cookware and dipped one into the stream. “Mere seconds had passed before my servant begged for help. I have to wonder if I am truly in good hands.”
“I’ll show you how great I am, tomorrow,” Bassett proclaimed.
A smile cracked on Valentin’s face. Then the boy began to laugh. He didn’t find the interaction all that funny but a feeling of relief had passed over the boy and he couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Tears formed in his eyes and he folded forward.
“Hey,” Bassett pouted dramatically and hurried over to the large pot. “Watch how quickly I can clean! That’ll shut you up.”
Bassett was adept at the work and most of the drying items were his doing. He chuckled triumphantly at the gulf in ability between the two of them. “It seems that you were in desperate need of my help.”
“Yes, my mother always said I took things too leisurely,” Valentin stated. He stood and stretched the labor from his body. “You’d likely have finished earlier on your own.”
“Without you carrying half out here with me, it would have taken me much longer,” Bassett provided a reassuring smile. “Besides, we’re just lucky that it was Gervin on packing duty. He may have seemed a bit foul earlier but that’s just how he is in the mornings. Surprisingly kind if you get to know him. If it was either of the other two, then you would have been forced to do this by yourself.”
Valentin started to ask why but it was clear by Bassett’s body language that the answer wouldn’t be enjoyable. He picked out the small rocks embedded in the ground next to him and tossed them one by one into the creek. The stones made satisfying plops into the water and the boy was able to engross himself in the activity. Bassett just watched Valentin for a time and threw in an occasional rock of his own.
Bassett picked up a smooth rock and inspected it. He rubbed his thumb on the surface and rinsed the dirt off in the water before rubbing it again. “That reminds me,” he remarked as he pocketed the stone. “We should collect some smooth stones around here and bring them back with us.”
“What for?”
Bassett reached towards his backside and made a wiping movement. “You know, for cleaning. Or do people where you’re from use something different?”
“Oh I see,” Valentin responded. “I had a tersorium but I knew that some of the other villagers used shells or smooth stones.”
“Never heard of that, is it nice?”
Valentin shrugged and thought about the sea sponge they would dip in salt water, “I guess?”
He reached into the water and splashed the cold water onto his face and let the frigid water jolt vigor into him. This conversation only served to remind him of the numerous adjustments to his life that would need to be made. Something as trivial as items to clean yourself after a movement required consideration.
The boys found four stones each and returned to the cabin laden with the cleaned cookware and other items. By now, Gervin had awoken from his nap and sat against the left wall. He was polishing his spear tip and inspecting the weapon for any cracks or damage that may need repair. The clanging and jostling alerted him to the entrance of the boys long before they entered view.
Bassett began packing away the returned items and Gervin rose to assist him. “Let’s get this done quickly, the others should be back soon.”
With the warrior assisting, there was little room to actively help so Valentin stood off to the side of the pair awkwardly and remained silent to avoid any undue attention. Obviously Bassett wouldn’t mind but he wouldn’t wish to hear any comments from Gervin. Fortunately, the remaining packing was done swiftly and within minutes everything was ready for travel northward.
The trio sat in silence for a short time before the low sounds of talking could be made out. Morna’s patrol entered the cabin. The cheeks of the two men were flushed with the exertion from the patrol but Morna herself seemed fairly untroubled by the activity.
“We did not spot any sea raiders,” Morna stated to Gervin before addressing Valentin with a smile. “Nor did we find any traces of the men you say are pursuing you.”
“Bunch of horse shit if you ask me,” spat Charlon. “We scoured around for hours and didn’t see a single footprint.”
“Nobody asked you,” replied Morna plainly. “I will assume by you all just sitting around that you are done packing?”
“Yep. All good to go, Vice Deggan,” reported Gervin.
“Well done, Gervin. I don’t want to waste any more time out here, let’s head back.” Morna gave the order and the other three moved into action to don the bags and quickly departed the cabin.