Rith, a safe distance away from Luc, continued to stare at him through narrow eyes. Sighing, Luc began rummaging through the vials once more, trying to find a health potion for himself. He didn’t bother trying to outline the difference in class between them, and how it should be the greatest honor for a peasant to be saved by a noble. Even if I explained it, she wouldn’t understand it. None of these peasants do.

Behind him, Luc heard rapid breaths contorting into gasps for air. Whirling around, he saw Rith holding her neck with one hand, other hand reaching to her side, where the satchel usually was. Upon finding nothing there, her eyes flew open and her breaths grew all the more ragged.

Luc remembered how Rith was always breathing in the dark green gas. Glancing down at the potions in front of him, Luc grabbed the ones that looked like they held gas instead of a liquid. He hurried over to Rith, who had curled into a ball on the ground, wheezing and shivering.

“Hey!” said Luc, shaking her shoulder. When she didn’t respond, Luc dumped the vials in front of her. Peering at them carefully, Luc searched for the mysterious dark green gas.

They all look dark green in this lighting!

Rith’s breaths were growing shorter and shorter. There was no time to lose. Luc grabbed a random vial and reached up to uncork it.

“No!” said Rith, blue eyes fixed on the vial.

“What do you mean ‘no’?” said Luc. “Are you trying to die?”

Rith opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Squeezing her eyes shut, a couple of seconds passed before she drew in a single ragged breath.

She’s going to die if I don’t do it!

Luc grabbed onto the cork of the vial once more. But before he pulled the cork out, Cloud trotted up to Rith. After staring at her for a moment, Cloud plodded up to her face and nuzzled it with his head. Immediately, Rith’s eyes shot open. For an instant, human and monster stared at each other. Then Rith reached out her arms and pulled Cloud to her chest, burying her face in his fur. Cradling the dragon whelp against her body, Luc heard Rith’s breaths quieting and lengthening, slowly returning to their normal rhythm.

After a period of silence, Luc spoke.

“Are you okay, peasant?”

No answer.

“…Rith?”

Rith mumbled something, mouth still pressed against Cloud’s back.

“What?”

“Ritha,” she repeated, finally lifting her face up. “My name is Ritha, not Rith.”

“Ah,” said Luc, not having much else to say. Guess it’s still awkward talking to peasants.

“I was born with a weak body,” said Ritha, slowing shifting into a sitting position. “Whenever something makes me nervous or anxious, I start having panic attacks.”

That explains it, thought Luc. Although I don’t remember asking for this information. Thinking back to Baz and Val, there seemed to be a trend. Maybe it’s customary for peasants to tell each other their troubles and life stories.

“I made a potion that can calm me down,” continued Ritha. “But I used them up faster than I imagined. All of the vials you brought contain poisonous gases.”

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“Good to know,” said Luc, gingerly placing the vial he held back onto the beach. “If you knew this would happen, why come down here in the first place? How old are you anyways? Fourteen? Fifteen?”

“Sixteen!” said Ritha, glaring at him. But the anger slipped off her face almost instantly. Her gaze shifted over his shoulder, looking far into the distance. “There is someone I must find in the Chasm. I cannot fail, no matter what.”

Luc waited for her to say more, but she remained silent. All of these peasants have such grand aspirations. I’m just trying to get home! Not that I’m complaining, of course. Luc tried to stand, immediately collapsing due to the pain in his neck and ribs.

“Mister!” said Ritha, shuffling over to him. When she saw the grimace on his face, Ritha glanced over at the vials Luc had lined up on the beach. Without a moment of hesitation, she selected one of the vials and uncorked it, offering it to Luc.

“How do you know that’s the right one?” asked Luc. In his slightly blurred vision, the liquid inside definitely didn’t look the same color as the potion he had given Ritha earlier.

“I know the potions I make,” said Ritha, voice firm.

No reason not to trust her. Luc took the potion from her hand and emptied it down his throat. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the familiar warmth expanded throughout his body, flooding his aching bones and muscles. Closing his eyes, Luc basked in the bliss, wishing that the feeling would not end. But end it did, fading into nothing and leaving him healed, but also parched and hungry.

“Are you feeling better, Mister?” asked Ritha. Cloud perched atop her head, opening his little jaws in a yawn.

Luc nodded, glancing down at his left hand. Sure enough, the gash had sealed. With his injuries healed, all he needed to do now was answer the calls of his stomach. Retrieving his pack, he began rummaging through it. Luckily, he still had food and water left over from what Val had packed.

Next to him, he heard a grumbling sound. Glancing over, he saw Ritha staring down at the ground, face red. These peasants are so needy!

Luc sighed and pulled out a couple of slices of bread, handing one of them to Ritha. Ritha stared at the piece of bread, eyes wide. After a moment, she tore her eyes away from it, looking up to glare at Luc.

“Did you put something in that bread?” she asked, sidling away from Luc. “My mother told me countless stories about how men trick innocent young women by - ”

“Do you want it or not?” asked Luc. My head hurts from all this chatter!

Ritha fell quiet. Then she snatched the piece of bread from Luc’s hand, scampering several feet away. Keeping an eye on Luc, she stuffed pieces of bread in her mouth, occasionally reaching up to offer a bit to Cloud. Cloud, despite his reputation as a future man-eating monster, seemed all too happy to eat stale bread.

“I’ve decided to trust you,” said Ritha after finishing the slice of bread.

“Oh really?” said Luc, not interested in hearing it.

Ritha nodded emphatically. “If you can tame a dragon, then you are worthy of trust.”

Luc raised an eyebrow. “Dragon?”

Ritha’s eyes widened and she began glancing around frenetically, breaths growing faster. “I-I mean…I don’t…I just saw that…”

While she stammered, Luc stroked his chin, thinking. She does seem quite comfortable handling a monster. Just who is she, and how does she know the things she knows? Luc opened his mouth to ask her, but he paused. Do the matters of a peasant really matter to me? Closing his mouth, he held up a hand, stopping her.

“Look here, girl,” said Luc. “I don’t care who you are or what you’ve done in your past. All I know is I need to get of this place, and I have to do it fast. I’ve got things to take care of back home. I can’t waste my time dillydallying here.”

Ritha’s face fell, and she lowered her gaze to the ground.

Luc slung his pack onto his back, swinging his arms to test if his body was okay. Finding that he could move without an ache, he began trudging towards the three entrances on the other side of the beach. After taking a few steps, he couldn’t help but spare a glance over his shoulder. Ritha was still slumped on the beach, head lowered.

I can’t afford to -

“Are you coming or not?” asked Luc, interrupting his own thoughts. Wincing, he resisted the urge to smack himself. What in the world am I doing?

Ritha looked up, face brightening. In the darkness of the cavern, her smile was like the rising sun itself, radiating warmth. Seeing the look on her face, Luc could not bring himself to change his mind, as black as his heart was.

She gave a big nod with her head, hurrying over to her satchel. She scooped all of her remaining potions inside before standing and trotting over to where Luc stood. Cloud still sat on her head, licking at remnants of bread stuck between his teeth.

As Luc turned back to the tunnels, he heard Ritha mumbling something under her breath.

“What was that?” asked Luc.

“…thanks for taking me with you, Mister,” said Ritha, voice small.

Luc sighed. As always, peasants are a pain.

“Call me Luc.”