It was to a gentle tap on the shoulder and the first rays of morning sun that Matthaeus awoke. He blinked his amber eyes again and again, rubbing the sleep away with his wrists as sleep’s embrace refused to release him.

“Oi, rise’n’shine kid. Big day ahead.”

The words, in a language Matthaeus now recognized but still could not understand, helped him fully open his eyes at last.

The golden eyes of Reyland met his, as the young apprentice sat back on his heels next to Matthaeus’ bedroll. Reyland was already fully dressed in his usual garb, the black Order armour donned and his shortsword at his hip. The striking difference this morning though, was the clean white bandages wrapped around much of Reyland’s figure. His left forearm from wrist to elbow was wrapped, along with a band around his forehead. Through small holes in his now ragged scale chestplate, a thicker white wrapping could be seen around his ribs.

Despite all of that, Reyland wore a smile just as bright as any other day.

“One’a these days, lad, I’ll have to teach you that it’s rude to stare. Come on then, Griff’s already waiting for us,” Reyland continued, as Matthaeus looked on in confusion. Without warning Reyland reached out and grabbed Matthaeus by the arm, quickly but gently pulling him up off the bedroll as the last bit of sleep left Matthaeus’ mind. The younger boy suppressed a wince as his entire body ached in protest to the movement, but he was quickly on his feet nonetheless.

They were in the middle of the church, surrounded by nearly the rest of the town and the Order members as well. From wall to wall bedrolls and cots had been laid out and in most, the sick or injured lay still sleeping. Matthaeus spotted a few familiar faces up and about, though. Arthur and Matilda were up already, or perhaps from the bags under their eyes had never gone to sleep in the first place. Arthur was seated next to an unconscious, heavily bandaged townsman, pouring a tincture of some kind into the man’s mouth while Matilda held the unconscious man’s hand gently.

Just moments after Matthaeus had stood, Matilda’s eyes found him, and she said something inaudible to Arthur before quickly rushing over.

“Ah, sorry, sorry,” Reyland said, quickly stepping to the side to let Matilda pass as she went straight for Matthaeus.

Matthaeus was caught entirely off guard as the elderly woman pulled him immediately into a deep hug, nearly lifting him off his feet. He froze up, unsure how to react at the sudden contact.

Reyland smiled, looking at the two of them, then turned away, walking off towards the doors.

“Send him along outside when you’re done with him, aye?” He called over his shoulder.

Matilda didn’t answer, though she pulled back in the embrace until she was holding Matthaeus’ shoulders at arms length. It was then that he could see the storm of emotion behind her eyes.

“You foolish, brash, worry-causing boy, Matthaeus. Just what were you thinking…?” She said softly, before pulling him back in close again.

Even without understanding the words, Matthaeus knew what she meant. He hung his head lower, a flicker of shame coming over him as he reflected on the night before. He couldn’t really say that he regretted it… but he regretted making Matilda worry.

“Be sure to keep that courage in check, young Matthaeus. At least until you’re older,” Arthur said, as he caught up to his wife with a small smile.

“Don’t you go encouraging him, or I’ll be having words with you later too!” Matilda snapped back.

“Yes, ma’am,” Arthur immediately said, still smiling.

There was a moment of silence, as all three of them seemed unable to find their words. People around them were waking slowly, the first rays of dawn rousing them from slumber as the building slowly came to life.

Matthaeus thought then that it was a… surreal sight.

Golden light drifted lazily through open windows, the tattered remains of old, stained white curtains blowing gently in a warm breeze. As the church slowly filled with voices, yawns and tears, there was an almost otherworldly peace to it all. As if the events of the night before had been nothing more than a dream.

The aches around his body, though, protested that thought.

“Matthaeus,” Matilda said, much more gently than before, as she slowly took a knee in front of him. She winced as her old bones creaked, but still she hunched over until she was eye level with the boy. “Please… look after yourself better from now on.”

The meaning got across. He could see it in the sincerity in her eyes, the way they glistened and the intensity that she held his gaze with.

He clenched his jaw and nodded, a feeling welling up deep within his own chest. The boy didn’t really know what to call it, not in Arkasian or his own language, but as it built, he finally let it go.

Matthaeus stepped in and buried his face into her neck, his own arms wrapping around her as tears silently built up and then spilled from his eyes. Though he made no sound, his chest heaved and shook, and the elderly woman again wrapped him into a deep hug without a moment's hesitation.

I’m sorry, I’m sorry.

His voice didn’t want to work, and he didn’t trust himself to speak. But he hugged her all the tighter, because he wanted her to know. That he was sorry for making her worry, that he was happy they had taken care of him, thankful that they had been there for him when he woke up, when he couldn’t even remember where he was from…

Buried feelings he hadn’t even realised he had been holding burst out, and were wiped away in the warmth of Matilda’s arms. A moment later he felt Arthur’s arm lay across his back as the elderly man joined the hug, and through watery eyes Matthaeus saw Arthur smiling at him.

He didn’t know how long it lasted, only that it came to an end too soon. The elderly couple pulled back as he wiped his eyes clear, sniffing and keeping his eyes towards the floor in embarrassment. He still felt warm from where he had been held, and he savoured the feeling of it in the otherwise brisk morning air.

“That Reyland boy wanted to see you, little one,” Arthur said warmly. “I think it’s best not to keep people waiting, no?”

Matthaeus wiped the last of the wetness away from his eyes, and raised his face to meet theirs. They looked down on him with matching smiles, and it was in that moment that Matthaeus truly realised that this… was goodbye.

He tried to put on a strong face. To tell them without speaking that they wouldn’t need to worry about him anymore… that he would be okay. He wasn’t sure if it worked, or what his attempt even looked like, but he hoped they at least understood.

“Thank you,” the boy said, in his own language.

“Take care, Matthaeus,” Matilda said back, as Arthur put his arm around her, his grandfatherly smile never leaving his face.

At the far end of the church, Matthaeus spotted Reyland leaning against the open doors, waiting for him. The young man’s bronze hair flowed in the faint morning breeze, shining in the morning light as he respectfully kept his gaze away from Matthaeus and the elderly couple, giving them privacy to say goodbye. With one last glance towards the couple that had taken him in, Matthaeus made his way towards the doors, his hands clenched tight as he walked away from the only thing he had known since waking without his memories.

“Said your goodbyes, then, lad?” Reyland asked as the young Norlander reached him in the doorway.

Matthaeus stared silently back in response.

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“We’re… gonna have to work on your language skills on the ride, huh?” Reyland said with a sigh and a smile. “All well, c’mon then. The big shots are waitin’ for us.”

As they made their way down the steps, Matthaeus took his first good look outside of the church since the night before. The entire clearing on the hill around the church had been turned into a camp, and overnight, wooden spikes had been erected pointing out towards the woods. The Order must have numbered 50 strong, at least, and Matthaeus couldn’t tell how many more were resting inside the large grey canvas tents clustered around the hill.

There were an uncomfortable amount of eyes on the two of them, as they weaved through the tents and groups of people mulling about the camp. Matthaeus subconsciously stayed closer and closer to Reyland’s side as they walked, until he was half hiding behind the young man’s legs and cloak, peering out with large eyes at the strange faces around him.

Reyland, for his part, didn’t seem to mind, giving smiles and waves to the other Ordained around, and shooting quick smiles down at the shy child that was practically hugging his leg. As they approached the largest group of Ordained, who huddled near a small bonfire at the center of camp, Reyland noticed a couple dozen sets of eyes turning towards them, and the boy behind him shrinking down even smaller.

“Oi!” Reyland shouted. Matthaeus flinched at the sudden flicking of eyes turning to them. Matthaeus looked up at him, eyes wide in confusion, surprise, and a desire to be anywhere but at the centre of attention. Reyland winked down at him, before turning back to shout at the group.

“The kids’ shy, and you're all buggin’ him with the staring! Get back to work ya slacks!” Reyland gleefully shouted out. A couple of people in the crowds looked sheepishly away, and very quickly, everyone had turned their attention away from the pair, except for one set of eyes.

Griff, on the far side of the clearing, had his heavy set brow and dark eyes locked onto his apprentice, a deadpan expression on his face. Reyland’s own smile twisted up a bit uncomfortably, as he tried to ignore the hole Griff’s eyes were burning in him.

“There, see? All better now, right little tyke?” Reyland said kindly, as he ruffled Matthaeus’ hair. Matthaeus tried to pull his head away, but still refused to step further away from Reyland, so he couldn’t quite make it far enough to escape.

“...Finished now, Reyland?”

Reyland froze up at the low rumble of his mentor’s voice, which was much closer than he had expected. Just how had the old man walked up so quickly, so quietly, exactly…?

Matthaeus peeked out from behind Reyland’s cloak, then stepped out fully as he saw it was just Griff, and the other strange man he had met the night before. He kept a wary eye on the stranger, who smiled kindly from underneath a thick, dark beard speckled with grey. The new man had dark eyes, not unlike Griff’s, but beady and set farther back under his brow, giving him dark shadows around his eyes that made him look permanently tired.

“Good morning, son, glad to see you up and well,” the tired-looking man said as he saw Matthaeus staring at him.

Matthaeus’ response was to step slightly back towards Reyland’s cloak.

“Well, I think we know who’s the favourite,” Reyland said back with a smirk, as the beady-eyed stranger feigned a pout and Griff pinched his brow.

“I believe we had something to discuss, Leeman?” Griff said briskly, as the other man, Leeman, gave a sigh.

“And here I was thinking that I was the highest ranked Ordained out here… you’d never guess it with you around though, Griff,” Leeman said, a bit of humour creeping into his voice.

“Try being in my boots before ya’ complain about that, mate!” Reyland chirped back.

“You’re just an apprentice, respect your elders, pipsqueek!” Leeman said with a grin, as Griff grew increasingly more aggravated next to them.

As Griff let out an audible sigh, Leeman gave a wink towards the young apprentice, before putting on an air of at least semi professionalism.

“Yes, yes, what to do with the Norland boy,” Leeman began. “I still think it would be best to keep him with us, until we make it back to the keep. He could stay with the other villagers until the wagons arrive, and travel with the main group.”

“And you know that we can’t wait that long, Harold,” Griff replied, looking the other man dead in the eye.

“Still, is it that necessary to leave so soon? Yes, the Order needs to know right away, but he’s still just a child, Griff.”

“...You know as well as I do just how much time costs, Leeman,” Griff slowly said back.

The other man’s lips pursed, and he seemed to age years over the course of a single breath. Like a weight was pressing down on top of him, and he was about to crumble under it at any moment.

“I suppose you’re right, then. Do as you see fit.”

Reyland put a comforting hand on Matthaeus’ shoulder, as the young boy shrunk back at the intensity of the conversation he couldn’t understand. Matthaeus almost pulled away, but in the end, he let it remain. He still wasn’t fully comfortable around the apprentice, but it was better than nothing.

Leeman, seemingly finished with his part, spared one more glance down at Matthaeus, a hint of his smile coming back, before he turned and left the clearing without another word. The moment he was gone, Griff took a knee and hunched low, so he was eye level with Matthaeus.

“Matthaeus, will you come with us, to speak with some companions of mine?” He asked, voice low and rumbly, just loud enough to be heard over the wind and leaves. It was surprisingly gentle, for a man as large and as intimidating as Griff.

“You… want me to talk with people?” Matthaeus asked back, hesitant. Why? And who?

“You don’t have to talk with them if you don’t want to. You can just talk to me instead, and I’ll talk to them for you. But there are a few questions we have, and it is very important that we learn the answers. Do you think you can help with that?” Griff asked, just as gently as before.

Help? They need help with something?

The night before came back to mind. Wanting to help… rushing upstairs to fight back against the beasts. Matilda worrying over him, hugging him. This, though, wouldn’t be like that. It was just answering questions, right?

“...I want to help,” He said back quietly.

Griff smiled back, and Matthaeus thought then that it was a surprisingly natural expression on the man, even though he could tell Griff didn’t make it often.

“We’ll need to spend a few days riding, then we can rest at a keep not far from here. After that, it will take a few weeks, but we’ll make it to the Order of Alexandros proper. That’s where we’ll meet the others,” Griff said, as he rose to his feet. “Have you ridden a horse before, Matthaeus?”

Matthaeus thought for a moment, trying to remember, but found nothing. He shook his head.

“That isn’t a problem, you’ll be riding with Reyland regardless…” Griff said, trailing off as he shot a disappointed look towards his apprentice.

Reyland stood right where he had been, eyes nearly glazed over as he stared blankly off at a tree while he cleaned dirt out from under his nail with the tip of his dagger. Slowly the apprentice’s sixth sense felt the gaze of an apex predator on him, as he turned to face his mentor.

“...Yes?” Reyland asked, quickly losing the staredown with Griff.

“Are you not going to pay attention to the conversation, or should I send you off to help shovel manure while we prepare the horses?” Griff deadpanned back. The blank stare in the older man’s eyes told Reyland that it was far from an idle threat.

“In my defence, it’s not like I can speak Norlin, aye?” Reyland said, as he stepped back subtly, until it almost looked as if he were the one hiding behind Matthaeus’ back. The young boy looked up with innocent, questioning amber eyes, unsure of what the apprentice was doing.

“...That’s odd. I thought I had done a good enough job in your Norlin lessons,” Griff said back, without a hint of mercy for the terrified apprentice.

“I guess I had done a good enough job at pretending to pay attention then,” Reyland said back, the beginnings of a smile creeping onto his face, unable to resist even in the face of certain doom.

“...There’s a fresh shovel behind Leeman’s tent.”

Matthaeus stepped to the side as Reyland loudly complained, half laughing and half crying out at his punishment. The apprentice dragged his feet as he walked, before dramatically kicking a stone off into the woods as he left, all the while uttering words Matthaeus was quite sure weren’t entirely… appropriate.

Griff, watching his apprentice leave, heaved a deep sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose tightly. He could already feel a headache coming on, and the sun had barely crested over the treetops.

“Would you like to learn how to saddle a horse, Matthaeus? Griff asked, his dark eyes meeting the boy’s amber as they widened.

Matthaeus nodded back, a rare show of excitement on his face, before following Griff towards the edge of camp without hesitation.