Soon, Lear saw the town ahead of them, he squeezed Winna's hand gently, then wove his fingers through hers. It was a little odd, given the difference in the number of their fingers, but he made it work.

The town was larger than he’d expected, and sprawled out just beneath the shoulder of a fairly tall hill. Or was it a hill? It wasn’t tall enough to be a mountain, but it seemed too big to call it a hill. That said, there didn’t seem to be a better word for it, so calling it a hill would have to do. A big hill. Whatever.

As they rode past the first couple of buildings, he asked, “Did you go to school here?”

“Yes.”

“So everyone here knows you pretty well.”

“Yeah.” the young woman smiled. “Turn left up there.”

Lear steered the cart as she directed.

Most of the buildings didn't look all that different from Winna's cottage. Many had white walls, but some were made of stone, and most had thatched roofs. There were taller buildings on the town square, with second floors that were likely the proprietor's living quarters. The shops were painted eye-catching colors, one a pastel blue, another a creamy pink, and one a somewhat alarming shade of bright green. They were all built in a somewhat more upscale style than the village houses, with tile roofs, perfectly straight walls, and some cute little architectural frills on their facades. A few even had large, glass windows in the front.

They skirted the center of town only briefly though, and soon turned down a quiet lane full of homes.

“That’s my home right there.” Dern spoke up, standing in the back of the cart and pointing over Lear’s shoulder at a modest home with a large building in the back.

“Right.”

They pulled into the yard, and climbed down. Lear secured Poppy to a post, and Dern motioned for them to follow him.

He took them past the house, and to the large building which housed his forge. There was a large table, several anvils, a wall of hammers, drawers undoubtedly full of other tools, piles of metal ingots, and several in-progress projects as well.

“Here’s the most recent victim.” Dern showed them an iron ingot.

Lear snorted, almost amused, “Yeah, I’d say that’s a bite-mark!” he looked around, then flicked open his second set of eyes. There was residue from fey magic all over the place, as if something had prowled around, exploring. “Oh yeah. Definitely one of us. Hm.” his eyes turned towards the forge, which was extremely hot. “Is the forge always on?”

“Yes, usually. It’s rune-powered as well.”

“That’s where your culprit is hiding right now, I believe.” He could just barely make out the outline of a creature in the belly of the forge.

“Oh?” Dern sounded surprised.

“Yes. How to get it out, though?” The fey man thought for a moment. “Well, it likes metal. Take some metal you don’t care as much about and let’s see if we can tempt it out.”

“Alright then.” Dern shrugged. The dwarf caught up a metal rod, then took a chunk of what was clearly scrap metal, and sat them down on a granite-topped work table. He pushed the two pieces together, then with a surge of magic, drew his finger across the joint.

The glow of heat was so intense that Lear snapped his heat-sensitive eyes shut immediately, and looked away. “Goodness.”

“Oh, your eyes!” Winna murmured.

“I’m fine.” he waved her concern away. “It just surprised me.”

Dern put on a pair of thick gloves, approached the forge, and opened the door. He stuck the metal into the forge a little, wiggling it around and then drawing it back.

Suddenly, a little scaly snout popped into view.

“Oh!” Winna gasped.

“Ah, I wondered.” Lear grinned.

“What is it?” the young woman asked.

Dern continued to try to tempt the little creature from his forge.

“It’s a dragon.” the tall fey soldier informed her.

“A dragon?!” She gasped in delight.

Lear smiled. Her joy was infectious. “Yes. It’s still young though. But it won’t get much bigger, these kinds are miniature, really.”

“Can it talk? I know some dragons can.”

“No, it’s probably more like Diana, able to understand speech, and quite smart for an animal, but still an animal.”

“I see!” she nodded, watching as Dern finally coaxed the rather large lizard from the mouth of the forge. “And it eats metal?”

“Yes. It’s an ore dragon. It can smell metal, even through the ground.” Lear addressed the dwarf now. “I suggest offering to let it live in your forge, and feeding it, but in return it should help you find ore. And I believe its droppings are likely an incredibly pure version of whatever metal it eats. Probably more pure than what you can make. Its body runs using a little of the metal itself, as well as what would be considered the impurities in the stuff. The ingots you have here would be like candy to it, tastes good, but not much substance to it, which was why it was eating enough that you’d notice it.”

“That makes sense.” Dern nodded. He was letting the little creature sniff his hand.

The little dragon’s silver scales were rapidly cooling, and it stared up at the dwarf with large, sapphire eyes. Given it was a largely ground-based dragon, all things considered, it didn’t have wings, but instead had curved claws well-suited to moving earth so it could dig for ore to eat, and a long tail that flopped around contentedly.

“Hello little one.” Dern’s beard shifted as he smiled. “Is the forge nice and warm?”

The dragon nodded, shivering a little.

“I won’t keep you out of it very long. You can live here, but please don’t just eat the metal in here! I need it to run my business.”

The little dragon gave a little chirp.

“I make things for people in the village. You can stay here, but in return, can you help me find ore veins?”

Winna giggled in delight as the small dragon nodded again. “What will you call it?” she wanted to know.

“Can I give you a name?” Dern asked.

Another yip from the ore-eating reptile.

“Are you a girl?” Dern asked.

The dragon shook its head.

“Then a boy?”

A nod.

“Le’s see. I’m not very creative, but I do think Silver is a nice name.”

The dragon wiggled happily.

“Alright then, Silver it is!” Dern nodded approvingly. “Now go get warm again!”

Silver chirped sweetly, and then hopped back into the forge.

Dern turned and walked over to us. “That was a far easier problem to solve than I expected.”

“I’m glad it wasn’t anything more serious either. The last one we dealt with was far less pleasant, though Lear dealt with it easily enough.” Winna told him.

“So I heard!” Dern nodded. “A shadow demon, right?”

“Yes. Definitely not nearly as cute or endearing as a hungry miniature dragon. At least they can be reasoned with.” Lear grinned.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“Indeed!”

“Well, we should probably go. We still have to get Lear some new clothes.” Winna told Dern.

“Of course.” the dwarf nodded. “Thank you very much for stopping by. I know you’ve been wanting one of the stoves, I’d be happy to give you a discount on one when you’re ready.”

Winna blinked, then smiled a little sadly, “Dern, I didn’t even do anything but stand here and think the dragon was very cute.”

“Fair point.” the dwarf nodded, “But I appreciate your willingness to come immediately, and you are a very loyal, repeat customer. So I’m happy to give you a discount. Twenty percent is good, I think.”

Tears came to the young woman’s eyes, “Th-thank you, Dern! I-I’ve been saving really hard to get it! I-I think I already have enough with that!”

“Even better!” the dwarf’s beard and mustache twitched and his eyes crinkled up as he smiled. “I guess I’ll see you soon, then?”

“Y-yes!” she sniffed, wiping her face.

They bid the dwarf and his new dragon friend farewell, and left the forge building.

“We can walk to the shops from here, they’re not far.” Winna murmured. “Dern won’t mind if we leave the cart and Poppy here.”

Seeing there were still tears on her face, Lear caught her gently, and pulled her to face him, sliding his sleeve down onto his hand and wiping her face gently with it. “There. Let’s go.”

“Thanks.” she muttered, starting off again.

Lear took a few quick steps to catch up, and caught her hand, then slipped it into the crook of his arm. “We’ve not been out and about together before.”

Winna frowned, “Yes we have.”

“Not in town like this, I mean.”

“Oh. You’re right. We’ve not had to go into town though, until now.”

“I know. We should have tea at that tea shop when we’re done. My treat.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay, thank you.” Winna leaned her head into his arm for a moment. “I like the fancy little tea cakes they have there. It’s been a while since I’ve had any though.”

“How come?”

“I’ve been saving up for other things.” She shrugged.

“You have incredible will power to be saving up like you have.” He commented.

“I don't know about that. I’ve just had to be responsible for my own finances since I was sixteen.”

Lear patted her hand, murmuring, “Fair.” He left his fingers over hers.

“Winna!” A voice cried, making his small companion nearly jump out of her skin.

“Oh goodness!” she gasped, looking across the street, her other hand to her heart. “Bekka! You scared the life out of me!”

A cart trundled by as the young woman who'd addressed Winna waved, giving Lear a moment to ask, “Who’s this?”

“Her name is Bekka, we went to school together.”

“A friend?”

“Yes, from my school days.” She murmured, then waved as the other woman hurried across the road now that the cart had passed.

“It’s a little odd to see you in town this time of year, isn’t it?” Bekka addressed Winna, but her eyes flickered all over Lear.

Being ogled didn’t usually bother him, but on this occasion he did find it annoying. The girl was an old friend, and she was barely paying attention to Winna in order to stare at him.

“Dern wanted my opinion on something, so I made the trip in."

“And not alone! Who is your friend?” Bekka couldn't wait any longer, it seemed.

“This is Lear, Lear, this is Bekka.” Winna motioned sort of halfheartedly between them.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you!” Bekka curtsied.

Lear bowed his head slightly, but didn’t speak.

“Now Winna, I’d heard that the fellow you had around was fey, but, no offense, sir, I don’t think you look particularly inhuman."

“Magic is a wonderful thing, and illusion spells aren’t difficult for me.” he said, keeping his tone mild, to come across as bored as he could.

“Oh!” she gasped. “Well, I’ll be! Oh wait until I tell-”

“I’d rather not be mobbed, if it’s all the same to you.” Lear cut her off, letting his annoyance show. “And I’m sure Winna doesn't either. Neither of us are particularly in the mood to fight through a crowd, I think.”

Bekka blinked. “Oh. No, I don’t expect anyone would be. That’s fair enough.”

“A-and I’m sure people have been saying all sorts of things.” Winna murmured, dropping her gaze. “Lear is only staying until he’s healed. He’s my patient. He’s been helping with some other issues being caused by fey folk in the area, but he’s not staying long-term. If you tell anyone, please tell them that. It’s the truth.”

“Even better, I’ll tell her, since I can’t lie.” Lear said, “Winna has done nothing inappropriate, despite my best efforts to convince her otherwise. I’m her patient. I do think of her as a good friend though.”

Bekka’s mouth popped open, and she was speechless for a moment. Finally, she burst into giggles, “Well, I never thought anything improper was going on! I’d have thought ‘good for her’ even if it had! But don’t you worry, Winna, I’ll set them straight. Once you’ve left so you don’t get mobbed, anyways.” she pretended to zip and lock her lips, then threw away the imaginary key.

“Thank you, Bekka.” Winna managed a smile.

“Of course. What shop were you heading to?”

“Ama’s. It’s a long story, but Lear could use some more clothes.”

“Well, you have fun.”

“Are you still working at the tea shop?”

“Yes!"

“We’re going to stop by later, I think. Are you working today at all?”

“I was headed there just now!” She smiled, then glanced at her pocket watch and grimaced, “I should get going on that note! It was nice to meet you, Lear! See you both later!” Bekka waved and hurried off.

“See?” Winna murmured.

“It did go relatively well though.”

“Luckily. Bekka is decent, and does know me fairly well because we grew up together. Other folks aren’t so decent.”

“Fair enough. I’ll break some kneecaps if someone so much as looks at you sidways.” he cracked his knuckles menacingly.

“Lear.” she rolled her eyes at him, but smiled, which was what he’d wanted.

“I’m joking.”

“I know.” Winna shook her head, then frowned and asked, “Technically, that wasn’t true…how is it possible for you to say it?”

“Because it was a joke. Intent matters, to some extent. It’s a spirit of the law vs letter of the law thing, but we can usually get away with a joke.”

“I see.”

“We have lots of wiggle room, unfortunately, and use that wiggle room to great effect.”

“Humans wouldn't be so wary of you lot if that weren’t the case. We know you lot can be tricky."

“Fair enough.”

They walked for a little while in silence.

“That’s the shop up there.” Winna pointed just ahead.

“Well, we've done pretty well so far! You've only been recognized once.”

“It’s early yet, not everyone is up and about. We’ll see what happens when we go to leave, and once we’re having tea.” she told him, then murmured. “Here we are.” as she pushed into the shop.

A bell on the door jangled, and a woman’s voice called, “I’ll be right with you!”

Lear’s clothing was all custom made, but this shop was full of ready-made clothing, which hung on various racks, hooks, or were folded neatly on shelves and tables. There was a counter along one wall that held various accessories, and a sewing machine on a low table, probably for adjustments that could be done quickly.

“It’s just me, Ama!” Winna replied.

“Oh, Winna!” An elderly woman with flyaway grey hair appeared. Her kind brown eyes flickered over Lear, but she didn’t comment. “How are you, dear? It’s been a while!” the shopkeeper’s eyes took in Winna’s dress. “It looks like it’s high time for some new clothes, too!”

“Well, I didn’t come for me today, actually, although you’re not wrong.” The young woman grimaced a little, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. “This is Lear, he’s a patient staying at the cottage for a time. Lear, this is Ama. This is her shop, but she makes the clothes here as well.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Lear bowed.

“The pleasure is mine.” Ama bowed politely in return. “So if you’re not here for clothes today, Winna, I take it Mr. Lear here is?”

“Just Lear is fine. But yes.” the fey man nodded.

“Well, I have a fine selection of men’s clothes over here, if you want to look through.” She guided them to one side of the store, then turned to Winna, “Why don’t you come look at new clothes while you’re here as well? That way you can go ahead and plan for what you want when you are planning to buy new things for yourself.”

Winna chewed her lip. “Well, I think I’ll have a little extra money after I buy the stove I’ve been saving for.” That’d be thanks to the discount Dern was going to give her. “Oh, alright. I could probably buy something today. Just so I’ll have one actually nice dress for when I’m in town again. Then come spring and summer, when I can actually make more steady money again, I’ll be able to invest in more.”

“Are your salves not selling well in the shop you keep them in?”

“They don’t typically sell as well in winter.” the young woman shrugged.

“What salves do you sell? I’ve never asked specifics.” Lear asked as he perused the men's clothing.

“I only really have two. A general healing salve, and then a burn salve that has cooling properties from different herbs.”

“You could expand on that, I think. You could do anti-nausea, a salve for bug bites, one that specifically targets arthritis.” he shrugged, “Stuff like that.”

“I don’t know how I’d do that.” Winna frowned. “I’m not only pretty weak, but I also only know what I was taught. Books of magic are kind of hard to come by around here.”

“I have no aptitude for healing, but I do have a good deal of experience in using magic, just generally, so I bet if we put our heads together, we could come up with some new things.”

Ama’s expression was extremely confused, “Are you also a mage, Lear?”

“You’ve not heard the rumors, then?" Winna asked, surprised.

“Well, I’ve heard there was a fey person keeping you company, but Lear hardly fits that description.”

“People seem to forget we can disguise ourselves pretty easily.” Lear laughed. “No, I’m fey."

“Oh…but you came inside the shop.” Ama still seemed befuddled.

“I don’t need permission to enter a shop. The welcome is implied because the purpose of the shop is to sell those wares, which requires customers to enter, so I'm able to come in because I'm a customer.” he pointed at the ceiling, “Do you live above the shop?”

“Yes.”

“I couldn't enter your dwelling above the shop without permission, but the shop itself is fine.” he motioned at the store around them.

“Well, that’s interesting.” the elderly seamstress smiled, “I learned something new today.”

“I’ve learned a lot of new things lately.” Winna laughed.