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Thadus had never imagined he would one day not sleep in a bed of no lesser quality than what he had at his estate.

The moment he woke up, hours after dawn, he immediately rolled out of the cot and stood up, brushing off any and all dust and dirt from his silk shirt. The tiny hut was revolting. It wasn’t as rancid as the ghastly city-state he had left some hours prior, but it certainly wasn’t pleasant, either, with its indescribable odour. It was dark inside it with no windows, with hay was spread across the packed earthen floor, and there were more than likely a few spiderwebs unseen in corners. All Thadus had to navigate by was the limited dim light coming in from the gaps around the door.

A vine climbed up his leg and torso and began to comb through his hair while he desperately tried to get rid of any filth and grime in the lacking illumination. He couldn’t tell if his shirt was indeed white or if it had turned grey over the course of the past few hours, during which he had received some lacklustre rest.

He grabbed blindly for his sceptre and, finding the cool metal item, he immediately summoned water to wash his hands with the meticulousness of a healer about to touch a gaping wound. He rejected the notion of letting even the smallest speck remain on him. Then he washed his face, refusing the thought that he could step out of this place with potential stains visible to all who lay their eyes on him.

He was required to look immaculate. The perfect image of a spellcaster proper. The very picture of ideal high kin, even in this absurdly horrid environment.

For some reason he had the perception that creatures crawled on top of his skin the more he washed. He scrubbed his face with his palms until he felt it was almost raw. The vine placed his last clean handkerchief in his hand so he could pat his face dry. As he did, it removed straws of hay that had got stuck to his garments, before retracting back into the inner pocket of his coat where he had a small pouch of soil from Eden.

He picked up his coat where it was at the head end of the bed and held it as if it was a filthy rag he needed to have burned this instant.

This had been hardly better than sleeping in someone’s stable. The only benefit was that it had a something akin to a bed. The stables did not.

He opened the door with a kick of his boot, unwilling to touch the grimy thing. The first thing he saw was a large mostly-white horse — IT WAS A HORSE!!— which raised its head to look at him. He must be having a nightmare. At any moment, he would wake up at his estate in Eden.

In Eden, where these repulsive creatures were nowhere near him.

Would never be anywhere near him. 

Never.

He refused to believe this was—

“Lord Thadus, may I ask, have you slept well this morn?”

The horse lowered its gaze to drink out of a bucket. Thadus turned ever so slightly to the side and saw Linden squatted next to a small tub with water reflecting the midday sun, not far from the large creature, lathering soap into their long, fiery hair. They wore a pair of dark trousers and black leather boots, which both were visibly of a far higher quality than what they had worn while in Rockforge. The collar of their light undershirt was left open, a delicate gold ring with gemstones dangling from the gold chain, looking rather dark against the pale expanse of skin visible. Their rolled-up sleeves exposed lightly freckled fair arms.

It was a rather unfortunate picture.

He was apparently not at all asleep.

“What are you doing?” he asked in utter disgust.

“I have had to bear not washing my hair whilst in Rockforge. I could no longer stand it, but the farmers here have no proper tub for me to borrow, so I am making do with their laundry basin,” Linden explained with a smile. “The soap is mine. It is quite lovely. Would you like to try it, Lord Thadus? It is a pleasant floral from further south; I bought it off a merchant I met between Merchant’s Grove and Fortvale about a month and a half ago.”

“I do not wish to try anything. You are a disgrace looking like this. What would your elders think of you, were they to discover you appearing to be no more than some beggar by a basin?”

“Father would call me a lunatic, but that opinion he has expressed since I was a young child, so it would hardly make any difference whether I wash my hair like this or not,” Linden said lightly before they began scrubbing their scalp. “Goodness, I never get used to doing this part myself.”

Thadus was left to speechlessly watch the lunatic scrub their scalp with their fingers before they tried rinsing their hair.

Unable to keep observing the mortal wash their hair in a laundry basin that he could only imagine was full of filth, he asked a water sprite to come to the surface and pour ice cold water into the soapy head of hair. Linden froze in place and half a visible full-body shiver from the chill. They gathered their hair with a helpless look at Thadus.

Once more, he told the sprite, which poured another dose of clean freezing water over the hair to fully rinse it.

“Lord Thadus, that is just cruel,” Linden said through chattering teeth, while soft laughs escaped their lips.

They continued to shiver awhile. The horse moved over and buffed the wet hair with its muzzle. Linden laughed jovially and petted it.

Thadus wrinkled his nose at the display. What a waste of his abilities.

“I’m fine, sweet boy. No need to worry, Courage.” They pushed back their hair, wetting the back of their undershirt. “See? It’s just water.”

“Why are you being so friendly with a filthy beast?”

Linden stood up and nuzzled the horse in return. Thadus felt this lunatic must have enjoyed the cold dousing, because now they were getting themselves dirty all over again.

He thoroughly considered whether to give them a full-body dousing. Or perhaps five.

“Courage is my horse. I have had him for several years. He was very young when I first got him, and I had to train him myself with help of some of my elders. Nothing frightens him, so he was always perfect to ride within the city when I was in a hurry from one matter to the next. When I left my home state, I brought him along. I could not bring any other companions from the household with me — only him.”

“Why would you want a horse?” Thadus asked, truly not understanding why this lunatic spoke with such warmth about a beast. To him, it even looked unkempt, the way it was speckled with black and possibly grey on its legs, had one black ear, and a black spot by one of its eyes, with an additional few on its back.

“Necessity. Lord Thadus must understand that, as a mortal, I can only travel so fast by foot. The travel between city-states is long and tedious. Courage allows me to travel faster. And he is wonderful to bring along when I need to hunt. He is better than any dog, for the matter, as I do not hunt for sport.” They pet the horse once more. “I had to leave him behind when I went to Rockforge. We are too conspicuous together. I paid the farmers here to keep him for ten days for me. I explained he cannot be used to pull a cart, as he is trained for riding with weaponry and armour, and bred for speed and endurance over strength, but that they were free to borrow him if it was a load to carry, rather to pull. He has a calm temperament, after all.”

“Absolutely not. That is an unacceptable rationale to have one. There are no proper arguments for it! You can’t convince me otherwise.”

Linden gave him a helpless smile. “Then I shall not try.”

Thadus sniffed. He wasn’t fond of that expression, as if they thought of him as a child. He had left childhood behind him many years ago. He had long since finished his education, too.

Why someone would treat him like he was a youth that knew little, but thought themselves clever, was beyond him. He knew himself being correct on this matter. Large animals such as horses were not worth the resources spent on them for the regular person. This was true for mortals, too, as they lacked knowledge of how to even properly obtain and manage the land they lived upon.

The more he thought about it, the more Thadus felt offended by this treatment. He should be treated better. He didn’t deserve to be belittled like this, to have to sleep on a farm, to be so close to that hideous, stinking animal.

“You owe me money,” he spat out.

Linden nodded agreement. “That I indeed do.”

“I want it back.”

Linden patted the horse’s head once more. Thadus felt a shiver down his back. How revolting!

“Lord Thadus must realise my money was stolen in Rockforge. I need to move to a city which has a bank where I can exchange my gold slips into silver coins before I can offer Lord Thadus any silver.”

Thadus could, unfortunately, not disagree with this. He certainly wouldn’t accept gold slips. They were useless to him. He ever carried silver currency.

“Why are you still here, then? If you have a debt to pay off, you ought to do so at a haste. Hurry up and go to the nearest city. If you do not, I will increase it to ten silver.”

“Lord Thadus, would you like to have a meal? I asked the lady of the house to make us something. It will not be on par with the tavern’s food, but it needs not be of poor quality only because they are farmers.”

Thadus was going to snap at them again, but his stomach betrayed him with a small, very minimal, barely audible growl.

Linden smiled. “Then, shall have a meal before we pack up and head towards the next city on my journey?”

Thadus sniffed. He shook his coat to rid it of dust and dirt before he looked it over. He couldn’t see any stains on the dark red fabric, and the silk and silver embroidery looked pristine… enough.

Not quite up to an acceptable condition, but he kept no other coats with him, as he had travelled only for a day-long outing to Rockforge. He put it on with all the dignity of a spellcaster that he could muster. The vine crawled up from the inner pocket and into his sleeve to wrap around his left arm for warmth.

Linden poured out the soapy water and carried the basin under one arm, with the pale green and pink bar of soap tossed into it. With the other, they led their beast along toward the main house of the farmers.

Their hair was dripping water and the entire back of their undershirt was wet, but they didn’t seem to care whatsoever as they left a wet trail along the path from the guest hut and stables.

Thadus reluctantly followed, keeping at a very safe distance from the large monstrous thing the lunatic dared call a companion.

Linden knocked before walking straight into the house, like some barbatic brute with no sense of propriety.

How dared they! The only proper thing to do was to await permission!

“Ma’am, thank you for lending me your basin. I feel much better now.”

Thadus heard a voice come from within as Linden left the door open. “It was nothing.” There was a brief pause before she continued, “Goodness, did you get soaked! When you arrived this morning, I took the liberty to air out the clothes you left behind. They’re in the bedroom, if you’d like to get changed.”

“That’s too kind of you, ma’am. Don’t mind if I do,” Linden replied, and they had an audible smile as they continued, “The water was a little cold when I rinsed my hair.”

Thadus arrived at the door and promptly wrinkled his nose.

This farm was not far from Rockforge, so it hadn’t taken them much time to arrive, and then he had been invited into this kitchen of the main house, too. He had been tired, the candlelight dim and the dawn barely breaking, so he hadn’t seen just how unpleasant and grimy it was in here.

Now he could see it and he had the compulsion to bring forth both water and wind and mayhap an earth spirit to clean it all until it was pristine and shining. He was itching to get rid of — was that flour? — from the workbench and wipe off — was that soot? — from the table. He needed that kettle scrubbed clean, and the cutlery — dear elder casters, were they supposed to use spoons made out of wood? Even the tavern used at least metal spoons!

He was about to turn to leave this horrid place, when he felt something breathe down his neck. A shiver went down his back and a sense of nausea rose to his throat.

“LINDEN!”

The lunatic turned to him with a startled expression and paused. Thereupon they hurried over, face apologetic.

“I am so sorry, Lord Thadus. Courage is usually well-behaved. He—”

Linden paused, said a soft, “Oh,” then gently pulled Thadus aside and went to tie the horse to a tree away from the door.

When they returned to the kitchen once more, they said, “He must have recognised the smell of the perfume pouches. He was curious about it, because Lord Thadus is clearly not me. Do not take offense.”

“I don’t care why. Just keep that wretched thing away from me.”

“Yes, naturally, Lord Thadus. I am truly very sorry. I cannot apologise enough for my oversight.”

The lunatic steered Thadus to a chair and, after borrowing a rag to wipe it clean, they offered him the seat.

“Once again, I sincerely apologise. That was my mistake and carelessness. I know spellcasters seldom are fond of such animals.”

Thadus only huffed, still feeling goosebumps from it. He wanted a bath. A thorough bath where he could scrub every part of himself. This was sickening.

Linden tried to say something, and he just waved them away. He did not want anything with them. He felt so sick from being near that filthy thing.

The vine moved to wrap itself around his neck to wipe it away, but this made Thadus only more disgusted.

Get off me!

He pushed it back into the pocket. This was something he couldn’t take.

He truly needed a bath. He would need to conjure one up at the best opportunity.

This was awful. Would it be too dramatic of him if he relieved his stomach of its contents? Absolutely not. Was he willing to do so? He refused to be humiliated by his own body!

What sort of illness might that vile beast carry? He was uncertain, but he would never forgive the mortal if he became ill from this.

He was in deep thought about what diseases he may have contracted from this loathsome encounter when Linden, who had gone elsewhere without him noticing, returned to the kitchen.

“How are you feeling, Lord Thadus?” they asked him, pulling him out of his thoughts about which plague he had to be prepared for and if he knew any healers who could treat them.

Their hair was tied up using a green ribbon, much of it curling at the ends as it was drying. They wore a long golden yellow jacket with separately woven lapels, hem and collar. They had changed to a pair of reddish-brown trousers but kept the same leather boots, and a black leather belt cinched their waist. They wore a gold wrist guard that was ornamented with intricate patterns of inlaid silver on one wrist, and on the other, a simple leather one with a flower design.

Compared to Gaudy-Fool in Rockforge — even while disgusted enough to feel physically ill, even while considering which way he would likely find his disgraceful demise because of the horse — Thadus had to admit that it was an acceptable attire. He determined that the chosen garments would work decently with the indigo tasselled cloak. It seemed this mortal had a decent sense of aesthetics, although they were a lunatic.

A relic wielder, yes, but a lunatic nonetheless.

Once served a meal not long after, in the same filthy kitchen, Thadus had only two options — eat but with the greatest humiliation, or not eat and retain his dignity.

He looked at the wooden spoon and chose the former.

He. Would. Not. Eat.

Never.

This was so thoroughly beneath him that he had no words for it.

“Why is this lord not eating?” the woman asked, but Thadus refused to acknowledge the question.

He stared in a whole other direction. He was so deeply offended by this conduct that he couldn’t comprehend why anyone thought this appropriate in any way. He would rather never eat than touching a—

Linden left once again and then return, polishing a silver spoon. They held it towards him.

“Lord Thadus, please eat. The closest city to Rockforge is Noharbour, which is three or four days away. Possibly many more of we rest often.”

Thadus was not willing. The bowl was surely covered in filth, too. He also had no handkerchiefs left that weren’t dirtied. He couldn’t believe that someone would even imagine making him eat like this. This was absurd! Outrageous!

“It is made from silver — is this truly not acceptable?” Linden asked.

Thadus huffed in response.

He truly was miserable.

And yet he would not give up on this debt. It was not a notable sum. However, by principle, as a spellcaster, he could not let this go. He would never be able to such a thing without feeling disgraced.

Linden sighed softly. “Lord Thadus may triple my debt and I shall concede to him about what to do in favour for the retrieved token,” they told him.

Giving them a look of disapproval, Thadus replies, “Twenty silver.”

They paused, then nodded, not arguing about the additional five. “Yes, absolutely, I shall give you twenty silver.”

This mortal was too much trouble.

The spellcaster snatched the silver spoon and, with the reluctance of someone who truly did not deserve this injustice but had to relent nonetheless, he took a first bite of the whatever-it-was.

The taste was at least not horrid. Rather bland, in fact, but not as much so as the food at the Upper City inn in Rockforge.

However, he would not forgive this transgression to his person.

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Author’s Note

I had planned to get this up much earlier, but I ended up having wrist problems for a couple of weeks and I’ve been sick on and off as well. But here is the beginning of the next arc of the story.