“Is it safe? To go to the towns?” I asked cautiously. I wasn’t sure if the other towns reacted much like mine did. If they had, I would prefer to avoid them.
The barbarian on my left, who spoke better common tongue than his friend, answered that question. “You will not go to the towns. Only a few go. The rest stay with the wagons and rest. It is safer.”
I breathed out a sigh of relief, nodding in agreement. “I’m okay with that plan. I’ll admit I’d be useless in a fight. It’s a miracle I made it out of town on my own.” I glanced at mypack and grimaced. “I realize now I didn’t pack properly for the journey. I was in a hurry…”
Matthew seemed to struggle for a moment before speaking, his words trembling in a familiar way. I’d forgotten Matthew had a stammer when he lived in the orphanage. I hadn’t interacted with him much, and when I did, he didn’t speak to me unless he had to. “W-What d-d-did y-you p-pack?”
I wrinkled my nose, poking at my bag with my foot. It was a little embarrassing how illprepared I was. I hadn’t even packed spare clothes. I figured I could purchase some material and make something when we arrived in Al Nuzem.
“Keepsakes. Sewing tools. Some of my favorite material. I’d planned on packing up my whole shop, buying a wagon, that sort of thing, but they locked the gates, and I was pretty sure the mayor was having me watched. I grabbed the things that were most important to me and ran when their guard was lowered. I figured it was better to travel light.”
“No clothes?” my rescuer asked, confused.
My cheeks burned as I shook my head. “I thought I’d make more when we settled. It’s warmer in Al Nuzem, after all…”
To my surprise and relief, he seemed to understand that thought process, nodding once. “Very warm. Our clan make new clothes while we journey. Change when we go back.”
He spoke in a stilted version of the common tongue, but at least I could understand him for the most part. It would have been a lot scarier if I didn’t understand a word he was saying.
“I-I have a s-s–” Matthew grimaced, cutting himself off. He shot a pained look at his husband, but the barbarian just gave him a look, steady patience in his eyes as he waited for Matthew to speak.
No one rushed him, and while he looked embarrassed, he gamely pushed through and said what he wanted to say. “I-I have a s-spare outf-f-fit,” he offered. “I a-always bring t-t-two.”
I cocked my head, studying his now much larger frame. When I’d known him, he’d been rail thin. He’d filled out a lot, which was why I didn’t recognize him until he spoke to me. He was now muscular, and no longer hunched in on himself, making him look taller than when I’d last seen him. He wasn’t as big as the barbarians, but the change made me wonder if I’d be expected to train like they did. It would explain why Matthew was so big now, but it wasn’t something I would enjoy doing. I didn’t even like watching fights. I always left out the back if barfights started in town.
“I’m not sure they’d fit,” I replied honestly. “You’ve grown since I last saw you.”
Matthew’s husband scowled at me. “He has not grown. He has been properly fed. Your cruel town starved him to where he had to volunteer as tribute to survive.”
I flinched at the accusation, dropping my gaze to my feet as shame filled my chest. “I… I hadn’t realized…”
Matthew had always been thin, but I’d admit I didn’t give it much attention. I donated clothing when I could, but my focus the last few years had been my parents’ health and taking over their shops. I admittedly hadn’t paid much attention to anything else.
“A-Arlen,” Matthew called quietly, waiting for me to look up before giving me a reassuring look. “Y-Y-You helped. W-Warm c-clothes helped.”
He turned to his husband, leaning to whisper in his ear. I wasn’t close enough to hear him, so I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination, but it almost sounded as if his words were steadier when speaking to him. If that was true, I was glad for it. He deserved to feel safe and heard. I never liked the way the town treated the orphans. It was why I donated clothes as often as I could. I repaired old clothes people left in my shop or created what I could with the scraps from my orders. They weren’t thenicest clothes I could make, but I figured it was better than nothing. That Matthew seemed to appreciate it eased the shame a little for not doing more.
Matthew’s husband grunted, looking me over once before his scowl eased just a little. “You donated clothes to the poor?”
“When I could,” I nodded. “With my parents falling ill and the chaos of taking over the shop, I’ll admit it wasn’t as often as I would have liked, but…”
The barbarian made a face, waving me away. “It was enough. You are right, Matthew’s clothes will not fit you. We will ask Simon in the morning.”
I wasn’t sure who that was, but before I could ask, a yawn so large my jaw cracked escaped me and my rescuer ushered me out of my seat, pointing toward the nearby wagon. “You rest now. Journey in morning.”
It wasn’t a bad idea, I was exhausted after everything that had happened. With the fire, the food in my belly, and someone familiar to talk to, I felt safe enough to get some sleep. I stood, keeping the furs wrapped tightly around me to maintain my modesty.
“I’ll see you in the morning?” I asked Matthew cautiously. He nodded, giving me a soft smile.
Before I could take more than a few steps on my own, my rescuer scooped me off my feet like he had earlier, moving me into the wagon and settling me in an empty spot away from the opening and the wind. There were a few sleeping bodies nearby, but none stirred at our arrival, and my rescuer laid down beside me, patting my shoulder gently and whispering into the dark.
“You are safe. Rest now. I protect you.”
CHAPTER FIVE
TYOS
I’d thought the man would be warm enough in the wagon with the fur around him, but I woke in the night to see him curled in a ball, shivering, trying to keep himself warm. Cautiously, so I didn’t scare him, I moved closer, sharing my fur with him and pulling him against my chest. With his fur still around him, I figured he would feel safe to sleep, and when his eyes flew open to look at me, I gave him a small smile.