A warm pastry in his hand, Rowan sighed, happily basking in the sunlight. The pie vendor had been cordial and friendly, eagerly handing over a delicious-looking apple pie in exchange for one of Rowan’s remaining Dirrins. With flaky crust and soft lattice of dough overtop a healthy filling of golden apples, the pastry gave off a heavenly smell that tempted Rowan as he sought a place to enjoy his prize.

Eyeing the crowded square with a practiced eye, Rowan’s gaze fell upon an isolated bench, partly hidden in the shadow of a tree. Clutching the pie carefully to his chest, Rowan hurried over, the bag of school supplies thumping against his side as he scurried towards the bench.

With a content sigh, Rowan collapsed onto the bench, allowing the bag to fall between his feet, a strap still hooked over one arm as a precaution against thieves. Although he had noticed it earlier, there truly were almost no thieves or other riffraff present in Northall. Initially, he had attributed this to the climate, as from what he had heard of the northern weather, it would be tough for ruffians to survive on the streets come the winter chill.

After several hours spent shopping in town, however, Rowan now knew otherwise. While the climate certainly did not help, it was not the inhospitable winter that kept Northall so free of petty criminals, but the residents. From adventurers wearing armour with long swords buckled to their waists, to shopkeeps with bulging muscles and eagle eyes, the number of easy marks that Rowan had seen today could be counted on one hand. Even the pie vendor had been alert, his gaze constantly moving and catching the actions of everyone around his stall as he served pies to hungry patrons.

Even if Rowan had pursued one of the few easy marks he had noticed, it was likely that he would be caught by any of the numerous dangerous looking fellows strolling by before he made it ten feet. The town was practically littered with those that he would have given a wide berth back in Taureen, for fear of losing a hand, or worse.

But that was not an issue right now. Right now, he was a legitimate member of society, ready to feast on his hard-earned pie. Raising the pie to his mouth, Rowan was just about to take a big bite when he noticed someone out of the corner of his eye.

Twenty feet from where he sat stood Morgana, the fae’s expression one of weary annoyance as she cast around for a place to sit, several bags hanging from her pale arms. Clearly, she had not noticed either him or the bench upon which he sat, two thirds of its length still unused.

For a moment, Rowan considered his course of action. On the one hand, Morgana clearly disliked him, though for what reasons, he could not say, and he did not want to devour his long anticipated pie in the presence of an enemy.

On the other hand, perhaps offering her a spot at his bench would serve as something of a peace offering. Whatever he had done to offend her, surely it could not be that bad, Rowan reasoned. After all, they had only just met a week ago, and he was fairly sure he had never done anything to purposefully spite the girl of a thousand glares.

No matter what happened, this was probably something that he needed to resolve. As a noble, Morgana had the ability to make his future, both at the academy and in the world beyond, a living hell. While she did not have to like him, he should at least take steps to ensure she did not hate him, as seemed to be the case right now.

Would offering her a seat help their relationship? Surely she could not be angry with him for providing her with a place to rest, Rowan thought. But then again, she had not exactly been discreet about her distaste upon being forced to share a bench with him in the carriage earlier...

Rowan suppressed a groan. Relationships had been far easier to deal with as a street rat. No one was your friend, and nobody hung around unless they had something to gain from you. Guards and nobles were universally enemies, and everyone else interacted with street trash only out of necessity. Simple rules for a simple life. Now there were feelings, and emotions, and other things he did not understand in the mix. But there was also apple pie.

Unable to make a decision, Rowan changed tack. What would Darm say in a situation such as this? For a moment, he visualized the halfling, Darm’s charming smile appearing in his mind as he considered the matter. Darm would probably say something about how he didn’t need to make friends, but he should at least try to avoid making enemies, especially of heirs to noble houses, however far away those houses might be.

Channeling his inner Darm, Rowan raised his free hand. “Morgana!”

With a puzzled expression, Morgana turned, her eyebrow raising and her mouth setting into a thin line as she beheld Rowan.

Ignoring her expression, Rowan pointed to the bench beside him. “Want a seat?” he mouthed.

After a moment of hesitation, Morgana strode over, tossing her bags to the ground as she took a seat on the opposite end of the bench, as far from him as she could get. Totally fine with this, Rowan smiled awkwardly at her, unsure of whether or not to continue the conversation. He had half-hoped that she would simply decline his offer, but now he had made it this far and he was at a loss for how to continue.

What would Darm do? Turning once more to his friend for advice, Rowan glanced down at the pie in his hand, a sinking feeling filling him as he realized exactly what it was that Darm would do in this situation. As evidenced by his belly, the halfling loved food, and even more than he loved food, he loved sharing food with others.

For a moment, Rowan grappled with the thought. This was his apple pie, his! But if a bit of apple pie could avert a future of angry glares, was that not worth it? Part of him wanted to say no, but the rational side knew the answer was yes. There was plenty of delicious food back at Faebrook, even if there were no more apple pies. But there was only one chance to offer a piece of his beloved pastry to a girl that hated him.

Mustering up his most convincing smile, Rowan turned towards Morgana and held out the pastry, doing his best to keep the look of longing off his face as he looked past the alluring apple treat. “Want some?”

For a moment, Morgana appeared lost for words, her normal expression replaced with a confused look as her eyes flitted between Rowan’s face and the pastry.

“No,” she replied at last.

“Alright,” Rowan replied, instantly accepting her response as he looked hungrily at the pastry. He had offered and she had declined, which meant there was no more reason to hold back. Bringing the pie to his mouth, he took a large bite, the moist apple filling within creating an explosion of sweetness that blended with the soft, flaky crust to produce an indescribably amazing taste.

Across the bench, a pang of regret flashed across Morgana’s face as she watched him bite into the pie, but just as quickly, it was gone. Turning her back on Rowan once more, she busied herself with her bags, as Rowan savoured his treat, the pastry disappearing all too quickly into his belly.

Patting his stomach gently, Rowan leaned back with a contented sigh. With the exception of the girl quite literally giving him the cold shoulder three feet to his right, everything was perfect. He had been accepted into Faebrook, earned the interest of a potential teacher, and even acquired an apple pie which he had been able to enjoy in the sun, not hunched under an abandoned dock as had been his custom back in Taureen. Life was good.

Of course, that did not mean that he planned to slack off. In order to continue experiencing scenes such as this, he would have to work hard. Lira Kess had been quite clear about Faebrook’s view on those the academy deemed average. Should Rowan fall behind, he would be left there, and this time there would be no Tethis and Darm to pick him up.

However, while they were not here to help him, he was also no longer the resourceless street rat he had been when they had first met. Tomorrow he would go to Kanna Soreth’s office to take her up on her offer to help him with his courses. He had held off until now as he waited for his body to return to normal following the Test of Potential, but the time had come. With her help, he would slay the dragon known as the education system, before heading out into the world to slay the dragons known as dragons.

However, that was a problem for the future. Right now, all that Rowan intended to do was savour this moment. Head tilted back, he enjoyed the slight aftertaste of apple pie on his lips, the sun peeking through the foliage above as he relaxed in the northern summer heat. Time might wait for no man, but all men waited for the carriage driver, and he was not due back for another forty minutes.