--- Roric

The hammer hit the head of the last pole with a loud thud, burying it deep into the ground.

For the entirety of his first morning in Fradot, Roric had been focusing all he had into showing mister Dominic that he was trustworthy. When the old farmer had last spoken with the boy, a couple of hours before, it was pretty clear that he was wary of him and wanted to keep a safe distance from the newcomer and the girl who lived there. At first the young warrior thought he was just imagining things, but Dominic forbidding him from even speaking to Elise had cleared his every doubt. If Roric wished to be treated friendly, his only option was earning it.

For that moment, however, all he could do was work hard and hope for the best. The old farmer had given him so many tasks that he had plenty to choose from. It seemed like the entire property had been in need of maintenance for a very long time.

Why does this man run a farm without any help? He may dislike strangers, but what about the rest of the village? He and Elise use only a small part of the land they have. It's like he doesn't want to...

"Boy!" a voice called for him.

It was the old man himself, coming towards him from the house.

"I'm done here, sir," answered the boy. "The poles are all aligned like you instructed me."

Dominic checked his work and nodded, without a single change in his stern expression.

"Good job. Now I need your help for some repairs."

"Sure, I'm coming."

The young warrior followed him to the back of the barn, where and old wagon lay broken under some discolored blankets. Roric pulled the covering aside to take a look, relying on his own experience to assess the situation.

"The main parts don't look that bad. A couple may have gone rotten by the rain, however," he said. "But I can fix most of it, I think."

"There are spares inside. Take whatever you need. Call me when you are finished."

Dominic left him once again, coldly. Not that the boy was expecting him to change his attitude, but at least he didn't look mad.

After a short while Roric had a silent lunch with his hosts, who didn't even speak to each other as they ate. He noticed Elise glancing at him two or three times, but due to the farmer's tight rules he didn't try to answer in any form. The girl seemed somewhat sadder than the previous day, and spent most of that time with her face hidden between her raven hair.

"Alright, I'm going back to work," said the boy.

Dominic grunted in response, giving him nothing more than a nod.

***

--- Elise

That was her chance.

Four days had passed since Roric's arrival to the farm, and for all that time Elise couldn't help but looking forward to the moment when the old geezer would have inevitably lowered his guard. He couldn't be around at every hour, or so the girl thought, but to her surprise it seemed like Dominic had grown even more protective towards her after the recent incident. So, she had to wait.

When the farmer mentioned that he had some stuff to do in the upper village Elise struggled to hide her excitement, hoping that he wouldn't have forced her to tag along. She had spent the last days studying Roric's routine, trying to find a gap to meet him without Dominic noticing, and the moment had finally come.

The girl watched the old man disappearing in the direction of the bridge from one of the windows, waited for a couple of minutes for good measure and then sneaked out. She headed to the northern fields, where she knew her new friend would have been, and hugged a short wall to reduce the chance of being seen.

Here he is.

Roric was there, under the sun, intent on clearing a small patch of weeds that made growing vegetables impossible. The girl came from behind him, crawling between the plants and getting closer and closer...

"You are going to get me in trouble."

Elise shivered. How had he noticed her? She had been careful not to make any noise.

"Sorry. I just wanted to talk," she answered. "If you don't mind."

"I don't," said the boy, without stopping his work. "But the old man does. Keep an eye on the road to see if he comes back."

She got back on her feet and sat on the wall, thinking about her first question. There were many things she wanted to ask about, about him and the outside world, so many that now she was feeling indecisive.

"So... Where are you from?"

"Guhrien. A small village in the most western region," replied Roric. "But I spent most of the last four years in the Republic."

"Were you really a mercenary?"

"Yes. I've volunteered to join my company"

He... Chose that life?

"But how?" asked Elise. "If you did that for so many years it must mean that you were a small kid when you started."

"Correct. I was so frail that I couldn't even lift a real sword," explained Roric. "That was no place for a child. It took a lot of effort to become something more than a recruit."

"Why did you join, then?" she inquired. "You must have had a good reason for that."

The boy looked at the sky and sighed. Clearly there were problematic memories in his past, and Elise had dug too deep.

"Never mind," she apologized. "Sorry, I shouldn't have pried. Let's talk about something else."

Roric hummed and resumed his work.

"How are things going with Dominic? Do you think he'll let you hang with me soon?"

"Hard to say. He doesn't trust me, and for a good reason. Just from traveling a bit, I've learned that there are many people here in the valleys who won't think twice before going for your purse. Especially in the western one."

He pointed at one of the mountain passes.

"I didn't venture in that direction yet, but I've heard plenty about the valley back there," he went on. "They say a lot of criminals from the other kingdoms went there to hide. Protected by the mountains, they lurk between the locals and try to escape the law."

"Yes..." commented Elise. "Those three from the other day must have come from that place when the snow melted. I didn't expect to meet anyone, because they rarely visit this valley. Speaking of which, I didn't even thank you for saving me."

Roric turned to face her, and smiled.

"Don't mention it," he said. "I can't stand bandits who pick on those who can't defend themselves. Last autumn, I was paid to escort some civilians from Guhrien to the northern valley and fought with those scum a couple of times. I'm used to it, at this point."

"Did you kill many people in your life?"

"Only those who were trying to stab me or my friends. I don't like to take lives needlessly, even when I'm dealing with criminals."

"But it's for a good cause! Right?" asked the girl.

"Who knows..." answered Roric. "I think... I think violence isn't always the right answer, after all. Go now, the old man is returning."

Elise turned in the direction of the bridge, spotting a glimpse of Dominic walking down the road. How could the boy see him from that distance was a complete puzzle to her.

"Thanks for the talk," she just said. "I'll come back whenever I get the chance."

"Try to make less noise next time," answered Roric, waving back at her.

The girl ran back along the wall, as fast as she could. Despite questioning Roric for a good amount of time, she didn't feel that satisfied and had come out with more riddles than answers. Due to the boy's warning, she managed to get home way before Dominic and headed to her room, trying to decide what to ask next time.

***

Her next big chance came five days later, when the old farmer went out again for some more of his business. This time Roric was busy cleaning the barn, so Elise was free to approach him and retreat swiftly to the house when the need would eventually arise.

"Tell me about your homeland."

"My parents were farmers," answered the boy, after thinking for a couple of seconds. "Well, in Spjaldir everyone was. Those folks were always talking about the fields and what they were going to plant the next season. Pretty boring if you ask me."

"Come on, it doesn't sound that bad," laughed Elise. "There must have been something you enjoyed about that place."

"Well, there were beautiful landscapes around the village, but I never really visited other places before joining the company. Leaving that life and its rules was my secret dream."

"Your dream?"

"Yes, it's not like I hated being there, but... Let's just say that Spjaldir wasn't my kind of place. I couldn't stand how everyone expected me to become nothing different from a farmer. My mother was an exception, because she seemed to be the only one interested in what my actual dreams were."

Elise sat down on a wooden crate. She had always wanted to visit other places as well, but in all due sincerity she couldn't completely understand Roric's attitude towards his people.

"Fradot isn't that different from your home, as far as I can tell," she said. "Do you like it here?"

"I don't know yet. I never really stopped traveling until a few days ago. I need some more time to get used to it, I think."

There was a brief pause, in which the only noise that could be heard was the boy panting as he lifted bundles of farming tools. As she observed him working, Elise had to admit that her new friend was much stronger than the average and seemed nearly immune to fatigue. Clearly, years spent as a mercenary had trained Roric in such a way that Dominic's tasks weren't a real issue for him.

"What about you, Elise?" the boy abruptly asked. "Do you like the people of this village?"

"I love them all," replied the girl without even thinking. "There are some who I can't stand, of course, but I would never dislike them."

"Do you have many friends here?"

"Sure. When I was little, I used to hang out with the other guys and girls all the time. A couple of years ago, however... Dominic started keeping me closer and didn't grant me as much freedom as before. I don't know the reason behind his choice, but I think he fears the moment when I'll find a man or something."

Elise stopped talking, realizing that Roric was listening intently, and blushed.

"I... It's not like I have someone special here in the village. There's nobody worth my attention, for now."

"I didn't say a thing."

"Good. I'd hate to marry this young. I want to see the world, its many lands, its people..."

"Is that your dream?"

The girl shivered.

"I have always lived here. It's natural that I want to know," she explained. "Fradot is and will always be my home and family, but sometimes I feel like I'm missing something. Like there is somewhere else I belong to."

"Many immigrants came to these valleys," said Roric. "Maybe you should ask mister Dominic for some more details about your homeland."

"He won't tell me a thing. Why keeping me here if he doesn't even want me to have friends? It's so frustrating..."

The boy remained silent and finished his task. He then washed his hands in a bucket of water.

"Sometimes you just have to accept your life for what it is and enjoy the ride," he commented. "When I left my village I couldn't stand farming but here I am, working at a farm. You never say what's going to happen. What if your life here is much more interesting than whatever Dominic brought you away from?"

"I can't simply believe that," answered Elise, shaking her head. "That man knows who my father was, so at least I want a name. This... This is my dream. I don't even need to move out from the valley or leave Dominic, I just want to meet my father once if he is still alive."

"What will you do if he isn't?"

"I'll probably cry a lot and go on with my life. Maybe I'll go to the temple and pray for his soul," giggled the girl. "How about your family? Do you visit them, sometimes?"

Like the previous time she had mentioned them, Roric sighed. Elise was just about to apologize for her curiosity when he sat down on another box and took his head between the hands.

"They died. Many years ago."

"I'm sorry. That was inappropriate of me."

"It's alright," said Roric. "I just don't want to talk about it."

Elise felt embarrassed. That was probably the reason why the boy had chosen to become a soldier in the first place. She tried to imagine how hard it could have been for him, forcing himself to accept such a loss and forget. No wonder he didn't want to explain further. She at least had to respect that.

"So, are you going to leave again when you are done with Dominic's tasks?"

"I don't know. It's been a long time since I had a place to call home."

"You like being here, then."

"It's not that bad," said Roric. "But we'll have to hope that the old man allows me to stay. I shouldn't even be talking with you, let alone thinking about a future here."

That day Elise went back home and spent the evening pondering on many things. There was definitely something that she needed to do and Roric was probably the key, even if she didn't have a clue on what that something actually was yet.

Only time would tell.