--- Roric

"It's all done, mister Dominic," said Roric, putting down the shovel. "I don't think there's any repair left to do."

The farmer took an entire hour inspecting his work with a scrupulous eye, especially on how he had to fixed and cleaned up the barnyard where he was staying during his free time. Dominic's usual stern expression, during the last few days, had softened a lot and for what Roric could tell he was finally starting to tolerate his presence a little more. However, he wasn't that sure that it would have been enough to let him stay at the farm indefinitely.

That reminds me... When did I begin to think I wanted to stop here?

Accepting those tasks should have been just another job to him, but somewhere along the road the situation had changed. Was it because of his growing friendship with Elise? The two hadn't spoken much but they got along really well, plus Roric had never spent any time with girls before and was eager to hang out with her more.

He wondered what his late companions would have said. In love, aren't we? He could almost hear Demios' teasing voice. Think you are handsome enough? More than me? Frauli would have said that. Meran would have probably mocked him to death. Those thoughts always brought the young mercenary a faint, nostalgic smile.

Still, he was pretty sure not to be in love with that girl. He just enjoyed having her around, was curious about her, and the simple thought of getting away from the farm left a very bitter taste in his mouth. That, he realized, was probably what having a close, regular friend was about. Someone you could simply be with, without worrying about an enemy attack all the time.

"Good work, boy," Dominic addressed him, at the end of the inspection. "Can I ask you to join us for dinner tonight? I have to tell you one thing or two."

"Sure, but what am I supposed to do until then? It's still morning."

"Take a look around. I'm sure you'll find something interesting in the village. Don't come back until sunset. I need some time to make the girl understand my decision."

Then he left, leaving a gulping Roric alone.

Am I... No, I don't want to think about it.

***

The young warrior washed himself and put on some clean clothes. Thankfully, that matter was one of the few things Elise was allowed to take care of for him. A month had passed since the day Roric had met her, up in the northern part of the valley, killing those men and bringing her back home. He had spent all that time without really moving from the farm, and to be honest he hadn't bothered to explore the village up to that point.

While he prepared for leaving, he wondered if there was any need at all to bring his sword along. He wasn't used to travel without it because it did make him feel safe, but after taking a deep breath he realized that Fradot couldn't possibly be a dangerous place and left the weapon hidden under some old blankets.

Still, he slipped a short knife into the side of his right boot just to be sure.

***

It was a beautiful April morning. The sun shone brightly in the sky, cloudless as far as the eye could see. All around the valley, the same mountains that seemed so threatening on the rainy day of Roric's arrival looked now solemn and reassuring, like a fence that protected Fradot from any interference from the outside.

The boy walked along the road, passing on the wooden bridge for the first time ever since Elise had led him towards her farm, wondering what kinds of people dwelled in the buildings up the slope. As he got closer to Fradot, however, all he could see were regular peasants, engaged in the most diverse activities, and to his surprise he found that nobody was really paying much attention to him. They all seemed hard working people, just like in his native Spjaldir.

Following the path up, Roric met the eyes of an elder woman who was quietly examining everyone who would pass by from the window of her house. His first thought was to avert his gaze, but he soon realized that the lady wasn't going to do the same. Like many old people, she was probably wary towards strangers.

"Hey you," she called for him, with a raspy voice. "Come here for a second."

The boy obeyed, reluctantly. He had been basically forced to visit the village and was still thinking about the best way to approach its people, so he almost jumped at the sudden human contact. When he got closer, he noticed that the woman was already studying his features intently, without even trying to hide it from him.

"Yes, ma'am? Is there something I can do for you?" he asked, respectfully.

"You are the one who works at Dominic's farm, aren't you?" went on the old lady. "That geezer came to the village complaining about a newcomer a few weeks ago. Glad to see that Elise is finally getting some friends."

"Do you know her well?" inquired Roric. "She told me that she was popular in Fradot, but I didn't think that-"

"Already aiming for the long run with her? I thought so. A girl like that can only go so far without finding an adequate suitor."

"Our relationship is nothing like that!" objected the boy. "We met as I entered the valley and became friends. She helped me to find work at mister Dominic's farm, and I'm thankful for that. But I can assure you that I don't have any ulterior motive, ma'am."

Roric quickly got a hold of himself, trying not to sound like an angry child. Meanwhile, the woman seemed disappointed by his reply.

"For real? I don't know how much you have traveled, lad, but trust this old hag when she says you won't find a finer girl in all the three valleys. No, not even in al the Free Kingdoms."

That seems exaggerate, I wonder if... No, what am I thinking?

"I'm not interested. Just here to work," Roric pointed out.

"Be that as it may. What business do you have here, then? Planning to stay?"

Roric was a bit annoyed by that woman's tactless questioning, but forced himself to answer because he didn't want to have any quarrel that early in the morning.

"If mister Dominic wants it, I'm available."

"I see. Wedding bells soon, then?"

The young warrior turned around, and started walking away. He didn't want to hear any more of that nonsense.

"Don't think that your past is simply going to disappear, young lad."

He faced the old woman once again. There was a satisfied smirk on her face.

What did she just say?

"I... I beg your pardon?" he asked.

"I have lived for a long time. And I've seen many people like you coming from who knows where with the hope of hiding in these mountains and leave their bad memories behind. I am just saying it won't work that easily."

"What makes you say that I have any problem with my past?"

The lady chuckled for a second, then focused her piercing gaze on him once again.

"Most people might miss that. Even that girl you live with, despite being so smart for her age, or even Dominic, who lives in constant fear that someone will snatch her away from his watchful gaze. But you won't fool me, lad, because I can tell. You have the eyes of someone who won't hesitate to kill a man. The eyes of a murderer."

Roric held his breath. Had his days in the mercenary company really changed him so much? Back in his village, everyone always told him he was a gentle kid, who wouldn't hurt a fly...

"I am not a murderer, ma'am. You may be right, because I have indeed killed before, but it was... War. I'm not running from the past. And even if I was, it's none of your business."

"Good for you, then," said the old woman, with a sigh. "Keep what I said in mind and take care."

With those words she closed the window and left him there, wondering about the meaning of what he had just heard. A man passed by and patted his shoulder, attracting his attention.

"Don't worry about that old hag. Gerna is always unfriendly with strangers."

"I wouldn't say she was unfriendly, sir," commented Roric. "Just a little unpleasant with all her questions."

The man laughed, playing with his brown beard. He was bulky, some kind of worker perhaps, and carried part of a wooden scaffolding without any visible effort.

"She was trying to guess who you were, then. You just got her interest. Have a nice day, lad."

He went away without saying anything more. The boy was somewhat puzzled by how that man hadn't even asked for his name and business, but was more than willing to keep it that way after his brief encounter with Gerna. Even during his past journeys, in fact, he had been very careful to avoid giving any detail about his past to the wrong people. There was too much risk that someone would have looked at him in a bad way after finding out that he had been in a mercenary company, not to mention what company it was.

With a sigh, Roric went on with his exploration of Fradot. At the top of the road, which ran up the mound with most of the buildings aligned along it, there was a circular clearing. On the outermost side there were a inn, more houses and even a stone temple. He instantly recognized that religious place as one of the sanctuaries that Tolwin had instructed him about. It was round in shape as well, with a huge wooden portal and all the windows placed many feet above the boy's head. The door looked open, so he seized the opportunity to take a look inside.

The place was furnished with the usual stuff one could find inside a religious building. An altar dedicated to the religion of the Makers, statues of priests and legendary figures and enough benches to allow the entire population of Fradot to sit down. To Roric's disappointment there wasn't any priest in sight, because he had a vague curiosity to meet someone that would remind him of his old mentor.

Once he came out, he headed to the local tavern for a drink. The place was simply called Mountainside, probably because the village lay under a gigantic cliff, and at that time of the day there were just a couple of customers. The boy however spotted the same man from before heading out from the door just as he arrived, and the two exchanged a second nod of greeting. Roric was surprised. He had thought to stand out much more between the locals, but clearly they weren't that interested in him. In his defense, he wasn't wearing his traveling attire, wasn't armed and didn't have his backpack with him, so his appearance had to be one of the reasons. Or, like old Gerna, they already knew that he was staying at Dominic's farm. Fradot was a small place, after all, and the smaller the place the faster rumours spread.

After spending half an hour at the inn, Roric decided that it was time to get back and wander in the village outskirts. He planned his route from the high ground, proceeding then to follow the river for a couple miles to the North in the direction of a narrow lake that had formed there. During his stroll the boy became a little worried about what Dominic was planning to say that evening, but that wasn't enough to distract him from the beautiful scenery of the spring among those mountains. Flowery fields and green patches of trees were just everywhere, around there, and animals were abundant.

This seems like a hunter's paradise. I wonder if I'll have the time to track some game. Damn, I wish Rata could see this place...

Living in that valley, he guessed, was probably easier than he initially thought.

***

Evening came, at last.

Roric found himself eating mushroom soup with mister Dominic and Elise, like usual, but this time having dinner with them felt very different. There was some kind of tension in the air, and from what he could tell by looking at the eyes of the girl some talking between her and the farmer had certainly happened that afternoon, but the state of affairs was still unknown to him.

The boy lifted his spoon slowly, almost scared by what Dominic wanted to speak about. What was he going to bring out, in fact, was so important that it needed an entire day of arguing. And that wasn't necessarily a good thing.

"So," started the old man, cleaning his mouth with a towel. "As you might have already guessed, Roric, there's something I want to ask you about."

"Yes, sir," answered the young warrior, gulping.

He and Elise exchanged another look. As always, the girl wasn't talkative in presence of her guardian and didn't alter her expression at all.

"I had a long talk with Elise while you were away. She has certainly become attached to you since the day you saved her from those people. But the same cannot be said about myself."

Roric lowered his head. He already knew the farmer was testing him all the time. That alone, however, couldn't justify the seriousness of the situation, so he just let Dominic go on.

"Yet, you proved to be a hard worker. Don't make that relieved face, I still don't trust you completely. There are too many gaps in your story left to fill, and at this point I don't even know if I want to know. As I said, I don't like strangers. They always bring trouble. The kind of trouble I don't want to expose Elise to."

The boy felt the weight of the world crushing onto him, and a lump in his throat. He was really starting to like living in that place.

He still doesn't want me around, after all.

"I understand," he said. "If you ask, I'll leave at once."

Dominic made a surprised expression. He exchanged a look with Elise and the two burst into laughter. Roric felt a bit offended by it, but gritted his teeth and waited for an explanation.

"No, no. Do you honestly think I would kick you out after everything you've done here? Don't be mistaken, your presence here is something I can't fully accept even now. But like Elise said the day you two met, you seem a good boy. You can stay as long as you work here. No discounts."

The young warrior opened his mouth, but no sound came out of it. He was just too shocked.

He's allowing me to stay? For real?

"Are... Are you serious?" he babbled.

"Yes. I'll probably never lower my guard with you, that's how I am, but I'm bloody serious. You can stay in the barn for now, at least until summer's over. Then we'll think about giving you a proper bed."

Roric met Elise's green eyes. The girl was smiling brightly.

"He told me to be careful with you, obviously. That's a good part of what we talked about this afternoon," she explained. "But now we can hang out as much as we want. Good news, huh?"

A satisfied gasp escaped from Roric's mouth. All that work was finally paying off.

"Not that I didn't know that you two were already meeting up in secret, of course. I'm not that dumb," commented Dominic. "I started giving the girl some space when I was sure you wouldn't harm her."

We had to expect that. He would have locked her inside the house otherwise.

"Thanks for your trust."

The old farmer affectionately messed with Elise's raven hair.

"Don't let me down, boy. I would hate to regret making a decision like this. Not when it comes to her safety."

"I won't."

A screeching sound coming from the girl's chair signaled that she was getting up.

"Come, Roric," she invited him. "Let's watch the stars for a bit."

Roric instinctively waited for Dominic to give him permission, but the man simply answered with an affirmative nod. As the two left the room, Elise whispered something.

"He is too proud to admit how much of a mistake he has made. He has taken a like to you much more than he will ever say."

The two spent a few minutes sitting outside the barn, wrapped up in blankets, observing the starry sky. For the first time after many years, Roric was starting to feel attached to a place and its people a little more. Elise turned towards him and smiled again.

"Welcome home, I guess."

The boy replied with another smile, but a shadow crossed his face for a moment. Dominic's shift in attitude had taken him off guard, that was sure, however there were still one or two things he wanted to ask the farmer about. Like, for example, why was he so protective towards the girl in the first place.

Still, the sound of that word warmed his heart.

Home.