His time is fleeting. I can see life leaving his eyes whilst jotting this down. I’m afraid we will never make it to Cord but I also feel afraid to tell him that. Could I lie to a dying man to comfort him, or should I let him know his last efforts shall be in vain? I think it’s more about me being able to handle the truth than Berow last request.

He somehow peacefully lays in the bouncy cart, staring at the clouds. As soon as we cross the river, it’s three days to the capital. Three days to find his peace.

As the cart came to a halt, Garvin placed his book at his side. He got up and stared at the dragonslayer, holding the reigns. “Why do we stop?”

The Dragonslayer pointed at the bridge down the hill. It was a wooden bridge but seemed to be in decent shape. “Tell me, what do you notice?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

The Dragonslayer nodded. “Exactly. Which means the bridge is taken by bandits. So as soon as we go downhill and approach it, we’ll be attacked.”

Garvin’s lips puckered. “So? You can chase them away, we’ll follow after.”

“Dude, seriously? Every time you do this!”

“What do you mean?” Garvin asked.

“Every time you see something that needs fixing and force me to do it. On the way here you pushed me three times to do something.”

“Pushed?” Garvin flustered. “Oh, you mean forced? You’re a hero, that’s what they do. I shouldn’t even say it. It’s about morals.”

“And what do you do, huh? You just sit here and watch me.”

Garvin gasped. “Well, yeah! I’m not someone useful in a fight.”

“First the man with the cart. Then the wolves. Then the woman who lost her heirloom. What’s next? Someone took a shit and wants it back so they can show it to their unacknowledged child to restore their relationship? When does it end, man? When I’m fapping everyone and everyone is dazed and smiling?”

Garvin didn’t know what to say. “Did I push you too much? I thought you wanted to be a hero again…”

“Dude, I am a hero! If the people acknowledge it or not.”

Berow groaned in the cart. Garvin got up. “If not for me or the good of the land, do it for Berow. If we take the long route, he may not survive until Cord.”

“Why do you care so much that the old man finds his peace anyways? I mean, look at what he did.”

“I believe in second chances,” Garvin said.

“That’s what I am, no? A second chance. And Sir Garvin the Noble gave it to me. He taught me to be a hero again.”

“You’re a jerk,” Garvin said. “An apathetic bully who’s only interested in himself.”

“And you’re a loser. Asking me to do what you can’t, ‘cause you’re too scared!’”

They looked each other dead in the eye. A few moments passed and neither looked away. Muscles tensed, teeth clenched, fists balled.

“Hungry?” the Dragonslayer asked.

“Yeah.”

“You two should respect each other more.” Berow groaned.

“Shut up” “Stay out of this-” “Old man-” “It’s nothing to do with you-” “Just lay in your cart-”

The two looked at one another and smiled. “Seriously let’s eat something before we get to the bridge.”

They detached the cart from the horse and grabbed some dried meat and cheese, along with some ale. Berow barely touched his food, the only thing he ate nowadays was soup. They continued to bicker like an old married couple, talking about everything and nothing. That’s when Garvin noticed something weird going on at the bridge. “Look.”

The Dragonslayer turned around, the bottle still at his lips.

“You see that?” Garvin said. At the bridge were almost a hundred figures. They seemed to have gathered from the woods nearby. Reeks and shovels and pickaxes they held in their hands. A few men in leather tunics ran from under the bridge to their side. The villagers didn’t seem to go after them, however. It was some weird kind of procession.

“Let’s sneak closer,” the Dragonslayer said. “Maybe we can ambush the bandits.”

Garvin frowned. “Should we kill them? I mean-”

“Dude! You were asking me to do it an hour ago!”

“That was before-” but Garvin didn’t get to finish his sentence. A few minutes later the Dragonslayer came back with four men tied up with ropes. They indeed wore leather protection, but they seemed a lot less fit now. Some of them held a hand against their ribs, others limped. “There, I didn’t kill them, okay? And don’t worry about your book, they aren’t worth the passage.”

“That’s rude.” A bearded man said. “You got us by surprise.”

The Dragonslayer gave him a headbutt. The man’s nose almost exploded, blood running through his beard until it dripped on the grass beneath.

He wiped his forehead.“Anyone else feels like they play a part in this story?” the other three bandits shook their heads. “Good, let’s wait for the group of people, see what they are up to.”

They waited in silence, then they heard the hum. Everyone hummed, Garvin didn’t recognise the melody. It seemed otherworldly. They closed in and they noticed even children were in the procession. Like an entire town just got up and left. Their eyes were blank, they slumped forward. Some of them held baskets with violet seeds. The collective ignored them wholly, humming their song as they passed.

“I don’t think they even saw us,” Garvin said. “What do you think they’re doing?”

“It’s like everyone is possessed somehow.”

There was one person who truly gave all of them the creeps, even the Dragonslayer. A little girl with purple hair hopped in the middle of them. She smiled at them, even winked. The horde of people continued down the road.

“Garvin.” The Dragonslayer said. He tried to keep his voice calm but Garvin sensed excitement. “We can follow the group, or go to Cord.”

“Cord,” a bandit whispered with his eyes closed.

Garvin stared at Berow, he slept through everything. “Let’s forget this and go to Cord.”

“You’re right. First things first, what to do with you folks? Do you have a treasure? Did you recognise any of the passing villagers?”

“They must be from Elmhome, sir. I think I recognised someone.”

“Well, I don’t want to kill you. Rather, my friend here doesn’t want me to kill you.” The Dragonslayer nodded at Garvin. “That leaves me with a tricky question. So tell me what you are planning next.”

Berow groaned in his cart while Garvin sketched the bandit getting a headbutt. Once they crossed the bridge, the Dragonslayer got off and started rummaging in the area. “Here!” he said triumphantly. In his hands, he held a small casket. “The bandit loot.”

They continued following the road. That night Berrow's health took a turn for the worse. He was feverish and refused to drink. Garvin watched over him as they camped for the night. “I feel bad for acting out earlier today,” Garvin said.

“Apologies accepted.”

“Against the old man, of course. You can go climb a tree.”

Garvin dipped his pen in ink and wrote on the journal on his lap.

The bandits promised to never steal or intimidate again. In the wild, there are few things more than a word. I hope they meant to keep theirs. They seemed not the worst kind, who was I to judge them anyway? They told us where to find a little casket of treasure. I don’t think of it as treasure, however. But how can we possibly return it to its rightful owners? I convinced the Dragonslayer to give it to the next town elder we’ll meet. I am afraid Berow will die this night.

Garvin was pulled out of his focus. He looked up to a coughing Berow.

“Come here, young one.” He said. “I need you to promise me something.”

Garvin kneeled in front of him.

“You need… to find my old love. Give her this.” He pulled a ring out of one of his pockets. “She will not want it, but it’s all I can give her. Boy, something else, not about me.”

“Of course,” Garvin said.

“I admire your qualities. The goodness in you. Keep that, no matter how old you become.” Berow said to a nodding Garvin. “Now, promise me that you will never run away from the people you have hurt. And never hurt the people you love by running away.”

Garvin smiled. “I promise. But I think I’m more often the victim of that than the cul[rot.

“Good. It’s usually better to be the victim than the culprit.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s easier to forgive another than forgiving yourself. Stay naive and pure. Until it feels selfish in a way.”

“Leave some old man wisdom for me.” The Dragonslayer joked. Berow nodded and the Dragonslayer placed his head next to his ear.

“You, Dragonslayer,” Berow said. “Can go climb a tree.” They exploded in a burst of laughter that rattled all the wildlife around them. Such deep laughter Garvin never heard coming out of his friend earlier. He couldn’t help but laugh as well. When they were quiet again, Berow had his eyes closed. He could see them move underneath his thin eyelids. A feverish dream he would not wake up from.

The Dragonslayer smiled. “Remind me that, when I am going towards my death to make one last joke.”

"He is not dead yet," Garvin said.