Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A couple of days after his thirteenth birthday, Yuder's grandfather disappeared.

Now, if he were to keel over and die right before his grandson in the house they shared, Yuder would have been satisfied to give him a proper burial and the appropriate parting ceremony. But there's no corpse for him to bury, no obituary for his grandson to write for him because there's no evidence of a death in the family. Which poses a problem to Yuder, as the position as the head of the house now falls onto his shoulder.

Troublesome.

His grandfather is an opportunistic old man, filled with wanderlust and grand anecdotes of his youth that he loved to share with his beloved grandson. Yuder couldn't say that he isn't a bit influenced by the tales of the vast world past the Airic mountains where they are residing, making it his lifelong dream to travel down the mountains and experience everything himself. But he knew his grandfather would object to his wishes, saying he is too young to take care of himself in the wild.

But now with his grandfather gone with the wind, what a recently-orphaned (confirmation pending) thirteen-years-old Yuder to do?

There are still leftovers from his birthday shepherd pie, baked by his grandfather and Yuder themselves with harvests from the forest, sitting in the oven in the kitchen. One morning, Yuder went down to eat the last slice of the pie, and found it to be completely destroyed by a yellow-eyed raven in his kitchen.

His heart raced in his ribcage. Somehow, Yuder could tell that the ominous raven is connected to his grandfather. Still, as a form of protection, he drew a kitchen knife from the drawer to arm himself. “What business do you have in my house?”

The raven tilted his head at the shivering youth, before cawing and flapping its wings, making Yuder flinch. The bird lets out a throaty sound from its throat that sounds suspiciously like a laugh, and Yuder approaches the dining table where the raven was perched to have a closer look at it. He didn't realize the raven's puffing its feathers as a sign of aggression and hissed when its sharp beak pierced the back of his hand.

“You bastard-” Heat bloomed from the back of his hand, and Yuder clutched the wound in confusion, looking up at the raven. Staring indifferently at him, grooming his wings.

The air near his hands shimmered gold, and Yuder barely had the time to open his palm before a long object wrapped in leather appeared out of thin air and was dropped into his waiting palm. Magic…? Yuder muttered, but quickly opened the neatly wrapped parcel. A letter dropped down from the leather pouch, along with a black dagger encrusted with green gems and golden details. Confused at the appearance of the dagger, Yuder swiftly cleared the table and offered the raven a few slices of cured meat, before settling into a chair and opening the letter.

Fortunately, the reading and writing lessons he was forced to by his grandfather back when he was ten could be utilized now.

Dearest grandson Yuder,

This letter being opened and read by you could only mean that my time to be spent by your side has run out, and I am forced to leave the house we have known for the past decade. This is not a decision I make on a whim, and I am regretful to have to make my getaway in the dead of the night while you were asleep, leaving you with more questions than answers. This letter is a premonition for the upcoming troubles in your future, hence the extended length of it compared to others I shall periodically send your way. You had always been a sharp child, surely you have figured out the intelligent raven, Marka belonged to me. He shall be my messenger for you, Yuder, so be rest assured that I will be there for you until my dying breaths.

Yuder folded the letter back in its original shape, following the creases and placing it next to the silent raven. Marka clicked his beak when Yuder tried patting it, earning a scowl from the teen, before it left through the opened windows. One that he was sure to properly close and lock the night before, Yuder checked every door and windows before going to bed. He shrugged, getting up to fix himself some breakfast.

A dagger materialized out of nowhere in his hand. A raven capable of lockpicking is nothing to be shocked at yet, if his grandfather's warnings were anything to go by. Is he disheartened that he is now left alone at their house on the mountains, while his grandfather is out there with his old body failing him and nobody to look over him if he falls sick? A tinge of jealousy sparked in his chest, quickly diminished when Yuder realizes that above anything, his grandfather always has a reason for everything he has done in his life. So all Yuder can do is wait for his next letter to arrive, while he sustains himself on the bounty of the forest surrounding the mountains.

The teen locked the door behind him, leaving in the direction of his neighbor's house to check for any chores he can help the family with. Unaware of how his life would be changed after receiving the letter delivered by Marka, the temperamental raven that belonged to his wayward grandfather.

=+=+=+=

With the sudden disappearance of his grandfather, Yuder has inherited the responsibility of the house as the next kin in line. His neighbors; a fourth-generation shepherd family of four, an old farmer couple that his grandfather helped hide from the neighboring nation's soldiers searching for both of them, and a taciturn blacksmith of unknown origins, all were more than willing to lend him a hand in learning how to manage the land. For the next couple of years, they taught Yuder everything they could, and despite his impassive expression, Yuder absorbed their lessons studiously, reflecting them in his actions. His neighbors couldn't be more proud of him.

Since Yuder made a shepherd's pie for his thirteenth birthday, he was hoping to feed his neighbors something else for his next one. There weren't a lot of recipes he could choose from to make that didn't come from one of his neighbors, but the arrival of three mercenaries aiming to kill Yuder’s grandfather and targeting him instead forced him to put the plan on hold while he silently dealt with the assassins.

He was warned by his grandfather of their arrival months before the incident, and Yuder has been placing traps around the house and sharpening his aim with his bow and the dagger he was gifted on his thirteenth birthday. His blacksmith neighbor was silent when Yuder asked him to teach him how to sharpen the dagger, but he dutifully taught the boy about different types of whetstones and the right fabric to wipe the blade with. If he imparted Yuder with the proper swinging techniques to inflict the most damage over his opponents with the dagger, then it's between him and the impressionable young boy.

After the three mercenaries had been buried deep inside a cave he'd found while foraging for herbs, Yuder found a pack of sweets in one of their pouches. Perhaps he should have checked if it's okay to consume with his adult neighbors, but Yuder plopped one into his mouth to let it melt on his tongue and went through one of the worst hallucinations of his life. He kept quiet when was asked if he ever ate one of it by the farmer's wife, and they took it off his hands to give him a dozen ears of corn from their farm. Yuder furiously learnt everything he could get his hands on about hallucinogens after that embarrassing incident.

His fourteenth and fifteenth birthday were celebrated with more shepherd's pies, multiple foiled assassination attempts by his grandfather's foes, messing around and finding out his dagger is made out of a whole monster, and learning how to juggle and throw knives (the old farmer can juggle nine at once and he's aiming to break his record). Life was peaceful on the mountains, with the occasional break from monotony here and there, and Yuder was starting to sink into this rhythm of his life. 

But of course, everything wasn't made to last forever.

One chilly autumn morning, Yuder received a different order from his grandfather while he was carving out his own arrows, along with a pouch of gold coins that Marka was fuming to be used as a pack mule for. Yuder gave him his favorite tomato to appease the raven while he read it on his porch.

“Morning~” The shepherd's second son greeted him from behind his house, trotting by lazily on the back of his family's horse. “Your old man is still kicking, Yuder?”

Yuder pursed his lips, flapping the latest letter in his direction. “He's given me a task to do at the Seventh Wall in the capital. I don't know if I should leave the house for that long.”

“You have us to look after your plot, don't worry! And if something comes up while you're in the city, you can always write back home.” Yuder traced the edge of the letter with his right index finger, mulling over his choices before nodding.

“I'll pack up for the journey in two days. Thanks, Manny. Is Ozark home? I will have to discuss everything with him.”

“He's out checking his traps by the river…” Manny scratched his chin. “Mom is, though. She'll get everything sorted out with the others by the time my dad gets back, so you can go to her.”

Yuder bade him goodbye, and went inside to reply to his grandfather and arrange everything for his departure to the capital. It's a new adventure for him, venturing past the larger village at the foot of the Airic mountains to the world beyond it. Excitement for the future stoked the fire inside him, and Yuder let a tiny smile grace his face.

Chapter Text

Well, Yuder didn't take into account the fact that he could be learning about how efficient ravens are with tools, but seeing Marka yank his dagger out of a bandit's palm using his beak to drop it into his screaming mouth is definitely… something. Once he was sure the robber wouldn't be chasing after him, the young boy cleaned the blade of his dagger and unstring his bow before hastening his steps out of the dark and gloomy area of the forest.

Maybe Yuder should have borrowed a horse from the village at the foot of the mountain, but that didn't cross his thoughts when he went down. He was used to walking everywhere he needed to be, and the journey doesn't even exhaust him most days (except for when he's trying to evade being robbed while on the road). And Marka was acting like his watchdog anyways, circling the air whenever he made a stop and pestering him for bits of food that Yuder had to catch another fish to grill for him. But considering how the raven had alerted him to the robber and also assisted him in taking them down, maybe Yuder should give him some slack.

After the raven hurtled past him to avoid the attack from a bipedal monster he woke up and forced Yuder to kill it, he wondered if it's too late to retract his compliments.

It took him over a month to reach the capital, and Yuder filled his days with hunting small game and collecting medicinal herbs while on the road to keep himself afloat. His grandfather hadn't given him any timeframe for his arrival at the capital to find a contact of his living at the Seventh Wall so Yuder is going to make the trip worth it. He's also learning a lot of things about himself, like how he hates fishing and prefers to capture those slippery bastards with his dagger or his bow and arrow. Or how people would flirt with anything with a face and Yuder has to be aware that some people don't take rejection as calmly as others. His life on the Airic mountains sheltered him from encountering nobles and the likes, and Yuder's first impression of them was to shoot an arrow through the hand of one of the village lord's knights for trying to force himself onto a young woman. That incident delayed him by a few days due to Yuder getting the full story from the sobbing girl (who happens to be the lord's youngest daughter) and exacting justice himself by mowing down a good chunk of the lord's knights with the villagers and starting a coup d'etat with his wife and children to overthrow his tyranny over their village. It was worth it though, because the village gifted Yuder a horse along with the appropriate riding hood that cuts his remaining journey to the capital by half.

The capital, though, is another beast itself. Yuder was intimidated by the sheer amount of people bustling in the plaza, carts going around those walking down the same street, vendors yelling for the attention of passing folks to have a look at their wares, creating what he could only describe then as a chaos-fueled symphony. He was getting overwhelmed by everything happening around him fast and he reached his threshold, Yuder's face immediately shut down, making people give a wide berth around him while he led his horse to a waterhole to quench her thirst after their long journey. Good; Yuder wasn't in the mood to entertain anyone without food in his belly, and Marka hiding under his riding cloak shares the sentiment.

Yuder should have brought one of his neighbors for the trip to the capital, at least he would have someone that understands how… too much of everything in the capital is. But none of his neighbors knew about the assassination attempts he avoided every three to four months for the past two years, and while it's common to find bodies deep in the mountains, Yuder doesn't know how to explain that they were put there by him and was not, in fact, a product of a monster rampage. For the first time in his life, Yuder was stuck in a bind of someone else's works, and he despised even the notion of it.

His horse was placed in a stable that belonged to an inn; his choice for a place to stay for the next few days for him to track down his grandfather's contact, a pharmacist living in the capital who goes by Enon.

=+=+=+=

Yuder ends up doing minor chores around the Seventh Wall to pick up any hints on the whereabouts of the pharmacist. He opted for the commissions that allowed him to complete them once the sun sets on the horizon, which means there would be less people around for him to bump into. Also the late night patrons at the inn he's staying would have lower inhibitions due to the alcohol served in the tavern, giving him more opportunity to catch onto new rumours and complete his assigned task.

There are, of course, whispers of the man's existence here and there in the slums, offering help for the poor folks without asking for remuneration. Yuder was confused by the contradicting stories of him being a man with short temper with his selflessness to aid someone without asking anything in return. There's a lot of those making up the picture of Enon in Yuder's mind: a prickly yet kindhearted pharmacist, a youthful young man with wisdom beyond his years, a chivalrous soul living amongst the poor folks in the slums. He'd been advised by his grandfather that meeting the pharmacist would broaden his horizons on how the world works, as his grandfather had felt during their acquaintance.

Yuder would prefer to experience it himself, before he could offer his input.

Manning the tables at the tavern most nights, Yuder was also exposed to the gossip of the common folk about the nobles and the royal family of the Orr Empire. There are nights where he even joined the talk at some of the tables, listening to the damning scandals shared by fired servants and hired muscles of the duchy living in the capital. Yuder made sure to not linger once his senses picked up even the slightest presence of magic being used at certain tables to better protect himself, but mages or those with magical tools were far in between for regulars at the tavern he's working.

Despite his somewhat chaotic life jumping from one odd job to another at the Seventh Wall, Yuder was determined to introduce himself to Enon before leaving the capital for his home in the mountains. He wrote back regularly, updating them about his search for the pharmacist and the sights he'd seen at the capital. And after the blacksmith had read it for all of them, they would take the time of their day to pen back their replies, sharing with him the story of harvests and sightings of rare exotic birds. It is rare for Yuder to feel anything else beside his determination to explore the world, but perhaps after the disappearance of his grandfather, he had grown close to his neighbors to harbor a kinship with them.

He was preparing to leave the seventh Wall for a commission to gather a large amount of medicinal herbs in the forest, when the owner of the inn he's staying at halted him in his tracks. “Are you going out, Yuder?”

He gave the burly man a nod. “I've accepted a commission for a basket of hawthorne blooms, to the east of the capital. An apothecary is making them into sleeping aids for their customers, and I know which one is the best to harvest.”

“Yeah, I remember you mentioned coming from the mountains,” the innkeeper nodded with a serious expression. His expression shifted into unease, before he unfolded his arms crossed over his chest. “It's nearing the quarterly meeting for the nobles to discuss matters of their territories, so robbers and bandits are hiding in the well-traveled paths in droves. You watch over yourself, alright? I don't want to lose my best waitstaff yet.”

Yuder took his advice into consideration. He's heard about the uptick of robbery by the traveling paths around the capital, other mercenaries advising each other to travel light and to arm themselves. Perhaps he should keep vigilant as well, Yuder nodded at the suggestion.

The innkeeper's scarred face smoothed with relief. “I'm glad. Young boys like you tend to be hotblooded and think they are better than to listen to their elders. Will you be gone for long?”

“Perhaps for a few days. It is a large order.”

“Very well, then. I hope your absence would empty my corner table for other customers than the one that kept staring at you while you work.” His comment made Yuder freeze. Not knowing the reason behind Yuder's sudden shift in expression, the innkeeper droned on. “It's not like I would kick him out of my tavern since he's a paying customer, but if he's after you for some kind of bounty put on your head, I hope you can solve it away from my business, you hear me? Though what could amount to the head of a born and bred mountain boy with barely any meat to his bones?”

“I would appreciate it if you drop the dig at my weight,” Yuder interjects blandly, but his mind is running through all possible theories of the mysterious man watching over him. Why didn't Yuder notice his presence before? “If you don't mind me asking, what does he look like?”

Next morning, Yuder set off for his destination past the walls around the capital for his commission, wracking his brain for any face he could pin on the description of his stalker by the innkeeper. A tall man, broad-shouldered with messy brown hair and a normal face. He's been to the tavern a few times before Yuder starts working there most nights, but since has returned almost every night he's worked while gathering for clues on the whereabouts of Enon. Yuder could tell right away that he's a mage (those with little mana cannot discern magically-distorted features), but why would he be hunted down by one of them? His grandfather is one, and they tend to mind their own business rather than search for their nemeses’ family members with the intention to harm them. And although it is a rare occurrence, mages almost never take on bounties, preferring to continue their research rather than spend their days hunting down people. 

What makes him special? Can Yuder discard it off himself, so he can continue living his life in peace?

For the first couple of days, Yuder kept his dagger close to his side while he collects hawthorne blooms from top of trees (they are parasitic in nature, but instead of siphoning the trees’ nutrients, it is more of a symbiotic relationship) and placed them gently inside the basket he's provided with. Marka never strayed far from his camp, but when he started making calls into the shadows that he hadn't made in front of him, Yuder untied his horse from the tree and started heading deeper into the forest.

He's been graced with more fish than he could stomach to eat in one sitting, and while Yuder was contemplating on bringing them back fresh or eating the grilled fillet piece by piece on the ride back, something growled from behind the bushes. His swiftly released arrow struck down on a hunting dog, its dying whines spurring him into action.

He has been found.

“Marka!” Yuder let another arrow loose, slicing the eyes of another dog and piercing the maw of another before he leapt onto his horse and started galloping away from the glade. He heard the raven call out to him, and offered an arm for it to land. His sharp talons shredded his sleeve when he shoved the noisy raven under his cloak, but Yuder can fix it later.

He needs to outrun his hunters first.

But the terrain of the forest is unfamiliar to him, making Yuder slower than his usual nimble self trying to avoid tree stumps and galloping over streams. The snarls of hunting dogs nipping at his mare's heels forced Yuder to snap her reins, making her sprint faster across the forest. Even Marka had stubbornly wriggled out of his riding cloak, pecking the dogs’ eyes and cockscrewing through the air past snapping maws. Yuder soon saw a familiar river in front of them, one that he'd fished in with the berry bushes he'd picked for his mare, and snapped her reins towards the small cliff a few steps from the edge of the river. He recited a small prayer to the Sun God he's skeptical of, and flattened his body on the back of his trusty ride, letting her leap across the rushing rapids.

Yuder had his eyes clamped shut, forehead pressed against the muscled back of his mare when Marka's noisy tittering made him take a peek at his surroundings. The sight of men mounted on horses grumbling on the other side of the river made Yuder exhale the breath he didn't realize he's holding. None of them bore the descriptions of the mage hiding his features stalking him at the tavern, but Yuder couldn't cross out the possibility of these mercenaries being hired by him yet. There’s still so much he doesn't know about his pursuers. He couldn't detect any trace of overflowing mana coming from the group, so he braved a question towards them.

“What business do you have with me?” He asked from on top of his horse, patting her neck when she huffed at the group on the other side of the river. Yuder has an arrow aimed at one of the hunters before they could pull out their weapons, right at the chest of their leader. “I am not up to negotiations for my life. Leave.”

The hunting dogs prowled around the hunters, pawing at the ground and snarling with drools dripping down their muzzle. Yuder gave them a brief glance. “You're just a brat- what do you think you can do?” The hunter to the left shouted over the river. “You pissed the wrong people, and you're paying for it with your life. We got orders to bring your head in front of our client. It's nothing personal, boy-”

As if on cue, Marka dropped one of his arrows he filched from Yuder's quiver the moment he released the one he had aimed at the leader. It pierced the shoulder of one of the hunters, making him fall off his horse with a grunt of pain as Yuder aimed his next shot at the group.

Both groups were held at a standstill with the river between them. Yuder could feel beads of sweat trickling down the back of his neck, his breaths forced into a measured pace so as to not lose his aim on his pursuers. There's no room for Yuder to slip up here; even with one of them incapacitated on the ground, there are still two adults with three hunting dogs on healthy horses that could outrun and capture him. He gulped, keeping eye contact with the leader of the mercenaries.

He blinked when a bead of sweat dripped into his right eye, and the mercenaries took the split-second opportunity to attack him. Marka shrieked in the air, deflecting something that sailed over the river towards him, but couldn't stop the second dart from finding its target in Yuder's thigh. He let out a surprised hiss, accidentally releasing an arrow that shot through the head of their leader, before he started swaying on top of his horse.

She let out a high-pitched neigh and stomped away, forcing Yuder to cling onto her neck as she galloped through the forest. In his rapidly muddling mind, Yuder remembered the river because it is close to one of the guard posts of the capital's wall. It would take him half an hour to walk towards the appointed location with their customer. Yuder reached back for the basket, palms slick with sweat as he tucked the basket to his chest before yanking the poison dart from his thigh. Marka swooped in to swipe it off his hand, and Yuder gulped, his tongue feeling weirdly large in his mouth. He's having an allergic reaction to the poison too? 

The rhythmic sound of horseshoes hitting stone-paved paths reached his ears, soon followed by commotion that was slowly growing louder around him. Yuder couldn't summon even a wisp of energy to force his eyes open to check where he was heading, arguments between the people surrounding him and orders being barked making his head throb along with his heartbeat.

The last thing he remembered is his own screams deafening his ears after something brushed against his thigh, where the poison dart from those mercenaries had struck him, before his consciousness faded to black.

=+=+=+=

“If you move around in the bed again, kid, I'm tying you down myself,” warned a man’s voice the moment Yuder's eyes fluttered open.

The wooden ceiling is a common built for buildings in the Seventh Wall, so Yuder couldn't immediately tell where he was. It doesn't have the distinctive smell of food coming from the door, so he probably isn't back at the inn he's staying at. Dust motes danced in the air where the moonlight was beaming down through the open windows, and Yuder could pick up the sharp scent of brewing medicine cooking in a cauldron, alongside some light broth boiling in the fireplace.

Yuder blinked, fingers twitching against the scratchy but warm blanket over his chest. Could it be-

“Why do you have to make your introduction just like Melach? Both of you would be the end of me, I just knew it. Getting into trouble the moment you leave your house in the mountains, are you two thrillseekers just for the fun of it? Is that it?!” A gray-haired man appeared from behind a folding wall, grumbling while he filled a bowl with soup. His citrine eyes glanced at the blinking Yuder on the bed, and he placed the bowl on a desk before offering him a cup of water.

“You're lucky I was your customer for those hawthorne blooms. If I hadn't neutralized the monster blood in that dart right away, the damage would have been worse.” He waited for Yuder to finish the whole cup before handing him the bowl of soup. “What is it that your grandfather needs from me now?”

“He doesn't,” Yuder replied, dropping the spoon back into the bowl. “Are you Enon, the pharmacist living at the Seventh Wall my grandfather told me about?”

“Who else would I be?!”

Chapter Text

Enon was skeptical of his old friend's intention for sending his one and only grandson on a trip to the capital to introduce himself to him, but he had since long given up on trying to understand the eccentric wizard. Yuder thought since they are old friends, then should he have a better understanding of his grandfather compared to him who just had him for a bit over a decade?

“Nobody could understand anyone better than themselves, and your grandfather always aimed to be the most odd duck in the pond. He came like that to me, don't ask me why.” He took the empty bowl from Yuder's hands, handing him a piece of paper and immediately teaching him how to make a paper crane with it. “So I can check if your mobility is affected by the poison,” he explained, satisfied that Yuder managed to copy his instructions though his version was a bit crooked in a few parts. “I heard from the folks around here that you're staying at the Sleeping Giant's Inn. Dorma got the news that you got poisoned and is being taken care of by me. Once you're fit enough to make the trip, move your stuff out of your room to here.”

Confusion flitted across Yuder's serene expression. “But I was supposed to only visit you-”

“Melach wouldn't have you going down the Airic mountains just to make friends with me!” Enon argued, chopping him on the forehead. “He knows I have my hands full with the sick people in the slums, and if he thinks he can keep his grandson that harvested a basket full of hawthorne blooms during their peak potency window from me, that old lunatic can keep on dreaming. You’re going to be my assistant; paid with the appropriate basic wage, of course. I am not stingy with those who work for me.”

So he's getting another job. Just as Yuder wanted to decline, Enon cuts in, “The guards had found the body of the mercenaries at the marsh, with an arrow through one of his eye sockets. Your old man's raven hinted at more than one mercenary hunting you. I've hidden your bow and arrow, we'll see about getting you a new gear. Tell me everything that happened to you after Melach left your house in the mountains.”

“It was… a lot.”

“Everything you can until the medicine kicks in, then.” Enon shifted in his chair to sit more comfortably, pinning him with an expectant look. Letting out a sigh, Yuder wet his lips and started his story with the appearance of the magical raven dirtying his kitchen with his birthday pie.

His eyes were sliding shut before he could finish the story about the bandits that he shot at with a flaming arrow, when Yuder felt warm hands gently lowering him back on the bed. Yuder’s cheek sank into the cool pillows, exhausted from his body recovering from the poison in his veins and having to narrate his experience for the past two years. He mumbled something before sleep overtook him, and Enon stood at his bedside, staring at the wooden bowl in his hands.

‘What are you planning, Melach?’

=+=+=+=

Somehow, Yuder and Enon worked like well-oiled machines around each other that people forgot that the kid just showed up one day and got adopted right on the spot by the grumpy pharmacist. Yuder's extensive knowledge on various plants’ medicinal properties coupled with his experience gathering them for close to a decade pairs well with Enon's detailed diagnosis for their patients and calculating just how potent they need the cure to be for both of them to stay inconspicuous. Though his stone-cold expression and chilly temperament set him back a few spaces in terms of socialization, the locals living at the Seventh Wall eventually warmed up to him when they realized he harbored no ill feelings at them; it was all just his face. This fact helps Yuder to earn a side income as one of the trusted chaperones and babysitters for parents working at noble houses in the deeper districts.

When he was asked what he wanted to do with his bow and arrows, Yuder fell into contemplative silence. Enon explained, “You have to hide it from the officials, or they can easily link you to the body of the mercenary found in the marsh. Thankfully, your arrows are not handmade or the chances of you being discovered would rise. We can sell it for money, or-”

“Can we-” Yuder cuts in, wringing his fingers. “Can we send it back? Home- to the Airic mountains? My neighbors would probably find better use for my bow and arrows than me here.”

Enon raised an eyebrow at him, but nodded. “I'll see if I can clear my schedule in the near future.”

“You don't have to accompany me home to return my grandfather's gear to its mount on the wall, Enon. I can do it myself.”

Rolling his eyes, Enon folded his arms over his chest. “Of course you can do it yourself, you overly independent brat. You made it to the capital with all of your limbs intact, all on your own. That's a great achievement to have at the age of fifteen.”

“But-” He raised his index finger when Yuder opened his mouth. “You don't know the fastest route from here to there, and you cannot afford to leave more of those arrows in the bodies of bandits and robbers chasing you. Like it or not, you need a travelling partner this time around, Yuder- and Marka doesn't count. He’s a raven.”

“He's a magical raven with poison immunity.”

“Still off the table! I'll decide the date of our trip to the mountains, end of story.” The raven let out one of his odd-laughing sounds, and Yuder threw him a withering glare where he was perched on the pharmacy’s door chime.

After getting the full story of the revolution the kid started on his way to the capital, Enon showcased another skill of his: information gathering. He began tracking down the group targeting Yuder for the incident at the village, down to their extended contacts and the shady business deals they were involved in that would put them behind the bars for years down the line. Then he began writing letters for a few of his contacts ‘that owed him favors in the past’, sending them off using pigeons and telling Yuder to be ready for a house visit to one of his patients. Three days later, the lord's ex-wife brought her disgraced ex-husband to court and dragged him and his accomplices to jail for illegal trades and extorting tax money of the citizens living in his territory. The mercenaries paid by one of his men pleaded guilty to the charge against them and were also put into prison for murder attempts, Yuder’s name carefully left out of the charges.

“How did you do that?” Yuder asked, carefully balancing a bag of lemons in his arms on their way back to the pharmacy. Enon plucked one and chomped down on it, raising an eyebrow at the teen.

“Do what?”

“... I wanted to ask how you dig up Lord Mateau's dirt but seeing you eat that lemon, peel and all…” A rare look of disgust furrowed Yuder's brows. “Are you even human?”

Enon raised an eyebrow at the kid, still munching on his lemon. He licked the juice dripping down his lips, before replying with, “I asked the right person the right questions, and I know the right place to find them. As for your second question…”

Enon pinched Yuder on his cheek, making the teen whine and tried pulling away from the gray-haired man. It only made his pain worse. “I know you're your grandfather's descendant because you did not just ask me if I'm a monster for eating a lemon! Did your neighbors not teach you anything about manners? That blasted wizard, I should have let him float away on the river he's drowning in than pulling him to the shore-”

That afternoon, Yuder took some rotund lemons from the pharmacist's stash and decided to make a remedy for sore throat while Enon was out on an errand. He’d eaten Yuder’s cooking -- though his seasoning could use some work, they were too bland at times; a side-effect from living in the mountainside -- and trusted the teen to not blow up his pharmacy by leaving a pressurized pot too long on the stove. Enon returned two hours later to a fortunately intact house. That somehow smelled of something bitter and burnt citrus.

He looked down at the square wooden container on the dining table. Golden slices of lemon coated in a shimmering amber liquid stared back at him. “What is this?”

“Dorma showed me a new recipe he got from a traveling cook from the South,” Yuder started, picking up a sliced lemon with a toothpick. He made them thin enough that the honey he'd soaked them with was absorbed into the thin membrane, giving the slice a caramelized look. He plopped the whole thing in his mouth, chewing with a contemplative look on his face. “Try them, Enon.”

“No, no- what are you trying to make? What's like- what's the thought process here? Lemons are perfectly fine eaten raw, there’s no need to add anything to it!” Despite his complaints, the pharmacist picked up a slice and placed it in his teacup, poking at it using his toothpick. “Immune-booster from the lemons and healing properties of the honey… It might just be enough to cover the bitter taste of the lemon and its peel…”

Yuder nodded, picking a couple more slices into his teacup and pouring himself a fresh cup. “One of the children I had chaperoned their fishing trip last week-”

“You went out of the capital walls without my permission-?!”

“He told me his sister has been getting a sore throat from working around a noble smoking their pipe. Thankfully it is a short contract but her throat is still feeling uncomfortable. Would these-” he tapped the edge of the box, taking a sip from his cup of tea. “-do, you reckon?”

Enon clamped his mouth shut, having to process everything from scratch after his anger at Yuder sneaking out past the walls was snuffed. His face barely twitched when he shoved a slice of the honey-soaked lemons into his mouth. “I prefer eating it raw.”

“Good to know. Can this help soothe a sore throat?”

 “I'm thinking over here, shut up!” Enon ate another slice, gnawing on the toothpick he bit onto between his teeth. “Theoretically, it might work. You can offer the family some of these as a trial version, and once she gets healed, give them to other people having the same symptom. Ah- there's many factors that could lead to someone having a sore throat, so be sure to jot down the cause and how long it took for their sore throats to feel better. Then I'll see if we can add it to our recipe book for home remedies.”

Yuder raised his teacup, two lemon slices swishing in the amber liquid. “It tastes unique in mint tea, as well.”

“Oh shit, really- are you making remedies or candies?!”

By the time winter rolls around, the lemon sale has been booming in the slums that their price had skyrocketed. Everyone had wanted to make the remedy themselves, and there are also a few noble houses making them for its unique sweet and sour taste. Yuder had to write to his neighbors back in the mountains, asking for instructions on how to care for a lemon tree after Enon brought one in a pot inside their pharmacy. He immediately made an enemy out of the farmer's wife for putting the poor lemon tree in such harsh conditions, the old lady criticizing the pharmacist while giving Yuder enough tips that they had to change the inkwell twice. Yuder entertained the thought of introducing both of them to each other, before dismissing it right after.

He's running out of caves to stuff bodies into, and he's not sure he can find one that would fit Enon's lanky stature.

=+=+=+=

“I was surprised at first,” Enon started their conversation one winter afternoon, both of them grinding herbs into powder and pressing them into pellets. Heat coming from the magic stove made the air inside the pharmacy toasty enough for them to wear light clothes, though they might need to bundle up once Enon starts the preparation for dinner. Yuder grunted at him to continue. “You easily accepted the job as my assistant I offered you. Dorma said he had to negotiate a bunch of stuff with you for him to make you one of his waitstaff, and he's one of the reasonable business owners around here.”

The teen shrugged, scraping the ground herbs into the holes in the wooden tool. “I don't like loud noises, but I need to find you and the tavern is the best place I could think of where information flows without constraint. Once I found you, there's no need to go back there. Plus, I don't want my stalker to know where I've been.”

“Hm, smart choice. Though you can be reckless at times, I'm glad that not all your decisions are made on the whim like-” The methodical sound of Enon grinding his portion of the herbs died. “Excuse me- did you just say ‘stalker’?”

“He hasn't made any move ever since I left the inn.” Yuder has his tongue sticking out of his mouth, tapping the pellet-making wooden blocks with a small mallet. “So I think he's lost interest in me. Dorma hasn't said anything as well so I guess it's all fine now, Enon- can you pass me more wrappers, please?”

“I swear to Luma, this kid-”

From that day onwards, Enon spent every free time he had stuck to Yuder's side, trying to find any suspicious individuals paying attention to the teen. Yuder, oblivious to the sudden change in the pharmacist's behaviour, was just glad he could finish his deliveries faster with his employer around. He would also fill the silence with questions about the seven walls forming the capital of the Orr Empire. And Enon, sensing Yuder was simply curious and could always refer to the textbooks of the syllabus for the scholars and nobles and not wanting to shrug him off, indulges him with detailed explanations for the magical barriers and physical walls built and maintained by the priest of the Sun God Church and mages from the Pearl Tower. They were peppered with his touch of disdain for the practices, though Yuder hardly brought it up with his own experience dealing with nobles.

Both of them took a week off from the pharmacy for a trip to the mountains, with the objective to return Yuder's bow and quiver to his house and check on his neighbors. The snow was up to their mid-calves by the time they left the capital's walls, but with the pharmacist's guide, they made it to the village at the bottom of the Airic mountains in two days. The innocent trip was transformed into a high-stake hide-and-seek volley match with Yuder rallying Manny and Kenny, his elder brother into avoiding Enon from meeting face-to-face with Olga, who hated his guts for his abuse of the lemon tree he brought home (now happily thriving in a corner of the pharmacy with the perfect soil, sunlight from a fake sun gifted by Melach, and temperature for its species to survive). There were a lot of close calls, but between Manny's stallion falling in love with Yuder's mare, Kenny ‘accidentally’ releasing his family's sheeps two hours before sunset, and Yuder finding his grandfather's old sword in the attic, they managed just fine.

(That was a lie. It was the most stressful week of their lives.)

It took everything out of the three of them to keep the entirety of the mission a secret between them, and by the time Yuder and Enon had returned to the capital, the teen succumbed to a fever from overexerting himself. Enon mistook it for him playing outside in the snow too much, and sent him to sleep after drinking some cooling syrup.

=+=+=+=

Due to its distance from the First Wall of Luma, the Seventh Wall has lesser protection against the weather and the elements. Frost layered the window panes and the cobbled paths, but they are far past the worst of winter's grasp on the land.

Yuder's body was aching with growing pains when he realized Marka wasn't at his usual perch inside the pharmacy. He knew the raven would follow his grandfather's instruction first and foremost, but it feels weird not having an argument with the hot-headed bird first thing in the morning before he left to complete his errands. Slapping some hot patches to his shoulder and lower back, Yuder left to bring the horse to the caretaker for her hooves to be shaved and be refitted with new horseshoes.

The stable is situated at the Fifth Wall, which has a higher population of high-ranking officials and nobles. But it offered the best service of the all places Yuder had surveyed, and even got the stamp of approval from Enon. He slung a thick blanket over the saddle he's fastened to his mare's torso, patting her strong neck when she nibbled on his hair.

“I'm sorry to bring you out in the cold, girl, but we need to get your shoes refitted. Jonah is staying at home, his wife is in labor and Enon is standing by.” She accepted his apology turnip and with a faint smile, Yuder mounted his horse and rode towards the Fifth Wall. The mare gave his thigh a huff while trotting along the road. “The poison has been completely purged from my body, if that is what you're asking. But if it's matters pertaining to Marka, I believe he's away at the moment; for my grandfather's bidding.”

He had never seen them next to each other, with her habits of clamping her teeth onto everything she can get her jaws on and the raven's antagonistic tendencies, but perhaps the incident at the river has given them a bond to share between them. Yuder felt a bit bad for making them share the trauma of dragging his failing body back to the capital, but at least they were getting along just fine? He would have to pay close attention to both of them.

Yuder was halted at the gates separating the Sixth and the Fifth Wall, producing his papers for an appointment at the stable for horseshoe refitting. It looks like there haven't been many merchants and carts coming inside the Fifth Wall for the day, so he reached the gates faster than he anticipated. The guards gave the papers a full scan before handing it back to him. “You need to dismount from your horse for the rest of the trip, but your farrier appointment documents are legit. Please pass through.”

“Thank you,” Yuder nodded, tucking it under his cloak and gently tugging on his mare's reins into the gates. His body shivered once they walked past the magical barrier, absently fixing his bangs while his mare shuffled expectantly next to him on the other side of the gate. She gave his shoulder an impatient nudge when he took longer to steady his breaths.

“Don't force me, I’m getting used to it.” She kept nudging him in the shoulder, and Yuder gently patted her on the neck, taking a look at their surroundings. Living in the mountainside, Yuder had long learnt to trust an animal’s intuitions.

“Why, what are you picking up, girl?” He let her lead him to an alley between the stone buildings closest to the gates. Yuder was used to his animal companions wanting to check something that piqued their curiosity, which was how he stumbled across the lecherous knight and the young lady in the forest, by Marka kicking up a fuss and tugging at his ear to follow after him. It could be leftover vegetables or fruits from vendors that his mare was interested in, or perhaps she sensed a small animal that had gotten lost from the garden and was trembling in fear, hiding itself in the corner.

Yuder reached the alley, and had to blink twice. A small white-furred tiger cub, its bushy tail curled up neatly around its paws on the ground, blinked up at him.

Chapter Text

Obviously, it was an illusion charm; no species of tigers in the wild has apple-red eyes. But what could be forcing a child to use such complicated transformation magic? A prank? An attempt at escape? The cub leaned back with a hiss, and Yuder had to stop his mare from taking a step further.

“Slow down, girl. The cub was scared of both of us.” His mare let out a huff, ruffling his hair on the back of his head and making Yuder turn around to glare at her. The cub tilted its head at them, but took a step forward back to its original location. Yuder wracked his brain for a plan to handle the transformed tiger cub.

“Would you like to follow me to a horse stable for a farrier appointment? I need to get her hooves shaved and refitted with new horseshoes. I know you are using magic to hide your true appearance-” When he saw the cub start to panic, Yuder quickly added, “But I am not going to ask you why. It is not my business, but if you are caught by the knights, I might not get another chance to schedule another appointment for my mare at the stable following the investigation. You may go back to what you are doing after I am done with my errand; all I ask of you is to keep on the down low for the day.”

To show her how important this appointment for him is to her, Yuder tacks in a desperate, “Please?” at the end of his sentence. And that was what sealed the deal for the tiger cub. She took two steps, briefly halted for a second, before taking the rest of the steps needed for her to sniff at Yuder's outstretched hand. After a moment, she licked his index finger, and bumped her nose into his palm. Yuder's heart kicked pathetically behind his ribcage, but his face remained impassive as he gave her a pet.

They were stumped on a solution to carry her discreetly with them, but with a threaded needle and Yuder messing with the blanket on his mare's back, he sewed a pocket that perfectly hid her from anyone except for people that bothered looking closer. Then with the cub situated comfortably against his weirdly docile mare's side, the three were off in the direction of the stable.

The tiger cub was placed between Yuder and his mare, making it easier to chalk him talking about the little trip as whispering nonsensical to his steed as a soothing gesture for the horse. But Yuder was actually explaining the shops and the people walking outside to the cub, his right hand tucked into the blanket to pet her forehead. White, fluffy ears would sometimes poke out of the pocket in areas with fewer people, but a warning chuff from the mare would make the cub dive back down to take cover.

Before long, they had arrived at the horse stable with minutes to spare for Yuder's appointment. He unfastened the saddle and retrieved the blanket over his mare himself, hugging the side with the tiger cub to his chest and hiding her wriggling with his movements. On her last appointment, his mare caused quite the scene by protecting the farrier's toddler daughter from an ore exploding on the anvil, and the farrier recognized her the moment she walked into the stable.

“Oh, the beautiful lady is here! How are you doing, my sweet?” He patted her on the back, smiling at Yuder. “My Dania will be overjoyed to know her equestrian hero is here for another re-shoeing. You know the drill, eh?”

Yuder gave the man a nod. “We have just returned from a trip to the Airic mountainside last week, and there’s been no pebbles stuck to her hooves since her last appointment. Will that be all?”

“Yes, yes. You took such great care of your friend here, I hardly had to do anything to treat her. Perhaps you'd accept if I bestowed upon your mare a name?” Yuder gave him an unamused stare. After letting out a billowing laugh, the farrier waved Yuder out of his stable. “Take care, Yuder! I won't mind housing the polite lady for a night or seven!”

He waved back but didn't reply to his jab, leaving the stable for the row of food stalls a few streets before. A paw pressed against his sternum, and Yuder ran his fingers down her spine.

“She will be fine under Tionne's care, he's the best at equestrian care closest to the pharmacy I worked at.” A black nose poked out from under the pile of blankets, sniffing at his collarbone. “You must have picked up the scent of my herbal patch. My… employer? Enon is a pharmacist, and I fetched herbs and the ingredients he needed to make the medicine for our customers. He is like a prickly porcupine, but is really kind under all of his biting remarks. We worked well together.“

The vendors and merchants at the Fifth Wall have a wider choice of cuisine compared to the basic necessities of the last wall. Yuder dug into his pocket under his riding hood, counting the coins he had on him for what he could afford to buy when he remembered he just got his bi-weekly salary from Enon. One red eye peeked out from the bundle of blankets hugged to his chest, and Yuder flashed the tiger cub a smile.

“Would you like to share a meal with me?”

=+=+=+=

Their choice for a place to spend their lunch is a hidden alcove between two administration buildings, with enough room for both of them to sit on the banister facing each other and have their dishes spread before them. Yuder doesn't really care what he puts inside his stomach unless it's filling for him, but the tiger cub might have a refined taste palate so he's gotten her a bit of everything.

“I have not the faintest idea of your preferences, but I hope there are some in my selection that would please you.” Though most of them were finger foods (skewers, mini sandwiches, and the likes), there are a few that would need utensils to be eaten properly. Yuder unfastened his spare dagger -- not to be mistaken with his monster byproduct dagger -- and started cutting the wrapped beef dishes into smaller pieces, using one of the used skewers to feed it to the cub.

She ate a few bites of everything, not really showing interest in any of the meat dishes Yuder bought for her. Just as he finished the third dish, the cub tilted her head at one of the sweets he bought on a whim. Her paw came down on the brittle biscuits, and her fur bristled when it broke under the gentle weight. Yuder wiped his dagger clean and snapped the dessert into two in front of the tiger cub, huffing in amusement when her ears perked up at the crisp snap of the dessert.

“The vendors called it wafers, something the patisserie was experimenting with. They only have two flavors; vanilla and chocolate cream for now, but if the sales picked up, maybe they would be interested in making more.” He fed her the piece of wafer he snapped, and smiled when his endeavor was finally rewarded by the cub almost biting into his fingers. Yuder pulled away before she could, though, so no harm was done. “Would you try the chocolate flavored one?”

Instead of eating the wafers he offered, the tiger cub held Yuder's arm with her front limbs and tugged him closer, putting three of his fingers in her mouth. Yuder tried gently pulling his arm away, only to get a purring tiger cub curled up comfortably in his lap. He blinked once, twice, before plucking another wafer and feeding it to her. With his free left hand, Yuder took a swig of his honey lemon water infusion. Of course, the cub was also interested in his drink and he let her lick a drop from the top of the canteen.

Yuder finished the rest of the broken wafers as the tiger cub lapped up his drink. The hair on the back of his neck prickled, sensing a strong magical presence coming his way, and Yuder deftly collected the disposable plates and wrappers before leaping off the banister with the cub resting against his shoulder. She gave him a confused rumble but Yuder simply scratched her behind the ear, making a swift getaway away from the magical presence.

Unfortunately, he had left his blanket with the pocket for the tiger cub behind and had to carry her under his riding cloak all the way back to the stable. Tionne let him have his mare back, and with a short farewell, they rounded the corner and stopped behind rows of empty carts, before the tiger cub popped her head out from under Yuder's cloak.

“Little cub-” She yawned, showing rows of blunt, white teeth and her pink tongue, and Yuder rested his forehead against his mare's shoulder, fighting off the urge to squeeze the cub against his chest. He started speaking again after calming himself down, adjusting his hold around the cub’s torso. “It's fortunate that we managed to hide from the people before you peered out, but please give me a warning before you do so. It is important that nobody catches a glimpse of you.”

The cub tilted her head, and Yuder hummed. “Well… white-furred tiger cubs are not a common sight around here- anywhere near the human population, as a matter of fact. I am afraid that you might be taken to an archmage and get into trouble once your illusion charm was broken.” His eyes widened when the cub scrambled up his arm, before settling against his chest to lick at his cheek. Yuder let out a wince when her rough tongue dragged against his skin. Somehow, that felt like an act of gratitude. “... You're welcome. Would you like to return to the place where we met?”

She shook her head, and leapt onto the banister of the building next to them. Yuder tilted his head to look up at her, and let his mare trotted on the path alongside the tiger cub travelling through the rooftops. It was obvious that she almost got them lost a couple of times, but the tiger cub stubbornly kept her illusion intact for the rest of the journey to her destination. Before they reached the end of the industrial building, she dropped right into Yuder's arms and tucked her muzzle into his neck with a purr. He jumped at the ticklish sensation, but immediately returned the hug.

“So this is goodbye,” he whispered, letting her drop to the ground before him. The tiger cub nodded, and Yuder dug into the pocket of his riding cloak, holding out one of the sweets wrappers he kept in his pocket. “This is the store selling the wafers with the vanilla and chocolate cream filling. If you would like to have a second visit, now you know where to find them.”

Yuder thought she would bite onto the wrapper to take it from him. He didn't expect a dainty hand to reach out, holding the wrinkled wrapper between well-manicured thumb and index finger. His eyes widened at the appearance of what he could only describe as an otherworldly figure before him; fair, unblemished skin that belonged to a petite girl in a soft lilac dress sewed with glittering threads. A pair of familiar red eyes shyly peered up at him from behind her silvery bangs, a soft smile ghosting her lips.

“Thank you,” the girl said, her voice firm despite its inherent softness. That was when Yuder realized he'd spent an afternoon with a lady of noble heritage. If that doesn't rock his world, the fact that he even enjoyed their little lunch escapades would do it for him. He nodded, the atmosphere suddenly becoming awkward. Yuder shuffled closer to his mare, her breaths skittering down his spine helping in grounding him.

“Would you be fine making the way back on your own?” She nodded, still fiddling with the wrapper in her hands.

“My aides would be looking all over the estate for me by now, so I must make haste to assure them that I am fine.” Still, she stays rooted to where she's standing. If she still has her tail, it would probably be flicking in contemplation. Having summoned the strength to pose her question at Yuder, the girl asked, “I am Lunafreya la Orr, hailing from the House Peletta of the North. Would you share your name with me, kind stranger?”

Yuder couldn't find it in him the reason why his fight-or-flight instincts got triggered by such an innocent question. He took a few breaths to calm his racing heart, and searched his brain for an answer to the polite young lady’s question. “My name is Yuder, a humble pharmacist's assistant from the Seventh Wall. It’s nice to meet you- I mean-”

Lunafreya covered her mouth when she laughed, her red eyes crinkling when Yuder fumbled with his introductions. He fought to school his panic into an impassive mask, but the damage was already done. “It is fine, Yuder. You can speak freely around me, I have considered you as one of my close confidants.”

“On our first meeting?” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Pardon my brash language, my lady, but you need to be more wary of the people around you. What if I was someone that is going to take advantage of you?”

“But you bought me meals and desserts using your own funds,” Lunafreya tilted her head at him, acting just like her tiger cub disguise that it gave Yuder whiplash. “You even fed me with your own hands-”

“Please don't say it out loud; people are going to misunderstand.” His visible panic got Lunafreya politely laughing behind her hand again, and Yuder raked a hand through his hair with a huff. He spared a look of the deserted alley, sensing no one in their immediate vicinity. “You probably should head back now. I will be on the lookout for you until you reach the end of this alley, so you can hide from anyone.

Then, as an afterthought, Yuder added, “For what it's worth, I enjoyed our shared lunch too, Lady Lunafreya.”

“Just Lunafreya is fine by me. Or should I start addressing you as ‘Sir Yuder’ now?” Her genial smile bloomed into a cheeky grin when Yuder frowned at her. “I am merely jesting. But please, calling me by my name is fine.”

“Lunafreya, then. Now, off you go before your retainers amassed the knights to track you down.” He sent her off with a polite bow, his mare knocking on the cobbled path as her own parting wave to the young lady. She patted the mare on her nose, curtsied at Yuder with a wide grin meant to tease him that he frowned at her for, and disappeared around the corner. Once her footsteps had receded until he couldn't hear them anymore, Yuder shared a look with his mare.

He wondered how long it would take for Enon to find out what happened during his outing today.

Chapter Text

Right after he'd passed the half a year mark working with Enon, Yuder had collected enough money to treat himself with a new bow and quiver set, to replace the gear he'd left back on the mountains. The pharmacist brought him to the Fifth Wall, claiming to cash in a favor with one of his contacts.

He was obviously perturbed that Yuder somehow managed to bump into someone from one of the Orr Empire's unknown duchy houses, but a quick skim over the family tree cemented Lunafreya's claim of coming from the House of Peletta; she is the granddaughter of one of the former Duke of Peletta's mistress, Laflamme la Orr.

“You have the worst luck ever, and I've seen a lot of unlucky fools in my life.” Enon picked at his fingernails with a scowl. “What are the chances that you encountered one of the candidates for the Emperor's adopted Crown Heir, and she happens to be his favored choice too? Did Marka get into a fight with an owl before he left for your grandfather?”

“He was not even there when I woke up,” Yuder pointed out. He had read somewhere that ravens and crows could be considered bad omen as well, but pushed the theory to the side. “And I happen to like Lunafreya as a friend. We’ve found so many new sweets and pastries together since our first meeting at the Fifth Wall. The lemon pie that I brought back is her suggestion for you, too.”

At that revelation, Enon grumbled something along the lines of ‘she has good taste’ and ‘not falling for her tricks’ under his breath.

Enon has a system where he would gather enough errands if he were to travel somewhere he despised going to. The longer the list of errands they would be completing in a location, the more he would rather throttle you than show his face at the place. It gives him the chance to: one, collect everything needed to be done and organize them in an orderly fashion; two, avoid his duty just before it bubbles and tips over; and three, prepare himself for the inevitable trip away from the Seventh Wall. And Yuder could tell that Enon hated travelling deeper into the Walls of Luma more than anything, because the piece of parchment he's using to jot down their errands to complete there was filled to the front and back. Yuder peeked at the list in the cart they're riding past the gate, then up at his guardian.

“I thought we're going to the Fifth Wall for my bow and quivers?” A muscle in Enon's jaw ticked at his question.

“We'll see, kid.” And though he wanted to needle Enon for more than that curt answer, Yuder let him be. The pharmacist is entitled to his secrets, and if it's related to why he hated the magical barriers protecting the deeper Walls, then the least Yuder can do for him is to keep his mouth shut.

A good chunk of the errands on the list were just home visits for people that used to make the trip to Enon's pharmacy themselves, but their ailing body could no longer allow them the freedom. Yuder went around fetching basins of water for Enon to use and explaining the exact dosage of the prescription to consume for the caretakers in the house. While some of their patients were perplexed at the quick-footed teen swiftly sidestepping around the pharmacist they'd thought to hate everyone and everything, the other half was thankful that Enon no longer has to work alone managing his patients. One brave soul even joked that Enon adopted Yuder for his quick thinking and calm behavior compared to his abrasive nature.

(Enon ‘accidentally’ wrapped the coachman's twisted ankle tighter, before fixing his blunder. Yuder berated him for it, possibly making the man's injuries worse just to get back at him, and the pharmacist stayed silent as he was scolded by his teen assistant.)

They both had to rent a room at the Fifth Wall once the sun set, and Enon curled up in his bed with a blanket over his hunched shoulders, pouting. Yuder sighed at his forlorn stare at the wall. “Stop sulking. You couldn't foresee the grandmother's wound having a hidden infection that we had to do an emergency surgery for. It's over now, she's going to heal from it soon.”

“I'm not mad about the surgery, it's just those barriers-” Ruffling his hair with a groan, Enon flopped onto his back, the sheets on his bed inflating from the sudden movement. “It feels suffocating.”

Yuder's fingers stopped sewing his shirt, torn due to the panic caused by Enon slicing open the grandmother's infected wounds without warning. “Enon, are you doing fine? Should we leave for the Seventh Wall tonight-”

“I'm fine, really- it's nothing for you to worry about.”

“It is, if it makes you uncomfortable.” His current task by the opened window temporarily halted, Yuder sat on the edge of the pharmacist's bed, one hand resting on the sheets between them. “You taught me to wield my knowledge as a weapon against the world, like how you tackle complicated ailments and sought the cure for every disease ever known to man. Now I'm just returning the favor, and please be truthful to me. The magical barriers of the Orr Empire and you.”

His hand raises to point right at the pharmacist's chest, Yuder's dark eyes narrowing at his overly composed face (which means he's faking it). “What's the connection between the two of you?”

“We share the same creator.” Enon's calm reply stunned Yuder, and he immediately dropped his hand on the bed. With a sigh, the pharmacist revealed to the young grandson of his friend (his brother now; Melach can go suck it) about his origins and the pact he made with the legendary archmage of the empire hundreds of years ago, bestowing him with a title that he doesn't know what to make of. He opened up on the stories of years living in different Walls of the capital, seeing bloodshed and tragedies happening between the noble families that were once of the same blood, fading in the background of the empire as time marches past him without fail. Yuder fell asleep in the middle of him retelling his ploy of stopping the mages at the Pearl Tower from creating more animals out of Misty Winds like they did with the poor horses, and huffed when the kid struggled to keep his eyes open.

It's rare for him to spend the energy swirling within him for someone else, but Enon reached over with some of it pooling on his fingertips, and tapped Yuder on the forehead. His fluttering eyelids finally shut close with a sigh, and Enon threw the blanket in his lap over Yuder. He's not going to have a good night's sleep tonight, but it's okay- his chest has never felt lighter.

Enon was more quiet in the morning when they set out to finish the rest of the home visits in the Fifth Wall, but he did eat breakfast with Yuder and shared with him the updated list of herbs and materials they will have to restock at the pharmacy when they return. The last house they're visiting for the trip was built facing the entrance to the Fourth Wall, though Enon explained that the magical barriers are placed before the gates.

They haven't even reached the front door yet when it swung open and someone grabbed Yuder by his arm. “The pharmacist's here!” A voice shouted, yanking Yuder inside along with Enon, who clasped a hand around the teen's forearm and allowed them to be dragged inside.

The interior of the house was a wreck, was what Yuder took notice of the moment he could stand upright on his feet. The second thing was that around ten knights wearing emblems he couldn't recognize were standing guard in front of a room, anxiety radiating off of them like heat from a magic stove. Enon took a sweep of everything inside the house, and barked out, “Where is my customer?”

“In our custody,” replied one of the knights. “He was charged with a murder attempt by poison of the heir of the la Orr family-”

Yuder's heart skipped a beat. “Luna is hurt?”

The temperature in the house dropped by a few degrees. Then it was chaos. Some shouted at him, asking how he knew their young lady. One of the knights roared, “How dare you address the Lady only by her name-”

“Stand down, Quill. The young lady told us about his pharmacist friend from the Seventh Wall. So you are that friend.” The one from before said, scrutinizing Yuder with his piercing gaze. Enon sidled closer to Yuder, grasping his trembling shoulders. The knights whispered something to their leader, his gray eyes flicking between the two.

He knew they didn't have much choice in proving their innocence to the group of knights, so Enon stepped forward, partially shielding Yuder from the knights leader’s gaze. “We are supposed to be here for my client's checkup on his peg leg, and a restock of his painkillers. If Neal really did poison my little brother's friend and you have her hiding in that room-” The knights stood up straighter in front of the door, glaring at the gray-haired pharmacist. “The poison could have spread further the longer she went without treatment. Is Neal really as guilty as you framed him to be, or did he tell all of you about our arrival today, hoping the young lady would be cured under our care?”

When the knights didn't say anything, Enon continued. “Let us have a look at the young lady’s condition, and we will do what we can to alleviate her pain. I swore upon my duty as a healer.”

Yuder was ready to bodyslam against the five knights stubbornly standing in front of the door, when the leader of the group gave them a signal, parting them to allow the two to step inside the room. His knees almost buckled when he took the first step, but Enon had an arm wrapped around his shoulder to keep him steady. The door swung open on its creaking hinges, and a blast of concentrated mana chilled Yuder down to his toes.

“The young lady is trained to use spells and charms. The time-lock is her doing,” explained the knight's leader. Enon tugged Yuder next to the bed, and he dug his nails into his palms from touching the girl’s pale fingers on the bed.

While they both took out the necessary ingredients and instrument for a standard detoxification process, Yuder took in Lunafreya's sickly complexion, her pale blond hair fanning across the pillow, eyes closed with the smallest of frown on her face. She looked like she was sleeping, like that night they both snuck out (Enon knew he did, and handed him two bottles of masking potion to hide his scent if they needed a quick getaway) and she nodded off on the rooftop of the tower of the estate she's staying at in the capital, too stubborn to stay cooped in her room after a long, gruelling day besting other candidates vying for the position of the crown heir.

That was when he noticed the darkened veins peeking from under her collar. A cold sense of dread wrapped itself around Yuder’s throat. “Enon- hyung, it's monster poison.”

“Let me see.” Time-manipulation spells can be destroyed if the target came in contact with another living organism, so Enon used a stick to tug Lunafreya's collar lower and growled at the expanse of darkened veins beneath the clothes. “Dammit, with our current equipment, we cannot detoxify her fast enough. And without testing her blood sample, we cannot figure out what kind of poison she's afflicted with-”

“Then let's give her every antidote we could get our hands on while we nullify the poison,” Yuder cuts in. He unclasped his cloak and tossed it to the wall, taking out his dagger made out of monster's byproduct. “Grandfather gifted me this, forged by the remnants of the Plague Dragon of the South.”

Enon took the dagger from his hands, frowning down at it. “How did you-”

“He told me in his letters. I have been nicked and healed over it almost hundreds of times before. The traces from the dart in the forest comes from an aquatic monster from the West, and the needlepoint is a claw from the land burrowers monster found everywhere. I was allergic to it, but not enough to be fatal. You know this.”

The moment he mentioned the allergy reaction was when Enon realized what he's hinting at the moment he showed them the dagger. “You demented fool, you wanted to do a blood transfusion with the young lady?!”

“That's the only method we have now.”

“There's so many things that could go wrong! We don't even know if your blood types are compatible-” He yanked Yuder away from the bed, fingers digging into his bony shoulders in a desperate attempt to discourage the teen. Enon knew it was futile. “I'm not doing it; we can find another way to heal Lady Lunafreya-”

“Hyung.”

“If we upped the dosage for the neutralising draught, theoretically we could stabilize the young lady enough for a priest to heal her-”

“Listen to me, please-”

“If that doesn't work, we can block some channels on her body to prevent the poison from spreading and tackle them from each limbs-”

Two cool hands squeezed Enon's trembling fingers, and his frenzied rambling died on his tongue. He couldn't bear to look the teen in the eye, because Enon knew his resolve would crumble under the indomitable weight of Yuder's will to save the few people in this world that he would gladly call his friend. He couldn't put himself in that position again, witnessing the separation of two people that loved each other beyond words, even after all the years their pain is still vivid in his memories. A tale as old as the Empire, recorded in the barriers protecting the old graveyard of their hopes and dreams.

“You're the best healer I know, of course I want you to do it.” Another squeeze to his hands, and Enon gulped. “I don't think anyone else has the expertise to pull this off successfully as I knew you would.”

“You better,” he muttered, easing out of the teen's grasp. With an annoyed groan, Enon switched a couple of the instruments they had lying around with another from their knapsack. “Oi, knights leader. What's your name?”

He blinked, before replying, “I am Ryan Halberd, of the Peletta Knights.”

“Alright, Sir Ryan Halberd of the Peletta Knights, here's what we are going to do. The procedure will be long and need stability for everyone involved, so please clear out the living room except for a number of able bodied people you can spare. I also need three wooden pails filled with hot water and two more with normal water, as much ginger food you can get and keep them coming, and the young lady's guardian or people I can ask for permission to do this procedure for her. Time is of essence and I need the cooperation of everyone in your platoon to make this easier for the young lady and all of us. Please and thank you.”

He dismissed the knight with a wave of his hands, before turning to Yuder sitting on the floor in front of him. “You, on the other hand, are going to sit next to the bed and sterilize the connector for each of the tubes, like how I taught you to. Now move it, people!”

To everyone's relief (and Enon's secret devastation), Yuder and Lunafreya had matching blood types. With the help of the knights, they create a small flowing pool made out of the water in the pails to keep the blood in the same temperature as the inside of a body before it would enter the young lady through the tube that will be inserted into her arm. After he was done with his own preparation, Yuder explained to the knights why they had to feed him food with ginger in them; the anticoagulant properties in ginger helps promote better blood flow. Along with the flow of the warm water, they are doing everything they can to avoid a blood clot from forming during the procedure.

While they had Yuder eat a plate of gingersnap cookies, an imposing man with warm reddish skin walked into the room. The knights stood to attention at his appearance.

“Sir Nathan!”

“I am told there is a risky procedure that needs my master's permission to be approved.” His icy gaze lingered on Yuder, before landing on the frustrated pharmacist crouched next to him. “Are you Enon, the healer proposing the bloodletting and transfusion for Lady Lunafreya?”

“That'll be that idiot who's giving away his blood for free,” he growled, glaring at Yuder who accepted his ire without complaints. “But yes, I'm the one doing it. And I need explicit permission to continue. Will you be fine having commoner's blood mixed with the ones of la Orr, the bloodline of the Emperor?”

For a few intense moments, Sir Nathan said nothing. He took in the contraption built next to the bed, the clothes blocking the window from letting the chilly winter air inside, Ryan and two men changing the water to keep it at Enon's desired temperature. The snake coiled around Yuder's neck tightened further and further, constricting his breathing, when the man finally nodded. “Proceed with the treatment. Do what you can to save Lady Lunafreya.”

“Very well. Yuder, arms out.” He barely felt the pinch of the needle puncturing his skin, only the relief that his friend now has a chance to be healed. On Enon's signal, he swiftly inserted the tube on the inside of her arm, along with Yuder pouring the neutralizing draught into her mouth. Yuder then was stuck on the chair next to the bed until his next transfusion with the knights, Enon not wanting to risk him accidentally pulling the tube connected to his arm off. The ten minutes everyone waited to see if the transfusion was a success or a failure felt like eons to Yuder, but finally, Enon confirmed it to be a success.

“Yuder would have to get another knight's blood once the hour ends, and we might be here for another couple of days to see if it's working, but the transfusion is progressing smoothly for now.” Everyone sighed in relief at his words. Yuder looked up from the tube in his arms to Nathan giving him an indescribable look. He then turned to Enon before Yuder could thank him for going along with his wishes. With nothing to entertain him, Yuder turned to Lunafreya on the bed, fluffing her pillows and straightening the blanket covering her from the waist down.

Her complexion hadn't changed much since the start of the procedure, but Yuder could already see the darkened veins around her neck receding. Perhaps once they return to the pharmacy, he can ask Enon to check the content of his blood if he really carried antibodies for monster poisons. Yuder wondered what else he could build an immunity to when Enon reached over and pinched him in the cheeks.

“Ow, ow, ow-!”

“Stop whatever you're thinking, I know that face. Don't you dare do whatever you're planning on doing- I'm not letting you!” Enon scolded him. Yuder rubbed his abused cheek, brows furrowed.

“You have no proof I'm planning anything dangerous-”

“And there you go! You just exposed yourself to having thoughts that'll give me headaches just hearing them coming from your mouth! Alright, we're dropping this topic for another time because I'm not supposed to give you high blood pressure during an active blood transfusion-” He said, gesturing to the tube transporting his blood into Lunafreya’s body. “Sir Nathan has asked me about your medical condition and if there's something you wanted to ask, feel free to speak up.”

“I don't really have anything to add-” Yuder then realized something. “Wait, will Lady Lunafreya's body adapt to my immune system with this transfusion?”

Enon frowned, but nodded. “That'll be the end goal, so yeah.”

“Aside from poison of monster origins, I also have immunity in most common plant-based analgesics in the Orr Empire. I probably had consumed a sizable amount of poisonous mushrooms before I even reached ten years of age; my grandfather encouraged me, since he could always nurse me back to health when we lived together.”

“I am kicking him into a rapids once I see him again,” Enon growled low in his throat, clawed fingers twitching at his side. “He told you to eat poisonous mountain mushrooms? And you listened to him?!”

Yuder gave him a shrug, not really seeing the problem. “I'm practically a walking poison tester for him growing up. I think it's a good thing, because now I get to heal Lady Lunafreya with my blood.”

A mumbling to their left caught everyone on guard. Nathan and Enon quickly approached the bed, the pharmacist pressing two fingers to Lunafreya's wrist and checking her breathing. “Lady Lunafreya, can you hear me?”

“... call me…”

“What is it? Can you speak up?”

Her bruised eyelids fluttered open, ruby-red irises blurry before she turned to the side and mumbled, “... told Yuder… to call me… my name…”

Yuder sagged in his chair with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose as Enon bit back a laugh. “Well, it seems like she's slowly getting her strength back. Welcome to the land of the living, my lady.”

“It feels good… to be back,” she smiled at the pharmacist. Lunafreya has her left arm raised, and when Yuder caught it with his right one, she twined their fingers together before squeezing them. “Hello, Yuder. Meeting you here is… an unexpected surprise.”

“One that I hope you're not planning on repeating in the future,” he tacks in with a frown. “You need to take care of yourself better, Lunafreya. I thought monsters-based poison is heavily restricted in the higher districts? What was Neal’s job again?”

“He’s a cook for a count working at the Black Pigeon Building,” Enon answered him. “Neal wrote me a letter asking for advice on different types of painkillers, and you know I work strictly with people using the word of the mouth.” The pharmacist scratched his head, looking utterly confused. “Looks like Sir Nathan and I both have rats to flush out the door- You're not helping, Yuder, sit down and drink your tea.”

Thankfully, Lunafreya let him have his right hand back to pick up the cup of tea, sitting abandoned on the bedside table. It has since cooled down after their little scare with the young lady waking up, but Yuder drank it all anyway. Ryan dutifully refilled the cup with more warm and freshly brewed tea.

Chapter Text

The rest of the Peletta Knights were dismissed from the house, leaving only Sir Nathan and a handful of them to stand guard and help with moving heavy furniture around. When Yuder finally realized he cannot move around during the entirety of the procedure, the confusion was palpable on his face that Enon burst into laughter.

“You didn't think your own mobility would be restricted- when you're connected by the young lady with a freaking blood tube?”

In his defense, Yuder was desperately trying to save his friend's life at that time. He had no time to think about his own comforts and needs.

“What if I need to use the toilet?” He asked.

“You're using the bedpan, of course!” Enon guffawed, clutching his stomach while giggling hysterically. Yuder glared at him from his chair, took a look at the leftover pepper in his bowl from the fried rice Enon cooked up for everyone (“If he's dragging me into trouble for doing him a favor, he can afford to feed everyone impacted by it,”) and threw it at his brother. Enon sputtered at the attack, picking them from his face to launch them back to him when Lunafreya cleared her throat.

“While it is great that you are here to entertain your brother, Pharmacist Enon, I would prefer if no roughhousing were done in my vicinity.” She said with a tight-lipped smile. Enon nodded, face suddenly serious.

“Of course, apologies my lady. How is the food, is it to your liking? While the house we are staying in belongs to a cook for a count, Neal only has the barebones in his pantry,” Enon pointed out. “And it makes me question why, since his employer doesn't seem to be the type to be stingy with his workers…”

“Could it be that he's fallen into debt?” Yuder wondered out loud. “Why would he look for advice from a healer at the Seventh Wall when he can have the same services with his salary from priests at his workplace?”

“Hmmm… you have a point. I need to look into Neal. Maybe the person who referred him to me would know more about how he is.” He nodded, seeming to have come to a conclusion. “But before that- Yuder, it's time for you to get your blood transfusion and the pellets to help restore your vitality.”

A knight named Lesnar was the first one to be called in. They chose a corner furthest away from Lunafreya's bed and started the procedure, which would end in half an hour compared to the usual time duration, as they are only planning to boost Yuder's blood regeneration using the transfusion and an assortment of medicine Enon would hand out to the teen. Both Lesnar and Yuder shared the same collected personality, so they barely talked with each other once Enon left them to check on Lunafreya, which Yuder is thankful for since he needs the silence to properly think.

From the stories of the folks at Dorma’s tavern and his own experience, murder attempts are a common occurrence among the nobles. In order to tie loose ends, to covet power, they treated the lives of other people as if they were dried leaves to be crushed under their feet. Yuder doesn't have the resources of a noble nor does he have an extensive web of information like Enon does, but he still wanted to do something for Lunafreya, just to put his heart at ease. And his only source of information about anything in the world is his wayward grandfather.

As if hearing his thoughts, the window cracked open with familiar clicks against the lock mechanism. Still wrapped up in his thoughts (and probably had forgotten that the raven wasn't home when they left the pharmacy), Yuder absently chastised him, “Don't you dare leave that window open, or I'm making fried poultry out of you. I've been collecting recipes of your kind, Marka. I can do it now. Try me.”

The raven squawked, not taking his threats seriously, but a glance at the gobsmacked girl on the bed made Marka latch the window after he pushed it close using his body. Enon furiously massaged his temple, fuming. “Of course his stupid familiar knows where the grandson is. Why do I even bother?”

Landing on the floor before hopping across the room to reach Yuder, Marka climbed up his pants leg and bumped his head against the teen's chest. Yuder recognized the action as the raven asking him to hold out his arm, and seconds later, a soft parcel appeared before him in a shower of brilliant lights. Lesnar and Sir Nathan watched the exchange happen, the knight gaping at the rare display of magical prowess.

“What did grandfather give me this time…” Enon stashed them away, taking out the needle in his arm and wrapping it with bandages. Lesnar and Yuder nodded at each other, the latter having more trouble standing on his feet without toppling over, but the knight and Enon caught him by the shoulder before he could crumble to the ground.

“Alright, half an hour for toilet break and some snacks. Then we'll get to your grandfather's package. Hop to it, let's go.”

=+=+=+=

Yuder, beloved grandson of mine

It has been a while since I had gotten a moment to sit down and properly write to you. How are you faring at the capital? Is it even close to what you always dreamed of, on nights where the sky is clear in the mountains, and the world is so close to your fingertips but so far from your grasp? Seeing that look on your face, I always knew you will yearn to travel the world once you are of age, and I would be a hypocrite if I were to stop you from achieving your dreams now, would I? However it is, I hope you are at least getting along well with Enon. I will let you keep your reservations of the eccentric pharmacist, because he is one of an acquired taste.

(“Yeah. He's dead by my hands the next time I see him,” Enon declared after Yuder subtly looked up at him from the letter.)

But do trust that he is a wealth of knowledge, and my heart is calmer now that you are by his side. The ruffians after me have finally gotten it through their thick skulls that our house on the mountains is now vacant and they would have to look for me in other places, which could mean many things for us in the future. But still, I pray that there are many happy memories for both of us to forge, may we be together or apart. Fear not for the safety of our cherished neighbors, because they are protected by a sigil carved into the foundation of their houses when I helped them build it. No harm not aimed at them will ever fall upon them, and I swear upon my responsibility as one of their confidants.

The rest of the letter told Yuder a story of the places his grandfather has been to on his tour in the North, where he got too frivolous with his purchase and after realizing he has no storage to lug them around, have a few delivered to his grandson at the capital via Marka. Enon was giving the wrapped parcel the stink-eye but nodded when Yuder asked his permission to unwrap it. If the Guardian of the Seven Walls of Luma thinks it's fine for him to do it, then it's probably safe.

Golden dust flutters down from the cloth wrappings when Yuder untied them, and Nathan raised an eyebrow at the unstrung bow with matching quiver set over smaller knick knacks in the parcel, carved out of a piece of redwood, the smooth wood carved and beautifully stained to give it a glossy finish. The string was snatched from his lap before Yuder could even search for it.

“You'll get to string the bow after I give you the say.”

“It will be just some light workout, hyung.”

“I'm not taking the claim for a ‘light workout’,” Enon finger-quoted the phrase with an eye roll. “From someone that makes day-trips up and down the Airic mountainside. Stay in bed and recover like a normal person!”

If they were alone, Yuder would have stuck his tongue out at the stupidly overbearing beanpole guardian of his. But Sir Nathan and Lunafreya were also there in the room, so Yuder simply sighed and moved on to the other stuff in the package.

He breezed through the few pieces of the North's local cuisine, folklore and bedtime storybooks, rare herbs and colorful ornaments until finally, Yuder reached the bottom of the pile. He let the thick fabric drape across his lap, and after a short warning for everyone to stay back, flapped it to clear the dust from the article.

A nearly identical riding hood to his current one hung loosely in his grasp.

“I could swear we've gotten your cloak washed and dried last week, Yuder. When did Melach get the time to custom-made a twin?”

“Why are you asking me as if I know how he had done it?” Enon fetched his original cloak and stood before him, Yuder comparing the two articles side by side. There's no denying it, the cloak his grandfather had sent Yuder is truly the exact creation of the one he was gifted by now Lady Roberts, the current ruler of the bustling town Yuder had helped free from the clutches of her former husband. Yuder had included the details about his mare in a few of his letters, but why would he be given a riding hood? It's not even a common fashion choice among commoners due to the steep price of the article requested by tailors and seamstresses.

Enon shrugged, patting his hands clean from the tomfoolery. “I guess congratulations are in order? You have two riding hoods now, Yuder. What are you planning to do with the extra one?”

“Sell them-” His reply was immediately cut off by the pharmacist.

“The gift from your grandfather, or the gift from the village's landlady? And did you know it's considered bad etiquette to give away the gifts handed to you because it shows that you didn't appreciate it to the sender?”

“It is mine now, so why should they care about whatever I do with it?”

“And that mentality is why everyone thinks you're a cold, heartless ghoul that has risen from all those unmarked graves in the forest. Lady Lunafreya scored the moment she broke through your exteriors with your two fatal weaknesses: cute animals and sweets. And if I haven't said this,” he turned his body slightly to the left, and winked exaggeratedly in the young lady's direction. “Good job on keeping a vice grip on Yuder. He hasn't been sneaking out to the forest after you dragged him around.”

“Of course, that is the least I can do for you.” Lunafreya curtsied at the pharmacist while still reclined on the bed, and Yuder saw Nathan's blasé mask cracks with a long-suffering sigh for the briefest of seconds. It went back up in a blink, making the teen wonder if he'd really seen it.

The rest of the day passed lazily, the four of them sitting in the room to approve or strike out what Yuder would like to write back to his neighbors on the mountains. Nathan looked deep in thought when Yuder asked if he could have his grandfather test Lunafreya's blood for the traces of monster-based poison and find out its origin. “With his experience dealing with monsters, I'm sure we can track it down faster with his help.”

“We don't even know where he’s staying currently, people can get suspicious of a vial of blood being carried around by a raven.” Enon huffed, checking the area on Lunafreya's arm after their first bloodletting session. He reconnected the tubes once he was satisfied with what he'd seen. “Especially if the news gets out that it belonged to the young lady from the la Orr family. We don't need that kind of gossip going around, not at this crucial moment of the competition.”

With less than five candidates for the Emperor to choose to adopt as the Crown Heir, security around each of the children representing their ducal houses has been tighter than ever. Sir Nathan must have been a formidable warrior to have the trust of Duke Peletta over his niece's safety.

“Marka can be discreet if we ask him to.” The raven turned to Yuder when he heard his name. “Grandfather will understand the situation if we explain it to him, and with his speed, Marka will deliver the results at least by the next morning if we send him off this afternoon.”

“Will your grandfather agree to an Oath of Silence?” Nathan asked, surprising the brothers. “Of course, all of us will also be given the same contract if we agree to continue with this course of action. To prevent another attempt on the young lady's life, I had been advised by my master to exercise my authority implicitly.”

Yuder nodded, leaning forward in his seat. “Grandfather is a master of the arcane arts, though he prefers the life of a wanderer compared to the research-focused one of a mage. He will understand our reasoning. I shall write to him right away.”

“I would like to help you with it, Yuder, if I may,” Lunafreya said. Mulling over it for a second, the teen nodded, scooting closer to the bed and placing the parchment and the inkwell with a quill between them.

While the children argued whether Yuder should introduce Lunafreya to his grandfather or not, Nathan asked Enon, “Has Melach ever been associated with the Imperial Mages?”

The pharmacist scoffed, giving Nathan an incredulous look. “That unhinged fool would curse you where you stood for insinuating he would ever be affiliated with any arcane organization. He learnt the arts all during his travels, collecting spells and hexes and potion recipes from unknown sorcerers and spreading them far and wide.”

“Yet he settles to raise a family.”

“Like all mages do, Melach keeps track of everything in his life. When he heard that Yuder's parents perished in a monster attack, he halted his travels to take care of his grandson. He sent me letters every now and then, so I knew about the kid.” Lunafreya broke the quill fighting over it with Yuder, and he left to fetch a new one for them, returning after warning the two that there's no replacement quills left in the house and they had to play nice or they would finish writing the letter using their fingers. “He's more rambunctious than I thought he would be, and twice as stubborn as his grandfather, but his heart is in the right place. Melach raised him well.”

Nathan had never met the illustrious wizard they were talking about before, but he could tell the pharmacist's words held some merit to them, considering how fast his grandson reached out to offer his blood to purge the poison ailing Lunafreya. To him, their friendship is enough for Yuder to do whatever it takes for him to save her. Nathan had only seen those types of bonds in soldiers and mercenaries that have covered each other's backs on the battlefield for so long they became brethren in everything but blood. But again, Nathan flicked his gaze over the two children bent over their letter, both Yuder and Lunafreya are now of the same blood.

He doesn't know what this new development will bring them in the future.

That night, the knights returned with fresh ingredients that Enon and Nathan turned into roasted chicken with tomato and cheese sauce for dinner, and somehow it became the most popular meal in the house. The knights had their plate licked clean in a matter of minutes, and even Nathan had a pleased look on his face after his first bite of the juicy chicken breasts.

Yuder, though, could barely finish a quarter of his plate. Noticing this, Enon whispered, “You feeling nauseous or something?”

“No, it's not that. I just remembered something that I had forgotten back at the pharmacy. You know Emma and her daughter that worked at the tailor shop across the street from us?” At his brother's nod, Yuder continued. “I noticed the limp in her right leg has gotten worse, and her daughter kept taking more babysitting jobs from me. No, hyung, I don't even want the job; she can take it if they need the money. But I'm worried about both of them.”

“We can check on them once we get back-” He glanced at the teen, who was pushing a piece of garnish around in his plate. “But I guess that just won't cut it, because your freaky sixth sense has been pinged.”

“It's saved us in the forest from being mauled by predators many times before,” argued Yuder, making Enon roll his eyes.

“Maybe Melach passed down something in you from his travels, gave you a cat's intuition or something.”

“Human experimentation was banned by the royal court hundreds of years-” A hand clamped his mouth to prevent him from speaking, and Yuder glared at Enon who put his index finger to his lips.

“I know- I was the reason why they banned it! Whatever, I'll go back to the pharmacy to restock on anticoagulant and other herbs tomorrow, maybe drop by their house to check up on the mother and daughter. Only if you promise to sit tight, take it easy, and wait until I'm back to tell you about everything.”

Yuder wrenched Enon's palm away from his face, before nodding. “I can accept those terms. Be back before supper though, Solas mentioned my honey lemon recipe he heard from his friend and I said I can make it for them. We're also using Neal's oven to bake a cake tomorrow.”

“Which part of taking it easy didn't you understand?!”

=+=+=+=

Enon returned a day later than promised, a slight figure in a wrinkled cloak covering their face staggering after him inside the house, Nathan and Lunafreya holding back Yuder from pouncing on his frazzled brother.

“Enon. What happened?” Nathan asked him.

“It's a long story. Before that-” Digging into his pocket, Enon took out a gold coin and tossed it at Yuder. It hit his brother between his furrowed brows, and the kid caught it in his palms. “Nice work, kid. Maybe Melach really did give you a cat's intuition.”

Chapter Text

Once upon a time, there was a lovely little girl that was loved by everyone around her, even with the circumstances of her creation and her birth. Growing up, the tired but kind ladies and the men in dark suits would dote over her in secret, bringing little snacks and small gifts she could hide in the pockets of her dress and eat before they were found by those who looked at her with contempt and disgust in their eyes. To repay their love for her, the girl would avoid confrontation with others at all costs, playing the meek daughter of a maid (he is not your father you have no father remember that) living in the servant's quarters only by the grace of the owner of the house. She is nameless to the world, but to her mother and those who loved her, she is their cherished Kanna.

She thought her life would stay that way, the black servant's dress of her mother would be passed down to her along with her job, when one day, Kanna and her mother found themselves chased out of the estate over a baseless accusation of one of the acknowledged members of the house. Kanna knew the truth, though nobody would listen if it came from her. To them, she was worth less than the scum on the bottom of their shoes. Her skinny arms hugged her sobbing mother around the waist, until a kind coachman brought them away from the gate of the estate on his cart.

The new world scares Kanna. But her mother's warm hands were never far from hers, and little by little, she decided to embrace the new scenery. She didn’t see the silent tears running down her mother's gaunt cheeks when Kanna first experienced running through a field of dandelions, nor her infectious giggle while hopping into water puddles during a summer rain.

After months of moving from one house to another, the mother and daughter reached the slums of the capital, the Seventh Wall of Luma. Her mother had gotten herself a job as a waitress at a tavern, and Kanna slept in their shared room at night, letting her mother have the bed to rest in the morning while she left to bring home breakfast or lunch. They would repeat this routine for a year until they had saved enough to rent a house for themselves, with her mother's second job as a seamstress.

Their neighbors are commoners toughened by the world around them, and Kanna understands them little by little as she grew up in the neighborhood. She handled the household chores while her mother worked, accepted requests from parents who needed people to look after their little ones, and lived peacefully with her mother in their rented house. When their roof leaked and they had to live with their neighbors for a week until it was fixed, Kanna knew they would be fine.

As long as they have each other, Kanna and her mother would survive everything coming their way.

Then an incident with a rampaging monster that escaped into the Seventh Wall shook the whole district. Kanna will always be thankful that the Sun God has yet to take her mother away from her, but her severe injuries forced Kanna to take more chaperone requests and jobs to let her mother rest during her recovery. She worked harder than before, leaving early in the morning and coming home late at night. The world where she can live peacefully with her mother will come, but for now, Kanna will pick up the duty of being the head of the house, and provide what her mother needs for loving her since the day she was born: unwavering support.

Unfortunately, her body couldn't keep up with her workload that one day, Kanna woke up on the shoulder of a boy bickering with the scary pharmacist that once threw a drunk customer out of a tavern for spitting in his stew. She squeaked, covering her mouth when they both turned to look at her.

“You. Apron Emma's daughter, Kanna. Am I right?” The pharmacist pointed at her. Kanna never nodded her head that fast before in her life.

“I told you I saw her before. At the market buying groceries, with Mrs. Emma.” The boy carrying her said, his voice flat and sounding wholly unimpressed at the pharmacist.

“Like I could tell if you're pulling my leg or not! You got your grandfather's poker face, I couldn't tell what you’re thinking half the time. Then you turned around and asked if we can cook a soft-shelled snapping turtle if you can catch one- like, no!” The pharmacist threw his arms in the air, frustrated at the black-haired boy. “We need to drain its blood first, that's a top-notch medicinal ingredient! Did you know how hard it is to fish out a soft-shelled snapping turtle? They gnawed on the fishing line every time they get reeled to the shore, it's impossible to catch them unless you're an expert angler-”

“Morrigan caught one at least once a w-week…” Kanna blurted out, before shrinking when the pharmacist's attention snapped back on her.

“You're making her scared, hyung. Stop glaring at her.”

“This is my face. I’d like to see you do better, Yuder.”

“Can't really do that, since you twisted your back and I had to carry her.” He glanced back at her, and Kanna gulped. “We saw you collapse walking out of a bakery. Enon said you are not showing any signs of illness, but are you really okay?”

Instead of answering his question like a normal person would, Kanna burst into tears. Enon's frown disappeared from his face immediately, and the two sat on the roadside, staying silent as Kanna wet her sleeves, apron, Yuder's shoulder, and Enon's handkerchief with her tears. Her head throbbed something fierce once she stopped crying, but that night, her mother was given a slew of medicinal teas and infusion recipes Kanna was taught to prepare to boost her mother's recovery. Enon even listed a few exercises she can do while she was recovering to help her avoid muscle atrophy from staying prone. Her eyes glistened with tears again from gratitude, and Enon actually looked physically ill before he fled from their house.

“Did I do something wrong?” She would hate to have the kind-hearted pharmacist hate her, as Kanna actually felt comfortable around him. Yuder coughed into his fist, before shaking his head.

“It's normal for him to act like that, don't worry. You can find us at the pharmacy anytime, Kanna. See you later and have a good night.”

After that incident, their paths seemed to always cross each other's. Enon haggling for a fish and Kanna helping him get the price he asked the vendor for, Yuder stepping in to scare off scammers from selling a counterfeit item to Kanna, the three of them running into each other at a tavern while she was at one of her jobs. Once her mother was strong enough to return to work, she had sent Kanna to their pharmacy with a rhubarb pie and several servings of her favorite snacks, roasted sweet potatoes (her idea).

Enon opened the door wearing his usual frown on his face, and froze at the sight of Kanna smiling sheepishly up at him. “G-Good evening, Mr. Enon. I have a tin of rhubarb pie and some sweet potatoes with me, a token of goodwill from m-my mother…”

He tried rejecting them at first, shaking his head at the proffered dishes. “You don't have to give us anything, Kanna-”

The sound of something snapping, followed by a blood-curdling scream came from behind the folding wall in the middle of the pharmacy. Enon shot out to steady Kanna when she almost collapsed, sending one of the sweet potatoes rolling to the ground. He swiftly ducked to pick it up, revealing a curtain hung up in the middle of the living room.

“You looked green around the gills, let's get you to a seat. What did you do before you came here?” Kanna slumped into the sofa and accepted the cup of tea Enon wrapped her fingers around the cup. Her heart, jackrabbiting in her chest, calmed down after a sip of the tea, now she realize carried the scent of lavender and chamomile.

“I- I just got back from the bakery. Ah, and today's workload is nothing too strenuous for me, Mr. Enon. The owner actually let me decorate a blueberry jam cake, but I messed up on the side frosting.” She scratched her head with a grin.

“Do it a few more times, and you'll find your rhythm,” came Yuder's reply from behind the folding screen. His next words were incomprehensible, before another snapping sound could be heard, followed by a muffled scream. Kanna turned to Enon, who had his arms folded over his chest.

Who is also actively avoiding Kanna's gaze. He folded barely seconds after that, though, so she got her answer after he gestured at her to follow him to the top floor of the pharmacy, mouth sealed shut. After he took out three sets of silverwares, Kanna realized they were going to set up the table for dinner.

“Yuder is a magnet for trouble, and sometimes, it comes in the form of vagabonds and runaways that were falsely accused of crimes they never committed or those who were being hunted for knowing something they shouldn't.” Enon gave her a knowing look, and Kanna stared down at the piece of pie he had slid into a plate in front of her.

The utensils warmed between her fingers, with how long Kanna had them in her hands. “W-What if the… authorities hunting those people down find this place?”

“They never did,” Enon shrugged, gesturing for the spare fork next to Kanna. “Yuder tried fighting one group outside the gate once, and I had to fix a nasty cut along his jaw he got from saving the supposed serial killer from the North. After that, I told him if he needs to fix ‘anything’, he better do that at home.”

And if she was right, Yuder was ‘fixing something’ downstairs when he arrived with her pie and steaming sweet potatoes. Her heart was torn into two; Yuder was easily risking the peace and safety of everyone around him for a few people that was already living their lives in hell, and on the other hand, Kanna and her mother got to where they are now due to selfless people giving them a hand when they were kicked down and were on their last legs.

What is the right thing for her to think- to do, in this situation?

Yuder arrived, his sleeves folded over his elbows and arms still wet from washing them after whatever he did to the man downstairs. When Enon asked him about it, he shrugged and said, “I didn't ask him where he's going, just that he needed some food for the journey. We have to buy a new loaf of bread tomorrow, hyung. I gave ours to him.”

“Dammit, I liked that barley loaf…”

“I'll save two for both of you.” There Kanna goes again, mouth moving faster than her brain. But when Enon knocked back his drink with a relieved groan and Yuder gave her a slight nod at her promise, she still arranged two loaves of barley bread to be slightly hidden on the counter on her shift, and waited until Yuder arrived to purchase them.

She asked him once, how he could have compassion to spare for others when they are barely scraping by living their lives day by day in the Seventh Wall. Yuder stopped the woodcarving project he's doing, twirling the dagger he's holding between his fingers as he rolled the question over in his mind. (Kanna was already pulling out poultice and bandages from her bag, in case of impromptu dagger-throwing accidents.)

“I used to want to see the world, travel and experience everything myself instead of listening to repeated anecdotes of my grandfather. And I think, the only way for me to achieve that dream is to do anything that would give me the necessary experience for it. Any consequences that come from my choices, I will handle them accordingly.” The blade of his dagger stopped halfway through the motion of shaving, and Yuder tilted his head at the now stunned Kanna. “Does that answer your question?”

“So- there's no concrete reason why you helped me? Helped those with bounties on their heads without listening to their stories? Helped everyone living here along with Enon? You just wanted to collect experience?!”

“Calling our friendship a result of me ‘collecting experiences’ is a bit harsh, don't you think?”

Kanna sputtered, jabbing her finger on Yuder's shoulder. “You just said so! I heard you loud and clear, so don't you lie to me.” 

He shrugged, sheathing his dagger back in its leather cover. “I prefer telling the truth, anyway. My neighbors told me that I have to over-explain myself to strangers because my choice of words can and will get me in trouble once I descend down the mountains.” Yuder stashed his current project in his pocket, before turning to fully face her. Kanna had a feeling that whatever he's going to say next would change the way she sees him forever.

(And she was right.)

“Kanna, I carried you on the night you fainted from overexerting yourself because that is the humane thing to do. I befriended you because I enjoy your company. I split our babysitting money between us because you insisted, even when you know for a fact that Enon would just buy anything for me if I asked him to because he complained that taking care of me costs less than my mare's frequent horseshoe refitting. I do what I want, for reasons I believe in.”

“So there’s always a reason?”

He patted her on the head, giving Kanna one of his rare smiles. “There is always a reason for everything, even when it seems stupid. Now, let's head back. It's getting late.”

Being a friend of Yuder is a unique experience. Kanna considered herself someone that is sociable and can put herself in a better light in the eyes of the community. Meanwhile, Yuder gets tangled up in drama with almost every single traveling group that passed through their neighborhood in the district, just because someone doesn't like the way he looked at their carts (they were fastening the straps and harnesses too tight around their horses). Though he always tried to de-escalate the situations, Yuder doesn't shy from defending himself by knocking people down in a single swing.

He became known as the person no one wanted to mess with among travelers, though whether he knew about it or not continues to elude Kanna. The fights Yuder was involved in were never started by him -- though there's a few instances that he swung at the rude customers first -- because Yuder never picked violence as his first choice. But it would be the ace up his sleeves, and that's what makes him dangerous against his opponents.

When Kanna compared him to a rattlesnake, Yuder blinked, accepted the observation, and carried on with their small trip to collect lotus seeds before proceeding to dismember an arachnid-type monster attacking them the moment they stepped past the gate, by snapping five of its legs. Even the guards couldn't believe their eyes, swords hanging limply in their hands after the monster was killed from Yuder stabbing it in between its numerous eyes using his black dagger.

“The kid's at it again!” Drew, one of the guards stationed at the post near them whistled, nudging the stiffened exoskeleton of the monster with his foot. “You takin’ it back to Enon’s, Yuder? He'll find some good use for it.”

“That's the plan. Thanks for not freaking out, Drew, Ven.”

“It's alright, mate. We shouldn't let you take up all our work, but thank you for-" He gestured at the monster carcass before them. "You lot watch each other's backs now, the forest is in a bit of an unrest these past few weeks. Higher number of attacks, from humans and monsters both.” Ven dismissed them with a wave.

Their little trip was completed without a hitch, lotus seeds and monster parts arriving on Enon’s work desk making the pharmacist comb back his hair with a long-suffering sigh. “Always knew this day was gonna come one day, I didn't know it would be so soon. Kanna.”

“Y-Yes, Mr. Enon?”

“Do you have any injuries from facing the monster?”

She vehemently shook her head. Then Kanna remembered something. “But Yuder’s shin connected with the spider monster's thorax and he actually flinched before he changed his targets to its legs, so maybe you should… check that?”

Enon nodded, thanking her with a slight dip of his head before turning towards the dark-haired teen. “You heard the reliable young lady. Boots off and feet on the stool, because only I get to put my legs up on the table. Now off with it!”

“I don't have to do anything for you.”

“Oh, so you're planning to let it go untreated? Let maggots fall out of the wounds, infested, rotten slices of putrid meat peeling back after whenever poisonous barbs from that eight-legged freak of nature crawling up from hell corroded your skin and flayed open your flesh? Huh, is that the end goal?”

Yuder scrunched his face in disgust, leaning away from the desk. “You are a horrible guardian and I should have asked my grandfather for a relocation.”

“Goodluck getting deported from me, you incorrigible fool. Out of all the questionable things Melach had done, he at least did you right by sending you my way. I've eaten more grains of rice than you have consumed salt your whole life.”

“That's an unjust comparison because you are a sad, lonely old man and my life is probably comparable to a wink in your sleep to your entire life.”

“And even that half a second wink won't be peaceful because of you giving every reason under the Sun God's domain to stress me out. Just let me treat that wound, Yuder-”

“No, thank you.”

Later into their dynamics, Kanna would come to understand these meaningless spats between the brothers is their own way of checking up on each other, with Enon's outright refusal to show affection the normal way and Yuder acknowledging this and playing to his brother's tune. But for now, she sat on the chair next to Yuder arguing with Enon over whose fault it is that the jar holding their tea leaves was knocked over last night.

(She ends up being the one to check up on Yuder, treating his bruised shin while the two of them argue.)

Her goal to live peacefully with her mother seemed closer with the addition of Yuder and Enon into her life, and for once, Kanna was excited for tomorrow to come.

That was why her mother's sudden death caught her off guard, and she could do nothing except nodded numbly when the physician confirmed her to have passed away in her sleep.

=+=+=+=

It felt unreal, how her mother was fine the night before, and her eyes would never flutter open and give Kanna a smile again in the morning. They were just laughing and joking with one another at dinner last night, her mother promised to make her favorite dish on the weekend. They had so many things planned for the future, so many things to look up for. 

And this time, Kanna will truly be alone.

The world might have moved on from hers crumbling down brick by brick, but to Kanna, the clock ceased ticking the moment her mother closed her eyes to never open them again. The rise and setting of the sun meant nothing to her, sat slumped on a chair outside the door to her mother's room, clutching her hairband in her trembling fingers. Though her whole body felt numb, Kanna still turned when the front door swung open, revealing Enon panting on her porch. Her mouth opened to call out to him, but could only muster a pained wheeze.

Enon's frown deepened, and he made his way into the house, snagging a lamp and lighting it up before disappearing into the kitchen. He returned minutes later with a glass of water that he pressed into her palms. “Drink, Kanna. I'll take care of everything else.”

My mother- she's my mother, I need to be the one… I need to take care of her.

“Kanna. Look at me.” She froze when strong hands held her still by the shoulders, blue eyes locking onto glowing citrine. Enon nodded, squeezing her gently. “You are in shock. Tonight, we will rest for the parting ceremony in the morning. Tonight, you will not be able to stomach even a slice of bread but tomorrow, I need you to at least eat one thing of your choice every hour until everything is settled. Take a sip of the water now, you are dehydrated. I assume this is your late mother's room?”

With the water still in her mouth, Kanna nodded.

“Swallow, Kanna. I can see you holding that sip in your mouth. Alright, then I assume that the other door is your room. Okay, you swallowed, take another sip and do the same thing. Good job- do that another three times while I go around locking the windows and doors, you understand me? I'll come back to you, I'm not leaving you.”

Enon's warmth seeping into her chilled skin stayed with her until Kanna had finished the whole glass of water. Once he returned, Enon led her back to her room and told Kanna to go right to sleep. She hadn't realized she hadn't even changed out of her nightgown from the morning, and Kanna slipped under the covers to immediately fall into a dreamless sleep.

=+=+=+=

Kanna had chosen roasted sweet potatoes, with it being her comfort food because she shared them with her mother while they were saving money to rent a house after they were kicked out of the Gallon House. And it was also the only thing she could eat without feeling like she's forcing rocks down her throat.

She stubbornly followed after Enon while he arranged for her mother's corpse to be cremated at a funeral house in the Sixth Wall district, as there isn't one at the Seventh Wall. Pain lanced through her ribcage once they arrived at the front steps of the funeral house, but Enon still waited patiently for her to find the courage to trail after him into the building.

Just as he promised, Enon would direct a meaningful look at the pouch hanging from her waist every hour like clockwork, and Kanna would eat the portion of the sweet potato she had stashed inside. And to her frustration it actually helped, giving her the much-needed energy to keep up with Enon tearing through the streets on the back of a horse she had never seen before, but clearly belonged to him with how familiar both of them are with each other.

And all Kanna could do while Enon cleaned up after her was eat sweet potatoes. The tip of her fingers burned when they dug into the sweet potatoes, steam coming out of the revealed orange flesh, and Kanna stumbled when a harsh nudge on her shoulder jarred her out of her darkening thoughts.

The horse whinnied softly, nibbling on her knuckles and stealing bites of her sweet potatoes. Her throat still refused to allow her to speak, so Kanna offered the ruined snack to the horse, who licked around her fingers and palm with a pleased chuff. A sense of relief washed over Kanna, who continued to pet the horse and began braiding little braids down her flowing mane. It is a beautiful horse, sturdy and magnificent in the sunlight. Enon was lucky to have such a stunning horse.

Horses have never been one of her concerns, but if her friends cared for one, Kanna probably should invest some of her time to learn about them in the future, right? She would need to find other things to look up to moving forward, she realized. The horse’s neck bumped into her fingers, and Kanna continued petting her.

“Are you done with your sweet potato?” Enon asked, walking towards her and the horse tied to a tree next to the funeral house. He held out a small porcelain vase towards Kanna, and she tucked her trembling hands close to her chest. She doesn't trust herself to not lose her grip on the urn, and Enon nodded, slipping it into a side pocket on the horse's saddle.

“Our next destination is to pick up Yuder. He's at the Fifth Wall for reasons and we're under contract to say nothing about it, so it’s probably gonna be a quick in and out for us. You're staying with us until we figure everything out.” After helping her on the back of the horse, Enon tilted his head at her. “You okay with that?”

She thought her tears had dried out after the morning of her mother's death, sobbing and praying fervently to the Sun God to give her back her only family member that she loved more than anything in the world. Then her body surprised Kanna as she cried silently against Enon's back galloping towards the Fifth Wall, the pharmacist pulling down the hood on the cloak he'd wrapped around her shoulder to conceal her face. Kanna subtly wiped at her cheeks and reddened eyes before stepping inside the unassuming house.

But apparently, both the brothers had the uncanny ability to make her burst into tears on sight. Yuder swept a concerned look down her trembling frame, and she was already bawling before he could open his mouth to say something to her.

The following hug felt like a breath of fresh air, after struggling for so long.

Chapter Text

According to their plan, Yuder and Enon would part ways with Lunafreya and her entourage after she was cleared by both Enon and a priest summoned by Nathan to have been completely healed from the monster poison. But again, no good plans went accordingly, as fate decrees it. Kanna's mother died, leaving her an orphan, and Enon's supposedly simple trip back to the pharmacy had to be extended to take care of everything else.

That night, Yuder, Enon, and Kanna chose a room to discuss their matters in private, but the day was proving to be far too taxing for the girl that she fell asleep on her feet, face squished against Yuder's shoulder on the bed. Enon huffed and stepped forward to tuck her in for the night before plopping himself into a couch, massaging his forehead.

“... and that's what happened,” Enon finished the retelling of what transpired with arms folded over his chest. “I told Kanna she would be coming with us after we are done with Lady Lunafreya's treatment, and she cried on my back. What if she didn't want to live with us?”

“Stop overthinking it, hyung. Kanna was just overwhelmed by everything happening, her mother just died. We can straighten everything out once she has calmed down, and until then, she's staying with us. You made the right call in stepping in to handle the cremation on her behalf.” Grief is not an emotion he understands. With all he claimed to have what it takes to handle it, Yuder couldn't imagine how he would process the passing of his grandfather if he really died in their house three years ago. His fingers unconsciously rolled the leather bracelet around his wrist, a small thing his grandfather taught him how to braid one rainy afternoon on the mountains.

“If you say so, then I'll take your word for it. Do we have a room to give her at the pharmacy?”

“We can clear out the herb storage room, move everything to the basement. You can take her out shopping for furniture and essentials, I'll handle the cleaning.”

“No can do, the basement's haunted.”

“You kept saying that, and when I asked if you ever saw the thing haunting the basement, you said you cannot see beyond the veil of departed souls. Give me a concrete reason other than ‘I can feel it’ or you're the one getting a room in the basement.”

Enon grumbled, but kept his silence. With that, Yuder concluded their meeting. “She can use my room in the meantime. Sir Nathan also told me to inform you we might be summoned to their estate in the capital for the rest of the year to check on Lunafreya's health.”

“What? Why?”

“She has my blood in her body now, so we would be the best physicians to continue monitoring her condition, which makes us perfect for the role. He said he's been searching for a trusted physician in the capital to take the job, but we somehow stumbled across them and Sir Nathan got the approval from his master to hire us.”

“And what did you tell him?” Enon quirked an eyebrow at the teen.

“That it's up to you, because I'm only your assistant and if you accept the position, I'll follow your decision.” Enon gave him a bewildered look, and Yuder frowned. “Why did you look at me like that?”

“You gave away your blood to Lady Lunafreya, and you think she would let you bramble away without actually tying you down to her side? Yuder, you saved her life! She's doing everything in her power to make sure you won't struggle to have anything you wanted ever again.”

His brows furrowed in confusion, and Enon sighed. He sometimes forgot that Yuder came from the mountains, and those folks are self-sufficient to a painful degree. He knew the kid understood how ‘returning the favor’ works, but he's useless when it comes to differentiating ‘favor’ with ‘duty’ and ‘wishes’. Enon bet his entire basket of lemons back at the pharmacy that Yuder thought him giving his blood to save Lunafreya is his own wish and planned to claim it as such to avoid affiliating others if they were wrongly accused by the Emperor for it. If he doesn't nip that train of thought in the bud, they're going to have problems in the future.

Well, it's not like Enon hasn't disappeared for a century or two in the past before.

In the morning, the brothers found Lunafreya and Kanna in the kitchen, a steaming pot of hibiscus tea on the table and the young lady chatting amicably with a still silent Kanna, who nodded along with her words, listening intently to her story. She noticed them coming down the stairs, and Lunafreya waved them over, a bright smile on her now flushed cheeks, a world away from the sick pallor she's sporting a few days ago.

“Good morning, Lady Lunafreya. Kanna, too.” Enon nodded at them both.

“Good morning, Pharmacist Enon. I was just informing Miss Kanna of our agenda for the day, which would be finding a way to sneak past the guards posted at the Fourth Wall so we can have the three of you along with us on our way back to the estate. A small garden near the estate is simply exquisite, my meager descriptions of it would not bring justice to the beauty of the flowers- and the soothing flow of the fish ponds-!” Lunafreya was vibrating from excitement in her chair. “According to the map I procured before arriving at the capital, we have a number of hidden passages available to our discretion.”

“I don't think we're allowed to enter the Fourth Wall without a valid reason, Lunafreya.” Yuder said, taking a seat at the table and pouring himself a cup of tea. “Not without attracting unwanted attention. Commoners don't have any business doing in the higher districts except for servitude contracts with nobles or answering summons. ”

“That's why she suggested we use the hidden passages,” Enon pointed out, taking a sip of his coffee. Yuder had no idea where he got it. He shouldered his way past Yuder and tapped a section of the map spread on the table. “The shoe cobbler here is one of my informants, he won't report us to the Imperial Knights if we brought him the armored shell from monster parts you couldn't get from the market.”

Yuder, Lunafreya, and Kanna (along with Nathan who just arrived but wasn't noticed yet) all had different reactions to his statement. 

Yuder nodded, rubbing his chin with a thoughtful hum. “Like the soil burrower and the arachnid archetypes from the southeast waterfall area? Ven asked around if I can gather people to help them clear out their nests. I'll bring home some to harvest their shells.”

“I hope he is not planning anything nefarious with it,” Lunafreya gave Enon a nervous smile. He almost choked on his coffee, before vehemently shaking his head.

“Apologies, my lady. I should have explained his reasoning. Philip Cobb -- that's the cobbler -- told me he's trying to create sturdier boots using monster parts, which is why he only needed their shells and not the whole corpse. I’m sorry for leaving out important details.”

Her tensed shoulders visibly relaxed at his explanation, and Lunafreya shot Enon a relieved smile. “I see. That is relieving to hear, Pharmacist Enon. I thank you for clearing the doubts in me.”

“Lady Lunafreya, am I hearing things or are you planning to smuggle Yuder and Enon into the Fourth Wall districts using secret passageways?” Nathan made his presence known, making Yuder and Enon jump in surprise. Kanna turned to look at him like he just saved her from being held at the sharp end of a blade. He glanced at her and Yuder saw a glint of relief in his eyes at finding someone that shared his train of thoughts.

“Of course not!” Lunafreya denied his claims. Before he could point out he heard everything she just said, the young lady added, “Miss Kanna is also coming with. I could not bear the thought of leaving her behind while Yuder and Pharmacist Enon get to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the garden. I am not that cruel, Nathan.”

“...”

In the end, Nathan had to shut down their plans by drafting emergency contracts for all of them to work under the Peletta ducal house. Yuder and Lunafreya were disappointed at their future plans for a mock heist to be cancelled before they could even attempt to succeed at it, though Enon was sure they probably could escape outrunning the Imperial Knights once.

=+=+=+=

It's been two weeks since the poisoning attempts on Lunafreya la Orr, and carrying the decree of his master, Nathan investigated the incident and finally managed to narrow the perpetrator to be among the spectators closest to the refreshment table on the day of the horse riding competition. Neal was only instructed by the waitstaff to prepare the refreshments according to the instructions given to him, and he perished from unknowingly breaking a magically-bound oath when he was asked to describe the traits of the waitstaff.

Enon snapped the cylindrical magical tool he activated to shield Nathan and the knights from the explosion, tossing it behind him and straight into the trash chute. “That's another dead end. These guys really liked playing with their pawns, it's sickening.”

“But his vague answer opened another path we can explore,” Nathan said. He pulled out a piece of paper from the folder on the wooden desk in the dungeon, instructing the knights to clean the mess of gore and innards inside the cell. “The horse riding competition was held in the estate that belonged to the Herne, and the staff belonged to a mix of the Herne and the Diarca. We should find our culprits from the list of staff handling the catering and the settings of the competition.”

Placing the list on the table, Nathan gestured for the pharmacist to take a look.

Enon glanced down at the list, shrugged, and skimmed over the list of the staff on the day of the incident. His eyebrows raised at a few names, before he pointed out three that were marked as temporary hires. “These three might be the only innocent bystanders we can rule out since I knew them personally, but give me a few days and I can confirm or get the necessary evidence on them.”

“Noted,” Nathan nodded. “Then I shall investigate the rest of the fifteen staff members of the Diarca and the Herne houses.”

“I thought we already know the head of the snake is Duke Diarca,” Enon pointed out with a frown. The dungeon fell into a stunned silence, to the point that the pharmacist could hear water dripping down from the ceiling somewhere in the darkness. His accusations, if they were made in the presence of those supporting the House of Diarca, would land him the highest form of punishment in the empire; death via the guillotine. Enon knows this, of course; he just likes pushing boundaries of people that have been bound by rules and regulations for so long, that they were appalled by the sight of others disregarding them.

But the adjutant to Duke Peletta seemed to be made of sterner stuff than the pale-faced knights he's leading. Nathan kept his silence at the blatant (but accurate) accusation, and the pharmacist sighed. “I shall endeavor to keep my inappropriate thoughts to myself in the future, Sir Nathan.”

“Make sure you do, Pharmacist Enon. You know well that in some places, the walls have ears.”

“Yeah, yeah. That one isn't a wall-” Enon pointed at a trembling knight by the entrance, who shrunk under his accusation. “But he's still an ear to someone on the surface.”

Nathan turned to Enon, who cocked his head at the adjutant. The knights (and the infiltrator) in the dungeon held their breaths. With a languid blink, Nathan Zuckerman commanded the Peletta Knights:

“Seize him.”

There wasn't even a chase, which Enon was a bit bummed about. But at least they can get straight to business.

The other knights were quick to subdue the infiltrator under Nathan's command, ignoring his cries for mercy as they wrestled him into the very seat where Neal last drew his breath before exploding into smithereens. The grooves of the wooden chair still held traces of crimson, the scent of blood had seeped into the crevices.

“L-Listen, I'm here because-”

“Would you like to have the honor?” Enon turned to the adjutant, ignoring the man's attempt at explaining himself.

Nathan shook his head. “You singled him out before I could. Have at it, Pharmacist Enon.”

Enon stalked closer to the spy planted inside the Peletta Knights, a wolfish grin splitting his face in fake cheer. Nathan stayed back, staring without emotion as the pharmacist worked his magic into extracting answers out of the fake knight. In the end of the interrogation, the knights under his command now have developed a level of respect for the unknown pharmacist. With the large number of knights dispatched by the Duke of Peletta to accompany his niece to the capital, it is only natural some of them didn't recognize Enon, the pharmacist that handled the complicated procedure in order to save Lunafreya la Orr.

And recently, the cold estate that belonged to the Peletta House in the capital seemed to be thriving with the presence of two new faces. There is no trace of poisoning in the young lady's face as she laughed along with Kanna over Yuder falling from a tree trying to dislodge her kite stuck to a branch. They assisted her in preparation of her teas and snacks, the fear of being poisoned still running rampant inside of her but not once they chided her for being afraid, nor they allowed the other maids to berate her for entering the kitchen unannounced to calm her fears. The staff at the estate quickly learnt that Yuder and Kanna are a formidable duo with only one goal in mind: protect Lunafreya at all cost.

Lunafreya has officially integrated Kanna under her roster of handmaids, though Yuder stubbornly insisted on staying as Enon's assistant. But they both had different roles compared to the others, keeping close to the young lady's side during her walks in the garden where they would be visible to those passing by the estate.

Yuder has been on the lookout for suspicious individuals around the estate.

Kanna would stay in Lunafreya's room at night, ignoring proper servant's etiquette to stand guard by her windows when the young lady tossed and turned in her sleep.

Nathan entertained the thought of training Yuder to take on an adjutant position for Lady Lunafreya, but when he remembered he would be dealing with Enon hounding him for stealing his assistant, he dismissed the thought. The pharmacist's claim of the black-haired teen being his ‘brother in all but blood’ definitely has deeper connotations, and Nathan is not interested in finding out how many connections the seemingly innocent pharmacist has.

But the bright-eyed girl, Kanna, is a wildcard. So, on their way back to the Peletta Estate, Nathan interrupted their silence with, “May I ask you a question?”

“Feel free.” Enon gave a short nod, staring at the horizon. Streaks of lights are appearing in the horizon, both of them emerging from the trapdoor hiding the entrance to the underground dungeon in the early morning.

“Is Miss Kanna affiliated with the Gallon House?” The moment Nathan posed his question, Enon stumbled over a stone on the ground. He swiftly righted himself, hiding the dark stains on his sleeves by folding them halfway up his elbows.

“Do control your voice when speaking out your assumptions in these streets, Sir Nathan. It would be preferable if we do not step on any toes.”

Basically, Enon is saying she does but Count Gallon does not accept her as one of his bloodlines. Nathan nodded, silently coming to his conclusion. It's disheartening to see such a compassionate and bright child be rejected by her flesh and blood for the status of one of her parents. But Nathan understands these kinds of circumstances the best, with the missions he was sent to complete on the behest of his master.

“I would like to ask if she belonged to any influential family, but since she is not, I would like to train her to take on the position of an adjutant.” His explanation made Enon raise an eyebrow in surprise.

“But there shouldn't be any other high-ranked officials in the House of Peletta, other than the current Duke, your senior officer.”

Nathan nodded. “Yes, that would be correct. But if Lady Lunafreya is not selected as the Crown Heir of the royal family, Duke Peletta would be appointing the young lady as a Baroness for a district in his territory. For the role, she would be in the need of a dependable adjutant.”

“And you think Kanna would suit the role,” mused Enon, tugging at his bottom lip. Nathan nodded, opening the side gate of the estate for them to slip inside.

“The decision would be up to both Miss Kanna and you, Pharmacist Enon. Please make your choice in three days’ time, because time is of essence for her to learn everything she needs to, if Miss Kanna would accept the offer.”

Enon was silent as he processed the offer, being the one to open the kitchen door this time to let Nathan step inside first, when the quiet clink of fragile teacup being placed on its saucer got the attention of both of them. Yuder was sitting at the counter, sipping tea in his nightshirt and staring blankly at Enon and Nathan.

He raised his teacup again, stopped before he could take a sip, and said, “I had to argue with Lunafreya and Kanna for an hour straight to make them go to sleep before both of you returned from your duties. We compromised with them both taking a servant’s bed each, since the room is the closest to the back door.” With his throat soothed by the tea, Yuder placed the teacup back on the counter before rising to his feet. “The separation anxiety in them is quite intense.”

“Are they still asleep?” Enon asked, walking over to check on the two girls. Yuder and Nathan fell into step behind him.

“Hopefully. I slipped a drop of my own sleeping draught in their drinks before bed last night. Kanna told me Lunafreya had been suffering from nightmares at night, and until it recedes, this is the only solution I could think of.”

Nathan would have pinned him to the wall for admitting to drugging Lady Lunafreya to sleep, but Kanna admitting to the young lady being haunted by nightmares stopped him short. Again, the teen went to the extremes for the sake of those he considered his ‘friends’, disregarding societal norms as long as the end results were what he was aiming for. Once Enon confirmed both of the girls were sleeping soundly, the three of them retreated back to the kitchen, now with a sweet aroma wafting in the air.

“That would be my banana bread,” Yuder excused himself and slipped past the two men. Armed with an oven mitten, he pulled out two golden loaves from the blistering heat of the oven, placing them on the cooling rack as he killed the fire. Enon reached for the pebbled-looking loaf when the teen warned him without looking, “They are still hot off the oven. Hyung, I will use the hot metal pan as a brand on your arm if you burnt your fingers from a bread loaf. Wait until it has completely cooled off like everyone else.”

“I’ll live with the consequences.”

“I'll make sure you don't.” His hand was slapped away from the steaming loaves. Yuder pointed at him with a glare. “You won't get your share if you pinch a bite now. Stop that.”

“You're no fun! Loaves of flavored bread are meant to be eaten by tearing into them with wild abandon- you don't serve people a slice of banana bread. That's stupid!” Nathan watched the two argue with each other over the proper servings for a banana bread. He blinked once, and there's four more cups on the counter.

Nathan doesn't know what to make of Yuder. His chaotic methods are extreme and often toeing the line for being punishable offenses, but they never failed to yield the results he was aiming for every time. An opponent that operates with no plan is the most troublesome on the battlefield; there is no precedent for him to study, no similar situations he can recall and act accordingly based on the guidelines. Everything is new, so instead of a graceful dance with a familiar partner, dealing with Yuder is now a shot taken in the dark.

Kanna and Lunafreya emerged from the servant's room a few minutes later, their hair similarly askew and surreptitiously covering their yawns behind their palms. Nathan sliced the warm banana loaves for everyone at the counter while Enon poured them tea, watching Yuder comb and twist the girls’ hair into neat buns using bamboo sticks.

He might never understand the enigmatic black-haired teen with questionable morals that offered his own blood to her master's niece on their first meeting, but as long as he is on their side, Nathan has no problem treating him like an ally.