Riding Together

After spending a few hours walking around town with Cecilia, word started to spread about the coming evacuation. The shops began to close as their owners hurried to pack as much as they could to take with them—or at least secure their wares against pilferers.

When Aurelius returned to his inn, he found that most of the travelers who could had already cleared out. The place felt almost abandoned.

The innkeeper even gave him a slightly dirty look on his way in, as if it was his fault she couldn't flee sooner as well.

'But it's been days since I slept on a bed,' he thought pitifully.

He slept like a baby, despite all the things he had to worry about lately. And at dawn, Jahreszeiten reminded him to wake up and go meet the Arc Knight at the gate.

Despite the early hour, the streets were busy with people trying to flee as soon as possible. It was a challenge to keep the whole herd together in the chaos.

There was even a man who tried to snatch one of the does toward the back and make off with her, but she bleated out a cry and managed to free herself by kicking wildly.

Aurelius turned a glare toward the would-be thief. He lit a magic fire above his palm to make the man slink off and to discourage any others who might have similar thoughts.

As food that could move, the deer were tempting targets.

'He's lucky she escaped on her own, or I'd've separated his arms from his body to take her back,' Jahre said, surprising Rory a little with his visciousness.

'Isn't that a little much?'

'Not at all,' Jahre replied. 'She left her home to follow you on a perilous journey, trusting that I would keep her safe. I have to answer that trust.'

The Druid called the poor deer to the front of the herd and gave her a reassuring pat on the head.

'Well… let's be glad it didn't come to that.'

After navigating through the crowded streets for a while, they made it to the South Gate intact and found the Arc Knight on his black steed.

Winter didn't look impressed by the tall and muscular warhorse. He swept his head side to side to show off his impressive antlers and then snorted proudly. Rory stroked the back of his mount's neck with a chuckle.

"Are you ready to leave, Sir Kaiser?"

The knight nodded and donned his helmet. "Follow me."

They trotted out the gate and the traffic immediatley disappeared. Almost nobody was evacuating this direction since it was the wrong way to the forest. Sir Kaiser's mount led the way with a trot, and Winter settled into pace beside it.

Aurelius examined the huge creature with its sleek black fur. Winter was a sizeable buck, but this mount from beyond the forest was almost twice his size.

"So your mount, is it a horse?"

Sir Kaiser's helmet turned to look down at Aurelius and his heart sped up slightly.

"It is. Have you never seen a horse before?"

"I saw a few around the city, but I wasn't sure what they were. I only learned the name because people kept calling my deer 'forest horses' or 'tree horses'."

"So that's a deer?" The knight nodded down at Winter, who chuffed.

Aurelius stroked his neck. "Yes. His name is Winter."

The knight nodded his head back, "What about the little, hornless ones?"

"I haven't named them yet."

"But what are they?"

Aurelius blinked and tipped his head. "They're deer…" It took him a moment to figure out why the plainsman was confused. "Male deer are called bucks, they're larger and grow antlers. Female deer are called does, they're smaller and don't grow antlers. I suppose horses aren't like that?"

"There's very little difference between a male and a female horse," Augustus shook his head. "Both are equally fast and powerful."

"What about your horse?"

"His name is Onyx."

"Onyx…" Rory echoed.

"Do you know what onyx is?" The knight checked. When the Druid shook his head, he explained, "It's a black stone, extremely brittle and sharp. People made weapons out of it long ago. They make jewelry out of it now. It's a fairly common mineral in these hills."

"I see."

A moment of silence lapsed between them, and Augustus asked, "What about you?"

"Me?" Rory echoed. "… Ah."

Sir Kaiser nodded and clarified, "What species are you?"

The Druid sighed under his breath. "I'm human." He gestured toward the antler-like branches growing from his head, "These are because I'm a Druid."

"But I thought Druids… nevermind." The Arc Knight shook his head and then looked down at Aurelius. It wasn't clear where exactly his eyes were focused, but Rory detected an irritating air of skepticism. "You're really human?"

"I really am," he said, frowning slightly.

"Did becoming a Druid change anything else about you?"

Aurelius raised a brow. "Do I really seem so inhuman to you?"

"No, I'm just trying to understand how a human man is as beautiful as you are. Perhaps, are you a woman?"

Aurelius flushed first in sudden excitement, and then in embarrassed indignation.

"Obviously, I'm a man," he grumbled.

"I don't know," Augustus shrugged. "You're slim, fair-skinned, your hands are soft, and a sorcerer's robes are unisex. I would believe it if you told me you were a somewhat masculine woman. Or a man from a more beautiful species than humanity. Perhaps you have some elf blood, since you hale from the forest?"

"I wouldn't know something like that. I inherited my looks from my parents, and they were human just like me. If there were anything else mixed in, it would have to be from long ago."

The Arc Knight turned to look at him once again. "So you just grew up with a face like that and never questioned it? Was everybody in your village just as attractive?"

"Well… Sorceress Cecilia Viatrix, who was with me yesterday, grew up in the same village as I did, so you be the judge of that."

"Hm. She's a beautiful woman, but…" Augustus shook his head. "No, I regret to say it, but there's no comparison."

Rory winced on Cecilia's behalf. "You're quite harsh."

"You're blind to your own beauty, it seems."

"I'm aware that I'm handsome," he protested.

'And so is the young Kaiser,' Jahreszeiten pointed out. 'You should probe for deeper interest while the topic is raised.'

Rory blushed and turned his face out to the hills to hide it.

"If you say so," the knight shrugged, turning his attention back to the wilderness in front of them.

Rory wrestled with himself for a moment before deciding whether to open his mouth again. The spirit was clearly egging him on for his own reasons, but… well, he did want to know, didn't he?