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IV.Pestilence, To Be Seen
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The sun hung low in the sky over Knoxorn as Quintin worked alongside the villagers, shoveling earth over the freshly dug graves. His muscles ached, and sweat mixed with the dirt on his skin, but he kept going. Each motion of the shovel felt like a small penance, one he wasn’t sure he’d ever finish paying.
Selena watched from a short distance, arms crossed as she leaned against a wooden post. She had expected Quintin to keep to himself, to push forward without looking back. Yet here he was, knee-deep in soil, doing what he could for these strangers. It was rare to find someone like that anymore.
Quintin moved to lift another body, this one heavier than the rest. After the hours of constant digging he couldn't help but falter for a moment. His grip was uncertain, but before he could recover, a pair of hands joined his. He looked up to see Selena helping him.
They lowered the body into the grave together, and when the last of the dirt was packed over the burial sites, Quintin exhaled, wiping his brow.
Selena gave him a small nod, “You’re full of surprises, aren't you?”
The innkeeper, an older man with tired eyes, stood by the entrance of his establishment waving to them, “You two helped more than most ever would. You’ve earned a night’s stay. No charge.”
Quintin hesitated, but Selena clapped a hand on his shoulder, “We’ll take it.”
Inside their room, Quintin set his things down and rolled his shoulders, exhausted from the day. Selena did the same, stretching her arms before shaking out her hair.
“We should wash this dirt off. I'mused to some, but this is a little much,” she suggested, checking her hands.
He agreed, and before long, he settled into one of the wooden tubs in the designated bathing area down the hall from theie room. The warm water eased his sore muscles, and for the first time since arriving in Knoxorn, he allowed himself a moment to breathe. That is, until he heard the soft sound of footsteps.
He turned his head just in time to see Selena entering the room. His eyes widened as she casually disrobed, her toned frame moving without hesitation.
“What-what are you doing?!” he asked, quickly averting his gaze.
She smirked at his reaction but said nothing as she stepped behind him. The next thing he felt was a sponge running over his back, slow and deliberate.
Quintin stiffened, “You don’t have to do that,” he squeaked.
Selena ignored him, her touch gentle, “Why are you so quick to turn down my company?”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stared at the rippling water in front of him, his thoughts darker than the night outside, “How can you trust me?” he finally asked, “We’ve only known each other a day.”
Selena sighed, setting the sponge aside, “Because I see you, Quintin.”
He tensed at that.
She continued, voice softer now, “People. They hide behind masks, pretend to be something they’re not. But you? You try so hard to push people away, yet everything you do, says otherwise.”
She turned his head slowly towards her face so she could look him in the eyes, “You stopped those bandits without letting anyone get hurt. You saved me from those wolves in the night. And today, you buried those bodies like they were your own people.”
Quintin swallowed, unable to look away from her now.
“I don’t care how long I’ve known you,” she said, “You’ve already shown me more kindness than most people ever have. Probably ever will.”
Something inside him wavered. Maybe he had been alone for too long. For the first time, when he looked at her, he didn’t see a stranger. He saw a friend. More importantly, a woman. And when she stepped into the tub with him, he didn’t stop her.
Selena sat with her back to Quintin, the warm water lapping gently against their skin. She hadn’t spoken much since stepping into the tub with him, but she didn’t have to. There was a quiet understanding between them now and it was one neither had expected to form so soon.
Quintin hesitated before picking up the sponge she had used on him. He studied the curve of her shoulders as he slid it across wiping away the dirt as her damp hair clung to her skin. But what caught his eye most, were the scars. Faint, but unmistakably scars.
Long, uneven lines ran across her back, marring her otherwise smooth skin. They were old, but the way they crossed over one another, told a story of repeated punishment.
“I was… I am, a thief, Quintin,” she said, breaking the silence as his hand stilled.
Selena let out a small, humorless chuckle, “When I was younger, I stole to… survive. I wasn’t good at it at first. Got caught more than once. Each time, I paid for it.”
She motioned toward her back, “The whippings were the price. I think it was my pretty face that saved me from worse.”
Quintin frowned. His fingers brushed over one of the scars before he even realized what he was doing, “Do they… still hurt?”
“No,” she said, leaning back against him.
He stiffened. He had been so focused on her scars that he hadn’t realized how close their bodies had become. Her bare back was pressed lightly against his chest, and despite himself, he felt warmth rise to his face.
Selena smirked, feeling his tension, “You’re flustered,” she teased.
Quintin exhaled sharply, “Of course I am. I am a man after all.”
She laughed softly, but didn’t move away. Instead, she rested there, closing her eyes for a brief moment. The warmth of the water, the steadiness of his presence, it was a kind of comfort she wasn’t used to. And she could tell, by the way his breathing had slowed, that he wasn’t used to it either.
Time passed and nothing more was said or happened, but eventually they got out and dried off. Both were avoiding eye contact as the weight of their shared vulnerability settled over them. Wrapped in fresh cloth, they made their way back to their room, neither saying a word.
When they returned to the room, Selena stopped just inside the doorway, looking over the modest space. The fireplace crackled softly, casting flickering light across the wooden walls. Their belongings were neatly set aside, but the real issue became apparent as both their gazes landed on the lone bed in the center of the room.
Quintin sighed, “I’ll take the chair,” he said, motioning to the sturdy wooden seat near the fireplace, “You can have the bed.”
Selena scoffed, crossing her arms, “That’s a stupid idea.”
Quintin raised an eyebrow, “How is that stupid?”
She smirked, “We were just closer than most people ever are. I assure you, we can share a bed.”
Quintin hesitated. There was something about her. Something that made it impossible to argue. Maybe it was her confidence. Maybe it was the exhaustion weighing on his bones. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the oddly developed bond they now shared.
“Fine,” He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, “Just stay on your side.”
Selena laughed lightly, “Of course.”
They settled into the bed, the warmth of the fire making the room even cozier. Despite everything that's happened, sleep came easier than either of them expected. For Quintin, it was the first time in a long time that he felt truly at ease. His body relaxed, his mind quieted, and the world faded to black.
When he awoke, sunlight streamed through the window as dust motes danced in the warm glow. He blinked, momentarily disoriented, until he felt the slow, steady rise and fall of Selena’s breathing beside him.
For the first time since leaving the farm, Quintin had slept the whole night through without nightmares of a wolf-headed man. Even though guilt was clawing at his chest over those he had just buried, for some reason, it was the best sleep he had ever had.
⋆༺𓆩⚔𓆪༻⋆
Selena finally stirred from her sleep. Quintin looked her over, still baffled at the fact that he slept in a bed with a woman. Even if nothing happened. It had been a rare, peaceful night, but neither of them acknowledged it aloud. They briefly sat in silence, before inciting the haste to get on with their journey again.
Quintin stretched and ran a hand through his hair before getting out of bed. He realized he hadn't felt clean in a long time either. But he didn't have time to dwell on the little things like that anymore and began gathering his things. Selena did the same, smoothing out her cloak to wrap around her corset, before strapping on her belt and securing her daggers.
“Ready?” she asked, glancing at him.
Quintin nodded, adjusting the sword at his hip and the two made their way downstairs. The inn was dead quiet. They were the only patrons as far as they could tell. And as they reached the door, the innkeeper who stood behind the counter next to it seemed to have a knowing smile creeping onto his face.
“You two make a nice couple,” the old man remarked, his voice full of amusement.
Selena smirked, opening the door. “Oh, we’re not…”
“Thanks for the stay,” Quintin interrupted, stepping past her before the conversation could go any further.
Selena turned back to the innkeeper with an exaggerated shrug, “See what I have to deal with?”
The old man chuckled as they walked out.
Outside, several villagers who had witnessed their kindness the previous day stood by, offering quiet nods or small waves as they passed by towards the stable. It wasn’t much, but it was acknowledgment, which seemed a rare thing in times like these.
Selena returned a few waves and nods casually, while Quintin simply kept walking, keeping his head forward. But even he couldn’t deny that it felt good to be appreciated, even a little. Even if it may have been all his fault.
They saddled up their horses and took off towards the gate and soon, Knoxorn was behind them as the two were on the road once more.
Even from the winding backroads, the looming figure of Mount Scion now dominated the landscape along the horizon. The dark slopes of the mountain stretched high into the sky, its snow-covered peak drenched in thick, swirling clouds. From this distance, the mountain looked almost black, a towering behemoth of stone and shadow.
Quintin pulled his horse to a stop, staring at the sight before him, “That’s it?”
Selena, still riding, glanced over her shoulder and nodded, “That’s it.”
He exhaled, taking it in. Even at this distance, it was imposing, “How much farther?” he asked, nudging his horse forward again.
“Through the backroads?” Selena tilted her head in thought, “Three days, give or take. That’s with reasonable rest stops.”
Quintin nodded, keeping his gaze fixed ahead, “Three days,” he thought to himself.
⋆༺𓆩⚔𓆪༻⋆
Midday had already come as the two rode side by side on their steeds. Quintin hesitated as Selena side-eyed him, but then finally took charge of the conversation for once.
“So, you were… or are a thief?” he asked, his tone laced with genuine interest.
Selena glanced at him, immediately recognizing what he was getting at. He wasn’t just asking about what she had done. No, he wanted to know why, how it had all started, and where it had led her.
She had been asked before, by others who took pity on her. Who assumed that if she opened up about her past, she’d be easier to manipulate, easier to break. But this was different. She already felt safe with Quintin. He wasn’t asking to pry into her weaknesses. Quintin was asking because he actually cared.
She took a breath, “I was orphaned by the time I was ten,” she began, her voice calm despite the weight of her words, “And from eleven to thirteen, I spent my time learning how to grift. I was small, fast, easy to overlook. People don’t expect children to steal from them where I come from. But then… fourteen came.”
Quintin listened in silence, his gaze steady on her.
“Womanhood hit me like a damn hammer,” she continued with a dry chuckle, “I developed… fast. I wasn’t used to my own body yet, and I got caught. I wasn’t even doing anything complicated, just snatching coin pouches from strangers in the marketplace. That was the first whipping.”
Quintin frowned, but said nothing.
“But see I… I took it as a challenge,” Selena continued, looking to the sky as if remembering fondly, “I learned. I adapted. But eventually, I tried to lift a necklace from a jeweler’s stall. A beautiful ruby one. I just liked the way it shimmered,” her smirk faded slightly, “That was the second whipping.”
She shifted in her saddle, adjusting her grip on the reins, “I started noticing something about the city guard,” she said, her tone darkening. “They recognized me. But they weren’t trying too hard to catch me. It was like they were waiting. Waiting for me to get just a little older. Because once that happened, the whippings would stop, and something worse would start. It wasn't hard to figure out.”
Quintin’s fingers flexed against his saddle.
“So, I adapted again,” Selena said, her expression unreadable, “Stole better clothes, looked more like a lady than street trash. And I learned something very important,” she glanced at him with a smirk, “Men are stupid. If they’re looking at your breasts, they’re not looking at your hands.”
Quintin gave a faint choke cough, caught in between surprise and a laugh, but not disapproving at the method either.
“I got good,” she continued, looking ahead. “But then… I slipped up. The captain of the city guard, the bastard who ordered my previous whippings, followed me. I don't know how I didn’t see him until... I was just trying to swipe a damn apple,” she shook her head, scoffing at her own misfortune, “Not even a big one.”
Her smirk faded completely now, her hands tightening around the reins.
“He grabbed me. Hauled me off with a couple of the guards who had carried out the whippings in front of him. I knew this time was going to be different. Not because of what I did, but because of how I looked. I wasn’t a kid anymore to them. I wasn’t some street rat. I was a woman. And the captain wanted first dibs.”
Quintin’s jaw clenched, his grip tightening.
Selena’s voice remained even, but there was an edge beneath it, something dark and cold, “He took me to a room alone. Thought he had me where he wanted me. Poor little girl could never fight off the monster of a man he was.”
She let out a slow breath, “But he was wrong. He never got the chance to lay another finger on me. For some reason, he struggled witht rying to take off his armor. So, I swiped and drove his own dagger through his eye before he could do a damn thing.”
Quintin turned his head slightly toward her, but she was staring straight ahead, unblinking as she finished her tale, “I darted out the window and ran. Got out of that city. Never looked back.”
Silence stretched between them. Selena didn’t fill the gap with nervous laughter or another joke. She just let it sit there, hanging in the space between them.
Quintin took in her story, letting the weight of it settle. He didn’t speak. Didn’t try to offer empty words of comfort. He just rode beside her, the only sound being the soft crunch of hooves on the dirt road. And for once, Selena didn’t mind the silence.
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End Part 4
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⋆༺𓆩The.Fellow𓆪༻⋆
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