After the whole fiasco of finding a dude in the barrel, I pulled him out. The man apologized profusely to the caravan and I was given a bag of fruits. He began to cry that he had nowhere to sleep and so I offered him to stay at my house.
"Oh thank you, thank you!" the man exclaimed, his tears seemingly evaporating in an instant.
"I've been traveling for so long without a proper place to rest."
The women from the caravan looked at me with grateful eyes. The little girl tugged at my shirt.
"Mister, are you sure it's okay to take the barrel man with you?" she asked, her eyes wide with innocent curiosity.
I laughed, ruffling her hair. "Don't worry, I can handle one strange traveler."
Right now I was walking back to the village, and walking behind me was the green dressed man. The air was cool, a welcome relief as the sun beat down on us.
"Thank you really," the man said. "The name's Yunan and I'm sort of a traveler."
"Pleased to meet you Yunan, the name's Sinbad."
He had a peculiar way of walking, almost like he was floating rather than stepping on the sand. His long blonde braid swayed with each step, plus I didn't know when but a staff had appeared at his side.
We fell into silence until a question popped in my mind.
"Why were you in a barrel?"
Yunan's face lit up, as if I'd asked him about his greatest passion. "It's dark and cozy and narrow in a barrel, the ridges are perfectly comfortable, there is no better place to sleep."
He spread his arms wide with enthusiasm. "The curved walls cradle you like a mother's embrace. The echoes of your own breathing create a soothing rhythm. The smell of wood and whatever was stored there before creates a unique perfume that lulls you to sleep."
Ok yeah this guy was insane, now I wasn't so sure about letting him stay in my house, as if he was reading my mind Yunan asked.
"Are you sure it's okay for me to stay at your house?"
I sighed, looking at his hopeful face. Something about him seemed harmless despite his eccentricity. Everyone had their quirks, I supposed.
"Yeah it's fine, it's natural to help someone in trouble."
We fell into silence for a bit, the only sound being our footsteps on the dirt path and the occasional bird singing its evening song. The path wound through patches of scraggly trees and over small hills. The war had taken its toll on the land even this far out.
"So, what brings you to these parts?" I asked, trying to break the awkward silence.
Yunan looked up at the sky, his eyes reflecting the first stars that were beginning to appear. "I go where the wind takes me. I've seen many places, many people."
"That sounds nice," I said, a hint of envy in my voice. "I'd like to see more of the world myself, I've only gone to a few port cities in Parthevia and Reim. Have you been to Reim?"
Yunan nodded. "Many times. Their coliseums are magnificent structures. In fact I even met a slave from there once, I believe his name was Eurys or something like that."
I wanted to ask more, but over the horizon I could see it.
"There it is," I told Yunan, pointing ahead. "That's Tyson village where I live."
"Ooh," Yunan whispered beside me.
The village looked small and tired from this distance. Smoke rose from a few chimneys, but not as many as there should have been. It was much more rundown as all men had been inscripted into the army. The fields that should have been tended were patchy and overgrown in places. The fences around livestock pens sagged like tired old men.
It didn't take long for us to reach the edge of the village and once we walked inside, we could see children trying to pick up hay, helping out their mother. They were thin, their clothes patched and re-patched, but their eyes still held life.
Their little heads turned to me, their smiles widening, transforming their tired faces.
"It's Sinbad!"
"Sinbad is back!"
The children rushed at me hugging my legs, nearly toppling me over. I laughed, steadying myself against their enthusiastic welcome.
"Whoa there! I missed you too!"
I looked at their mother, Elizabeth. Her face was lined with worry and hard work, but she managed a warm smile. Her husband had been one of the first to be taken to war after my father.
"Welcome back Sinbad," she said. "We've missed you over the past few months."
Yeah they missed me, after dad's display nine years ago, most villagers began to doubt the war, and the more men that were sent to it, the more this village began to abhor it, the village also begun to treat us better. It was a bitter irony that it took my father's sacrifice for them to see become better people, but everyone deserved a second chance, sometime sthey even needed a third and a fourth.
"I missed you guys too," I said kneeling in front of the kids. "Plus I brought this."
I opened up the bag where a few dozen or so pears were. Handing one to each of the two kids. Their eyes widened at the sight of the fresh fruit.
"Enjoy."
"Thanks Sinbad," the children yelled before taking a bite out of the pear. They closed their eyes in delight, juice trickling down their chins.
"Wow you never see such fresh fruits in these parts," Elizabeth said as she walked closer, eyeing the bag with a mother's concern for what her children needed. "But don't gift us so many and take them to your mom."
"It's okay," I said as I tied the bag close again. "I have more than enough for mom and myself. Besides, I was able to exchange some for medicinal herbs."
I patted the smaller pouch at my waist where I kept the precious herbs. Mom's cough had gotten worse while I was away, and I was hoping these would help her.
Elizabeth nodded, understanding in her eyes. "How's Esra doing?"
"She's hanging in there," I replied, trying to keep my voice light. "You know my mom, she's strong."
We walked across the village, with Yunan quietly looking beside me which was weirding me out, but I didn't mind it after long. He seemed to be taking everything in, his eyes lingering on the empty houses, the women working in the fields, the elderly sitting in doorways with vacant stares.
As we walked across the village only children and women came to greet us. Some of the older women whispered among themselves, eyeing Yunan with suspicion. Strangers weren't common here, especially not ones dressed so oddly.
Yunan was attracting tons of attention, the children especially seemed to enjoy playing with his braids. One little girl even tried to weave a wildflower into it, which Yunan allowed though he seemed on the verge of crying as the kid did her work.
"You're trusted well here, huh," Yunan said when we moved along the village.
"Am I?" I hadn't really thought about it. After years of helping out wherever I could, I suppose I had become something of a fixture in the village. The kids looked up to me, and the women and elderly relied on me for tasks that would have been done by their husbands and sons.
I shrugged. "I just do what needs to be done."
Yunan's gaze was comforting, he seemed to be taking every word I said and thinking about it deeply as if it had hidden meaning, which spoilers, there wasn't.
Our conversation was cut short, when we stopped in front of a house, my house. It was small and humble, the roof patched in places where leaks had sprung. The garden that my mother had once tended with pride was now reduced to a few hardy plants that could survive with minimal care.
I opened the door, the familiar creak welcoming me home.
"Mom I'm back!"
The interior was dim, lit only by a small window. The furniture was sparse but clean. A table, a few chairs, and shelves with our meager belongings. The smell of herbs hung in the air, a testament to my mother's ongoing illness.
"Wow, it's dark and narrow, it looks so comfortable," Yunan exclaimed, his eyes lighting up as he surveyed our modest home.
I felt a vein appear on my forehead, but I calmed myself down, this guy meant it as a compliment. I'd have to explain to him later that not everyone shared his fondness for cramped, dark spaces.
"Do we have a guest?" the voice of my mother permeated across the house, as the door to her room opened and my mother was standing there weakly.
She looked thinner than when I'd left, her once vibrant face pale and drawn. Her hands gripped the doorframe for support, and I could see the effort it took for her to stand. Her long hair, once as lustrous as mine, hung limp around her shoulders.
"Mom!" I yelled rushing at her. "The physician already told you not to move too much."
I reached her side, putting my arm around her waist to support her.
My mother ignored my words as she looked at Yunan, ever the gracious hostess despite her condition.
"Welcome-"
Her words were interrupted by her coughs, which made me speak up. The coughs wracked her body, and I tightened my grip on her, my heart clenching in fear.
"Mom seriously stay in bed."
"But-" she tried to protest, her voice weak.
"It's okay, I'll take care of the guest, you just stay in bed. I'll bring you your medicine in a bit, just rest."
I gently guided her back to her bed, which was really just a pile of blankets on a straw mattress. I helped her lie down, adjusting the thin pillow under her head.
"I brought the herbs," I whispered, stroking her hair away from her forehead. "I'll make the medicine right away."
She nodded, too weak to argue further. I squeezed her hand, hating to see her like this. If only I could do more, if only there was a way to truly help her.
With a sigh, I returned to Yunan, who was still standing by the door, a strange look on his face.
"I'm sorry about that," I said. "My mother's been ill for some time now."
Yunan nodded, his usual cheerfulness subdued. "I understand. Illness can be a difficult wave to navigate."
I nodded to his words.
"Make yourself comfortable," I said, gesturing to the table and chairs. "I need to prepare my mother's medicine."
Dragul Nol Henrius Govius Menudias Partenuvonomias Dumid Os Kartanon POV
I was trying to sleep but the persistent noise of the carriage bumping against the ground kept me awake, at that moment I heard the soldiers begin to talk amongst themselves.
"Seriously coming this far out, to police military escapees. Parthevia is in a fast decline, if we need to get more men from out here."
"Yeah," the other soldier who was holding the reigns said, as he looked back into the carriage. "Our commander usually wouldn't come in these type of missions, either."
That made me perk up, I knew best of all what kind of situation we were in, but I was the commander, I couldn't and wouldn't show anxiety in this war. I heard it not soon a sound like the skittering, which made me throw a knife which I had at my side.
BAM
"AH" one of the soldiers said, almost jumping out of his skin at the fact I had thrown out the knife. I could actually use this moment to get something in these thick skulls
"Stop chatting," I ordered. "If you want to stay alive that is."
"Yes sir."
"We're sorry sir."
"What a short temper," I heard one of them mutter.
"I mean isn't that what you would expect of commander Dragul, I mean Ascended at 16."
I tuned out the praise, staring at the carriage where my knife had dug itself into a skittering scorpion that had been close to one of the soldiers.
My last thoughts as I drifted of to sleep, were simple.
Gods this mission had to go well.