Kael wiped the sweat that trickled down his forehead. As he did so, he looked up and covered his eyes from the sun. The sky was so bright and beautiful, but it was a hot day. So, his exhaustion was doubled due to the heat.
He sat under the tree by the road and opened his basket. He groaned inwardly. He had only been on the road for three days, and already his food rations had run out. He grabbed the last strip of jerky and bread and began eating after praying over the food.
Who was to blame for this? Kael knew he was. Why else? No, there was no other bandit. However, this time, he happened to travel with a family of three. They were refugees. All they brought with them were a few clothes, and their food and money had already run out. Before they parted at the fork in the road, he gave them a few gold coins and prayed for their safe travels.
He sighed as he stood. The food was gobbled up, and the gourd was empty. Brushing dust from his sleeves and behind, he glanced toward the nearby town nestled in the low hills. It wasn't the dwarven kingdom yet, not even close, but it certainly would have a bathhouse, beds, and hopefully something better than dried jerky and hard bread for dinner.
By sunset, Kael found himself wandering through the town's cobbled streets, eyes scanning crooked signs and creaky wooden lodges in search of a cheap inn. The scent of roasting meat wafting from houses he passed by made his stomach twist in protest.
Then, thump. A small body collided with his leg. Kael looked down. It was a child between the ages of five and six, teary-eyed and startled, who looked up at him at the same time. Before Kael could react, the boy's face scrunched up, and he wailed.
"I didn't do anything," Kael muttered helplessly as passersby turned to stare. The child jabbed a finger at him, accusingly. He crouched and patted the boy's head gently. Unexpectedly, the boy jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly. Kael was taken aback at first, but as the crying wouldn't stop, he consoled the child. "There, there. No harm done. You aren't hurt, right?"
The child nodded. He stopped crying, sniffled dramatically, and then bolted down the street. Kael followed him with his gaze. He sighed in relief after seeing the child leap into an old man's chest, who seemed to be his father and was carried away.
This man noticed Kael staring, so he bowed and hurriedly turned away. Kael straightened as he commented, "I should have asked him which one is the cheapest inn here."
After the father and son disappeared, Kael shook it off and resumed his search. By the time his stomach growled loud enough to make a dog bark at him, he gave up and stepped into a tiny diner that smelled like heaven and looked like it hadn't been cleaned in weeks.
A bubbling cauldron sat behind the counter, thick with steaming stew. Kael pointed at it with all the longing of a starving man.
"One bowl, please," he said.
The bulky, apron-clad cook scooped some into a clay bowl and slid it toward him. "Three coppers."
Kael nodded, reaching for the money pouch dangling on his waist. However, his hand patted nothing but his sash. His smile froze, and then his expression dropped. It was the boy!
"Divine patience," he groaned, slapping a hand to his face. "That little kid robbed me."
"Ya gonna pay, or nay?" the bulky, apron-clad cook asked with narrowed eyes, his brow furrowing beneath a sweat-slicked forehead.
Kael held up both hands and smiled, but he could tell it was crooked. "Unfortunately, my money disappeared 'cause of my foolishness. Perhaps…you can find it in your heart to spare this single bowl of stew for this old man…?"
The cook's furrowed brows deepened. He pointed at Kael with a ladle and shouted, "Who ya callin' old here, lad? Look at ya in the mirror, hm? 'Bet ya strong as a bull!"
Kael rubbed his forehead. He misspoke. He should have said 'sickly' instead. He thought that with his long, white hair braided loosely and draped over his shoulder, he could at least appear like an old man. But his face was unmistakably young. Not to mention, his voice. His hunger made him stupid.
"I don't have any money to pay," Kael admitted.
The cook leaned over the counter with a scowl like he was ready to hurl the stew bowl at Kael's head. "Then what are ya doin' pointin' at food like some noble with coins to burn?"
"I thought maybe…" Kael offered a weak smile, rubbing the back of his neck, "I could work for it? Wash the dishes? Scrub the floor? Serve food? I've carried heavier things than soup bowls before."
The cook snorted. "Ya think this is a monastery?"
Kael was just about to reply when a clinking of coins drew his attention. Another customer had stepped up to the counter, pointing lazily at the stew. One of the cook's assistants, an older teen with half-lidded eyes and arms dusted with flour, served the new customer without a word.
The man reached for his money pouch. Kael blinked. The grumbling voice of the cook before him became distant, and his stomach forgot it was hungry. His eyes were fixated on that blue pouch. The symbol of Solvantar's temple embroidered on the pouch was proof that it was unmistakably his. No doubt about it.
Without a second thought, Kael lunged forward and grabbed the man's wrist in a firm, unshaken grip. "Where did you get that pouch?" he asked, his eyes still fixed on the object.
The cook's assistant paused mid-scooping, and the entire shop went still. Even the simmering pot seemed to hush. Kael finally looked up at the man. He stiffened after seeing who it was. How could he forget that handsome face? He arrived mysteriously in the cavern and left the same way. Of course, Kael would remember him. He thought, This man's name is Eryn. He told me not to forget.
Kael cleared his throat. He observed the young handsome man for a moment. Seeing he was clueless as to what was happening, he let go of his hand. Then, he politely asked, "It's you…Eryn. But did you perhaps get this money pouch from a child?"
Eryn, with a gleeful smile on his face, shook his head. He seemed to be happy about something. "Not from a child. From an old man with a boy," he threw six coppers on the counter, and continued, "they seemed to be fleeing from someone, so they begged me to sell my horse to them. They bought it with this money." He spun the pouch on his index finger and turned to Kael with a knowing smirk, "Good priest, why do you ask?"
The way this young man called Kael 'good priest' was louder than usual; therefore, some customers nearby turned their heads to him, including the cook and his assistant. These two were astounded. Their eyes flitted from the bowl of stew to the priest's face a few times, until they realized how they treated the priest.
Kael did not need to hear it; the cook's face alone was beyond regretful. Looking at the smirking young lad next to him, Kael couldn't help but wonder if this man deliberately addressed him that way…
Oh, have I mentioned my name to him before? Kael pondered. "If you are talking about the boy who is aged five or six, and an old man in a brown tunic, then it was indeed them who stole my money pouch." He tilted his head to the blue pouch the young man was holding. "That is the symbol of Solvantar's temple."
Eryn nodded. But instead of answering, he took the two bowls of stew and walked to an empty table. Kael followed him.
"Do you want to take back the money?" Eryn asked. He motioned for Kael to sit, which the latter did. Then, he slid the bowl in front of the priest.
Kael immediately shook his head. "No, no. Not at all. That is not my intention. If you traded your horse for the money, then the father and child stole a horse from me. Unless I return your horse, how dare I ask for the money?"
Eryn smiled. He took a sip from the bowl using the wooden spoon. Kael watched him closely; therefore, he couldn't help but notice how graceful the young man was. Is there anyone who sipped soup in a crude clay bowl as though they were sipping tea from a porcelain teacup? Nonetheless, this young man also slaughtered an animal like it was nothing.
"What are you going to do now?" Eryn asked again.
Kael swallowed the bit of vegetable he chewed. Then, he answered, "I will continue my journey as it is. Without money or not, I'm sure Solvantar will provide."
The handsome lad lowered his head, hiding the sneer on his face. Kael, unaware, continued to eat in silence.