Chapter 17: The Kindness Of Strangers

The town chief had taken the party to his own residence, a rather large house made of grey stone and wood.

An elven woman came out from inside to greet them. “Welcome back, Father.”

The old man nodded and gestured toward the men behind him. “These people just saved the village, and now they are our guests. Prepare a warm bath for them, and see that they and their horses are well fed.”

“Yes, Father,” Laela replied with a slight bow, understanding what she had to do.

The old man turned toward the party and said, “Please accept this as a token of our gratitude. I’ll be back with your payment.”

Alaric simply nodded, and the old man walked past them and left his house again, his staff tapping against the wooden floor as he went.

Aiden had been staring at the elf ever since she stepped outside. It wasn’t just that she was really pretty, it was also that he hadn’t seen an elf in such a long time.

The last time he saw one was when Lady Arnarra, ruler of the Elven Kingdom of Elandria, had paid the king a short visit. That had been over a decade ago.

Elves generally preferred to stay in their home kingdom, and only a handful of them roamed the other kingdoms. So they were indeed a rare sight.

“Please come with me,” Laela said, and they all followed. She guided them up the wooden stairs through a narrow passage until they reached a room within. “Please, travelers, stay here for a bit while I prepare your bath.”

They obliged her request and entered the room one by one.

….

Several minutes later, Aiden was relaxing in a wooden barrel bathtub filled with steaming hot water. Beside it were different wooden buckets with water for replacement.

It felt good washing off the dungeon filth until the door leading into the room opened, and the rest of the party started walking in one by one.

Their linen clothes dropped from their waists, and before Aiden’s shocked eyes were three naked men and a naked woman whose muscular physique had dulled her feminine features.

“I-I thought we were taking turns…” Aiden stuttered, his face filled with shame and embarrassment.

“We were, but you look like y’wanna spend the whole night bathin’. Come on, kid, shift yerself, we’ve still gotta be in Xathia tonight.” Alaric said in his thick accent while continuing his movement toward the large bathtub that could probably fit them all.

“No, no, wait, wait…” Aiden said while stretching out both hands to stop them from coming any further.

But it was already too late. Alaric dipped his right leg in, yelled to the ceiling, “By the gods!” and pulled it out immediately.

“That’s what I was trying to warn you about,” Aiden said with a face that looked both awkward and sorry for Alaric’s burning foot.

He had heated the water much hotter than usual. At that temperature, it felt only warm for Aiden, but for a regular person, it would burn their skin.

The others had amused expressions as they watched it all unfold.

…

Soon after, the party was seated at a long table with several dishes in front of them. They were already eating heartily, though Aiden ate at a much slower pace.

The old man walked toward them holding a bag of gold pieces, their payment for clearing the dungeon. He placed it in front of Alaric and said, “Thank you.”

Alaric had a grin on his face and a mouth full of food, and he simply nodded.

Soon after they were done eating, Laela came in to clear the plates slowly. Aiden was staring again as she moved about the table.

Alaric, who had been counting the gold coins and dividing them into smaller portions, noticed this and smiled.

He nudged Aiden slightly and said, “Yer know, if yer like the girl, might as well tell her.”

“Oh no, no, it’s just… I’m just…” Aiden was searching for the right words, and Alaric couldn’t help but laugh heartily.

“You’ve been staring at her all evening,” Rakan added with a smile on his face.

Aiden got so flustered he prayed for the ground to open up and swallow him at that very moment.

The elven girl had overheard their conversation as she cleared the plates and smiled slightly, briefly raising her eyes to peek at Aiden before looking away.

Aiden caught sight of this for a second, smiled, and turned his head away in embarrassment.

Alaric moved a small pouch of gold coins toward Aiden. “Here, this is yer share. Two ’undred gold pieces.”

That was Alaric being generous, especial as their agreement was just to take Aiden to Xathia in exchange for his help in the dungeon.

Aiden was moved by the kindness, but before he could say anything further, Ingrid reached across the table and dropped a few more gold pieces in front of him.

By count, it was fifty, which she had split from her own share.

“That’s for saving my life. Now I don’t owe you anything,” Ingrid said in a straightforward tone.

Then Rakan did the same thing. He placed about twenty gold pieces in front of Aiden and said, “We might not have made it out if you weren’t there.”

The truth was, they both felt bad about nearly trying to stop Alaric from bringing him along. Now they were only thankful that he had come.

“Well, I worked for my share fair and square,” Tam said while turning his head to the side.

Aiden looked at them, somewhat dumbfounded. Then he closed his eyes and smiled for a moment. “Thank you.”

He had never expected to be included in the reward sharing at all, much less have these people give him extra.

Alaric turned toward him and asked, “I’m not gonna ask why yer left Dragonhold, but I will ask, is there a reason yer headin’ to Xathia?”

Aiden turned his face downward in contemplation. The truth was, the only plan he had in mind at this point was joining their academy to learn proper magic usage and then returning to oust his father from the throne.

However, he couldn’t spell it out like that to Alaric, so he simply answered, “To start fresh.”

Alaric nodded in understanding and said, ”

“Alright then, I’ll say this. Join us, lad. I can tell yer just the kinda fella we need in our party.”

That was frankly tempting. Traveling around with these people he had quickly connected with felt like a good idea.

However, that would mean throwing away his plan to learn proper magic usage and ultimately return home. No, it wasn’t good enough.

“I’m sorry, Alaric, but I also want to learn how to use my magic properly. That’s why I’m going to join the magic academy in Xathia,” Aiden replied.

Alaric sighed, he was slightly disappointed, but he understood. A man’s goal was a man’s goal. That happy grin returned to his face, and he simply nodded.

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