“Well, hello there,” the old man greeted, taking a few steps forward. His walk was feeble, but something about it seemed awkward to Crystal. He used a cane, but he leaned on it a little too hard.

“Thank you for saving me, young ladies,” the old man continued. “My name is Jarvis.”

Crystal, composing herself in her mind, gave a slight curtsy. “It is a pl-pleasure to meet you.”

“Are you okay, my dear?” Jarvis asked, turning his head to the side. “You look a bit pale.”

“She’s never seen someone die before,” Violet explained.

“Violet!” Crystal protested, turning abruptly towards the taller girl. The motion made Crystal feel sick again, and she had to hold her stomach.

“Ah, yes,” Jarvis said with a nod. He met Crystal’s eyes. “It’s not something you terribly get used to. But I imagine that was quite a shock.” Jarvis looked down at the dead bodies. “Maybe we should move away from the corpses, yes?”

Crystal nodded. The trio began to move upwind of the bodies, but Violet hesitated. Crystal gave her a curious look, and Violet shook her head. They moved a fair distance away. Crystal’s legs still shook, but she felt as if she could manage. Her stomach was doing somersaults, though.

Jarvis found a stump where a woodcutter had clearly been and sat down. “I would stand, but these old bones are tired. That was a lot of excitement for one day.”

“Why were those bandits harassing you?” Violet demanded.

“(Don’t be so aggressive),” Crystal whispered. Violet shot her a sidelong look.

“I’m an old man, dear,” Jarvis answered. “If I were a bandit, I would probably rob me too!”

Violet frowned but nodded. “Okay…”

Crystal, still holding her stomach together by sheer force of will, said, “Either way, I am glad that we were able to protect you. Why are you alone?”

“All of my friends are dead,” Jarvis replied bluntly.

“Did something happen to them?” Crystal asked. Every word made her stomach flip, but she held strong. Do not throw up in front of the old man…again she told herself.

“Ah, yes, they were murdered by old age, dear,” Jarvis said, a tired smile growing on his face. “Father Time is indeed the world’s most effective killer.” Jarvis smiled a little wider. “But he has yet to take me.”

Sneaking a quick glance at Violet, Crystal asked, “Do you need assistance traversing the woods?”

Jarvis stood up, his joints cracking. “No, I should be fine, my dear. I’m old, but not yet entirely defenseless.”

The elderly man took a few steps forward, tripping over a root. He caught himself before he hit the ground and stood back up. “Whoopsie. I need to pay more attention.”

Crystal raised an eyebrow as the old man tripped on another root, this time making a big show of nearly falling over. Crystal took a step forward, but Violet grabbed her by the shoulder. Crystal turned to Violet, and Violet shook her head. Nodding slowly, Crystal turned to walk away. The old man fell over with a loud “Oof!”

Dropping her head before looking up, she turned around. “Are you sure you would not like some company leaving these woods?”

Jarvis, standing up, smiled wide, a couple of his teeth missing. “Well, if you insist.”