Thallian did as his father commanded and remained shut away in his rooms until the day came for him to leave with Paxton. His meals were brought to him and left outside his door each day, not that he was very interested in eating at all. His baths were also brought to him in a large metal tub that was filled with water heated over the fire of his bedchamber hearth until it steamed. He considered himself fortunate that his rooms were in a newer part of the house where each personal set of rooms had a garderobe installed. If not for that, he was afraid he would have been forced to use an old chamber pot instead of using the household privy.

His mother visited him daily to ensure he was prepared to leave, not that he truly thought he ever would be. His father never visited him again, and Thallian knew if they ever did speak again before he left, his father's club would always be in his hands. Why the man thought he could beat someone with such supposedly powerful magic without Thallian fighting back was confusing to him, but he chose not to distress his father in any way regardless.

Thallian also never received a single visit from either of his elder brothers, nor their wives or children. Once, before the incident with Dracole, Thallian had considered his brothers' wives to be his sisters and friends. And he had doted on the children from the moment they had each been born. Though he'd never been terribly close to his brothers, it still would have been helpful to know more about what his father had mentioned, of at least one of them having male lovers. Even if no one else in his family had magic to complicate their lives, knowing he was not the only one to experience desire for other men would have made him feel much better in that regard. Instead, he simply felt completely alone in every aspect of his life.

When at last the day came to leave, he did not feel the slightest bit prepared to travel to a new country and a new future, but he did feel prepared to leave the hatred and distrust of his old home behind.

The large wagon used to transport the farm's goods to the waystations in the Pass was pulled by two massive horses. They were a matching set of deep bay geldings with splashes of white on their legs, from their knees to their massive hooves. They were the newest of two sets of workhorses, having been purchased a few years ago as the profits of the farm had continued to grow. Thallian had always found the great beasts to be calm and easy to handle, even if their hooves were the size of his face and their heads were held some distance above his.

The wagon was loaded with crates of cheese and some of wool from the sheep. Two crates of cheese would go to each of the seven waystations in the pass, with a final five going to multiple buyers in the large town on the other end of the Pass. The wool went to a couple artisans within the Pass who made blankets for travelers. Thallian knew he was not to be traveling with Paxton as an assistant, so he didn't bother learning any of the the details of what shipment went where. He assumed his father's driver was experienced enough to have records and know well how to keep them.

Only his mother came to see him off. She had tears in her eyes when she embraced him, which brought tears to his in turn. 

"I know he won't allow us to write," she told him quietly. "But if, gods forbid, I am ever to become a widow I will find some way to reach you in writing. Perhaps one day we will see each other again. For now, go knowing that I love you. If we never see each other again, know that I have always believed you would be a good man and that I will forever love you dearly. Learn to use your magic, this gift from the gods, and use it to do good things for yourself and others."

"Thank you," he said, choking back his tears. "I promise you that I will never use this magic to do harm." He saw his father walking across the yard, club in hand as expected, and released her, adding, "Even if Father doesn't believe that possible."

She took his hand and squeezed it tightly. "I'm sorry that I brought you into his life. I wish I had chosen a better man to father my sons."

Uprine heard that comment and scowled at her. For a moment Thallian wondered if he might strike her, but he did not. Instead, he glared at Thallian and pointed to the wagon that had just been fully loaded. "You'll ride in the back, and you will do no damage to the merchandise. If you attempt to offer me some retribution for sending you away, I will have you arrested. I don't care how far you attempt to run from me, you will be held accountable."

"I'm leaving," Thallian replied, at last driven by days of emotion to speak for himself. "Why should I be bothered by what you do with what's left of your life? It's nothing to me anymore."

Before his father could respond or move to threaten him, Thallian climbed into the covered wagon. A few moments later, Paxton climbed onto the driving bench and the wagon began its journey to their first stop, the town just outside the Pass. Thallian continued to feel much of the same emptiness he had been feeling for days, having accepted that there was nothing he could do to change his fate.

He was startled when Paxton looked back at him after some time and spoke. "You can come up here and sit. I know what your father said, but he's a right fool. I'm not afraid of magic the way he is."

Thallian had expected Paxton would have been sworn not to speak to him or had been told some other story about why he was traveling through the Pass. "You're not?"

Paxton shook his head. He was a man probably somewhere between Thallian and Uprine in age, his mane of brown hair beginning to gray but his body apparently almost entirely muscle still. "Not one bit. I've seen more of it than he has, I guess. I'll try to make this as pleasant for you as I can until we reach the end of the Pass. First time through is supposed to be enjoyable and exciting."

Thallian nodded and awkwardly climbed from the wagon's back to the driver's bench, a difficult task as the wagon continued on at a plodding walk. "Thank you."

Paxton smiled at him. "We all need some kindness in our lives."