Rueln Layheart

This master of mine was relentless. She was a cruel taskmaster, keeping me running and doing chores to set up camp and care for Peach. After two days of teaching me how to care for the horse, she left me alone with the brute. The beast nearly bit my fingers off when I tried to bribe her with a piece of my bread. Master blamed me, of course, telling me I hadn't flattened out my hand properly, but I know the truth. Peach did it on purpose. I saw it in her eyes. 

As if that wasn't the worst of it, I spent the mornings jogging next to my master while she rode until my legs felt like jelly and I could barely breathe. She promised it would loosen me up and help build up my strength, but I see no evidence of this. By the time we camped for the night, I was so exhausted that I passed out more than once over dinner. Master Esra didn't seem to mind and helped me into my pallet soon after, only to wake me up before dawn and repeat. By the time we reached the city of Giath, I was ready to collapse, grateful for a break.

That wasn’t what Master Esra had in mind. 

From the moment we walked through the gates into the city proper, we found an inn, gave Peach to the stable master, then took our packs up to our room. I didn’t think she needed me for the shopping part, but when I asked to stay in the room, Master shook her head. “Oh no,” she said, smirking at me when I groaned. “We need to keep those little feet moving. We made it fairly early, so I want to get you fitted for some new clothes and shoes.” Taking a moment to look at my hand-me-down shoes, she raised her eyebrow. “How they made it on this trip, I do not know, but we’re buying you a pair that will actually fit well and are not a size too small. All the healing drafts in the world can only take care of your blisters for so long.”

I frowned and looked down at my shoes, my left pinky toe sticking out of a hole. It still had at least six months’ wear before I thought I would need Eidke’s old pair, and they were still a little big. “But, Master Esra,” I started, hesitantly, feeling heat rise to my face for what I was about to admit. “I don’t have the money for new things…”

Master Esra paused, setting her pack down on the bed and turning to me. “Rueln, I am your master now. It’s my duty to buy what you need while you are in my care. Don’t worry about money, food, or anything else.” If I was honest with myself, this felt like charity, and I didn’t know how to respond to it. I looked up, only to find her watching me, and hurriedly looked back down at the floor again. “Rueln?” Master Esra asked, and I knew she was waiting for something. 

“Yes, Master?” I mumbled, embarrassed.

“This is where you say thank you. It is polite when someone cares for your needs.”

“Thank you, Master,” I said, choking the words out, not because I didn’t mean them, but because I couldn’t think how it could be possible for me to pay back this debt. This woman was already doing much more than I thought possible, and now she was going to buy me all these new things. Papa always told me to pay back a debt, and I didn’t want to owe this woman anything. 

As if reading my thoughts, Master Esra’s hand reached down and drew my chin up. I looked up at her gentle face. Stray, dusty blonde hairs flew every which way, having escaped her messy bun while dust from the road clung to her trousers. Her green eyes were gentle and patient as she smiled at me, understanding why I was so discomforted. “You’re welcome, Rueln, but remember, everything I give you, you will earn twice over by learning what I teach you. You are a smart boy. I don’t want to hear a word about you paying me back someday. My reward is passing on what I know.” 

I didn’t understand her reasoning, but I nodded. How could she earn any coin from me by just teaching me what she knew? It made little sense. 

Thankfully, my acknowledgment seemed to be enough to satisfy her. Master Esra pulled out her coin purse and motioned toward the door. The next thing I knew, I was being poked, prodded, and stretched in a tailor shop while Master Esra watched. 

“You are a scrawny little thing, aren’t you?” The seamstress muttered to herself through the pins dangling from her lips. “You’ll have plenty of room to grow once your master feeds you up properly. I better make room for that. Still some height to get out of you, too. Hmm…” After giving her notes to a group of girls who worked under her she turned to Master Esra. “It’ll be two silver and four copper nobles for the lot. I have three pairs of trousers made already for a boy his size, but I’ll need a few days to turn out the other four and the tunics you want. Are you sure you want seven pairs?” Master Esra nodded confirmation and the elderly woman bustled about, picking up her things to put away. “Well then, I’ll throw a few pairs of stockings in for the good custom you bring and if you need anything else, Ma’am, let me know, would ya?”

“Thank you,” Master Esra said, bowing her head a little and reaching into her purse for the coin. 

She had that?! Master had that much coin?! I stared at her as she pulled the money out, spying a gold coin among all the silver before she put them away and gave the woman her money. I had never seen so much coin in my life. I craned my neck for a better view, only for the seamstress to shoo me off the dais. 

“Go on now. Off you go. I have other customers to tend to,” she ordered, motioning me away with her hands. She sure was in a rush. 

As we walked out of the store with our packages, I looked both ways, trying to see through the crowd of other shoppers. “Where to next, Master Esra?” I asked, pulling my eyes upward as she slid the package with the three trousers under her arm. 

“Well,” she said, a thoughtful note to her voice, “you’ve been measured for your clothes. Why don’t we take care of your shoes next, then I’ll allow you to explore a bit while I buy the rest of our supplies.”

I blinked. “You mean it, Master Esra?” I demanded, pushing myself up on my tiptoes, wanting to jump around in excitement. I’d never gotten to explore a city before, even when Papa and Aleah took us shopping through the portal. 

Master Esra chuckled. “Yes, I mean every word. You know the deal, however, right?”

“I’m to be back by supper,” I said, remembering all the times she had told me before. There was no holding back my smile, though. The entire time it took to get my feet measured and fitted into a pair of new shoes, I could hardly stay still. It wasn’t an exaggeration that by the time the cobbler finished I had firmly cemented myself with him as a horrible customer. It was a good thing Master Esra paid him well for the trouble. 

“This is for you,” Master Esra said, catching me by the door to the cobbler shop before I could run off. I frowned and held out my hand, only for her to drop three coppers into my palm. I gaped at it. “This is to pay for a noon meal,” she explained, glancing up at the sun bearing down on everyone overhead. “We’ll be staying for a few days, so spend it wisely.”

Promising I would and knowing I could find the inn again, I dashed off.