“Something's wrong, Orme. With you, I mean. What bothers you?” Iyona asked him one morning while Wren was finishing packing up.

“Nothing, really. I'm feeling my years. It's getting harder for me to run and carry weight as I used to. I'm 70, Iyona. It was bound to happen. It just… I don't want Wren to know. I don't want them to worry.”

“They're your child, Orme. They probably already know.”

He shook his head. “Nah, they're as oblivious as I am. I never noticed my wife getting sick, or my kids growing up. Once, Lena came to me about a broken heart. She was 17. In my mind, she was still a baby. I never managed to finish that conversation.”

Iyona gently took his hand. “Then you should tell them. You're very much alike, the two of you. They deserve to know.”

“Yeah, yeah. So. How about we head West this time?”

And that was it. End of conversation.

They headed West for days, walking a little slower than Orme would have liked but still too fast for his old legs. He didn’t say a word. He wasn't comfortable talking about it.

Eventually they stumbled upon another village, and all agreed to try and spend the night there. It was starting to rain.

For once it was a place Orme had never seen before. It was small and grey, too dark and dirty for any of them. Everyone was hunched, as if the weight of their lives were too much to bear. They headed for the main plaza and found no inn or tavern. This village was dirt poor and sad as a newborn pup without a mother.

There was a bakery though, that smelled of fresh bread and croissants. Iyona bought some bread and they sat on a bench to eat. 

“What now? I really wanted to stay the night. My back is hurting from sleeping on the floor,” Iyona said. She wasn't in her prime either.

“Maybe someone has a spare room? I will ask.” Wren as always was optimistic.

They did ask, and someone indeed had a bit of room to spare. 

The mattresses were barely more than heaps of hay in a cloth, but at least they'd be out of the rain. 

Their saviour was named Gus. He was a steady, quiet man whose wife had been killed in the war. His only child had taken a boat 2 years prior and never sent a letter home. Hence the free room. 

Orme offered some money for the beds, but Gus refused. “I don't have much, but I am always happy for some company. You can tell me some stories to pay for the room, and get us some bread for dinner.”

They left their packs in the small, almost empty bedroom and went to chat with Gus.

In the end it was he who told the most stories. He talked about his late wife and how good she was with a sword. About his wedding day and how proud he was to marry the prettiest, best fighting girl in the village. About his son. About life in the village. And about a map.

“Hold up. I'd like to know more about this map. Can you show it to me?” Wren was always curious, and that afternoon was no exception.

Gus stood with difficulty and rummaged in a chest in the corner of the main room. He must’ve been no more than 50 yet was all bent and creaking. It took him a while to find what he was looking for.

When he returned, he was holding a map in one hand and a medallion in the other. 

“A couple of travellers passed by a few years ago. Like you, they needed a room for a night or two and ended up here. They paid for it with these. I don't know much, but they said this was a map of Kildama, and that those crosses represented ruins they wanted to explore. They had a spare, so they gave me this one. The medallion is supposed to open at least one of the ruins, although they never said how.”

The companions all pored over the map, trying to figure out where they were. The village wasn't on it, but they found a few landmarks they recognized.

“Here's Dill, where we come from. And I think we're in this area. See? Here's the river. We should be around this bend if I'm not mistaken. The closest ruin on the map should be a week's walk away, based on the distance we've already travelled.” Wren seemed as happy as a kid on their birthday. They loved maps.

“So, do we agree to go check those ruins then? Is that our plan now?” Iyona asked with a smile. Wren's excitement was infectious.

“Yeah, why not?” Orme found himself smiling as well. “But for now, it's getting dark. We should probably eat something.”

They had some bread left from lunch, and Gus had some cheese, smoked ham, and potatoes. Iyona added some lentils from her pack, and they all had a feast. Gus regaled them with more stories from his youth, and Orme shared some of his travels on a ship. Gus had never left his village and was delighted to hear about distant lands.

“You really went all the way there? On a ship? How long did it take?”

They talked long into the night, and went to sleep with bellies and heads full. They had enjoyed talking about the past without shame or remorse for once. Simply enjoying a good meal and good company. Orme fell asleep with a smile on his face.