Chapter Six #2
“Now, don’t get me wrong, he’s loved it here, but he’s been whining in between the fusses for you,” Bathilda said with a wag of her finger. “The only thing that would get him to stop was a juicy bone.”
“That sounds like Fang.” I sighed. “Do you need any gold for what you’ve fed him?”
“No, Benni covered it anyway,” Bathilda said. “That scholar was sharing his meals with him like they were blood brothers.”
“Maybe it’s Benni who won’t want to say goodbye,” Ellyn giggled. “Noah, why don’t you go up and work your magic? I’ll stay down here and catch up with Father.”
“Sure thing.” I nodded before I glanced at the innkeep and Frederik. “It was good seeing you two.”
“And you, Noah,” Bathilda said with a warm smile.
“Always a pleasure, son,” my father-in-law added with a soft nod. “You know you can come here anytime.”
“Of course,” I said as I made my way toward the staircase. “And the same goes for you and our farm. But… maybe hold off until there are no mages on the loose.”
“I think that’s a good idea.” The old man chuckled before he turned his attention back to his daughter.
I left the two of them to catch up while I headed upstairs to Benni’s room. His was the furthest door in the hallway, and as I passed Raeth’s bedroom, I could hear the sound of her loud snoring.
She was definitely out like a light, and considering how little of a morning person she was, I made the wise decision not to bother her while she was resting.
I crept across the threshold until I was outside Benni’s door. Then I raised my fist and rapped my knuckles quietly against the door.
“No room service today, Bathilda,” Benni dismissed through the door. “I’m trying to be a little more aware of my diet.”
“Is that so, Benni?” I replied in an exaggerated, feminine voice. “I suppose I’ll just have to take this full Gladewood breakfast to someone else then.”
The door to his bedroom was yanked open in the blink of an eye, and Benni’s frazzled form clutched at the frame.
His circular glasses were slightly lopsided, and his brown hair was sticking up at all angles. The only thing he had on was a long white nightgown that reached his ankles, and his cheeks burned bright pink as I spluttered out a laugh.
“What?” he demanded with a childish stomp of his foot. “It keeps me warm at night.”
“Nothing, nothing,” I said between laughter. “All you’re missing now is a nightcap, a candle, and the ghost of Christmas past.”
“What does that even mean?” Benni scoffed and crossed his arms. “I think I look quite fashionable.”
“You look great, Scrooge.” I playfully rolled my eyes. “Is my wolf here?”
“He certainly is,” the scholar said as he held the door open wider for me to see Fang curled up in a big heap at the foot of Benni’s bed. “He wasn’t too happy when Raeth took Ida back, though.”
“Oh, I bet,” I snorted as I stepped into the room.
The floorboards creaked under my weight, and Fang’s white fluffy head shot up.
His ears rotated back and forth like he was picking up a radio frequency, and he tilted his nose up into the air.
I watched his wet nose twitch, and as soon as he caught my scent, he shot up from the bed and bounded over to me.
“Hey, buddy--”
Fang jumped straight onto my chest, which made me fall flat on my ass. The assault didn’t stop there, though. Through my surprised laughter, Fang licked at my face with his eager tongue, until every inch of it was covered in his saliva.
“Easy, boy, easy,” I said as I tried to wrestle him off me. “Come on. It hasn’t been that long.”
“He has certainly missed you,” Benni said as he leaned against the doorway. “He tried to escape out the front door, but Bathilda lured him back in with a bone.”
“Cheeky pup,” I playfully scolded as I ruffled his head. “Has he had a good time?”
“He’s had a great time, haven’t you, Fang?” Benni’s question was met with a loud yip from the wolf, who finally eased off me. “See? We’re best friends now.”
“Best friends enough to stay another night?” I asked with a knowing grin.
Fang immediately whipped his head back to me and whined like a puppy denied his favorite treat. He sat up straight with his tail tucked between his legs and gave the biggest, wettest eyes he could.
“That’s what I thought,” I snorted as I stood up from the floor and dusted my jeans off. “We’ve got some errands to run in town, but you can stay on the Gator if you’d like, Fang.”
The white wolf’s tongue lolled out of his mouth while his tail wagged back and forth between his legs.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” I chuckled before I offered my hand to Benni. “Thank you for looking after him.”
“Anytime, anywhere,” Benni said as he shook my hand. “So long as you don’t laugh at my nightgown ever again.”
“No promises,” I said with a wink as I led the way down the hall.
Fang followed almost immediately and kept close to my side as I descended the stairs. But before I could disappear out of Benni’s sight, I called out his name.
The scholar leaned out of his door with an expectant look on his freckled face, and I couldn’t keep the grin off mine as I pointed at him with a crooked finger and cried out ‘bah humbug!’
The half-elf’s face twisted in confusion, and I snickered to myself as I carried on walking down the stairs.
Ellyn was just wrapping up her conversation with her father when I reached the bottom floor. They had migrated to the bar and were perched on two of the rickety stools in front of Bathilda. Frederik had an ale in hand, but Ellyn had opted for a glass of water.
“Hey, El, did you want me to leave you here while I go to the blacksmith?” I asked as I approached the bar.
“No, it’s okay, we were just saying goodbye,” Ellyn said as she gave her father’s hand a squeeze. “I told them about your goat cheese.”
“And? Any takers?” I raised my eyebrows and fished the wrapped sample from my pocket.
“Let’s give it a try,” Frederik said as he picked a small piece of cheese off and stuck it in his mouth.
He chewed, which was surprising considering how soft the texture was. The elf’s usual stoic disposition remained for a few seconds, but then his wrinkled eyelids briefly fluttered closed.
“Hell’s taint,” the old elf mumbled as his sharp blue gaze shot from the cheese in my hand to my face. “Bathilda. Try it.”
Frederik’s bony hand shot out before I could offer a piece myself, and he crumbled another piece off and handed it to his girlfriend behind the bar.
Bathilda playfully rolled her eyes at his antics but took the small piece anyway, and when she popped it into her mouth, her soft brown eyes bulged out of her head.
“Noah… this is one of the best cheeses I’ve ever tasted,” the innkeeper gasped as she pressed a hand to her chest. “You must let me acquire some. The patrons would go mad!”
“I’ll bring some over when we’ve made some more batches and strike a deal with you,” I said with a pleased grin. “It stays warm, so I’m assuming that it won’t go bad for a while.”
“All the more reason to have plenty of it,” Bathilda said as she leaned over the counter and looked me directly in the eyes. “Please come back with some.”
“I will, Bathilda.” I chuckled and then whistled for Fang to follow me to the door. “See you guys around.”
“Farewell!” the busty innkeeper said with a wave of her handkerchief.
“Be safe, Ellyn!” Frederik called after his daughter. “And try to stay out of trouble.”
“Trouble always finds us, Father, whether we like it or not,” Ellyn joked. “Goodbye for now.”
The three of us exited the inn and stepped back out onto the busier main strip. Gladers were looking through the market stalls, which were still selling a smaller array of the crops I’d recently brought into town.
There were more material stalls open at this time of year, with thick pelts, fluffy scarves, and hand-stitched gloves lining the display cases.
Food wasn’t just a focus anymore. It was more accessible to have a good, hearty meal now, and with commerce flowing and the economy steady and stable, more vendors were able to sell more decorative luxuries.
Wind chimes made with colored glass and steel jingled in the wind, while hand-woven dreamcatchers drifted in the breeze with their feathers rising and falling on every gust.
If you were just an outsider, you would think Gladewood had never known violence a day in its life. But we were resilient people, and I was glad to know people had returned ?to their normal lives as if nothing had happened.
“Welcome back, Fang,” Ellyn said as she patted the wolf’s head before he hopped into the back of the side-by-side. “So, we’re going to the blacksmith now?”
“That’s right.” I nodded as we both slid into our respective seats. “I’ll get Halamar to make some sheets of glass for the greenhouse. The shard should be able to help with the foundations, so I won’t need to spend a ton on metal constructs.”
“It sounds like you’ve got a plan,” Ellyn said. “Lead the way, sir.”
I drove us down the market strip until we reached the split off in front of the town hall. Then I took a left and drove us as far as I could before the path got too narrow, and then we continued on foot from there.
Halamar’s blacksmith shop wasn’t a far walk, and when we entered, the dark-skinned elf greeted us with his usual firm nod and steeled expression.
Commissioning the glass panels was easy enough, and Halamar was more than happy to jump into a new project. I paid him twenty gold for the panels, with the promise of them being made in the next few days, so with another thing on my to-do list checked off, Ellyn and I made our way back outside.
Fang had been waiting patiently by the door, and as soon as we exited the small blacksmith shop, he shot up from his perched position and wagged his tail furiously.
“Come on, bud,” I said as I gestured for him to follow us back down the narrow road.
“Is there anything else you want to do in town today?” Ellyn asked as she looped her arm through mine.
“We could always stop by Onvyr’s bakery?” I suggested. “We can get a little dessert and then head back to the farm?”