Chapter 95
Rhaevan had already pulled a chair closer to the table, the newly awakened map holding his complete attention. His eyes traveled carefully over the silver lines, tracing every mountain, every river, and every unfamiliar constellation.
"The markings..." he murmured, reaching for the compass. "If we compare the alignment with-"
"Rhaevan."
"Hm?"
"I know I gave a rather inspiring speech yesterday." His eyes lifted to mine. "And I stand by every word... However. Can the ancient mystery wait a little?"
He blinked. "I don't understand."
I placed a hand over my stomach. "I'm hungry."
As though it had been waiting for precisely that moment, my stomach growled loudly. The sound echoed through the otherwise silent room.
I closed my eyes. "I would appreciate it if we both agreed that never happened."
Silence.
When I looked up again, Rhaevan was staring at me with an expression I could only describe as genuine bewilderment.
"The map... but..." he began.
Then his gaze drifted reluctantly back to the parchment, then to me, and back to the parchment once more. His expression suggested he was genuinely trying to determine which situation required more immediate attention.
Finally, with visible reluctance, he stepped back from the table. "...I suppose..." He paused. "...the map can wait."
A victorious grin spread across my face. "Excellent."
I carefully rolled up the parchment before he could change his mind and slipped the compass safely into my satchel. "The secrets of an ancient civilization are important." I looked at him. "But breakfast is important, too."
A knock sounded at the door.
"Good morning," Benedict called cheerfully from the corridor. "I've laid the table."
"We're coming!" I answered.
As we stepped out of the room, I glanced sideways at Rhaevan. "You really would've forgotten to eat, wouldn't you?"
He considered the question with complete seriousness. "...Possibly."
"I knew it."
By the time we had washed up and made our way to the dining room, the comforting aroma of freshly baked bread and herbs had already filled the cottage.
Benedict looked up from the table with a smile.
"Good morning." His eyes traveled between the two of us. "You both look terrible."
I pulled out a chair. "Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"I accepted it as one anyway."
A chuckle escaped him as he placed a basket of warm bread between us. "Long night?"
I exchanged a brief glance with Rhaevan. "You could say that."
Benedict nodded as though that answered everything. "Some mysteries refuse to be solved before breakfast."
I immediately pointed a piece of bread at him. "Finally. Someone with wisdom."
"Experience," he corrected as he poured tea into three cups. "Wisdom arrives after the third cup."
"I aspire to such enlightenment."
Rhaevan quietly accepted the cup Benedict handed him. "Thank you."
"My pleasure."
The conversation drifted to lighter things after that: the weather, Benedict's market chronicles, his garden experimentations, and Muffin trotting around the house. Even Rhaevan's shoulders seemed a little less tense by the time breakfast was over.
As Benedict gathered the empty dishes, I rose from my chair and stretched. Then I looked at Rhaevan.
"Can I give you one piece of life advice?"
He regarded me curiously. "You may."
I folded my arms. "Never skip a meal. Not even if the world's ending." I spoke with complete conviction. "You eat first. Then you save the world."
He looked genuinely confused. "And if the world ends while I'm having breakfast?"
I shrugged. "Then congratulations. You got to enjoy one final decent meal."
Another beat of silence. He studied me as though trying to determine whether I was joking. "...That's your strategy?"
"Obviously. The apocalypse can wait ten minutes. Saving the world is much harder on an empty stomach."
For a long moment, he simply looked at me.
Then-a laugh escaped him. Not the restrained breath of amusement I'd heard once or twice before, but a real laugh. Quiet. Warm. Unforced. It lingered in his eyes long after the sound itself had faded.
"I'll remember that," he said.
I smiled. "You'd better."
He shook his head, still smiling faintly. "I'm beginning to suspect your priorities are unlike anyone else's."
"You'll come around."
He didn't answer, but the smile remained.