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The warm climate of Syngorn was a distant memory by the time Vex and Vax stumbled through the woods outside the northern city-state. Vex was leaning heavily on her brother’s arm as they trudged through snow and slush, hopping rivers and avoiding gullies. Vex cursed the place, the snow, the cold that chilled her to the bone through her thin coat.
“Almost there, Stubby,” Vax said as Vex hissed in pain when her leg took too much weight. Trinket trudged along behind them, a steady presence that made her more at ease. “I see lights.”
The lights may or may not be a blessing for the twins as Vex limped through the ice and snow. She and her brother needed somewhere safe and warm to spend the night, and the royal stables were bound to be avoided in this weather, and seeing as they had no coin for an inn, there weren’t many other options.
They stumbled towards the stables, and the twins pulled open the doors as they hauled themselves out of the snow and ice, stumbling into the relative warmth and safety of the stables. The sounds of disgruntled horses filled Vex’s ears as the two humanoids and bear collapsed into a pile of hay. Trinket huffed and nosed Vex carefully.
“Thank Gods,” Vex breathed, wincing at the throbbing pain in her leg and moving Trinket’s head away from the wound.
“You’d think that a town that worships Pelor would be warmer,” Vax huffed, sitting up and running a hand down his face. “How’s your leg?”
Vex looked down, her pants were torn where the cougar had gotten her as they traveled through the woods. The scratches were deep and should have been stitched up or healed with a potion already. Vex was taking time to learn more advanced things like Cure Wounds spells, but that was for now outside her wheelhouse.
“Not great,” She admitted, pressing a hand to the sluggishly bleeding wound. Fuck . she’d been so out of it, had they led a trail right to them? “Got any potions?”
Vax frowned and shook his head. “No, we used the only one we had left after our last job went south.”
“Dammit,” Vex leaned into the hay. “Do we have anything to stitch me up?”
Vax searched through their bag, and glanced at her wound. “Not enough for that.”
“Gods–,” Vex swore before the door to the stables swung open.
Vax had a hand on a dagger quickly and leapt to defend Vex as Trinket shifted to stand guard. The figure in the doorway was silhouetted by the snow and illuminated by a candle.
“I’ll be damned,” they said, voice posh and uppity. “There really was a bear.”
Vex sat up, her darkvision distorting around the candle’s light, the speaker was a young man, probably sixteen or seventeen, he had shaggy brown hair and vivid green eyes. He was wearing a high-collared coat and round spectacles that shone with the flickering flame of the candle.
Vax licked his lips and squared his shoulders, sheathing the dagger. Vex could see the teenager’s eyes following the blade carefully as her brother spoke. “What do you want?”
The stranger tilted his head. “I feel as though I should be asking you that.”
Vex stood up, this kid wasn’t posing an immediate threat, and she saw his attention snap to her. “We’re just passing through.”
“You’re the one who was bleeding, then?” He said, closing the door behind him. The horses were still agitated and the teenager’s eyes flicked to Trinket before looking back at the stables.
Vex ran her hand through Trinket’s fur, using him for support, before nodding slowly.
Vax scanned the stranger. “My sister’s hurt, do you have any potions you can spare?” He was reluctant to ask, but Vex knew the faint fuzz in her mind was enough to get her brother to set aside his pride and nerves.
The stranger cleared his throat. “I do not.”
“Then what–?”
“I do have some catgut,” the teenager added quickly, raising a hand to silence Vax which made the rogue sputter for a moment. “I assume that will also suffice?” He reached into his coat and pulled out a small spool of thread, it was the fancy type too, sheep intestines stained brown with salts. In his other hand he had a small needle for threading.
“It will, thank you, ” Vex said before her idiot brother could speak and chase off the one lucky break they’d gotten.
Vax approached cautiously, and the stranger held out the spool and needle in gloved hands. “I don’t bite,” the teen deadpanned.
“ I might,” Vax replied and snatched the supplies away, hurrying back to Vex’s side.
The teenager didn’t leave, instead he leaned against the wooden wall of one of the horse stalls, watching behind his glasses with an unimpressed aura.
“You need something?” Vax asked as he knelt to Vex’s side when she sat down, using one of the rags from their bag to clean off the wound. Vex hissed in pain and grit her teeth.
“Just wondering what two people and their bear are doing in my family’s stables,” the teenager replied casually.
Fuck. Vex let her head lean back. Fucking noble kid, what’s the odds on him ratting us out?
“You got guards coming?” Vax looked over his shoulder, eyes narrowed.
Should I have brought some? I wasn’t sure with all the blood in the snow that there wouldn’t be a dead body by the time I got here.”
“And yet you came alone?” Vex inquired, pressing the rag to her leg.
The teenager waved a hand. “We’re within shouting distance of the castle, if you had sicced your bear on me I’d only be a little mauled before the guard arrived.”
“Sounds careless,” Vax huffed, threading the needle.
“I prefer self-assured.”
Vex bit back a yelp as Vax began to sew her leg wound together, the pain nearly blinding her as she took in a ragged breath.
“I must admit you both look like criminals,” The teenager continued. “And not the kind that I should be concerned about.”
“What kind would that be?” Vax grumbled as he squinted and Vex focused on the flickering of the candle.
“The kind that acts like they belong rather than hiding out in the dark, scaring my brother’s favorite horse.”
“Which one of the kids are you then?” Vax tugged on the stitch, tightening the thread and Vex bit into her hand to stifle a shout of pain.
The teen hesitated, and Vex could feel eyes on her. “Percival,” he began before he gathered himself again. “My name is Percival Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo the Third.”
“Gods,” Vax chuckled, a little hysterical sound. “That’s a shit name.”
Vex snorted and rolled her eyes as she swallowed bile in her throat and a wave of dizziness washed over her.
“And you two are?” Percival gestured towards them and Trinket growled lowly, making the teenager retract his hand.
“Not important, we’ll be out of here as soon as the storm’s over,” Vax replied.
Vex made eye contact with her brother, and he raised his own brow.
You really want to tell him? He asked silently.
She flicked her eyes to her leg before biting her tongue at the sight of the thread pulling her wounds closed. I’m not moving for a while.
Vax sighed and continued to stitch the wounds.
“I’m Vex’ahlia, dear,” Vex croaked, eyes following the way shadows casted over the teen’s angular face and hooked nose. “This is my brother, Vax’ildan. We’re Vex and Vax.”
“A pleasure.”
Vax continued on sewing up the gashes along her leg, Percival peered over before Trinket growled, and the teen noble moved back. “Would someone kindly explain the bear?”
Vex huffed a weary laugh. “His name is Trinket.”
“He’s her son,” Vax added over his shoulder.
Percival’s perplexed expression was enough to make Vex laugh a bit more earnestly. “Pardon?”
Vex looked to where her bear was sitting guard. The grizzly was glancing between Vex and the nobleman. “He’s my darling son. I’ve raised him since he was a cub.”
Percival nodded, as if that made sense. “That explains the loyalty.”
“There’s no bear like Trinket,” Vex breathed through the pain of her skin being knit together.
“Indeed not.”
Percival continued to ask questions about Trinket, about their travels, that Vex and Vax answered to varying degrees of truthfulness. He didn’t seem fazed by their evasiveness, if anything it spurred him on to ask further questions.
She didn’t know what to make of the teenager, and frankly the conversation had been grounding through the pain.
He was a kid, but held himself like he was older, and watched with a keen eye that studied her and Vax endlessly. He was nobility but came out alone, why? She wondered what he was thinking, bringing a needle and thread to where he thought there could be a dead body, or at least an injured stranger. He barely flinched at Trinket, but kept glancing back at the bear, keeping an eye on him with a guarded curiosity.
Vex’s attention was pulled back to her brother as he tied off the last stitch. “There we go.” He murmured, looking at Vex’s pale face with a soft smile. “No dying on me, Stubby.”
“Never, Brother.” Vex punched his shoulder lightly and leaned back into the hay.
“Yes, very good,” Percival’s voice cut in haughtily. “Now, I’d recommend leaving soon before the stablemasters find the bear in the morning.”
“They’ll be here?” Vax asked, looking over his shoulder, brow furrowed. “What about the storm?”
Percival snorted. “This is Whitestone , the weather outside is hardly a flurry. We’ve had much worse and still performed our duties.”
“Fuck.” Vex groaned, her leg was still twinging in pain and the skin felt painfully taught.
The kid was silent for a moment, seeming to mull something over, chewing on his thoughts. “There’s a river in the Parchwood, it may be a decent enough area to shelter without being found, in this season it’s rather frigid so not many patrol the shore.”
Vex blinked. “Why are you helping us?” No one did this kind of thing and expected nothing in return, with their luck the kid would send a guard after them in the morning and have their heads.
He paused for a moment. “You aren’t dressed for this weather.”
“So?” Vax snapped.
“You weren’t prepared for being here,” Percival elaborated. “You aren’t in an inn, or even near town. You chose a stable to hide in when bleeding profusely.” He gestured to Vex’s stitches. “There’s very little about you both that’s an active threat, barring the bear.” He nodded at Trinket. “And for the most part, he’s been rather docile, so long as I remain where I am.”
Vex blinked again. “Your point, dear?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, as if he was warding off a headache. “My point is that there is nothing to be gained by informing others of your presence. The snow will mask your trail by dawn, and you’ll be gone, with nothing lost besides a spool of thread and a needle.” he waved a hand. “Besides, we have guests arriving soon, it’s for the best that you're on your way as soon as possible.”
Vax looked at the spool in his hand. “You’re letting us keep this?”
Percival nodded stiffly. “I doubt that Keeper Yennen will care about it being missing, not if it’s for a good reason.”
Vex didn’t know who Keeper Yennen was, but she still was floored by the way Percival was planning on keeping them a secret, just to not cause a ruckus.
“We’re in your debt,” Vex said instead of the questions bouncing around in her addled brain.
Vax and Percival scoffed in time.
“We’re not.”
“You are not.”
Percival cleared his throat. “The only thing I’d ask of you is to be gone by the time the church bells ring, it’ll be an hour after sunrise.”
Vax met his eyes and gave a sharp grunt in affirmation. “We’ll be out of your hair.”
“Good.” Percival moved towards the stable doors, his candle flickering and half-burned out. He pressed a gloved hand to the entrance before he hesitated and looked back. “Safe travels, and do try not to die near the castle next time?”
Vex huffed a laugh. “No promises, Darling.”
His lips twitched into a faint smile before Percival opened the doors and stepped back into the snow.
Vex and Vax left the next morning and were in the Parchwood as they heard the church bell’s chime in the air, ringing out just as Percival had said they would. The river they hid near while Vex’s leg recovered from their journey was cold, but had a small cavern for them to duck into, protecting them from the freezing spray of water.
The twins made their way back down south soon after, and continued their journey, forgetting about the odd noble son until they needed to pull out their needle and thread.
Time passed, nearly four years, until they had reason to think about the cold city and bizarre stranger again.
~~~
The prison they broke into was supposed to house a cult leader who’s return would give them the biggest payout they’d seen in months. Grog kicked the guard into the door and knocked both down and out. He stepped inside and ushered the others through.
Vex, Vax and Scanlan took the lead, searching each cell for their mark. If it weren’t for the flash of white in her periphery, Vex would have missed the person entirely.
She stopped, backtracking. “ Psst . You there, happen to be some kind of cultist?” she called into the cell.
There was a flash of light on glass lenses as the prisoner lifted their head. “I beg your pardon?”
The voice tickled something in the back of Vex'ahlia’s brain. It was deep, gravelly with lack of use or perhaps thirst.
The others made it to her side, gathered around the cell and in the low light Vex was able to make out the shape of a man, sitting against the wall of the cell, and across from him was a body in the early stages of rot.
“The other cells are empty,” Vax said, eyeing the prisoner. “This must be our asshole.”
The prisoner tilted his head, motioning to the dead body. “If you’re looking for the raving mystic, you’ve missed him by two days. Seems confinement didn’t agree with his constitution.”
“Oh, eugh,” Keyleth hissed through her teeth. “Gross.”
“Dammit,” Vax swore. “Guess we can kiss that reward goodbye.”
Vex studied the man in the cell a bit longer, his clothes – though ragged – were more befitting a nobleman than a criminal, a nice collared dress shirt and fitted waistcoat adorned him and his boots looked well-travelled in but of the same fine make.
“Maybe not,” Vex countered, eyes sparkling as she looked from prisoner to her brother and back. “You don’t seem like you belong in a place like this.”
The prisoner stood up, his movements stiff but gracious as he approached the bars. His white hair was short but hung in front of his eyes slightly, as if he’d been without a haircut for a long time. His scruff was gray with patches of a familiar brown color, making Vex wonder which was his original hair color. His glasses were round and slightly cracked, behind them were bright green eyes and a hooked nose.
He gripped the bars, his eyes narrowed. “Funny,” he said. “You do.”
“I must admit you both look like criminals.”
The air felt like it was punched out of her chest at the rising recognition. Faint memories of a cougar’s claws striking her leg before her arrows dispatched it. The stumble through snow to royal stables, catgut thread that had long since run out and the needle they kept for later use.
She remembered a brown-haired boy who offered them an escape, who’s voice grounded her for just a moment as her brother stitched her wounds up.
Here he was, almost four years later, a man, far from his home, in a jail cell that reeked of death.
“Percival?” She found her voice after a moment and she could feel Vax stiffen beside her.
“Who?” Vax whispered into her ear.
She stepped up to the bars, examining the man who glared at her.
“Did She send you?” his voice was lower now, and the threat hung just under the surface.
Who’s she? Vex frowned as she studied the angles of his face, the stark cheekbones that revealed a hungry frame. The dark bags under his eyes and the slight raise in the bridge of his nose where it once may have been broken.
This was not the well-dressed boy from a northern castle, this was a different beast altogether.
“Who?” Vax asked again, this time directed at the man before he turned back to his sister. “Vex’ahlia, who is this?”
Vex met the man’s eyes, there was no memory there, only a haunted look that made a shiver work down Vex’s spine. She remembered intelligent eyes, not the fire that raged in these.
“Remember the catgut, brother?” She turned to Vax. “That winter with the cougar up north?”
Vax’s eyes widened after a moment and his gaze flashed back to the prisoner, who’s brow was furrowed.
“I believe I’m at a disadvantage here,” he said, words careful as his narrowed gaze flicked between the twins.
“I think we are too,” Scanlan interjected. “Mind filling the class in?”
Vex looked down at the gnome and back at the others of their party. They didn’t talk about pasts, and the encounter with Percival was hardly a footnote on their journeys, just a bad few days in a freezing winter where one strange teenager gave them some help before leaving. It wasn’t anything Vex had dwelled on before.
But now?
Now she was wondering what had happened after they left.
“We met a few years back,” Vax explained, eyeing the prisoner cautiously. “Under different circumstances.”
Something dark flickered in Percival’s eyes and his furrowed brow relaxed a little, there was something almost wistful in his gaze. “I think I recall,” his voice wavered, growing hoarse and scratchy the more he talked. “You had the bear.”
Vex’s lips twitched into a smile. “Trinket, yes. He’s outside right now.”
Percival huffed and his head hit the bars. “Of course he is.”
“So, we freein’ him or what?” Grog asked, scratching his head. “Seems like he’s not doing too hot.”
Vex nodded at her brother who crouched by the lock, tools in hand.
“You’re letting me go?” Percival lifted his head and Vex was struck by how young he still was, and how his green eyes were dulled behind strands of white hair.
“We had a debt,” Vex shrugged. “I don’t like to let those go unpaid.”
The locks clicked and the door slid open as Percival stood back and stepped towards the now open doorway on stiff limbs. A hand gravitated towards his lower ribs as he approached.
Pike moved towards him, and Vex could see her hands twitch with the need to help.
He flinched back at Pike’s presence, her hand stalling from where she’d moved to steady him. “It’s okay,” the cleric assured him. “I just want to give you a quick healing.” she gestured to the bruising on his face that seemed yellow in the light of her amulet.
Vex frowned as he studied the gnome, as if seeking out the trick before he gave a short nod. Pike pressed her hand to his stomach and Vex’s ear twitched at the sound of bones knitting themselves back together.
“Oof,” Pike winced as she pulled away. “Are you feeling better?”
“Yes, quite,” Percival replied, taking a cautious step from her. “I appreciate it.”
Pike smiled softly as Vax moved towards Percival, the white-haired human moved away again, the movements seemingly unconscious as he straightened his spine and squared his shoulders.
Vax rolled his eyes. “Good, he’s not dying anymore, can we go?”
“I’d like to see if there’s any of my belongings left behind,” Percival interrupted and Vex saw the smallest hint of the teenager he once was in the way he looked at Vax.
Somehow it didn’t make her relax at all.
“What did you have?” Keyleth asked, stepping forward.
He looked to the druid, his lip twitching. “Just a few odds and ends, a coat, my weapon.”
Vex watched Percival closely, he was different, still had that proper posture, still had the officious nature that made her think of Syngorn, but there was something wild in him, a caged animal energy that made her feel she needed to keep an eye on the noble.
He was far from home, far from the castle he once found them outside of, and far from the boy he’d once been.
~~~
Once they were far from Jorenn Village, and away from the prying eyes of guards or other townsfolk, the group made camp as the sun set. After tents were set up and bowls of stew ladled out they had gathered into a group, Percival its unwilling focus.
The white-haired man sat on a tree stump, and Vex could see the faint tremble in his hands as he examined his weapon, an odd, crossbow-like structure that apparently fired round pellets called bullets that he had invented.
“So, you never really gave us a name?” Scanlan said, kicking his feet against a fallen log that Grog had carried over to make a bench.
Percivial lifted his head. “It’s Percival Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo the Third.” He waited a beat. “Or Percy for short.”
Percy , Vex rolled the name over in her head. It fit better for this strange man than Percival did for the rich boy it once belonged to. Percival. Percy.
Percy looked at them with something searching in his eyes. “I admittedly never expected to see either of you again.” He addressed Vex and Vax. “It’s quite the surprise.”
“Same for us,” Vax replied, leaning back against a stone next to Vex. “You’re a long way from home, de Rolo.”
Percy’s expression shuttered, closing off as his eyes flicked down to the weapon.
“Where’s home?” Keyleth asked, tilting her head against her staff.
Percy didn’t answer, the firelight flickered across his glasses and suddenly there was a very heavy weight in Vex’s stomach.
“Percy?” Vax’s brow furrowed. “What happened to Whitestone?”
Percy’s head rose and Vex was arrested by the intensity in his eyes, there was no trace of the amused teenager, no haughty self-righteousness, nothing but a great, burning rage. “They came.”
Vex leaned forward. “Percy, who? Who came?”
His eyes flashed to her and Vex nearly buckled under the weight in his gaze. “ Monsters who acted like they belonged.”