Chapter Text
Zenix followed after the helmed guard. His imposing silhouette blocked out the moonlight as he led Zenix out of the woods towards the distant light of the village.
Vylad's idea. Said that if Zenix was what he was pretending to be, i.e. NOT a shadow knight spy and just a regular displaced kid, his reluctance to accept help would make sense. When Zenix harshly reminded him that he didn't need help, that the guard couldn't help him if he tried, Vylad's only response had been “exactly.”
Zenix's return from his unapproved outing to Phoenix Drop had gone much less smoothly than he'd thought. Getting caught stealing then dragged to the guard house to be questioned. He'd barely gotten away after he made a, in hindsight maybe not very well thought out, comment about Gene being some guy he barely knew who's like 30 or something when asked about who he was staying with. After that, the guard insisted on waiting until Zenix's guardian arrived to collect him. He'd finally managed to give the guard the slip by tricking him into turning his back for a second, but upon return to his fellow shadow knights they told Zenix to go back into the village as a spy.
Why they decided Zenix was a good choice for that task was beyond him. They said something about either of their arrival being suspicious after Zenix's comment. Personally, to him it felt like a bad excuse. But now Zenix was doing it, walking back to the village with this guard he talked to for like 15 minutes, in hopes that maybe he'd let him bum around long enough to learn some juicy information about the reclusive lord.
Neither of his fellow shadow knights seemed confident in Zenix's acting abilities. Their direct advice had been avoiding having to lie. Which was really not helpful. So they more specifically told him to be himself but not too himself. That one didn't even make sense. Finally, Gene just told him to make it work before practically throwing him towards the village below.
Anyways, Vylad said it'd make sense for the guard to have to fish him out of the woods.
Zenix tugged at the hand holding his and groaned, “I can follow just fine without you dragging me along.” he complained.
The guard’s helm tilted slightly back towards him in acknowledgement but kept mostly facing ahead, "it's quite dark out. I wouldn't want you to get separated.” He held Zenix’s hand a little more firmly before adding, exasperated, “...again.”
Yeah, he deserved that for giving the guy the run-around for the last few hours. He probably could have let himself be found an hour ago but every time they ran into each other in the woods, nerves would get the best of him and Zenix would instinctively run again to buy himself time on how best to play this.
Zenix buzzed his lips, aiming for unfazed, “So, what happens when we get back? You gonna lock me up in a cell for the night?”
The guard turned to look at him like the very suggestion offended him, “Of course not. We have an extra room at the guards quarters. You can spend the night there and we can figure out where you'll go in the morning.” He hesitated for a moment before asking, “where’s the… uh… man you're staying with?”
“He won't let me crash with him anymore.” Zenix said flippantly. Which was half-true. Gene probably wouldn't be thrilled to welcome Zenix back in their camp so soon.
“Ah.” The guard sounded relieved, “Do you know where he is? I'd like to speak to him.”
Zenix cringed at the thought, he couldn't imagine that going well, "Don't bother. He moves around a lot. He's long gone.”
The guard let out a dissatisfied hum but didn't challenge him on it. The lights of the village glow brighter as they approach. The warm orange of torches lit up the quaint stone gate to the town. Another guard was stationed outside. He was shorter than the one leading him, and a bit rounder around the gut, but no less physically imposing. Zenix wondered what would happen if these men found out why he was here. He fell a little further behind the guard leading him but was snapped from his thoughts at the sound of the other guard laughing.
“You found him!” The older man remarked jovially, "I owe Visher 15 copper.”
“Is he still here?”
“Nahh he left hours ago. Said he, ‘didn’t wanna put any more of his wares at risk when Garroth comes back with that hellion.’” the man laughed again.
Hellion. Zenix felt oddly pleased with the title. If he was the hellion that meant the guard still holding his hand must've been- oh wait-
Zenix ripped out of the grip like it burned. He'd sorta forgotten about it and now he looked completely stupid just letting this guy hold his hand and lead him around like a little kid or a dog. The hand holding his own recoiled in surprise but didn't go to grab him again.
“Woah!” The older guard reacted, letting out another laugh “he's making a run for it!”
Zenix was not. He shot a glare at the man and wiped his hand on his pants. Even if he was tempted to run just for the hell of it, he certainly wasn't going to now.
“I think we’ve both had our fill of running for tonight.” The tall guard- Garroth said, though Zenix did catch the slight movement of his helm like he was glancing over to make sure.
“Did you find the-” but whatever the guard was saying quickly got blocked out by Garroth's hands coming to cup over Zenix’s ears. Garroth spoke back in a rumble that sounded like it was underwater and Zenix shouted his indignation.
This was the opposite! Literally the opposite of what he was here to do! There was panic in this realization, was this how they were going to react every time Zenix was around to hear something he shouldn't? There was no way he'd find anything out if there was always going to be hands ready to block it out.
Zenix squirmed and broke out of the hold just in time to catch the tail end of the bearded guard saying, “-efore we go accusing.”
“Of course.”
“Hey!” Zenix spat, “get your-” he shoved Garroth and scrambled out of reach, “hands off me unless you wanna lose them!”
Garroth took a half step back, likely more out of courtesy than anything Zenix did, “apologies.” he said but Zenix could hear a hint of a smile in his voice. Whether from the overblown reaction or complete disbelief in Zenix's ability to carry out his threat. Either way it only served to grate his already fraying nerves.
“Don't talk about me like I'm not here!”
The smile was gone from Garroth's voice as he knelt down and said more seriously, “we weren’t. That wasn't about you.”
“It was about what I said.” Zenix challenged. He wasn't certain, but he got the idea that it was related to him somehow.
Garroth and the older guard shared a look then turned back to Zenix, “... we were just speaking on how best to deal with your situation.” Garroth said gently, “Nothing about you.”
It is but Zenix didn't say it. He folded his arms defensively and glared down at the gravel like it owed him money. He had no idea how he'd pull this off. He wasn't sure it was even possible. It occurred to him that maybe Gene gave him an impossible task just to get him out of his hair for a bit.
The guards exchanged another look at Zenix's silence until the elder spoke up. “Boys’ probably just tired from making you chase him around the woods half the night.” he slapped Garroth on the back. “Brian gets the same way. All moody and grumpy. What you need is a good night's sleep, right kiddo?”
Zenix wanted to snap that moody and grumpy were his default state but unfortunately the guard was right, his body felt heavy and sore and his head felt like it was spinning with all his thinking and overthinking. That and he really wanted to stop talking to this guy. So, begrudgingly he took the out. gritting his teeth and nodding in agreement.
“See? I know kids.” he announced to Garroth who was still looking at Zenix, or… he thought he was. It's hard to tell with that helmet on.
After a moment of silence Garroth nodded and stood back up, “it is late.” he admitted, “Lets get you rested. Come, I'll lead you to the guards quarters.”
Zenix followed, but far enough behind that it was clearly making Garroth nervous he'd run again. It was a short walk to the building right next to the gate which Zenix supposed must be the aforementioned guards quarters. Garroth held the door open for him and waited for Zenix to catch up before ushering him inside.
Garroth led him down a narrow hallway with doors on either side. About halfway down, he stopped and pushed one open, revealing a small, neat room. Nothing more than a bed, a dresser, and a desk. One that was clearly unused to the point of beginning to collect a thin layer of dust.
“This will be your room. At least for now, until we figure something out.” Garroth explained glancing down at Zenix, he knocked on the door next to it they'd just walked past. “This is mine. If you require anything in the night you need only knock and ask. I'm a light sleeper so I will hear you.”
Zenix hummed consideringly, “and I'm sure the fact your room is between mine and the exit is a coincidence.”
Garroth coughed and pretended to not hear him. “Do you need anything?”
Zenix thought about it, “thirsty.”
Garroth gave him a hard stare. It suddenly occurred to him that this had been the same excuse he’d used to get Garroth to turn his back and allow him to make his escape.
Zenix couldn't help but laugh “okay but I am actually thirsty this time. I've been running through the woods all night.”
Garroth sighed and pointed a gloved finger at him sternly, "don't go anywhere.”
Zenix snorted, “no promises.”
Despite that answer, Garroth did actually turn around and head back to the common area. Zenix took the chance to take in his surroundings.
It smelled like stale air and wood. Zenix tested the mattress by jumping backwards onto the bed but was immediately cloaked in large plumes of dust that erupted from the quilt. He coughed and waved his hand through the air as he crawled over the window behind the cot and pushed it open. Sticking his head out to suck in a cold clean breath from outside as he swung his hands wildly to aerate the room. By the time Garroth walked back in with a wooden cup most of the dust had cleared.
“Are you trying to jump out the window?” He asked.
Zenix turned towards Garroth and pulled his head back inside, “no.”
“Would you tell me if you were?”
Zenix's cheeks spit into a grin, “no.”
Garroth made a sound that might have been a chuckle. He handed Zenix the cup. “I apologize about the… dust.” he waved his hand through the air to help clear the lingering particles. “No one has used this room in awhile. Not since I've been here at least.”
Zenix snatched the cup and drank in big gulps. He wasn't lying about being thirsty, when he pulled back to wipe off the water that ran down his chin Garroth was ushering him off the bed. Zenix groaned and landed back on the wood floor as he watched Garroth strip his sheets. Zenix tilted his head, “What the hell are you doing.”
“These aren't going to work. We'll get you some spare blankets for the night.” Garroth folded the quilt and set it on the dresser. He walked out the door and came back a moment later with two blankets and a pillow in his arms. Spreading them out on the bed as Zenix watched.
This all sorta seemed like overkill to him. Did Garroth really think he had such a low constitution he'd get sick from one night in a dusty bed?
“I can sleep in the quilt, it's fine.” Zenix said shortly.
Garroth waved a hand dismissively, not looking up, “I'm not going to force you to sleep in a bed with dust mites.”
Zenix bit his lip. He didn't think about that. “Okay. fine. Whatever. do what you want.” he relented lamely.
Garroth went back to work and in a few moments the bed looked significantly less dusty and more comfortable than it had before. Garroth exhaled and patted the mattress.
“Alright. How does that feel?”
Zenix passed Garroth the cup and flopped back on the bed the same way he had before. But this time he didn't immediately start choking on dust. A few particles gusted up from the mattress but overall it was an improvement.
“Better.” he admitted staring up at the wooden scaffolding.
“It's not perfect but it'll do for the night. Hopefully you won't have to stay here again but I'll ask Brendan if he'd mind cleaning up here tomorrow. Just in case.”
Oh, that wasn't good. Hopefully Zenix wouldn't have to stay? He'd been too difficult. “be yourself.” Vylad was lying through his damn teeth. Zenix knew that sounded suspicious! He was being set up for failure. This whole thing depended on him being likeable enough to put up with long term. It hasn't even been a day and Garroth was already hopeful he could get rid of him before the next sunset. Oh he's sure Vylad must just be laughing his ass off right now at how stupid Zenix was to take him at his word.
Zenix sat up on the bed as he internally panicked trying to come up with the next course correction to fix this quickly sinking ship.
“So, what happens?” Zenix asked, "tomorrow."
“Well, I was hoping you'd tell me.” Garroth sat next to him, the cot dipping under his weight. “You weren't exactly forthcoming earlier. I can't help you get home if you don't tell me where that is.”
Zenix didn't want to think about home but just the word brought up unwanted raw memories of blood and bodies littering the ground. A massive dark canine beast prowling the remains of the village before coming to a stop and sniffing the air, then slowly turning until its eyes met his own.
Zenix let out a harsh breath and didn't even realize until there was a gloved hand settling on his shoulder, he whipped around to Garroth with wide eyes to find himself staring back into the unfeeling metal of his helm. Frustration and embarrassment bubbled under his skin, it wasn't fair that he was here humiliating himself and Garroth just got to sit behind that stupid helmet and leave Zenix helplessly guessing what he was thinking. He shouldered off the hand.
“Well keep guessing.” Zenix snapped and damnit he was supposed to be being likeable but now he felt like he was being flayed open, “what? Are you gonna ship me off to Brightport if you can't figure it out?”
“No,” Garroth said carefully, like he was talking to a highly reactive animal, “I just want to help you Zenix and I can't do that if you don't tell me anything.”
“Mm.”
“Can you tell me anything about your parents”
“Don’t have any.”
“What about the man you were staying with?”
“Auuuugh” Zenix dragged his hands down his face, he needed to nip this in the bud because he could tell now it would keep cropping up if he didn't do anything about it. “He kicked me out, what's there to talk about?”
“Well, how did you meet this man? Does anyone know you are, or were, traveling with him? Were you traveling with him willingly?”
“What??” Zenix felt that same antsy feeling he'd gotten back when Garroth was first interrogating him. Like there was something deeper he was fishing for that Zenix might be stupid enough to bite at because he didn't know what the hell was going on.
Garroth watched him patiently until it became clear that Zenix was too stunned to answer any of his questions.
“Zenix,” he said carefully, “you aren't in trouble, and even if at some point you were I don't care about that. I just care about making sure you're safe and that you…” Garroth hesitated like he was trying to find the best way to phrase it, “that nothing bad was happening before you arrived here.”
Oh.
Okay, yes. He did sort of imply that Gene was creepy in an entirely general sense but he didn't think it would be taken like this. The way Garroth was describing him made him sound scary. Like he was something Zenix was too naive to realize was dangerous. The idea threw him off, Gene was a lot of things and Zenix couldn't exactly say he was fond of the guy, but he’d attributed Gene's more negative traits to his position as an authority. Despite their issues, Zenix couldn't imagine that Gene would ever actually hurt him.
“Look,” he knew this had to be good. Something to end this line of questioning and assure Garroth that while yes he was displaced, he wasn't previously or currently in any sort of danger that needed investigating. "He's not just some guy. He’s my brother.”
Zenix didn't have a brother, and the thought of being related to Gene was unappealing to say the least, but the familial connection would make the whole situation look a little bit better. If Gene was somewhat responsible for him but not really and fully within his rights to dump him off at a village once he proved himself too much trouble. That sort of already described their preexisting relationship.
Garroth paused to look at him for a long moment, "I thought you said you just met him?”
“Yeah I was uh, lying.” Zenix lied, "I know him, we just… don't get along.”
Garroth eased up, that seemed to do something to alleviate his nerves. But he still added, “I'm sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be. He sucks” Zenix snorted, “he uh- left when I ran into trouble in the market. Didn't want the hassle.”
“I see…” Garroth's voice was contemplative, Zenix felt sweat beginning to bead on his neck. He wondered how believable he sounded and was beginning to understand why he was told to avoid lying. He really wished that he'd just refrained from saying anything about Gene in the first place. Zenix had taken the opportunity to bad-mouth him because, whatever! It wasn't like he'd see this guy again! The whole situation he was in as a shadow knight was frustrating. Maybe he’d wanted to vent a bit to someone who had no context and no connections just to say something bad. It wasn't like it'd ever get back to Gene. Of course that wasn't how it went. “It's a small world Zenix.” smug insufferable-
“Is he going to come back?”
What? “Who?”
Garroth went silent and Zenix felt like he was being scrutinized, “your brother.”
“Ohhhh” stupid stupid stupid. “uh n-yes! Maybe. Uh. That's why I was… sticking around the woods. Yaknow, in case he comes back.”
Garroth pinched at the bridge of where his nose would be if there wasn't a helmet in the way and sighed, “well, you're not doing that. The woods can be dangerous, especially at night.”
“Right.”
“And,” he continued, “When your brother returns he will need to speak to a guard for questioning before you leave with him again.”
“Sure.” fat chance.
“In the meantime we'll need to find somewhere for you to stay long term. I can check with Dale and Molly, maybe even Donna, tomorrow we can see about setting you up with one of them-”
“No!” Staying in the guard house was more likely to lead to picking up information, shooting the shit with each other over a game of cards, talking in passing on where they're posted and why, complaining about assignments over breakfast. Zenix learned way more than he was probably supposed to know because of fellow guards talking about it loudly in the corridors back when he was an apprentice in Falcon claw. Of course, that didn't last long, and at the time Zenix didn't pay much attention to what was being said. But he knew that staying in the guard house was half the battle here. A family household came with rules and curfew and a closer eye on him than he wanted, something that would make slipping into the woods to confer with his fellow shadow knights more challenging. “I mean- I don't want to stay with them.”
Garroth sighed as he tilted his head, “Dale's not so bad. I know he teased you but Molly is very nice and Donna-”
“I mean that I want to stay here.” Zenix pushed.
“The guards quarters are hardly a comfortable place for a young boy.” Garroth said distantly like he was working out the logistics mentally, “The space is small and it doesn't smell particularly good. Dale and Molly have much more space and they have a boy of their own a bit older than you. It will make things more comfortable for you for however long you're here.”
Garroth wasn't really listening to him, and Zenix could feel he was fighting a losing battle, his chance slipping as Garroth convinced himself. He wracked his brain, trying to figure out what to do when he remembered something Vylad had suggested. An appeal to emotion. Said the guard might be swayed by mushy words, something heartfelt.
“I don't know them. I know you.” Zenix stressed, he didn't even need to fake the fidgeting, already embarrassed and sweaty enough to be anxiously wiping his palms on his pants.
That seemed to snap Garroth from his head and take him aback. He didn't say anything for several seconds until a nearly silent, “oh.” slipped from his lips. He'd said the word so softly that it couldn't have been meant for his ears, if it was even intentional.
“...Well, alright.” It wasn't clear if Garroth felt bad for him or just felt uncomfortable saying ‘no’ but there was a weight to his voice that wasn't there before. “If you're sure.”
“never sure-er” Zenix said flippantly, a swoop of relief gusting through him. He fell back on the bed feeling mentally exhausted.
Garroth got the message, “you should get some rest.” he said, standing up and hovering for a second like he wasn't sure what was acceptable before he gave up and walked to the door, dimming the oil candle on the desk to bathe the room in a gentler light, leaving long shadows to dance on the walls. He stepped out of the frame and held the handle. “Pleasent dreams Zenix.”
“Yep.” And the door shut behind him.
—
Despite what Garroth said, Zenix's dreams were not pleasant and it was somewhat of a relief when the sharp knock on the door broke him from them.
“There's some clothes out here for you.” Garroth called from the other side of his door, “the mess hall is at the end of the corridor. Come when you're dressed.”
Zenix gave a grunt in response which seemed to be enough to assure Garroth of his wakefulness as the sound of footsteps retreated down the hall. He dragged his hands down his face. Shaky and cold from sweating through his sheets. The sun hadn't even risen yet but there was no point in pretending he'd get any more sleep.
Zenix snatched the clothes from outside the door and shucked off his old ones. It was no great loss given they were disgusting after his trek through the woods but the new ones were a few sizes too big, swamping him so much that even after rolling up the pants they still dragged on the ground behind his boots. Zenix grumbled unhappily as he shoved the mustard-y yellow shirt beneath the waistband of gray slacks, feeling as though Garroth was doing him a great injustice as he buckled the belt.
He trudged down the hall trying to maintain some sense of dignity despite the sound of the cuffs of his pants chuffing the ground at each step, loudly announcing his arrival to the mess hall. It was an open room, long tables with matching benches filling most of the space with the exception of an open wall where a fireplace with a cauldron steaming over the embers filled the guard house with the starchy smell of boiled grain.
There was barely anyone there, one other guard looking half asleep over a bowl of porridge didn't even react to his presence while Garroth, already donned in his full set of armor, stood over the cauldron ladling out a bowl of the stuff. He caught Zenix’s eye,
“They’re a little big.”
Zenix glanced down at himself and then back up to shoot a glare, “oh really?”
“They’re Dale's son’s.” Garroth explained, “Ones he grew out of. He's only a few years older than you, I thought…” Garroth trailed off but Zenix knew what he wasn’t saying. The clothes weren't that big, but Zenix wasn't exactly meeting size standards for his age. Years of barely scraping by left him stunted, he'd applied for the Falcon claw guard in the first place because that's what you did when you were too poor to eat. A guard house provided warm food, a wage, and a roof over your head. Things that weren't guaranteed at home. He’d hoped that a few years of steady meals and training would bulk him up a bit, not that any of that really mattered anymore.
Garroth ladled another scoop into his bowl and handed it to Zenix, “well, in any case, eat that. You have a long day ahead.”
Zenix wondered if he should be offended by that before deciding that if Garroth wanted to condescendingly feed him, it still resulted in him getting extras, so who cares.
The porridge was fine and Garroth assured him he wasn't the one to make it for some reason. When he finished the bowl, Garroth asked if he wanted seconds and now he decided was the right time to be offended. At his response Garroth dropped it, but mentioned off-handedly that there was always something to eat in the mess hall and he was welcome to it. Ughh.
“What do you mean long day?” Zenix asked as he reached over to swipe Garroth's bowl because that at least was a dignified way of getting seconds, though Garroth made absolutely no move to stop him.
“Well, you did steal from the market,” Garroth said, “it's only right you give back to the village while you're here.”
Zenix paused mid bite, "you're kidding.”
He shrugged, “I’m not much of a kidd-er”
Unbelievable. “You're seriously gonna make me do community service?”
“I think it is an apt punishment.” Garroth said self importantly, “It's hardly a punishment at all. Besides, you'll need something to keep you occupied all day. Oh, don't give me that look.”
Great. Now he was doing manual labor. Good to see his circumstances haven't changed a bit from Gene's mandatory grunt work. He suddenly remembered he was supposed to be listening out for information about the lord and wondered how well he'd be able to do that while doing chores, “I have other stuff to do.” he said too fast.
Garroth tilted his head, “no you don't."
Zenix didn't even bother arguing because he had no idea what he'd say. He sulked into Garroth's porridge, which now looked considerably less appetizing.
Garroth huffed lightly, "It's not forever. And it will help you make a better second impression on the village. Given we don't know how long you're staying, it'd be best to warm up the community.”
Garroth was probably right. Gene had said something about word traveling fast in a small village like this. Being seen as the scrappy kid you couldn't trust your wares around would do him no favors. Besides, if word really traveled as fast as gene implied, there was a chance he'd pick up something anyways even if he wasn't around the guards station all day to hear gossip. Which, he supposed, might look pretty suspicious if he did it for too long.
“Fiiiine whatever.” Zenix relented, being seen as helpful would also probably go a ways towards building the likeability he lost making Garroth chase him around. Sometimes it was best to take the path of least resistance. “But I'm not cleaning outhouses or killing rats or anything gross like that.”
Garroth chuckled, “Are you something of an animal lover?”
“No.” Zenix didn't have anything against animals, or at least not most of them, but he preferred to keep his interaction with them to a minimum. No point in getting attached to something that would die before him or become a meal. But in this case, “rats are just gross.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Garroth said. Zenix couldn't see it on his face, but Garroth's shoulders relaxed. He seemed relieved that Zenix was willing to work with him on some level. “Just, one more thing. If anyone questions your presence here, please direct them to me, I’ll take care of it.”
That had Zenix raising his eyebrows, “are people going to do that?”
“They shouldn't." Garroth replied but Zenix didn't like the lack of conviction in his tone, “however people can be… nosey. If anyone gives you trouble about it, tell them that I am in charge of you and I am more than willing to discuss any issues they may have if they come by the guard house.”
Oddly enough the assurance made Zenix feel a little safer, Garroth was essentially acting as a safety net for him. By taking personal responsibility for Zenix it meant no big decisions about him could be made in Garroth's absence. That, and it probably prevented the matter from being taken higher up to the head guard or lord.
“Sure.” Zenix agreed, “Is there anyone I should worry about?” he snickered conspiratorially, but he was only half-joking. Mostly Zenix wanted to know who to look out for.
“Don’t worry about it.” Garroth said evasively, which meant he definitely had someone in mind, “nothing should happen, this is only a precaution.”
It irked him that Garroth wouldn't spill any more details but he figured that was probably as much of a heads-up as he'd get. “Yeah if anyone gives me trouble I’ll tell them to take it up with the complaints department.” he smirked and shot finger guns at Garroth who gave no response. “That's you.” he added, in case it wasn't clear.
“Yes I gathered.” he said monotonously and what little appreciation Garroth had garnered for himself by offering to take responsibility for him was quickly soaked up by Zenix's disdain for being stuck chained to a humorless brick wall.
He supposed that he'd just have to grin and bear it. Though he longed for someone who was at least easier to read. Zenix suppressed the urge to roll his eyes in annoyance as he kept up the same level of pep, “So,” he crossed his arms on the table and leaned forward, “where am I being delegated to?”