Clean up and eat

He washed off his sweat and the smell of sex. When he made his way back to his bedroom, she was sitting up up, smiling shyly as he entered the room. He waited for her to wash up as well, lying back on the bed, letting his mind wander.

She returned naked, apparently content to let him see her body. He noted with interest she naturally went for a dress, the one she wore the first day they met, rather than the men's clothing she arrived in last night. Sure, those were dirty from a day of sleeping rough, but something told him she might well never wear any of her old clothes again. When she was ready, they left for breakfast in a small nearby tavern.

They discovered they were both famished. They shared a conspiratorial grin when they both realized the exertion of the past day was probably the reason why. Thankfully, it was still early, the place was quiet, and so their food arrived quickly. The next quarter of a bell was spent devouring enough food to feed half a company, only occasionally interrupted by a wordless murmur of appreciation.

Lucas finished his food first and sat back to enjoy a cup of tea. He enjoyed watching her eat, which she did as if she hadn't in days. Which, he realized with a start, might well be accurate.

A middle-aged Human man wearing a white apron approached the table. Two dozen cycles of military service made Lucas automatically size him up. He was fat, but something in his stride told him this man was the reason this tavern didn't have or need a bouncer.

"Good morning, sir, madam. I hope everything is to your satisfaction?"

Eldwyn nodded enthusiastically, having just stuffed her mouth with a pastry.

"As you can see," Lucas laughed.

The man smiled in genuine delight. "That's good to hear. Good to hear. Always happy to have my work appreciated. Name's Willem, cook and proprietor of Old Andrew's."

"I'm Lucas, and that's Eldwyn."

Eldwyn gave as much of a bow as she could while sitting and mumbled something that might've been "pleased to meet you, sir."

"The pleasure is all mine. All mine," Willem replied, still smiling.

Four Elven workmen entered the tavern and began ordering at the counter.

"Ah, I better get back to the kitchen. If there's anything else you need, don't hesitate to—"

"Actually, there is one thing," Lucas interrupted before the man turned away. "Do you have any rooms free?"

Willem pursed his lips. "Nothing for couples, I'm afraid, just a single."

"That's perfect," Lucas said reassuringly. "It's just for her, not me."

"Oh?"

Lucas was on his guard. "It's bit of a long story, I don't want to waste your time. I'll be happy to pay in advance, though. How does a week sound?"

Willem's expression immediately lit up. "That sounds terrific, terrific. See that redheaded woman at the bar? Her name is Mirre, she handles the rooms. Talk to her, she'll see you settled. I hope you enjoy your stay, miss."

Eldwyn had finally conquered the pastry. "Thank you, sir, and I apologize for speaking with my mouth full, that was quite rude."

"That's quite all right, miss, and might I say, it's pleasant to meet such a polite young woman like yourself. Very pleasant."

He smiled once more and then turned and disappeared into the kitchen.

As Eldwyn somehow still wasn't sated, Lucas took the opportunity to sort out her room. The woman Willem had pointed out, Mirre clearly didn't care for small-talk. A dozen words later and a few silver coins lighter, he returned to Eldwyn.

He placed the key in front of her. "All yours."

She eagerly grabbed it. "Thank you. Truly. I... I don't know what to say. I'll pay you back, I promise."

"No need for that, I'm happy to help out," Lucas said. "That said, I won't have you laying around like a lazy slouch, you hear?"

"Yes, sir," Eldwyn said, lowering her gaze in a perfect gesture of submission.

Lucas sighed. "I didn't mean that to come out so harshly. I keep reverting back to my army manners, but you're not one of my soldiers to order around. I'm sorry."

"I... I don't mind. I mean, uh, I kind of like it."

"I know you do," Lucas said with a grin, causing her cheeks to redden. "But that's when we're... playing. This is life, it's different."

"I guess."

There was a long silence, then she spoke up again. "We... we could play now? I mean, if you wanted, sir..."

"You'd like that, my little slut, wouldn't you?" Lucas asked in a low voice, leaning in a little closer.

A gasp escaped from her lips. "Y-yes, sir."

"Too bad," he said, abruptly leaning back again. "If you're going to stay here, we can't afford getting caught doing something... immodest. Maybe later. If you're a good girl."

"Yes, sir."

"Have you finished eating? All right, let's go pick up your things then."

Lucas led the way, and he waited outside for Eldwyn to catch up, before settling into a casual stroll back to his home.

"You were in the Human army?" Eldwyn asked.

"Yeah. I was honorably discharged after my second tour, last cycle. The army set me up with a generous pension, so I decided to settle down here."

"And... you fought against us... I mean, against Elves?"

Lucas cast her a sidelong glance. He could hardly deny it; the Human/Elf war had raged for over a decade, and the Human army had done little else but fight Elves in that time, only barely coming out on top in the end. "Yes, I did."

"So... do you hate us? I mean, Elves?"

He was silent for a while. "I did, for a long time, but... look, war is dreadful. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise. They write tales and sing songs about skill and valor and brotherhood, but it's all bullshit. Battlefields aren't glorious, they're chaotic and terrifying.

"When the lines meet and an enemy lunges at you, there's no time to think about lofty ideals or glory, you can only defend yourself and the comrade to your left. But after the battle is over, when you walk the field to look for survivors, the stench of **** is everywhere, and the cries of the wounded drown out everything else.

"At some point, I don't even remember after which battle it was, there were two men dying side by side, and I couldn't tell which of them was Elven and which was Human. They were terrified and begged for help, their faces ghastly white. I realized it could just as easily have been me, bleeding out in the mud, and one of them standing over me, wondering what to do with me."

He scratched the scar on his left cheek absentmindedly. "I did my duty, and if I had to do it all over again, I would, but I don't waste my energy on hatred any more."

"I'm sorry," Eldwyn whispered.

Lucas laughed harshly. "Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything."

"No, I mean, I'm sorry you had to go through that. I wish... I wish it hadn't happened."

"It can't be helped," he replied, forcing himself to shrug. "I guess it worked out for Humans in the end, though. Well, for those of us who survived, anyway. What about you? Did you grow up in Holm?"

"We had an estate on the eastern road, a dozen miles away. We came here sometimes, but not often. My father kept busy overseeing the farmers and my mother was in charge of the household and organized parties and the like."

"So you're a noble?"

"I guess. My father used to brag he could trace back his ancestry a thousand cycles, but he was—is—only a baron. Still, my family had a bit of land for as long as anyone can remember.

"After the war, the estate was confiscated and we had to move to Holm. They hated it, but with the Humans now in charge of all Elven lands, there was nothing they could do about it. Losing our wealth and status changed them, especially my father. He became even stricter, always going on about how Elves would take back what was rightfully ours, but it's all talk, he never does anything about it."

"What about your mother?" Lucas asks after a moment, "Does she share his views?"

"I just to think so, but now I don't really know. She doesn't really talk about that sort of thing, she just falls into step with whatever my father wants," Eldwyn said bitterly. "She always does."

Lucas grunted. He was about as far from an Elven aristocrat as it was possible to get—the Human son of a lowly shoe cobbler and a common waitress—but he knew a little about their customs. Women were supposed to be chaste, quiet, and compliant, always putting the needs of their husband and children before their own. In his estimation, it was one of the reasons they had eventually lost the war, despite their technological superiority: unlike them, Humans had no problem enlisting women as soldiers—nor the luxury not to.

"I see," he said at last. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah. Me too."

They rounded the corner, turning into the street where Lucas' home was. The conversation—and the memories—had left a bad taste in his mouth, and he figured Eldwyn felt the same. He wracked his mind for something more pleasant to talk about, but his thoughts were interrupted by a cry from behind them.

"Eldrin!"

They both spun at the sound. A young Elven woman was running down the street towards them. A gasp came from beside him. All the color had drained from Eldwyn's face. She took a step back, but the woman had already caught up to them. She came to a halt in front of them.