Heart of a Monster

A cool breeze could be felt gently passing by Aridean as she sat in the wagon. Her mane danced in the flowing air as it whistled quietly in her ears. Creaking wood from the wagon wheels could be heard as they rolled over dirt and the occasional pebble as well as the clop of the horse hooves that drew said wagon along the road. Many large and dark clouds could be seen throughout the sky overhead. There were trees sparsely rooted to either side of the trail the wagon moved past, but more impressive was the snowy mountainside on the northern horizon.

Within Aridean’s hands was a detailed map of the northern reaches of the Empire. Carefully surveying the map, she used a worn pencil to make notes regarding the wagon’s trip along the northern trails. Many annotations regarding direction and distance lined the outer reaches of the map page while some crude, but obvious, symbols marked the landmarks that the wagon had passed on its journey.

Vidor sat across from her, sleeping on the wagon floor with a folded blanket under his head acting his pillow. Quiet snoring indicated he was in a deep slumber; Aridean assumed he was exhausted after having to be the night watch the previous evening. At the head of the wagon sat Rana, who kept the horses moving forward. She herself made no noise, but the slosh of water from her canteen could be heard as she took a swig.

Nothing about the group seemed out of the ordinary as they traveled along the long road on this average autumn afternoon. The group had been traveling north-east for about three days now and were hoping to finally reach their destination before the weather became unfavorable.

“Hmm? Oh no,” Aridean moaned quietly. Her sudden disappointment was the product of observing a small streak of water moving down her map parchment. Worried that the page may become destroyed if it were to become too soaked, Aridean quickly folded the map up and put it into her bag. With her navigation tool now safely sheltered from the oncoming rain, Aridean moved to the front of the wagon with Rana.

Rana put the cap back on her canteen as Aridean sat down beside her. She wiped her mouth of a small water spill before giving Aridean a friendly smile, which Aridean returned with one of her own. Aridean noticed Rana’s eyes shift downward slightly.

“Uh, R-Rana? M-my eyes are up here,” Aridean clumsily and nervously joked with a goofy grin. Rana snorted before responding.

“Heh, good to see you finally decided to open up a bit. I was just looking at that necklace is all,” Rana replied in her usual sweet and friendly tone.

“Are you okay with it? Vidor mentioned that it belonged to your mother after all,” Aridean said, clutching the necklace in one hand. Her thumb ran across the back of the smooth ivory and her fingers felt the cool, but shiny, ruby on the front.

“I think it looks good on you. But I will admit I was a bit surprised that you two got along so well the other night. Aridean, you know it would have been alright to have just said you weren’t ready,” Rana answered sounding a little more serious.

“I never worked up the courage to tell Jean how I felt about him. I didn’t want to miss my second chance, especially since you had already told me that Vidor felt something for me. Maybe I did rush things the other night, but I honestly haven’t felt this happy in quite some time,” Aridean confessed with shy, but sincere, enthusiasm. Rana looked at Aridean for a moment with a thoughtful expression before giving a friendly smile.

With eyes on the road, the two female minotaurs sat together without another word. Many dark clouds were starting to fill the sky overhead and a cool breeze could be felt blowing westward. Much to their dismay, Aridean and Rana began to feel the cold and wet feeling of rain pouring down on them. A slight drizzle had greeted the team as they reached the top of a knoll where they were also able to see their destination. Their goal was to meet with a contact regarding Empire activity in an eastern town called Byrden.

“It’s been a while since I’ve come out this way. I wonder if that bakery is still open, it had some wonderful cakes you should try,” Rana mentioned as she tried to take her mind off the rain that was starting to come down on the wagon.

“I’d like to just get out of the rain. You said there’s an inn here that allows minotaurs, right? We should probably look for our contact there… before we go cake shopping,” Aridean suggested, clearly not trying to avoid thinking about the poor weather. Rana let loose a disappointed sigh.

“Yes, you’re right. But we are not leaving without getting something from the bakery should it still be there,” Rana replied.

“Yes, Captain,” Aridean said as the two shared a short laugh.

Although their destination was in sight, so too was a solid mile stretch of road between them and Byrden. Slowly but surely, the drizzle that had greeted the group of minotaurs was transforming into a steady rainfall. Aridean moved to the back of the wagon again and opened a chest. Within the chest were all sorts of helpful tools and items, but Aridean went digging through the random things for something in particular. Near the bottom of the chest, she found some well-folded raincoats. Aridean handed one coat to Rana and the two were quick to protect themselves from the rain.

Still rooting through the chest, Aridean pulled out a large tarp. She turned to the sleeping Vidor with the tarp in hand. Working as quickly and quietly as she could, Aridean spread the tarp over Vidor to cover him from the rain as well.

“Thanks,” came Vidor’s voice as his body shifted position on the wagon floor to face Aridean. Startled, Aridean nearly fell backwards out of the wagon as she jumped back. She wondered how long he had been awake as he had never opened his eyes.

“Y-you’re awake? I-I’m sorry, was I too loud?” Aridean asked after composing herself from the scare she had suffered.

“No, you’re fine. Y’know, a lot of people find the sound of rainfall to be relaxing when they’re trying to sleep. But I guess those people aren’t sleeping in the rain,” Vidor answered as he opened his tired, bloodshot eyes. “Getting to that inn sounds like a great plan.”

Vidor rose from the wagon floor and draped the tarp he was wrapped in over his head and shoulders. After a loud and drawn-out yawn, he gave his usual friendly smile albeit with obvious drowsiness in his eyes.

Rain continued to lightly fall around the trio as they moved in the direction of a darkened sky full of rain clouds. Puddles were starting to form on the road the wagon rolled along and the patter of rainwater drowned out the creaking of the wooden wheels. Fortunately, thunder and lightning did not make an appearance until the team finally reached the town they were headed toward.

“Welcome to Byrden; now where was that inn again?” Rana announced as she began surveying the buildings that lined the sides of the road. As expected, only a few people were out and about as it seemed a storm was coming soon.

“The map I was looking over said it should be on this side of to—there it is,” Aridean exclaimed as she pointed out a large, brick building that was down a side road. Over the double doors at the front of the building was a sign that read ‘Tranquility Inn’. Tranquility Inn was actually a large chain of inns and taverns throughout the Empire, some locations allowed minotaurs with varying degrees of reluctance. Beside of the inn was a fair sized stable with a few horses and a single wagon kept out of the rain. Rana pulled on the reins of the horses drawing the wagon and got them to turn toward the stable. Soon enough, the group was out of the rain and disembarking from their now soaked wagon.

“Alright, you two collect your things and feed the horses while I get us a room,” Rana said as she began walking toward the front door of the inn. Vidor slowly and lazily slung his bag over his shoulder and began moving toward the front of the wagon with his eyes shut. Aridean managed to catch Vidor as he began falling toward the ground; it seemed that he was still too tired to do much of anything. With haste, Aridean moved to take care of the horses herself, not only because they reminded her of the sheep on Simon’s farm, but also so Vidor could focus on just standing up.

“Sorry about that. Haven’t been this out of it for a while,” Vidor spoke as Aridean lead the horses to a nearby post with dry hay spread out. “H-huh? What was…?”

“Hmm? Is something wrong?” Aridean asked, turning back to her friend who seemed to be a bit more alert than he had a moment ago. Vidor was looking in every direction, as if he were being hunted by something.

“It just felt like something rubbed up against my leg a moment ago… am I just so tired that I’m imagining things now?” Vidor answered while stretching and letting loose another yawn. Aridean approached the yawning minotaur and looked over his legs. She could not find anything out of the ordinary on Vidor. Perhaps he did just imagine having been brushed. Aridean was aware that a lack of sleep could mess with senses but this was her first time witnessing it.

Something that did catch Aridean’s eye, however, was something on the ground beside where Vidor was standing. In the damp soil beside both Vidor and the wagon was a footprint. What was peculiar about the print was that it did not belong to one of the minotaurs as it was not a hoof. Strangely enough, there were no other footprints like this one around the wagon.

“Hey… did you see anybody else out here? This footprint wasn’t here when we got out of the wagon, was it?” Aridean asked as she knelt down to look over the print in the dirt a bit better. She could have sworn that the ground around the wagon had been completely smoothed when the team arrived.

“Huh? Uh… I don’t really know. To be honest, I just blacked out a little bit and only just remembered why I’m wearing a tarp,” Vidor answered with a tired laugh. Aridean looked over the footprint for another few seconds with curiosity. As she stood back up, Rana emerged from the inn and gestured the two to join her inside. Taking Vidor’s hand in her own, Aridean led the barely conscious minotaur into the inn.

Finally out of the rain, Vidor removed the tarp that kept his clothes dry as Aridean and Rana stripped their raincoats. After removing her coat, Aridean looked around the inn lobby with a bit of awe. The walls were smooth, clean, and well painted; further they were adorned with various pictures of popular and historical figures and a plaque stating the Tranquility Inn’s business statement. A well-kept reception desk was staffed by a single man who was quietly reading from a book. However, the man did give a courtesy nod to the group that had just entered his lobby. His expression told Aridean that he did not seem pleased to see minotaur guests, but not necessarily disgusted as she would have assumed either.

Beyond the walls and reception desk, Aridean also took note of a warm fireplace across from reception. Before the fire were several chairs and couches surrounding a small table upon which sat a checkerboard. Two dwarven guests seemed to be thoroughly invested in a game of checkers at the moment.

There were large bay windows on both sides of the front door to the inn. Rain was coming down steadily outside. Loud splashing could be heard from outside as the heavy rainwater struck the windows and added to large puddles.

Aridean also took note of the doorway on the far side of the lobby. It seemed to lead into a dining room of some sort as several patrons were seated at homely looking tables and eating a late dinner. Another doorway was found on the other side of the reception desk with a sign reading room numbers on it. Presumably, that doorway led into a hallway where the guest rooms were located.

“Wow… I’ve never been to an inn before. I had no idea they were so fancy,” Aridean could not help but say out loud.

“Us? Fancy? Pfft,” came the receptionist, quietly after having heard Aridean’s comment. Aridean got the feeling that the man had not meant to be as loud as he had been as he did not seem intent on elaborating further.

“Okay, we’ve arrived in Byrden and gotten ourselves a room. We are upstairs in room two-oh-three. Aridean, could you make sure Vidor gets there and gets to bed? I’ll meet you in the dining room for dinner after I speak with the receptionist a bit more,” Rana announced as she handed Aridean the group’s room key. Aridean looked over the small metal key which had a paper tag attached to the key loop. Written on the tag was the number ‘203’.

“Wait, I can get myself to our room. I’m not dying or anything, I’m just sleepy,” Vidor said with a slight hint of defiance toward his sister’s plan. Rana’s expression displayed her annoyance at her brother’s stubborn and childish outburst.

“Vidor, you haven’t had more than an hour of sleep in over two days now. Your eyes aren’t even open and you’re not even facing Aridean or me; you’re talking to a coat rack,” Rana explained to her confused brother. Vidor’s eyes shot open wide and he took a minute to process that he was, indeed, attempting to hold a conversation with a coat rack.

“Uh… okay, Aridean, could you help me to our room?” Vidor asked as he tried to quickly put his embarrassment behind him. Both Rana and Aridean gave a quiet giggle. Aridean took Vidor by the hand again and began to lead him toward the guest room hallway. As they began making their way toward the staircase at the end of the hallway, Aridean could hear Rana speaking with the receptionist.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been to Byrden; is the Honey Drop Bakery still open?” Rana could be heard asking, her voice growing quieter as Aridean and Vidor moved down the hall. Aridean snorted while rolling her eyes as Rana’s conversation became too quiet to hear behind her.

I thought we agreed to finding our contact first… well, she at least waited long enough for us to get out of the rain, Aridean thought to herself as she continued to pull Vidor along. The duo reached the end of the hallway and proceeded into the stairwell, where they climbed up the flight of well-polished, wooden stairs. The clop of their hooves and Vidor’s yawning drowned out the quiet creak of the stairs beneath them.

Upon reaching the second floor, Aridean pulled Vidor through the hallway. On both sides of the well-kept and tidy hall were a number of doors to guest rooms. Small plaques on the doors indicated the room number. Nearing the opposite end of the hallway, Aridean and Vidor found room 203. Aridean slipped the key Rana had given her into the lock and turned. A loud click that signaled the lock was undone was heard. Aridean removed the key from the lock, turned the doorknob, and pushed the door open.

Aridean took a moment to take in the guest room that the team would be staying in. It was a fairly small room, especially for a trio of minotaurs. However, it still managed to fit two beds which shared a single nightstand and oil lamp. There was also a single dresser and couch in the room. Currently, the only light in the room came from outside through the single window in the room. Unfortunately, that light would not last much longer as it was getting late and storm clouds were obscuring most sunlight already.

Vidor, on the other hand, immediately moved toward the closest bed in the room. The minotaur fell face first onto the mattress without a word, solely the sound of his body landing on the springy mattress.

“Vidor? Don’t you want to at least put your things down? Uhm… Vidor?” Aridean asked her sluggish companion. The only response Aridean received was the sound of snoring as Vidor had already fallen asleep with a leg and arm hanging off of the bed.

I mean, I’m not surprised, but I thought he’d at least put his stuff down first, Aridean thought to herself as she moved closer to her now practically comatose friend. Gently and quietly, Aridean took Vidor’s bag from his back and set it on top of the room’s dresser. She then pulled the blanket on the bed out from under Vidor. With just a little effort, Aridean managed to reposition the dozing minotaur on the bed in what looked to be a more comfortable arrangement. Finally, she pulled the blanket over Vidor’s body, leaving only his head exposed on a pillow at the head of the bed.

“Mnn… sis,” Vidor sheepishly called out as he stirred under the blanket. Aridean quietly giggled after hearing his sleep-deprived moaning.

“I didn’t know he talked in his sleep… but if anyone would, he would,” Aridean said to herself as she moved toward the room door.

“Mnn… Rana… not now,” Vidor quietly complained, which elicited more, hushed laughter from Aridean. “… asked Aridean on another date.”

He even dreams of spending time with me? Maybe Mikali is right to think he may be a bit obsessed. But… I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me feel a little special. Thanks Vidor, Aridean thought with a warm smile on her face. With her friend resting in their guest room, Aridean exited back into the hallway.

Outside room 203, Aridean took her room key and locked the door behind her. She made her way back toward the stairwell at the end of the hallway. Again, the creaking of the wooden stairs was drowned out by the clop of her hooves as they fell upon each step. On the first floor again, Aridean returned to the lobby where the dwarves by the fireplace were finishing up their checkers match. One seemed unusually jovial while the other was fuming with rage, Aridean assumed their game did not end well for the angered dwarf.

Turing back to the reception desk, Aridean noticed that neither the clerk nor Rana were where she left them.

I guess she’s already in the dining room? May as well take a look inside, Aridean considered. The minotaur moved toward the inn’s dining room, keeping a wide berth from the enraged dwarf as he moved toward the hall to his room. Peeking her head inside the around the doorway from the lobby into the dining room, Aridean could smell some delightful meals and observed a handful of guests partaking of said meals. It took a moment of surveying the room before Aridean managed to locate Rana as she was being served her dinner. Just before Aridean could begin walking toward her friend, Rana had noticed her and started waving her over.

“There you are. I’ve already ordered us both dinners. Vidor wasn’t too much trouble, was he?” Rana asked as Aridean sat down at her table.

“I think he was asleep before he even hit the bed,” Aridean replied as she looked at the dinner Rana had ordered for her. It was a vegetable soup of some kind. Perhaps not her first choice, but it seemed fitting given the poor weather conditions outside.

“I hope you like soup. Sorry, but they ran out of pork and I know you don’t eat lamb,” Rana spoke as she began to collect a spoonful of her soup. Steam was still rising off the liquid’s surface as she dumped the spoon into her mouth. Her eyes lit up as she quickly grabbed her water glass, signaling to Aridean that it may be a bit on the warm side.

“I haven’t had good soup in a while, but I may wait a minute for it to cool. Anyways, did you manage to figure anything out regarding our business here?” Aridean asked as she began swirling her soup with a spoon. Rana took a moment to wipe her mouth with a napkin before responding.

“Well, we actually arrived earlier than I had anticipated. Our meeting is scheduled two days from now. However, the weather could delay our friend’s arrival,” Rana explained with a serious tone and hushed voice despite the dining room having been mostly cleared out. “In the meantime, we need to do everything we can to not draw attention to ourselves. While no one has any reason to suspect us of anything, we are still a group of minotaurs. That alone will set off some people these days. You remember the plan should anyone approach with questions, yes?”

“If anyone asks, I’m your little sister and we’re just stopping by on a pilgrimage to rest and gather some supplies,” Aridean answered, finally taking her first taste of the soup she had been served. It was still quite hot, but it certainly had a delightful taste despite being a bit on the salty side.

“Heh, after the last two years together, I do think of you as a little sister regardless,” Rana responded with a smirk and her sweet, older-sister tone of voice. Aridean was a bit surprised by Rana’s statement, but smiled, nonetheless.

“Well, what are we to do with two days? Hmm… I guess you want to visit the Honey Drop Bakery, right?” Aridean asked with a sly smirk on her face.

“You heard me talking to the receptionist, huh? Well, I know we agreed to take care of business first, but since we have the time…” Rana answered. Aridean wondered if Rana’s plan all along was to arrive early enough to allow her time to get her sweets fix before the team met up with their contact. Despite having shown herself to be caring and considerate, Aridean had found out Rana had a little bit of an obsession with sweets.

“Perhaps we will check out the bakery tomorrow,” Aridean said, now eating her adequately cooled soup. Rana’s eyes lit up, to which Aridean correctly assumed she was already trying to decide what she would try first when they get to the bakery.

The two minotaurs finished their meal without much more conversation. After finishing their soups, they decided it would be best to return to their room for the evening. Back in room 203, Vidor was still sound asleep on the bed that Aridean had left him on. However, he had stirred enough that his arm was hanging off of the bed again. Given there were only two beds in the room and one was already taken, Aridean elected to sleep on the couch. Although Rana offered the remaining bed, Aridean firmly insisted that she’d be fine with this arrangement. Having said their goodnights, Rana turned off the lamp on the room’s nightstand and the guests went to sleep.

“Hey, Aridean, wake up,” Vidor said, gently shaking Aridean’s shoulder.

“Huh? Wha--?” Aridean responded as she took a moment to collect herself. She took a few deep breaths and could feel herself shaking for some reason.

“Are you doing alright? You were tossing and turning a lot in your sleep,” Vidor asked with concern in his voice. Aridean felt embarrassed; another bad dream had made Rana or Vidor worry again. Having composed herself a bit, she put on the best smile she could manage.

“Oh, sorry. I-I’m fine, just a bad dream is all,” Aridean answered. Her words rang hollow however as Rana seemed to see her visibly shaking on the couch in their guest room.

“Are you sure it was just a bad dream? It must have hit hard, you’re still shaking,” Rana commented sounding gravely serious. “If something is wrong, you know I want to hear it.”

Aridean focused all of her willpower into getting her body to stop shaking as she sat up on the couch. She did not want to talk about her bizarre nightmares with Rana or Vidor, they would likely just worry more. Even so, Aridean also considered talking it through. But if she did, how would they help her anyway? Maybe talking it out would not be a bad idea, but Aridean doubted it would stop the recurring nightmares where a knight in armor came for her with a bloodied blade drawn.

Last night’s dream was especially alarming: not only did the knight make his appearance again, but Aridean had been cornered in an unfamiliar, empty room. She saw as the blade was thrust into her leg and felt the pain of it being twisted and yanked back out.

“I’m fine, really. Just got a bit spooked is all,” Aridean said, forcing a smile she hoped would convince Rana and Vidor that everything was alright. Truth be told, she still had no idea why she continued to suffer the appearance of the intimidating knight in her dreams.

“Uhm… if you say so…” Vidor responded, not sounding entirely convinced despite Aridean’s best efforts. Rana remained silent but looked Aridean up and down with a slightly disappointed expression on her face. She was not quite certain as to why but Aridean felt shame and guilt just from being the subject of Rana’s gaze.

The trio began to prepare themselves for the day without further discussion regarding Aridean’s restless sleeping. Throughout the room, the clop of hooves on hard wood could be heard as the inhabitants moved to make their beds and sort out their bags and gear. Vidor, however, was forced out of the room by Rana while she and Aridean changed into fresh clothes. Once all the day’s preparations had been made, Rana called for attention.

“Alright, so we are all aware that our contact won’t be arriving until tomorrow. In the meantime, we have ourselves some downtime. While it is still a bit wet out, the rain has at least stopped. Being team leader, it is by my order that we will be visiting the Honey Drop Bakery as soon as possible,” Rana announced. Aridean was almost certain that she saw a droplet of saliva run down Rana’s lips at the mention of the bakery. Vidor visibly rolled his eyes at Rana’s ‘orders,’ but did not object. Both Aridean and Vidor knew it would likely be a fruitless endeavor to try and persuade Rana otherwise.

Having made their morning plans, Rana led the group out of their guest room with excitement and anticipation painted upon her face. Vidor and Aridean followed closely behind, Aridean stopped only to lock their room back as they left. The three proceeded down the hallway to the stairs, descended the quietly creaking steps, and made their way back to the lobby of the inn. In the lobby, Aridean noticed that a different receptionist was behind the desk; a cheery-looking woman now attended the desk. What surprised Aridean was that the woman gave a polite smile and wave to the three minotaurs walking past on their way out of the inn.

I thought the only people who didn’t mind minotaurs lived in Stonehaven… I don’t know if I find it comforting or unsettling that there are humans who treat minotaurs with kindness out here. Even having friendly humans and elves around in Stonehaven just feels so… unreal, Aridean mused quietly to herself.

Outside of the Tranquility Inn, Rana stopped and reached into her bag. From her bag, Rana produced a map of the town which she quickly handed to Aridean.

“Alright navigator, what’s the quickest route to the bakery?” Rana asked with a short giggle. Aridean looked over the map and nearly instantly located both their current location and their destination.

“It looks like it’s just at the end of the main road we came in on yesterday… yeah, it’ll be the last building on our left,” Aridean answered after her quick survey of the map Rana provided.

“Well, we aren’t getting there just standing around, let’s get going,” Vidor commented.

All in agreement, the team began backtracking up the side road they took to get to the inn. Despite the rain having stopped at some point overnight, there were many puddles and most the dirt path was now mud. A thin fog had also rolled in, keeping the air around them moist but cool.

Not many townsfolk seemed to be out at the moment, to Aridean’s relief. As the group made their way down the main road, only on occasion did Aridean notice a citizen of the town. Only a single wagon, loaded with various surpluses of items, made its way down the road; Aridean presumed the wagon belonged to a traveling merchant given the vast stock and guardsmen riding the wagon. What shocked Aridean the most about the townspeople that she observed was that only a single child looked at the minotaur team as if they did not belong. However, the child’s stare could easily have been explained away as him not having or having rarely seen a minotaur.

“Are you okay? You keep looking around like something’s wrong,” Vidor asked having picked up on Aridean’s wandering gaze at some point. Aridean herself was caught a bit off guard by the question.

“Oh, sorry. Yes, I’m fine, it’s just… different from Thellia,” Aridean answered after deciding her words as delicately as she could.

At least in Thellia, I knew what to expect. That helped me prepare myself a little… not that it did much good. But here? It’s not at all what I had expected. I don’t expect them to be friendly like Jean. Not being scorned or hated, but actually being acknowledged as a living being by strangers is just… so unusual, Aridean internally explained to herself. She did not know how to explain it to Vidor or Rana as just describing it to herself sounded really weird.

“Well… okay then. If you say so. I hope it’s better than Thellia,” Vidor said while putting on a smile.

“Oh! I can smell the sweet rolls already!” Rana excitedly exclaimed while quickening her pace. Sure enough, Aridean and Vidor too could tell they were nearing the bakery by the smell of fresh baked sweets.

Just as Aridean said, the bakery was the last building along the main road on their left. It was a modest looking building, almost like someone’s home. A hanging sign by the door read “Honey Drop Bakery” and had the business’s logo on it: a dollop of honey being spread over a basket of rolls. Of course, the scent of delectable and decadent baked goods lingered around the store.

Upon entering the building, the group found themselves in a small front room that had several tables scattered throughout with no particular order or pattern. Many different baked goods were displayed on the tables. Breads, cookies, cakes, and more were spread all over the room be it on the display tables or shelves lined on the walls. On the far end of the room was a checkout desk, behind which sat an older and friendly looking dwarven woman. The only other customer in the store was, to Aridean’s surprise, the male receptionist from the Tranquility Inn. The man gave the group a token nod before returning to the bread selection in front of him.

“Where to start, where to start…” Rana said as she began perusing the various goodies she so desperately wished to try. Vidor rolled his eyes as his sister became fully absorbed in her sweets shopping. Ignoring the uncharacteristically excitable Rana, Vidor turned to Aridean with a smile.

“Well, she’s happy, but what do you want? My treat,” he asked.

“That’s sweet of you, but you don’t have to do that for me. Frankly, I feel I owe you after my two birthday surprises the other day,” Aridean replied. Vidor laughed a bit before responding. Rana had left the two by the front door as she moved through the store with a small paper bag she had pulled from the counter.

“Hey, that was your birthday… well, sort of. Anyways, this is just me wanting to do something nice for you. Don’t worry about it, you can treat me next time because I offered first this time around,” Vidor said with his usual goofy smile on his face. Aridean gave a quiet sigh, she knew Vidor was not going to let up. Having relented to his generous offer, Aridean smiled back and grabbed a paper bag of her own.

With Vidor, Aridean began looking around the shop. She did not plan on getting too much lest she feel she would be taking advantage of Vidor’s offer. Even so, she took a great deal of time trying to decide between honey buns and zucchini bread.

“Hmm… Jean always shared honey buns that his mother made with me, so getting these would be nostalgic… But Simon made zucchini bread once and I don’t think I’ve ever had anything more delicious,” Aridean debated. Vidor’s response to her deliberations was to, without a word, grab two honey buns and a large chunk of zucchini bread and put it in a paper bag he had collected. Aridean looked at him with stunned silence as he winked at her before heading for the checkout desk.

“Aridean, I can’t choose: lemon or angel food cake? I love the taste of lemon and putting it in a cake sounds like heaven but angel food is always a safe choice because of its soft and sweet texture,” Rana called out from behind Aridean. Aridean turned around to see that Rana was presenting her two options in each of her hands. However, Aridean had never tried either type of cake and really had no opinion one way or the other. Even so, it was clear that Rana was not about to let her go without voicing an opinion.

“Uhh… Rana? Do you have my wallet?” Vidor called from the checkout. Both Aridean and Rana turned to see Vidor rooting through his bag. Rana, having snapped out of her sweets-trance, looked to her brother with concern.

“Despite your laidback attitude, you’ve never forgotten anything such as your wallet. Did you leave it back at the inn or in the wagon?” Rana responded as she moved toward Vidor alongside Aridean.

“No… I could have sworn it was in my pocket, but it’s not there and I can’t find it in my bag either,” Vidor said, slinging his bag back over his shoulders. An audible sigh was heard coming from the male receptionist as he was walking with his own purchases toward the counter.

“She still up to her old tricks then?” The man seemed to ask without directly addressing anyone else in the shop.

“Uhm, I’m sorry, what?” Vidor asked the man as he reached into his own pocket to pull out a small coin pouch.

“You lot came into town late last night, right? And if I recall, you specifically were about half-dead from how tired you looked. Did you happen to see anyone else outside the inn with you?” Asked the man as he began counting coins from his pouch to pay for his own order.

“W-we didn’t see anyone else out there… but I did notice a footprint that belonged to someone that was not with us near our wagon,” Aridean chimed in nervously.

“Huh, even she still slips up on occasion. Been a while since anyone caught any trace of her,” the man said as he nonchalantly handed his coins over to the dwarven woman behind the counter.

“Don’t you think you’ve been draggin’ the kids on long enough, Dale? What he’s gettin’ at is that Byrden has a bit of a pickpocket runnin’ round,” the old dwarf explained as she took the man’s payment.

“I got pickpocketed?! Aw, dammit! I was saving up to get myself a new crossbow too…” Vidor disappointedly lamented as he looked over his current, well-used crossbow.

“Hey, calm down. This particular pickpocket is a bit weird. First, no one in Byrden knows why, but she’s only targeted minotaur visitors. Second, far as anyone knows, she doesn’t keep the money she steals,” the receptionist named Dale continued.

“She doesn’t keep it? How are you sure of that and where does she take it then?” Rana inquired as she placed her bag of sweets on the counter and pulled out her own wallet. Despite the peculiar situation concerning her brother, she was still able to focus on her satiating her sweet tooth.

“Well, it took a while to figure out, but she apparently donates every wallet she nabs to the church just up the road. Why? I don’t know. The pastor there is aware of where she gets the donations and is more than willing to return the stolen wallets to any of her targets,” Dale answered, having picked up his bag. He looked fully prepared to end the conversation then and there.

“U-uhm, if the town is aware of a thief, has no one done anything to stop her? A-also, do you know her name? You’ve just been referring to her as ‘she’ and ‘her’ this whole time,” Aridean anxiously asked the man who seemed entirely uninterested in further conversation.

“Well, Dale’s just been callin’ her ‘she’ n’ ‘her’ ‘cause no one knows her name. She just showed up one day, spendin’ most her time near or round the church. Perhaps Pastor Raltor knows the little lady’s name, but he hasn’t told anybody if he does,” the old dwarven woman jumped in as she accepted Rana’s coins. Rana, like Dale, also seemed entirely uninterested in the conversation as she began to bite into a moist looking muffin.

“Further, Byrden did put out wanted posters to put a stop to her when she first started her little charade. However, she picked up on that real quick and kept her head down for a while. It was during that time that the pastor must have found out that she was stealing money from minotaur folk like yourselves. In order to keep her out of stocks, the pastor agreed to returning any wallets the thief donates to the church. Almost as soon as the posters went away, the pickpocketing started back up, but again only to minotaurs. Far as I know, any victims after that have managed to get their money back, albeit annoyed by the inconvenience,” Dale explained, clearly growing more impatient. “Now if you’ll excuse me, nothing against you lot, but I’d like to get to enjoying my day off.”

“S-sorry to keep you. But thank you very much for the help,” Aridean said as the man turned and began walking toward the door.

“Yeah, thanks a lot, Mr. Dale,” Vidor called out as well. The man, without turning back around, waved his hand as though to say ‘don’t mention it’ as he exited the shop.

“Oh, don’t mind that Dale. He’s always been a bit rough round the edges with travelers. Bit ironic given he works the inn most days. Anyway, is there anything else I can do for you lot?” The friendly dwarven baker asked with a bright smile on her wrinkled face.

“Well… I was gonna get these, but I guess I gotta go to this church first to get my wallet,” Vidor answered. Unexpectedly, the shopkeeper began to chuckle at Vidor’s comment.

“Oh, you seem like good kids. Being that you got swindled, I’ll just let you have the honey buns on the house,” the dwarf kindly offered, much to Aridean and Vidor’s surprise. “Just don’t go tellin’ Dale or else he’ll expect freebies too!”

“Wow, really? Thank you so much,” Vidor replied with a goofy looking smile.

With their sugary-sweet breakfast in hand, the three minotaur customers waved goodbye to the kind dwarf as they exited the shop. Rana had finished the muffin she had started eating inside the bakery and was now savoring a piece of lemon cake with unbridled glee. Vidor handed Aridean one of the gooey honey buns that he had been given. The less sugar-crazed of the group simply enjoyed their individual treats in silence.

“Okay, okay. I’ve had my fix now and will start acting myself again. I believe we should go get Vidor’s wallet from that church before we do anything else,” Rana said as she licked her lips clean of any crumbs of cake. With mouths full of honey bun, both Vidor and Aridean just nodded their agreement. After thoroughly chewing, Aridean swallowed her snack.

“I think the map said that the church is just up the road here, just outside of town,” Aridean spoke after having finished her treat. She pointed further up the main road the three had walked to get to the bakery. Sure enough, there were several buildings outside the town proper further along the road. However, the church the team was looking for must be a bit further than anticipated as it was not readily visible from their current position.

“Well, I’m not getting my wallet back just sitting around here. You two comin’?” Vidor asked as he began walking up the road while chewing the last bite of his honey bun. Rana and Aridean followed behind him as the three made their way for the town’s church.

Walking along the road, there were several small homes on to either side. Nothing extraordinarily stood out about any of the houses the group passed on their way to the church. Many puddles were scattered about the yards and the road beneath was more mud than dirt because of the poor weather the previous evening. It was probably because of the muggy weather outside that many of the homes seemed so quiet; the inhabitants were likely sleeping in or just did not want to get out in case the rain came back.

Or they looked outside and noticed us walking by… Aridean thought to herself, a bit worried that she and her friends might be under surveillance from the windows of the mostly dark and quiet homes. She was unable to shake the feeling that the townspeople were eager to be rid of her and her friends despite the unexpectedly generous treatment they had received.

“Hey, Aridean, you grew up under a human’s roof and in a human village: did you ever go to a human church? I mean, we got one back home, but I’ve never had the patience to sit through any sermon or anything. What are they like?” Vidor asked as the church came into view as the group reached the top of a large hill.

“Well, Simon always said he wanted as normal a life I could get for me. He taught me about minotaur beliefs and spirits, but I wanted to follow his footsteps and started believing in the human faith anyway. Even so, we weren’t especially religious and Simon knew how uncomfortable church would be for me and everyone else. I’ve never actually attended a sermon before so I really couldn’t say. I-I’m sorry,” Aridean replied.

“No need to apologize, Aridean. Perhaps if they have a sermon today or tomorrow we could find the time to observe. It would certainly be an interesting experience for all of us,” Rana chimed in as the group reached the church.

Before the group was a solid white building surrounded by a small brick wall only broken by the road leading to the door. Between the wall and the building were several rows of bright and colorful assortments of flowers. Large windows lined the side faces of the church and above the double door entrance was a well-polished wooden cross.

Behind the structure was a gloomy looking graveyard entirely encompassed by a sturdy looking, iron fence. Many of the tombstones had flowers laid over them and there were a few people standing over some graves with flowers in hand. Just outside of the gate to the fence was a small wooden shack.

“So, this is the church. I hope that Pastor Raltor guy is here,” Vidor said walking up to the front door of the church. Aridean and Rana followed closely behind.

Vidor carefully pulled the door to the church open. Looking inside, the church was made of a single, large worship hall. Pews were neatly lined up, leading to the back of the room where an altar with various religious symbols were found. On the back wall was another wooden cross, this one had a dimly lit lamp shining down on it from the ceiling. Just beside the alter, reading from a book was a single man in white robes. Upon hearing the creak of the door, the man closed his book and looked toward his guests with a smile on his face. Age was apparent on the man as wrinkles stretched across his face and his hair was a shining gray.

His smile quickly faded when he noticed who his visitors were. An audible sigh could be heard from across the hall. After taking a moment for himself, the man began smiling again as he approached the three minotaurs at his door.

“Greetings, my horned friends. Normally I would like to ask if there is anything this humble servant of God could do for you today, but I suspect I am already aware of what you are here for,” the man spoke as he neared the group.

“Hi, I was told that Pastor Raltor could get me my wallet back. I only found out a little while ago that I apparently had it swiped yesterday evening. I was told it was brought here as a donation to the church,” Vidor said as he and the man shook hands.

“Yes, of course. Oh, forgive me, I am Pastor Raltor. Allow me just one moment while I fetch your coin pouch,” the pastor replied as he returned to the altar at the back of the room. Vidor turned to Aridean and Rana while the pastor was sifting through various boxes behind the altar.

“Seems like a friendly enough guy, but I’m guessing most church leaders are,” Vidor whispered.

“Still, I wonder why he allows that thief to bring in wallets. I wonder if asking him would tell us anything. I just find it odd that the thief only targets minotaurs; it’s not like we have notable wealth or nobility,” Rana added in a hushed voice.

“Do you think he knows much about her? The shopkeeper at the bakery said no one knows the thief and that the pastor hasn’t shared any information with the town if he does,” Aridean quietly reminded the other two.

“Well, it couldn’t hurt to ask, right? Even if he doesn’t know, we won’t lose anything. We didn’t have any plans today anyway, right?” Vidor concluded the group’s conversation as the pastor was making his way back to the front of the church with Vidor’s coin pouch in hand.

Vidor turned back around to the pastor as he reached the three minotaurs. Pastor Raltor presented Vidor’s coin pouch with a smile. Happily, Vidor accepted his coin pouch and quickly returned it to his back pocket. The clink of coins bouncing off one another could be heard with every jostle of the pouch as it moved from the pastor’s hand to Vidor’s pocket.

“Now that that’s out of the way, is there anything I might do for you travelers?” Raltor asked with a friendly smile across his wrinkled face.

“Well, we were kind of wondering what you could tell us about the pickpocket that brought my wallet in. Do you know what her deal is? The lady at the bakery in town said she just kind of showed up one day and spends most her time out here,” Vidor inquired. Pastor Raltor’s smile slowly faded as sorrow seemed to replace his content expression.

“I’m afraid I won’t say much for the sake of her privacy, I hope you understand. Just know that she’s been through a lot and has a lot to learn about the world. I’ve tried to get her to end her thieving ways, but she simply won’t listen to reason,” Raltor explained after having blown nearly all the air from his lungs.

“I’m sure she’s had her fair share of troubles in the past, but what compels her to target minotaurs? What exactly does she gain stealing from a passing minotaur? Furthermore, she is surely aware that you return her stolen donations,” Rana asked with curiosity.

“Isn’t it obvious, hooves?!” an angered voice came from the door to the church.

At the door stood a young lady covered in a large, blue cloak. Her head was uncovered, revealing long and golden hair that reached down just below her shoulders. The girl had bright, blue eyes and freckles sparsely dotted her nose. Aridean noticed that her hands had been clenched into tight fists and a furious scowl on her face expressed to Aridean that the girl was overcome with intense rage.

“It’s because you monsters took from me that I’ll just take from you. You monsters are the cause of the rebellion and all the fighting throughout the Empire,” the girl bitterly shouted.

“M-m-monsters?” Aridean repeated with a fearful tone as her eyes went wide. She could hear the insults from back home so clearly: eyesore, animal, savage, beast, creature, abomination, monster. Dread began to swallow her as her breathing quickened; memories of the hate she suffered in Thellia resurfaced. Vidor looked to Aridean with concern as she began to back away from the girl.

“Aridean? Are you okay?” Vidor asked, completely ignoring the insult from the girl.

“I-I can’t help it, I can’t… I-I’m sorry… please don’t…” Aridean quietly panicked as she began to curl up there in the church. Both Rana and Vidor were confused by the sudden and unexplained crisis that had overtaken Aridean. Frozen on the floor, Aridean began shaking and she could feel her heart beating in her chest at an alarming pace.

Even the girl looked confused by what she was witnessing as the anger in her expression seemed to vanish. Despite having made the insult, clearly the girl had not anticipated such a dramatic reaction. She was obviously taken by surprise to see one of the three minotaurs curled into a fetal position, shivering and quietly muttering to itself.

“Magdalene! These are our guests,” Raltor called from behind the three minotaurs. Now the girl in the church doorway could be seen biting her lower lip. Her eyes had drifted down toward the floor at her feet and her clenched fists seemed to loosen somewhat. Rana made a move toward Aridean who sat curled up beside the pew closest to the door. Rana wrapped her arms around the shaking minotaur in an effort to calm her down.

“You’ve upset my little sister. I understand that you have your prejudices against our kind, but why must you be so cruel to one of us that has done you no harm?” Rana snapped at the girl. Vidor looked at Rana in surprise.

“Sister? Oh, r-right,” Vidor whispered, having initially forgotten that their cover was to pretend the three were siblings on a pilgrimage.

“S-sis? I-I… uh…” the girl began in a much calmer tone before continuing with more aggression. “U-upset her? She’s almost three feet taller than me and carrying an axe that probably weighs more than I do! Someone like that is upset from hearing the truth?”

“Magdalene! Do you not remember our lessons? Do unto others,” Raltor exclaimed with a peculiar smile on his face.

“W-whatever,” the girl responded as she pulled the hood to her cloak over her head. Without another word, she turned and began to walk away. Aridean still sat panicking on the church floor as Rana was gently hugging her close and trying to shush her erratic breathing. Vidor also knelt down by Aridean and was trying to get her to just look him in the eyes.

“I do sincerely apologize for that. Magdalene has had traumatizing experiences with minotaurs. Please understand that I will say no more without her permission,” Raltor spoke after having heaved a weary sigh. Aridean’s shaking gradually began to slow and Rana began to help her stand up.

“Please understand that our sister has had her own share of trauma as well. Thank you again for your help, but if you’ll excuse us now,” Rana said to Raltor. After having finished her statement, Rana turned and began to lead Aridean out of the church. Vidor followed closely behind after having given Raltor a friendly wave and smile to say goodbye.

Rana had decided that the three would return to the inn for a while, at least until Aridean managed to calm down. Vidor seemed to agree as he had offered no objections, but the expression on his face was one of deep concern for Aridean. In truth, even Aridean was surprised by the sudden anxiety that had enveloped her in the church.

“I-I can’t help… being born like this,” Aridean quietly whispered to herself as she walked with Rana and Vidor back to the Tranquility Inn.