Receive your keep

It hadn’t taken him long to find a ship that was willing to take him to Navarre. For some compensation, of course. It was invigorating to go back home after so long, although his enthusiasm never really showed on his face. The journey was an easy one: the weather was decent and for once, there were no unexpected difficulties. They were ahead of schedule, which allowed them to remain in Sundarin for a few days before moving on towards Navarre. Once he saw the familiar mountains of the northern country rise up above them, he felt like he belonged once again. When he reached the border, he got off the ship. It was a decent hike until he reached the meeting point, but he didn’t mind too much. For a second, a tiny smirk played at his face when he noticed his employer. Neatly tucked in between two carriages. Sawyer approached him with a nod, not feeling the need for pleasantries. His eyes were immediately drawn towards the invisible border, then he looked back at the other man. “How are you going to do it?” he asked. As soon as he stepped across the border, he’d be illegal. Sawyer simply wondered what the man in front of him could do to remedy that.

The man’s voice sounded hoarse when he spoke. Perhaps he’d been yelling, perhaps he’d simply not used it for a while. Sawyer’s question didn’t receive a direct answer. Instead, the man in front of him ordered his other employee to gather some things out of the carriage. Sawyer’s gaze shifted towards the man that immediately started to move. A minute later, he appeared out of the carriage again, carrying some papers and a set of clothes. Fabrics that were more expensive than all the things he’d worn in the last year combined. He was presented with the papers, which he took from his employer. He let his eyes trace over the sentences. Legal papers of the man he was about to become. He looked up at the dark-haired man, who informed him of his new name. Sawyer simply nodded. This was it. His way back in. It may not clear his family name, but at least he could enter the country again. And he would make a decent living. He was told to put on his new clothes, but before he did, he locked eyes with the man across from him. “Thank you,” he said, quietly and solemnly. A genuine thank you. He’d saved his life, in a way. “Can I use the carriage?” he then proceeded to ask, holding up the clothes. He was entirely ready to get into his new identity.

It was still unclear as to why the man would go through all this trouble for him, but Sawyer appreciated it nonetheless. He felt like a ‘thank you’ was in order, so he gave it to the other man, who didn’t seem all too impressed by his gratefulness. Sawyer raised an eyebrow when his employer told him to get up on his feet. Apparently he wasn’t fond of flattery, which Sawyer liked. He wasn’t particularly fond of kneeling anyway. His question was then answered. Apparently, the carriage was especially reserved for him. It was almost as if time had turned back for him. Once again, the man appeared to be rather vague about their destination. “Alright,” Sawyer murmured, before turning around towards the other carriage. When he reached out for the door, he heard the other man’s voice.

It took him a while to get dressed, purely because he wanted to fully experience the sensation of wearing decent fabrics again. No roughed-up linens, no dirty boots, no trousers with holes in them. He felt like he was in his twenties again. He felt like Aaron, he felt like Daniel, he felt not at all like Sawyer. He straightened the sleeves of his shirt once, right before he stepped out. “I’m done!” he exclaimed, not wanting to descend from the last step of the carriage. He didn’t want his new, shiny boots to get dirty, after all.

As soon as he entered the carriage again, the driver instructed the horses to move. Sawyer, or rather, Daniel had no idea where they were going, but at this point he didn’t really mind. The only thing that counted was the fact that he was back home again, that he could stay here without being persecuted for his name. With a soft sigh, he reclined back in the seat of the carriage, letting his head softly bob on the rhythm of its motions. He watched the landscape from behind the windows, before he quietly dozed off.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but at some point he felt the sudden halt of the carriage, which in turn made him wake up. They had arrived. Daniel slowly got up and opened the door, looking out at the house that was going to be his. It was better than he’d expected, way better. His employer offered to show him around, although the tone of his voice quickly ruined the suggestion that he had much choice.  “Alright,” he agreed, walking up to the other man. “Where exactly are we?” he then asked. It would be nice to at least know where he was going to live.

East of I’llyria. He tried to draw up the dated map of Navarre he had in his mind, and managed to roughly position himself in it. I’llyria was in the south, near the borders, somewhat hidden away in the mountains. He recalled to rivers to the east of the city, and apparently they were currently north of them. Daniel followed his employer inside, letting his gaze go over the first room. It was big, bigger than any room he’d had in any inn in the past couple of years. The other man explained the layout of the house to him, and Daniel tried to keep the information in mind. “Understood,” he confirmed, looking at the furniture in the room. It felt like someone else had lived here before him. Rain started ticking against the glass of the window, and somehow it made him feel all the more at home. He’d started to miss Navarre’s shitty weather after all. Apparently he even had a mill. His employer finished up his description of the house, and Daniel nodded once more. “Now what is it that you want me to do for you, exactly?” he then asked. He’d been given somewhat of a hint, a managerial position, but not much more. Since he was going to have to fulfill the job requirements soon, it’d be useful to know what they were.