The Stableboy's shadow (BL)

Chapter 17

 In the morning, as the sun rose, Riley watched the boy, who changed so much in just a few days. The sweet, naïve nature buried beneath the warnings of a man he'd trusted had finally surfaced. Now, the frown on Percevin's face seemed to come from confusion. What else had Lord Alessio told him that was a lie?

His doubts... They tightened Riley's chest.

He knew it was all his fault. What the boy was feeling was more than simple confusion. He felt Riley. Without realizing the emotions were coming from a different person, taking every bit of it as his own. Percy had no idea why he was feeling this way. It was time for the thief to retrieve that small fragment of shadow. The longer it stayed where it was, the harder and more painful it would be to take it back. For both of them.

It was still early. Riley decided to heat up some of their more perishable rations. He pulled his kettle from his bag and started with some meat. It wasn't coffee, but he hoped the smell would be enough to wake Percy. Getting too close to him lately had become... painful.

A few minutes later, a groan came from the bedroll nearby. Riley snorted softly and tried not to smile but quickly got over himself. What was wrong with him?

Yes. Tonight. He'd take it back.

He tried to prepare himself for the feeling. It had been a long time since he had done something like that. This hole had been sittinn in his chest for a week, now, and though his body had mended, his essence was still wounded. Raw. 

He would never admit it. That even if his ribs had knit, his bruises faded, something deeper had stayed shattered. The aches weren't just in his muscles—they lived deep in the quiet places no healing magic could reach. And that shadow-drop... it was the only part of him that hadn't been hurt. The only thing he hadn't ruined. He knew, the moment he pulled it back, that clean piece would fall into the rest of the wreckage. It would hurt. Not just because of the magic, but because it meant accepting how broken he'd become.

Still, he had to do it. For both their sakes. 

He was lost in thought when Percevin sat down beside him. Only when the boy reached for the kettle and gave it a light shake did Riley realize he hadn't moved in a while. Without a word, Percevin took over breakfast preparations, handed him a share, and sat silently to eat. Riley pushed his sorrows aside and tried to focus on their itinerary.

They were farther West than he'd initially planned, and he didn't really have time to reassess everything since he had been captured. So far, they had stayed on the King's Road, but the closer they'd get to the capital, the more knights they would encounter. After Cirvelde, if they reached the next village on this road, they'd have to pay tolls—something Riley couldn't afford. Not with his face still wanted.

But the other roads—unguarded, overgrown, and home to monsters—were dangerous. Alone, he could walk them easily. With the boy? He feared the worst.

"Hey, so... starting tomorrow, it'll be a completely different journey," he announced. "We'll have to take a different road than this one, and I want to make sure we're prepared. How far are you in your knight's training?"

Percevin blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, from what I could tell, you didn't get out of the village surrounding Alessio's mansion that often. Did you ever go on raids? Fight creatures?"

"I... uhm... well... I fought off goblin attacks once or twice at the edges of town. There are only four knights stationed there, so they couldn't really leave for raids. They were always needed."

Riley sighed. This would be harder than expected. Maybe they wouldn't come across too many monsters—but they would come across something. In a bad situation, he wasn't sure he could protect the boy. He still hadn't seen him fight.