Tthor Prayer and the Orffelios' paila

35- A new servant

   That same weekend, winter seemed to arrive with everything. The roads were filled with snow water. And the sunlight only began to show itself for only a couple of hours a day.

   But the gloomier the weather seemed to become in Warghost, the better Tthor began to feel about his activities there. Especially now that, for the first time since his arrival, he agreed with Professor Evans on something.

   Despite Darius and Rémona's fiery complaints and Ellysa's frown, the Blumbers heeded the professor's proposal.

   "Since nothing… extraordinary has happened since he arrived at Warghost, I firmly believe that it is proven that Tthor Prayer is not the one chosen by the paila to be his… guardian," Professor Evans pronounced each word soft but firm.

   He was serious but Tthor thought he saw a hint of pleasure in his face. It seemed that the boy had lived up to his expectations: to be completely useless. That's why, for a second, Thor was tempted to tell right there, in front of everyone, each of the “adventures” he had experienced since his arrival in Meaghdose: the clandestine trip on the “Storm and Impulse”, the odyssey with the “kraken”, his dangerous stay in the grottoes, with Noel and the discovery of the sword in the submerged floors of the abbey. Not to mention the fenrir wolves and the baldanders.

   But when his eyes met the professor's cold gaze, he did not say a single word and so they all accepted the new proposal: Tthor Prayer was no longer considered a candidate to be guardian of Orffelios' pail and, from that moment on, , would be “Darius' helper”, since he had to earn his food.

   Later, while Lee-Won helped Tthor tidy up the shed, he expressed his indignation at the “unfair” professor.

   " But how come you are not the guardian of the piala”?

   "Paila," the boy corrected him, while he shook some old bags.

   " Yes, that, “piala”. And what did I say? I had heard some things about you before you arrived. And everyone knows about the prophecies. The “piala” looks for his guardian and prepares him to be king. I believe that you are the guardian..."

   "Me too...!" Exclaimed a soft but determined female voice.

   For an instant, Tthor's heart raced. And the time it took him to get up and turn towards the entrance was enough to convince him that the voice he had heard was that of his dear Wilgenyna. But a sweet smile and bright eyes let him down. It was Noel who had arrived and was holding a container in his hands.

   "I asked her to come...," Darius excused herself, when Tthor looked at her out of the corner of his eye - She knows more about the “piala” than I do.

   Darius, like Lee-Won, always mispronounced the word paila...

   "Paila!" Tthor and Noel exclaimed in duet.

   And the laughter of the three of them filled the old shed, making the morning's tasks more enjoyable.

   From day one, Tthor felt quite comfortable in his new role. Warghost was huge and there were always new things to discover.

   "Why are there always axes that are missing the handle?"

  "Axehandle Hound eats them…," Darius told him.

  "I've never seen it but they say it's shaped like an axe, because of all the ax handles he's eaten in his life," Noel said. "I'll go get some more bags."

   Tthor smiled. He had already learned that Warghost was full of strange stories and strange characters.

   "I'm glad you've already realized that I'm not the guardian," Tthor said to Darius, while they separated the axes without handles from those that did have them.