Warhorse

4

The morning light poked through her window as the days went by. She was getting better, yes, but painfully slowly. She had Clarice to keep her company, but besides her, she didn't get to talk to anyone. She hoped she would get back on her feet sooner rather than later, a hope that had quickly slipped away. It was clear she would be stuck in the bed of this clinic for the foreseeable future. Clarice must have been busy today because she had yet to visit Luna. Instead, the townsfolk had begun taking an interest in her. They would stop by and talk to her through the open window of the clinic.

"And how are we today, Luna?" her newest passerby asked.

"Good, still can't get out of bed. But other than that, good," Luna said with some resentment toward her bedridden self.

"Clarice is the best doctor in town; you'll get better in no time! Keep your head up." He moved along.

The people of the town were incredibly friendly, which was slightly unnerving at first. Usually, people didn't talk to her unless they needed to, and even then, they would not be very kind in their words. But this town was completely different from anywhere else she had ever visited. Everyone was eager to have conversations, and they were all so soft-spoken and gentle in their speech.

"Feeling any better, Luna?" an older woman asked through the window.

"Slowly, Ms. Baker, very slowly," Luna responded.

"Well, here's some fresh cookies from the bakery. You'll have to stop by when you get out of the clinic; I'll make you something special." Ms. Baker handed Luna a small basket of fresh cookies through the window, then walked away.

Ms. Baker was a sweet old woman; she always baked extra cookies for the townsfolk. She was kind, and everyone adored her. Luna didn't know too many people, but the few she did know, she adored. Arden had made himself known a day or so ago; he was a decently good-looking younger man. He stopped by to make sure the mixture he created was working and was ecstatic when Luna told him it was. Then she met Mr. Smith; he and his wife were the local metalworkers. He let Luna know that he and his wife would be the ones who would be making her crutches when she started walking again.

Everyone in the town was so friendly, despite the fact they didn't know her in the slightest. They all cared about her and wanted to see her get better; it filled her with a strange sense of comfort. As if this village was a place she didn't need to look over her shoulder all the time, like she did in the bigger cities—like she could trust every single person who lived here. It was a new feeling for her, and it was taking a little time to adjust to all these strangers being so friendly. Luna decided to talk to Clarice about her thoughts later that evening.

"I had assumed this would be a topic you would bring up eventually once you got to know the town. Yes, everyone here is very friendly. Floran is far away from any other village, so we have to rely on each other for everything. It has created a very tight-knit community that trusts each other easily, and that trust usually gets extended to strangers as well. The town doesn't get many visitors on account of the woods that shroud it, so when a new person arrives, we do our best to make them feel comfortable. Most people do it because they want to extend the comfort and safety they feel to everyone, but deep down we hope that everyone who comes decides to stay," Clarice said with a warm smile.

"I suppose it makes sense. I still have a hard time feeling like I can trust everyone so easily. After all, my whole life I've learned that if someone is nice to you, they want something from you. People being nice just because they want to is a new concept to me," Luna said.

"Well, if there is one thing we want, it's for you to get better quickly. I can't tell you how everyone feels, but I know that I want you to be able to see the rest of the town," Clarice said, clapping her hands together.

"I feel similar, but I can't get too relaxed after I heal. I still have a job to do," Luna said, as Clarice had a confused look on her face.

"What job?" Clarice asked curiously.

"There was a job posting out in Ironwall. It said the village of Floran was having goblin trouble, so I wanted to take the job of helping get rid of that problem," Luna said with a determined look on her face.

"Hm, well, I don't remember anyone saying we had a goblin problem. But I am a doctor, so news of that kind could be reserved for guardsmen and The Mayor," Clarice said, placing a furled finger under her chin as she spoke.

"Could I speak to The Mayor? I would like to discuss the job; it was the only reason I came out to Floran in the first place," Luna said.

"I could try to get him to come visit you, but I would suggest waiting until you're healed more before talking to him," Clarice said.

"I suppose I should be in good health before discussing business," Luna agreed.

"You're a knight then?" Clarice asked with an interested look.

"Trying to be. This was supposed to be my first mission," Luna said, a look of defeat on her face. She hadn't imagined that her first mission would end up like this.

"So you wouldn't know the legendary Sol, then, would you?" Clarice asked.

"Sol? The Sol? Who doesn't know about him? The youngest knight in the guild, and in his first few days, he killed the fearsome immortal Lich! He is a story that people tell their children when they have nightmares; his acts of heroism are known all over! Do I know him personally? No. Nobody does; he's a recluse. He takes the big heavy hitter missions, gets paid, and disappears until another big quest pops up." Luna knew of the legendary Sol; he was her idol.

"That's a shame. Do you know any big names in the knights' guild?" Clarice asked.

"Well, my three older brothers are some of the biggest names besides Sol himself. My oldest brother, Hound, is The Black Knight. The second oldest, Darek, is The Dragonslayer. And finally, the third oldest, Mark, is The Atlas," Luna said, a slight bit of pride in her tone for her family.

"Wow, you are directly related to the big three? You've got your work cut out for you if you want to be up there with them." Clarice's words made Luna's pride fall away immediately.

"Ah, yes... You have a point; I do," Luna said, slightly embarrassed.

"I believe you can do it, though! You survived a demon attack and kept your sanity; not many come back from things like that as complete as you are," Clarice's words encouraged Luna a bit.

"Thanks, Clarice. I hope I can be like my brothers one day—stand by their sides and call myself one of the greatest. That is my greatest desire," Luna looked out the window to the setting sun longingly.

"I know you can do it, Luna. Get some rest, heal up, and as long as you work as hard as you can, you will be just like them," Clarice said warmly.

"Alright, Clarice, see you tomorrow." Luna lay down on the clinic bed, looking up at the lonely house on the hill as she drifted to sleep.