Elliya stopped by a small stump on the side of the road, resting her satchel slowly on its smooth surface, taking care not to disturb the many small vial and jars within it. Satisfied, she plopped her buckler and mace down unceremoniously on the grass beside it, taking a moment to stretch in the morning sun.

After a few more moments of rest, Elliya stooped down and ran her fingers through the dirt, sifting through the many small rocks and seeds to come up with a small pinch of fine powder. Lifting her hand to the sky, she flicked it up in the air and squinted into the tiny cloud, trying her best to watch where the wind was taking the minuscule mote.

After making a mental note of the dust’s movements, she swept up her things with a well-practiced motion and set off again.


CLANG!

“Are you alright dearie?” An old woman’s voice creaked from the next room.

“Yes, yes, so sorry, terribly sorry!” Elliya yelled back, stifling a yelp as the large iron pot she was trying to hang over a firepit came loose and made an unexpected break for her kneecaps before clattering to the ground.

“It’s quite alright, you know- I can wait for my son to return and ask him to-"

“No! I mean, erm, no, I got this!”

Elliya gritted her teeth and hoisted the cauldron up on her knee before whispering to herself, “Okay, now you’ve asked for it you rusty piece of garbage-”

This time a faint, almost imperceptible warmth seeped from her hands into the pitted iron, and its handle seemed just the slightest bit more cooperative as Elliya rotated it upwards with her free hand and hooked it on the chain suspended over the pit.

“There! See? All done!”

Elliya took a step back and blew out a puff of air to jostle the stray hairs that had come loose during her work, wiping her hands on the table beside her.

She never knew where the wind would take her, but she always knew it would be someplace where she could make herself useful. Sometimes even in ways a little more glamorous than helping the elderly cook dinner! Still- there was an undeniable satisfaction in the small things, and household chores had probably earned her more hot meals than fighting.

“Oh, thank you so much sweetie- won’t you stay for supper?” The old lady asked as she shuffled towards the pot, pushing past Elliya and wasting no time getting to work, already pouring cupfuls of water into the vessel.

Elliya briefly considered leaving to get back on the road early, but any thoughts of hesitation were quickly drowned out by her grumbling stomach.

“Gladly! I can help chop too!”


A couple satisfying bowls of soup later, the sun had just started to dip beneath the trees, bathing the cottage in a warm light. After a brief rest, Elliya bode the woman farewell and, over protests and invitations to stay for a cup of tea, excused herself to return to the road. Some people, she noted, were not as dulled to the excitement of new faces as many months of travel had made her.

After scanning her surroundings, Elliya plucked a dandelion from the ground and held it aloft, waving it about to release its seeds. Taking a moment to study their movements as they drifted away, she started off in the direction of her next job.