4. Edelweiss Hot Springs

“Emery sounds like an odd one,” Aalap said and then sipped his tea.

Avery pinched the flesh between his eyebrows. “He truly is.”

The sun was setting, and warm light filtered into the haberdashery, revealing particles of slow drifting dust. It had been a few hours now, and not a single customer had interrupted their gathering, though the gray shop cat—Ruby—had revealed herself and chosen Birger’s lap to loaf upon. It was cozy and the three savored the quietude.

Sachie leaned forward with her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her palm. She was studying Avery, now draped in golden sundown hues, jewelry glinting in the gloaming light. He tucked a strand of raven hair behind his ear and gave Ruby an envious glance.

“Remember when you got all hairy,” Sachie said suddenly with a twinkle in her eye.

Avery stiffened then glared at her, jaw clenched and sliding.

She giggled and then Birger chuckled.

Aalap perked up. “Oh, what’s this? Something magic related?”

“Of sorts,” Avery said through his teeth then sighed. “We stumbled across an imp enclave,” he said to Aalap. “Long story short, one of them had me by my braid and was dragging me down into this pit. Pure chaos, there were so many of them, we were very much outnumbered. Anyways, Birger saved me by severing my braid.”

The knight frowned, his face a perfect portrait of remorse.

Avery patted his forearm. “I hold no resentment,” he assured. “Though I admit I was startled and, well, furious at that moment.”

“He’s terrifying when he’s pissed,” Sachie said.

“But,” Avery said, poising his hands as if he were to cast. “Nothing magic couldn’t remedy. Admittedly, I had never tried this particular hair growing spell before so…um…”

“The next morning, he was completely covered in hair,” Birger said as his hand idly stroked Ruby. “Limb to limb, his face, every inch of him.”

“Yeah,” Avery said, eyes void of emotion.

“I thought you were cute. Like a shaggy bear,” Sachie said.

“Very cute,” Birger agreed, side-eyeing the mage with a teasing smile.

Avery blushed, lips pursed as if he were unsure how to respond, and only relaxing when Birger slung an arm across his shoulders.

“We had to take a detour north,” Avery said. “I knew of a mountain beldam who could help, and she did, eventually.”

***

After the beldam cured Avery, the three worked their way eastward through Terranea’s mountain range. The beauty of the land was soon lost on them though as they grew exhausted and cold—perpetually covered in snow slush. There weren’t many words shared amongst them, just grumbles and snide comments. Though they had managed to keep to the traveler’s path, the road wasn’t without its dangers. They crossed and disposed of bandits, encountered a couple of strange night creatures, and braved a decrepit bridge. Each trial worsening their temperaments and very much at each other’s throats, until…

“I need to piss,” Birger announced as he strayed from the road and disappeared into the nearby foliage. Avery took off his hat and perched himself on a flat boulder, hands kneading at the knots plaguing the back of his neck. Sachie was extremely quiet. She walked over to the cliffside and stood dangerously close to the precipice.

Edgelord, Avery scoffed. She had been in a foul mood the last two days and Avery and she had gotten into a few squabbles, petty at first and then bad enough to have Birger come between them with a warning glare for them both. Despite Avery’s lingering frustration, he felt awful about the fighting and had apologized a handful of times to her, but she wasn’t very receptive, which then angered him further. He watched as she stood there, her chin tilted down, shoulders slumped in a dejected way. The sight made something tighten in his chest. Would she be upset if he snuck up and hugged her from behind? He decided that he wanted to try, but then he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. He turned and looked up at Birger.

“I have something I want to show you,” he said, and Avery balked.

“Um…what is it?”

Birger grinned, which made Avery flush, but the knight didn’t divulge any further, instead he yelled, “Sachie! Come here!”

She turned and slowly lumbered over. Birger huffed at her pace and strode over to meet her. Avery watched as he bent and scooped her up, gently slinging her over his shoulder. She yelped but didn’t struggle—she was too fatigued—she hung limply, eyes closing as Birger carried her.

“There’s sulfur in the air,” Birger said, guiding Avery into the trees. “Faint.”

As soon as he said that the mage smelled something soft and disagreeable, he scrunched his nose.

Birger stopped and motioned with his free hand for Avery to continue walking ahead, which he did, pushing aside a fan of leaves and revealing a low valley surrounded by snow-capped mountains and the winding silhouettes of jutting pines; a breathtaking backdrop to dark stone, steam, and…

Avery gasped. “Hot springs.” Differently sized pools dispersed across the clearing with a variety of water options—some milky, some clear, some eerily blue. Paradise. Avery scrambled down the incline, eager to soak his sore body and aching feet.

Birger lowered Sachie down and thumbed the dirt from her cheeks.

“It hurts?” he asked.

She clutched her lower belly and nodded, then looked away, embarrassed.

“I’m out of angelica root, but that clear pool over there should do the trick,” he said, pointing. “I’ll keep the Tatran distracted.”

“Thank you.” She hugged him and departed. Avery watched in the distance, head craning with obvious concern. Birger sighed and made his way over, pulling off his cowl.

“I think you’ll like this milky one,” Birger said.

Avery hummed and yielded, already undressing. “It’s gorgeous here. Let’s take a breather. Stay awhile?”

“We can, until Sachie feels better.”

Avery paused. “Is she not well?”

Birger gave Avery a look and then began undressing. “She’s menstruating.”

“Oh!” Avery blinked, mouth hanging open. “I—uh…that makes a lot of sense actually.”

Birger laughed. “Let’s leave her alone, yeah?” He shrugged out of his gambeson, and his bare chest immediately seized Avery’s full attention. “This place reminds me of home,” Birger said, then his brows furrowed, and Avery couldn’t tell if the comment was a positive or negative one.

Avery removed his hat and undid his braid, fingers slowly unfurling, eyes fixated on the other man’s movement. “Ourense?” Avery asked, more to keep the words flowing than to seek understanding.

“Mhm, Fôtla…” His words trailed off, and a somberness sank into him, and that faraway look he often held settled into his piercing blue eyes.

Avery watched as Birger undressed. It was nothing new to him, they had been naked in front of each other more than once, but…Avery never looked at him. Birger turned away, allowing the mage to fully partake in his frame—broad shoulders, muscular back, slim waist, a perky ass…

Woof, Avery thought, lips slightly parting as he gawked. But then the clouds shifted overhead, and the sun shone down on Birger’s fair flesh, illuminating. Avery closed his mouth, eyes softening. Birger was beset with scars, a variety of lengths and colors, a map of pain… The knight turned and caught Avery’s gaze.

“It’s rude to stare,” Birger said, but the small smile he offered relayed that he wasn’t offended.

“Those… Your…” Avery hadn’t realized he was mid-strip, clutching his tunic to him, fist pressed to heart. “Scars,” he said, finally.

Birger peered down at himself like it wasn’t his own body. “Memories,” he replied, then tugged his trousers down.

Avery nodded and turned away, heart hammering, startled by its rush. He finished undressing with haste, trembling fingers pulling off rings and bangles. He struggled with the clasp of a necklace, and then felt Birger’s hands cup his own, steadying them.

“Let me,” he said, and Avery lowered his arms. The knight brushed Avery’s hair aside, and the tenderness of his touch sent a pleasant shiver down the mage’s spine. Once he was free of the necklace, Birger placed the delicate chain into Avery’s palm and set to work on the others. “Why do you wear all of these?” There wasn’t any disrespect in the question, only genuine if not a little amused.

“They’re pretty,” Avery admitted, unsure if his honesty was due to this strange new intimacy between them, for they were close but lacking eye contact. “Some are magic, augments, but mostly…they make me feel beautiful.”

“I like them,” Birger said, handing over one necklace then another. “But you don’t need them.”

Avery swallowed, confused by what Birger meant; did he not need them for their magic or for their added beauty? He was too terrified to ask. He turned as soon as Birger was done, feeling exposed without the fortitude of his ornaments. The two were inches apart, silent, both waiting for…well, Avery wasn’t entirely sure. He glanced down at Birger’s chest and noticed he too was wearing a necklace. Avery had never seen it before, a simple black jewel nestled in tarnished silver, stark yet lovely, and unexpected. Secret or not, it didn’t suit him.

“Thank you,” Avery said and pulled away to place his jewelry on top of his folded clothes. He piled his hair up into a bun and stabbed it with a hairstick. Foregoing the usual rinse, he then lowered himself into the milky water; his mind swimming with intrusive thoughts as an odd tinge of jealousy welled up within him, akin to heartburn—unpleasant, annoying.

Unbeknownst to Avery, Birger could tell when he was bothered. It was the way he moved, quick and precise, his delicate face sharpened with a fierce expression, quiet only because his thoughts were too loud. Maybe others wouldn’t be able to see the shift, but Birger could. Emotionally, the mage was an open book, just…challenging to read. He looked down at his necklace and considered removing it, but to do so would be admitting to something—revealing something to Avery—so, he didn’t.

Avery watched as Birger lowered himself into the water. Teeth clenched as his body acclimated. He then sank, chest deep, eyes closed, head tilting back, relaxed.

The sun hid behind the clouds once more, shading them with diffused gray light.

“Your scars,” Avery said, and Birger opened one eye. “What are they from?”

“War,” he said. “Fighting my father’s wars.”

“Did you enjoy it? Combat?”

“No, but I was great at it.”

Avery didn’t need convincing, he’d seen Birger brandish his steel plenty of times. The man was powerful, a rare combination of brawn and dexterity. Confident yet cautious. Avery never felt afraid by his side.

“Then why did you do it?”

“It was expected of me, and…” He raised his arms up and back, resting his elbows on the slick stone behind him. “I wasn’t aware that ‘no’ was an option.” He stared at the water, lost in the swirling clouds of white, lips parting as if to say more, but no words came forth.

“Hm, right,” Avery said, desperate to drag Birger from his melancholy. “Well, I have tattoos all over my arms and chest, they’re wards—protection.”

Birger looked at him. The two were seated across from each other, knees inches apart. He titled his head, eyes scanning Avery’s slim shoulders and brown chest.

“Well, I mean they’re invisible. An old ritual, some remnant of our warrior past. You can choose to get them when you come of age, but the practice is dying. You can’t see them once they’re set, but they glow when they activate, usually around other magic.” He laughed. “Of course, I said yes—they’re magic, why wouldn’t I?”

“Magic is strange.”

Avery snorted. “I can’t disagree with that, but… You know, I can feel the propensity for casting in you. You’ve a body for it.”

Birger scoffed.

“It’s true,” Avery said as he waded over. He sat beside him and took his hand, it felt cold compared to his. “I like to think of it like…wells inside us. Some people have shallow wells, some have tainted ones, some are blocked entirely…”

Birger watched as Avery trailed his fingertips over his palm, tracing the lines there for a moment, then past his wrist, ghosting up his forearm, and stopping at the soft junction of his elbow.

“You have an open well, fairly deep.” Avery’s gaze was heavy-lidded and fixated on his thick forearm, laced with prominent veins. “I can feel it, you’d learn quickly, with the right teacher.” Avery bit his bottom lip, pausing. What was he doing? The heat was clearly making him loopy, and magic talk always loosened his lips…but… He glanced up at Birger, who was watching him intently.

“Are you coming on to me?”

“What?”

“Are you flirting?” Birger smirked.

“Pfft NO.” Avery tossed his hand aside as if it were fetid.

And then Birger laughed, loud from his belly. Avery frowned, watching as Birger’s laughter became a wheezing—eyes squeezed shut, all teeth—pained but elated. Avery couldn’t stay mad, not when Birger’s happiness was this contagious, and the mage smiled in spite of himself.

He gently slapped Birger’s arm. “Alright stop.”

“Sorry, you just seemed so offended, and…self-conscious?” He turned to face him, resting his left cheek on his arm. “Out of character.”

“And you know me so well?”

Birger hummed. “I’ve watched you,” he said. “I’ve seen you flirt. You’re charming.”

Avery winced.

“And confident.”

Avery reached over and plucked a white flower jutting from the rocks. He twirled the stem between his finger and thumb, disbelieving that Birger could figure him out. Avery had manufactured different personalities for an assortment of situations and tavern hookups were easy, confidence was key. If he appeared one way, then his guise was effective; for he was never Avery, he couldn’t be, it wasn't allowed. What Birger saw then was all artful deception.

“Yeah, well that’s different," the mage admitted.

“How so?”

Avery hesitated. “They’re not you.”

Birger didn’t respond, but he remained in his position, looking more like an adolescent than a hardened knight. There was a softness to his eyes and mouth. Avery didn’t know what this was, what was happening, and why now—to reveal something so… He grimaced as the clouds overhead parted once more. They had been on the road for some months now, side by side, sharing all experiences, but he realized then how little he knew of this man. His mystery piqued Avery’s curiosity, and his actions made him wild with something he’d never felt before. And the way Birger was looking at him, open and perceptive… It stoked that new feeling into an overwhelming sensation; one that made Avery want to be Avery. Bare himself, if only to see how Birger would react.

“You’re not far off the mark though,” Birger said.

“About what?”

“That magic thing. My twin brother Eyvind is a druid. His magic constantly got him into trouble though. He’s been exiled for a long while now. Good guy just…a bit of a wildcard.”

“You’ve a twin?” Avery laughed. “There’s so much I don’t know about you.”

Birger’s demeanor changed, Avery couldn’t quite place the difference, only that the warmth in his gaze dissipated. Despite the literal closeness, Avery felt a sudden rift, a pulling back, and he cursed himself for being the cause. Was there a fault in what he had said? He looked at Birger’s necklace, and felt angry at its presence. “Do you have someone?”

“I did.”

So quick to answer.

Birger covered the necklace with his palm. “And yes,” he said.

Avery pouted. “I didn’t ask anything.”

“You didn’t have to.”

As expected, that necklace belonged to a lover. “What happened?” Avery feigned disinterest, plucking the white petals from his captive flower.

“He…ended his life.”

Avery straightened. “Oh, Birger… I’m—”

“All in the past.”

“I…left my fiancée at the altar,” Avery said, trying to lighten the mood.

Birger smiled uncomfortably and then laughed. “You would.”

“Hey!” Avery splashed him. “I‘m trying to make you feel better, asshole.”

Birger took the onslaught with grace. “You’re the asshole.”

Avery huffed. “I had my reasons.” He tossed the maimed flower aside. “Besides, she was too good for me. I did her a favor. For us both, really.”

“Ah, an arranged marriage.”

“At first yes, then we grew close, sex was great but… Well, our hearts weren't in it. She had her dreams and I had mine, and they didn’t align.”

“Emery mentioned her.”

“Gwenaëlle, yeah… Anyways I left her, I left Tatra. I don’t mind a confrontation, but the days came and went and before I knew it… I don’t know, perhaps I did it out of spite.” He sighed deeply and freed his bun and then fully sunk into the hot water, holding himself there for a moment before resurfacing. “Emery’s been hounding me since. I know Gwenaëlle was relieved, but it doesn’t undo the dishonor I brought to my,” He grit his teeth. “…family.”

“I still don’t understand why he’s following you though. You left, isn’t that enough?”

“You’d think. He’s always been obsessed with me, even before we became step brothers. That obsession turned into paranoia once my mother married his father. I can’t even recall a time when we were ever civil. Oil and water, I guess.”

“Is he dangerous?”

“Him?” Avery honked out a laugh. “No. But he’s keen on hiring mercenaries and the like. Trying to scare me, I suppose. I’ve had my fair share of clashes with his sellswords. If I were to return to Tatra… Well, I’m sure my having cold feet would be the least of the council’s concern.” He looked at Birger. “Am I talking too much?”

“I like when you talk.”

“Oh! Uh…Well I uh, really?”

Birger snorted. “I like when you get flustered too.”

“Wh—” Avery laughed awkwardly. He regarded the other man with a bemused expression. “Are you… Birger Grímsson…are you flirting with me?”

He smiled.

Whew. Avery felt positively all out of sorts—butterflies—there was no denying that. He gripped his hairstick and drew closer, eyeing Birger’s lips, his hairy chest, his scars…

“Wait…” Avery said, leaning back. “You said you fought your father’s wars. Is he a general?”

“No,” Birger said, sounding disappointed.

Avery frowned, thinking. “Is he…” He gasped. “Is he one of the King-Chiefs?”

Birger playfully rolled his eyes and hefted himself out of the water.

“Oh, you tease!” Avery quickly waded along the edge, watching his perfect ass retreat. “Are you a prince? You are, aren’t you,” Avery said, delighted. This gruff, giant of a man—a prince!

Birger grabbed his clothes and clutched them low for modesty. He offered the mage a sleepy smirk.

“Come on, tell me the truth.”

There was a pause followed by a simple answer: “Was.”