A loud snort caught Arawn's attention. He froze, listening. How had he not noticed that someone, or something, had come along with Corwal?
Tense, he tilted his head to hear better. It sounded like that someone was huge, much larger than the two of them, and its breathing was much heavier and louder.
"Say hi to Alice. She's our ticket into the city," Corwal said upon noticing his interest. "Come, I'll introduce you. Give me your hand."
Arawn hesitated, not sure he wanted to get closer. He'd seen a horse before, but it was a long time ago, and when he was much younger. They had transported him in a horse drawn carriage, and he'd glimpsed the majestic beasts from a couple meters away.
They had been black and massive, their bodies full of muscle. Long manes fell down their neck, and tufts of hair grew next to their hoofs. One guard had complained about a monster being transported in a royal carriage, but Arawn had been too amazed to pay any attention to that conversation. He'd never seen anything before that looked like power personified.
"It won't bite you, I promise," Corwal assured. "Alice is a friendly lass."
Still unsure of it, Arawn raised his hand. It was crazy to even contemplate it, but he couldn't imagine what it would feel like to touch one of those amazing beasts. He was willing to risk injury to find out.
Corwal took his hand and pulled him closer. The horse snorted and shied away, but its leash was still in Corwal's hand. "Hey, hey girl, calm down. He's not going to bite you either."
Alice whinnied while traipsing in place, and Arawn rethought his decision to get close to it. The sound of hooves hitting a stone in the dirt sounded as ominous as Cayote when he lost a round of stones. It was something none of the criminals dared to face.
No matter how hard Corwal tried to calm Alice, she didn't want to have anything to do with Arawn. When Corwal pulled her closer by force, she went on her hind legs, threatening him with her front hooves. Corwal had to let go of the leash and roll to the side to avoid her strike.
Noticing her sudden freedom, Alice didn't waste the chance and ran. Luckily, her leash was long and got stuck on a branch which slowed her enough for Corwal to rush over and grab hold of it.
"So, friendly, huh?" Arawn asked, taking a couple strides back when Corwal walked back with the still troubled Alice. The horse whinnied and refused to get any closer.
"Did you do something to her in your past life? She was a role model of good behavior when I met her in the stables," Corwal said with some suspicion. Arawn could just imagine his eyes narrowing on him.
"Or she just doesn't like me on principle."
Corwal looked over at him and sniffed the air. "You DO need a bath. Bad."
They began walking then. Corwal went first while leading the horse, and Arawn followed a few strides behind them. No matter how they had tried to entice Alice, she refused to be closer than a couple meters away from him even at the promise of sugar cubes.
The fruits didn't fill Arawn's stomach, but he felt more alive. The walking stopped being such a chore, and he could finally relax his mind. He was no longer about to faint from starvation, allowing the magic within him to run rampant.
When they neared the city walls, two guards blocked their way. Arawn couldn't see them, but the clang of armor as they moved was unmistakable.
One stepped forward and demanded that they identify themselves. Arawn stepped forward, and the horse whinnied, swinging her head around to face him.
"You stay back," Corwal ordered in a cold voice. Behind the last curve of the road, he'd went to sit on Elise's back and rode up to the gates. "Beggars," he muttered under his breath while shaking his head.
"Sir?" the guard asked, sounding uncertain of himself.
Corwal shuffled some papers and threw something at the guard. "My travel documents. And I picked him up two days ago, on Saint Leyna's Day. I was sure she'd smite me right there and then if I let him to die in the middle of the road on her day to help the poor and the unfortunate."
The other guard snickered, but when Corwal snapped his head up, he shut up with a swallow. "I didn't mean anything, sir." he murmured.
"I hope so." He then urged Elise to take a couple steps forward and grabbed his travel papers from the first guard's hands. "You've read them already, so what are you still waiting for? I've got places to be."
There was a moment of tense silence, then the guard stepped away. "Please proceed, sir. Have a pleasant time in Aranara."
Corwal acknowledged it with a grunt and nudged the horse forward. Not wanting to be left behind, Arawn jogged after. He was hoping to hear an explanation about what had just happened, but the moment he tried to speak, Corwal shushed him in a harsh voice.
They walked and walked once more for what felt like forever before reaching their destination. Corwal first stabled the horse, then led them into the house. Moments later, footsteps came from the other side of the building, and Arawn looked around in worry. Weren't they supposed to be alone?
"It's Eliot, and I trust his discretion. He takes care of this place while I'm away."
The next moment, a person walked into the room. His steps were swift and confident, so Arawn guessed that he wasn't an old man, but that was all he could tell. It was starting to get on his nerves not being able to see, but Corwal caught his hand when it strayed to the blindfold.
"Wait, it's still too bright here. Eliot! Close all the curtains in the house."
"As you wish, sir," the person answered in a youthful voice and rushed to do as told.
Arawn felt the curious gaze on himself, but he was too excited about finally seeing the outside world to care about that.
Moments later, he heard heavy drapes being moved. One, two, then a third one a bit later.
Without needing to be asked, Corwal stepped closer and untied the blindfold. Arawn remained with his eyes shut for a moment; he didn't want a repeat of the previous experience. Yet no searing pain assaulted him.
Slowly, he raised his eyelids and looked around. They were in a room that was almost pitch black. Heavy, dark brown drapes allowed almost no light inside.
But darkness had never gotten in Arawn's way. After his sight adjusted to the dimness, he glanced at Corwal and did a double-take. If he hadn't known that it was his friend by his side, he would have never recognized him.
Unlike before, he was dressed in dark brown pants matched with a more colorful jacket. It was deep blue with azure motifs by the lapels. Silver buttons went up the middle, to the neck where a white shirt could be seen.
His light brown hair had been washed and styled, lying flat against his head as if licked like that. A pair of glasses rested on his nose, giving him a somewhat bookish appearance. There wasn't a chance in the world anyone would peg him as someone who had just escaped prison that morning.
"That's amazing," Arawn whispered, not hiding the awe he felt. How was it even possible to change that much?
Corwal laughed and patted his shoulder. "You won't recognize yourself once we clean you up either, I promise." He then turned to the side. "Eliot, prepare a bath for him and some new clothes, then help him wash. I'll go buy us a feast for tonight."
When Arawn followed his gaze to the other person, he realized that he'd been mistaken. Eliot wasn't a man, but a boy that was a whole head smaller than him, and Arawn wasn't that tall to begin with. The youth has short hair and ruddy skin, but was clean-dressed and well-fed, looking healthy and full of energy.
The two of them examined each other for a moment, then Eliot ran off with the words that he was gonna heat the water and find some clothes. Corwal also left, so Arawn explored the house.
It was extremely large to his eyes, containing three rooms and a separate bathroom. The whole place was at least four times larger than the Gutter. It had plenty of furniture as well, and he tried sitting on chairs. The experience wasn't too comfortable, and he went to try out the bed.
"Don't!" Eliot shouted at him. When Arawn turned to him, wondering what he'd done wrong, he noticed a glare leveled at him. "I don't know how you caught Master's interest, but you're not allowed to run around rampant. Look at yourself! From what gutter did he have to drag you out? The white bed sheets would become black the moment you touched them!"
Arawn blinked a couple times, shocked by the anger and reprimand in the kid's voice. Criminals in the Gutter hadn't dared to say a word to him, allowing him to do as he pleased, so hearing a child order him around raised his hackles. Who was that boy to claim authority over him?
But just as indignation boiled within him, another thought entered his mind, dissipating it. The youth was acting like that because he didn't know. He had no idea who he was facing and treated him like a normal person.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Arawn noticed his own hands shaking. Had there ever been a moment in his life when he'd been treated like just another human? And an insignificant one on top of that?
"Hey, are you listening to me?" Eliot asked in a high-pitched voice. "I'm telling you, get away from the bed! Come here and sit in the corner. Do you want to wash the whole house? I'm not gonna clean up after you."
At his words, Arawn looked behind himself and saw black footprints everywhere he'd went. His feet were caked in mud and dust, and pieces of it broke off as he walked, littering the floor.
"I… I'm sorry," he murmured and went to where the youth had pointed.
There was a small stool in the corner, and he sat down on it to wait. It wasn't comfortable, but he did it anyway to hold the image of being just another human for a moment longer. At least until Corwal returned, he could pretend that he was not an abomination that had no right to exist.