An awkward silence filled the room, much like water filling a sinking ship. Elias was desperately trying to reply to the offer, but only silenced passed his lips.
Sable touched his shoulder, sending a reassuring message to Elias. Finally, after several moments, he found the words he was looking for.
"I'd be honored, sir!"
"Good, good!" boomed Magnus. "You'll begin your training with Dominik tomorrow. I know you're still recovering though, so he's only going to cover the basics."
"What exactly do the Wardens do besides guard their assigned Aristocrat?" asked Elias.
Orelia's smooth, sweet voice chimed in for her husband.
"All of your questions will be answered tomorrow, Elias. For now, go and rest up. Sable will help you find your new room."
Sable led Elias back out of the room, and down the halls they originally travelled. House servants were tending to their evening chores, and Elias could smell fresh food being cooked from somewhere in the building.
It didn't take long for them to get back to the room that Elias woke up in, but instead of going back inside, Sable completely passed it up. Elias followed closely, not sure where she was leading him at this point.
A few more twists and turns all but ensured that Elias was thoroughly lost in the massive complex that was a house.
When all hope of rest seemed lost, the pair happened upon a set of stone stairs that led upwards. Elias had never imagined this already massive house might have a second floor to it, but now the realization was looming over him.
Luckily, the upstairs was only one long hallway, with a small handful of rooms adorning either side.
Sable led Elias to a single wooden door near the end. Instead of being painted red and gold like every other door though, this one was painted solid black.
"Well, this is your room, Eli" said Sable. "Mine is the one right across the hall there. The rest of these are guest rooms for important visitors."
Elias opened the door to his new room and was stunned. It was a massive room, with a fireplace carved into the wall and a large oak desk in front of it.
An ornate chair sat behind the desk, and a bed large enough to fit three adults sprawled across the room from it. Off to the side, a small dresser sat up against the wall.
Sable pointed towards a smaller door in the back corner of the room, drawing Elias' attention to it.
"That's your washroom" she said. "It's not very big, but it has a basin and mirror to wash off your face and hands, and it has a large tub for you to bathe in. You can heat the water yourself by putting hot coals around the tub, or you can have servants bring you heated water."
"This room is amazing!" said Elias in awe.
"You haven't seen the best part yet."
Sable walked around the foot of the bed to the very back of the room, where large double doors stood fixed in place.
She opened them with ease, revealing a personal balcony that overlooked the entirety of Oclus.
From this height, Elias could see the Town Square with ease, still bustling with activity. He could also see the Lower Streets, and most of the Upper Streets.
Sable kicked down two metal pegs at the base of the doors, which fit neatly into slots in the stone balcony.
"These can be locked down to keep a constant breeze in the summer, without the wind blowing them closed. Of course, they lock more securely from the inside for your safety."
Elias was speechless. The view was magnificent from the hills of the Upper Streets.
"Like I said before" continued Sable, "my room is just across the hall if you ever need anything. Someone will bring dinner up once it's ready, but I suggest you go ahead and bathe and relax for the night."
Sable looked Elias over, half marveling his body and half looking at the blood beginning to soak through his bandages.
"On second thought" said Sable, "once you're done bathing, come to my room and let me put on some fresh bandages. You'll find some clothes in the dresser to put on until you get your Warden uniform."
"Alright" responded Elias, "Let me get this fire going for some coals then. I haven't had a proper bath in quite some time, and I don't want the first one to be cold."
Sable let out a small chuckle and quickly exited the room, allowing Elias some privacy.
Making his way over to the fireplace, Elias could see that it was already filled with charcoal, which made his job easier.
He found two large chunks of Allorocite, a naturally combustible mineral found in Wridania, on the mantle and was easily able to ignore a fire.
While the charcoal was heating up, he filled the tub with buckets of water. To his surprise, instead of the tub being similar to a large barrel, it was actually carved into the stone floor, with two small steps leading down into it.
A long trough ran along the outer perimeter of the tub, also carved into the floor, which Elias filled with the charcoal once it was sufficiently warm enough for him.
Naked and somewhat chilled by the stone floor, Elias did his best to fight the urge of just diving into the hot water.
Instead, he gently sat down and let the water cover everything up to his chin, doing his best not to slip in the process.
The warmth brought him straight back to his childhood, which was the last time he had an actual bath.
He had fond memories of his mother drawing a warm bath for him and his siblings after a long day of working out in the fields. Now, all these years later, it brought him the same peace and comfort that it did back then.
As time passed on, the water slowly became colder and colder. Having not kept up with the time, Elias decided this was a good enough sign to get out and get dressed.
He dried off with a small cloth towel located in the washroom before making his way to the dresser near his bed. Inside of it, he found some soft cotton pants and a loose-fitting silk shirt.
Having never had clothes that weren't scratchy, this was a whole new world for Elias. He quickly got dressed and headed over to Sable's room for a re-bandaging, admiring how comfortable his new outfit was the whole way.
Sable's room was almost identical to Elias' on the inside, except for the fact that her balcony provided a view of the Upper Streets and the castle on top of the hill.
Elias found her sitting comfortably on her bed, a plethora of Apothecary supplies laid out before her.
"Uhh...that's a lot more than what you used when I first woke up" said Elias nervously.
"Of course it is. Your wound is starting to heal, so we have to use a different regiment to ensure it doesn't pick up an infection while it closes."
Sable patted the floor with her bare foot, bidding Elias to come and sit in front of the bed instead of on it, which he did willingly.
"I noticed your wound started bleeding again at some point" said Sable as she unwrapped the bandage. "Because of that, I'm not going to use Rogue's Nettle this time."
"Thank the gods" said Elias.
"Don't thank them just yet. Because it's still bleeding some, I now have to clean it while forcing it to stop, and it's not going to be pleasant."
Sable held out a small vial of liquid that looked almost exactly like Rogue's Nettle, only more clear instead of solid in color.
"This is Wyvern Fire" she said. "It does pretty much the same thing as Rogue's Nettle, but it's far more potent."
She dabbed a small amount onto a clean cloth before applying it to the stab wound on Elias' back.
The pain was immediate and excruciating. While Rogue's Nettle burned, this felt like his flesh was melting from his bones. It was such an intense heat that it felt borderline cold.
Strangely enough though, the pain subsided as soon as Sable removed the cloth from the wound, allowing Elias to let go of the breath he had been holding in.
"You really are something, Eli. Most people throw up from that."
"If I had any food in my stomach, I think I would have" he replied.
A sharp knock came at the door while Sable was wrapping the bandage around Elias' torso.
"Ma'am" said an unfamiliar voice, "your food is waiting out here for you. We tried finding the young man as well, but he didn't answer the door."
"Thank you" responded Sable. "He's in here with me right now. We'll be out shortly."
"Perfect timing" said Elias. "I could eat a whole hog right about now!"
He put his silk shirt back on, and wandered out into the hallway to pick up his food. Fresh baked bread, various fruits, and a warm, beef stew sat on a small wooden tray.
The smell alone was enough to make Elias drool. After all, he didn't have access to fresh food on the Lower Streets.
Elias picked it up and carried it over to his own room, ready to eat and turn in for the night.
"Good night, Sable" he shouted before closing his door.
"Good night, Eli."