Janus and Simon stood at the trailhead, a new day soon to arrive. While the sun had not yet ascended the tree line, it was still bright enough to make out the words printed on Simon's departing gift.
'Request you Reward'.
"You will obviously need this to gain any ability. Just don't go using it before you even reach a town," he said.
Janus tried to respond, but his anxiety made him sick to his stomach. He knew the coin was a necessity for his trip. Yet, feeling the weight again in the palm of his hand brought forth a barrage of emotions. Seeing this, Simon cracked an anxious grin. "Hey, you better not vomit. If you do, I swear I will drag you back to my house and force more porridge down your throat until you and your stomach have settled on your fate. It's a long walk to Hazelbrook. You will need the energy." To this, Janus could not help but smile.
"Why don't you come with me? I mean, without Audrey..."
Simon put a hand on his shoulder. "You're right," he said, "there is no real reason for either of us to stay. But it would be a waste of all my hard work to simply neglect the Fall harvest. I plan on spending the season selling my produce as well as making arrangements concerning my land and home. Once all of that is completed, I will leave."
"Then you will join me?"
"Unfortunately, no. As much as I would enjoy supporting you on this journey, I'm afraid I would not be of much use. No, I must walk a different path. There are so many things I have wanted to learn over the years. History. Medicine. Mathematics. I bet there are studies I did not even know existed. While I would have appreciated learning of such in Weynogarde, I am sure there are other cities with vast libraries for me to get lost in. Hopefully my connections to the Temple of Opis will provide entry. If not, I will find another way."
Simon could tell by Janus's disheartened look that he had hoped for a different answer.
"That being said, you can always reach out to me through another Scribe. The Temple should be able to relay a brief message. Just do not make a request too often. They will already be a bit annoyed that one of their Scribes is leaving their post, even if it is for one of the smallest villages in the kingdom. I may even be able to send a reply if you stay in one place for long enough."
As much as he would have enjoyed continuing their talk, Janus knew prolonging his departure would turn this sweet goodbye bitter. "I'm going to miss you," he said with a faint smile.
"Who wouldn't," replied Simon with a smirk.
The two embraced, neither knowing when their paths will cross.
>>>
'Just keep following the markings', Janus thought as he trudged through the overgrown path. The morning light that accompanied him on his departure had grown accustomed to the sky.
He ventured down this trail once as a kid, but never far enough to reach the road. It was the only true way to reach Crowglen. Its secluded nature makes it near impossible to simply stumble upon. If anyone were to travel to and from his home, it would be along this path. 'If it even is my home anymore...'
It was strange for Janus not knowing what his future would be. Ever since he was young, he was expected to be the next Kesteven to serve on the "council", as his father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather had done before him. In fact, his great-great-grandfather was among the few who founded Crowglen. It was a peculiar title, however, as the council in question was merely a bunch of neighbors who aired their grievances and discussed how to go about solving them. Technically speaking, his father's voice had no more weight than someone who lived in the town for only a year. And yet his father did not see it this way. Maintaining the peace, using discourse to better people's lives, and taking ownership for poor decision making was Crowglen's founding vision. In his ancestors' eyes, the Kestevens were tasked with the burden of keeping it that way.
And then the trail ended.
Janus, lost in his thoughts, stumbled onto the dirt road. On the other side of the road was rolling hills of grass with trees spread out across the terrain. He turned around to look back at the trail. The woods were so thick it enveloped the path he had recently walked. A large, light grey stone sat at the trailhead. It was stout with a short, rounded point at the top. If it weren't for the stone, anyone traveling along the road would easily miss it. Few people outside of Crowglen knew this, most being from nearby towns. And yet some still find their way. Such is the appeal of living in Crowglen.
Janus chuckled. 'That's it?' The expectations he had for reaching this point were not high, yet the abruptness of the situation left a feeling of absurdity. He had almost wanted to be overwhelmed by this milestone; the final departure from the only life he knew. 'Did I? Did I want to be scared? Do I want an excuse to go back? Do I want to go on this journey?'
Janus started to pace back and forth, procrastinating the next leg of his journey. In his head was a mixture of confidence and doubt, the latter overpowering the former. It wasn't until he looked up that he saw something coming over a hill in the distance. A spec appeared to be moving along the trail. As it grew closer, Janus was able to make out what exactly he was looking at: a man on a horse-drawn cart full of crates and sacks.
His doubt subsided as panic took its place. Janus's mind began to race. 'I can't just be standing around while this guy passes me. It will look suspicious out here in the middle of nowhere. He's definitely seen me by now. If I try going back into the woods to hide, he'll just be more suspicious. He might even find the trail! Gods, what if he learns this is where the trail starts? I can't let a stranger know how to get to Crowglen. No more strangers can know. No more...'
With the stranger gradually approaching, Janus finally came to a solution: walk away. He turned away from the cart and proceeded to move at a brisk pace on the road. It was a stroke of luck the direction to Hazelbrook was the same as the one away from the stranger. 'If I walk fast enough, he will not catch up to me. Then, once I reach Hazelbrook, I can lose him in the town'. He could not think of any sound reason as to why he was standing in the middle of the road. Even if he tried to lie, his deception would likely falter to persistent questions. 'All I have to do is not talk to him'.
And so, he walked. Every now and then, Janus looked over his shoulder as discretely as possible to see if he was maintaining their distance. When the cart seemed to get closer, he picked up the pace. As the cart passed the trailhead, Janus could see the man's head turn to look into the woods. Yet he never stopped. A wave of relief washed over Janus. 'He didn't search for the trail'. His solace was interrupted when the man looked forward again. They locked eyes.
Janus quickly turned back around and widened his stride. 'Enough to increase my pace, not too much to warrant any suspicion'. For an hour and a half, he maintained this speed. He kept his occasional peeks behind him to a minimum, focusing solely on moving forward. HIs legs were aching from the constant strain. His shoulders grew worn and weary as the strap on his heavy pack dug into them, forcing him to continuously switch between which one the strap rested on. Yet as he grew more tired, he found himself switching every 10 minutes. Anything to relieve the pain. 'I'm going to need a new pack in the future if I cannot obtain a horse'.
After 30 more minutes of this struggle, he quickly realized it would be impossible to outrun the stranger. Janus slowed down his pace and began to think of answers to potential questions the man might ask. 'I was just taking a break earlier. I left from Stonewood this morning. Oh, you're coming from there, too? I guess I had an earlier start. If I had known you were also making the trip, I would have asked for a ride. Do I want one now? No, I prefer to walk. What's that? Yeah, you're right. I did just contradict myself. That's interesting. Thank you for pointing that out. Well, it was nice talking to you, and don't worry about that rock I was standing around'. The hypothetical conversation made him groan.
Defeated by his own imagination, Janus's only hope was to greet the man with a simple, yet non-introductory "Hi" and hope the cart continued on its way. And so, as the sound of the horse's hooves slowly approached, he prepared himself for what was bound to be the most important greeting of his life. Janus made his way to the side of the road, continuing to face forward, in order to let the cart pass. Closer and closer, the noise grew until they were right behind him. Out of his periphery, he made out the long, brown face of the horse, its ears twitching and eyes flickering to fend off the annoying gnats.
Janus began to panic again. 'Do I turn to face the man now or when the cart itself passes me? Do I make direct eye contact? What if I don't turn at all and just say "hi"? Do I let him say something first? No, I need to say it as kindly, but also dismissively, as possible to best ensure we do not have a conversation'.
Janus started to turn. "H-"
"So, you're from Crowglen, huh."