Jasper enjoyed their time in the woods, working side by side with the silent girl and her hounds. They ate together in the morning, did chores, sometimes they would feed the animals or weed the small garden. Sometimes they would walk together through the woods, foraging mushrooms and wild ferns. Jasper forgot about the deep overwhelming sorrow and darkness their life had implanted in their chest.
Nearly two weeks since they had walked down that forest road, the girl shook them awake. They sat up, looking around. The sun had not yet risen, and the house was chilly with the encroaching winter.
“Is everything alright?” they asked
She nodded, vibrating with excitement. She gestured for them to get ready and skipped out of the house.
Jasper pulled on their boots and coat, tying their hair back and tucking it up under their hat. The girl was waiting outside. She had two of the goats on a leash and a basket filled with straw and eggs. She handed them the basket and ran around the side of the house. Jasper followed. She was struggling to pull the small wagon out from under the lean to. Jasper hurried over, helping her pull it out to the road.
The girl hitched up the goats as Jasper loaded the small wagon with baskets, herbs, carrots and eggs.
“Where are we going?” they asked, stacking the last of the baskets.
The girl pointed down the road that led farther into the woods. Jasper had never been down that way.
They started out, walking on either side of the wagon. The goats walked alongside, calm and orderly. The hounds ran through the woods around them, appearing now and again. Birds sang above and behind them the sun began to rise.
Jasper walked silently, breathing in the sweet quiet calm of the woods. They walked until they came to a crossroads. The girl gestured Jasper to stop, and she unhitched the goats, letting them graze on the grass surrounding the small sign sitting underneath a small grove of lilacs.
“Halloway Broch” Jasper read “what does that mean?”
The girl shrugged and tossed them a sandwich wrapped in a chequered cloth.
“to the left we have Holyston lake, to the right Belloway and uh…” Jasper squinted “ahead we have Redshire. Is that where we are going?”
The girl nodded and clasped her hands.
They finished their sandwich and accepted a swig of hot tea from the canteen the girl had brought.
“You know” they said as they began walking again “I still don’t know your name.”
She nodded, and kept walking.
“I can’t just keep calling you the girl in my mind.”
She shrugged
“What about…” they thought for a moment “mildred.”
The girl almost laughed at that, but quickly covered her mouth.
“Reiny.”
A head shake
“Dollie.”
An eye roll
“Emira.”
A punch in the arm
“Okay.” Jasper laughed and rubbed their arm “fine. Don’t tell me.”
The girl grabbed their arm as they rounded a corner.
“What- oh.”
Before them stretched a town. It filled a large clearing and the surrounding woods, dirt paths and thatch roofed houses, a bright stalled market at the edge, people playing in the grass of the field, fires burning in stone circles, animals milling about in wood and stone pens.
“Wow. It’s a town. All the way out here.”
The girl nodded and ran towards the town centre, leaving Jasper with the goats.
When they caught up to her she was hugging a tall man with a scraggly greying beard. He clapped her on the shoulder.
“You marvel. You absolute marvel.”
Jasper watched in stunned silence. There wasn’t supposed to be anything out here. There was nothing out here.
“Ah now, who is this?” the man asked, turning his attention to Jasper.
“Uh…”
“That’s alright!” he laughed “you must be new. I never knew our Leaf to collect strays, although I guess she was once one herself!”
“What?”
“I’m Yandari Ev.”
“Jasper. My name is Jasper.”
“Hello, Jasper!” He pulled Jasper into a hug.
They stiffened, attempting to pull away, but his grip was strong. They looked to the girl. She smiled and patted Yandari’s shoulder. He released Jasper and laughed again.
“Come now. I must show you to my husband.”
“What?” Jasper demanded, but they were already being pulled along, off down the street.
They came to a tall wooden two story building in the centre of the town. Yandari pushed the door open and shoved Jasper and the girl inside.
“Daud! Leaf has a new friend!” he shouted. Jasper flinched and tried to duck out the door, but the girl stopped them.
“Leaf? They whispered “is that you?”
She nodded
“Wow. I was way off.”
Another man entered the room from a doorway near the hearth.
“Hello, Leaf. ah, another stray.”
The girl- Leaf grinned and patted Daud’s hand. He smiled and pressed her knuckles to his forehead. She nodded and returned the gesture.
“What’s your name?” Daud asked, coming over to Jasper.
“Jas- Jasper.”
“Ah, Jasjasper.”
“No, just Jasper.”
“JusJasper. Nice to meet you. You two look hungry. Come eat!”
Daud and Yandari hurried into the other room and Leaf went to follow. She glanced over at Jasper, standing frozen by the doorway. She touched their shoulder gently and smiled.
“What are all these people doing out here?” they asked, rubbing their temples “there aren’t people out here, much less villages. You’re a witch, that makes sense, but they are just people. People don’t live this far away from the Centerstone.”
Leaf shook her head sadly before taking their hand. She led them to a set of stairs in the back. The top room was filled with weapons. Swords, spears, bows and arrows, staffs, you name it. She picked up a bo staff and twirled it around a few times.
Jasper looked around, stunned.
“What?”
“It’s a sad story.” Jasper spun. Daud stood in the doorway. “Are you sure you want to hear it?”
“This place…” Jasper stared at the weapons “you aren’t just normal people.”
“No, we arent. I am a warrior from the north, one of the shadok, Yandari is from the south, was in service for the queen down there. Mulkh down the street is one of them Assuri witches, Khatu betrayed the king. Thing is, we all come from somewhere. We all did something bad and we all left. People show up here sometimes, like they are drawn to the mountains. Yandari thinks it’s the power of the place, i think it’s the people. We grow our food, raise our animals, start families. People come and go with time but the place stays. Leaf’s the only one that seems to never move on.”
Leaf smiled and patted Daud’s arm.
“You may stay with us if you wish, Jasper. Leaf would never bring someone who would do us harm, and we mean no harm to you.”
With that he squeezed Leaf’s hand and went back downstairs.
Jasper sank to their knees. Leaf came over, squatting down next to them.
“This isn’t possible.”
Leaf gestured around them. Look around you she seemed to say.
“I come from a nameless town so far east it hasn’t changed since the fall of Gardadock, that was the farthest people went. Beyond that it was just land and mountains and wild magic. There are not supposed to be people out here. How are you warped?”
Leaf laughed at that, a small soft pleasant sound that made Jasper feel warm inside. The house seemed to echo with it, shaking down to its foundations with the joy in that laugh. She quickly covered her mouth.
“The magic out here.” Jasper sighed “it warps everyone and everything, how are you all okay?”
Leaf touched their chest. How are you?
“I’m not-” Jasper faltered, “it’s a sad story.”
Aren’t they all?
“One day. Maybe one day.”
Leaf nodded and helped them to their feet.
Downstairs Daud and Yandari were laughing as they set the table. Wooden plates and bone utensils. Primal and just like back home. Jasper ate with them, talked with them, laughed with them and told stories with them. Leaf nodded along and ate her food in a careful manner, taking sips of ale now and again.
Jasper sat and learned the stories of these people, this town. The warriors and magicians that sought refuge in the mountain hall and instead found kinship and solidarity with people so much like them.
Leaf and Jasper spent the night in that house. Their goats and supplies stored in the shed, the hounds all sleeping at the base of Leaf’s bed. Jasper didn’t sleep though. They lay in the dark, staring at the ceiling until the sun came up the next morning. They lay in the dark and thought about things long passed, and how much the people he used to know would love this place.