7 The Debt is Repaid

Ravan struggled to comprehend the conclusion to the conversation he had just closed with the captain as he watched the centurions ride away. How in the world would he manage to scrounge up five hundred pieces by next month? And how would he explain this to Evietta? He wouldn’t explain, he resolved. There was no reason at all for her to know the predicament in which he found himself. But now how would he explain this unexpected, heavily-armed visit to her?

Evietta was no fool. She immediately knew who those men were, and it was clear by the look on Ravan’s face when he entered the kitchen that the conversation had not gone well. However, she wanted details.

“What happened? What did they say?”

Ravan rubbed his face and ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to design a credible excuse and failed. Then he searched for the words that would make the situation sound better than it actually was. Unfortunately, there were none. He placated his hands, finally giving up.

“They want five hundred pieces.”

Evietta waited to hear more and quickly realized that she would have to press for it. “When?”

“By next month.”

Evietta scanned the walls for answers. “Very well, how much do we have?”

Ravan was running out of patience with his wife’s questions. “I don’t know exactly, I would have to count. But I can tell you with certainty it’s not nearly enough. Now please, allow me a moment to think.”

Ravan left the kitchen with the hopes of finding peace and quiet in the living room, but Evietta refused to give it to him and followed close behind.

“Thinking isn’t going to bring home five hundred pieces, Ravan, and neither will you in less than a month’s time. The solution is clear: I’m going to have to find work.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Ivy, you have to take care of Brae.”

“We can both take care of Brae while we work.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Then what’s your solution?”

“I find more work!”

“That still won’t be enough.”

“You don’t even know how much I have stashed away!”

“You hardly make that much in a year, there’s no way you’re close enough to five hundred pieces that you’ll close that gap with a second job. So what’s your real solution?”

“I don’t have one yet because I’m standing here arguing with you! If you’d give me just a minute to think, I could come up with something!”

“Very well, I’ll tell you what: if you can come up with a more feasible solution before I find work, we’ll do it your way. But until then, I’m heading to bed because I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow.”

With that, Evietta took her leave to the bedroom and Ravan watched her, astounded. She truly intended to seek work the next day to help pay off this newfound debt, and he hadn’t even told her that her life depended on it. He feared what she would do if he had mentioned that to her. Although, as Evietta was no fool, she had probably already figured as much and that was why she insisted on helping.

Ravan sat in front of the dying fireplace late into the night and strived to conjure some way to come up with even just a hundred pieces by the end of the month without Evietta feeling the need to work. Unfortunately, it seemed as though in every situation he would require her help. He pinched the bridge of his nose. How much more money did he actually require?

With a small flame on the tip of his finger, Ravan searched for his savings beneath the bed he shared with Evietta. After having used his money to purchase their rings and to hold them up for rent at the inn, he only had half of what the baron was demanding. Even with Evietta’s help, they would never make over two hundred pieces by the end of the month. There was simply no physical way it could be done. But… there may be a way he could obtain the money without work at all.

The next morning, moments after Ravan got out of bed to prepare for his day, Evietta got up to do the same but Ravan stopped her.

“No, no, Ivy. There’s no need to worry anymore, I have everything all worked out.”

Evietta was unconvinced. “You do, do you? How’s that?”

Ravan made sure to keep his voice low. “We’ll simply leave the country.”

“We’ll what?”

Ravan’s eyes sparkled as he explained, “It’ll be like those adventures we always talked about, and we’ll go anywhere you want! Alaric, Noelle, Vira, Hagoria, you choose!”

“Do we even have the funds for a move that great?” Evietta questioned.

“We will soon enough, I still have over two hundred pieces left from my savings. We’ll stick around long enough to decide where to go, make the necessary arrangements, save enough to make it an even three hundred to cover any surprises, and then we’ll leave all our troubles behind! What do you think, Ivy?”

Evietta considered Ravan’s plan for a moment and found herself growing quite excited about the idea. She didn’t for a second fancy that the plan could be executed as smoothly as Ravan made it sound, of course. She still intended to search for work.

“Yes,” she finally replied. “I think that sounds wonderful.”

“Wonderful, indeed.” Ravan kissed his wife’s hand. “You stay here, relax, and think about where you’d like to live next. I’ll head to work and make it appear as though everything is normal. I love you.”

Ravan planted a truer kiss on his wife’s soft magenta lips this time and rushed out the door. Evietta watched him leave as she continued to ponder the thought of leaving the country. The more she thought about it, the more she hoped that everything would work out exactly as they imagined. The sheer excitement and the promise of endless possibilities began to overpower any nagging doubt or fear, but she couldn’t be so easily fooled. Obstacles occur often, and one ought to obviate oversights.

After feeding Braelyn her breakfast and setting some dry food out for brunch and lunch, Evietta prepared to head into town in search for a job.

“Mommy’s got to go out for a few things, Sweetheart,” she said as she set out Braelyn’s toys. “Just stay here and play with your dolls, and don’t open the door for anyone. Do you hear me?”

“Yes, Mommy,” Braelyn replied. “When will you be back?”

“I can’t say for sure, but you have Briar and Vixen to keep you company, and food when you get hungry. Host an espresso soiree for your noble ladies. I love you, Sweetheart.”

After that, Braelyn locked the cottage door and set off on foot into Ignis to begin her hunt for work. Her first choice was to hop from inn to inn and offer herself as a cleaning woman. She couldn’t understand it, but every inn turned her down, even the ones which seemed to require more hands. She quickly noted the observation that there were no female employees at any of these locations. By noon Evietta had hit every inn located in Ignis and couldn’t decide if she felt hopeless or frustrated; perhaps it was a mix of both. She had been so certain that she would land a job that day, but it appeared that getting hired would be much more difficult than she had anticipated. That is, if she would get hired at all.

Evietta decided to stop by a tavern for a couple drinks to calm herself down before she headed back home. She dropped down onto a barstool and slumped over the counter.

“I could use a stein of mead,” she said.

“Long day already?” asked the barkeep.

“Indeed. I didn’t realize how difficult it was to find work.”

Evietta scanned the tavern and noticed that some of the people delivering food and drink to the tables were women.

“Looking for work, are you?” asked the barkeep.

“Yes…” Evietta faced the barkeep. “Could you use a hand?”

The barkeep set the stein of mead in front of Evietta and glanced around his tavern. “I suppose I could every now and again. You wouldn’t be working often.”

“It’s better than no work,” Evietta replied. “I can start tomorrow.”

The barkeep considered for a moment and then slowly nodded his head once. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Wonderful.” Evietta downed the mead and placed a coin on the counter. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

~~~

Meanwhile, Ravan made his way to Mael rather than work and by noon he had arrived at the grand and elegant Chateau Westerlay. He approached the large armed berserker guards and requested to speak with Count Pierce.

“And you are…?” asked one of the guards.

“I am the son of Braelyn of Tariq, to whom he owes a debt. Ask him yourself, I am here to collect.”

“I would ask him, the only problem is that he is not in the country at this time.”

For a moment, Ravan felt pressure crushing his chest. “When will he return?”

“Early next month. There’s no way to know an exact date.”

In that moment, both suns went out and Ravan fought the useless urge to force his way through the massive double doors. “I see. Thanks anyway.”

Hopeless, Ravan took his time walking home. It seemed he would have to move his family out of the country on his own somehow.

~~~

Evietta returned to the cottage as she felt there was no need to leave Braelyn alone any longer. Her routine returned to normal after her arrival but by the time Ravan got back, she hadn’t decided where to she wanted to move yet. They had plenty of time to decide though. That night, Ravan read The Fairy Circle to Braelyn while Evietta fiddled with her embroidery. Once he had finished a chapter, it was time for Braelyn to go to bed.

“Is Roshire really covered in golden valleys and emerald forests, Daddy?” Braelyn asked as Ravan carried her to her bedroom.

“Of course it is, Sweetheart,” Ravan answered.

“I wanna see it. Can we go there someday?”

“Absolutely. We’ll build an onyx cottage in the middle of a golden valley with a lovely view of the emerald forests. We’ll make friends with our dryad and limoniad neighbors, and snack on fresh berries all day long. How does that sound, Sweetheart?”

“That sounds lovely!” Braelyn exclaimed with a bright smile. Ravan tucked Braelyn into bed. “Lovely indeed. Now you shut your little eyes, go to sleep, and dream about what our onyx cottage in the golden valley will look like. Oh, which reminds me…”

Ravan removed a zinc, unicorn necklace from his pocket and handed it to Braelyn.

“I made this for you today, and had it blessed by elves to give you sweet dreams every night.”

“It’s beautiful, Daddy! I love it! I’ll name her Winter!”

“Winter huh? Why Winter?”

“Because she’s white and shiny like winter.”

“That’s perfect then. Now you have to close your eyes and go to sleep in order for Winter to give you sweet dreams. All right?”

“All right. Good night, Daddy,” said Braelyn.

“Good night, Sweetheart.”

Ravan returned to Evietta in the living room, who was just putting away her embroidery.

“Are you heading to bed as well?” Ravan asked.

“I might as well.” Evietta stood and faced Ravan with a soft smile. “You know, golden valleys and emerald forests do sound quite lovely.”

“You think so?” Ravan approached his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Are you saying you would like to move to Roshire?”

“Yes, I think so. It seems to be a wonderful place for me to birth our second child, wouldn’t you agree?”

Ravan paused for a moment and tried to read Evietta’s face. “Wait a moment, are you saying…?”

Evietta’s smile grew wider. “I’m pregnant.”

A single laugh escaped Ravan’s throat and then he could hold back no more. He lifted his wife into the air and spun her around, laughing joyously over her giggles.

“All right so, if it’s a boy we’ll name him Candor and if it’s a girl, we’ll name her Nova. What do you say, are those good names? What names do you like?”

Evietta really couldn’t care less what they named their children, she mostly enjoyed her husband’s elation over their growing family. “Those are perfect names, my love.”

“Perfect indeed! Ah, we shall sleep gloriously tonight. Our future is as bright as the Northern and Southern suns put together!”

Evietta considered telling Ravan that she had found work but was certain that he wouldn’t respond well and she had no desire to sour her husband’s glorious glee. So, she thought to wait until she felt the time was right… perhaps when he was intoxicated, for instance. Meanwhile, Evietta took pleasure in sleeping in her elated husband’s arms throughout the night.

~~~

The following day, long after Ravan had left for work, Evietta made sure Braelyn was set for luncheon and dinner before she left for work herself. Once she arrived at the tavern, the barkeep got straight to business. He took her to a musty back room and threw a soiled bedleh outfit at her.

“That’s your garb,” he said. “You are to wear that with your hair down and a bright smile on your face while serving my patrons. And lose the wedding ring, it’s unattractive.”

“Yes, sir,” Evietta replied. She lifted the uniform to get a better visual of the long, ruffled, violet skirt and short, gray, choli shirt. It smelled of pipe tobacco and mead, and had clearly been worn before.

“Good,” the barkeep continued. “Put that on, take their orders, and deliver. And don’t be shy; flirt with them a little.”

The barkeep left Evietta in the back room to change into her new uniform. After letting her red-brown curls hang over her shoulders, she gazed at herself in the cracked, dirty looking glass. She imagined Ravan wouldn’t approve of her exposing so much skin to other men. Fortunately, she didn’t figure that Ravan visited this tavern since there was one closer to the brownsmith. With a deep breath, Evietta got straight to work and she caught on quickly. It wasn’t long before she worked most of the tables in the tavern most of the days of the week, picked up more frequent and longer shifts, and accrued most of the tips. Meanwhile, she hid her pay in the flour canister in the cupboard until she was ready to tell Ravan that she had obtained work. Until then, she prayed that Braelyn wouldn’t mention her constant absence from home to him.

~~~

Several weeks later, Ravan made his way to the misty Port of Rivas after his shift and approached the basajaun Port Operator.

“Good evening,” Ravan bid. “When does your next passenger ship to Roshire set sail?”

“Where in Roshire are you looking to go?” asked the Port Operator with a bass voice.

Ravan shook his head and shrugged. “Anywhere in Roshire.”

The Port Operator reviewed his log book. “We have one setting sail the morning of Sueño thirtieth for Flintcove Port.”

“Wonderful.” Ravan took up his coin purse. “I’d like three tickets, please.”

“Yes, sir.”

Unbeknownst to Ravan, a Rivas Centurion stood behind the building of a tackle shop, where he watched Ravan make his transaction. Once he was satisfied with the information he had obtained, he hopped back onto his horse and rode off.

That evening, Evietta returned home to find Braelyn playing with the same centurion beside the woods near their cottage. Terror struck her with such a force that for a moment she was at a loss for what to do or say.

“Braelyn!” she finally hollered.

Immediately, both Braelyn and the centurion turned their attentions to Evietta.

“Mommy!” Braelyn called, happy to see her mother finally home.

“Inside! Now!”

The joy faded from Braelyn’s face and without a word, she obeyed. For a long while, Evietta and the centurion stared at each other and Evietta longed to spew some choice words his direction, but she thought better of it. Eventually, the centurion mounted his horse and casually rode away. Once he was back on the road, Evietta rushed inside the cottage.

“Braelyn!” she snapped. She knelt before her daughter in the living room and shook the child by her shoulders. “I thought I told you never to leave the cottage!”

“But he said he wanted to play with me and I was bored,” Braelyn replied.

“I don’t care, that man is dangerous, do you understand me?”

Tears swelled in Braelyn’s eyes as she clutched her elf doll for comfort. Evietta’s heart went out to the child and she pulled her daughter close in to a hug.

“I know it’s hard being alone, Sweetheart. It won’t be for much longer. Soon, we will be on our way to Roshire with the golden valleys and emerald forests, and everything will be perfect. We must simply hold out for just a little longer. All right?”

Braelyn smiled softly and wiped the tears from her eyes with a gentle nod of her head.

“Good girl,” said Evietta. “How about I make your favorite for supper tonight? Does that sound good?”

“Yes,” Braelyn beamed.

“Yes, indeed.”

That night after having put Braelyn to bed, Ravan brought the dishes into the kitchen for Evietta to wash them, then proceeded to dry the clean ones.

“I got us tickets to Roshire,” Ravan whispered. “We leave the morning of the thirtieth.”

“Did anyone see you purchase them?” Evietta asked without looking at him.

Ravan paused. “No… no, I didn’t see anyone. Why?”

“Because while Brae was playing outside, one of those centurions approached her and started playing with her.”

Ravan squinted his eyes at Evietta. “Did he say anything?”

Evietta shook her head. “Nothing. Once he saw me, he got on his horse and rode back into town.”

Ravan nodded and stared blankly at the water basin in shock. “Very well, maybe we should prepare for them to return a little early.”

“I agree. And I’m going to find work.”

“No, that’s not necessary yet,” Ravan argued. “I know I haven’t been able to find a second job, but I can get more work at the smith.”

“And that still won’t be enough, Ravan,” Evietta countered.

“You can’t work, Ivy. What about Brae? What if another centurion rides around to play espresso soiree with her again?”

“The cottage will be locked up tight and she won’t be alone for long. I’m finding work, Ravan, and that’s final.”

Evietta planted the last dish on the counter with a fierce thump and left the kitchen.

~~~

The next day before beginning work, Ravan warily approached his employer who sat behind his desk reviewing his ledger by dim candlelight.

“Sir, I would like to know if my work here has been to your satisfaction.”

“Very much so,” said the smith. “Why do you ask?”

Ravan hesitated. “I was hoping you would grant me a raise… And perhaps more work.”

The smith eyed Ravan up and down. “Are you in some sort of financial bind, Nebune?”

Ravan nodded. “Indeed, sir. My wife is with child and she’s insisting even she find work. You understand I can’t have that.”

“No, of course not.” The smith breathed deeply and after a moment of thought, nodded. “Very well, Nebune. I’m certain I can find more work for you, and with more projects completed will come more money.”

Ravan chuckled with relief. “Thank you! Thank you, sir! I am forever grateful, you will not regret this!”

Exhausted, Ravan returned home that day long after Evietta, and he was relieved to find her already setting the table for supper.

“I was starting to get a bit worried,” said Evietta. “I take it you gained extra work?”

Ravan smiled as he tossed his cloak across the sofa. “And a raise. How about you, did you find work?”

“Yes, I think Fortune is finally starting to smile down on both of us.”

Ravan tried to appear happy, but he didn’t do well. “Really? Where?”

They all took their seats at the table as Evietta explained. “Well I tied to find work cleaning at any of the inns in town, but none would take me. So I eventually ended up at a tavern to drown my sorrows —”

“You obtained work at a tavern?” Ravan interrupted.

“It was the only place that would take me; I could make us a lot of money with the tips.”

Ravan rubbed his face aggressively with both hands. “If only there were sooner tickets to Roshire.”

“It won’t be for all that long,” said Evietta. “Either we’ll have the money for the baron, or we will be on that ship for Roshire. In either case, this situation that we’re in will meet its end in a few weeks’ time.”

~~~

The next day, before she headed out for work, Evietta went through the money she had accrued and counted barely over fifty pieces. What was worse was that it was already Sueño twenty-fifth. All the way to the tavern Evietta mulled over what she could possibly do to acquire more money, but no ideas came to mind.

That is until later that night near the end of Evietta’s shift when one of the patrons had fallen asleep drunk at his table. A risky idea swelled in her mind, and she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to pull it off. Evietta warily glanced around the tavern as she delivered a few drinks to a separate table, then she eyed the barkeep to see if he was sufficiently distracted. Casually, Evietta wandered over to the sleeping man’s table where she removed the empty steins, still wondering if she had the nerve to go through with it — if she had the skill to get away with it. She gazed down at the coin purse tied to the patron’s belt and with another glance around the tavern, she gently untied the strings and slipped the purse down her blouse. She had gone unnoticed. Success! If she could continue to do this covertly, she and Ravan could reach five hundred pieces just in time!

While Evietta continued to steal coin purses off passed-out patrons, Ravan continued to work overtime at the brownsmith. However, they still failed to reach the required five hundred pieces in the time allotted. On the night of the twenty-ninth, Ravan and Evietta packed their items as quickly and quietly as possible so that they could make it to port early the following morning. All too often, they took turns peering out the windows for any signs of centurions. The tensions were so high in the cottage that Braelyn even started to catch the nervous aura and hugged her little doll in a corner of the living room for comfort.

“Do we have everything we need?” Ravan asked.

“Yes, let’s go,” Evietta whispered back.

Ravan coaxed Braelyn. “Quickly now, quickly!”

Ravan tied all their belongings onto their one horse and set Evietta atop it with Braelyn straddled in front of her. Without any light to bring attention to themselves, they began to leave the stables, setting off at long last to a new and better life in Roshire.

Suddenly a dozen torches flashed to life, illuminating an army of Rivas Centurions all glaring down at the small family. Ravan and Evietta gaped at the soldiers, their nerves slowly growing to cause them to tremble.

“Leaving, Ravan?” asked the captain.

Ravan didn’t know how to reply. Normally he would deny everything, but that hardly seemed practical considering all their belongings were packed and his family was dressed on a horse.

“I don’t imagine you have the funds the baron requires?”

“Yes.” For once, Ravan managed to think quickly on his feet. He tossed the captain his savings. “For the baron.”

The captain weighed the coin purse in his gloved hand, then tossed it to the centurion beside him. “Count this.”

Ravan and Evietta waited in tense silence while the centurion counted. This was exactly what Ravan had hoped wouldn’t happen and he struggled to surmise how he would respond when it was learned that there was not five hundred pieces there.

“There’s four hundred sixty-seven pieces here,” the centurion informed his captain.

“If the baron would be gracious enough to accept that…” Evietta blurted out.

“The baron specifically said five hundred,” the captain replied.

“Then perhaps he may be gracious enough to grant us another half a month.”

“You expect us to believe that you won’t flee to Roshire during that time?” the captain challenged.

“We were only fleeing because we ran out of time and we couldn’t save enough,” Ravan pleaded. “If you don’t trust us, post one of your men at our cottage.”

“I’m afraid we’re beyond that now. In light of your past and current insurrections, we are required to take the baron’s payment in another way.”

Here, four centurions dismounted their horses and approached Ravan and his family.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Ravan cried. “Please, we’re not that far from the five hundred! My work at the slaughterhouse wasn’t even worth that much! Please, show mercy, my wife is with child!”

The centurions approached Evietta and Braelyn and pulled them down from the horse.

“No, wait!” Evietta cried. “At least spare my daughter! She’s innocent, she’s just a child!”

“Mommy! Mommy, what’s going on?”

“Wait, please!” Ravan begged. “We have most of the money, there must be some way we can work this out for the benefit of both sides! The baron’s a businessman after all, surely he’s willing to negotiate!”

“The baron would like it to be known that this is what happens when anyone attempts to cheat him out of work and pay,” the captain called over the pleading cries of his victims. “He also does not appreciate being swindled by cowards who attempt escape rather than face him in person. Here, we shall demonstrate the consequences of these actions, or more aptly, the lack thereof.”

Braelyn was the first to go, right before her mother’s and father’s eyes as she tightly hugged her doll for life. Ravan was rendered in such an intense state of shock that he couldn’t hear the wails of despair from his wife. The struggle to his right brought his attention to the centurion who had Evietta on her knees. Ravan watched paralyzed as Evietta attempted to fight the knife, only managing to slice up her hands. Once her throat was slit from ear to ear and she lay choking on the ground, Ravan was prepared and willing to be next. He could not live with the memory of this event, and the knowledge that he was the one responsible for making it happen. So he waited for his chin to be forced up, for the blade to be held against his throat, waited to choke on his own blood like his wife and child had. He waited, and he waited.

Instead, the centurions moved around Ravan and entered his cottage where they set fire to all that hadn’t been coated in fire retardant, then they smashed everything else that had. Lastly, they slaughtered his horse and set fire to his belongings.

“Your debt to the baron has been paid,” said the captain. “I strongly suggest you never cross anyone again.”

With that, the centurions returned to Rivas, and left Ravan painfully and hopelessly alive. For a long moment, Ravan stared at the bodies of Evietta and little Braelyn where their blood had pooled around their heads and seeped into their red-brown curls. He reached out and brushed a strand away from Evietta’s face. He could confirm by the blank look in her clouding eyes that she was gone. That was the moment when the despondent, ugly sobs escaped his throat and quickly his entire face was soaked in tears. Ravan crawled pathetically over to Braelyn’s body, took her in his arms, and rocked her back and forth like he used to when she was first born.

Perhaps an hour later, Ravan scraped up the strength to fetch the shovel from behind the remains of his cottage and proceeded to dig two holes beneath a flowering, lavender tree. His energy was fleeting, and it took a few more hours to complete the task. By the time Evietta and Braelyn were buried side-by-side with tiny crosses marking their resting places, the Southern sun had begun to rise. He knelt there at the foot of their graves, wrapped Braelyn’s necklace around his neck, and played with Evietta’s wedding ring. He simply knelt there with nowhere to go, nothing better to do nothing more to live for. A lavender bud tumbled down from the tree, and rested on Ravan’s knee, effectively breaking his attention. It reminded him of the cherry blossoms shed all over his mother’s grave, which then reminded him of his ever stronger bloodlust for Earl Rajashekar. Slowly this lust spread to the Baron of Rivas, a new great enemy. Then to Omid, who likely reported his escape to the baron. Then finally, to the captain who had orchestrated the murder of his five-year-old daughter and pregnant wife.

Ravan reached beneath his cloak and brought out the journal in which he had jotted down his extensive findings on the World Wonders. Thank God, too, because the Fairy Circle book had been destroyed along with everything else he had owned. Now his forgotten yearning for vengeance had returned, and he would take his time planning it. He would make this pursuit last as long as possible, and he would recruit help — but only a little. Ravan knew exactly where to go for said help, and there was no use in wasting another second. He pushed himself to his feet and immediately set out for Mael.