Chapter 2

Dinner tasted as wonderful as it smelled, and Fionn dug in with a hearty appetite. Jonathan almost didn’t remember to start in on his own food, he was so busy staring at the winged man. He’d never seen anyone like him. His face was fine-boned, almost androgynous, and his slender build boyish, yet he was obviously strong and capable. His clear green eyes seemed to send a shock through Johnathan every time he met Fionn’s gaze. Fionn gave him a little smile, and he realized he’d been staring at his guest with his fork half lifted for nearly a minute. Jonathan blushed and looked down at his plate. He should keep his eyes to himself. Even if this stranger hadn’t been just passing through, most men were not inclined towards other men, so any advances he might make would probably be unwelcome. And besides, what interest would somebody who was obviously a warrior and adventurer have in a farm lout like him?

Fionn noticed the young man’s glances. He was not entirely unused to such looks; he’d gotten enough of them over the years. His fellow adventurers teased him about being a “pretty boy” for choosing to wear his hair long and insisting on being shaved and groomed even out in the howling wilderness. He easily laughed off their teasing, for he took pride in his appearance, and was more than willing to be admired.

The young farmer wasn’t bad to look at either. His sandy hair was probably due for a cut, yet the way it fell untidily about his face was rather charming, and the little bit of absent-minded scruff on his square chin—a few shades darker than the hair of his head—was pleasantly masculine. His broad shoulders and muscled, hard worked body were certainly easy to look at. He seemed to be carrying just a bit of fat—and given how good the meal was, it was no wonder—but that still was very much to Fionn’s tastes.

I rather hope his stares are because he likes how I look, and not just because he doesn’t often see anyone in mail around these parts, he thought.

“So where are you bound?” Jonathan’s mother asked.

“I’m on my way home,” Fionn said.

“From where?” asked Jonathan, curiously.

“From the badlands,” he said, with a vague gesture to the south.

“My, that’s quite a trip!” said Jonathan’s mother.

Fionn nodded. “And I’ve much further left to go. ‘Home’ is on the northern coast. But I’m in no hurry. I’ve been taking my time and enjoying the journey. The countryside around here is very beautiful.”

“You’ve probably seen much more interesting places than this, though,” said Jonathan.

Fionn shrugged. “I suppose I might have seen places more exciting, and I do have to admit that the badlands are beautiful in their own bleak sort of way, but the countryside here seems so peaceful…” he trailed off, with a sort of sigh. He could almost picture himself with a little farm somewhere. The idea was tempting. But he didn’t know that much about farming, really. With a mental shrug he returned to his dinner, polishing the plate clean.

He slept that night in a comfortable bed in an attic room, deeply and without dreams. When he rose in the morning, he had a sudden impulse, and seeing no reason not to give in to it, he dressed himself and performed his usual morning grooming, but left the mail and the sword in the attic when he came down stairs.

“Good morning.” Jonathan greeted him with a smile that lingered just a little bit.

He smiled back. So, not just because of the mail coat. It might still just be because I’m an avian, but…I don’t think it is. “Morning. Is there breakfast?”

“Yep. Almost done. Just porridge though, I hope that’s all right,” Johnathan sounded very apologetic.

“Porridge is fine. Perverse as it may sound, I actually like the stuff,” Fionn said with a grin. “At least provided you have honey or sugar for it.”

“Your choice of both, actually. And molasses too.”

“Wonderful!”

After he had cleaned his bowl, Jonathan said, sounding a little regretful, “I suppose you’ll be moving on now.”

“Oh, eventually,” Fionn replied, “But I thought I should repay you for your hospitality. Is there anything I can do to help out? I don’t know a lot about farm work, but I can lift and carry things. I’m sure there’s some way I could help out.”

Johnathan looked a little surprised. “Well…It’s the tag end of planting now, and I was going to spend the day out putting in some late vegetables and herbs in the kitchen garden. You could help with that, I suppose.”

“That sounds great. You’ll have to show me what to do, but I’d be happy to help.”

Fionn spent the morning with Jonathan, making mounds for the seeds, or holes, or putting little rooted baby plants into the soil, depending on the plant. Johnathan showed him what to do for each row, and he was able to continue without needing too much babysitting. His back was soon sore from all the bending over, but he had to admit it was rather satisfying to plant things.