The first two days of traveling with Riku were mostly uneventful.

Roxas began to get a real feel for the land of the corn people and found that it was quite unlike the Cleft. But that wasn't a surprise. As Riku had mentioned, the Cleft was a freehold. Valdi might think of them as common scum and in many ways they were, but everyone in the Cleft could trace his or her ancestry back to a certain minor noble who had been on the losing end of a clan war. Fleeing enemies who would give him no quarter, he and his closest retainers and family had ventured into the mountains. At first times had been very hard and they had survived mostly on herding, but then the wizard of the group had discovered the copper. That had marked the beginning of the town that would become the Cleft. In time the clan would split, with several of the noble's sons and cousins taking on new clan names. As the rest of the Glisterheim reckoned things, the Cleft was held in common and had no noble head.

The land of the corn people was quite different and a bit unsettling. Among the Glisterheim of the Cleft it was a man's duty to be proficient with arms and an adequate horseman. Even the Glisterheim who labored in the mines with the slaves found the time to practice. The plainspeople clearly did things differently. They passed through little farming villages where no one owned more than a carthorse and a few crossbows and boarspears. These people were not able to defend themselves and it left Roxas feeling troubled, particularly after what Riku had said about the undead.

"It's probably not much different from the western Glisterheim." Axel said when he mentioned that. "Nobles don't want the peasants and serfs bearing arms. Too likely to turn on him, especially if he's an ass." Axel grimaced. "It does seem wrong though. To be honest, I'm glad we'll never see the Glisterheim of the west. I'd hate to see my own people like this." Roxas blinked at the thought and swallowed. Did the rest of the Glisterheim reckon things the way the Cleft and Sandarr's fief did? Perhaps not. The Fief had also been founded by renegade nobles and that attitude infused them. Almost all of the little towns and villages in the high mountains had been founded that way.

As Roxas traveled, he noticed something else slightly disturbing. Many of the peasants and serfs were afraid of them and that was right and proper. But some of them were actually… relieved? Reassured? Something that made Roxas worried. He remembered Gegnir's words on the subject clearly.

Peasants will always fear you. Not because you're Glisterheim, lad, but because you have weapons and they don't. It's a natural thing and you can get past it if you act peaceful like. But at first, they will fear you.

Some of the peasants didn't though, and Roxas could only conclude that there was something out there that frightened them far more than armed men. Something that made the presence of weapons almost comforting, no matter whose hand held them. Undead… Roxas shook his head. There was no point in worrying about it. What would be would be.

The first problem they encountered happened when they were between towns and forced to camp in the open. Riku stopped them near a stream and consulted his map.

"We'll never make it to Wartburg tonight." Was his verdict and Roxas sighed before nodding. Axel's gelding just couldn't be hurried but they probably couldn't have made it anyway. The donkey wasn't a lot faster. "There's still daylight but I think we should camp here. We can take a bath in the stream and clean our clothes a bit."

"Let's!" Axel said enthusiastically and Roxas smiled, shaking his head. The redhead did so love to swim. It was probably a good idea though. They'd had a bath fairly recently but public baths in towns were expensive. They took the horses down to the river for a good drink and then tied them so they couldn't wander off but had plenty of room to graze. Roxas considered the grazing thoughtfully and added several buckets of grain and water. The horses all needed a bit more than just grass with the work they were doing. The blonde laughed as Axel's gelding promptly tried to steal Fleabite's share of the grain and was snapped at. Riku's horse and the donkey quietly ate from their own buckets, ignoring the byplay. "Come on Roxas, the water is great!" Roxas looked up and saw that Axel and Riku hadn't wasted any time after getting the horses unsaddled.

"Hmph, slackers! Leaving me to take care of everything." Roxas said teasingly as Axel grinned at him and Riku smoothly dove under the water. He quickly stripped down, leaving his weapons right by the shore just in case. Axel and Riku had done the same thing, he noticed. He waded into the cool water, smiling at the worn, mossy rocks underfoot. It was slightly treacherous footing but far more pleasant than a muddy bottom or the sharp rocks that sometimes washed into Crescent Lake.

"So Riku, I was wondering." Axel said as he swam lazily. The silver haired boy glanced over at him curiously. "Why are you going to this University if you don't want to? Just curious." He added hastily as Roxas winced. They'd been avoiding that topic since Riku seemed very unhappy with it but they were both very curious. Riku glanced away, silent for a moment before giving a sigh.

"I suppose I should tell you. I'm my father's only living child. I did have two siblings, a brother and a sister but my brother joined the army and died in a skirmish. My sister caught the strangling angel and died." Axel and Roxas both winced at that. The Cleft was remarkably disease free, for many reasons. The first was the wizard who had helped found it. He'd come up with a system of copper pipes and pumps to get rid of waste and bring in fresh water from the lake. It had been very far sighted and the Cleft maintained those works religiously. They also bathed weekly and tried very hard to control vermin. Isolation also helped, and infections usually arrived only when they had to trade with Sandarr's fief or the corn people.

Unfortunately, trading was the lifeblood of the Cleft and so the diseases came. The strangling angel was a childhood disease and it claimed around two in ten children it touched. Adults could catch it as well, particularly if they hadn't had it in a very long time but their chances were better. Only one in ten died. Roxas had caught it when he was ten and Axel was eleven. He could still remember how sick he'd been and then, after he'd recovered, how afraid he'd been for the redhead. But they'd both survived the ordeal and wouldn't have to worry about catching it again for a long time but several of their playmates hadn't been as fortunate.

"My mother died soon after of a wasting illness." Riku continued grimly. "And father is determined to keep me safe. I want to join the army but when I started showing signs of healing talent he insisted I go to University and either join the priesthood or become a wizard." Roxas blinked at that and Axel eyed the silver haired boy in surprise. Healing talent was a very rare thing.

"Your father is right. One healer is worth ten warriors!" Axel said firmly and Roxas nodded. The Glisterheim might feel it was the place of a man to be a warrior, but a good healer was infinitely more valuable and more revered than a priest. Riku sighed.

"I know, I know. But we're having problems now and really mastering my healing talent will take years. Longer if I decide to be a wizard." Riku brooded for a moment before shaking his head. "I suppose one more warrior wouldn't make much difference." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself and Roxas could sympathize. It would be hard, studying while great events were going on around you. "Sometimes, I wish I didn't have the talent. I really wanted to be a warrior." They could both empathize with that even more. Wizardry was a hard road to take, with a lot of reading and writing. The priesthood was only a little easier. Roxas and Axel had never felt any desire to take either of those paths.

After swimming a bit, they broke out the soap and had a proper wash. Then they did their best to clean their clothes, scrubbing them hard with the same soap. It wasn't the same as a proper deep cleaning but it would help. Then they strung the clothes out on a line to dry, keeping them far away from the horses. The movement of flapping clothes might startle them and even if it didn't, there was a definite possibility the clothes might get eaten. Axel gave the horses a grooming and checked their hooves as Roxas and Riku did their best to make some hot supper.

"That smells great! What are you guys making?" Axel called over and Roxas smiled as he stirred the contents of the copper pot. It had held grain just a short time ago, but the horses hadn't wasted any time finishing their rations.

"Just frying a bit of smoked sausage and onions." He called back. The sausage was heavily smoked to preserve it and didn't really taste that great, but it would be much better heated up with some fresh cooked onions and a bit of trail bread. Riku carefully wrapped some wild tubers in wet leaves before burying them in the coals. "Riku's found some redroot, but that won't be done for hours." They might have to eat those for breakfast. That was fine though. Raw redroot was disgusting but it was delicious cooked. Axel finished up with the horses and walked over, smiling.

The rest of the evening passed pleasantly as they ate their food and chatted about various things. Roxas and Axel both laughed as Riku described the time he got kicked in the shin by a milk cow and ended up covered in milk when he knocked over the bucket. Axel cheerfully told the story of the goat that had almost disrobed Roxas as a child, and Roxas retaliated by telling Riku all about the time Axel had been attacked by a goose. Soon they were all laughing.

"So who wants first watch?" Riku asked when they had sobered a bit. Roxas thought about it a moment as Axel shrugged.

"You can have it." The blonde decided. First watch was easiest and while he didn't exactly distrust Riku's abilities, he didn't know the silver haired boy well either. "I'll take the middle and Axel can have the last." Middle was the hardest but Roxas didn't mind. Axel nodded cheerfully.

"Works for me." As the light began to fade they washed their dishes in the stream, filled up the horses' water again, then pulled out their bedrolls. Axel and Roxas stayed apart. While sharing their blankets and cuddling would be nice, Roxas didn't want to wake Axel until the start of his watch. That would be a bit hard on the redhead. It felt like he'd just gotten asleep when Riku's hand touched his shoulder. Roxas woke with a start, blinking as he looked up at Riku's pale face.

"It's your turn." Riku said and Roxas glanced up at the stars before nodding. It wasn't too hard to tell the passage of time from the stars, if you were used to outdoor camping. He pulled himself out of his bedroll as Riku crawled into his, taking a seat by the fire. He didn't look at the fire though. That would quickly render him night blind. Instead he looked out into the darkness, mind going blank as he scanned for any movement.

Despite his alertness, it was Jack the donkey who noticed something wrong.

Hee-Haw! Hee-Haw! The loud bray sent Roxas to his feet and made Axel mutter a muffled complaint. The donkey continued to bray as the horses shifted, except for Axel's gelding. He was still asleep. Roxas spared a moment of wonder for that then concentrated on finding what had alarmed the donkey. He remembered Riku mentioning that donkey's made good guard dogs and it seemed he was right. Hee-Haw!

Roxas cursed as he finally spotted the movement. It was jerky and odd, but the dark forms approaching them were man shaped. He quickly shook Axel awake. Riku was already sitting up, woken by the sound of the donkey.

"We're under attack!" Roxas quickly went to Fleabite and pulled her tie free, mounting her bareback. The horse snorted and pawed the ground, settling down a bit with her master on her back. Axel's gelding woke up with a snort as he vaulted onboard. Riku didn't bother to get on his horse and Roxas smiled approvingly as he saw the silver haired man was building up the fire and making torches. If this was what he thought that would be –

"Zombies!" Roxas grimaced as the scent rolled over them. He and Axel charged together, their horses quickly building speed. For once Valdor was a credit to his name and the two horses trampled the first undead, breaking bones easily. Then Axel and Roxas were in the middle of them and began slicing apart the enemy. Congealed blood and less definable fluids went flying as Roxas lopped an arm off and Fleabite squealed in rage, kicking another zombie. The stench of death seemed to madden both the horses and Axel's gelding grabbed a zombie by the shoulder, crushing and shaking until Axel lopped its head off.

It wasn't an easy fight. The undead monsters kept attacking even with severed limbs, trying to bite and tear. Roxas could see a dreadful eagerness in their eyes, a desire for blood and flesh. But the monsters were slow and clumsy and Riku came behind them, setting the fallen on fire and attacking the others with his torch. The zombies burned well and Roxas spared a moment of worry for the grass around them. But there was no time to consider it and he kneed his horse, making her jump to the side to avoid another strike.

Finally Roxas whirled his horse, looking for more targets, and found there were none. Axel was panting and there was a large bite mark on his leg, but he was still a going concern and both the horses were uninjured. To Roxas relief, the grassland around them seemed to be fairly wet and the fire wasn't spreading. Still…

"Riku!" He called as he slid off his horse. The silver hair looked up from the body disposal. "Do we have any shovels? We should probably cover all this with dirt." That would put the fires out as well. Riku nodded.

"We have a shovel head. It shouldn't be hard to cut a pole." Axel winced as he dismounted his horse and Riku noticed. "Are you hurt?"

"Just a bite." Axel said bravely and Riku frowned.

"That's likely to get infected… I'll try to heal you as soon as we're done." Roxas winced at that but knew it was nothing but the truth. Nothing could be filthier than zombies and their bites were worse than a mad dog. It took time and Roxas was feeling punchy with fatigue, but they spread dirt over the charred zombie parts. The fire went out reluctantly but Roxas felt much safer without it burning. Fire wasn't a great threat in the Cleft but he knew from Gegnir's stories that it was something to be feared in the open plains. "That's good. Let me look at that bite." Roxas checked over the horses more thoroughly as Riku saw to Axel's hurts. He found one small gash on Fleabite's side and frowned, carefully cleaning it before leaving it be. It was small and not a bite mark so she would likely be fine. The horse nudged him and Roxas smiled, pushing her head away before going to fetch an apple from the bags. He cut it in half and fed it to the horses. They definitely deserved it. Then he looked up as Axel yelped.

"Sorry. I'm not very good at this yet." Riku mumbled as Roxas walked over. He could see the noble's face was tight with concentration and his hand was directly over Axel's injury. That must have been what had caused the yelp. Axel was gritting his teeth in pain but Riku didn't release his grip. "Just… a little… more…" Riku breathed heavily and Axel blinked, a surprised expression suddenly crossing his face. Riku drew away his hand and Roxas stared.

The wound was not entirely gone, but it was healed. If Roxas hadn't known better he'd have thought the injury was a week old. Axel prodded it then grinned widely and slapped Riku on the back. Roxas had to quickly grab the silver haired boy before he fell into the fire.

"Try not to kill your healer!" Roxas scolded the redhead as he steadied Riku. The young noble looked exhausted. "That takes a lot of energy?" He asked and Riku nodded as Axel looked a touch guilty. He just didn't know his strength sometimes.

"Yes, mostly because I'm still not too good at it. An experienced healer wouldn't have to exhaust himself." Riku shook his head and slumped down onto his bedroll. Roxas patted him on the shoulder as Axel fished the redroots out of the coals.

"Would something to eat help?" The redhead popped a root into a bowl as Riku looked up with a blink.

"It would, actually." Axel passed the bowl over and Roxas found a fork. They both watched Riku eat for a moment, and then Roxas looked up as Axel touched his shoulder. The redhead's green eyes were concerned for him.

"You should get some sleep. The donkey seems to think its all safe now." Roxas glanced over at Jack the jack and saw that the donkey was dozing off. "I'll take over the watch."

"Okay." From what he could tell, it was about time for Axel to take over anyway. They'd all be a bit short on sleep now but there was no way around that. Roxas wrapped himself up and thought of nothing at all. Sleep claimed him quickly.

Tomorrow would be another day.