Chapter Three

Wren left the Speaker feeling physically calmer than she had going in but her mind was even more overwhelmed. There was a lot on her as a Guardian and she didn't know if she was ready for it. She surely didn't want it, as selfish as that sounded.

"How'd it go?" Cayde asked, pushing himself off a wall nearby.

"Okay," she shrugged.

He blinked and nodded slowly. "Let's go get some ramen then. I have some guys I want you to meet."

Wren followed silently as he led her down from the top of the Tower. They wound through streets and for a time Wren forgot about he duties in the bustle of the city.

People shouted and laughed, going about their day as if the world outside the wall wasn't deadly. Smoke from food stalls filled the air with the smell of meats, cakes, and spices that made Wren's stomach growl. They wove between people at the market stalls, passing under colorful cloth and chimes that hung over the marketplace.

"Keep up, Pidgeon," Cayde called over his shoulder to her, waving to people he knew as they passed.

Wren picked up her pace and stayed close to him, aware that one wrong move and she could be lost in the sea of people. Ghost flickered around, always staying within sight but floating around curiously until he caught sight of the ramen shop Cayde was talking about.

"There it is," he said, hovering over her shoulder.

A giant red, white, and blue neon dragon hovered over a neon bowl of ramen on the side of a building. Across the front of the shop hung red noren with symbols she didn't recognize. Cayde pushed them aside, holding it open for her to pass through.

"This is the best ramen shop in the whole City," he said, puffing out his chest.

"You're welcome," said a cheerful voice from nearby.

Wren turned to see a tall, broad Exo with bright saffron eyes and matching paint streaked across his face.

"He only knows about this place because we told him," said the other man, a shorter lanky Awoken with snow white hair and strange eyes. The right was golden and natural looking for their kind, but the left was streaked cyan and purple and something about it seemed artificial.

"Yeah, yeah, shut up and get us a table," Cayde said as the Exo slapped him on the back. As they walked away, he turned his attention back to Wren. "Warlocks. Don't turn your back on em' they'll eat your food when you're not looking."

"Who are they?"

"The tall one's Beorn. The other one's Fransrick."

"Fransrick?"

"Yeah I named him," Cayde said with a little chuckle. "He had a different name, but he lost a bet and I got to rename him. Isn't it great?"

Wren glanced at Ghost who made an opening and closing movement similar to a shrug.

Beorn waved them over to a table in the corner and Wren followed Cayde a little more closely than she meant to, bumping into him when he suddenly stopped. He peered over his shoulder at her, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"You're a Hunter, kid. Don't apologize; tell me to move," Cayde said, waiting for her to speak but when she didn't he turned away and sat down, patting the bench beside him.

"So who's the girl?" the Awoken asked.

"Wren," she said before Cayde could answer with some other silly bird name.

"I named her," he beamed.

"Couldn't have given me something other than Fransrick?"

"You lost a bet; she didn't."

"Speaking of bets, don't you owe us two bowls of ramen a piece?" Beorn said, motioning to himself and Frans.

"Hey now, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Cayde said, putting his hands up defensively.

"You're broke again aren't you?" Beorn asked.

"What? Me? No!" Cayde sputtered. "But I do have this bet with Holliday, so I'm limited."

"How much glimmer do you have to lose to her to get the point?"

"Whatever let's just get some food," Frans said, calling over a waitress.

They took the liberty of ordering for Wren, who sat quietly, listening to them as they insisted on which dish was best before firing off into tales of their recent adventures. Except for Cayde, who told them of times before he was Vanguard. But Wren said nothing.

Eventually a bowl of steaming noodles with strips of beef, halves of eggs, and scallions in a red soup that promised to be as spicy as they said it would be. Cayde passed around some chop sticks but Wren didn't know what to do with them.

"Hold em' like this," he said, positioning her hand properly before demonstrating how to use them.

She caught on quickly, but the first bite made her nose run and the others thought it was humorous. Still, she liked it more than she thought she would and continued to eat while the others chatted.

After nearly an hour she found herself picking at the dregs at the bottom of her bowl, barely able to keep her eyes open.

"Well, it's time I get Sparrow here back to the Tower. They should have a room for her by now," Cayde said, paying for both of their meals. "C'mon kid."

"Sparrow?" Frans asked. "Thought it was Wren?"

"It is," she replied before flipping up the cowl of her cloak against the chill outside.

Fransrick walked beside her back toward the Tower, pointing out shops and telling her what they sold, the pair of them following a few paces behind Beorn and Cayde. Wren wasn't sure how much of what he told her she would remember but she was getting a view of the world she had been brought back to protect.

It seemed to take much longer to get back to the Tower than it had to get down to the ramen shop and by the time Cayde opened the door to her room, she was practically dragging her feet. He flipped on the light and revealed a small room with a bed pushed against the wall. Fresh blankets were folded neatly at the foot of the bed on top of a trunk. Shelves were built into the opposite wall as well was a wardrobe. Across from the door was a simple desk and a window that spanned nearly the entire wall with heavy black curtains pulled tight.

"She's all yours," Cayde said, dropping the key in her hand. "Get some rest, Guardian. I'll need you bright and early."

"Of course," she said quietly.

Cayde closed the door, leaving her alone and for the first time since she was awakened in that dusty field, there was silence. She crossed the room and opened the curtains, revealing a breathtaking view of the Last City.

Below lights spread out in the bowl created by the wall and a dividing line of darkness split it from the stars overhead. Still the City outshined the night sky, glowing with a golden warmth that made her feel like home.

"It's been a long first day," Ghost said. "What do you think so far?"

"I don't know what to think."

"I meant what I said to the Speaker. I know I made the right choice with you."

Wren didn't answer. She stared at him for a moment before letting her gaze fall away. She didn't feel that he had made a good choice in her. Guardians were supposed to be strong. They were supposed to be warriors and Wren… she was no warrior. In silence she made the bed, abandoning her armor in a heap on the floor. She curled up into the blankets, warm and safe, giving in to exhaustion at last.