Hey, guys! Welcome back to Hear a Tale! Apologies for the unannounced hiatus - turns out moving back home and then immediately going on a family vacation doesn't leave a gal with much time to write, haha. Either way though, I'm back now, and it's review time!
Thanks so much to CitrusChickadee for reviewing! Dad Olberic and extremely-ADHD Cyrus are both very fun to write for - I need to do that more often, haha XD Glad you enjoyed!
With that, on with the tale!
Relevant Events: Alfyn's Chapter One (sort of)
29. Happiness
"A fine day for travelin', isn't it, Therion?" Alfyn breathed in deeply, grinning at the scent of clean water and fresh grass that permeated the air. The river gently burbled beside the two travelers, and the heat of the sun was tempered by the soft breeze that tousled their hair from time to time. "Bet you don't get much weather like this back in the Cliftlands, huh?"
"I would think that'd be obvious," Therion muttered, not even bothering to glance in Alfyn's direction. It was easily the longest sentence he'd uttered since the pair had left Clearbrook, though his tone was still clipped and he did not bother to elaborate. For the past couple of hours, they had alternated between prolonged periods of silence and sporadic attempts from Alfyn to hold a conversation - attempts that had always resulted in what was effectively an awkward monologue.
Truthfully, the apothecary was not quite sure what to make of the white-haired man that trudged sullenly at his side. Alfyn was indebted to him, surely, for his help in slaying the Blotted Viper for its venom, but regardless of his previous altruistic actions, Therion seemed determined to establish himself as especially poor company.
He refused to tell Alfyn anything about himself aside from his name and the fact that he'd come to the Riverlands from the direction of the western cliffsides. He failed to answer any of Alfyn's inquiries with an adequate level of substance, and did not bother to ask Alfyn any questions of his own. He even looked withdrawn, choosing to keep his face lowered into his violet scarf and his arms tucked beneath his lavender shawl, despite the day's warmth.
Alfyn couldn't help but wonder - had he done something to offend his new companion? Or had something happened before Therion's arrival in Clearbrook that soured his mood?
Surely no one could be that ill-tempered, completely unprovoked.
The apothecary briefly quickened his pace so that he overtook Therion (which was not all that difficult, given the other man's significantly shorter legs), then turned to face him, walking backwards in Therion's direct path. "Alright…what's wrong, Therion?" he asked, arms folded but his expression kind. "You've seemed upset ever since…well, since yesterday, when we met. Care to tell me what's been buggin' you? I may be able to do somethin' to help!"
Therion looked up, meeting Alfyn's gaze with his one visible eye half-lidded. "You're going to fall into the river if you don't look where you're going," he said flatly.
Alfyn sighed and shook his head. "Never mind that. Come on, now…it's a beautiful day, we haven't run into any monsters, we're makin' excellent time, and we saved a life yesterday. What's not to be happy about, huh?"
The other man scoffed. "How much time have you got? Has it ever occurred to you that a lot of people have problems that a 'beautiful day' alone can't solve?"
"Well - eep!" The apothecary's voice caught briefly as he stumbled on a stray stone in the way of his backwards stride. He did not fall, however, instead quickly righting himself with a sheepish smile on his face. "Well," he repeated, breathlessly, "I know that, sure. But life ain't all about the bad stuff, is it? If you ask me, I'd say that the world's problems give us all the more reason to enjoy whatever little pleasures we can get!"
"I didn't ask, but here we are, I suppose."
"Anyway," Alfyn continued, "I think, in my line of work, at least, it's important to be able to keep up a smile! Think about it - an apothecary'll see you at your worst, more often than not. They're there when you're feelin' awful, when you're all weak and tired and fed up with it all…what would be the point of them walkin' in there with a look just as dour as your ailment? If anythin', I'd reckon it'd just make you feel even worse than before!"
"Fascinating."
"But if your local apothecary keeps a skip in their own step, well…they say smiles are contagious, don't they?" Alfyn grinned. "And I'd argue that happiness is one disease that's worth spreadin' around!"
Though met directly with Alfyn's beaming face, Therion's lips did not so much as twitch. "Happiness as a disease," he said dryly. "With an analogy like that, I'd advise that you don't quit your day job in favor of poetry anytime soon."
Alfyn deflated, though only slightly, as his shoulders dropped and he brought a hand up to rub at his forehead. "Aw, come on, Therion," he sighed, "now you're just tryin' to be a cynic."
"You think I wasn't trying before?"
"Look," the apothecary said, ignoring the other man's snark, "all I'm sayin' is that, yes, the world's got its issues, but that doesn't mean we need to wallow in them all the time, does it? There's still plenty of beauty and light in the world that we can enjoy - it ain't all just doom and gloom out there! Everyone's got at least somethin' that can bring them some happiness every now and then - even you, I'd bet."
The sheer level of cynicism present in Therion's visible jade eye was almost impressive, but it didn't last long. After a few moments of stubborn muteness, the man heaved a long-suffering sigh and shrugged, though he did not remove his arms from beneath his shawl.
"Fine," he muttered. "I suppose there are some things that even I can find a modicum of joy in, from time to time. But you'll excuse me if said things are a little difficult to think about when I'm currently in the midst of trudging across the whole damned continent on a journey I never even wanted to take."
Alfyn's eyebrows lifted. Now that was a new piece of information.
"A journey you never even wanted to take?" the apothecary repeated, head tilted slightly. "What's that s'posed to mean?"
"None of your business," Therion answered, as if by instinct. Then, he shrugged. "Let's just say that someone gave me a job that I had no choice but to accept, alright? They wanted me to find something, so I'm going to find it. Simple as that."
"No choice…" Alfyn's face lit with understanding. "Oh, you mean you needed the coin real badly?" That much would make sense - Therion wasn't exactly dressed like a nobleman, and his overall demeanor was rough enough to suggest a less-than-comfortable life thus far.
"Mhm…something like that."
"Shucks, well…" Alfyn rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I can understand that much, at least. I'd offer to lend you some leaves myself, but, well…y'see, I tend to give out too many discounts to my patients, so I'm a little strapped for coin too, heh…"
Therion gave him a look out of the corner of his eye. "Sounds like a profitable business model," he said flatly. "But whatever, don't trouble yourself. I'll be fine. And besides…you shouldn't be offering money to every hard up stranger you meet on the road. That's exactly how you get robbed blind before you even realize what's happening."
"Maybe, but…" Alfyn flashed a crooked smile. "I just like helpin' folks in need, you know? Gotta spread the disease of happiness around somehow!"
His purple-clad companion stared at him as though he'd suddenly sprouted a second head for several moments, then shook his head and pushed his way past the still-backwards-walking apothecary. "Still a terrible analogy," he muttered, half to himself, as he did so.
Alfyn merely chuckled. "It's good enough for me!" He turned to face forward again at last - noting with a hint of pride that he had indeed managed to avoid falling into the river all this time - and jogged to catch up with Therion. The other man was hardly a ray of sunshine, and he still seemed determined to keep whatever circumstances had set him on his journey a secret, but Alfyn did not mind. As far as he was concerned, they had a long road ahead of them, and there was plenty of time to convince his fellow traveler to gradually open up.
After all, smiles were contagious, and Alfyn had plenty to spare.
See you guys next time for Tale 30: Under the Rain!