Chapter 384 - Frowning Frey

A mouthwatering scent crawled into Elero's tent and pulled her out of bed. Bleary-eyed. Yawning. The cold slapped her awake as she changed. She wished to be back within the four walls of her house, where a warm fireplace would always be burning. The distant memory sent a pang of gilt through her heart. 'How long has it been since I last saw my parents?' she thought.

The increasingly strong smell reminded her that she hadn't had breakfast, and she wandered out into the cold to find Olpi, who stirred the contents of a pot. She kept the flame low to let the others sleep in their tents for longer. She, like Elero, had woken before the sun.

"Good morning," Olpi greeted her.

Elero dragged her sleeping back next to the fire and sat on it. "Morning," she yawned. "Do you always wake up this early?"

"It depends…depended on what we were told to do," Olpi replied. "Here. Since you woke up first you get this while it's hot." She offered Elero a broth-filled bowl with a warm smile.

Elero thanked her but didn't eat immediately. Instead, she held her cold hands flat against the warm bowl and let the steam wash over her face. She scooped up a steaming chunk of broccoli and licked her lips.

Olpi's stomach grumbled.

Elero looked up from her food. "Aren't you going to eat with me?"

Olpi shrugged. "Maybe later."

Elero accusingly pointed some broccoli at Olpi. "It's not poisoned, is it?" Without looking, Olpi snatched the broccoli from Elero's fingers and popped it into her mouth. "I was about to eat that."

Olpi gave a dry smile. "I was testing if it was poisoned. Your safety was at risk. Looks like it needs more salt."

Elero scooped up a piece of pork and grimaced at the chewy texture. "I think I'd rather have poison. Toss the meat after this meal."

The two turned as Frey exited his tent. His face was hidden behind a mess of unkempt hair. He tossed his sleeping bag on the opposite side of the fire and plopped himself down. "What's this about poison?"

"Nothing," the girls said in unison.

Frey eyed them both, shrugged, then pulled out a hair tie. Like parting curtains for a play, he swept his hair up to reveal deep bags under his eyes. "Fine, keep your secrets. I can handle poison, probably."

Elero chuckled. "Good morning, sunshine. You certainly slept well."

Frey let out a yawn. "Whatever. Can I get some food?"

Olpi handed him a bowl. He stared at it blankly. Elero and Olpi exchanged a look.

"Frey," Elero said. He gave no response, so she waved a hand in front of his face. "Frey!"

Frey blinked. "Huh? Can I get some food?"

"Olpi just gave you some. You're holding it."

"Oh."

Elero furrowed her brow. "What's up with you? Did you train through the night or something?"

Frey downed his soup in a few gulps: "I had a bad dream. That's all. I'm going to wake myself up." He set the bowl down and wandered off.

"Be careful not to fall asleep out there," Olpi cautioned him as Frey silently trudged away.

"Not again," Elero sighed.

Olpi turned towards Elero. "He looked intense during sparring practice last night, but I just figured it's how he is. Is he ok?"

Elero shrugged. "Sleep loss is one thing but he has been a lot more quiet. At least he doesn't seem as much of a pain as back in the swamp."

Doevm crawled out of his tent and joined them. "It's a personal matter, and it's best not to bother him about it."

Elero slurped up the last of her soup. "Eavesdropping are we?"

Doevm tapped a scroll in his left hand. "Who said I was sleeping? We have more than one objective, remember?"

Elero nodded. "So what kind of personal matter is it? Did Frey have a lover?"

"The kind of personal matter I do not like to discuss," Doevm maintained. He extended his hand towards Olpi, wordlessly asking for a bowl.

Olpi held the broth out of his reach with a playful smile. "Come on, you can tell us."

Doevm frowned but kept his hand out. "Ask him if you are so inclined. May I have my breakfast now?"

Elero leaned her head on Doevm's shoulder and looked up at him. "Come on, give her the details. Do you really care that much?"

Doevm lightly pushed her away. "This is the aspect I hate most about humans. Very well, if you really must know, he has a sister." Olpi handed him a bowl, and he smirked. "And that is all you will know."

Olpi then gestured to the few drops of broth within Doevm's bowl. "Aye, unless you want more than that little spoonful."

Elero laughed and patted Olpi on the back. "I love this girl. Where did you find her?"

"What can I say? Servants love gossip," Olpi sheepishly said.

Doevm sighed. "Frey's sister is the only family he has left, and for the longest time he had to take care of her."

"Younger or older?" Elero interrupted.

"Older."

"Why did he have to take care of an older sibling?" Olpi chimed in.

"Because half of her body was paralyzed by the Virility rose," Doevm explained. "It would have killed her, but their bloodline has resistance to poison. Gwen relied on Frey for everything, even before her incident. Frey was drafted into the war, and a servant took over his duties. Then, after we got back from the year-long war, he discovered that Gwen had given birth."

"Frey's an uncle?" Elero gasped. "Why have I never heard of this before? Frey must have been so excited. He must have waited an entire year to see his nephew."

"We did not know that she was pregnant," Doevm corrected her. "Nor that she was in a relationship."

Elero paused. "Wait, but you guys should have only been gone for a year. It takes nine months for a baby so…by the goddess."

Doevm nodded. "Gwen found someone else to depend on, then made him hers. Frey was then made expendable to her."

Olpi crossed her arms. "They are the only family they have. So what? She just replaced her brother with a lover? That's it? She can't have both and be happy?"

Doevm shrugged. "This sort of thing is not my specialty. Finish up. We should get to Petal Town while it is still morning. May I have my food now?"

"Oh, right," Olpi filled his bowl. "If you didn't want to tell us, I wasn't about to let you be hungry. I apologize. I didn't realize it was that personal."

Doevm shrugged. "Like I said, I do not care."

"What do you think he's going to do when he gets back?" Elero asked. Doevm was silent. "Should we watch him in case it gets messy?"

Doevm waved her off. "I doubt that is necessary. Like I said, it is personal to him, not us."

Everyone turned as Frey jogged back into camp, looking a bit less pale than when he first woke up. "What's this about personal?" he asked.

"Nothing," the group responded.

"Ok," Frey said. "By the way, where's Thomas?"

All heads turned towards Thomas's tent.

"He's not in there," Doevm said with a bit of hesitation.

"How do you know that?" Elero asked.

Doevm got up and opened Thomas's tent, which was empty except for a note. He picked the paper up and read it allowed: "I got impatient and went ahead. Meet you at the Virility Estate."

Frey shrugged. "I didn't know he was so independent. So, is it time to pack up camp? I'm ready."

"Ready for what?" Olpi gasped.

"Ready to go home."

The camp was packed up. One by one they piled into the carriage.. Sooner than they knew it, they were back to the comforts of home, Petal Town.

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