“Molly!” exclaimed Cypher as he stood in his doorway, a smile breaking out across his face.
“Hi there sweetheart,” she replied with a warm smile and beckoned him to come and sit down on his bed. Cypher kicked off his boots at the door and took a seat. The smell of the warm bowl of soup wafted up to his nose and was very much welcome after his encounter with Agnad.
“Why are you here? Don’t you still have chores to attend to around the mansion?” he asked.
Molly chuckled and straightened her apron before answering. “Don’t you even worry about that little one. After all these years of serving the Galvans, my duties have hardly changed. It’s quite easy for me to find free time when I want to. Besides, a few of the other maids are also covering for me, so I should be fine to vanish from Lady Tyrina’s sight for a short while. Now go on! Eat! Eat! Don’t let it get cold!”
Cypher nodded and pulled the tray closer. The first bite was heavenly. The soup had a rich cheesy flavor with a hint of herbs and spices he had grown used to over the years. Naturally, they had come from the gardens. Much like all the ingredients used in the food around Galvan manor, they were fresh and perfectly cultivated.
After the first bite came the second, and then the third. Before long the entire bowl was empty and Cypher’s belly full. He hadn’t taken notice of how hungry he had been until just that moment. His day had been quite a full one after all. He wiped his mouth and Molly gathered up his dishes and set them and the tray aside. She then took a seat next to him and let out a sigh.
The two sat in silence for a few moments before she finally began to speak.
“You’ve come such a long way in such a short time haven’t you little one?”
“What do you mean?” asked Cypher.
“What do I mean? Can you really not tell? It seems like just yesterday you were just a small, frail little boy swinging broom handles around in the halls pretending to fight off monsters, and now…” she glanced at the iron sword resting on top of the bundle containing Cypher’s new set of armor.
Silence took over again for a moment as Cypher waited for her to continue.
“You’ll be careful out there, won’t you?” Molly asked, a look of concern in her eyes as she turned to face him. Cypher could see the telltale signs of tears beginning to form at the corners of her eyes, and his voice caught in his throat.
Cypher had his reservations about the guards that would be accompanying him to Gett, but he dare not share that concern with Molly right now. Knowing her, she might even try and change Galex’s mind and keep him here to try and protect him. Playing it safe was his best option right now. That said, even he wasn’t sure his words would ring true in the coming days.
Molly didn’t look convinced, at least, not completely. However, she sighed again and shrugged her shoulders before pulling him in for a tight hug.
“You make sure you keep your wits about you when you’re out on the road you hear me? If you come back with so much as a scratch-” she began, but Cypher chuckled and cut her off as he pulled back to look up at her.
“I promise I’ll take good care of myself out there! Just wait and see, this time it’ll be me who has a cool story to tell!” With that Cypher hugged her again and she rubbed the top of his head as she held him. He could hear and feel her heartbeat as he hugged her tightly and, as always, it brought him a lot of comfort.
The two hugged like that for a moment, him hiding his face in the folds of her apron, and her stroking the back of his head as she hummed softly. It was a tune he had grown so very used to hearing over the years and just as much as the hug did, it too provided him immeasurable comfort.
It wasn’t often that he was able to feel so content, so at peace, but moments like these were ones he treasured and kept deep within his heart. Still, as the moment passed Cypher pulled back first and smiled up at her. She stood up, straightened her apron, and as usual, pulled a few pieces of candy from her pocket.
Cypher happily took them and she offered him another warm smile. She then made her way over to the bundle containing Cypher’s new armor and pulled off one of her handmade bracelets. She set it on top of the bundle and turned to face him once again.
“I want you to take this along with you. I know it isn’t much, but whenever you wear it, wherever you might go, you can know that I am with you and that I care very much for you. Keep it as safe as I expect you to keep yourself and come back to me okay?” She smiled again, her tears unable to be restrained any longer and Cypher could only nod as he promised once again to come back home safe and sound.
With that, she took her leave and Cypher was once again left alone with his thoughts.
The next day was long and boring but nothing of great note occurred. Cypher took the time to rest some more and made sure to pack everything he would need inside the bag he had taken the day before. Rations and a sleeping bundle went into the bag, but as for his armor, it lay upon the dresser.
Cypher spent most of the day learning how to equip the gear all on his own, as well as remove it. The thick wool strings and leather straps and buckles that tied most of the pieces in place were hard to master at first. However, after a few hours of tying and untying them, he had gotten the hang of it and could don his armor within only a few minutes.
The sword still felt a little too heavy in his hands but it wasn’t so much that he was having difficulty wielding it, rather, it was the importance of holding an actual weapon in his hands. The one thing that Jelroy had instilled in him more than anything else was a simple but crucial lesson; Weapons were not toys.
They were not the thing of games or fun. When one drew their weapon it would be to defend themselves or to fight for a just cause. Blood could be shed, and lives could be lost. But most of all, if one were not careful they might ultimately lose themselves in bloodlust and become nothing more than a murderous beast.
Cypher knew that he didn’t have a taste for hurting people, and taking a life seemed abhorrent to him. If the time came, would he really be able to use this sword to its fullest potential? Could he really take a life? Would he even have to? What would become of him if he did?
All these questions and more weighed him down and made the sword in his hands even heavier than before. However, as he closed his eyes, he could see Molly’s bright face smiling at him and the waves inside his heart calmed. No. He would not become a monster. He would not become an instrument of war and a dealer of death.
Cypher made a vow then upon this sword. One such that he would never draw this weapon to claim a life. Instead, he would use it to protect others; To defend those who could not defend themselves; And to always uphold the morals that he deemed to be similar to the ones in all the stories he had read of valiant heroes and noble knights.
The world, as he had learned long ago, was a cruel place. He would not be one to add to that cruelty.
His vow made and etched deep within his heart, he doffed his armor and returned it to the top of the dresser. In the morning he would be leaving, and a sense of excitement was welling up inside him at the very idea of it all. Before anything else though, he made sure to take the bracelet Molly had given him and slid it down around his wrist.
It was a simple thing made of twine and small wooden beads. But its most striking feature, should one take a more meaningful look at the uninteresting bit of jewelry, was a tiny, but glittering sliver of sapphire. It was embedded deeply into one of the wooden beads, but when the light hit it just right, it shone like a star.
Cypher could hardly believe that Molly had given him something so precious. Of course, to anyone else that small sliver of a precious gem was truly worth next to nothing. But in his eyes, it was a treasure beyond compare. As he stared into the small piece of gemstone, he could almost feel a connection to it. It itched within his mind just like the bright sigil of the spell he had worked hard to learn often did.
It was a curious feeling but one that didn’t carry much meaning to it, and so he let the feeling slip from the forefront of his thoughts and climbed into bed.
Tomorrow would come, and then, everything would change yet again. Tomorrow he would no longer be just a servant boy. Tomorrow he would become a soldier, and he would come one step closer to his goals.
