Somehow, through boot thieving mud, endless patrols, and countless cold nights, Brand stood before Torm. The town itself loomed over a long, narrow hill, corkscrewed with cobbled steps, stone stairs, and rows upon rows of tiny homes supported on wooden beams and stilts.

The sight of it nearly brought a tear to his eye. Civilization, at last. And none too soon, he reckoned, as the wind kicked up his body odor. A bath was definitely in order, then a hot meal, a new set of traveling clothes, and finally a little time to kick his feet up near a roaring fire. He patted his pocket, gut sinking over the lack of a healthy jingle. He'd forgotten his Magician's salary had already run dry. The moment he'd deserted the Vangen.

"Ah shit," Brand muttered.

"Isn't it beautiful, Cinnis?" Keela stepped past him, hips swaying, looking as radiantly beautiful as she had back at the border tower. As if nature itself were unable to touch or alter her in any significant way. Her feet were clean and bare, blue robes completely stain free, hair perfectly arranged. Even her multi-colored eyes still held their lustrous sparkle.

Compared to her, Brand felt more akin to a lowly savage, doomed to forever scavenge in the mud. "Please tell me you have money for food," he muttered weakly as his stomach audibly growled.

"And plenty more besides, I assure you. Cup your ear to the wind. I believe we've made it right on time for the festival."

"Festival?" Brand asked, the word dropping out of his mouth like a stone. At first he thought she was joking. What madness was there to host a festival at a time like this? But then he heard it, faint at first, growing more and more clear as he finally registered what it was.

Laughter, cheering, and not the kind you hear during sacks and sieges. There were no cruel edges to it, chased by fire and smoke. It was real, honest to goddess laughter.

"I want to reward you," Keela said. "For following me this far. I know it took a lot of faith and a lot of trust." She turned to him, all sweet and serene as a Byzantian saint. "And I am grateful for it."

Brand swallowed past the lump quickly forming in his throat. She looked like a sphinx in that moment, terror and beauty molded into one perfect being. It was hard to look at her. It was hard not to look at her..

"All I want is my mother," he mumbled, but even he had a hard time believing himself. Deep down all he really wanted was a hot bath, a hot meal, and to not ache as much as he did now. Then, he wanted his mother.

"And you will have her," Keela tittered. "But even so, I can tell just by looking at you that you'd rather be sleeping in a real bed right about now. We're going to stay in Torm until tomorrow morning. Plenty of time for us to rest, relax, and maybe even pamper ourselves a little."

A dull smile stretched over Brand's face as he imagined the plushest mattress waiting for him, the softest pillows, the silkiest blankets. It sounded like a dream come true, especially after sleeping on the cold, hard ground for the past week.

"That sounds delightful," he said.

"Good," Keela said as she started down the hill. "I'm sure you'll love meeting my girls."

Brand's eyes went very wide as he froze in his tracks. "Girls?"

*

"Oh, girls!" The door burst open as Keela paraded herself inside, practically dragging Brand by the collar all the while. "Come meet the new boy in town!"

Three women poked their heads out from behind a doorway, each one dressed in festival clothes and sporting a different color. A whirlwind of blood reds, forest greens, and ocean blues whipped and whirled about as they closed the distance, eyes sparkling in the candlelight.

"Well I'll be, Kathryn," The girl in red said. "Took you long enough to finally drag some fresh meat in here. We thought you were never coming back. At least tell me he's rich this time."

"Oh, don't you worry." Keela pressed a heavy pouch into Brand's limp, sweaty palm. "This one's got a nice, hefty purse just for the three of you." She leaned in close, all conspiratorial like, as she gave a sly wink. "He's one of them Imperials from down south."

The three women practically cooed in unison, all eyes more fixed on Brand's coin then anywhere else. Took a second for his mind to start working again, what with all the power beautiful women possess. Took him another second to notice a few oddities during the conversation.

Firstly, these women were calling Keela by a different name, but that was nothing new. She was living up to her legend at this point. Secondly, however, was the accent Keela had taken on the moment she'd stepped inside. When he'd first met her she was all prim and proper, but now she sounded more like the street people he'd seen in Byzantia. From a noble Sorceress to a country peasant.

And lastly, It was very clear now he was in a brothel given the illustrious decorum and vivacious hosts, and this information alone made his guts sink into his toes.

"What's your name, handsome?" The girl in red smiled, soon overtaken by the other two women as they bombarded him with questions.

"We don't get many of your kind around these parts. What's it like down south?"

"Is there a nice lady waiting for you back home?"

"Ever been with a northern girl before?"

"Ladies, ladies." Keela stepped between them, shielding Brand from their furious assault. "He's traveled very far to get here, and I doubt he has the energy to keep up with all of you. Give the man some hospitality first before you start berating him. How about a bath and a meal for starters?"

"Aw," the girl in green pouted. "But he's just so cute. I simply must know."

This was it. This was how Brand was going to die. Heart hammering in his chest, nerves burning under his skin, head racing faster than a boulder down hill. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't hear past the thumping in his ears.

Keela pressed the heavy coin pouch into the middle girl's expectant hand. "There we are. A whole night's worth, I reckon. You ladies take good care of him while I'm gone, will you?"

"You know we always do," the girl in blue chirped.

"Wait! You're not staying?" Brand watched in slack jawed horror as the witch turned around and made for the door.

"I have other errands to attend to, but don't wait up on my account," Keela said, giving him one final wink before she disappeared back into the forever night.

"Don't you worry 'bout a thing now," the girl in green cooed. Without any resistance she plucked the staff from Brand's numb hand. "Let's get you up to the master suite so we can get things started. From what I overheard, a nice bath is in order first. I can see the Danic wilderness has not been kind to you."

"I can wash myself," Brand blurted out. Don't know why he'd said it. Seemed appropriate at the time. In his mind he was thinking about the bath, about the water, about needing to undress to get inside, and how he preferred his own company when doing so. Each thought collided into the other like falling dominoes, till they all came tumbling down.

The three women looked at one another and nodded in silent agreement

"Well of course you can," the girl in red said. "I'll be too busy getting the hot water ready for your bath, while Grelda takes you to your room and Grinna gets supper prepared. We apologize, but you'll have to tend to the bathing yourself."

"Oh," Brand said, the tips of his ears already starting to burn. "I see." Not knowing what else to do, he bowed as he would have back in Middengard. "Thank you for your hospitality."

He could feel their amused smiles scorching the back of his head until he stood back up.

"Well then," Grelda the Green said. "If you'll follow me, your grace. I shall show you the little slice of heaven Danic has to offer."

*

The next few hours passed Brand in a hazy blur. He remembered the hot water being poured into his tub, the soft, quiet drips of the bath as he rinsed the filth off his body. He remembered trying to form thoughts, only for them to melt away in the steamy vapors. Goddess above, but how he missed a good bath.

Grelda had requested he drop his clothes in the basket beside the door so she could wash them. He'd nearly protested till she'd revealed a fresh robe that nearly took his breath away. What it was made of, Grelda wouldn't say, a family secret she had whispered back, but it was very fine to the touch. Rough, yet soft. Sleek and downy, all at the same time. It wasn't fur, that much he could surmise, but the fact remained it was still a beautiful mystery.

"Try it on once you've had your bath," Grelda had requested as she whisked away his dirty laundry. "It'll change your life."

And indeed it had. Once Brand had finally dragged himself from the soapy water, the robe slipped over him like a second skin, trapping any lingering heat and filling him with a toasty warmth that nearly made his head spin. He fell over onto the bed, surprised at the amount of cushion supporting him. Like he was adrift in a sea of pillows.

How long, he wondered, had it been since he'd known such luxury? Never in his wildest dreams had he thought to find such comfort in Danic. This place really was a little slice of heaven.

There was a knock at the door. "Good evening, my lord," the woman in red said as she stepped inside, holding a plate with an entire roasted chicken on top of it.

"And they said it couldn't get any better than this," Brand said, eyes growing wide at the size of the cooked bird.

"I thought you'd be hungry. Grinna got the meal cooked up just in time then" The woman in red set the plate down on a nearby dining table. "Would you care for wine or ale to drink?"

"Ale please," Brand said. Something weak so he could still keep his wits. The lady in red bowed and stepped away, coming back with a pitcher and cup, placing it beside his dinner.

"Would you prefer to eat first," the lady in red asked as she stepped away, shadows dancing on the wall behind her. She slid onto the bed beside Brand, soft lips pressing against his ear as she whispered. "Or would you prefer to have me for dessert?"

The world snapped back into clear reality, the gentle warmth in Brand's chest seized by an icy chill as he shot up like an arrow, clawing and kicking at the cushions to scuttle away. The burning in his ears, however, had not dissipated in the slightest, instead spreading across his entire face, devouring him from the inside out.

"I must politely decline," Brand stammered out after an incredibly uncomfortable silence. "While there is nothing wrong with you in any way, I simply am not interested at this time." The last few words tumbled out of his mouth as he realized she was not getting upset with his decline in the slightest. In fact, she was smiling as if his apology were the silliest thing she'd heard all day.

"That's perfectly fine," the lady in red said. "I've learned over the years that my services can be offered in a variety of different ways. If one method doesn't work, then we can simply try another. Now come back here and lay beside me. I want to talk to you."

Despite every notion that told him otherwise, Brand obeyed. He slid over to her, feeling awkward the entire time, and yet her kind smile never left.

"Now, how about we start with names since we both forgot to introduce ourselves." She turned to her side and held one hand out, pale forearm peeking out. "My name is Glamma."

It took a little courage, but Brand held his hand out, grasping hers firmly. He gave it a limp shake. "My name's Bra—I mean Cinnis. It's Cinnis."

Glamma didn't question him, as if everything he'd said so far had always sounded right. "Such an exotic name. Cinnis. I like it. What brings you so far up north, Cinnis?."

Took a while for Brand to think about it. In the end he said, "I don't even know anymore."

"That's fine. You'll have plenty of time to think about it. In here, we have a little piece of eternity all to ourselves." Glamma brushed his cheek with the crook of one finger. "Do you have someone to keep you warm at night, Cinnis? Is that why you're hesitant?"

The fire returned to Brand's cheeks this time. "Not really."

"Is there someone you fancy then? Someone you'd feel like betraying if it was me in your arms instead of them?"

The fire in his body burned brighter at the mention of someone else. "Yes."

Glamma smiled stretched out, revealing a row of yellow stained teeth. "How wonderful! Tell me about them! What are they like?"

"What are they like?" Brand had to think about it for a moment. "I suppose they're passionate, and headstrong, and brave."

"All good qualities to have."

"And." Brand swallowed, trying to recall why she made him feel hesitant in the first place. "And she really likes listening to my stories."

"Stories?" Glamma sat up, propping herself with her elbows. "Do you like telling stories, Cinnis?"

"Well, she thinks they're stories, but sometimes it's more of me rambling and..." Brand paused, realizing he was heading towards a very familiar trap of his own making. "But yes, I do on occasion."

"And she likes to hear you tell them?"

"She does! I keep asking her if I'm boring her, but every time she says no. She...she really likes talking with me."

"She sounds like a great listener, Cinnis. Do you like being listened to?"

Brand's breath caught in the back of his throat. He tried to answer, but the question left him stunned. Worse yet, he felt a growing pressure in his chest, seizing him by the heart and melting the cold away. Something wet pattered on his hand. He looked down. It was a tear. Nido's tits but he was crying now, and yet he didn't feel ashamed of it.

What shame was there in the truth?

"I do," he said, as more of the stingy, little bastards cascaded down his cheeks. "I really, really do."

Glamma sank back into the cushions, smirking with sheer satisfaction. "Well, you're in luck then. I've been provided with a hefty sum of money from a kind and mysterious benefactor." She leaned over and wiped a tear from his cheek. "I can listen to you talk all night if you want."

***