Chapter Text
His day began like any other man’s. He spent the first half-hour trying to peel away from the warmth of his bed. At the very least, he had no slave-owner standing over his head, threatening the lash. Still, if he didn’t finish a commission on time, he had a chance of not eating that week. Filled with dread, he sat up. He put the kettle on and awaited the whistling. As he waited, he crushed up the ginger and dried pomegranate seeds. He didn’t have much left in the jar. It had outlasted several relocations, relationships, and more market trips than he had cared to count. He had used to be very conservative with how he used it, but he figured it was about time for a fresh start. A new tea. Maybe mint.
He poured his water and waited for the plants to steep into the cooling water. During this wait, he stepped into the forge. The fire remained unlit, for he had had no guests to keep warm in quite some time. Plenty of visitors- clients, mostly -but no one who stayed. No one who had shared his cup or his bed.
Outside, he could tell it was angry. If only the sky could speak. Rain poured and poured and poured. Wind blew in ever-which direction. The sea was the last place anyone could ever hope to be.
He lit the furnace so that it would be at an appropriate flame by the time he came back. He proceeded to drink his tea in slow intervals as he washed up, grateful he’d gotten water from the well the night before.
He did not notice his hair rising with static.
A neighbour- an old, widowed fisherman -who was, for some reason, outside in these early hours, tensed up as he walked by the young blacksmith’s home. Something called on him desperately to go warn the young man of danger, but something else commanded him to stay back. In that tug of war, fate struck out before he could even move, though the whole battle had been mere seconds.
The young blacksmith couldn’t remember it hurting. He couldn’t remember anything, not even whether he’d dropped the cup or if it had fallen on its own. The kettle was on the floor, too, the spilled water not causing any further pain as it touched his skin. His head was aching. Everything was aching. The ringing, it-
For two minutes, his hand twitched. His thoughts had been long gone. Maybe it was for the better.