Chapter Text
Edgin, Kira, and a small group consisting of a few bus passengers had gathered in a circle like vultures around the guy (Ed was not going to call him a knight!) who was lying face down in the snow.
Kira pulled Ed by the sleeve. "We have to take him to the hospital!"
"Why do we have to do that?"
"Well, someone's gotta do it," replied an old woman, shooting him a glare.
"I think he took a pretty good knock on the head," commented the driver. "That, or I really hit him and didn't realize it!"
"He was jumping pretty high for someone who got hit," Edgin muttered.
Kira tugged at his jacket with surprising force. "Daddy, now you have to pick him up in your arms and take him to the hospital!"
"Honey, if you really think I can lift-" And he pointed to the guy's motionless body, shining armor and all, "...that, then you must really believe that your dad is a superhero."
"On your back, Dad. You can do it!"
"I'm sure someone else..." But as he spoke the words died on his lips. The small group of passengers, which for the record consisted of people of advanced age and a pregnant lady, was watching him with varying levels of disapproval.
"The ambulance is going to take forever to get here with the roads in this condition," the driver said, giving the final stab.
"Well, shit. Okay, fine, I'll do it. But I'm definitely not picking him up, I'm carrying him on my shoulders!"
Kira, all excited, clapped her hands. That was how Ed found himself carrying a human load of at least eighty kilos as he tried not to fall and smash his tailbone on the frozen road just days before Christmas. Not that Christmas had any special meaning for him. Not anymore.
Only, Kira had no school and even his classes were on break, and his only remaining commitment was the concert with the snot-nosed children of his choir. Truth be told, it had been a long time since Ed had taken a little vacation. He had only thought about working and working and working, juggling music lessons, piano bar and every part time and small job that came his way. He had to do it if he wanted to make up for everything that Kira had missed because of him. The word "holidays" had been banished in his head along with "fairy tales", "stories", and everything else. Had he been so foolish to think that he could finally give himself a little winter break?
Without bows and decorations and silly Christmas tales. Just him and the people he loved. Something real, concrete and authentic. Ed cared so much about spending some worry-free time with his little girl, and he cared so little about having the opportunity ruined by some guy who had escaped from some cult after being brainwashed.
As he was immersed in these thoughts, the burden he carried on his shoulders came alive again. The man's body was shaken by a powerful jolt, and then the world shifted on its axis, because the man had grabbed Ed's hair and pushed his head back.
"You shall not have me, evil emissary of Szass Tam!"
"Ouch! Szass what? Damn it, cut it out, it's just me!"
"...Oh. The good man from before." The grip on Ed's hair grew lighter, but the man didn't completely let him go. He cast a glance at Kira, who had clung to Ed's leg. He seemed to assess the situation. Eventually he had to deem them harmless, because he took a breath and said with what seemed noble snottiness, "Are you rescuing me?"
"I'd rather not, but it looks that way."
The guy emitted a brooding sound. His hands slid to Ed's shoulders, where he left two awkward buffs. "So, what shall I call my savior?" he said, his voice suddenly gentle but no less pompous.
"Edgin Darvis. Ed. And this is my daughter Kira. You can relax, I won't do anything to you. I'm just a humble music teacher, and I've only gone to jail once, for a short time and basically for a small thing."
"Very well, Sir Edgin Darvis. My name is Xenk Yendar, and you too may rest assured that I will in no way attempt to harm you, for I am only a humble paladin devoted to holy Tyr, the noblest of Faerun's pantheon."
"Yes, of course," said Ed. "Where did you say you came from?"
"From the ancient continent of Faerun, or more in general, since I believe I am on a completely different plane of existence, from Toril, the cradle of life," rattled Xenk in a pedantic, modulated voice. "I was cast here, probably through a portal, by my treacherous enemy Szass Tam after he damaged my heart with some kind of old, powerful magic. Convinced that he would send me to die in an unknown world in which I would be powerless and unable to heal myself, Tam did not, however, reckon with the mercy of Tyr, who led me to you."
"Of course," said Ed.
And he repeated that exact presentation, word for word, to the nurse who greeted them in the emergency room. To which she, a woman who looked like she wanted to smoke a cigarette more than stand there, gave Ed a sympathetic look and said, "We'll take care of him, but you have to stay here and wait for the results of the examinations."
"What? But I don't know this guy!"
"And he doesn't know anyone else, and you are the closest thing to a legal guardian he now has."
Kira sat all composed as she had never done in her life, proving, if proof were needed, that she possessed the Darvis' nerve to the last crumb. "I know you wouldn't have left him alone anyway, Dad," she said. Then she fiddled with Ed's phone, no doubt already intent on informing her Holga of their new exciting adventure.
"Sir Edgin!"
Ed squeezed the bridge of his nose. The "knight" had been put on a stretcher, but he refused to stay down, and no matter how hard Ed tried to pretend he didn't exist, unfortunately he was always there.
"Sir Edgin, a word, if you please!"
"Honey, you'd better come over here and hear what this cutie-pie wants to tell you, or I'll send him home without doing anything to him, and then the responsibility will be all yours," the nurse said.
Ed didn't need any additional burdens on his conscience. He pulled over to the gurney, and Xenk sat up and grabbed him by the shoulders with disconcerting swiftness.
Ed was about to tell him to drop it, but then he noticed his lips tightened into a bloodless line and his eyes bent downward in concern. Edgin sighed and patted his hands reassuringly. Whoever he was, this Xenk guy was either a really good actor, or... or he was really convinced that he was from this Faerun and was now in a strange land. Alone, frightened and confused. Ah, Ed was going to regret this. "Okay, damn it, okay. But no sir," he said, admonishing him with a raised index finger, "and no Edgin. Just Ed."
One by one, Xenk slowly closed all the fingers of his right hand around Ed's index finger.
"It is not very clear to me what is happening. Should I trust this... kind lady and follow her aboard this bizarre wagon? I am not convinced that she is not herself an emissary of Szass Tam sent to do me harm. But if you tell me I can trust her, I will."
Yes, Xenk really must have hit his head. No one in his right mind would have placed such candid trust in a stranger, least of all in Ed. No matter how hard Ed tried to be a decent man, he was sure that something of his past had stuck in his face. A hint of mischief in the corner of his smile, a flash of slyness in his eyes. Anyone who looked at Edgin Darvis knew at once that he was dealing with a former scoundrel. Anyone but this Xenk guy, it seemed.
"Um, yes yes, you can trust the nurse. See the Christmas tree there in the corner? Pretty, isn't it? See the little lights? Focus on those."
"They're lovely-oh. The wagon is moving. Sir Edgin-"
The nurse had begun to push her patient away.
"Just Ed."
"Sir Ed, I-"
Whatever he wanted to say was swallowed by the hallway.
Meanwhile, Kira was toddling around contentedly. "I like him, Dad. We're keeping him, aren't we?"
Edgin flopped down by her side. "He's not a puppy, Kir."
"But he's a real k-n-i-g-h-t!"
"And if you think that taking him will also mean taking a horse..."
Kira shrugged but continued undaunted to weave her web, confident that Ed was oblivious to her evil plans. Ed passed an arm around her shoulders. They stayed like that, all huddled together, until the nurse came back.
Xenk was now sitting with enormous satisfaction in a wheelchair. He held protectively on his lap his armor (and, Edgin noted with horror, also a short sword in its scabbard. But what had happened to the long sword?). He wore some sort of tunic with a jeweled green coat. He looked like a prince ready to dispense nobility and kindness to his subjects as he rode past in his chariot. "My good sir, my gentle young lady," Kira wrinkled her nose and chuckled, "I am pleased to say that I have survived the torture tube."
"He's talking about the MRI," said the nurse. "Tests don't show abnormalities of any kind in this pretty little head. Everything is normal."
"So he's just..." attempted Ed.
"A little confused."
"We all are, these days," said Kira wisely.
Edgin pinched her cheek as Xenk stepped gallantly out of his wheelchair. He appeared as fresh as a rose, his expression beautifully relaxed as if he had just completed a gargantuan task. Then he calmly proceed to put his armour back on.
"It was hard to convince him to shed the armor," whispered the nurse, approaching Ed, "but it was worth it, if you know what I mean."
Xenk blinked, seemingly blissful in his ignorance.
Ed pressed a hand to his face. "Oh, come on."
"Yes, I think we should coming on our way," Xenk said.
"Yes, let's go!" jumped Kira. "But where are we going?"
Ed adjusted the coat on Kira and walked toward the exit, signaling for Xenk to follow them. "To the police station, of course."
That made Kira stop. "Dad."
"What?" snapped Ed defensively.
"We don't like..." Kira looked around and then lowered her voice. "We don't like the police."
Heh. Ed wasn't the biggest fan of law enforcement, not after that little problem that resulted in the stain on his criminal record.
His distrust must have somehow filtered down to Kira, also because, despite all their good intentions, Kira had somehow still grasped that "Uncle" Forge had been no other than an undercover agent who then betrayed them all.
"He's lost and he doesn't have any ID, Kir. It's practically my civic duty to take him to the police."
She shrugged. "Or we could just keep him and take care of him ourselves."
"These police you speak of," Xenk interjected politely, "do they represent the vigilance force of your country?"
"Exactly! You're a smart guy. You see, Kir, he's..." Ed noticed the curious glances that those entering and leaving the hospital gave Xenk. Ed couldn't blame them. His imposing figure attracted attention, and his cloak only partially concealed the glittering armor that sent back little lights from the Christmas tree in front of the hospital. Ed took off his scarf and knotted it around Xenk's waist to hold the cloak in place. "Hey, lift your arms for a moment... perfect. I was saying. You see, Kir, our Xenk is a smart guy. He, too, understood that we need to go to the police station."
Ed gave the scarf two good turns around Xenk's waist and then tied it in a bow.
Xenk looked at him for a moment without saying anything, his arms falling slowly down his sides. "If you judged this to be the most reasonable solution, I will not object."
Ed raised his eyebrows significantly at Kira. He took her by the hand and set off at a steady pace. "You know what to do with your free hand, don't you, Kir?"
"Take Xenk's hand?" she asked hopefully.
Ed noticed with horror that Xenk had already extended his hand toward Kira's. "Wha--no, you little smart-ass! You need to call Holga to pick you up while I settle this matter, of course."
Kira huffed and whined like an adorable little beached whale, but in the end she did as she was told. More or less. Plugging in the speakerphone, she complained, "Holga, Dad wants to abandon the knight we found to the police!"
"I don't want to abandon him-"
"Since when do you abandon orphans instead of taking them under your wing, Ed? And, the cops. Really?"
Ed was about to reply, but a suspicious metallic screech and the ensuing gasps of passersby made him stop dead in his tracks.
Xenk had drawn his sword. "Where on earth does this woman's voice come from? Is she a hag?"
"No, Sir Xenk, it comes from here, you see?" said Kira, waving the phone under his nose (and giving Ed a mini heart attack because, hello, his little girl next to a half-crazed man with a drawn sword?).
"Is the woman small enough to fit in this laughably sized dark box?" said Xenk. "Perhaps that she is a fairy?"
Holga's boisterous laughter exploded between them, and Xenk crouched down in an attack pose.
"No, god, no, she's not really here, only her voice--you put your sword away or I swear I'll have you arrested here and now, damn it," said Ed, as Holga was choking on her saliva and repeating, "Fairy!"
Xenk nodded with gravity. "I think I understand. That object must stand in for our sending stones. Forgive the fright I have caused you."
"Judging by Kira's yelps, I think at least she's doing great," Holga said. "Ed, I'll be right there. I want to see this guy. Fairy, ha!"
They quickly arrived at their destination. The scarf had helped a little. Now Xenk didn't look like someone who really thought he was a knight, but someone who had just come out of a historical reenactment without having had time to change, and was ashamed enough to try to hide his armor.
At least that was what Ed would have hoped. His demeanor, in fact, was anything but shameful. All along the way Xenk had continued to look around with varying degrees of wonder and wariness. One time he had stopped in front of a lamppost and then circumvented it with caution, and another time he'd carefully avoided stepping on a manhole cover, as if he'd expected to see some secret mechanism go off. He had generally been gallant to everyone he passed, greeting solemnly with a nod of his head. (No one had reciprocated the greetings.) Ed had pretended not to know him, but it hadn't been easy with Kira who kept trying to trot around Xenk.
Holga came running a short time later. She didn't say much. She just shot a glance at Xenk, and, as usual, that was enough for her. She had some truly formidable instincts, a bit like a truffle dog, and was surprisingly perceptive for someone with the emotional maturity of a shoe. Holga lifted the corner of her lips in a winking smirk and then shouldered Kira like a sack of potatoes.
Xenk gave her a bow, courteous though vaguely cold. The phone thing must not have convinced him completely yet.
"Bah!" quipped Holga, "You figure it out, Ed. Come on, bug. It's cold and really late. You'll stay at my place tonight."
"Yay!" said Kira, surely already imagining a sleepover with her favorite person. She waved her hand toward Xenk and shouted, "See you later at home, Mr. Knight!"
"Not going to happen, Kir!"
But Kira and Holga had already turned the corner.
Xenk had stayed with his hand raised until the two had disappeared from their sight.
Ed sighed. The police headquarters was in front of them, a grim gray building under the slowly falling snow. He wasn't happy at all at the idea of going inside, but he couldn't really dump Xenk there and leave just like that. Right? Xenk, despite his meek demeanor, didn't seem particularly happy to be there either. But damn it, what did Ed care? Of course he could dump Xenk there and go on his way. The less he was involved with the police, the better.
He had no obligation to anyone. He just wanted to keep himself out of trouble. He'd been so careful to keep straight for all that time. No fantasizing, no strange stories, no nebulous affairs. Just Ed, model citizen who had miraculously been given a second chance.
"Okay, I've done my duty. Go in and explain everything, come on. They'll know how to help you here."
"Will they tell me how I can get back to Faerun?"
"Hmm. Well, they'll do their best to help you, okay?"
Xenk's shoulders drooped marginally. "I suppose you've done all you can, and some help is never despicable, in whatever form it comes."
"Yeah," said Ed, scratching his nose. Maaaaybe he could have waited for a while sitting outside to make sure everything was okay.
Xenk nodded to himself. "I thank you for your kindness, Sir Ed."
"Ah, you don't have to, really." Really!
"Of course I must. Since I arrived in this bizarre and obscure world, no one has been very courteous to me."
"Welcome to the city."
Xenk grasped Edgin's hands and clasped them between his own with ardor. "Thank you," he affirmed, intense, his eyes shining with many tiny lights.
Oh, god. Ed pictured one after another the dull, bored faces of the local police officers he knew all too well. He imagined Forge wickedly repeating the same questions over and over again to an impassive Xenk, trying to get information he would never get. He saw the officers tossing Xenk into a cell for the night not knowing what to do with him, and then continuing to keep him there day after day, because it was almost Christmas anyway and no one would be on his case before the vacations were over, right?
They were going to eat him alive.
Xenk, chin raised, marched toward the entrance of the police station.
"No!" said Edgin, grabbing him by the elbow and pulling him away. He led him to a corner on the opposite side of the street, fumbled in his pocket and tried not to look too much like a criminal. He pulled out a couple of bills and a few coins and slapped everything into Xenk's palm.
"What is the meaning of that?"
"Look, I've changed my mind. I don't trust the law that much, all right?"
Xenk's gaze darkened. "A severe wrong must have been committed against you if a good citizen such as yourself has such distrust of those who are supposed to protect him."
"I. What." Ed was stunned. No one had ever put that to him that way. "Whatever, never mind. Look, take this money. It's not much, but it'll be enough to find a warm place to spend the night. I'm sure you'll feel a lot more clear-headed after a good night's sleep."
Xenk pocketed the money. "Don't worry. Should I fail in this venture, I will still easily find a hollow tree in which to prepare my sleeping accommodation."
Ed almost cursed, but then Xenk took him by the hand, squeezed his fingers once and said something that left Ed even more speechless:
"I really thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you have done for me so far. You have been a valuable friend."
"We just met."
For the first time, Xenk's mouth stretched into a wide, slow smile. "I don't need any more confirmation."
Twenty seconds later, Ed saw that Xenk had leaned over to an elderly gentleman sitting on a bench and was graciously handing over all his money into his outstretched hands.
Ed rolled his eyes and went to fetch the "knight."