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Having moved to Mistria only a few weeks prior, I was still getting into the rhythm of my new life as a farmer. It had been a dream come true- something that I had thought about while I was doing my boring job in the capital but never truly believed would come to pass until I came across that fateful notice- but it was a little overwhelming. I loved gardening in the backyard of my old house, but it was nothing compared to owning my own farm and, while I was enjoying it, I knew it would take some time to get used to the new way of life.
Something that was definitely helping though was the sense of community in the town. I had learned pretty quickly how close knit everyone was and I was slowly trying to get to know everyone without compromising my own work or getting in the way of theirs, knowing that I would feel more settled once I felt like I fit into the machinery that made the town tick. There was one night a week, however, that put my worries to rest, when I could learn about my new neighbours and hang out with them without feeling like I was getting in the way or keeping anyone from anything important: Fridays.
Every Friday night, everyone would gather at the inn for a drink and a laugh and I quickly found myself looking forward to that day of the week more and more.
That particular Friday evening I was sitting playing cards, getting absolutely rinsed by Olric, who didn’t seem to understand how to play- or just had an incredibly solid poker face- but still came out on top every time. He was so unbelievably lucky and he had a four leaf clover to prove it too. However, it was still a good time even if I knew I would never win, the drinks were flowing and I felt as though I was getting close to carving out my space in the town, both physically and socially.
Somewhere between my third and fourth beer, something up on the mezzanine caught my eye. When I glanced up, Dell, Celine’s little sister, had her arm through the gap in the bannister and was waving wildly. I thought it couldn’t possibly be to me (I saw the kid around the town with her friends every now and again, and she had once tried to get me to adopt a frog she had kidnapped from a pond, but I doubted she knew my name) but then she poked her head through too and fixed me with a look I couldn’t ignore. I had been summoned.
“Excuse me,” I said to the table, laying my cards down. My words were swallowed up in the din and no one glanced my way as I vacated my seat and made my way upstairs to see what the little rascal wanted.
But instead of just finding Dell, I found Maple and Luc- Reina’s siblings- as well. The kids were sweet enough but, like most kids, they were mischievous. This couldn’t be good. The three of them were whispering vigorously but stopped when they spotted me approaching.
“What’re you guys doing up here?” I asked, only to be shushed by Dell.
“They don’t know we’re up here!” she hissed.
“You’re invited to join our heist, Y/N!” Luc announced, as though there was nowhere else I’d rather be.
Oh no.
“A heist?!” I exclaimed. I got the sense that trouble followed the trio everywhere they went, but I didn’t think they were interested in actual crimes.
“We want to sneak into Balor’s room but he always has his keys with him,” Maple said, crouching down and looking through the bannister to the scene below.
Balor. I peered over the balcony, staring at the back of the mysterious merchant’s head. We had spoken a couple of times- usually just in passing- but I was often left with more questions than answers when it came to him. Just yesterday I had completed a request he had left on the board and helped him to unload stock into the general store. But when I was inside with Nora, she mentioned that Balor was undercharging for his wares and expressed concern about the goods possibly being stolen. So yes, I supposed I could relate to the kids’ curiosity, though not to the extent of wanting to break and enter his private space.
“All you have to do is get the keys,” said Dell, standing with her hands on her hips. She made it sound like I didn’t have a choice in the matter. I was involved whether I wanted to be or not.
“It’ll be easy,” Luc said confidently. “He always gets sleepy after he eats cheese and potatoes.”
To be frank, I wanted to say no. I didn’t feel like stealing at the best of times, let alone when I was the newbie in a small town where I knew gossip would spread like wildfire. And I didn’t want to get on the bad side of anyone, least of all the merchant who was kind enough to collect the things I wanted to sell and bring me back the profit. My entire livelihood rested on Balor upholding his half of our agreement- if I got caught, what the hell would I do?
But kids have a way of making it impossible to say no to them. It’s something to do with the eyes, all wide and innocent, brimming with unshed tears at the idea you might say no. They had me backed into a corner.
I sighed. “Fine. Maybe.”
All three of them immediately perked up, watery eyes suddenly a distant memory. Seasoned actors, the lot of them.
“This time next week- we strike!” Luc announced, and then the trio’s circle closed once more (I was clearly dismissed) and there was nothing I could do but go back downstairs and wonder about the size of the mistake I’d just made.
*
Days later, my worry about the situation hadn’t faded. I had hoped that maybe the kids would’ve forgotten about the whole heist idea and that I’d get out of it that way, but when I passed the trio searching for bugs out near Celine’s house, I got conspiring nods and winks thrown my way, like we were in cahoots. But if I couldn’t count on their memories failing them, come Friday night I could just stand up for myself. I could just say no and put this whole mess to bed. Or I could act like I had no idea what they were talking about or claim I’d been drunk the week previous. Yes, there were many ways out of it if I didn’t mind seeing their disappointed faces.
However, when I next went to Balor’s wagon hoping to grab some extra bits and pieces, I subconsciously found myself inspecting the structure for keys. I didn’t think he would leave them behind, but it would certainly make the whole song and dance a lot easier if he did. I could swipe them out in the open when no one was around, and when he discovered them missing, no one would immediately suspect me because who leaves their keys just laying around out in the open? Trusting townsfolk would, my conscience said. Everyone in Mistria left their doors open and trusted that people would leave the correct money for any wares purchased while the owners weren’t around- what need would they even have for keys when they were that sure of heart? It seemed it was only Balor that locked his door, hence the kids’ need to see inside.
I couldn’t see any keys on the wagon, much to my disappointment, but the fact I was looking told me that I was clearly planning on going through with the stupid plan. What the hell is wrong with me?
“Looking for something?” a voice came from behind me, making me flinch. How long had I just been standing there, staring? Balor stepped up, taking his place next to his wagon and leaning against it, his mouth curved into a small smirk. And there, shining on a clip at his waist, was a ring of keys.
“Rubies,” I blurted out. All of my reasonable thoughts had flown out the window, including my shopping list. And it was because I’d been caught being suspicious and definitely nothing to do with the fact that the sunlight was hitting Balor just right, casting his skin in a honey glow and giving his sultry eyes a knowing shine. Nothing to do with that at all.
He raised an eyebrow, amused. Then he reached into his wagon and started rooting around. “Rubies, huh? A woman after my own heart.”
Not your heart , I thought, just your keys . Then he looked back up at me, his hair slightly dishevelled and hanging over his eyes. Definitely not your heart , I reiterated as my own skipped a beat.
“Here,” Balor said, holding out his hand. A glittering ruby sat in his palm. “I’ve only got the one though.”
“That’s fine,” I said quickly. I didn’t even need one ruby let alone more. I just hoped I could even afford the stone. “How much is it?”
He thought for a moment, then his smirk made a reappearance. “Keep it. It was just sitting around here anyway.”
Now that made me feel worse. “No way. Let me pay for it.”
“Okay,” he said. “A glass of wine on Friday will do.”
“Oh,” I blurted out, surprised. I felt my face flush, first for what he’d said and second for the embarrassment of thinking he meant anything by it. Everyone went to the inn on a Friday night. Me buying him some wine didn’t mean anything- it was just another transaction, an exchanging of goods. It wasn’t as if he asked me to have a glass of wine with him.
“Deal?” Balor asked, cocking his head.
I smiled, internally berating my heart for it’s completely unnecessary racing. “Sure,” I said, and then I went on with my day and tried my best to forget about what happened.
*
By the time Friday came around, I had sort of calmed down about the whole ordeal. I was an adult who could buy another adult a drink without it meaning anything, and who could also then thieve off the same adult for the whim of a bunch of kids. This was all very normal and very much a thing that was happening. So I did my work and then, when 6pm rolled around, I headed to the inn- only turning around once to double check my hair and for anything stuck in my teeth.
When I arrived, I headed straight to the bar and ordered a glass of wine, red like the ruby I had received in exchange for it. Then, with a shaking hand, I delivered it to the table where Balor and some of the others were playing a tabletop game. From what I’d overheard in the weeks previous, he was playing a character called Snicklefritz and was actually more into it now than he had been when the game started.
Balor was laughing melodically about some turn in the game or another, but cut himself off as I set the wine down in front of him.
“Y/N,” he said before gesturing to the chair beside him, which was empty. “Please, sit and join us.”
But with the cosy, intimate lighting that did nothing but add to his pleasant features and the fact that I was going to attempt to rob him later, I found the idea quite nerve wracking and quickly shook my head. “Thanks but I have a card game to lose,” I said and quickly moved on, ignoring the notch that appeared between his brows that looked a little like a frown of disappointment. I probably should’ve got him white wine instead.
I joined the usual suspects at the other big table, where Ryis had already started dealing out the cards. I felt a little out of place being the only one not drinking, but if there was a night I needed to focus, it was tonight. Then again, what did they say about liquid courage? I chose to put that thought aside and concentrated on trying to beat Olric. One of us had to, statistically, at some point. Why not me? Weirder things would happen tonight.
But after two rounds, it became apparent that tonight was not, in fact, the night. Olric won both and then bought everyone a round of drinks with his winnings, to which I didn’t turn down. Which meant Plan A (stay sober) was getting binned and Plan B (get drunk for the courage) was a go. The trajectory of the evening changed just like that.
Slowly, as the night went on, the other patrons began to leave. Luc and Maple were ushered up to their rooms by Josephine due to the late hour and then, not long after, Dell was sent on her way with Nora- though not before she could stare into my soul on the way out. She was too good at that, I thought, getting a shiver down my spine. Any lingering doubts about my task immediately evaporated, vaguely terrified that Dell would set her frogs on me if I failed.
Others followed suit, giving their best wishes to Hemlock and (later, when she arrived back downstairs) Josephine for hosting another great Friday night gathering. Before long, it was only Balor and Holt at one of the tables and Valen, Juniper and myself sat at the bar, chatting to Reina and her parents while they were still working, cleaning up and resetting for the next day ahead.
Reina and I had been gossiping quietly- mostly about the other two women at the bar and the nature of their entertaining but certainly catty relationship- but it quickly derailed into talking about food, as it often did when it came to the pair of us. Mostly, it was because I constantly volunteered to taste all of her new recipes (out of the goodness of my own heart, of course- nothing to do with the free food). However, I found I couldn’t fully concentrate, constantly getting the urge to look over my shoulder and make sure that one particular merchant was still sitting there, enduring Holt’s onslaught of puns.
I must’ve been far more obvious than I realised because the third time I did it, Reina was waiting with a raised eyebrow for me when I turned back to face her.
“Umm, what’s going on?” she asked incredulously.
And because I was really smart, I exclaimed, “This wine is really nice!” in an extremely heavy-handed attempt to change the subject. Maybe three glasses of wine was actually too many for me. I’d been aiming for a bravery boost and skipped straight to outright stupidity instead.
Reina got a grin on her face that spelled nothing but trouble. “Oh my god,” she started.
“No.”
She grabbed my arm. “Oh my god.”
“No, Reina, I swear it’s not-”
“How long?” she cut in.
I was bamboozled. “Um, zero minutes? What do you-”
“I’ve had money on this,” she continued excitedly, “about why he’s stuck around for so long. Adeline thought-”
“That’s nothing to do with me!” I interjected, before the rest of what she’d said caught up to me. “Hold on, Adeline’s in on this mess?”
But before she could continue her excited outburst, Hemlock cut in. “We’re heading to bed,” he said, an arm around Josephine. “Are you alright to close up on your own?”
Reina had a quick back and forth with her parents and I took the opportunity to look back at Balor. Holt had disappeared, probably slipping out when I was busy bickering, and the purple haired merchant was sitting at the table alone, his head propped up by his hand. Then, slowly, his head slipped down, as if it had become too heavy to keep upright, and I realised that Balor had fallen asleep right there at the table. I had questioned Luc’s logic about eating making the merchant sleepy (we had eaten hours ago, after all, and he hadn’t shown any signs until right at that moment) but I had to commend him: he knew his stuff.
Valen and Juniper said their goodbyes, conspicuously leaving together, and then it was just Reina and I and a sleeping Balor left. Usually, it would’ve been my cue to leave ages ago, especially considering Reina was trying to close up. But it was too good of an opportunity to complete my task. Luc had said he’d be sleepy and there he was, asleep at the table. Everyone else had left. If there was a time to get those keys it was right then. The only problem was Reina, until she wasn’t a problem at all.
“He never gets drunk like that,” she said with a raised eyebrow, only kind of judging his perceived choices. “But we’re closing soooo… maybe you could help out? Get him to his room?”
My knee jerk reaction was to roll my eyes and insist that there was nothing going on. To dismiss her blatant meddling into something that wasn’t even a thing. But actually, she might’ve been on to something.
“Okay,” I agreed, ignoring the way my stomach roiled. A mixture of nerves (about the task at hand, nothing to do with the man involved) and too much wine was not exactly a great combination. But somehow, through sheer luck or divine intervention, everything had fallen into place. So I smiled at Reina as she bid me goodnight, disappearing into some back room, drained the final dregs from my glass and then put the plan into action.
Balor was still passed out, face pressed into the wood grain. And still managed to look good, the voice in my head added, unbidden, which I tried to ignore. His keys practically glowed like a beacon, the low lighting catching on the bronze ring, calling to me.
It was too easy. I would go and swipe the keys without hesitation. If he woke up, I could say I was helping him upstairs and then have another go at loosening the ring as we ascended. If he didn’t, I would pocket the keys and then wake him up myself, offering to help him back upstairs. I was sure he was drunk enough that he wouldn’t notice it was me unlocking the door instead of him.
Then, when the next morning came, his missing keys would be blamed on his own inebriation. The kids could feed their curiosity and then leave the keys somewhere around the inn, waiting to be discovered- the whole thing written off as nothing more than a drunken mistake. The other villagers would joke with Balor about his extensive drinking for all of two seconds and then it’d be over.
What could go wrong?
I crept over to him, keeping my footsteps light but still managing to walk into a stray bar stool, sending it screeching across the wooden floor. I froze but Balor luckily didn’t stir. What the hell was in those potatoes? Sedatives? Still, whatever the reason for his deep sleep, it was good for me.
I proceeded, stopping just short of where he was sitting. His chest rose and fell slowly, peacefully. Keeping an easy tempo. A sleeping lamb, unaware it was about to be in the jaws of a wolf.
Then I snorted, because who the hell came up with dumb analogies like that? And in absolutely no world would I be the wolf, no matter the situation. Just blame the wine, I told myself and pushed the faint moment of delirium to the back of my mind.
Reaching for the keys, my fingers grazed metal. Then, before I knew what was happening, my world turned upside down.
In one swift movement, I found myself with my back pressed into the table, the hand that had gone for the keys clasped tightly in Balor’s and held above my head, out of the way. Because he was awake. He was awake and on top of me, eyes wild, chest heaving.
Caught red handed, there was nothing I could do but desperately try and think of a way to get out of trouble. But it was like swimming through molasses trying to think about anything other than the here and now- the wood biting into the back of my knees, my free hand subconsciously grasping at his shirt, his gaze full of hunger. And in the midst of that brain malfunction, my earlier metaphor came back to me. Only this time- with how his eyes roved over my face, my body- he was definitely the wolf.
“Y/N,” he said, his voice husky, “if you wanted to get under me you should’ve just asked.”
I stared up at him, unable to process what was happening but willing my brain to come up with something to say, something to get me out of that situation. But the stupid thing could think of nothing other than how close we were and how, maybe, being in that situation was not such a bad place to be.
At the thought, a soft laugh escaped me. I couldn’t help it. “I’m sorry,” I said in response to his confused expression. “This wasn’t my intention but-”
“Your intention wasn’t to rob me blind?”
Whatever I’d been saying before died on my lips. “You knew?” I whispered instead.
Balor eased up on my hand, leaning back so I could sit up, though he didn’t step away from the table. “The kids aren’t exactly subtle. And you aren’t exactly quiet.”
“So you pretended to be asleep to catch me.”
“To be fair, I wasn’t sure if you’d actually go through with it.”
It was then that I realised there wasn’t any bite to his words. He knew I had conspired to steal from him and yet he spoke softly. “You’re not angry,” I said. A statement not a question.
Balor gave a single laugh. “Oh, I’m angry. But not about what you think. I don’t care that the kids were conspiring. I have nothing to hide and if they want to make a game out of figuring that out then so be it.” He took a deep breath and it was then I remembered my hand was still on his chest, absentmindedly fussing with the buttons on his shirt. I tried to pull it away, my face blazing, but Balor caught it in his and pressed it back to the fabric. His heart thundered beneath my palm. “I’m annoyed that it took you this long to seek me out, and that it took a band of tiny criminals to finally push you to do it.”
In one swift movement, he released my hand and stepped away, putting distance between us. And though my mind was a mess of drink and muddled confusion, I knew one thing for certain: I did not want that at all.
“And Y/N?” Balor added, the notch between his brows making a reappearance. “If I ask you for a drink, it’s an invitation to drink with me. If you’re going to reject someone it’s far more polite to do it from the get go rather than let them get their hopes up first.”
“That’s not-” I said, before cutting myself off. There was something here- a situation I hadn’t expected but didn’t want to mess up- and I knew that if I said the wrong thing then he would leave. He would leave and then tomorrow we would see each other and act normal, our interactions tinted with nothing more than a faint awkwardness that would fade over time. “That’s not what I wanted to do,” I said firmly. “I wasn’t trying to reject you, I’m just an idiot. I didn’t realise…”
Balor looked away, suddenly bashful. “It’s fine. You don’t need to say anything.”
“ No ,” I insisted, my voice tinged with frustration. I had no idea what to say to make things better. I couldn’t think about anything other than how it felt when I was pressed against that table, his body covering mine. “Don’t leave.”
He blinked at me, confused. “Leave? I’m not going anywhere, just upstairs.”
“Well don’t,” I said, “unless… you’re going to take me with you.” Then my brain suddenly caught up with what my mouth had said and I felt my whole body flush, my skin burning with mortification. “I’m so sorry. That was too forward.”
But Balor laughed. “Well, come on then,” he said, holding his hand out.
“What?”
“Let’s go.” Balor said, smirking. “If that’s what you want?”
My heart hammered in my chest. I hadn’t come here tonight- hadn’t hung around for hours- for anything like that and yet… Now there was nothing else I could think about. Ever since he stepped back, there hadn’t been any coherent thoughts in my head other than wanting him to come back, closer to me.
I stepped forward, closing the distance between us, all the while he watched me with heavily lidded eyes, tracking my every move. Then I couldn’t wait any longer. I reached up, my hands finding the back of his neck and capturing his lips with mine. Though my first move had been tentative, once our lips touched we erupted into a hungry clash of lips and teeth. His hands found my waist, pulling me flush against him while my fingers tangled in his hair. How had I not known? How had either of us hidden what was now so painfully obvious?
Not breaking the kiss, we moved back, my legs hitting the wooden table ledge again until I was sitting upon it, Balor standing in the gap between my knees. His kisses moved across my jaw and down my neck, nipping at my pulse point until I gasped, my hands pawing at his chest. It was only when my fingers grazed his belt buckle, desperate to get it undone, that he froze.
“We should go upstairs,” he whispered in my ear before biting at it playfully. His eyes were full of desire, his lips swollen. I nodded- there was nothing I wanted more.
~
Bonus:
The next morning, I was sat downstairs with my coffee, trying and failing to avoid Reina’s imploring gaze from the counter. She had been surprised to see me already there when she came downstairs and, from the mischievous expression on her face, I knew she was waiting for a free moment to come and force me to tell her exactly how I came to be at the inn so early- even before the first patrons. Luckily for me, said customers had come in shortly after and so she had been too busy to ask questions. So I sipped my coffee and tried not to think about the night before, lest I flush as red as the tomatoes Reina was frying up for breakfast.
I heard footsteps and then Luc was standing before my table. “Morning,” I said with a smile.
“How did it go last night?” he asked in a stage whisper.
I choked on my coffee, making Reina’s head snap straight to me, a questioning look on her face. I coughed, trying and failing to draw less attention to myself. The heat in my face told me I wasn’t doing a very good job.
“It was fine,” I said when I had cleared my throat. But Luc was looking at something over my shoulder.
“Just fine?” Balor said, slipping into the seat beside me and throwing an arm across the back of my chair. I was pleased I hadn’t taken another mouthful of coffee. “I’m sure you can choose a better word than that.”
Luc huffed and walked off towards where Maple was waiting, watching the interaction. All I heard was him telling her, irritated, “Our agent’s been compromised.”
“We’ll get him next time,” Maple replied with determination. And if I knew anything about those kids- Dell included- then they definitely would.