Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The first thing that struck me when I left Gordon’s submarine was the cold.

A sharp breeze rushed under my short jacket, and the flimsy fabric of my corset did little to keep my upper body from breaking out in goosebumps. Soft, persistent snow was falling, and the sky was heavily overcast. According to Gordon, it had been like this for quite some time.

I frowned and wrapped my arms around myself as I began walking toward the town. It wasn't very big—only four or five houses, some shops, and a sizable cemetery to my left, with a mausoleum in the middle.

Broduil, my dog, barked at my side and immediately ran toward the cemetery, acting as he usually did when he found something to dig up. I groaned, feeling far too cold to bother with any treasures, so I whistled for him to come back and continued to the chief’s house.

The chief’s house was the first one I encountered. Inside, I found a short, stout man with an unassuming appearance greeting me with a fake smile and a rather slimy demeanor.

I lost track of him after a few slimy compliments. I told him I would find the Sun Totem or whatever else he needed, and then I decided to take a walk.

The town was quite deserted; the townsfolk were likely hiding inside their homes to fend off the cold, except for a couple of people in the shops and a man working at a stall just around the corner from Greta’s shop.

He was shorter than me, as I assumed every man in Albion was by now, with a crest of brown hair and a well-kept beard on his face. Round earrings adorned his ears, and his smart, witty blue eyes seemed to sparkle on his sun-tanned face as he greeted me with a big smile.

I had to admit that he was handsome—more so than the boring, unassuming men of Bowerstone.

«M’lady! Welcome to Knothole Island! You look rather cold, let me tell you. Here, have a coat. It’s on the house» he said as he handed me a coat with enthusiasm. It wasn’t especially refined, but it was warm and smelled like a campfire, so I put it on and smiled gratefully at him.

«Thanks» I murmured «I didn’t expect the cold to be so… cold»

He laughed at my poor choice of words and made a vague gesture with his hand.

«No one does. This damn storm has lasted way too long. Are you the one who’s going to get the Totem of Sun for us?»

I nodded, and he sighed in relief.

«Oh, thank you! It’s been hard to get new supplies lately with this impending storm. Ever since our last warriors disappeared, we’ve been trapped in this mess, and no one has dared to venture to the temples to retrieve the Totems of Weather again»

«I guess that’s my job then. Helping people has been my thing lately» I sighed, taking a step toward him. «What do you sell here?»

The man’s eyes lit up.

«Oh, a bit of everything, really!»

As I browsed through his merchandise, I could feel his gaze on me. I did my best not to let it bother me, but eventually, I found myself looking up at him again.

«… Is something the matter?» I finally asked.

«I was just wondering… you’re a hero, right?»

I stiffened slightly. That wasn’t a word many people remembered, and I wasn’t yet famous enough for people to recognize me. Yes, I had killed Thag, but I had just barely reached Bowerstone before finding Gordon at the docks while treasure-hunting with Broduil.

I nodded quietly, and the man grinned.

«Ha, I knew it. You have the aura of a hero. We people of Knothole have had our share of heroes, you know. The Hero of Oakvale’s mother, Scarlet Robe, for example. She was a pure Knotholian woman! And even though our warriors may not have been heroes, they were powerful, alright»

I looked at him, impressed for a moment. «You seem to know a lot about heroes and warriors» I said with a small smile.

The man waved his hand vaguely.

«I just know my history, alright? One of the last warriors we had was my uncle, and he raised me with stories of heroes and great warriors. He even taught me how to use a sword. ‘For self-defense,’ he used to say. Albion has become dangerous after all»

I nodded again and smiled weakly. «It has. I took a walk through Bower Lake, Brightwood, and the Coast. It was full of bandits and hobbes»

The man sighed and shrugged. «It is what it is. This is the world we were given, and it’s our job to try and make it better, isn’t it?»

I smiled softly at his words. This man seemed to have more sense than most of the people I had met until then.

«You’re right» I murmured. Then I took a pair of gloves «I’ll take this»

«Good choice! They’re good to fend off the cold» he said as he handed them to me with a smile. I shivered slightly when our hands touched and our eyes met again.

He smiled again «By the way, the name’s Luke»

I looked at him and smiled, feeling an unfamiliar warmth in my chest

«… Sparrow. Call me Sparrow»

Chapter Text

When I reached Knothole Island this time, even my flimsy short jacket seemed too heavy. The sun was scorching hot, burning down on my pale skin, tattered with freckles, and the skin under the tight corset was already starting to sweat.

Broduil didn’t seem to mind. He was running around, barking, happily digging around, and I had to whistle at him to come back and to please, for the love of the gods, to stop trying to dig out people from their graves.

I had restored Knothole Island to the hot weather just a few days before, so now I wanted to check if the shops had received any new items. I was curious, especially about the Box of Secrets. I was sure it had extremely cool things hidden in those boxes, and I was set on uncovering everything.

As I walked along the small path leading to the houses with Broduil happily following me, my mind returned to the man working at the stall behind the barber. I could have passed to say hi.

When I turned the corner, I saw him, and my heart started beating faster with anticipation.

Luke, that was his name, I remembered. This time, he was wearing only a pair of sand-colored pants. His upper body was exposed, showing off the tattoo of an eagle head on his tan chest, and his blue eyes were even brighter, in contrast with his skin, which had gotten darker under the scorching sun I brought on Knothole Island.

When he noticed me, his whole face brightened up as if he had seen the sun walking among mortals. He waved energetically, and I smiled awkwardly, walking up to him.

«Hi, Luke»

«Ol’ gods if it isn’t the hero! I heard much about you while you were away, ya know? You did pretty impressive things! And ol’ gods, aren’t you way taller and stronger than I remembered?» he asked, bursting out in laughter.

«Did a couple of things. You know, helping-»

«Helping people is your thing?»

I looked at him surprised, and then I chuckled, feeling the blood darkening my cheeks.

«… Yes. We can say that»

Broduil approached him and jumped up with a happy bark. Then, like a good dog, he happily sat before him and wagged his tail, hoping for a pet.

Luke looked down and beamed, crouching down and petting his head energetically

«Hey there pal. Everything alright with the adventuring? Oh, you’re such a good pup, aren’t you? A true adventurer, hm? Diggin’ all kind of treasures, I’m sure»

I chuckled at that

«Pup? He’s ten years old»

Luke looked up at me wide-eyed, then at Broduil once again

«Pal, really now? You’re a damn hero in dog shape, aren’t ya? O’ course you are! A good old boy! But you don’t look old, ya know?»

Broduil barked happily and rolled over, exposing his belly to Luke, who didn’t lose any time in rubbing it energetically. At least until Broduil sniffed something, got on his paws, started barking loudly, and ran off.

I sighed and shook my head, looking at the dog

«I’m not gonna run after you!» I exclaimed before turning to Luke, who was looking at Broduil with a smile.

«That’s a damn good dog, isn’t he?»

«He is» I said affectionately before looking at Luke again «So, how’s the business?»

«Ah, same ol’, same ol’. Just have to pay attention my merch don’t melt! Speaking of which, need anything? I’ll give you a discount, but don’t tell anyone» he added with a grin.

«Well, what do you have?»

As I browsed the merch, I couldn’t help my gaze moving to him a couple of times. There was something to him, a weird feeling of comfort as if I could have spoken to him about anything.

It was a way too weird feeling to have for someone I barely knew.

«I could use this» I said in the end, taking the lute. It was better looking than the one I already had, with incisions of dancing figures on the dark wood.

Luke’s eyes gleamed

«Ah, that’s a good choice! Do you play the lute?»

«Yes, I learned when I was a kid. I was raised in the Gypsy Camp, in Bower Lake»

Luke looked at me curiously, examining me from head to toe, as if trying to make sense of that information. “Don’t ask it. Don’t ask it, please. Don’t ask it”

«You don’t look like a gypsy, though»

I nodded but didn’t elaborate further. Luke opened his mouth to ask the following question, but maybe he saw something that made him change his mind, cause he changed his mind. Instead, he handed me a bandana of a light, colorful tissue.

«This will help you with the heat. And I suggest you take off that jacket and corset and put on something fresher. You’re gonna get a heat stroke»

«Heroes don’t get heat strokes»

«Oh, you bet your ass they do. Now put on that bandana Miss Hero»

I looked at him bewildered. How dare he speak like that to me? As if I was a child! For some reason, though, I couldn’t find myself to be mad about it. Not fully.

I grumbled, snatched the bandana out of his hands, and wrapped it around my head, eliciting a small chuckle from Luke.

«You really were raised by gypsies huh» he commented, noticing how I tied my bandana «Here, I’ll teach you how to make a knotholian knot».

He took a step towards me, holding out his hands to it. I was initially surprised by that, but then I leaned down to let him do it. I could feel his hands skillfully waving a knot on the bandana, sometimes slightly brushing my red hair with a gentle touch. I did my best not to blush at every contact.

Once he was done, he took a step back and grinned

«There ya go. Now you look like a true knotholian»

I raised a hand to touch it curiously. It felt like a braid but made with one too many strands.

«Thank you»

He smiled again, that charming smile that made my stomach twirl weirdly.

«Ah, don’t mention it. It’s always a pleasure having you around» he said with a grin, then he looked over at me once more

«I heard you’re having people call you Blade. Should I call you such too? Because when we met, ya said your name was Sparrow»

That question made my brain short-circuit. It was true; I wanted to be known with a name that didn’t scream “I’m a lost child in a big world.” It was already bad enough to feel like that; I didn’t need others to perceive me like that.

But Luke didn’t seem judgmental. And I had shared more words with him than anyone else in Albion. It was easy to spend time with him; he made me feel oddly at ease.

«You can call me Sparrow» I said in the end.

Luke nodded and smiled «Good, good. I like Sparrow more than Blade, anyway. It tastes like freedom»

My eyes widened slightly as he said that, and I mulled it over.

It tasted like freedom, huh?

A small smile opened on my face.

«It does. You’re right. But Blade makes me sound tough. I’d rather the world speaks of me like a tough person»

«Glad not to be included in that» he said with a smile «We can’t always be tough. Not even heroes»