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He definitely did not regret taking that vest. Once Wicander and Tyranny hit the road with their new companions it kept Wic nice and warm. He looked good in it, too! Anything to feel just a sliver of confidence in these absolutely uncertain circumstances. And with that they rode on their horses through the woods to Gormalay.
The lack of comfort of the open air, ever changing temperature, and hot sun kept reminding Wicander that he was not supposed to be here. He asked Teor, Kattigan and Thimble a lot of questions to feel in the loop of what was happening and so did Tyranny. Whenever they had a moment to share thoughts with each other Wic would frequently mention how he still couldn’t believe that they were really doing this. His whole life was about to change, he thought. But then again the real change started when he entered that awful basement.
On the second night of travel he remained restless and couldn’t get a wink of sleep. Fortunately, Tyranny was always by his side to cheer him up in a moment like this. She was the last part of his life left unchanged.
Wic pulled at the sides of his vest tighter to get warm but even with camp fire right in front of him it was hard to feel better.
“Think of all the positive sides: you don't have responsibilities of the scion anymore, you're gonna find out about nature and! You have your cool pretty vest. This here? This is freedom!”
Nervously Wic pursed his lips and sighed. “Doesn't feel like it, I must say. It's cold and wet; and my clothes are covered in grass… And my family is probably going to go after me and won't stop until they find me.”
“This is not going to happen in some time. Even with everything we did so far, you have an opportunity to relax! The consequences will take time to show up, so you can take a chance to rest before they happen. Plus, you have a huge lion-man bodyguard and me to protect you when the time comes. We won't let you down, man!”
“This makes me more worried, actually. It's inevitable and you may get hurt. Other than that my betrayal won't be forgiven easily. Something terrible is going to happen and it will be my fault.”
“But you made the right choice. Think of another Wic who decided to stay a pawn and Tyranny who knows it wasn't what his heart truly desired.”
“Well, with that in mind I suppose being here is better.”
“Exactly.” Tyranny nodded. “This is better than any other choice, because this is what you and I want. We belong here.”
A weak smile appeared on Wicander's face just for a moment to quickly dissipate.
“I miss my grandmother.”
Tyranny furrowed her eyebrows instantly but didn't say anything yet. She took some time to process it instead.
“We both know the grandmother you thought you knew doesn't exist. She had never existed.”
“Right.” It came out almost like a sob. The vest shuffled over Wic's shoulders as he tried to get more comfortable and failed. “Everything I knew never really did.”