Chapter Text
It was a fine day in Falkreath. Spring had arrived but season differences weren’t that strong in the valley. Maybe the only downside of spring was the increased bear attacks, but that only meant more work for someone like Marco. That someone being a bodyguard for hire. Mercenary when money was hitting low.
He was good with both the bow and war axe and his patrons had paid him with enough gold for him to invest in a finer armor than the heavy iron one he had owned. Being the good warrior he was, Marco could have probably decided to apply to any guard of any city in skyrim. And he would have had plenty of chances of getting accepted, even in the royal one. Yet, he liked his freedom to move and therefore he had decided to abstain from those positions. Skyrim was in turmoil and he didn’t want to join a side.
Evening approached fast, and just when he thought another day would pass without anything new, a couple of horse riding travellers arrived from the southern path. One was sporting a heavy armor and carried a mighty greatsword. The other one, a young man with an unusual haircut, was wearing some fine clothing that looked both warm and very expensive. A noble and his guard, then.
Marco, being the curious man he was, approached them and started some conversation, looking at the noble but expecting an answer from the guardsman. Nobles usually didn’t like to talk to peasants but liked to feel respected and awed.
“Good day, where are you coming from? It’s not every day travellers pass through Falkreath.” He said as he walked alongside them.
To his surprise, both the noble and guard answered. At the same time yet with different answers.
“From Cyrodiil.”
“Get lost.”
to his surprise, the nicer answer came from the noble. Even if the tone was dry and didn’t seem to have any intention to continue the conversation. Marco noticed there seemed to be a tension between the guard and the nobleman. Neither of them looked at each other and seemed to be avoiding communicating at all. Huh, interesting.
With the responses he had had, Marco decided to not intrude more in their problems and went back to the inn to get some food and ale. Not too long after he had ordered some roasted venison the main door opened and the travellers came inside while quietly arguing about something.
“If i go with you I’ll be the one to murder you instead of any bandit we’ll meet along the way.”
“Well, then. Take this and go back to Cyrodiil.” Said the young noble. He counted a certain amount of gold and gave it to the guard.
“This is half we had agreed to.” Complained the now ex-bodyguard.
“Well, we only made half the journey i don’t see why i should pay you more.” Answered the noble. “And since you are no longer hired I won’t pay for any of your accommodations from this moment onwards.”
The bodyguard seemed to want to say something, but the noble had already turned his back on him and walked towards the counter where he asked for a room to stay in and some food.
As the nobleman sat down on the table, Marco decided to join him. It didn't take much thinking to guess that he was in need of a new bodyguard to travel with wherever he had to go, and that was one of Marco's favorite jobs. Good pay, covered travel spending and getting to move around Skyrim. Just what Marco loved the most. The only inconvenience was having to bear with snobby nobles.
“Sir, can I join you for dinner?” Asked Marco. At his words the noble man, that looked more like a boy, jumped slightly.
“Y-yes, sure.” Said the startled traveler.
“Who am I having the pleasure of sharing this meal with?” Kept asking Marco. He was tired of referring to him as just the ‘noble’ or ‘traveler’.
“Full name is Jean Kirschtein.” Answered Jean, “yours?”
“Marco Bodt, at your service.” Replied the Marco while smiling. “I hope you don't mind me asking, sir, what brings an outsider like you to Skyrim? It's not everyday we see a nobleman from Cyrodiil in these lands.”
Marco waited for Jean to finish chewing his mouthful of food. Meanwhile he entertained himself by observing the looks of the young foreigner. By his name, Marco had assumed he was an Imperial, but his sharp amber eyes reminded him of the bretons from High Rock. Still, he had fairly tanned skin like most people from Cyrodiil.
“Well, I’m traveling to Solitude for some diplomatic things, as well as for personal interests in the bard's college.” Explained Jean.
“Ah, so you fancy the art of the song?” Said Marco, slightly surprised.
“I abstain myself from singing for the better good” Marco chuckled at that comment, “but I’m a great follower of the art of the verse and wished to learn more of the poetic Edda, only a few books have reached the imperial capital.”
“That sounds very interesting.” Said Marco. “But I’ll have to admit I don’t know much about that topic.” His childhood as a farmer hadn’t given him an easy access to books, and he had been able to learn to read only when he joined the Companions in Whiterun.
“I could talk about it for whole days, but i’m sure that when I can get access to the whole scripture, I could talk about it for years.” Said Jean with a smirk.
“Ah, then I’ll be happy to hear about it, even if I don’t think I could follow a year long conversation.” Said Marco after laughing at Jean’s previous comment. Jean made a sound of agreement and silence followed as they ate.
When they were about to finish with their meals, Marco decided to bring up the topic he had been wanting to get to.
“Sir, I happened to hear your conversation with your bodyguard. Or, should I say, past bodyguard?” Started Marco, “Are you going to look for a new one? Because if so i could do the job.”
Jean’s shoulders tensed slightly and his face blushed, Marco assumed it was from having been seen in an argument. “Well, yeah. That...That would be great.”
“Nice!” Marco had been so close to go back to Whiterun alone since no jobs had been coming to Falkreath for some days. This seemed to be one of the best opportunities he had had in awhile.
“To be sincere, I never thought it would be so easy to find a new guard.” Commented Jean, “the one you saw left because we kept getting into arguments. I must warn you I’ve been told i’m quite an insufferable travelling companion. More than once.”
“Well, I have been told the opposite about myself so things might even out for us if we are lucky.” Said Marco with a playful tone. And it was true. His calm demeanor had made even the most annoying snobs become good conversation partners at some point in their journeys. Surely, Sir Jean Kirschtein would be no different.
Jean let go of a dry, curt laugh at his joke and muttered “I hope luck stays with us, then.”
“Should we discuss the details?” Asked Marco.
“Yeah, well. First of all, would 500 septims be good for you? I’ll cover all of your journey’s expenses too.” Said Jean.
“More than good! It sounds like a great deal to me.” Commented Marco. This was too good to be true. Surely there would be some kind of trick somewhere, or maybe his family was loaded. “Well, now it’s my turn, what route were you planning to take?”
“Me and my previous guard had thought of going from here to Rorikstead through the mountain pass, as we had been told it was the most common route.” Explained Jean. “But i’m completely open to changes since I know nothing about this land’s paths.”
“I guess your informers weren’t up to date with the recent events. A dragon now lives in the peak near the pass and attacks anything that moves through there. If we pass by Riverwood and then Whiterun we take a couple of days longer, but we get to stay alive.”
“Y-yeah, I think the second option is more suitable. Time is not a problem.” Said Jean. “Should we part tomorrow? I wanted to buy some provisions in the shop I saw on my way to the inn before parting, as well as anything you think would be better to have in case of an emergency. It’s my first time in Skyrim and i’ve heard both how beautiful and dangerous it can be.
“Yes sir, this land can be spectacular and it’s true that it might not be the most welcoming one. Yet I must say I’ve never been outside its borders so nothing to compare it to.” Commented Marco with a smile on his face. “The travel to Riverwood is rather short, we’ll have plenty of time to check on things before parting.”
As Marco spoke, Jean started to yawn and seemed to be falling asleep while trying to listen to him. Marco told Jean to go to sleep, as he was probably tired from his journey and they decided to continue their conversation while having breakfast tomorrow. Jean retreated to his room with a nod towards him. Marco was about to retreat to his own quarter when the ex-bodyguard blocked his way.
“You should be careful with that milk-drinker.” Were his first words. “He’s a pansy.”
“Isn’t my job to protect pansies from harm?” Said Marco. “I know not everybody gets along well but he doesn’t look to be that much of a bother compared to other fancy noblemen.”
“Well, i thought the same but he’s the most coward man I’ve ever met. The boy got scared of even the tiniest spider. He would rather surrender and beg than fight in any kind of combat. That brat knows nothing about honor.” Explained the man. “That combined with his foul mouth, he sure talks for being what he is.”
“We spoke just fine, for what i could see,” Marco pointed out, “He truly doesn’t seem to be that much of a problem, and not everybody can have a warrior’s way of life.”
“If he calls himself a noble, he should know better than that. Maybe he spoke politely for once because he liked your pretty face” Added his ex-guard. “He is known to be a man lover and probably just wants to get in your pants. ”
With that final comment, the man left to his own room, leaving a speechless Marco in the main hall.
“Good luck with this, Marco!” Said Connie, the innkeeper. “And if it turns out he does want to get into your pants, it doesn’t sound that terrible! Think about it, fancy food and soft beds for the rest of your life!”
Marco smiled at his comment and went to his own room. He didn’t know what to make out of the guard’s conversation. He guessed only time would tell if his words were truthful or just mere badmouthing due to conflicting personalities. Jean Kirschtein didn’t seem to be a as terrible as other nobles had been. Marco didn’t want to tarnish their travel by overthinking things. It’s too soon to make any assumptions. He thought.
Surely, time would tell.
-o-
Jean had been laying in his bed for a while without seeming to be able to fall asleep. He had been exhausted until the moment he pressed his head on the pillow. Now he just kept turning and turning without seeming to find a proper sleeping posture.
His head wasn’t helping either. Nor his heart. He had told himself to not be a fool. He had told himself to keep his feelings away, but here he was with an instant crush on the first cute nord he had met in the first damn town of the damned province of Skyrim. Well, it would probably go away as the journey progressed and would be gone by the time they reached Solitude. Things would go smoothly for once, right?
Jean let a long sigh escape his lips. He kept going back to the memory of Marco laughing. His fair, freckled skin seemed to be glowing with the ember’s light and it all contrasted so much with his soft eyes and black hair. Could the boy be more gorgeous? Probably not.
Jean closed his eyes once again, maybe this time sleep would come to him.
-o-
Marco woke up at his usual time and started with his daily morning routine: Shaving the patches of beard that grew unevenly on his cheeks, washing his face and, after going back to the main hall and greeting Connie, go outside to stretch a bit and empty his bladder.
When he came back, Connie had already started to brew an herbal tea with honey. It filled the hall with a sweet, uplifting smell that helped him wake up completely. Perhaps this was one of his favorite parts of the day. The quietness and the sunrise light made the town eerie and more peaceful than normal without the constant rumble of the lumber mill.
Marco sat down in front of the inn’s counter and without even saying a word, a wooden cup filled with the warm drink was in front of him. He held it between his hands to warm them up while he waited for it to cool down.
As Marco waited, Jean came out of his room. He was wearing a white linen v neck and had dark rings under his eyes. Jean stared at everything with a disoriented glare, as if he had sworn to hate the whole world but didn't know why. Marco smiled at his appearance. He looked so casual and for a second Marco could almost forget their differences in status.
When Jean’s eyes fell on Marco, they widened slightly in recognition and he walked up to his side to sit in the next stool.
“Good morning, sir Kirschtein” greeted Marco with his usual smile.
Jean gave a grunt as answer and Marco deemed it a good enough response. Without asking, the innkeeper gave him a cup of tea too and Jean stared at it with an even more confused glare.
“It’s a typical herbal tea of this area, with honey, to uplift you in the morning.” Explained Connie with a wide smile and a voice so loud that made Jean flinch.
“And Connie's recipe is one of the best I've tried.” Added Marco. “Be careful, don't get burnt.”
Jean nodded in understanding and cupped the wooden mug. He brought it close to his lips and inhaled the steam that came from it. His expression instantly relaxed as well as his shoulders. Marco looked at his actions in amusement. He couldn't stop wondering if Jean’s morning behavior was always like this or if it was just due to a bad night. His eyes fixed on Jean's long profile, enhanced by his slender neck and protruding collarbones that peeked from the shirt’s collar. He still looked like a nobleman even wearing a simple white shirt.
“What are you looking at?” Jean's voice startled Marco from his staring. He looked back at his face and saw it was now slightly flushed.
“Oh, sorry. I was just thinking that you are rather thin.” Commented Marco.
Jean rolled his eyes at his words, but didn't seem offended by them. “My mother has tried all kind of ways to get me to gain some weight but didn't succeed. Instead, she opted for making sure clothing made me look bigger.”
It was true, yesterday's clothing hid his thinner frame but made him look a bit like a potato sack. Jean went back to stare at his tea and yawned, one of his hands covering his mouth.
“How did you sleep?” Asked Marco.
“I think I spent more time awake than sleeping. And when I managed to fall asleep a nightmare made me wake up in sweat.” Said Jean with a groan.
“We could always stay here today if you prefer to rest.” Said Marco.
“I might take you on that offer.” Said Jean.
“You can think about it while we have breakfast.” Suggested Marco.
Jean hummed in agreement and drank a bit of tea. His face lightened up and hummed again, this time with blatant enjoyment. Marco copied him and sipped at his drink. They drank in comfortable silence while Connie prepared some warm food to serve before they left to get supplies.
They were about to get up from the stools when a guard rushed inside.
“Are you the travellers that wanted to go to Riverwood?” He grunted as he tried to get some air.
“What is it?” Asked Marco as he sat up, ready to run to get his sword if needed.
“They’ve seen a dragon roaming the area.” Answered the guard, “If I were you I would wait to go there.”
Marco agreed with him and asked about more details but there wasn’t much else they knew because nobody wanted to venture into the area. The guard left to keep with his duty and Marco turned towards Jean. The noble was sitting completely still, his shoulders tense and clutching his cup like it was the only thing keeping him alive.
“Are you fine, sir Kirschtein?”
“How normal are dragon attacks?” muttered Jean, still clutching the cup with all the strength he seemed to have.
“They are rather rare” assured Marco, “the only attack in a major city was in Helgen a while ago. Haven’t attacked any other village since then and we’ve heard of very few cases of travellers being assaulted by one.”
“Probably because they are all dead,” Jean muttered to himself, “are you really sure it’s safe?”
“Really.” Marco tried to look as confident as possible but Jean didn’t look convinced. “Either way, we’ll better rest for today. You can sleep some more if you want. Just tell me when you want to go get the supplies.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to sleep, knowing that there’s a dragon nearby” Huffed Jean, but he sat up anyway and looked at Connie. “Could i have a bucket of warm water?”
“Sure! I’ll bring it to your room when it’s ready!” replied Connie as he finished chopping some potatoes for the stew. “I can bring you some food with it too!”
“Yes, perfect.” Said Jean. With that he sat up and went back to his room.
Marco decided to go outside and ask the guards if they had received any more news about the dragon. Outside, the morning mist was still around yet the mill could be heard from the inn’s porch. Marco walked towards the Jarl’s hall where a couple of guards were talking. He greeted them and asked about the details as well as other news. Without realising, time flew by while they talked. Out of the corner of his eye Marco saw Jean’s old bodyguard come out of the inn. Marco excused himself and approached him.
“Hey!” Greeted Marco. “How did you sleep tonight?”
“Well, well, well, are you going to travel with Kirschtein?” Asked the man as a greeting. “I wish you all your luck then.”
“Thank you, I’ll travel with him, yes.” Said Marco, “And if things go bad at least I’ll have some money.”
“True. I’m just glad I’ll never have to see that prissy kid again. Maybe I’m getting too old for this kind of work.” And with that he walked away.
“Have a safe trip!” Called Marco before going back to the inn. Now he only had to wait until Jean was ready.
-o-
Jean startled from his book of poems when someone knocked at the door. He immediately went to open it thinking it would be the innkeeper with the water and food. He was met instead with his guard ‘previous guard, Jean.’ He thought.
“What do you want?” Said Jean with a curt tone, he didn’t have time for this.
“I’m going back to Cyrodiil now. I hope your journey is safe in these lands.” Replied the man. “The man you hired seems like a good person, it would be a shame if he died for your cause.”
“It would, I’ll hope our journey goes without incidents. Have a safe travel as well, it would be a shame for your gold to end up in some bandit’s hands.”
With that, Jean closed the door and went back to his book to forget about their hopefully last encounter. He was reading again his volume of the Poetic Edda and had filled it with papers full of notes. He thought about buying some more books soon. Maybe when we go to get the supplies, thought Jean.
Once again he was startled by a knock on the door. This time it actually was the innkeeper with his requests. He paid them and closed the door to wash himself, still feeling sweaty from his nightmares somehow.
He used a wet cloth to scrub himself clean before eating his food. Once finished, he dressed up and went out of his room.
-o-
Marco heard Jean's door open and turned on his seat to talk to him. He had dressed up with his bulky clothing again.
“Are you ready?” Asked Marco.
Jean nodded and they walked towards the shop. Marco arrived first and opened the door, offering Jean to go in first. The shop was filled with random stuff, as the owner had a particular need to hoard everything he could lay his hands on, weather it had any value or not.
“Welcome to Gray Pine Goods!’ Said the shopkeeper. “Can I help you?”
Jean looked at Marco, as he was the one who knew what they needed. Marco asked for some food as well as a bedroll for Jean, just in case something forced them to stay a night in the wilderness. As the shopkeeper got the stuff ready, Jean noticed two books in the counter that instantly got his attention.
“Can I have a look at these?” he asked.
The shopkeeper looked at them and nodded, saying they were basically some spell tomes no one wanted to buy. Magic wasn’t a popular art between the nords.
“I have some novels too somewhere, if you are looking for some interesting lecture.”
“These look interesting enough, thanks.” Replied Jean, already taking one of the tomes and reading the first page.
“Do you fancy magic?” Asked Marco with weariness. He didn't know much about it and had heard about the disaster in Winterhold. People said it had been caused by the college of mages.
“Well, i don’t know that much about it, my mother hates it and my father didn’t hold any interest in the Arcane Arts. I must admit I was always curious but never had the chance to try it out.”
“Heard it's quite dangerous.” Commented Marco.
“Says the mercenary that doesn't even blink at the mention of dragons.” Snorted Jean, his voice filled with sarcasm.
Marco didn't have words to get back at him, aware that Jean had a very valid point.
The noble left the tome in the table and took the other one to examine it as well. He looked very concentrated and his permanent glare didn't move away from the page. Marco found himself looking at Jean again, amused by his facial expressions.
The shopkeeper came back with their supplies then, and both Jean and Marco broke from their respective trances. The shopkeeper seemed amused by it and winked at Marco, making him blush as he realized he had been staring at Jean in a way that could be misunderstood.
“I’ll take these too.” Said Jean with his hand over the tomes. “How much is the total?”
“134 septims.”
Jean took out his coin bag and paid them without blinking. Marco wondered for a second how it would be to live without worry for money for all his life. He remembered his childhood with harsh winters and almost no food in the farm whenever the rains didn't come or the snow killed the crops.
“Hey, are you going to stand there the whole day?” Jean's voice broke his chain of memories.
“Sorry, sir” Said Marco, his smile returning to his face.
They left the store with their purchases. Neither of them said a word during the short walk towards the inn and Marco wasn’t sure if he was the only one not feeling completely comfortable with it.
As they arrived, Marco said he would store the food in the bags Jean had for the journey. Jean nodded and opened the room and pointed their location. Immediately after that, he sat down in the chair and opened the first of the spell-tomes.
“What spell tomes did you get?” Asked Marco, his curiosity overstepping over his fear of magic.
“Healing and Candle light. According to their introductions, they seem to be some of the easiest spells to learn.”
“I see! They do could come in handy.” Commented Marco after storing their food and brand new bed roll. Maybe not all magic was dangerous, but he was still a bit weary of them. “Are you going to start reading now?”
“Yeah” Said Jean with a nod.
“Then I’ll leave you alone, probably go and check with the guards about that dragon.”
“Oh, tell me if you have news. I’ll be here until dinner probably.”
“Yes, Sir Kirschtein, see you later.”
Marco went to talk with the guards again. They told him it seemed like the dragon had left the area. Marco guessed many people would still not dare travel across the path so they probably would not find many travellers in their journey tomorrow. He decided to tell the good news to Jean at supper as to not disturb him during his magic experiments. The noble did look quite excited about them.
-o-
Jean let go a breath of air the moment the door closed. Marco seemed like such a nice guy and he was trying so hard to not show his stupid crush on the boy. He was quite proud of how he was doing for now, but his sweet smile made Jean's heart skip a beat every single time.
He breathed deeply again and concentrated on the books to ignore his foolish feelings.
He took the spell tome of healing since it seemed like a good way to start. Surely i can’t injure myself with this, Jean thought. He opened the first page and started reading. It seemed quite simple if he followed the steps right. First, he had to read and learn the arcane words written in the book. He opened the page they were and studied them attentively.
He started reading the book and immediately became immersed in it. Time passed flying as he read the steps again and again to make sure he didn't miss anything before absorbing the magic runes in it.
Once he was confident enough with his understanding of the spell, he opened the page that contained the runes, breathed deeply and pressed his palms over them. Warmth started to spread from his fingertips to his arms and whole body. The runes glowed an amber color and the book started to disintegrate. Jean's mind blanked for a second as magic flowed through his body but soon everything went back to normal. The book had disappeared completely, not even leaving dust.
Jean felt like always, but somehow he knew how to make the magic flow through his body and make the spell work. It was as if it's knowledge had been transmitted to him through the runes.
Jean sat up and tried out the spell. He concentrated as hard as he could in the magic until an amber light surrounded his body and made his skin tingle. It seemed to be working, but he had no wounds to heal.
I'm not going to injure myself to try it out, Jean thought. He wasn't that desperate. Yet.
Jean breathed deeply and moved towards the window. He had been so immersed in the spell book he hadn't realized the sun had started to set. Jean decided it was probably best to stop his learning for today. He moved towards the door to go and get some food and find Marco.
The moment he thought about the warrior, his insides fluttered with giddiness. Jean damned his feelings again, breathing deeply before opening the door towards the main hall.
When he walked out of the room, a lovely smell made his stomach rumble. Jean ignored it and looked around searching for black hair and a freckled face. He found Marco sitting in the same table as they had been yesterday and approached him while trying not to blush.
Don't stare at him too much, don't smile at him, no one will notice your feelings. He repeated in his head like a mantra.
Then Marco looked up, saw him and gave him one of his spectacular casual smiles accompanied with a wave. Jean tried by all means not to smile back, and failed. He did try to make it small, and failed again.
-o-
Marco had stayed chatting with Connie for a while. The innkeeper kept teasing him about what he said was going to be the journey of love between Marco and Sir Kirschtein. Every time he used the phrase, Marco rolled his eyes. He had done it so many times his eyes hurt.
He did consider Jean Kirschtein to be a handsome man, but Marco would never wish to kiss him. Jean was a nobleman and he had dealt with enough of them to find the idea repelling. They only worried about their status and lands and politics.
“The food is ready, do you want some or do you wanna wait until your boy comes out of his room?” Said Connie.
Marco rolled his eyes again but smiled at him. “I’ll wait for now, but I'll go and sit in the table with a bottle of mead to leave you a chance to speak with Sasha.”
Connie smiled at the thought of the food loving bard, who had just arrived, and shooed him away after giving him a tankard of mead. Marco got up and left to enjoy his drink in peace.
He sat and drank in silence until he heard a door open. There, he saw Jean and waved at him. The noble smiled back for once and Marco thought he imagined seeing a blush on his face.
“Good evening, Sir Kirschtein. How did your afternoon go?”
“I think it went well. Learned one of the spells but haven't had the chance at using it yet.”
“Well, I hope you get the chance soon.” Commented Marco.
“It's the healing spell.”
“Oh.”
Marco looked at the noble, worried about having offended him but instead he found him trying to contain his laughter only to let it go as a snort. Marco couldn't stop himself from laughing a bit too.
Once they had calmed down, Marco went to get some food in the counter. After an excessive amount of nudges and winks from both Connie and Sasha, he managed to get two plates of stew and bring them to the table.
Their dinner tasted amazing thanks to Connie's cooking skills. They ate in silence, savouring every piece and then drank some mead while talking. Jean asked him about the dragon and he told him the news. After that, their conversation fell into more mundane things. Time passed without them noticing and soon they were both yawning.
“I think we should go to sleep, tomorrow we'll have a plenty of time to talk.” Mumbled Marco as he tried to contain another yawn.
“True, good night, Marco.” Said Jean
“Good night, Sir Kirschtein. Rest well.”
-o-
Once in the privacy of his room, Jean removed his fine clothes and went to sleep. He felt exhausted, even if the only remarkable thing he had done during the whole day had been learning a spell.
He covered himself with the wool blankets and fell asleep almost instantly.
Jean woke up slowly and stayed in the bed for a couple of seconds before he felt capable of sitting up. He washed his face and shaved the bits of beard that grew in his cheeks and over his upper lip before dressing up and packing all his belongings into his travel bag.
Once he deemed himself ready, Jean left the room and greeted Marco and Connie, who were already drinking tea.
“Did you rest well, sir?” Asked Marco.
“Yeah.” Said Jean as he sat down in the stool next to Marco.
“The guards told me they haven't seen the dragon at all since yesterday so we are free to go.”
“Good.” sighed Jean.
Connie served them some bread and smoked meat, as well as a cup of tea for Jean. Marco and Connie were talking about someone they knew so Jean zoned out while eating. Once they finished with their food, Marco went to pack their belongings in the horses and Jean paid his stay to Connie. He wished him good luck and a safe travel while winking, making Jean feel slightly flustered.
Once outside, Jean found Marco with his horses.
“Let me go to say my farewells to Connie. I'll be back soon.” Said Marco with his almost permanent smile.
Jean nodded and took the horses reins, looking at the mountains as the morning light made them more impressive than usual. After a while, he heard the door open again and turned towards Marco, who looked slightly flushed and embarrassed.
“Are you fine?” Asked Jean.
“Yeah, yeah. Let's go.”
With that, they mounted the horses and started their journey.
-o-