Chapter Text
The first thing Ajax felt was the ground giving way beneath his heel. Then he was stumbling backward out of the treeline, branches snapping at his sleeves, boots skidding over loose dirt until he hit the grass hard. The breath punched clean from his lungs, vision bursting black for a split second before the sky rushed in above him.
“Shit,” he groaned, dragging a hand over his face.
The trees loomed at the edge of his vision making him feel claustrophobic. The air out here felt different. Hotter, to be exact. His doublet always felt tighter when he was overheating. It also wasn’t helping that the bow attached to his back was now digging painfully into his spine.
Ajax let his arm fall to his side, staring up at the pale stretch of sky before he closed his eyes. His chest rose and fell a little too fast, the echo of something sharp and electric still crawling under his skin.
His eyes were still closed when a shadow moved over him. His eyes snapped open. He stilled, every muscle going tight all at once, instincts snapping into place faster than thought. Someone was leaning over him.
The figure was crouched at his side with their hands on their knees, close enough that Ajax could’ve reached out and grabbed them if he’d wanted to. He hadn’t heard them approach. No footsteps, no rustle of grass, nothing. Which is weird because nobody has ever managed to sneak up on him. He was just going to have to blame it on the fact that he had tripped. Yeah, that’s why.
The boy tilted his head slightly, as if studying some kind of wild animal. Dark hair framed his face, eyes steady and unblinking as they traced over Ajax like he was something dragged in by the tide.
This guy didn’t look dressed for the woods. His clothes were far too clean for it. Layers of pale fabric draped over him. They looked so elegant that they looked as if they belonged somewhere far from dirt and thorns. The outer robe hung loosely from his shoulders, the sleeves long enough to almost swallow his hands, shifting with the slightest movement of wind. Beneath it, thinner layers peeked through of whites and muted purples.
A sash wrapped neatly at his waist, cinching the fabric just enough to give shape, though even that felt more ceremonial than practical. Around his neck was a purple and red necklace with a feather attached to the end of it. To top it off, he had a deep red eyeliner decorating the corners of his eyes.
Suddenly, as if he came back to life, Ajax jumped away from him, startled. Was this guy noble or something? He certainly looked the part.
“…Are you done?” the stranger asked. His voice was quiet.
Ajax blinked at him. “Done with what?” he shot back, pushing himself up onto his elbows despite the lingering sting in his ribs. “Falling on my ass? Yeah, I think that part’s over.”
The stranger didn’t react. If anything, his gaze only softened, flicking briefly to Ajax’s hands, then his chest, like he was checking for something unseen. His eyes ran from his pants tucked into his boots, to the knife attached to his thigh, his doublet, and finally back to his face.
“I didn’t mean to frighten you,” he said instead. “Are you alright?”
Ajax let out a short breath, somewhere between a scoff and a laugh, and pushed himself the rest of the way upright. The world tilted for a second before settling, the grass swaying lazily around him. “I’m fine,” he said, brushing dirt from his sleeve, though his ribs protested the movement. “You’re the one sneaking up on people.”
“I wasn’t trying to sneak.”
“That’s worse.”
The stranger watched him in silence, as if weighing whether that response made sense. His gaze lingered a moment too long before drifting briefly past Ajax’s shoulder. His indigo eyes were looking at Ajax’s gear that he had set beside the river.
It wasn’t much. Just his arrows, a bag of food, some fish bait, and the envelope with the orders for the job he was currently trying to do. Apparently, some noble’s daughter lost her locket after it had been stolen by a fox that ran off into these woods. Inside the envelope held a picture of the item which was all Ajax needed to locate it.
Ever since he was a kid, he has had this strange ability to be able to feel where things are in relation to himself. Whenever he was trying to find something, he would feel a constant, quiet pull in his chest or gut pointing him somewhere. When he focuses, paths “settle” in his mind and he just knows which way to go. Wrong turns feel uncomfortable, like walking against a sea current. The closer he gets to what he’s seeking, the stronger and clearer that initial pull becomes.
He didn’t understand why. Nobody did. He wasn’t sure if it was some kind of weird gift from the gods or some kind of attempt at a curse.
Ajax was always unsure what to do with this so-called “ability.” But it wasn’t until his family started running low on mora that he tried to find a solution for their troubles. He had been passing by two men standing by a large carriage decorated in gold, their voices low but still reaching his ears. The taller man had mentioned something about a missing dog and how he was willing to pay any amount of mora if someone could find it. His daughter had been in hysterics for weeks because she was afraid she would never see Doctor Mc. Stuffins again.
Ajax offered his services and was able to locate the animal within a few hours. The man was beyond happy and so was his daughter. He ended up paying Ajax over 300,000 in mora on the spot. It was then that Ajax figured out his calling.
“This isn’t where you were supposed to be,” the boy suddenly said.
“And you would know that how?”
For the first time, something shifted in the stranger’s expression. The faintest crease formed between his brows, like Ajax had said something that didn’t quite fit. “I would know,” he replied while pointing deep into the forest, “because nothing comes out of there.”
When he finally stood up, Ajax was able to notice that this guy was on the shorter side. He looked about five feet and four inches, maybe? Ajax practically towered over him. But, to be fair, he towered over a lot of people. His mother always said she wasn’t sure where he got his height from.
“Do you always interrogate people you find in the forest,” Ajax asked, rolling his shoulder, “or am I getting special treatment?”
“I’m not sure. You’re the only one I’ve ever found,” he said with a small tilt of his head. The wind picked up, lifting his bangs from his forehead. The stranger’s eyes lingered on him a moment longer. Then, almost absently, he added, “you’re bleeding.”
Ajax looked down. A thin line of red had soaked through the fabric at his side, dark against his shirt. He hadn’t even felt it. The side of his bow had pierced his lower back. He really needed a less flashy bow. This was the third time this has happened.
“Huh,” he clicked his tongue. When he looked back up, the stranger hadn’t moved. His gaze was starting to become unsettling. “I’ve been hurt worse.” He adjusted the strap of his bow again, easing it off his back just enough to stop it from pressing into the wound. His fingers came away faintly red. He wiped them absently against his trousers.
“You don’t seem concerned.”
Ajax shrugged one shoulder. “Comes with the job.”
“What job?”
“If you’re going to ask me a hundred questions, then the least you could do is tell me your name first.”
The stranger smiled at that for some reason, “my name is Kabukimono.”
Ajax raised a brow, “that sounds made up. You look like some kind of prince and I don't know of any prince with such a strange name.”
“Do I?”
Maybe prince wasn’t the right word but what else was there? He certainly came from status. He wouldn’t have clothes like that if he didn’t. He also wouldn’t have access to any kind of makeup. Most of that stuff was reserved for only the people willing to pay the highest price. Not that Ajax ever wanted to wear any makeup, but his sisters would often fantasize about being able to wear lipstick. They always said that just once they wanted to see what they would look like with ruby red lips.
Maybe one of these jobs would pay well enough that he could get them some one day. Until then, he would just have to keep taking job after job.
Suddenly, someone called out, “Kabukimono! Where are you?!”
The stranger, or Kabukimono, seemed to jump at the sound of the person’s voice. Just past his shoulder, Ajax could see someone in armor calling out for him. Only further solidifying that he was someone of status.
“Uh-oh. I must go. It was a pleasure to meet you, um,” he gestured towards him.
Ajax never used his real name when he was working. He didn’t want anything tracing back to his family. Not that he thought anyone would try to harm them but because he liked keeping his work separate from his private life. A lot of people called him Archer because he always had a bow strapped to his back, while others called him Childe since that’s the name he usually gave people.
“Childe,” he finally answered with a nod, “with an e.”
Kabukimono bowed, “it was a pleasure to meet you, Child with an e.”
And just like that he turned and ran, leaving Ajax alone in the woods.
The fabric of his robes caught the light as he moved, pale against the darker edge of the trees beyond, until he slipped out of sight entirely. The armored figure’s voice grew clearer for a moment. Something between relief and scolding before both of them disappeared into the distance.
Ajax clicked his tongue and turned away while muttering a “weird” under his breath. He had stopped by the river to catch some lunch before he ran into that stranger but now he just wanted to find this damn locket and go home.
The locket couldn’t have been much farther, he was sure of that. That familiar pull was returning in his chest. It was weaker for some reason but still there. He decided to follow while leaving his stuff by the river. No one ever comes into these woods anyway. He doubts anyone would steal his stuff. Besides, all the important stuff was already on him.
If this fox was some kind of deranged animal, all he needed was his small knife to take care of it. Not that he was fond of killing animals but if that’s what it takes to get this job done then so be it.
The pressure that had crawled under his skin inside the forest had eased, though not completely, the deeper he went into the forest. He was getting closer.
A few more steps, then he stopped. His gaze dropped. Half-hidden beneath a patch of flattened grass, something glinted faintly.
Ajax crouched down, brushing the blades aside with careful fingers until the object came into view. A small, delicate locket sat in the grass with a bit of fox slobber on it but otherwise still intact. Its chain was tangled slightly from where it had been dropped. Ironically, the locket had a fox design on the front.
The idea of getting paid over twenty grand in full for a job as easy as this felt like cheaper robbery. But who was he to say anything? Mora is mora.
His fingers closed around it as he got back to his feet. He didn’t see any foxes anywhere so it had probably dropped it after it realized it wasn’t food.
After heading back to the river to gather his belongings, he headed back into town to take a carriage to the man’s house who hired him. When he arrived, he banged his fist on the large wooden front doors. At the center of them were iron lion heads with handles in their mouths. Animal decor always felt so distasteful to him. He especially wasn’t a fan of animal rugs and he knew this family had a lot of those.
The sound of the knock echoed through the large estate before fading into the heavy silence of the front courtyard. Ajax shifted his weight slightly, the locket still secure in his pocket, and glanced up at the house while he waited. The stone walls looked like they had been scrubbed within an inch of their life, windows that reflected more gold than sky, and guards standing at the ready at every corner.
The doors finally groaned open.
A man stepped out first, dressed in fine but rumpled clothing, as if he hadn’t slept properly in days. The moment his eyes landed on Ajax, something in his expression broke open.
“Ah,” he smiled, “Childe, you’ve returned. That was fast. Do you have it?”
Ajax didn’t bother with ceremony. He reached into his pocket and held the locket out between two fingers. “Unless you were also missing a different shiny necklace with fox saliva on it, then yeah.”
The man let out a sound that was half laugh, half sob as he grabbed it immediately, clutching it to his chest as if it might vanish again. “Thank you, thank you, gods… my daughter, she’s been–she hasn’t stopped crying since–”
“I got it,” Ajax interrupted, shifting his stance. “Payment?”
“Yes, of course, yes.” The man turned sharply, waving for one of the attendants behind him. “Bring the mora, quickly.”
The redhead didn’t move while they disappeared inside, though his gaze drifted briefly over the estate again. The animal rugs came into view through a side hall as expected. Their dark fur stretched across polished floors, heads mounted on walls with glassy eyes that seemed to follow you no matter where you stood. He exhaled through his nose and looked away.
A few moments later, a heavy coin purse was placed into his hand. It was enough to make his fingers dip slightly with the weight. Ajax gave it a brief shake, satisfied. “Pleasure doing business.”
He had only made it one step when the man’s voice called out from behind him. “Wait,” he said hastily, “I actually need your help with something else. My wife apparently lost her wedding ring in the same woods. Could you go and get it?”
Ajax turned to face him, “in the same woods? Why didn’t you ask me to get it when I was looking for your daughter’s locket?”
“My wife hadn’t realized she lost it until she went to take it off for her bath and it wasn’t there. I apologize but she’s devastated about it.”
He had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. Leave it up to these people to be so careless with their belongings. If Ajax wasn’t able to find it, he knew they would just buy another one like it was nothing. Not that that ever happened because he always found what he was looking for.
Ajax let out a slow breath through his nose, the kind that barely counted as patience and mostly just restrained irritation. “So let me get this straight,” he said, shifting the coin bag slightly in his grip. “You want me to go back into the same forest I just came out of to find a ring your wife didn’t notice she lost until bath time?"
The man nodded quickly, almost desperate. “Yes, exactly. She’s been inconsolable. She believes it must have fallen off somewhere near the riverbank, or perhaps deeper in—”
“Right,” Ajax cut in, raising a hand. “Is there anything else you're missing before I go back? A hat, maybe? Or maybe a bracelet?’
His sarcasm seemed to fall flat since the guy didn’t pick up on it. He just looked to the side as he thought before he shook his head. “Nope, just the ring. We will compensate you appropriately.”
They'd better.
Ajax asked for a picture, which the man quickly retrieved from inside his home. Since it was late and he was injured, he would just have to go tomorrow. He slung his pack over his shoulder and checked the bow at his back, making sure everything was secure. His fingers brushed the edge of his side where the wound from earlier still stung faintly, but it had stopped bleeding.
He would have to make sure his mother didn’t see it when he gets home. She’s never been a fan of him constantly going on missions to retrieve lost items if it put him in danger. She much preferred it when he was just searching for kids' lost toys at the park.
Recently, all of his jobs felt like that anyway. Almost none of them had been anything really interesting except for the one where he’d been sent into the old harbor tunnels to retrieve a noble’s enchanted music box that plays different memories for different people. However, sometimes he got more interesting ones. Like having to find and slay a monster that’s been terrorizing the town and bring back its head as proof.
He was really hoping for something more interesting with his next job but it seems the gods had other plans. Maybe this gift really was a curse after all.
-
Back in the forest meant Ajax needed to be alert again. It wasn’t uncommon for monsters to be roaming around waiting to attack.
He sat on a large tree log, covered in moss with an arrow in one hand and a sharp rock in the other. He angled the rock to the side to sharpen the tip of his arrow. He only carried about ten or eleven arrows at a time. Which meant if he ever got into a fight, he always had to go and retrieve his arrows at the end.
He had meant to do this before he left but it had slipped his mind. He held up the now-sharpened arrow, turning it slightly so the dim light filtering through the trees caught along its edge. It wasn’t perfect, but it didn’t need to be. Just enough to pierce cleanly and not splinter on impact.
Ajax set the arrow down beside him and reached for the next one, repeating the same thing to the tip of the weapon.
“Hello.”
Ajax’s breath stilled before he jumped, turning to see that same boy from yesterday staring at him. He was standing on the log which made him appear taller than he was. He was leaning down with his hands on his knees to try to see what Ajax was doing. He snuck up on him again?
“You again,” he said but it sounded more like a question. “What are you doing here?”
“I saw you walk into the forest and I followed you.”
“Follow-up question. Why are you following me?”
Kabukimono straightened at that, as if the question required a more proper posture to answer. He stepped back along the length of the log, lifting his arms slightly out to his sides to steady himself. “I don’t know.”
For some reason, he was smiling as he walked to the other side of the log before turning around and heading back.
“Where’s your guard?” Ajax asked, “did you run away from him again?”
Kabukimono paused mid-step, arms still extended, head tilting slightly. “He is no guard. He just protects me.”
“Like a guard.”
“Like a friend.”
Ajax side-eyed him for a moment. Is that all it took for someone to be considered a friend to this guy? That sure didn’t seem like a lot of qualifications but Ajax had no friends, so what did he know? “You’re weird, you know that?”
The boy took another step when the crushed moss shifted under his bear foot. He didn’t even bother trying to stabilize himself when he started to lose his balance.
He slipped and dropped off the log with a soft thud, landing unevenly on the forest floor. One knee hit first, then his hands. His sleeves bunched slightly as they caught against the ground.
Ajax blinked. “…Wow,” he said flatly. “That was impressive.”
Kabukimono stayed still for a second, like he was processing what had just happened. Then he slowly pushed himself upright, brushing at his sleeves. “I thought the damsel is always caught? Like in the books.”
“You’re no damsel,” the archer quirked an unimpressed brow down at him. “Besides, I don’t remember volunteering for that role.”
The boy looked up at him from where he stood, head tilting slightly. Did he mean volunteer to be the damsel or the hero? Probably the hero. Yeah, that made more sense.
He glanced down at his hands, turning them slightly as if checking for damage. There was none. Not even dirt seemed to cling to him for long; what little had brushed against his skin had already fallen away. Kabukimono’s attention had only been on his hands for a moment but it was long enough for Ajax to gather his things and begin to stalk off.
Kabukimono ran after him, racing around him and stopping in front of him to block his path. He clasped his hands together when he asked, “wait, where are you going?”
Ajax’s brows furrowed. What was this guy's problem? Shouldn’t he be getting pampered by maids or something? He still didn’t know where he came from or who he was. He was obviously someone important. Nobody with a guard wasn’t.
“On a job. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He walked around him, not bothering to look back.
“Might I come with you?”
Now, that made Ajax freeze. He wanted to come with him? He glanced over his shoulder. Ocean eyes met pleading, desperate indigo ones. “Considering the fact that you view yourself as some sort of damsel, it’s probably best if you don’t follow a stranger into the forest.”
He stomped his foot, “I don’t think I’m a damsel! I just thought that was how it worked,” Kabukimono insisted, his voice tightening in a way that felt unfamiliar on him, like frustration was something he didn’t quite know how to handle yet. “Someone falls, and someone else is there to catch them. That’s what always happens.”
Ajax turned more fully this time, eyeing him with a mix of disbelief and mild irritation. “Yeah, in story books,” he said. “Out here, the only person who helps you is yourself.”
His hands curled slightly at his sides, not quite fists, but close enough to suggest he didn’t like that answer. “Then your world is poorly written.”
He let out a short laugh at that, sharp and brief. “My world isn’t written at all.”
Kabukimono hesitated, like he wanted to argue that, but didn’t have the right words to do it. Instead, he stepped forward again, closing the distance Ajax had just put between them.
Ocean eyes narrowed down at him. He stepped around him again only to be blocked again. Ajax stopped short this time, irritation flickering more openly across his face as Kabukimono moved with him. This guy was seriously starting to get on his nerves. He almost wanted to call out to find that guard of his so he’d take him away.
He exhaled sharply through his nose, glancing briefly toward the trees before looking back at him. “Look, I’ve got a job to do, and you,” he gestured vaguely at him, “clearly don’t belong out here. So run back to your little guard, okay?”
The boy’s lips formed an angry pout that stumped Ajax for half a second. He has never seen anyone besides his baby brother pout like that when he was told no more sweets before dinner. However, despite his best attempt at looking angry, he just looked like an angry kitten. He was almost half expecting him to try to bite or scratch him.
Ajax preferred working alone. He didn’t like it when people tagged along. They only slowed him down in the long run, and the longer this job took the longer he was away from his family. This guy clearly wouldn’t know how to put up a fight if they were attacked, which would mean Ajax would have to protect both of them.
He sighed, rubbing his temple as a headache began to form behind his eyes. The next time he needs to come into these woods, he’s going to make sure he takes a different path. Since this was the second time he’s seen Ajax come into these woods, then he must live around here. Maybe if he just agreed to let him tag along once, then he’d realize what he was doing wasn’t all that interesting and he’d leave him alone.
After an eye roll, the archer walked around him for the third time, “I’ll let you tag along as long as you promise to stop following me into these woods after.”
Kabukimono smiled so brightly that his eyes squished together. Not that Ajax could see it anyway with his back to him as he walked away. He wasted no time in following him, the flowers beneath his feet seeming to blossom with every step he took.
Sometimes the gods played favorites. And sometimes the gods liked to play cruel tricks. So which one was this?