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“He told me that he got them from fighting a gryphon!”
“Nuh-uh, he got them from saving a burning orphanage!”
“You’re both wrong! They're from when he was fighting pirates!”
You can’t help but overhear the Dragonguard squabbling nearby as you apply tanning oil. It’s summertime and several townsfolk are out at the beach, enjoying the hot sun and cool waves. As you spread the coconut oil across your arms, Maple looks over and notices you. She runs up to you and Dell and Luc follow right after.
“Farmer!” she calls out as she approaches. “You know Mister Balor, right? Has he told you about his scars?
Scars? You’re not familiar with the merchant having any scars. You scan the beach and see him slowly walking along the shore, most likely combing for treasure to sell.
“Yeah!” says Dell. “He’s got two large scars across his chest. He told me he got them from fighting a gryphon.”
“No, it’s from fighting pirates!”
Luc rolls his eyes. “He said they're from saving a burning orphanage.”
“Well, maybe he got the scars at different times,” suggests Dell. “Fighting pirates and pirates!”
“But what about the orphanage?” pesters Luc.
You smile and promise them you’ll see if you can get it sorted out for them, and the three children cheer before running off to search for shells.
You head over towards Balor, and the ocean-haired merchant waves when he catches sight of you.
“Ah, farmer, how goes it?” he asks, digging his foot in the sand and unearthing a broken shell. He frowns at it. You take the opportunity to look him over as he’s focused on the ground. He’s wearing an unbuttoned shirt and yes, as the wind whips it around, you catch sight of two identical scars running horizontally across the bottom of his pecs. Balor catches your gaze and chuckles. “You’re staring, farmer. Is it the scars?”
You nod, embarrassed to be caught, but curious all the same after hearing the children go on about them.
“Would you like to know the story? I don’t mind sharing with you.
“See, it happened thirteen years ago when I was traveling around Aldaria and still trying to make a name for myself as a merchant. I had to pull over into the woods for the night as I made my way between small towns, and the weather was terrible so I took shelter in a cave. Little did I know that the cave belonged to someone else! I had just settled down for sleep when I heard a snuffling sound from the entrance, and when I stood up to see what it was, there was a great big brown bear! Enraged that I was in its home, the bear roared and reared up on its hind legs to scare me off, and boy, did it work! But it was blocking my only way out, so when I didn’t leave, it attacked me. With its massive claws it swiped at me, not once, but twice, and left these huge gashes in my chest. I dropped to the floor and pretended to play dead after that – and to be honest I thought that I was – and the bear walked past me and further into the cave to go to sleep. I laid there in the cave for a long time until I was certain it was safe, and then I hauled everything out of there as quickly as possible. I bandaged up my wounds and thankfully the next town over had a very experienced doctor who helped patch me up the next day when I arrived.
“And that’s how I got these scars.”
You give him a skeptical look.
“What? You don’t believe my story?” He laughs, and his eyes twinkle with mischief. “I guess you’re a lot less gullible than the brats.”
You explain to him that you’ve seen those types of scars before, and his face softens. He wraps his arms around his body, hugging himself protectively.
“Alright, you got me. No one here knows about these types of scars. Well, Valen probably does, but she’s keeping tight-lipped about it, thankfully.” He turns to face the ocean before speaking his next words. “I… I got it done in the Capital about ten years ago. That’s when I chose the name Balor and decided to make a name for myself as a traveling merchant; you know, good-bye to the old me and all that.” He steals a furtive glance at you and then his eyes dart back to the waves. “...I’d appreciate it if you kept this a secret. I’m sure the fine folk of Mistria wouldn’t care, but I like being accepted as I am without revealing all of my past. I’ve got to keep an air of mystery about, you know?”
You nod and promise to keep his secret safe.
“Thanks, farmer. You’re a great friend,” he says, blushing a little.
A shout from the children draws your attention back to them; they’re building a sand castle, but Maple is insisting that it’s too small for a princess to live in and to make it larger. Once more she catches you looking at them and runs over, and once more Luc and Dell tag along behind her.
“So did you figure it out?” she asks. “Where Mister Balor’s scars come from?”
“Hey, I’m right here!” he says with a laugh.
You grin and nod. Yes, you’ve learned the secret of Balor’s scars. See, they all heard right, you explain: he was fighting off pirate gryphons that had set fire to an orphanage, and that’s how he got them.
Dell’s mouth drops open. “Wow! That’s awesome!”
“Mister Balor’s even cooler than we thought!” cheers Maple.
“...I don’t think gryphon pirates are a thing,” mumbles Luc, but when he glances over at Balor, he gives the boy a thumbs-up.
“All true!” Balor says.
“I gotta tell my sister!” shouts Dell, running back towards town, and where one child goes, the other two follow, leaving you and Balor alone on the beach.
“Thanks again,” he says.
You smile; his secret is safe with you (and probably Valen).