Home Again

Bringing the kraken meat back to Ludron was an absolute pain in the ass. They had to drag it on the ice, but it was nearly impossible as they had to carry so much weight over a path of ice.

"I should have gotten more help," Jake grumbled, carrying the giant fish on his shoulders.

"It's okay. I'm not heavy at all." Eiltris carried a smaller piece on her back.

"You're barely helping. I'm taking all of the weight right now."

"Are you going to make a cute small elven girl do the physical work? Just let me focus on keeping the path solid and we'll be good."

"Ughh, fine. That's fair," he said, stepping aside.

They carefully walked the slippery, icy path back to the village. The sun was setting, and the sea was calm and quiet.

"I'll probably need to sell half of this kraken when I get back," Jake said. "Or else I won't be able to afford other ingredients. Besides, I can't use this much squid."

Seeing Ludron on the horizon, they took a little rest, enjoying the view.

"This place is beautiful," Jake muttered.

"Are you going to stay here?" Eiiltris asked.

"Not for long. I've gotten bigger ambitions. There is a whole world left waiting for me."

"Wanna go to Anslenora with me? I'm planning a visit in a few weeks."

"Really?" he asked, surprised. "That would be awesome!"

She smirked, patting his back.

"It's settled then."

***

After another hour of brutish dragging, he finally arrived at Alea's house with the colossal kraken corpse. He knocked on the door, waiting for her response.

"Is she sleeping again," he thought. She had the habit of sleeping early from the curse, but perhaps, it stuck with her.

Light footsteps sounded from within.

"Who's there?" she asked, opening the door. "Oh, welcome back Ja-"

Her jaw dropped upon seeing the enormous kraken on his back.

"Wh-what the hell is that?!"

"A kraken," he responded calmly. "We killed it earlier."

"You continue to surprise me, Jake. What do you want with it?"

"Cook it, of course. You know, there is a royal contest coming up that I'm participating in."

"A contest, you say? Do you need any help? I can lend you some money again if you want," she offered.

"I'll be fine, thanks. This thing is massive, so I'll sell half of it. But I'd really appreciate your help."

"Then come on inside. You must be tired from the journey."

She opened the door wider, allowing him to step inside. He left the kraken outside, hoping it wouldn't rot overnight. Fortunately, kraken bodies were strong. Even when dead, they can fight off fungi and bacteria, so it shouldn't be a problem to leave them outside. Just in case, though, he cut off a portion to use for the dish.

"Goodnight Alea," he whispered, heading up to the roof. It was already late at night. The moon illuminated the area beautifully as he gazed out over his new village. This beautiful little home in the middle of a kingdom drew his memories back to his real life. Perhaps the constant thought of cooking and preparing ingredients for a dish sparked his thoughts of reality. Would he ever return to real life? Were there people searching for him? Of course, he loved his new life, but would it feel like enough after everything he went through?

He stood on the rooftop, looking down on the quiet town, like he used to, back home late at night.

"What's wrong, Jake?" sounded Alea behind him. She had somehow sneaked up without him hearing her footsteps or sensing her presence, possibly because he was lost in thought. "I thought you were sleeping."

"I dunno..." he replied. "There have just happened so many things my mind is overloaded. I was thinking about my past home... I hated it, yet, I still miss it for some reason. Looking over the horizon like this sends my thoughts back to the past."

"Maybe it's best not to think of such painful stuff," she suggested softly, resting a hand on his shoulder. Her soft touch made him look away and sigh.

She gently squeezed his shoulders, rubbing them lightly with both hands before she turned around and stepped forward with him into a warm embrace. His face leaned against hers while he closed his eyes and enjoyed the pleasant warmth from her body and arms. He felt himself relaxing in the sweet sensation that comforted him more than anything else could.

This was what he needed now: the comforting touch of another human being who knew nothing of his past. This was home now, his only home. A place where he was free to live as long as he wanted. As long as they kept each other company, they would always be happy here together.

They remained embraced for several minutes, enjoying the feeling until they parted their lips to kiss deeply. Their tongues intertwined as one, savoring every second they shared in each other's mouths. When their lips separated again, they both took deep breaths, staring at each other, holding each other's gaze. They seemed so close, almost like lovers meeting after an absence of years instead of a few hours.

"Thank you," he said, taking her hands and kissing her knuckles.

"No problem," she giggled.

They looked out over the village once more before heading back inside to sleep on opposite ends of the room.

"Well, I'd better go the sleep. I've got a bunch to do tomorrow."