The nights near the Goldenfields were much different than the Empire. It wasn't cold to the bone and the wind didn't blow through you. The air felt crisp, had a gentleness to it, smelt like ground grains and dry grass.
Fire crackled low between them, the twins were bundled tight like always in woven wraps. Tucked beside Jane on a bed of softened furs finally dozing off. Rennen poked the fire with a stick lazily watching the sparks drift.
"She's tough, your wife."
Red didn't look up from whittling a piece of wood with a sharp blade, "she is."
Rennen with a knowing chuckle "you've got the look of a man who's fought hard to keep her safe." After a beat, filled with the sounds of carved wood. "Where are you two from, if you don't mind my asking?"
He looked away from the fire to look at Red. Empire side? You've got the sound."
Red paused his carving, then resumed, slow and even. "Far side of nowhere."
Rennen waited.
Realizing that was the answer he nodded, "Fair enough." He didn't ask again, didn't press, just stared into the fire a moment longer.
Smiling he said "My wife's name's Amara. She's gonna be the kind of mother who teaches our kid to throw a punch before they learn to walk."
That drew a rare sound from Red, something close to a hum of quiet approval, "Sounds like a good woman."
Rennen with a bright smile. "The best."
For the rest of the night, they talked softly about horses, river crossings, the stubbornness of mule breeds, nothing heavy, nothing sharp. Two men beneath the stars, guarding the firelight and for the first time in a long time, Red didn't feel the need to sleep with one eye open.
----
The morning broke slower than usual, sweeter. Soft light spilled across the plains like syrup, catching the tall golden grass and dew. Glass stones lining the road ahead. Red had unlaced one of the horses and rode quietly at the front, ahead of both wagons. No tension in the air, no need to have his Vector drawn for the first time since the Empire.
Rennen and Jane could be heard in deep conversation, voices carrying soft, rhythmic laughter between them. Rennen told some story about his wife throwing a butcher's boy out of their bakery for stealing some cinnamon rolls.
Jane had tears in her eyes from laughing so hard.
Red glanced back once, only once and watched her. She had one arm cradling Anecus, who had started sucking his fist again, the other curled protectively around Cassia, who kept trying to climb up the edge of the wagon.
They were loud and messy today, uncoordinated but alive. Red let out a slow breath and looked forward again.
His hands drifted the hilt at his side then stopped, letting it rest at his thigh instead. The Goldenfields rolled toward them in the distance, you could see the light begin to change. Brighter, clearer, with warmth that didn't belong to fire or star.
Somewhere in that horizon was a roof, a garden…maybe even peace. 'I thought strength was silence and control. Power through discipline, but she taught me something else. The strength to trust…to listen.'
He glanced up, a hawk flew overhead circling slowly. Below it Jane reached out to catch the breeze in her fingers giggling as Anecus mimicked her gesture. Palm to the sky and Cassia squawked.
He fell back to fall in line with them, he tapped the side of the wagon lightly, Jane looked up, eyes narrowing with amused suspicion. Smiling "what?"
With his deadpan humor "just checking you still remembered I exist."
Jane stuck her tongue out at him, Anecus immediately copied her and Cassia squealed with laughter. Red just shook his head, his chest aching in the best possible way.
In that moment with nothing chasing them, no blades drawn, no running. Red finally realized something, he wasn't just surviving anymore, wasn't just protecting. He was living for them, and that required a new kind of strength entirely.
----
They crest a final rise and what they saw was like a fairytale. Endless hills of swaying grain dotted with orchard groves and glimmering rooftops. Warm air carries the scent of bread and honeyed smoke.
The kind of place people write lullabies about, The Goldenfields.
Jane stood at the top of the hill holding Anecus in her left, her eyes becoming glossy. Red stepped beside her holding Cassia on his right. She turned her head to look at Red. She couldn't describe what she felt.
So he just took her right hand and held it. "We made it."
With a smile of new beginnings she nodded. After some time admiring the view "come on, let's get down there I can't sleep in that wagon for another night."
As they slowly moved throughout the roads of the town, passing by were circular houses of painted stone and sun bleached wood. Laughter was prevalent, and smiles aplenty…
but what caught their attention most was that they were greeted with no guards, just farmers, tradesmen, and women with wide smiles.
Children run barefoot through garden paths, kids playing openly in the streets and through the homes, not worrying about if someone meant them harm.
Jane studied the place like it was some far off realm she's only heard about…because to her it had been and it's better then she had pictured it.
No more than an hour and they had passed a plethora of stands. Selling fresh produce and freshly baked bread. She looked at Red with puppy eyes "Red! Can we stop and get some bread!? It will be the first time we'll have something fresh in months."
Red looked at her like she put a dagger in his heart "honey let's get settled in first, the horses could use the break as well."
Jane pouted a little, which Cassia had a habit of mimicking.
To Jane's delight Rennen came to the rescue "we can stop at my place, we have a stable and my wife always has a fresh loaf in the oven. Not to brag but it'll be the best bread you'll ever have."
Jane was content.
Rennen led them to the north western part of the town, "this is where I live, just north of the main city." It was a quieter portion of the Goldenfields, known for their orchards of fruits and vegetables alike. Blueberries and peach orchards were the most prevalent in this sector.
Part of living in the Goldenfields was having an orchard in your backyard that you had to work and provide what the city needed. In return you got to live in the house and paid no taxes.
Rennen pulled up to a spacious cabin that looks a little more well off then the houses they had passed. Two stories, thatch roof nestled under an old fig tree and mortared walls with a stable and outdoor smithing station.
Jane raised a brow and chuckled softly "wow, didn't know we were traveling with mister big shot here."
Scratching the back of his neck in a bashful manner "oh no no it's not like that. I had just graduated to working on a signature crop, the Golden wheat and it had been a good year."
He dismounted his wagon and started unlacing his horse, Red did the same. "Besides I cheat a little, my deviant trait helps with growing plants."
Welcoming them inside the best way to describe it was cozy and safe. A warm hearth cracked to the right with a spacious living room. To the left was an open kitchen that had the smell of fresh bread baking.
The sound of rushing feet came from the stairs "Ren! Is that you?" The woman had dark hair, honey toned skin, warm eyes with tired rings beneath. She carried a bundled baby girl.
When she descended she saw her husband and smiled and like a second nature she spotted the twins. The two women lock eyes and instantly, wordlessly, understand each other.
"She's fussy unless I sing and I can't carry a note if my life depended on it."
Jane laughed like they had been friends for years, ""I hum but sadly even Red doesn't know the tune."
"I'm Amara. This is Naia." gesturing to the little girls in her arms, bringing her close to the twins.
Jane was happy to have someone to talk baby with. "This is Cassia, and this little light thief is Anecus."
As if on cue the babies babbled and Naia reaches out and clutches Anecus's thumb. He blinks, wide eyed and giggles. The three of them immediately becoming a trio.
Jane softly said to herself. "Well that didn't take long."
After the initial greeting, Amara hugged Rennen and filled him in on the latest news. At the end of it all the sun had drifted just before evening. There was freshly sliced bread with jams and marmalades alike. Jane lays Cassia on a cot layered with woven blankets.
Anecus watches shadows dance on the ceiling. For the first time in weeks… stillness.
Red and Rennen had left them to mingle while they checked on the house that was talked about.
Light spilled through lattice windows, it has white walls with wood framing and shingled roofs. There were two sections, one looked like it was meant for more production and the other was the living quarters, two stories as well.
Rennen "Bit of dust, but she's yours if you want her. Had some friends prepare it while I traveled."
Red showed a little bit of surprise "You planned that?"
"I'm prepared, there's a difference." he said as he unlocked a door that seemed to lead down into a cellar.
This used to be a wine processing place, it's got plenty of room. He turned to look at Red "hope you like it."
Red looked around with quiet satisfaction, it looked…lived in. "It's perfect."
[Prolog End] - Next chapter will be a 3 month time skip.