Энди Вейр: Rat

Rat put her hand on his forehead. “You’re running another fever. Lay back down. I’ll get some medicine.”

He stayed upright in the bed. “I am under the beyond!”

Rat bit her lip. He had had many fevers in his sickly life, but he had never gotten this delirious. “Lay back, honey.” She gently pushed him down to the bed. He did not resist her.

Days later, he was still sick. He was having trouble holding down solids.

“Any change?” Asked Glawyn, wearing his new Apprentice Merchant robes and a concerned expression.

Rat dabbed Talfryn’s forehead with a wet cloth. “No. None. I’ve tried everything. I’m going to start saving up for some magical treatment.”

“Well, that tears it,” said Glawyn. “I’m not going to Caernadd.”

“What? You have to. It’s Clwydd’s first convoy since the Siege. He needs you.”

“He can live without me. I’m staying here.”

“He’ll have to get another apprentice. He can’t load and unload a wagon with one arm. He’ll have a commitment to his new apprentice. He won’t be able to dump him when you’re ready to go back. And he can’t afford two apprentices!”

“That’s fine.”

“No. I refuse.”

“You’re not changing my mind on this,” said Glawyn. “I may never love that kid as much as you do, but I do love him. I’m staying.”

“It means giving up your commitments, your job, your way out of the Low Quarter!”

Glawyn pursed his lips. “So what?”

“So what? So what? You’re insane. This is your ticket out!”

“I don’t want out. I want to stay and help.”

“There’s nothing you can do.”

“Then I can support you and Talfryn.”

Rat got dangerously quiet. Then she spoke. “I don’t know what’s wrong with him,” her voice cracked. “And I’m really, really worried about it. But there’s no sense in you throwing your life away. Be logical. There’s nothing you can do.”

“No.”

“Damn it! You’re so gods damn stubborn.”

“Maybe I am! But I’m not going away when the closest thing I’ve ever had to a son is that sick!”

Rat thought a moment. “All right,” she said quietly. “Go tell him, then.”

“Tell who what?”

“Tell Clwydd. His convoy leaves next week. You can’t just leave him hanging.”

Glawyn thought for a moment. “Right. I’ll be back in an hour. Then we’ll take Talfryn to another doctor. Maybe we’ll find one who knows what to do.”

“All right,” said Rat, expressionless. A tear worked its way down her cheek.

“Be back in an hour,” said Glawyn, heading out the front door.

It took over twenty minutes for Glawyn to get to the Merchant’s Quarter and Clwydd’s office. He stormed in “Clwydd!?”

Clwydd appeared from his private office. He held a piece of paper, and his expression was that of deep concern. “Come on in, Glawyn,” he said quietly.

Glawyn walked in to the private office and sat down. “I can’t stay long. I want you to know that you’ve been really good to me. You’ve more that made up for whatever happened in the Battle of Tordanal. We’re square, see? And… What? What is it?”

Clwydd’s face was so downcast, Glawyn had to stop the speech he had rehearsed all the way to the office.

Clwydd sighed deeply and handed Glawyn the paper. “A little street kid gave this to me. One from Rat’s old neighborhood, I think.”

Glawyn took the paper and read it.

Clwydd-

Talfryn has taken ill and Glawyn wants to throw his career and his ticket out of the Low Quarter away by staying where he can do no good. I could not talk him out of this. Please let him know that I am taking Talfryn and disappearing. I will not say where to, nor for how long. Please see to it that he goes with you on your journey, and stays your Apprentice.

Tell him that he will not find me, that I have much, much more experience hiding out than he could ever dream of having. He will undoubtedly look for me anyway. Give him as much leeway as you can while he fails to find me, and keep his job open as long as you can. Let him know that if he really loves me, he will seek to make his life as good as possible. If he wants to do something for me, he can do it by getting out of the Low Quarter.

And let him know that I love him. I don’t think I ever told him that.

Glawyn dropped the letter. It fluttered to the floor as he stared at the wall in shock. “She’s gone?” he muttered. “Just like that?”

“I’m sorry, son,” said Clwydd. “Maybe you two will be able to work it out. You’re both young. This sort of thing happens to young lovers all the time.”

Glawyn shook his head. “Rat’s not impulsive.”

Clwydd pat Glawyn on the shoulder. “If you join me on the trip, she may come back to you. If you choose not to, I’ll understand.”

Glawyn put his head in his hands. “Oh… gods…”

“Glawyn?” Said Rat, her surprise so obvious as to even be evident to King. Perrin and Llwyd looked at Glawyn with interest.

"You two know each other?” Asked King.

"You could say that,” said Rat.

Glawyn smiled. “Yeah. You could say that."

Short story for a RPG campaign I was in. Might not be ideal on its own.