When Seren was sure the nobles were out of sight, he re-tied his eyepatch and assumed his commonfolk disguise. It was too dangerous to try and pass himself off as a noble when he knew so little about them. Whatever hazards arose, he would face them from now on as Seren Straw of the Cinder Vale. The sun was beginning to set by the time he reached the end of the Road to Famine. A few houses here and there were the first glimmers of civilization. Meeting a merchant on the road, Seren asked him if he could point him towards Ruel Moss's farm. After learning it was still half a day's distance, he followed the merchant to a guesthouse to wash away the dust of travel before turning in for the night. As he slept, Seren's dreams were plagued with golden flashes of light.

Rising at dawn, a mist had descended across the Plain and the ground was wet with dew. Seren hitched Little Brother to the donkey cart and took the road towards the frontline. By the time he arrived at the farm, the mist had cleared and the sun was gently shining over the low wooden house. There was no answer when Seren knocked on the door, he gave Little Brother his feedbag and set out to search the surrounding fields. No crops were growing despite the harvest season fast approaching. From behind a hedge in the upper field, Seren could hear the sound of shoveling, and a man's frustrated groaning as he worked.

"Fucking nobles... fucking... Ah!" The man's cursing was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a stranger, he stumbled backwards into the dirt and raised his shovel in defense, "Who's there?!" he shouted, "There's nothing left here!" The man looked Seren up and down and stared carefully into his calm, hazel eye. "Lunis be praised, I thought you were another noble solider." Resting his arm on his shovel, the farmer caught his breath and sighed deeply. "Mr Ruel Moss?" Seren asked, before taking out Kaio's letter from his breast pocket and handing it over, "I've come from your niece... from Cabbage..."

After gleefully accepting the coins Seren brought, along with the offer of his and Little Brother's assistance on the farm, Ruel Moss happily welcomed the newcomer into his home. "You can take Cabbage's old room, it's small but it hasn't been used since she left." Once Seren was situated, the two men sat down to share a bowl of nettle soup and discuss the contents of the letter. "Cabbage wrote that you need a place to stay while your mother recovers from an illness. For your sake I'd say I wish her a speedy recovery, but to be honest I'm grateful for an extra pair of hands for as long as you can stay. This was my brother's farm before he and his wife passed on early, and though I tried to keep things going, I'm not that much older than Cabbage myself... We couldn't keep up with the army's demands, and then she took up serving one of them for money..." Ruel Moss looked defeated, "In the end the nobles ransacked the place, and if I can't rebuild I'm done for. I um... I assume you and my niece have a... 'special' relationship..? She writes she will send news once things are settled, so if you intend to marry... although I only have a few years on you, you may call me Uncle Moss..." 

Seren's skin crawled as he thought of vile Uncle Thatch back at the inn. "No! No, we're just friends" he protested, "There's nothing like that between us... Mr Moss." Ruel Moss looked embarrassedly at his guest, "It's like that, I see... well, I'm glad Cabbage has made a friend at least." The two talked a little about Kaio's life in the Vale and the women who worked alongside her. Her uncle was happy to learn that his niece hadn't lost her optimistic outlook, and that there were people watching out for her where he himself had failed. As Seren talked he thought of home, and hoped that everyone was coping in the aftermath of his actions. He didn't talk about his father, or tell Mr Moss the real reason he was forced to leave. The evening passed pleasantly, and though Seren went to bed still hungry, at least he felt he could rest in safety.

In the days that followed, Ruel Moss took the donkey cart several times to the nearest settlement, returning with far less coin, but with enough supplies to start replanting the fields with late flowering crops. Seren came to learn that Mr Moss was easily frustrated, often abandoning tasks in the middle of them when things got difficult. It became clear why the farm had fallen on hard times even before the nobles had destroyed it. Left to take up the unfinished jobs, Seren was happy to keep his mind and body busy, ploughing the rocky fields with Little Brother and mending broken fences. Ruel Moss's greatest pleasure became riding out in the donkey cart to meet and trade with his fellow farmers. Although his current successes were the result of Seren's arrival, he took pride in how his prospects had improved, and wanted the entire neighborhood to know that Ruel Moss had not been defeated.

At Mr Tuft's yellow trout farm in the north plain, Ruel Moss had come to buy some fish when he walked into a strange conversation. "...that much I couldn't tell you, sir" said Mr Tuft, uncharacteristically bowing to the young man who stood before him, "Ah! But here is Mr Moss himself, what luck!" As the man turned to face him, Ruel Moss made out the unmistakable spark of a noble glowing in the young soldier's eyes. He swallowed hard and tried to conceal his fear, "Are you... looking for me, sir?" he asked. "Not me" said the soldier with a friendly smile, "and not you either. Er.. I'm not explaining myself well" he laughed, "My Captain asked me to make inquiries about an injured noble, he's expected to be visiting your farm. Has such a person appeared, Mr Moss?" Ruel Moss was rather perplexed, "A noble, sir? At my farm? There is no such person of importance. Just myself and a worker, and I assure you he's as common as I am." The soldier was disappointed but congenial, "Ah, then not to worry. My Captain had thought as much... Good day Mr Moss, Mr Tuft." The soldier left the two commonfolk men to conclude their business, and hurried back to the deliver the news to Captain Lutel.

"What news, Silel?" asked the Captain, as the young soldier's arrival was announced. "I have met with the commonfolk farmer Mr Ruel Moss and he has denied having any such noble at his farm. Do you want me to look further into the matter?" The Captain shook his head, "No need, Silel, thank you. You may return to the barracks." Silel took his leave and Captain Lutel went prove to his friend that as expected, he was right. Lord Rhenac was in his fifth meeting of the day, the army had been debriefing him since his return, and it seemed every other decision to be made in the Northern Faction required his immediate attention. As soon as he saw the Captain lurking outside the room, he silenced General Alac mid-speech and raced outside to greet him. 

Lord Rhenac leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "Make it seem like you're telling me something important, I haven't got away from the General all day." Lutel nodded and leaned in seriously; "Lord Rhenac, sir. I have some important news directly from the Plains." Rhenac cleared his throat, "I see, do go on Captain." Lutel rolled his eyes and continued on with their act. "You see, Lord Rhenac, I have had word from my men regarding a Mr Ruel Moss's farm..." Rhenac almost betrayed himself with a smile as he listened, "And... Lord Rhenac... as I had told your Lordship previously..." Lutel came closer, "you looked like shit that day." Rhenac's lips tightened, "Ah, Captain," he said through gritted teeth, "that's not a very nice thing to say." Captain Lutel was getting bored of causing a distraction for his friend; "He's not there, you fool. I heard from one of the others that Ruel Moss avoids nobles at all costs anyway, it seems some of the Tsar's men made off with his crops."

Lord Rhenac touched a finger to his lips in thought then placed his hand on Lutel's shoulder. "What if... he is there? But... because he has spark fatigue, this fellow Moss is keeping him prisoner, as revenge against the royalist thieves. It's not impossible! Lutel don't laugh!" Captain Lutel despaired at his friend's stupidity. "Lord Rhenac! Are you finished with your council?" called General Alac from the meeting room. Rhenac's stalling was coming to an end. "See what your laughing has done?" he asked his friend, "He's calling me back now! This meeting never ends! Go to this Ruel Moss's farm and see for yourself if the mysterious boy is there or not." Captain Lutel was dumbfounded, "Are you that obtuse that you can't accept he lied to get away from you? You would send me? What, do you want me to take the entire legion with me as well?" "Lutel!" shouted Rhenac from the door of the meeting room, "I have given you an important assignment to complete! I will hear no objection, I have more pressing matters to attend to with the General!" The General rolled his eyes, and Rhenac emphatically waved the Captain off on his 'mission'.

As the Captain headed to the stable to mount his horse, his adjutant intercepted him. "Captain Lutel" he bowed, "the legion are standing by on the training field for practice manoeuvres." Lutel sighed, resigned to complete the task assigned to him by his idiot leader. "Today's training is under Silel's command" he told his subordinate, "I need to go harass an innocent farmer." "Captain..?" questioned the confused adjutant. "Don't try to understand it" said Lutel as he got in the saddle, "I can barely comprehend his ego myself..."

At the farm, Ruel Moss was preparing the yellow trout he'd bought from Mr Tuft. Seren had walked to the nearby village in the afternoon but had not yet returned, so Mr Moss decided to get started on dinner without him. It was nice to have company again, having someone to cook for and share his burdens with. He was no longer frightened when night fell either, knowing there was another man in the house. Granted, there was nothing Seren could do if the nobles came back, but at least he wouldn't have to face them alone.

The sun was beginning to set and the yellow trout was just about ready, so Ruel Moss stepped outside to see if he could spot Seren on the road home. A large white horse was galloping towards the farm but he couldn't make out the rider. At first he could only tell it was a man, then, that his hair was dark, and finally, that this man was a noble, with a silver spark in his eyes. By the time he was close enough to recognize his race, it was too late to run into the house and hide. Captain Lutel dismounted his horse and walked over to the quivering man he took to be Ruel Moss. "I'm sorry to disturb you" he began, "but... wait, is something burning?" Ruel Moss forgot his fear and ran into the house, removing the yellow trout from the fire and scalding his fingers in the process.

Captain Lutel had followed the man inside, and spying a bowl of water on the table, he grabbed Ruel Moss's hands and plunged them into the bowl to cool them. The Captain's fingers were pressed against the farmers hands, and a crackle of his spark passed between them, "Sorry about that" said the Captain, removing his hands from the water and drying them hastily on his tunic. "Ruel Moss is you? I mean, you're Ruel Moss. You... are you?" Ruel Moss took his own hands out of the bowl and shook them dry. "I am Ruel Moss" he said, "What can I do for you?" Captain Lutel tried to remember the reason for his visit. "I er... oh! Is, do I, do you... do you have a noble at your farm?" Ruel Moss tilted his head and looked with confusion into the silver glowing eyes of the man in his house, "Well yes..." he said slowly, "you are at my farm."

In all his years on the Plain, Ruel Moss had never before met a noble that seemed quite so clumsy and tongue-tied. The Captain smiled awkwardly. In all his years traveling the world, Lutel had never met a commonfolk before that seemed quite so perfect.