Where The Heart Is (11/5) The Baine Cinderwood Graduation 🔥

He didn’t know what he’d expected, but Aschenwald looked exactly the same. Almost six years and not even a tree out of place. Daring Heights had been built, sacked and re-built in less time, and this place had been preserved in its less-than-pristine condition. What a shithole.

Baine had changed, inside and out. Adamantine plate and a golden hound the size of a bear at his side, a maul wreathed in flame and the Morninglord at his back; Marcel the baker called him ‘Milord’ before realizing his mistake and running off to find the Alderman. Baine would have laughed if the village hadn’t been setting his teeth on edge.

Find Thea, that’s all you came here to do. Just find Thea.
Alvin tells him about a mysterious stranger and shows him a suspicious looking letter, but that’s all they have time for before the hand-wringing mob comes knocking, demanding that the murderer leaves town. Again.

And then the small army of fire is spotted coming up the road.


“Of all the days, you had to come back today. Why the fuck did you have to do that.”

“You don’t get to give me that tone when you’ve not been answering my letters and also you’re heading up an army of fucking fire. Thea, what did you do?”

The mysterious stranger was a man named Karoth who turned out to be not just a man but also a Genie. Aschenwald turned out to be exactly as Baine remembered it -full of bigoted people who hadn’t stopped spewing hateful words just because he’d left town. Thea turned out to be fucking furious and very willing to wish for powers. Baine would have been touched by her loyalty had he not been absolutely horrified.

She looked the same as the night he’d left; long umber hair and sharp, green eyes, but now wearing full plate and carrying herself like a soldier, wielding a double-bladed axe like a butterknife. She had always been vicious but now she looked lethal, armed to the teeth and with a host of fire elementals at her disposal.

“Why shouldn’t I go in there? Why shouldn’t I burn it all down? They are disgusting, horrible people. The whole village deserves to be burned to the ground! I won’t kill any of them but I won’t hesitate to take it off the map for good. You know what Simeon said? He’s old enough now; I’ve been telling him about you and your adventures. I told him about you and he said ‘Mum, I didn’t know you were friends with a monster’”.

A small voice in his head took a second to agree, before Thea continued.

“That’s what they’ve taught him. Tell me I shouldn’t burn that place down. That I shouldn't at least disperse them. Tell me you haven’t thought about it yourself.”

But Baine had changed, inside and out.

“Mate, I learned the hard way, the hard way, to not do things like this. Because it doesn’t fix anything. I’m pretty sure everyone here has learned the hard way that doing what you’re doing doesn’t fix anything.”

“They deserve it. Baine, you know about vengeance. You’ve taken oaths about it. I looked it up. No mercy for the wicked. By any means necessary.”

From where he was keeping an eye on Karoth doing his creepy genie act by his horse, Grimes cut in, gritty and hard-won wisdom cutting to the bone.

“There’s a difference between wicked and ignorant.”

In the bright sun, Baine’s tears finally started falling.

“I don’t want this for you, Thea. I don’t want you to have the power that I have.”

“Why not? All the good you’ve done-”

“You can’t imagine the cost. You cannot imagine the burden. There is no peace for great men, Thea. I’d have you be a good person instead.”

She kicked a rock and sighed, hands on her hips and a petulant frown on her face.

“...Gods damn it, I got a whole army together. Part of me just wants to tell them to charge just for the hell of it. Just to watch you fight.”

(Karoth turned out to not like it when people went back on their contracted agreements. Thea got her wish.)


The house Joshua had built with his own two hands was nothing more than a shack; windows smashed and the roof caved in. His headstone was covered in moss, surrounded by red anemones and yellow evening primroses.

With Varis at his side, Baine took his mother’s wedding band from the chain around his neck, before thinking better of it. He gave a small laugh and patted the stone with a careful hand.

“I have it on real good authority you’re not here any more. So I won’t be coming back. And I will, uh. Give this to you another time.”


Days later, Evelyn comes for a visit. Her one radiant leg is covered to seem like metal - not that many Darites would look twice at a magical limb. The two wander down Stoneside and get cheesy chips on Tato Street, and she speaks of Lathander and His will and wishes in a tone so casual it makes Baine a little dizzy.

She makes him several offers and in the end he only accepts one of them, but after they’ve said goodbye he walks slowly back to the compound and feels his heart beat in time with a city he’s sworn to protect; the one he calls Home. 

---

The grandmaster’s chamber is quiet. The commander and his second sit in silence, enjoying each other’s company and the sounds of life in the Crimson Fist compound.

“She didn’t just offer Frankie some new boots, y’know.”

Varis gives Baine a quiet look, waiting for him to continue.

“She wanted to recruit me. Apparently the big lad is happy with me. Says I’ve done good work.” He forces himself not to scoff at the idea.

“There’s something called the Dawn Corps. Bunch of celestial heavy hitters traveling the planes and doing jobs for Lathander. She said I could go join them. Fight even bigger things. If I wanted.”

His friend gives him a quiet smile.

“And do you? Want to?”



“I know you. Varis. The guy with a private army. Doesn't know how to eat finger foods.”

"I can always find a use for a warrior of your skill.”

“I helped hunt down survivors after the Green Tide was turned. It is how this Order was founded.”

“It is said you can tell more about a man by his enemies than by his friends. If so, it seems you might be a man worth knowing, Baine Cinderwood.”

"What are you gonna do to me, Varis?"

“You say you want to be treated as you deserve – you have been. If you are too grand to live on those terms, to earn your keep and the sigil you wear, then there is no place for you here.”

“You call, I will answer. What do you need, my friend?”

“I had Ben rework it a bit - you’re a fair foot taller and much broader than me, but it should fit alright. You said you’ve never worn harness before, correct?”

“So, the boss gave you a little talking to, did he? He must really like you.”

“If the way you fight is anything to go by, there’s a lot of anger in you. Probably a lot of fear too. We’re not like other men, you and I.”

“You lead, I’ll follow. Hand in hand, to hell.”

“You are right to question me. Blind obedience is the trait of slaves and animals. Loyalty is what I value, and with it comes the right to understand why we do what we do.”

“It will not be easy. And It is not something you can undo. Do you understand?”

“Is there any fineprint?”

“There’s always fineprint.”

“Soldier, if you think I’d want you to do a thing like that you really haven’t been paying much attention.”

“It’s not going to stop, is it? And it’s not going to get easier, losing each other like this.”

“He’s already cost you so much; I can see the ties to the lower planes on you- Tell me that wasn’t his doing!”

“He’s protecting me!”

“From what?! Were you not already safe at home?”

“He’s given me a family and a purpose and something to fight for. I’ll never forgive him for it.”

“But that’s not the problem, Sweet, the real problem is that for some reason the boss man decided to take the hit for me, or something. I don’t even fucking know why, but suddenly he offers her twenty years if she leaves me out of it. Such a bloody hypocrite, when we were up the mountain it was all ‘I wouldn’t want you to make a deal for me, Baine’ and then he goes and does that? I mean, what the fuck-”

“Her ashes are in the vault beneath the yard. If you have words for her, speak them there.”

“What a fucking line of work.”

“The doom of this boy was never my object and in your absence he has grown into a man worthy of trust. Trust him to walk his own path. Trust me to watch over him now.”

“Either way, I’ll see you soon.”

“And in the name of the Crimson Fist, I charge you to protect the innocent.”

“Use your fuckin’ words, I know you’ve got them.”

“Those letters at the front of your name are not there for decoration, Ser. You need not ask to share my burden. You already do.”

“Stay with us, soldier.”

“We all swear the same oaths and fight for the good of people in need but in the end, Varis, we follow you and no one else. Every time you speak, you speak for us. Everythin’ you do, we do too.”

“There’s always another fight, so who’s next?”

“I was hungry for the glory of victory and thirsty for blood and blinded to the fact that you needed me, and through my inaction, I killed you.”

“You’re holding back. You’re hesitating, still.”

“But we’ve been through too much, you and I, for me to keep it from you.”

“I’m naming you as the Order’s Master at Arms. If anything should happen to me - on or off the battlefield - the command will pass to you. It would have done anyway, no doubt, but now it will be official.”

“Do you want me to go?”

“You’re a good man, Baine Cinderwood - I will not have old ghosts convince you otherwise.”

“My mum was right, in a sense - you will be my doom. Because I will live, and fight, and die by your side. But you’ve also been my salvation. You’ve saved me in so many ways I can’t count them all.”

“Breathe, heartbrother.”

“I won’t let you down.” “I know.”



The corner of Baine’s mouth twitches.

“Nah. Gotta finish those roof repairs, don’t I. Then there’s the stable doors, and don’t even get me started on the bunks...”

---

“Better. Now do it again.”

“Oh, fuck off.”

“Again.”

“I’ve done it 10 times already!”

“Have you? I was never good with numbers. Again, Thea.”

“I hate you.”

“Shouldn’t have tangled with a Genie.”

Thea wipes the sweat from her brow and raises her greatsword again, ready to swing. Baine gives her his most irritating grin.

“A rookie move, honestly. Very amateur hour. That’s what the adventurers fresh off the boat do - they try for a quick fix. Never want to work for it.”

The greatsword cleaves the air, over and over, flashing in the bright sun, inches away from his face - but never cutting him. He keeps grinning and doesn’t flinch.

“Maybe we should send you on a few jobs actually. You can guard a couple of rich merchants and their cargo - get a real taste of the glamorous lifestyle. Since you’re so keen on trying it out.”

Thea hisses at him through clenched teeth, lunging at him with perfect form despite never having trained with a sword before coming to Kantas. Her patience finally snaps and she lashes out to swipe his legs from under him but with a deft, practiced move he plucks the sword from her hands and knocks her on her back instead. She lands with a thump in the thick grass and takes a moment to catch her breath before glaring up at him.

“So what did we learn? Losing your tem-”

“Losin’ my temper means losin’ my sword.”

He sheaths the weapon in question and sits down in the grass next to her.

“And what else?”

She sighs almost petulantly but relents when he flicks her forehead with a finger.

“Fuck you. Losin’ my temper also means losin’ control.”

He nods sagely.

“Over both yourself and the situation. And most importantly, your judgement.”

He sinks down to lie next to her, the two childhood friends watching the clouds pass slowly in the bright blue sky.

“And that’s when you risk makin’ those Big Mistakes. The ones you can’t take back.”

Her hand finds his, still smaller but much stronger than it used to be, squeezing tightly.

“I know. And I appreciate you teachin’ me. Even if I’m not a fan of this role reversal in the slightest. I’m supposed to be the smart one.”

Baine nods slowly again and grabs a fistful of grass with his free hand, sprinkling it carefully on her sweaty face. She wipes it off with as much dignity as she can muster.

“It’s only because my children are home that I’m not fully murderin’ you right now. I don’t want them to have to see their uncle dead and un-pantsed.”

“‘Course, mate. Wouldn’t want that.”

The two lie quietly together for a long while, listening to the quiet bustle of Daring Height’s northern sprawl, basking in the afternoon sun. Finally Thea squeezes his hand again and speaks, not taking her eyes off the endless sky.

“I’m really glad to be here with you. It was like a part of me left with you that night. I had Alvin, of course, and then Simeon and Bea, and your letters. But I don’t think I was really whole until now.”

Baine nods at the sky.

“Yeah, me neither, mate. It was like one of those aches that you didn’t notice you had until it went away.”

His brow creases a little as he thinks for a second.

“I used to wonder what my life could’ve looked like if.. Well, if loads of things hadn’t happened, I guess. But like, what a happier life would look like. And now I know. This is it. I’m happy with this life. Not a lot missin’ from it, and when the next fight comes, I have all the people I need at my side.”

Thea finally turns her head to look at him, taking in the scarred left side of his face, the first couple of grey hairs at his temple.

“Not everyone though. Have you spoken to him yet?”

When he doesn’t respond she glares at him until he reluctantly shakes his head.

“Idiot. Why not?”

“I don’t wanna bother him. He was really hurt and I don’t want to push him-”

Thea scoffs loudly and gets to her feet, wiping bits of grass from her breeches.

“That’s the biggest fuckin’ lie I’ve ever heard. You’re scared. You think that not knowin’ whatever he’s decided is better than being outright rejected. Which is bullshit by the way. You’re many things, Baine Cinderwood, but a coward ain’t one of ‘em.”

She bends down and picks up the greatsword, ripping out her own clump of grass as she goes and dumping it ruthlessly on his head before turning and walking away towards the Thorn cottage.

“See you tomorrow, dickhead.”

Blue and white pennants flutter in an early summer breeze, the rich fabric of the Pavilion of the Dawn rippling in lazy sympathy. A dozen horses on long lines pull at daisy and clover, and a pair of youths - one broad and rumbling, skin a soft olive green, the other lean and furtive, with a face cratered by acne - sweat their forms under the playful eye of a long dead knight.

“More sign of your intent must thou advertise, Solomon, lest my aged grandam, a mere three centuries dead, should fail to apprehend your purpose!”

The half orc blinks in confusion. Snorting quietly to himself, Lytton straightens, handing the brush to the elven girl beside him and patting his destrier absently.

“You're giving the game away, lad. He can see what you’re gonna do before you do it.”

Comprehension dawns on the larger boy’s face and he turns back to his opponent, shoulders hunched in a clumsy attempt at subtlety. Lady Antonia roars with good natured laughter.

“Oh ser, thou hast engendered the very soul of subtlety. Prithee, wilt thou lay thy wisdom upon me, for I have oft had trouble making myself heard in a crowded alehouse.”

With a bemused shake of his head, Lytton turns back to his horse, tousling his squire’s hair as she returns brush and beast to his custody. She gives a dignified sniff, but as she walks off to take her turn in the ring with Solomon she can’t conceal a smile.

There’s the soft sound of heavy boots on grass as Baine walks up to join him, putting an equally absentminded hand on the steed Lytton is tending to and following his gaze to the where the two squires are facing off. He watches with a critical eye for a moment before nodding.

“She’s good. Quick on her feet, but steady. A ways to go still but promisin’ nonetheless.”

He pets the horse for another moment before swallowing and clearing his throat, finally looking over at the other man with a small, tentative smile.

“You taught her well.”

Lytton plucks a stray piece of grass out of his mare’s mane and nods.

“I did.”

Baine doesn’t look away, and finds his smile widening almost helplessly just from looking at the other man.

“And me too,” he continues, quietly. “You were right. My life is far from over, and it’s worth more than a.. strategically sound death. I have time left, and things to do with it. People to spend it with. And even if I were to see my end sooner rather than later, that doesn’t mean I should be reckless with what I have.”

He reaches out a large, scarred hand and closes it gently around Lytton’s.

“It’s a dangerous life, but it’s one-”

His earnest professions are cut short as Lytton stops Baine’s mouth with his own. Precisely one breathless eternity later they are rudely interrupted by a whoop of delight from Antonia, who leads the gobsmacked squires in a round of applause.

“Witness thou, unblooded lambs - thy master’s forms in war may lack, yet in the softer arts he hath the knack.”

Lytton waves a playfully obscene gesture in her direction, then turns back to Baine, his cheeks bearing a faint rosy hue.

“It’s a fine line between brave and stupid. Glad you’ve decided which side of it to come down on. Shall we find somewhere without a paying audience?”

He throws a glance toward the cool shade of the pavilion entrance. Baine nods, an unrepentant grin on his face. He waves cheerfully at Antonia and the squires, laces his fingers with Lytton’s and all but drags him off towards the large structure.

Another eternity passes unnoticed as time slows and nothing exists except Lytton’s fingers in his hair and the one breath they share between them. It takes Baine several tries to focus long enough to pose the question he’s dreading but knows no amount of denial will answer.

“How long do we have?” He rests his forehead against Lyttons, a careful thumb worrying the other man’s cheekbone. “Is the Order leaving? And are you going with them?”

Lytton looks away.

“I don’t know. And I don’t know, and I don’t know.”

Baine exhales shakily as the warring emotions in his chest try to outmatch one another. He’d expected as much. He gently nudges Lytton’s head back to meet his eyes again, his thumb never stilling on the other man’s cheek, before smiling reassuringly, resolutely.

“And that’s okay. We’ll figure it out. Until then, we won’t waste a second.”

---

The comfortable, domestic din of the bi-monthly backroom night at Nerry’s Pies is interrupted by a resounding crash as something launches itself from orbit, aiming for an unsuspecting unicorn enjoying her raspberry tart on Blessings Street. Inside the pie shop seasoned adventurers reach for weapons and readies spells - and then a furious screech echoes in Merla’s mind.

“Who in all the hells gave the hound flying boots?!”

---

As always, a tremendous thanks to andycd for the love and care he put into Baine's story, and to Varis/G'Lorth/Sundilar for telling the story with me. 🌻