Chapter 10

Thedrick stayed close to Joy’s side after Beowulf, Maerwynn and Effie left. They sat together and talked while the rest of the troupe continued to perform on the stage to the passing crowds, every now and then the twins running around with wooden pails to collect offers of coins from the audience or pick up ones thrown at the stage. Thedrick felt like he had been transported back in time many years, though back then he would have joined the others performing on stage as well.

“That Beowulf lad seems nice,” Joy said with a smile of approval.

Thedrick returned the smile earnestly. “He’s probably the nicest guy in the world…I’ve really never met anyone like that before.”

“And your daughter is just the most precious little thing!” Joy exclaimed with delight, beaming at him. “Though… is her obvious origins not an issue? Surely the king wouldn’t be too happy with his wife having a relationship with you…”

“If he was that would make him a hypocrite,” Thedrick quipped in return.

A look of shock crossed Joy’s face. “Thedrick! You… both of them? Really?” she asked in disbelief.

“What can I say? My charms are irresistible,” Thedrick said while smiling smugly.

“That’s my boy! I taught you well.” Thedrick was slightly startled when Jacques put his hands on the jester’s shoulders and leaned down slightly to loudly exclaim that.

Joy smiled and shook her head in light-hearted dismay. “You corrupted him, that’s what you did Jacques. And he used to be such a nice boy.”

The bard let go of Thedrick’s shoulders and threw up his hands in surrender. “I’m a demon, I can’t help it; it’s my nature. But I only have the best of intentions, and I’m sure all he learned from me came in useful. Probably helped him land that hunk of a soldier!”

Joy gave a weary smile again, though then it fell away as she was suddenly focusing on Thedrick. “Thedrick… did you charm them? With vampire powers?”

Thedrick’s eyes widened, and he leaned backwards slightly in shock at the accusation. “N-No! I’m only half vampire and I don’t have any powers… and even if I did, I wouldn’t use them to force people to love me.”

“Well, did the queen know what you are, Thedrick?” Joy asked hesitantly.

Thedrick shook his head. “Neither does the king.”

“And your daughter… is she… like you?” Joy cautiously pressed further.

This time Thedrick nodded reluctantly. 

“And what if the king found out?” Joy sounded a bit firmer with her question now.

Thedrick shrugged and looked away. “I… try not to think about that,” he muttered.

“So then you aren’t actually safe here, you’re in danger if your secret ever gets out?” Joy asked pointedly.

Sighing, Thedrick was about to respond when he heard a voice loudly cut over the chatter of the crowd.

“Teddy?!”

Thedrick quickly looked up in the direction that the voice had come from, his eyes landing on a woman standing a short distance away, who was staring at him. He almost didn’t recognise her at first. She was tall, having grown much taller than her mother, her body well-built and muscular like her father’s. Her dark wavy hair was pulled into a loose high bun, with a couple of pieces left free to frame her round face.

She was holding two baskets filled with goods, which she dropped from her hands to the ground as she stepped towards Thedrick, her eyes locked on him and wide with shock. “Teddy, is that really you?” she exclaimed as she started walking hesitantly towards him.

“Lottie?” Thedrick said in a slightly unsure tone, before suddenly the woman was rushing towards him and grabbed him, lifting him up and pulling him tightly against her chest in a hug.

“Oh Teddy, I’m so glad to see you alive! I missed you so much!” Loretta cried out as she squeezed Thedrick’s frail body tightly, pushing all the air out of his lungs with her strong arms. This left him unable to say anything in response, only able to make a wheezing noise as he tried to draw in a breath.

Luckily, she soon loosened her grip on him, and was holding him out in front of her with her hands under his arms, his legs dangling in the air below him. Thedrick coughed and took in some deep breaths. “Where have you been?” she asked now, sounding slightly distraught.

Thedrick shrugged slightly in her arms. “Oh, you know, I’ve just been hanging out,” he joked, looking down at his hanging body.

“Oh, sorry!” Loretta quickly apologised, before setting Thedrick back down on his feet gently and glancing away guiltily. “But how… did you survive? You’re so weak and tiny…”

Before Thedrick could answer, Joy interjected. “I’m sure Thedrick will be happy to recount everything to us over dinner.”

“Oh, you’re joining us for dinner? How wonderful!” Loretta exclaimed with delight. “I just gathered a whole heap of amazing ingredients from around the fair, and I have the perfect idea for a meal in mind…” she was about to turn back towards the baskets she had dropped when she paused, her expression thoughtful. “Ah wait… that’s right… you don’t eat food…” she mused with a small amount of disappointment.

“I’m sure Thedrick will just be happy to sit and talk with us, like he always used to,” Joy suggested, and Thedrick nodded along. “Besides, I am looking forward to your cooking, as always, my dear.”

“Thank you, ma,” Loretta said with a smile, and turned to go and pick up her baskets. Around them the rest of the troupe were packing everything up for the day and loading it back into the caravans, as evening was approaching, and the fair was winding down.

“We will camp in the forest just outside of town for a bit of privacy,” Joy told Thedrick, before getting to her feet to start helping with the pack up. Thedrick followed her, eager to assist in any way he could, like he always used to.

****

Sitting around the campfire in a clearing in the middle of the woods with the troupe felt just like old times for Thedrick, as if years had not passed by and nothing had ever changed. Joy helped Loretta to cook up a wonderful meal for all those who could eat, and it smelt so nice that Thedrick was envious that he couldn’t partake in it. Now that he thought about it, he had always noticed that Maverick had never eaten at mealtimes either, but he had always chalked it up to them not wanting anyone to see their face and probably ate privately. Now Thedrick wondered if the doll ever also felt like they were missing out with being unable to eat.

Since now they all knew what each other was, there was no longer a need to hide. Maverick had their hood pulled down for once, fully showing their wooden head covered in curly red yarn hair. Jacques had removed the cape he always wore, revealing a pair of large bat-like wings he had hidden between the layers of fabric, and pulled his tail out of his pants as well. The demon also had his hat off, his pair of broken horns on full display. Thedrick couldn’t resist but ask about the story behind what happened to them, blithely ignoring the fact that it could be a sensitive subject.

“Oh, my horns?” Jacques asked in mild surprise, then looked thoughtful, tail swishing back and forth behind him. “About a thousand years ago an evil mage summoned me to the mortal plane and bound me to servitude. He wasn’t too happy about me using my incubus charm powers to try and escape, so he broke off my horns to remove all my demonic powers.” Jacques looked rather serious while he spoke, which was in contrast with his very light-hearted and easy-going nature.

“That's… awful…” was all Thedrick was able to get out as he stared at the demon in disbelief and concern. From the jagged edges of the horns, it didn’t look like they were cleanly cut off, but probably smashed off with a blunt object, which sounded particularly painful.

“Uh… yeah… kinda…” Jacques said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head with his hand while glancing away, wings hunching up. “I was somewhat lucky that he eventually met his end, so I was freed from his service, but I was still bound to this realm, and have been stuck here ever since.” He made eye contact with Thedrick again and saw how dismayed the jester looked. “But it’s not all bad, especially the company!” he gestured around to all of his friends, including Thedrick, putting on a smile now. “To be fair, the demon realm isn’t very pleasant,” he said this last part in a conspiratorial manner, in a low voice with a hand cupped next to his mouth. 

“So, what’s Maverick’s story then?” Thedrick asked, trying to change the topic away from Jacques' apparent trauma, nodding towards the living doll who was silently watching the two of them converse.

Jacques suddenly exchanged a very worried glance with Joy and Clay, who mirrored his expression back, while also awkwardly glancing at Thedrick. Thedrick’s brows knitted together in confusion as the three of them seemed to be having some sort of silent conversation using only their facial expressions.

“Well… back when it was just Joy, Clay, Lottie and I, we stopped in a town, and all the people were-”

Jacques was cut off by Joy clearing her throat loudly, and Thedrick saw her giving the demon a meaningful and stern look.

“- gone. They were all… gone. Except, Maverick was there. So, we took them with us,” Jacques finished shortly and anticlimactically, smiling nervously.

Thedrick could tell by Jacques awkward delivery that there was more to the story that they didn’t seem to want to tell him, but he also didn’t think it wise to push for answers. Though Thedrick couldn't help but wonder why they were being so cagey about Maverick’s past. He looked at Maverick, the doll now wearing an almost indescribable expression, perhaps troubled. 

“How about I tell you about how I met Clay,” Joy cheerfully offered, clearly trying to move the topic away from Maverick’s past. Thedrick tried to remove his own troubled expression, smiling and nodding at Joy.

“On the far west of this continent, there is a country which is a little different from the others. It is not a kingdom ruled by a monarch, but a place where money governs all, including morals. There is a massive city there called Rhaveth, which has a huge black market trade, especially in magical items and creatures,” she explained in a dramatic, storytelling way, which Thedrick had heard her use many times before when telling him, Loretta and the twins stories around the campfire before bedtime.

“When I was a young lass, I visited that city with my family. My parents were both members of the wizards’ council, and they were sent there on a diplomatic negotiations mission. I dragged my brother Cornelius out to explore the city while they were busy. We ended up wandering into the area where people sold monsters and other magical creatures,” she continued, tone very serious. “And while there, I saw an extremely large wolf that was chained up and muzzled, to be auctioned off the next day.”

Thedrick’s eyes widened, and he glanced at Clay, the big man looking slightly embarrassed. Then he turned his attention back to Joy. “Wait, you said your parents were both wizards? Does that mean you are one too?” he asked in amazement.

Joy chuckled. “Well, somewhat. I prefer the term witch, as I do more natural magic, not the stuffy type of magic learned from old scrolls,” she explained cheerfully. “I didn’t end up attending the Magus Academy like my brother did, because of what happened next.”

Thedrick nodded, staying silent as he waited for her to continue the story.

“So, when I saw this gigantic predator, all claws and teeth and piercing yellow eyes, I did the only reasonable thing: I approached him and gave him a pat,” Joy continued gleefully, her eyes sparkling mischievously. “He didn’t try to hurt me, in fact he leaned into my touch. Though eventually I was chased away by the man who was selling him. So of course, I made a plan to come back that night and set him free.”

“Cornelius was too worried about getting in trouble and wouldn’t come with me. So I snuck out alone at night, and made my way back there. A little magic was all I needed to unlock the chains and remove the muzzle from the wolf. Then I jumped on his back, and we ran through the streets, the guards all too surprised to stop us. We ran through the city gates and out across the fields, then into the forest.” Joy had a massive smile on her face as she recounted the events. Thedrick watched her with awe filled eyes, in disbelief of how daring she was. 

“Once we were a safe distance away, I got down from his back and told him he was free now and tried to encourage him to run off into the woods. But for some reason he wouldn’t leave my side, and he kept pressing his huge head against me. I wasn’t sure what to do, so we wandered through the woods until we found a small, dilapidated house that probably once belonged to a woodsman. Managed to fit him into the stable, and together we huddled together to sleep,” she described with a gentle smile.

“When I awoke in the morning there was no longer a huge wolf lying against me, but a young man instead,” Joy revealed, glancing at her husband and smiling warmly at him. “It was quite a surprise, I must say. And a little awkward, as he was entirely naked.”

“Joy…” Clay groaned, face flushing slightly with embarrassment.

“Sorry dear,” she laughed lightly. “Of course, I had heard about werewolves before, so I quickly picked up on what was going on. It did make the situation a little more complicated though. I knew my parents weren’t going to want to take some unknown boy back with us, and I didn’t want to leave him out in the wilderness all alone.”

“So, what did you do?” Thedrick asked, on the edge of his seat listening to the story.

Joy smirked at him. “Well, I asked him to wait in that house for me, as I went back to the city. It was early, and I returned to where we were staying before my parents even woke, so they didn’t even realise I had been gone, only Cornelius did. He wanted to know where I had been all night, and I gave him very vague answers. When our parents came to wake us, I claimed I was sick and wanted to stay abed a while longer. They left with Cornelius to go for breakfast, and while they were gone, I gathered all my belongings, stole some of their money and dad’s clothing, and left.”

“You ran away?” Thedrick asked, thinking back to his own escape from home, which was a lot different. “Was your family not nice as well?”

Joy shook her head solemnly. “They were fine, and I loved them, but I felt rather stifled by their expectations of Conny and I, to attend the Magus Academy and become just like them. I wanted to do my own thing, find my own way in life and use magic how I wanted to. So, I stole my way out of the city and found the house again, and Clay was still there waiting for me. We took off together and have been travelling all across the lands ever since,” she finished with a warm smile again.

“Did you ever regret leaving your family?” Thedrick asked. “Did you ever see them again?”

“No… I really don’t think they would approve of the life I have chosen,” she said with another shake of her head. “I sometimes miss my brother, but I have no desire to go anywhere near the academy. They would probably lock me up for flouting all their stuffy old rules about magic.”

“I miss my brother too…” Thedrick said wistfully, glancing at the ground. “I was also born into a prestigious family and expected to fill a role. But when my nature was discovered, I had to flee and leave him behind…”

“Well, maybe we will both get to see our brothers again someday, Thedrick,” Joy said in an attempt to comfort him. “Actually… I had been thinking since our discussion back at the fair… you’re not safe here Thedrick, and neither is Maerwynn. You should come with us, before you get discovered again. You could even try and get into contact with your brother.”

Thedrick gave Joy a look of shock and disbelief. “You want me to kidnap the princess and come with you? The whole royal army would come after us! Are you crazy?”

Joy gave Thedrick a disappointed look, then sighed deeply. “I really think you would be safer with us; they won’t be able to find us, I promise. I have ways to keep us hidden.”

Thedrick grimaced slightly as he looked at her face, wanting to trust what she said to be true, but remaining unsure. “That would mean… leaving all my friends behind here…” he said sadly.

“Well, you could bring Beowulf with you of course,” Joy offered.

Thedrick closed his eyes and shook his head. “It’s fine, we are okay. No one is going to find out, and if anything did happen Beowulf would protect both of us,” he explained with conviction.

“I won’t force you to come with us, Thedrick, but please consider it,” Joy said, and Thedrick noticed in his peripheral vision that everyone else was looking at him with concern, especially Loretta. “We will probably be leaving tomorrow afternoon, if you change your mind before then, you let me know. There will always be room in our caravan for you and yours.”