At the butchery, Daryl bought just enough venison for himself and Mallory for the day. Liam, on the other hand, bought a copious amount of fowl, steak, and venison. He stuffed the packs of meat in his bag as they walked out and said, "That oughta last me the week!"

"It better," Daryl remarked, "you spent a lot of money."

"I'll be fine," Liam insisted. The sorcerer looked at the two of them, walking by his side, and looked at the food they had. Liam straightened his expression when he thought about how Daryl was treating his apprentice. He shot Daryl a stern look and said, "Just make sure she'll be fine, alright? I'm still not too thrilled about what you did to her."

"It doesn't concern you," Daryl replied.

"Oh, I'm very concerned," Liam retorted, "she could've gotten sick or something, y'know? I remember it being pretty cold last night, and that space looked awfully shabby. I could've sworn I saw a cobweb stretch apart when you opened that hatch..."

Daryl sighed and looked straight ahead, effectively tuning the sorcerer out while he continued to rant.

Liam looked over at Mallory, who seemed delighted about getting meat for the day and not paying Liam much attention. Halfway through his rant, he realized he had been lecturing Daryl the whole time, but he never asked how Mallory felt about everything. "Hey," he called to her.

She looked over at him with raised eyebrows.

He gave her a half smile and asked, "Are you sure you're okay? You don't feel sick or anything?"

Mallory nodded, keeping eye contact with him to assure that she was alright, and confirmed, "I'm fine."

Liam straightened his mouth and said no more, continuing his path back to the workshop with his new allies. I'll try and take your word for it. I hope you really are okay, Mallory...He gave Daryl a harsh side glance, to which he did not think the swordsman noticed. I don't think I'd ever forgive him if he let you get sick.

Although Daryl did not catch the daggers Liam shot at him for that brief moment, he knew that he was still upset with him, despite learning why he locked Mallory in his hideout. I wonder why he's become so protective of her...

***

Before the trio made it back to the Swordsmen's Guild, Liam decided he was going to go for a walk to familiarize himself with the area. Daryl suspected he was also scared that he would have another bad run-in with one of the other swordsmen, but he chose not to press him much further and let him go. At the workshop, Daryl cooked his and Mallory's share of venison in the stove attached to the side of the forge room. He had Mallory wait outside the forge after telling her that she was only allowed in once she was ready to get her weapon made. She could smell the fresh meat cooking from the inside, a sweet, delectable scent that she had not felt in ages. Her hands were balled into fists with anticipation, rubbing her thumbs back and forth between her palms and fingers.

Daryl came out after a while with two plates, each with three cutlets of meat that were light brown around the edges and a whitish pink in the centers. He looked down at his apprentice and handed her a plate. "Careful how you hold it," he warned, "it's hot."

She took the plate from him so fast it was almost like she snatched it. Sure enough, she nearly burned herself from taking it so hastily, and she fumbled it in her grasp and set it on an empty table before dropping it.

Daryl huffed at her carelessness and lack of etiquette, and he set his own plate across from hers. They both sat down at the table, Mallory chomping down on the meat like a starving animal. Daryl grimaced and demanded, "Have some manners, girl."

The girl scarfed down the ambrosial ration before it could burn her tongue. She wanted to keep going, but she did feel bad about taking the food without thanking him first. She set the meat down and bowed her head to her master, and said, "Thank you, master."

"Enjoy it while it lasts," Daryl ordered, "that's all you're getting for the next few hours. So eat slowly."

Mallory nodded and obeyed her master, careful not to burn herself as she ate her share of venison more slowly, savoring each bite.

"It's important you get a proper amount of protein," Daryl explained while she continued to devour her food. He started tearing at his own share while he continued, "You'll be getting much stronger as you continue, and eating meat will help build and repair your muscles as you go. I learned that from my sensei."

Mallory furrowed her brow at the sound of the foreign word. She looked up from her plate and asked, "What is that?"

Daryl stopped himself from eating a piece of his food, realizing that she would have no idea what he meant by that. "It's a word from another land," Daryl elaborated, "it means 'teacher,' or 'master.'"

"Does that mean your master was from another land?" Mallory asked, her curiosity actually overcoming her hunger for once.

Daryl put the piece of meat he had torn off back on his plate, thinking of his old master again. "He is," Daryl confirmed.

"Is he there now?" the girl asked.

Daryl knit his eyebrows. Normally, he does not let people pry for information about his personal life, given the painful memories it always brought back, but he figured he would make an exception for his apprentice. He nodded in confirmation, making sure no one was looking and lowered his voice. "Yes. He stopped sword fighting about ten years ago. He's resting with his family now."

Mallory looked down and thought about what Daryl may have been like as an apprentice. It was hard for her to imagine him being dependent and weak like she was. Then, she wondered what Daryl's relationship with his master was at the time. She looked up and asked, "Do you ever visit him?"

A solemn look overcame Daryl's expression, and for the first time in about nine years, his eyes stung with emotion. He shut his eyes and took a gentle breath, calming himself down, and he answered, "He wouldn't want me to."

Mallory noticed the look on his face and decided it would be best to stop pressing him. She nodded and thought about what he said, and then she realized that Daryl might have been wrong about his assumption. "Maybe that's not true."

Daryl looked back at her and narrowed his eyes. "What?"

There was a subtle fierceness in his eyes that made Mallory want to back off, but there was also a curiosity that told her that he was interested in why she said that. She stared down at her plate and explained, "If he cares about you, and he's away from you, maybe he misses you."

Daryl's eyes widened back to their original shape, the fierceness dying out, a more thoughtful look growing. She glanced at him for a second to see his reaction, and then she went back to eating her food, a pitiful look forming on her face. You're comparing him to your father, aren't you?He stared at her for a moment, still thinking about why she bothered trying to cheer him up. That is when he realized that even though the girl always seemed so downcast, he remembered that she also was filled with hope, and she seemed to be sharing some of that with him when she said that. He sighed and got up from his seat, pushing his plate towards Mallory.

The girl looked up at him with confusion and asked, "You're not going to eat anymore?"

"I lost my appetite," Daryl explained, walking away towards the other end of the workshop. "You can have mine if you want. I'll be at the training grounds. Meet me out there when you're done."

Mallory watched him walk away and nodded in agreement, continuing to chow down on her expanded meal.

Daryl kept thinking about his apprentice's words. He knew she was wrong, that his master would never want to see him again after everything he did, but he could not help but feel grateful for what she said. Thank you, Mallory