Aarav and Haemish finally arrived in the gardens. “What in the world!?” The sight took Aarav by surprise. He had never been to any royal gardens in the past, and he would not be at fault for misconstruing it as a perfectly manicured park. Everywhere he looked, there were people trimming bushes or shaping hedges with a wave of a hand or a pair of shears. The sheer number of people it would take to maintain a place like this to such an immaculate degree was honestly mind-boggling for the Slime and his humble background. Such wealth and opulence only served to remind him of what he had seen inside the palace proper.

“I have never, ever, seen anything so well done in my entire life! It’s magnificent, Haemish!” Haemish beamed with pleasure at the Slime exclamations.

“I told you it would be worth it, didn’t I? At about the forty-five-minute mark, I said, it will all be worth it in the end!” Haemish exclaimed, catching the attention of some of the closer gardeners.

“Oi! What are you!” One of them yelled, seeing Aarav but not Haemish by his side. A fireball sailed at Aarav quicker than he could blink. Woah, the gardeners have fire magic? Wouldn’t earth be more appropriate? Aarav realised a little too late that he should be thinking about escape rather than the atypical magic the man was wielding.

“Ahhh!” Aarav screamed and tried to leap out of the way. He would be too late. He should not have stopped to consider the man’s magic. Luckily Haemish came to his rescue and effortlessly caught the fireball in his bare hand. What? Then crushed it out of existence. “Thanks, man!” Aarav barked out a relieved shout.

“Do you attack everything that you don’t recognise in the garden? And with a fireball no less?” Haemish asked over the clamour, more curious than angry. Meanwhile, Aarav was mad; that fireball could have killed him!

“Sorry, Master Alchemist, but yes, we do. For the safety of the royal family!” The man replied, face straight and no mocking or amusement in his voice. The rest of the ‘gardeners’ nodded in agreement. They had all been ready to attack if he had not gotten there first—no need for overkill in a plant infesting the place.

“Thanks a lot! All of you.” Aarav started to yell, planning to lay down several choice phrases to burn their ears off when Haemish put a pacifying hand on his shoulder.

“He is with me. Resh is his name or Aarav. He uses both, and I would be happy to speak to and sort out anyone who has a problem with him. He is a subject of the King’s court now.” Haemish said without a hint of malice, just stating facts and Aarav suspected he meant what he said. He would talk to anyone that had a problem. The Slime hoped it did not end with him as soot in a matchbox.

“Understood, Master Alchemist,” The first man’s voice rang out again.

“Also, if you would be so kind as to let the rest of the gardeners and palace staff know about the Aarav / Resh situation, that would be brilliant! Thank you, kind sir!” Haemish shouted back over the sound of shears and cutting branches resuming. The rest had all gone back to work, not giving Aarav a second glance.

“I will be done, by the King’s name!” the man once again replied.

“Thanks for stepping in, Haemish.” Aarav whispered to the man as they resumed their walk through the gardens. Aarav was able to lean even more heavily on the staff when they left the slippery tiles of the palace. “Also, it is much easier to walk here than in the palace.” Aarav marvelled at how he had almost died less than a minute ago. Everyone, including him, seemed to have returned to business as usual. “They won’t apologise for nearly killing me, will they?”

“I am afraid not, Aarav. The palace staff see it as just going about their sworn duty to protect King and country. They have done nothing wrong. This time there was no threat, but next time? They have to act that fast no matter the situation. Anyone or anything that seems like a threat is suspect.” Haemish said. “Something they perceive as a monster requires no contemplation. Another human could be here for many reasons, likewise any other known sentient race. Unfortunately, you, my friend, do not fall into the category of known sentient races.” Haemish said to Aarav, confirming what he had said in the lab before they left about his reception into the royal palace if he walked around alone. “But things should be smoother now, they will let everyone know, and then people will treat you with respect befitting your station.”

“Oh? And what respect does my station befit?” Aarav asked with a raised eyebrow. Even though he did not have eyebrows, the gesture was universal.

“Not being killed on sight,” Haemish said slowly and very dryly as if Aarav was particularly dense.

“Right, of course.” Hardly a prize, but survival was the name of the game. He would take it! “Still, thank you, you saved my hide over there.”

“Happy to, it should not have happened at all, but I am happy to have been of service,” Haemish said. “I have always wanted to say that. Haha.” The man’s mood was infectious, and Aarav found that he was not angry any longer. They were just doing their jobs, and at the end of the day, Haemish had said to expect it until the message made its rounds. Why hadn’t the King already alerted everyone to his new status, though? Wouldn’t he have been the best person to put the word out? No, come on, Aarav, you think you are important enough for a King to take a personal interest in you? That was just him being self-centred. He was not that important.

“Now that we can enjoy the gardens unimpeded, I think it would be best to practice here on the path and the grass. I will be less painful when you inevitably fall,” Haemish said.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Aarav said. He could be dry too.

“Regardless of what you think, I am rooting for you,” Haemish said. Aarav could only nod in appreciation; he knew, of course. Sometimes it was nice to be reminded, and the man’s actions had made that abundantly clear.

“That’s why I gave you my re-nickname to use.” Crap, I said too much. Just let it go, Haemish, just like you have with all the other stuff. Aarav’s body language skills brought him snippets as usual. Haemish acknowledged that he had a slip-up but otherwise did not say anything, content to let the matter slide.

“That section over there is perfect for your trials!” He pointed over to a knoll to the left of where they stood. Then he promptly followed his advice and made his way over. Aarav slowly hobbled after him like the old man he resembled.

Okay, let’s do this! Aarav tried psyching himself up, but it was a struggle. After spending the best part of the last hour trying to walk with a cane, it was hard to build the motivation to try walking without it. Maybe he could stay with the rod for a bit longer? No, Aarav, you are just doing what you always do—trying to weasel your way out of something because it’s hard and doesn’t come naturally. You can do this.

As if to echo Aarav’s inner thoughts, Haemish piled on. “Aarav, you can do this. All you need to do is put one foot in front of the other. You will see; it will come to you, just as it did to all of us.”

Aarav nodded and got started. This time, instead of aiming to keep going forward, the Slime focused on manipulating his feet to provide the balance they were supposed to. It was made more difficult with the absence of the Cochlear. If he didn’t have the fluid to balance, he would circumvent the need. There was a minimum Mana requirement to allow his legs to move like legs. So far, he had been stiffly walking like he had wooden stumps for legs as each time he tried to bend the knees, they would collapse under him, leaving him in a heap of the floor. Now that he was on grass, the rules were different. He could fall as many times as he needed.

But without a doubt, Aarav knew that once this was all said and done, he would finally be back on his own two feet.