God of Discovery [high fantasy, slow build, mlm]

Sky Mountain - part 3

D'Argen woke slowly with the sound of horses neighing as they were being saddled. He found a heavy blanket covering him that looked more suited for a horse but was incredibly warm and kept the chill of both the air and ground off him.

"You are awake," Lilian said instead of their usual morning greeting. "We will be going up together. You fell asleep while we talked. Shaffi and the others had some stories to tell us about the mountain."

D'Argen, still half asleep, squinted up at Lilian.

"Shaffi?" he finally asked.

"Yes. She is the one in charge, between the mortals," Lilian explained. A quick glance behind them revealed the others were busy cleaning up their camp.

Lilian crouched beside D'Arge and said, "Isme and his brother Rimas also got Shaffi and Lith to come up with them. We will not be going down until they find enough of the herbs they need to restock for the winter. And a very specific flower."

D'Argen shivered when a cold wind picked up a few strands from his long hair.

"Flower? The... merchant one?"

"Yes. It is a..." Lilian paused. Their face looked like they ate a lemon as they continued, "It is a lily. Dark purple, bulbous, bell-shaped."

D'Argen could barely hold back the bark of laughter. "Are you sure Haur was not their travelling merchant?"

Every single Never Born knew that Haur, God of Intuition, had been courting Lilian for centuries by naming flowers after them and presenting them in beautiful arrangements. Lilian usually mocked him and gave away the gifts. D'Argen sighed wistfully because he knew the truth of their courtship was nothing more than entertainment for them both and gossip for the castle walls. Haur was not serious about Lilian and Lilian was not serious about anyone at all.

"Shut up. Your hair is a mess," Lilian snapped out though there was a smile playing at the corner of their lips. They held out a thin cord of leather and once D'Argen took it, they stood up and left.

D'Argen noticed Thar standing near one of the horses and feeding it an apple. He quickly ran his fingers through his long hair, pulling at the biggest knots, then used the cord to tie it back into its usual ponytail. A few strands escaped and he felt more knots in it, but he knew it was presentable enough for the wilds.

Thar, as usual, looked completely pristine.

"Milord D'Argen." A voice forced D'Argen to look away from the god in white and face one of the women from the party. He did not know which name belonged to whom, but he smiled all the same when she addressed him. One of the others must have told them who he was and his title. "The others said, you do not eat breakfast, but I have..." she trailed off as she unfolded a small cloth, revealing berries.

"Thank you," D'Argen said with a wave of his hand. "They are right. There are not many of us like me, but I don't actually consume food or drink."

"Ah." The woman stammered and blushed bright red.

"But thank you," D'Argen repeated with a reassuring tone.

The stammering woman nodded and quickly folded up her cloth, turning away.

"Ah, excuse me," D'Argen called out, stopping her. "I apologize for not giving proper introductions last night. And I never caught your names, either. It was a... long day."

"No, no, no-not at all. I am Lith. That is Isme," she pointed at the shorter of the two men, "and his brother Rimas. And that is Shaffi." The last of their party was a sturdy woman with narrowed eyes that was saddling her horse with quick and jerky movements. "She is our most experienced hunter."