Free The Downs by Kim Fielding

me help you.”
    The nickname surprised Enitan so much that he released Rig’s hand and momentarily forgot to argue. Nobody had called him that since he was a small boy. Maybe Rig only said it because he was accustomed to shorter names, but still, it was nice. Enitan closed his eyes and listened to Rig sing.
    “Nap,” Rig ordered when he was done. “A little sleep will finish the job.”
    Enitan felt much better. His head had cleared, and the pain from the bites had faded to discomfort. He wasn’t especially tired, but he knew better than to argue with Rig. “Fine. But beginning tomorrow, I’m helping you build your house.”
    “You don’t have to—”
    “I know. I want to.” Assuming he could learn a few basic construction skills, it would be a good way to repay Rig for his care, room, and board. And the work would have the added benefit of increasing Enitan’s strength. If he was going to climb back to the Reach, he needed to get serious about rebuilding his muscles.
    “All right then. Tomorrow. If you feel up to it.”
    “I will.”
    Enitan ended up dozing after all, more from boredom than anything else. He was so damned tired of inactivity! When he woke up, he carefully stood and stretched. He was a bit achy, but that was all. “Healed,” he announced to Rig, who was working on something at the table.
    Rig blinked at him and looked away. “Good.”
    Enitan didn’t bother trying to cover himself before padding over to pour a cup of water. The hut was warm, and Enitan didn’t see his borrowed shirt anywhere; and besides, at this point Rig was better acquainted with Enitan’s naked body than Enitan was himself. Something nice-smelling was bubbling in a pot over the fire, and the lantern cast warm light over the cabin’s interior. The little room felt homier than the family mansion in the city ever had.
    “What are you doing?” Enitan asked.
    Rig seemed to be struggling with fabric, needle, and thread. He smiled slightly. “It was supposed to be a surprise but you woke up too soon.”
    “A surprise?”
    “Not anymore.” Rig held up the fabric for inspection, and Enitan saw that it was one of Rig’s pairs of trousers. Rough brown fabric, plain but sturdy. One leg was shorter than the other.
    “What in heavens are you doing to your clothes?” Enitan asked.
    “Your clothes now. I’m shortening them. I’ve already taken in the waist.”
    “Why?”
    “Because it’s dangerous to do construction dressed like that.” Rig flapped his hand in Enitan’s direction.
    Enitan grinned.
    ****
    After weeks of going pantsless, wearing trousers felt odd. Rig had done a passable job tailoring them, but they chafed a bit. Enitan didn’t complain though. He was getting what he wanted: a chance to work.
    When they reached the lake, Enitan glared balefully at the water before enduring a lecture from Rig on the safe handling of tools. He got a tour of the unfinished interior of the house, which was very interesting, and then settled into the main room downstairs to help Rig drill holes in logs.
    “Why?” Enitan asked.
    “For the pegs that will hold everything together. It’s important to get the placement and depth right.”
    That made sense. And even though Enitan was awkward with the drill at first, he soon became accomplished enough to impress. “Are you sure you’ve never done this before?” Rig asked after a while.
    “Never even seen anyone else drill. But it’s not that hard.”
    “Even Dany had a tough time with it at first, and he has a real talent for this kind of thing.”
    Enitan felt a strange mixture of jealousy and pride, neither of which was called for. “I used to fight. I told you that. It was one of the few things I was good at. And it’s not really all that different from this, when you think about it.” He lifted the U-shaped drill and looked at it. “It’s just using your body correctly. The careful application of strength.”
    “There’s a big difference between a sword and