What do we hope to gain by agreeing to help in exchange for some kind of “gratitude”? Money? A valuable item? Useful information? But if the reward goes beyond our own understanding of gratitude. Will we be ready to accept the unknown, without the possibility of refusal, and will we consider what we receive as a blessing? This is the first story in a future series. It takes place in a fictional world that reminds us of the European Middle Ages and feudal past. The main character, a court magician under a petty baron, goes on a routine trip to a neighboring village in order to replenish the supplies of ingredients needed in his unusual business. The road is a great place for unexpected meetings and acquaintances, where our hero encounters a wanderer in trouble, not knowing who his fate has actually brought him together...