Toj looked at the outstretched hand of the human farmer in his dream. “Friendly Seth?” asked Toj. “Any relation to Seth the Traitor, Seth the Liar, or Seth the Longwinded and Rambling Storyteller?”

The man chuckled, deepening the wrinkles near his eyes. “Can’t recall ever being called any of those things,” replied Friendly Seth. “Maybe Seth the Nuisance on occasion,” he added with a wink.

Toj smiled. Despite the farmer’s mundane appearance, Toj couldn’t help but enjoy this human with such an immediately easygoing demeanor. Even though Toj was still aware that he was dreaming, he was taken in by the profound sense of welcome and belonging in this place. With a momentary pang of sadness, Toj realized that it was the warmest greeting he had ever received from a stranger. He wished his brothers were there to enjoy the experience with him. “Where are we?” Toj asked.

“I suppose that depends on whose map you’re looking at,” said Friendly Seth. “Around here though, my family and I just call it The Homestead. I settled here years ago with my three brothers, and our wives and children, and it’s our home. We raise a lot of things here. Crops, livestock, barns, and cabins. But the two things we’re most proud of growing are the wheat and the family.”

“Wheat!” exclaimed Toj. He had been so wrapped up in his emotions that he had nearly forgotten he was in a dream, and that he had a job to do. Before the dream began he had been in the office of that horribly boring little man, trying to learn more about the Sword of Wheat. “What can you tell me about the wheat?”

Friendly Seth smiled, crinkling his eye wrinkles again. The entire field around them seemed to shimmer with gold as a wind blew across the tops of the wheat. The farmer held up a handful of seeds in his weathered palms. “This is a very special grain,” he said. “It’s incredibly nutritious, and so hearty that it even grows wild around here. I first discovered it in the woods nearby when I was just a boy. None of the lords or kingdoms have ever built settlements here because the land is too hard to tame. The plants are all so hardy that it’s practically impossible to weed out the ones you don’t want growing, so they consider it worthless as farmland.”

“My family decided that we didn’t need to worry about weeding and taming the land as long the wheat was tough enough to grow anyway. And it sure is! Nothing chokes out our special wheat, no matter what comes along. It takes more work on our part during harvest time, of course. Wheat, grass, wildflower, thistle… we cut it all down together at harvest time, then separate it all by hand. But then again, that’s also taught us to be resourceful and use everything we can. You’d be surprised how nutritious a thistle can be.”

“Hey, you’re talking to a satyr here!” Toj said with a smirk. “You don’t have to tell me about how delicious a good thistle is. And don’t forget all the salves and tea you can make from it.”

“Well spotted!” Friendly Seth beamed and clapped Toj on the back. “You’ll have to forgive me, you’re the first satyr I’ve met. Is this refreshing respect of thistles common among your kin?”

Toj’s smile turned sad, and he looked down at his hooves. “Let’s just say we’ve learned how to make do with the things that humans overlook and throw away.”

Friendly Seth put a strong hand on Toj’s shoulder and looked right into his eyes. There was no pity or embarrassment in his expression. There was only respect and understanding. “It sounds like you’ve learned a lot of lessons that were hard-earned. I’m sure you could teach us a lot here on The Homestead. I’m glad you’re here.”

Toj stepped back, suddenly angry with himself. Satyrs were supposed to be quick and nimble. He had learned to leap out of danger so effortlessly that he made it look like a dance. And yet this simple human farmer had left Toj feeling more exposed and vulnerable than he had since he was a young kid watching out for his brothers. Friendly Seth hadn’t even moved his feet, yet he had stepped past all of Toj’s defenses before he even realized what was happening. He felt stupid for letting himself believe he could ever be so loved and welcome and safe.

“Why am I here?” Toj asked, turning away from his host and looking out at the field of wheat surrounding them. “I know this is a dream, you know. I’m not fooled into thinking any of this is real. So just tell me what I’m supposed to be doing here.”

“I recon you’re here to witness something. Something tricky to witness without a bit of help. And helping is what we do here at The Homestead. Including helping those who don’t know how to ask for help. Even in a dream.”

The sky shimmered with colors, and suddenly the light of noon day had changed to the dim of twilight, yet Toj could still see everything in perfect clarity. He plucked the top of a stalk of wheat and felt each seed in his hand. “This is no normal dream,” he said, turning back to face the farmer. “What’s going on here? Some kind of enchantment?”

“I’m afraid enchantments are outside my area of expertise,” said Friendly Seth. “You’ll want to talk to Timot about that.” Before Toj could reply, Friendly Seth looked at something behind Toj and gave a knowing nod. “There he is now, right on time.”

Toj turned around and saw in the distance a young man in robes being chased by a soldier on horseback. The soldier was holding a torch, and shouting angrily at the man in robes. The young man stumbled and for a moment it looked like the horse would trample right over him. Toj was about to shout, when suddenly Friendly Seth stepped in front of the horse, swinging his scythe in a wide arc to scare the horse back. Toj looked back over his shoulder. How had the farmer gotten over there so fast? Even with his sling and his smoothest river stone, Toj couldn’t have thrown a rock there any faster.

There was another shimmer in the air, and Toj found himself right next to the action. The soldier had fallen off his horse when the animal had reared back, and was now drawing his sword to fight Friendly Seth. The farmer held his scythe defensively, and his expression was so serious and determined that he nearly looked like a different person. Toj balled up his fists and began looking around him for anything he might use as a weapon. He found nothing but the frightened young man in robes scrambling to get himself up off the ground.

Toj stepped forward, ready to kick the soldier with his hard hooves. The air shimmered again, and for a moment, everything seemed frozen in time. Friendly Seth looked over at Toj, with his friendly expression and calm demeanor restored. “I appreciate that you want to help,” he said, “but the best thing you can do for now is witness. Trust me, this is how the story is supposed to go.”

Slowly, Toj stepped back from the scene. The air shimmered, and time resumed. Gone was the friendly host, and back was the resolute defender. The soldier charged at Friendly Seth with his sword, but the attack was blocked by the scythe. After that, the battle moved strangely. Sometimes it would slow down and Toj could see the most nuanced movement. Other times it would speed up, skipping past whole portions of the struggle.

There were several moments where Toj could tell Friendly Seth had the opportunity to kill the soldier if he had wanted to. The farming tool was sharp as a razor, and Friendly Seth was clearly the stronger and smarter opponent. But as the fight went on, Toj realized that the farmer’s goal was only to disarm and subdue his opponent. Before long, he had succeeded.

The scene then skipped and became disjointed. Toj couldn’t tell what anyone was saying, but he could tell the soldier was angrily threatening the other two. Friendly Seth took the soldier’s weapons, put the man back on his horse, and resolutely sent him on his way. After that, the farmer helped the young man up off the ground, and shook his hand.

The scene shimmered again, and the two humans stood facing Toj. “What was that?” Toj asked in alarm. “You were just in a fight and you don’t even look winded!”

“That was how I met Timot,” said Friendly Seth, patting the young man next to him on the shoulder. “And I think you know why I’m not tired, or why neither of us is worried about the soldier returning. You’ve already guessed at what’s going on.”

“So this IS an enchanted dream,” said Toj. “Why didn’t you just tell me so?”

“Like I said, enchantments are outside my area of expertise,” Friendly Seth replied. “If you’re going to witness this story, you’re going to need to get it from expert witnesses.”

“I believe that’s where I can be of assistance,” said the young man. “My name is Timot. I’m an enchanter, a deserter of the Battle at Moorfast, and creator of the Sword of Wheat.”

“Well,” said Toj, crossing his arms, “at least we’re finally getting somewhere.”