The Blacksmith's Apprentice

Eyck didn't need anyone. Eyck lived a good life in South Galetsy. A respected blacksmith, he spent long days making swords for the Border War, and even though he ached by day's end, the last thing he thought he needed was an apprentice. He had his work and his best friend, Pash, and that was fine. When Wex showed up on his stoop asking for work, Eyck agreed to take him on-no matter that Wex turned out to be prickly and secretive and an absolute bloody pain in the tail to work with.
Well. mostly. Wex didn't want anyone. Wex was tired of just scraping by. A freed slave and ex-convict, Wex was stubbornly determined not to let his breed caste or muteness stop him from carving out a decent life for himself. All he needed was a little help getting there. Words like "trust", "love, or even "desire" weren't part of Wex's vocabulary, and he didn't want them to be-those words could enslave just as easily as iron.
He was using the blacksmith to learn a skill, nothing more. Problem was, Wex couldn't get Eyck out of his head.