Lysander cut the cabbage, and then handed it to Erin. The blonde threw it in the air, and smiled.
"This is lunch," Erin proclaimed. He made a game out of collecting the cabbages. Lysander would hand him a cabbage, and Erin would proclaim it either lunch, breakfast, or dinner, depending on how heavy it was. Lysander looked up at the grinning blonde, who was stashing the cabbage inside the bottomless bag.
"Are you sure it is lunch?" Lysander teased. "It could be dinner. It felt heavy."
"No, no, Ly. It is lunch. It has a lunch color," Lysander shook his head at that. He wanted to tell the other boy, that all the cabbages had the same color, but held his tongue. Let Erin have his fun. Once the cabbage heads were inside the bag, there was no telling, what was lunch, and what dinner.
"So, how are we going to preserve the cabbage, Ly? Do we give Belle some?" Erin asked. The blonde knew that they couldn't eat all the cabbage in the small field, by the time it spoiled. Yet, he knew that cabbage was easy to cook.
"I will make sauerkraut out of it," Lysander said. He had plenty of salt. He knew he could preserve the cabbage. Plus, the cabbage water would be good to drink, in the colder months.
Even though Belle had told them that their running water would not end up with frozen pipes, Lysander still had his doubts. The nymph had also said, that when the first snows fall, she will go to sleep in her oak tree. There won't be any help from her, until spring came, and warmed up the earth.
"But, I don't like sauerkraut," Erin protested. Lysander simply handed him another cabbage. He did his ritual, and threw it in the air. When he barely managed to catch it, Erin grinned.
"This is for Yule! We can make it fried with some rabbit!" The blonde began to stash away the cabbage.
"No, this is for the sauerkraut, Rin," Lysander protested. Erin made a face at him. "Look, Rin, the cabbage will spoil by Yule. We can't keep it."
"Oh, but, Ly," Erin protested, but Lysander leveled him with a stern look.
"No means no, princeling. Now, don't blab. We have a lot of cabbage to stash away," Lysander said. Erin closed his mouth, but his pout was clear to be seen. They continued to work in silence, with Erin whispering his guesses on whatever the cabbage was breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
He stubbornly refused to say that the cabbage would be for the barrel. A parting gift from Belle, before she went inside her tree to sleep.
Erin didn't understand, why Belle didn't choose to sleep in their hut, rather than in the tree. Ly and he would have been quiet, and made sure she was warm. Erin rather liked Belle, she always tried her best during the guessing games, but lost most of them. And the rewards she picked were things he did like, the few times she did win.
Like hugs, kisses on the noses, more hugs, pokes on the nose, and other things, a mother would do. That thought made Erin sigh. He knew that his mother was gone, never to return. He had the sinking suspicion, that Lysander knew what happened to her, yet the raven-haired boy refused to give him details.
Erin knew, that it was for his own peace of mind. Bandits weren't good people. The deaths of his parents couldn't have been pretty.
"Hey, what is wrong? Are you cold?" Lysander asked. Erin realized he had been staring off into space, and quickly reached out to grab the cabbage head. Instead of throwing it in the air, he quickly stashed it away. "Rin? What is wrong?"
"I just miss mommy," Erin said, his bottom lip quivering. "This Yule, she won't cuddle me before the fire."
Lysander got up, from his kneeling position, and enveloped Erin in a hug.
"I will cuddle you before the fire. It is a promise," Lysander said, as he patted the blonde's back.
"Yeah, but you are not my mother," Erin said, his confusion clear in his blue eyes.
"But, aren't I still precious to you?" Lysander asked. His little heart was ready for the rejection. He knew that Erin seldomly thought his words through, before he voiced them. Yet, he felt arms around him.
"You are my best friend," Erin proclaimed, and he began to mirror Lysander, in patting the other boy on the back. They stood like that, patting each other's backs, before a gust of wind made them shiver.
"Come on, we have to get as much cabbage as we can," Lysander said, and they went back to working. Lysander cut the cabbage heads with renewed vigor.
He has never been someone's best friend, before. Anna had been more of a mother to him, and not a friend. He couldn't tease her too much, for she had a ladle, which she brought to his behind with a gusto, every time he got too cheeky. But Erin was different. He was a boy, for one. And he seemed to, in his own honest way, like Lysander, despite Lysander's birth.
When the sun began to set, Lysander had to stop with the cutting of the cabbage. He had promised Erin they'd make a snowman. If he was correct, then there were at least a couple of more hours, before it got truly dark. With one last regretful look, he sighed, and stood up.
"Let us leave some for the animals. They have hungry bellies too," Lysander said. He didn't know if this field wasn't planted by a nymph, for her pets. Or something along these lines. Erin nodded, and handed Lysander the bottomless bags.
"I am sure Belle would be happy, that we didn't take all the cabbage," Erin said. "Besides, mommy always said, that we have to think about others."
"Your mother was very wise," Lysander said, as he got the straps of the bottomless bag around his shoulders.
After which, he took Erin's hand in his, and began leading him back towards the hut. He could always make the sauerkraut in the light of the fireplace. But the snowman had to be completed today. Least Erin thought, that Lysander was a liar.
Lysander cut the cabbage, and then handed it to Erin. The blonde threw it in the air, and smiled.
"This is lunch," Erin proclaimed. He made a game out of collecting the cabbages. Lysander would hand him a cabbage, and Erin would proclaim it either lunch, breakfast, or dinner, depending on how heavy it was. Lysander looked up at the grinning blonde, who was stashing the cabbage inside the bottomless bag.
"Are you sure it is lunch?" Lysander teased. "It could be dinner. It felt heavy."
"No, no, Ly. It is lunch. It has a lunch color," Lysander shook his head at that. He wanted to tell the other boy, that all the cabbages had the same color, but held his tongue. Let Erin have his fun. Once the cabbage heads were inside the bag, there was no telling, what was lunch, and what dinner.
"So, how are we going to preserve the cabbage, Ly? Do we give Belle some?" Erin asked. The blonde knew that they couldn't eat all the cabbage in the small field, by the time it spoiled. Yet, he knew that cabbage was easy to cook.
"I will make sauerkraut out of it," Lysander said. He had plenty of salt. He knew he could preserve the cabbage. Plus, the cabbage water would be good to drink, in the colder months.
Even though Belle had told them that their running water would not end up with frozen pipes, Lysander still had his doubts. The nymph had also said, that when the first snows fall, she will go to sleep in her oak tree. There won't be any help from her, until spring came, and warmed up the earth.
"But, I don't like sauerkraut," Erin protested. Lysander simply handed him another cabbage. He did his ritual, and threw it in the air. When he barely managed to catch it, Erin grinned.
"This is for Yule! We can make it fried with some rabbit!" The blonde began to stash away the cabbage.
"No, this is for the sauerkraut, Rin," Lysander protested. Erin made a face at him. "Look, Rin, the cabbage will spoil by Yule. We can't keep it."
"Oh, but, Ly," Erin protested, but Lysander leveled him with a stern look.
"No means no, princeling. Now, don't blab. We have a lot of cabbage to stash away," Lysander said. Erin closed his mouth, but his pout was clear to be seen. They continued to work in silence, with Erin whispering his guesses on whatever the cabbage was breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
He stubbornly refused to say that the cabbage would be for the barrel. A parting gift from Belle, before she went inside her tree to sleep.
Erin didn't understand, why Belle didn't choose to sleep in their hut, rather than in the tree. Ly and he would have been quiet, and made sure she was warm. Erin rather liked Belle, she always tried her best during the guessing games, but lost most of them. And the rewards she picked were things he did like, the few times she did win.
Like hugs, kisses on the noses, more hugs, pokes on the nose, and other things, a mother would do. That thought made Erin sigh. He knew that his mother was gone, never to return. He had the sinking suspicion, that Lysander knew what happened to her, yet the raven-haired boy refused to give him details.
Erin knew, that it was for his own peace of mind. Bandits weren't good people. The deaths of his parents couldn't have been pretty.
"Hey, what is wrong? Are you cold?" Lysander asked. Erin realized he had been staring off into space, and quickly reached out to grab the cabbage head. Instead of throwing it in the air, he quickly stashed it away. "Rin? What is wrong?"
"I just miss mommy," Erin said, his bottom lip quivering. "This Yule, she won't cuddle me before the fire."
Lysander got up, from his kneeling position, and enveloped Erin in a hug.
"I will cuddle you before the fire. It is a promise," Lysander said, as he patted the blonde's back.
"Yeah, but you are not my mother," Erin said, his confusion clear in his blue eyes.
"But, aren't I still precious to you?" Lysander asked. His little heart was ready for the rejection. He knew that Erin seldomly thought his words through, before he voiced them. Yet, he felt arms around him.
"You are my best friend," Erin proclaimed, and he began to mirror Lysander, in patting the other boy on the back. They stood like that, patting each other's backs, before a gust of wind made them shiver.
"Come on, we have to get as much cabbage as we can," Lysander said, and they went back to working. Lysander cut the cabbage heads with renewed vigor.
He has never been someone's best friend, before. Anna had been more of a mother to him, and not a friend. He couldn't tease her too much, for she had a ladle, which she brought to his behind with a gusto, every time he got too cheeky. But Erin was different. He was a boy, for one. And he seemed to, in his own honest way, like Lysander, despite Lysander's birth.
When the sun began to set, Lysander had to stop with the cutting of the cabbage. He had promised Erin they'd make a snowman. If he was correct, then there were at least a couple of more hours, before it got truly dark. With one last regretful look, he sighed, and stood up.
"Let us leave some for the animals. They have hungry bellies too," Lysander said. He didn't know if this field wasn't planted by a nymph, for her pets. Or something along these lines. Erin nodded, and handed Lysander the bottomless bags.
"I am sure Belle would be happy, that we didn't take all the cabbage," Erin said. "Besides, mommy always said, that we have to think about others."
"Your mother was very wise," Lysander said, as he got the straps of the bottomless bag around his shoulders.
After which, he took Erin's hand in his, and began leading him back towards the hut. He could always make the sauerkraut in the light of the fireplace. But the snowman had to be completed today. Least Erin thought, that Lysander was a liar.
