Lysander held his right hand in Erin's. The blonde boy still couldn't believe that no one wanted to help them. Lysander wanted to shake his head at his companion's naïveté, but he knew that it wasn't his fault.
Erin used to have a family, lived in a pleasant community. And they had to be pleasant, for they had let a wanderer come inside their walls.
The wanderer boy hung his head. If the people of Brier Village had not let him in, maybe their luck wouldn't have been this rotten. They needed to get out of Crystargar, before it ended up like Brier Village. Lysander didn't know if he could face another massacre. More than that, he wasn't certain that Erin was going to survive it.
Erin sniffed next to him, and Lysander squeezed the small, soft, hand which was gripping his in a death grip.
"Ly, why are people mean in here?" Erin asked, and Lysander sighed.
"They are not mean. They have their own children to think about," Lysander answered. This was what he always told himself, when people kept their gates shut in his face. Something that helped him keep going. Erin, who has been sheltered his whole life, sniffed again.
"I don't think someone is going to adopt us, Ly," the heartbreak in his voice was almost enough, to stop Lysander in his tracks.
Yet, he couldn't lose himself in self-pity. Erin would soon learn that this was a dangerous trap. It took time out of your day, when you had to forage instead. It led to an empty belly, and tossing and turning at night. Out here, people couldn't afford such things.
"We still need to buy you shoes, socks, and warmer clothes," Lysander said. It was already autumn. Erin needed a nice, warm, coat. If not a coat, then a cloak. But the boy was going to catch his death out there, without either of these things.
"If we spend all the money on clothes, what are we going to eat?" Erin asked. Lysander pointed at a pigeon, which was pocking at the ground with its beak. "Oh, no! Not the birdies!"
Lysander couldn't help it, he burst out laughing.
"Erin, you are so silly," he said, not thinking to spite his friend, but because this boy was as innocent as freshly fallen snow. No, the princeling was not even walking on the ground, He was still a snowflake, twirling around.
"I am not silly! I used to feed the birdies my leftovers every day," Erin stomped his foot down, which caused the birds to fly away.
"It is either a birdie," Lysander felt silly, for using this way of referring to something he had eaten more than once. "Or a rat."
"Yuck," Erin pocked out his tongue, and Lysander chuckled once more.
"Well, Rin, we can always see if there is anything edible near the tavern," at the mention of the tavern, the blonde boy perked up.
"Yes, we can go in, and," he rubbed his tummy, and got a wishful look on his face.
"No, not go in. Go and check the dumpsters," Lysander was enjoying this. For how long will the princeling follow him around, instead of signing himself in the local orphanage? If there was one thing Lysander knew, it was that the people there always had room for normal children.
His face turned grim, then. He had tried to sign himself into more than one orphanage. It never went well. Twice, they tied him up on a stake. If it wasn't for some kind people, he would have died. Yet, even those people didn't want anything to do with him. They would go, untie him, and then give him a kick to the behind, so he could scram.
"Ly? Why are you angry? Ly, I am sorry," Erin must have thought that the expression was because of him, because he clutched at Lysander's hand all the more tightly.
"I am not angry at you," Lysander forced his eyes to soften. Erin gave him a beaming smile, and they made it to the stalls. Lysander knew that child clothing costed an arm and a leg. Besides, one would outgrow them far too soon. So, he had taken Erin to a normal stall.
"Hello, we would like some pants, a tunic, a shirt, and shoes and socks," the shoes, however, would have to be child sized. The merchant seems to also think so, because he handed them a small sized pair.
Lysander wanted to buy himself new boots, for the winter, but he knew, that Erin couldn't walk with just a layer of bandages around his foot. What if something sharp pierced it, and Erin ended up a cripple? Lysander didn't want the princeling to suffer.
Erin quickly took off his one remaining shoe, and placed the new shoes on his feet. He walked around a bit, and then bounced back to Lysander.
"They fit, Ly," Erin said, as he made a stop before his friend.
"Then we will take them. How much for everything, good sir?" Lysander asked.
"One gold coin," the man had a pitying look on his face. His eyes would travel from Erin's soot covered face, to Lysander's scarf covered one. "Do you boys have a place to stay?"
"We are on our way for the fair," Lysander quickly said. Erin sent him a look, but didn't comment.
The blonde boy didn't understand why Lysander was giving up a chance for a warm place to stay, but he didn't want to argue with his savior. Soon, Erin was given a bundle of clothes, and Lysander looked at the cloaks with longing.
The merchant must have figured out that Lysander lied, because he handed them two cloaks, and took off the price tag.
"Be safe, boys," he said. Lysander quickly snatched the grown-up sized cloaks, and made a couple of steps back. He made a bow to the merchant, and nudge Erin, so he could do the same.
"Much health to you and yours," Erin said the words his mother had told him to say, after someone gave him a gift. The merchant's eyes were watery, when the two boys left his stall. It was such a bad place, where children would have to look after children.
If he didn't have five mouths to feed back at home, he would have invited these two. He thought, just because the more adorable of the two is a blonde, then so was the other one. Yet, had he known the truth hidden behind Lysander's scarf, he would have treated him with more than a little coldness.
Lysander held his right hand in Erin's. The blonde boy still couldn't believe that no one wanted to help them. Lysander wanted to shake his head at his companion's naïveté, but he knew that it wasn't his fault.
Erin used to have a family, lived in a pleasant community. And they had to be pleasant, for they had let a wanderer come inside their walls.
The wanderer boy hung his head. If the people of Brier Village had not let him in, maybe their luck wouldn't have been this rotten. They needed to get out of Crystargar, before it ended up like Brier Village. Lysander didn't know if he could face another massacre. More than that, he wasn't certain that Erin was going to survive it.
Erin sniffed next to him, and Lysander squeezed the small, soft, hand which was gripping his in a death grip.
"Ly, why are people mean in here?" Erin asked, and Lysander sighed.
"They are not mean. They have their own children to think about," Lysander answered. This was what he always told himself, when people kept their gates shut in his face. Something that helped him keep going. Erin, who has been sheltered his whole life, sniffed again.
"I don't think someone is going to adopt us, Ly," the heartbreak in his voice was almost enough, to stop Lysander in his tracks.
Yet, he couldn't lose himself in self-pity. Erin would soon learn that this was a dangerous trap. It took time out of your day, when you had to forage instead. It led to an empty belly, and tossing and turning at night. Out here, people couldn't afford such things.
"We still need to buy you shoes, socks, and warmer clothes," Lysander said. It was already autumn. Erin needed a nice, warm, coat. If not a coat, then a cloak. But the boy was going to catch his death out there, without either of these things.
"If we spend all the money on clothes, what are we going to eat?" Erin asked. Lysander pointed at a pigeon, which was pocking at the ground with its beak. "Oh, no! Not the birdies!"
Lysander couldn't help it, he burst out laughing.
"Erin, you are so silly," he said, not thinking to spite his friend, but because this boy was as innocent as freshly fallen snow. No, the princeling was not even walking on the ground, He was still a snowflake, twirling around.
"I am not silly! I used to feed the birdies my leftovers every day," Erin stomped his foot down, which caused the birds to fly away.
"It is either a birdie," Lysander felt silly, for using this way of referring to something he had eaten more than once. "Or a rat."
"Yuck," Erin pocked out his tongue, and Lysander chuckled once more.
"Well, Rin, we can always see if there is anything edible near the tavern," at the mention of the tavern, the blonde boy perked up.
"Yes, we can go in, and," he rubbed his tummy, and got a wishful look on his face.
"No, not go in. Go and check the dumpsters," Lysander was enjoying this. For how long will the princeling follow him around, instead of signing himself in the local orphanage? If there was one thing Lysander knew, it was that the people there always had room for normal children.
His face turned grim, then. He had tried to sign himself into more than one orphanage. It never went well. Twice, they tied him up on a stake. If it wasn't for some kind people, he would have died. Yet, even those people didn't want anything to do with him. They would go, untie him, and then give him a kick to the behind, so he could scram.
"Ly? Why are you angry? Ly, I am sorry," Erin must have thought that the expression was because of him, because he clutched at Lysander's hand all the more tightly.
"I am not angry at you," Lysander forced his eyes to soften. Erin gave him a beaming smile, and they made it to the stalls. Lysander knew that child clothing costed an arm and a leg. Besides, one would outgrow them far too soon. So, he had taken Erin to a normal stall.
"Hello, we would like some pants, a tunic, a shirt, and shoes and socks," the shoes, however, would have to be child sized. The merchant seems to also think so, because he handed them a small sized pair.
Lysander wanted to buy himself new boots, for the winter, but he knew, that Erin couldn't walk with just a layer of bandages around his foot. What if something sharp pierced it, and Erin ended up a cripple? Lysander didn't want the princeling to suffer.
Erin quickly took off his one remaining shoe, and placed the new shoes on his feet. He walked around a bit, and then bounced back to Lysander.
"They fit, Ly," Erin said, as he made a stop before his friend.
"Then we will take them. How much for everything, good sir?" Lysander asked.
"One gold coin," the man had a pitying look on his face. His eyes would travel from Erin's soot covered face, to Lysander's scarf covered one. "Do you boys have a place to stay?"
"We are on our way for the fair," Lysander quickly said. Erin sent him a look, but didn't comment.
The blonde boy didn't understand why Lysander was giving up a chance for a warm place to stay, but he didn't want to argue with his savior. Soon, Erin was given a bundle of clothes, and Lysander looked at the cloaks with longing.
The merchant must have figured out that Lysander lied, because he handed them two cloaks, and took off the price tag.
"Be safe, boys," he said. Lysander quickly snatched the grown-up sized cloaks, and made a couple of steps back. He made a bow to the merchant, and nudge Erin, so he could do the same.
"Much health to you and yours," Erin said the words his mother had told him to say, after someone gave him a gift. The merchant's eyes were watery, when the two boys left his stall. It was such a bad place, where children would have to look after children.
If he didn't have five mouths to feed back at home, he would have invited these two. He thought, just because the more adorable of the two is a blonde, then so was the other one. Yet, had he known the truth hidden behind Lysander's scarf, he would have treated him with more than a little coldness.
