Erin's stomach growled, and he opened his eyes. Instead of a nice smell coming from the kitchen, he could only smell his hands, which he hadn't quite cleaned in the grass last night.
He looked around, and saw, that one of the flatbreads from last night was on a napkin. His stomach growled again. This seems to wake up Lysander.
"Lesson number one in traveling, princeling. One must learn to share," Lysander said, and then broke the flatbread in two. He handed one of the parts to Erin.
"Wait, didn't you eat your bread?" Erin asked, and Lysander smiled at him. He wasn't wearing his scarf, so he could sleep better.
"That is your flatbread. It is still covered with the oils, from our "feast"," Lysander took a bite out of his bread, and closed his eyes. "We should use flatbread as a plate more often. They make for a nice breakfast."
Erin began eating his bread too, not wanting to hand it over a second time. The rich flavor of the pigeon has steeped into the bread, and made the normally flavorless flatbread into a tasty breakfast. When Erin was done, he decided that, seeing as he was poor now, the bread plates could be left for Ly and himself.
Yet, even after having this meal, his stomach still growled.
"Come on, we must be off," Lysander said. Erin held up his hands.
"I need water to wash off," Erin said. Lysander shook a finger at him.
"We need the water to drink. It is not contaminated, and I don't have a pot, to boil it. We must save it," Lysander said, and then offered his hand to Erin.
"But my hands are icky," the blonde boy said. Lysander took the napkin, where the bread used to lie, and handed it over to Erin.
"Use this. But don't throw it away. When we find a spring, or the river, I will wash it," Erin quickly rubbed his hands in the napkin, and then his mouth.
"Hands here," Erin said, holding up the napkin for Lysander to see.
"What?" Lysander asked.
"Hands here, so I can clean them. I only used half of the napkin," Erin said, and showed off a half, which was not covered in grease.
"I am not a princeling, like you," Lysander said with a scoff.
"Hands here, or I will stomp on your foot!" Erin demanded once again. If he was just a bit older, he would have threatened Lysander with a spanking. Yet, he and the wanderer looked to be the same age.
"You stomp on my foot, and I will tug at your ear," Lysander promised, but did place his hands on the clean part of the napkin.
"See, wasn't so hard, was it?" Erin asked, as he cleaned Lysander's hands. Then, he flipped the napkin, so he could clean the wanderer's mouth next.
"Hey, I am not a baby," Lysander said, but Erin giggled.
"You take care of me, I take care of you," the blonde boy said, and then pocked Lysander on the nose. "Now you can put your scarf. Come on, let us put on some new clothes!"
Lysander chuckled at how enthusiastic Erin sounded. Now, with clean hands and mouths, they went to the clothing bundle. When Lysander untied it, he found that the merchant had made a mistake. There were two bundles of clothes. Shirts, tunics, even pants. Two sets, for just one golden coin. Lysander giggled at that.
"You bring me luck, Rin," he said, and then split the two bundles. "Do you know how to dress yourself?"
"I am not a baby!" Erin protested. Lysander held up his hands.
"I didn't say you were. It is just that, you are a princeling. For all I know, there were servants catering to your every need," Lysander said with a sly smirk.
"I can dress up! I can show you!" Erin said, and began to take off his soot covered clothes. Lysander shrugged, and then began to do the same. As Lysander was rolling up his sleeves, and his pants legs, Erin seemed to be swimming in his own clothes.
"They are too big, Ly," Erin whined. Lysander sighed, and quickened his dressing up. When he was done, he went to Erin, and then took the blonde's right shirt sleeve, and began to roll it up.
"We can use them for longer. The child sized clothes would have been small in a month," Lysander finished with the adjustments of Erin's clothes, and then placed the big black cloak around the blonde's shoulders. He finished with placing his own cloak around himself. That seemed to chase the chill of the morning away.
When both of them were all decked, Lysander placed his pouches around himself, and then began to lead Erin back towards the road.
"The forests around here are accounted for, so we can't forage," Lysander explained, as Erin walked behind him. "But if we go towards the frontier, we can really find some useful herbs. As the frontier is not owned by the Republic, they can't cut off our hands for foraging."
"But there are goblins in there," Erin said, his voice quivering. "And slimes, and all kinds of things."
"As long as we don't bother them, they won't bother us," Lysander said, and Erin gulped.
"Have you been to the frontier before?" The blonde asked.
"Once or twice. There is a grove with angel's tear deeper into the valley. I know just how to get to it, from just about any spot of the border," Lysander said.
Erin looked at the back of his traveling companion, and then quickened his steps, so he was right next to him. With a shy smile, the blonde reached out, and took Lysander's hand in his.
The wanderer looked at the kid next to him, and smiled back. Maybe, he wasn't up for the task, of raising a child, when he himself was a child. Yet, he knew how lonely it was, to travel alone.
Erin could learn from him. Maybe, the blonde even had a talent for mana use. If Lysander taught him how to use that, then their lives will be easier. And, who knew? Maybe the princeling would even keep his innocence around himself.
Erin's stomach growled, and he opened his eyes. Instead of a nice smell coming from the kitchen, he could only smell his hands, which he hadn't quite cleaned in the grass last night.
He looked around, and saw, that one of the flatbreads from last night was on a napkin. His stomach growled again. This seems to wake up Lysander.
"Lesson number one in traveling, princeling. One must learn to share," Lysander said, and then broke the flatbread in two. He handed one of the parts to Erin.
"Wait, didn't you eat your bread?" Erin asked, and Lysander smiled at him. He wasn't wearing his scarf, so he could sleep better.
"That is your flatbread. It is still covered with the oils, from our "feast"," Lysander took a bite out of his bread, and closed his eyes. "We should use flatbread as a plate more often. They make for a nice breakfast."
Erin began eating his bread too, not wanting to hand it over a second time. The rich flavor of the pigeon has steeped into the bread, and made the normally flavorless flatbread into a tasty breakfast. When Erin was done, he decided that, seeing as he was poor now, the bread plates could be left for Ly and himself.
Yet, even after having this meal, his stomach still growled.
"Come on, we must be off," Lysander said. Erin held up his hands.
"I need water to wash off," Erin said. Lysander shook a finger at him.
"We need the water to drink. It is not contaminated, and I don't have a pot, to boil it. We must save it," Lysander said, and then offered his hand to Erin.
"But my hands are icky," the blonde boy said. Lysander took the napkin, where the bread used to lie, and handed it over to Erin.
"Use this. But don't throw it away. When we find a spring, or the river, I will wash it," Erin quickly rubbed his hands in the napkin, and then his mouth.
"Hands here," Erin said, holding up the napkin for Lysander to see.
"What?" Lysander asked.
"Hands here, so I can clean them. I only used half of the napkin," Erin said, and showed off a half, which was not covered in grease.
"I am not a princeling, like you," Lysander said with a scoff.
"Hands here, or I will stomp on your foot!" Erin demanded once again. If he was just a bit older, he would have threatened Lysander with a spanking. Yet, he and the wanderer looked to be the same age.
"You stomp on my foot, and I will tug at your ear," Lysander promised, but did place his hands on the clean part of the napkin.
"See, wasn't so hard, was it?" Erin asked, as he cleaned Lysander's hands. Then, he flipped the napkin, so he could clean the wanderer's mouth next.
"Hey, I am not a baby," Lysander said, but Erin giggled.
"You take care of me, I take care of you," the blonde boy said, and then pocked Lysander on the nose. "Now you can put your scarf. Come on, let us put on some new clothes!"
Lysander chuckled at how enthusiastic Erin sounded. Now, with clean hands and mouths, they went to the clothing bundle. When Lysander untied it, he found that the merchant had made a mistake. There were two bundles of clothes. Shirts, tunics, even pants. Two sets, for just one golden coin. Lysander giggled at that.
"You bring me luck, Rin," he said, and then split the two bundles. "Do you know how to dress yourself?"
"I am not a baby!" Erin protested. Lysander held up his hands.
"I didn't say you were. It is just that, you are a princeling. For all I know, there were servants catering to your every need," Lysander said with a sly smirk.
"I can dress up! I can show you!" Erin said, and began to take off his soot covered clothes. Lysander shrugged, and then began to do the same. As Lysander was rolling up his sleeves, and his pants legs, Erin seemed to be swimming in his own clothes.
"They are too big, Ly," Erin whined. Lysander sighed, and quickened his dressing up. When he was done, he went to Erin, and then took the blonde's right shirt sleeve, and began to roll it up.
"We can use them for longer. The child sized clothes would have been small in a month," Lysander finished with the adjustments of Erin's clothes, and then placed the big black cloak around the blonde's shoulders. He finished with placing his own cloak around himself. That seemed to chase the chill of the morning away.
When both of them were all decked, Lysander placed his pouches around himself, and then began to lead Erin back towards the road.
"The forests around here are accounted for, so we can't forage," Lysander explained, as Erin walked behind him. "But if we go towards the frontier, we can really find some useful herbs. As the frontier is not owned by the Republic, they can't cut off our hands for foraging."
"But there are goblins in there," Erin said, his voice quivering. "And slimes, and all kinds of things."
"As long as we don't bother them, they won't bother us," Lysander said, and Erin gulped.
"Have you been to the frontier before?" The blonde asked.
"Once or twice. There is a grove with angel's tear deeper into the valley. I know just how to get to it, from just about any spot of the border," Lysander said.
Erin looked at the back of his traveling companion, and then quickened his steps, so he was right next to him. With a shy smile, the blonde reached out, and took Lysander's hand in his.
The wanderer looked at the kid next to him, and smiled back. Maybe, he wasn't up for the task, of raising a child, when he himself was a child. Yet, he knew how lonely it was, to travel alone.
Erin could learn from him. Maybe, the blonde even had a talent for mana use. If Lysander taught him how to use that, then their lives will be easier. And, who knew? Maybe the princeling would even keep his innocence around himself.
