Summary : Alecian watched her families' title collapse around her. She went from being the spoiled child of a duke to as low as a peasant. She soon returns to save her brother and avenge the death of her father but doesn't expect to fall in love with the man she has to kill.
Prologue :
The day they took my father will never leave my mind. Though I was six at the time I still remember the sound of the horses tromping down the gravel road and the powerful look of the soldiers sitting atop them. I can hear the roar of my mother's scream as she clung to my fathers arm weeping, the creek of the wagon wheels which would be used to carry my father from us. My father gave no protest as they arrested him. He didn't utter a word as they bound his hands in front of him and followed the soldiers to the awaiting wagon. It was as if he had been waiting for them to come. He didn't even glance at my mother as the company started up again and the men left with my father in tow.
My father nodded towards my brother before turning his tear filled eyes upon me. I knew the real pain he felt. The shame that was going to be brought upon my family was enough to think about and the sheer blindness to my mothers repeated affairs must have set him over the edge. My family was in ruins before my father dug himself into a pit of debts he couldn't afford to pay. We had been falling apart at the seams before my "uncle" Count Gregory came to live with us. He had only added to the problems as my mothers fondness for him grew and their apparent affair became public. Of course all the servants had known about it for years but my mother had strived to keep her relationship secret from my father. For good reason of course. I suppose she thought only of her reputation rather than the feelings of my father. That was so like my mother as well. Always thinking of herself and never stopping to consider anybody else.
I'm shocked I could even refer to her as a mother. She was more of a child than I was, always whining and complaining when things didn't go her way and constantly being given gifts to keep her happy. It's almost embarrassing to think about. But I was much more different than my mother. I could hold my own in an argument and didn't need people constantly watching me and giving me things in order to stay happy.
My brother was much the same way. We were content to live with our father amongst his collection of fairy tale books and cigars. They were the only things in life he enjoyed. Every night we three curled up by the fire and read a different tale. My favorite were those of Alanna and her many adventures as the Kings Chosen One, Especially the one where she brought back the Dominion Jewel. But those times were quite often interrupted by another one of my mothers tantrums.
By the time my father reacted to the affair the situation had grown to extreme. My mother was pregnant with the Counts child and my father was heartbroken. That was why he did what he had, or at least attempted to. But the Count stopped him, the Count always stopped him.
My mother had stopped crying by the time she'd let go of my father to the time she reached the Counts side. That's how I knew we were so different. I never stopped crying. I clung to the skirts of my nurse and watched through bleary eyes. When my father glanced at me again I broke down. Leaving my nurse I ran towards him calling out his name.
"Alecian!" My brother called running after me. I pretended not to hear him. I lifted my skirts and continued running as fast as my short legs would take me. I tripped on some loose pebbles that sent me flying into the ground, scraping my hands with the effort to break my fall. My brother ran forwards and crouched by my side, picking me up as I cried into his shoulder. My brother was the only person left I could depend on. And even he wouldn't be with me much longer.
I watched the wagon grow farther and farther away as my mother stood by the Counts side cradling her stomach which was growing larger every day. She was close to giving birth and some said she had twins or triplets growing inside of her. I didn't care which. I wished the child or children would miscarriage or they'd be still born. I wanted the entire business of them gone. But I suppose I got my wish in more way than one.
A month later my things were packed and I was being sent away to school. My brother would be accompanying me there, but would be leaving soon after as the school was all girls. Apparently I was a burden to my mother and a distraction during her pregnancy. I was disobedient to the counts wishes and refused to obey his commands, so I was therefore dispensable. They wouldn't miss me. I knew that much. My brother and the servants would very well be the only ones to shed a tear during my absence. There was no use in denying that fact or trying to make it seem untruthful. By then I was use to being unwanted and uncared for. I would probably be much happier wherever I was going.
We left at dawn by horseback. I didn't say goodbye to anyone but the servants. There was no one to say good bye to. My mother was sick in bed as her birthing date grew closer. I still prayed the child would die. It was the cause of all my sorrows. My brother and I rode silently with the six men that had been hired to travel with us. They must have known where we were going for I hadn't a clue. I wasn't keen on finding out either. We rode for days in silence. Not a word being spoken between anyone.
On the fourth day we stopped in a clearing in order to water our horses and rest a while. My brother and I took the reins of everyone's horses and led them in search of water. We came upon a small creek and dropped the reins as the horses thirstily lapped up the water. We knew they would not be wandering for they knew not to bite the hands that feed them. My brother angrily picked up some rocks and started skipping them across the lake before eventually throwing them inside.
"Aaron what are you doing?" I whispered
"I'm skipping rocks what does it look like I'm doing?" he asked
"That's not what I meant!"
"Then what did you mean?"
"Why are you here with me? You've done nothing wrong!"
"I'm following orders that's what."
"Then what will you do once I'm disposed of?"
"Go home and get new ones"
"You are incredible…" I muttered
"What's that suppose to mean?" he scowled as his voice grew angry and stern.
"She's never going to change so I see no reason in going back!" I told him
"That's easy for you too say."
"Oh yes, I'm being disposed of in the middle of nowhere, but it's easy for me."
"Alecian I'm getting tired of hearing you whine."
"Well I'm getting tired of hearing you're pathetic voice as well. I think I liked you better when you didn't talk."
"And I liked you better when you couldn't--" he said before loud shouts from the clearing interrupted our conversation. Glancing at each other we both turned and bolted back towards the men. Aaron easily ran ahead of me as his legs were longer than mine. I tripped over a loose tree branch that sent me sprawling towards the ground. Aaron didn't falter in his footsteps as he continued towards the men. I picked myself up and ran after him arriving just in time to see the man step out from the trees with a dagger raised.
The men we'd been traveling with were standing in a circle completely surrounded by the thieves. They were being held at sword point and soon my brother would be too. I opened my mouth and screamed towards him, warning him in time to turn and attempt to defend himself. Aaron barely got his dagger removed before the thief had his at my brothers throat. My screaming was brought to a stop as I was grabbed from behind and lifted off the ground. A large dirty had went to my mouth to silence my screams while the other wrapped around my small frame and held me close to his chest, to stop my flailing. I had tried to kick and pinch but it was of no use. The man was simply too large, and disgusting.
The thieves looked like they hadn't eaten or washed themselves in days. They had ragged disgusting hair that was dreaded and decorated with beads. Their clothes, though they were trimmed and without holes, were dirty and smelled like sweat. They carried nothing but knives and daggers with them as I suspected they had other properties stash else where.
"Don't move a muscle boy," the man standing in front of my brother said speaking for the first time. He was twice as tall as my brother with a full broad chest, long dark brown hair which was braided in small parts. His skin was tanned beyond belief and from where I stood his hands looked calloused as well.
My brother swallowed largely and dropped the dagger he held, realizing there was no way he could fight the man.
"Please sir," one of the men from our company pleaded. "If you please sir, take the children, their of noble blood, we aint. Spare us poor fellows if you please. "
"Traitor," I heard my brother mutter under his breath casting a glance at me and nodding when he realized I was safe at least. Well as safe as could be in our predicament. Realizing the man who held me had loosened his grip I swallowed before opening my mouth and biting the mans hand, hard. He cried out in pain and let go of my body in order to consult his wounded hand. I took the opportunity to stand straight up before throwing my entire weight onto the man's foot, causing him more pain then he could stand, literally. The man fell backwards and landed on the ground as I took off running.
My brother seeing the distraction dodged out from underneath the man's knife and fell along beside me running. We made it to the stream where the horses where before the men caught us. The ones who could, surrounded us and the rest stayed behind with those we had been traveling with. Aaron grabbed my arm and shoved by body behind his protecting me against the men. It was no use of course. They had us surrounded everywhere. We wouldn't be able to escape if we had a chance. They would be extra careful now.
"My my my...don't we have a handful here boys," the leader taunted dismounting from his horse, our horse, and walking towards us. The men around him laughed as Aaron squeezed my hand. I squeezed back, giving him the reassurance that I was there and not about to abandon him. It's not like I could if I wanted to either way. "What were you thinking of doing boy? Running away through the woods into certain doom? Huh? You've got no family or friends, so where were you supposing you would go?"
Aaron refused to answer. I didn't blame him. The thief was mad. We would have eventually thought of something, and father taught us how to survive if we were ever in the predicament where we had too, it wasn't like we were at a total loss. Well maybe we were, but that was beside the point, the point was we would have been able to survive without anyones help, and the thief was right. We had no place to go and no friends that would have taken us in.
"What do you want?" Aaron gritted through clenched teeth. "We have no money and nothing else to offer you,"
"Aye, we know that because we've already taken the liberty of stealing it. But we won't be wanting nothing from you," the man replied glancing towards me. I moved closer to Aaron and buried my head in his back. There was no way I would be leaving with these men unless Aaron was with me as well. I knew in some parts of the country parents sold their daughters into prostitution at a young age, but I wouldn't be sold, willingly or not. Aaron seemed to sense my discomfort and brought the attention of the man back to himself.
"If you take her you're taking me as well."
"Well that's the entire point boy," the man replied grinning towards Aaron but leaving his eyes on me. The man started laughing as the men around him starting moving about. Somebody came forward and bound both of our hands before setting us on a horse that was tethered to another. The leader soon mounted the horse we were tethered too, ordered the killing of those we'd been traveling with and prodded his horse into a trot, ours following along behind.
We traveled all day and into the next and I noticed that the thieves we had been traveling with were actually quite entertaining. Most of them sang to themselves and joked about during the trip, never mentioning the blood that had been shed when we were picked up, or the fact that we were prisoners. They almost treated us as equals. There were only eight in total, counting the leader. They were all burly looking and didn't show any signs of starvation or poorness. In fact, beneath the dust and grim, they were all dressed quite well and carried expensive daggers and swords. Either they'd stolen their goods or they'd actually bought them. They also carried a lot of food, more than our company had been carrying, and didn't seem to need much of anything. They had our horses tied behind their own and switched every once in a while to allow rest. In general they were quite nice and watched their language around my brother and me.
We stopped around midnight in order to get a few hours of sleep. The men quickly set about making a fire and preparing a small dinner, enough to suffice their appetites for the night. Aaron and I were led from the horse and sat down in front of the leader who sat on a large rock picking dirt out from beneath his finger nails with one of his daggers. I wasn't scared though. I was quite interested. I had never seen a dagger close up and found the detail that had gone into the hilt fascinating.
The leader must have seen me staring because he quickly leaned forward and broke through the rope binding my hands with one swipe. The sharpness of the blade astounded me. I stared at him dumbfounded as he let Aaron go as well. But wait, we were free. We could escape if the situation allowed. It wouldn't be hard. They would surly catch us, but we would still have tried.
"Do not try and escape little fox." he said speaking towards me though he was continuing to clean his nails "I can see the wheels turning in your head as we speak."
"But we are not speaking. You are the one who is speaking, I am merely listening." I replied hautily.
The man grinned through his work before replying. "You've got spunk kid. Just like your father."
My brother's head shot up quickly. He turned towards me before turning back towards the man. He was astonished, as was I. Who was this man who claimed to know our father. What did he know?
"Who are you?" Aaron asked bluntly
"Ahh, now that sounds like classified information, that a little tyke like you shouldn't be pestering yourself about." the man replied.
"I'm not a tyke," Aaron replied
"You're father never told me you had such bravery." The man chuckled to himself, glancing at Aaron and myself before looking at his hands again. "Or maybe it's stupidity." He cocked an eyebrow as his face lost its laughter and became serious.
I glanced at Aaron to see what his reaction would be, my wrists were hurting from having been bound and I started rubbing them to get my blood flowing again. Aaron's were red as well, but i knew he wouldn't rub his wrists in front of this man, not until he'd gotten whatever answers he wanted, and at the rate their conversation was going I wouldn't be surprised if they were still talking in the morning. I looked around the camp that had been set up and noticed the rest of the men laying out on blankets or eating, all of them were quiet as mice and listening closely to our conversation.
"I'm not stupid. If you're going to kill us you would have already." Aaron replied. My eyebrows went up in surprise. Was he right? Would they already of disposed of us if that was their plan. It made sense. I just hoped Aaron was right.
"You're right. I would have." the man replied.
"What is your name?" I spoke suddenly, surprising myself as well.
"Have we not already covered this?" the man spoke
"No. You've covered it with my brother, but naught with me. So I'm merely asking what your name is that I may address you by it. It is quite a pain to have to refer to you as sir or whatnot, when I'm not even sure you are worthy of such a title." I clapped my hand over my mouth as soon as the words had left. Never had I spoke so abruptly to one of my elders. I had never spoken to one of my elders for more than a few words. No one ever bothered to ask my opinion.
"My aren't you a cheeky one?" the man replied.
"Not as cheeky as I could be," I muttered
"Be quiet Alecian!" Aaron hissed. I turned and stuck my tongue out at him. He hadn't been successful in getting any information out of the man so who was he to silence me. The man watched our show of rivalry and started laughing. He slapped his knees and rocked back and forth as his voice came forth in laughter. Aaron and I sat shocked having only seen our father laugh that way. In fact it was a little too much like our father's style of laughing.
"Who--" Aaron started to ask again.
"Oh bloody hell!" one of the other men announced coming over in annoyance. "He's name is Dorian for Mithros sake. Dorian! DORIAN!"
Aaron and I laughed at the man's outburst with a glance at Dorian who looked annoyed that he couldn't continue taunting us with that information.
"Thank you Brutis that will be all." Dorian replied
"Aye, yer welcome highne--" the man, Brutis, said before being silenced by Dorian and the other men in their company. Obviously there was something they didn't want us knowing. Unfortunately I'm a very fast learner and already concluded that the man was some sort of royal. I just needed to figure out what kind, for he certainly didn't rule Tortall. King Johnathan and Queen Thayet ruled there and I'm not even sure there is a king in Scanran. My father had yet to further me education when it was interrupted by his departure.
"Well, now that that's settled." Dorian replied glaring in annoyance towards Brutis before turning back towards my brother and I. "I suppose I should be explaining now that my name's out in the open."
"You've got that right." Aaron muttered crossing his arms over his chest and glaring.
"Be quiet," I hissed in his ear not wanting to anger Dorian further. We hardly knew the man and didn't know what he was capable of.
"If you two would allow me to explain myself." Dorian tried to interrupt, unfortunately Aaron and I had already started bickering.
"Who died and made you queen?" Aaron replied turning towards me and glaring. "I don't believe anyone left you in charge."
"Well they should of, I'm much more capable of being in charge than you are!" I responded
"Says who? Nobody would trust you with anything. If anyone's going to be making decisions its going to be me. I'm older after all."
"Like hell you will be! I won't be putting my life in your hands."
"Of course you will, you have no choice!"
"Oh you did a splendid job earlier. Tell me again who's throat had a knife to it?"
"Both of you be quiet!" Dorian interrupted our little spat. I hated it when the elders interrupted. I had been winning. Aaron knew it. I could tell by the nerve I'd struck at mentioning the fact that he hadn't been quick enough to get away from Dorian without my help. That just proved my point. The fact that he needed my help in order to get out of his uncomfortable situations. Aaron rolled his eyes towards me before turning his attention back towards Dorian. I stuck my tongue out again, it was the only logical thing I could think of doing at the time, and turned back to Dorian as well. He waited until we'd settled again before continuing. "Now then, if the Bickersons are done fighting I'd like to explain how I know your father, as I can see it's of an interest to you two."
I crossed my arms and waited. I was doing a lot of that lately. I was always waiting for the next punishment to come along or waiting for other people to catch up with me. Aaron being one of them, though he was older and that didn't really make sense. Not the point, point being I sat there and waited until Dorian felt compelled to tell me about my father.
"Now, where should I start..." Dorian began sitting back and relaxing against the rocks.
"How about the beginning." Aaron muttered. Dorian raised his eyebrows and grinned.
"Seems like a useful place." Dorian replied "Your father sent me a letter two months ago, explaining the situation surrounding your household. My sister was always a little, loose, you could say but I never imagined she'd dishonor her family."
"Wait...did you say sister?" Aaron interrupted saying the words I had just been thinking. Our mother didn't have any brothers or sisters. She was an only child. At least that's what we had been told, then again if I had someone like Dorian as my brother I would certainly deny having any relation with him.
"Aye, he did," Brutis replied
"Now who's telling the story here?" Dorian shouted towards his men as they started laughing.
"Let me tell you kids something," another man said from the circle around the fire "Dorian here would of gone to the ends of the earth and back for his good-for-nothing sister,"
"Aye," another shouted "He love yer mother like the proper brother was suppose to"
"Didn't do him no good though"
"Right, she ran off with yer father without a backwards glance"
"Never wrote or nothing,"
"Good riddance I say" the men continued to add their input to the conversation. I could barely follow what was being said. My mother had abandoned her family and never written to tell why. Apparently my father had been on good terms with Dorian and corresponded with him. Dorian sat silent staring at the fire while continuing to pick underneath his fingernails with his knife. I swallowed and stared.
There was no way he like listening to all these harsh accusations against his sister. I barely liked hearing them about my own mother. But there was no way around it. She had been that cruel and still was. Why she threw me out without a backwards glance. She didn't care what was to become of me, sending me away to be raised by strangers. Aaron glanced at me, he must be feeling the same way. I could see it in his eyes. He didn't care what was being said because he knew she didn't care.
"Alright men," Brutis interrupted their banter after glancing towards Dorian. "Let's let Dorian explain to the young ones. Back to...whatever yer doing."
Aaron and I turned our attention back towards Dorian. He chewed lightly on his nail while chuckling. After a few minutes of awkward silence he spoke. "My men look out for me. They felt the pain of my sister leaving as much as I did. In case you couldn't tell." I chuckled hesitantly along with Dorian. It was weird talking about my mother so casually. That she'd hurt so many people without thinking about their feelings. Of course it was just like something she'd do.
"But yes, to answer your question, I did say sister. Your mother, Jacqueline, was my older sister. She left with your father who was also my best friend, and never spoke to any of us again, though your father kept in touch."
"And how did you find us?" Aaron asked
"Well that's a perfectly acceptable question," Dorian continued in a deep voice "You see when your father explained everything, he knew what he would be doing and he knew what would come of it, being arrested and what not, so he asked me to look after the two of you. We were on our way to your fief when we happened to hear your little company, quite noisily I might add."
"How did you know it was us? I don't recall ever meeting you before," Aaron said
"Aye, you haven't. But I knew you to be your parents children. You happen to look just like em."
"Unfortunately," I muttered. There was no shame in looking like my father, but I happened to take after my mother. Her delicate but fierce looks were ravishing. We both had pale skin that glistened whenever we stepped into the sun, her brown hair was always piled on her head while mine flowed down at my waist in loose curls. I looked like the demon herself and hated every moment of it. I was like a miniature of my mother.
"There's nothing to be ashamed of," Dorian replied
"Who's ashamed?" I hissed "I'm merely angered." My brother grunted beside me. He had no reason to. He had nothing to be angry about. He looked just like my father. With the same bone structure and everything. I couldn't stand looking at him. Everything came easy for him and still he bothered me. Probably because of that.
"Well then." Dorian interrupted before we could start arguing again. "Enough talking for one night. Might as well get some sleep."
"Right," Aaron replied following Dorian to where everyone else sat around the fire. I stayed where I was, not in the mood to talk to anyone. I couldn't believe this man, Dorian, was actually my uncle. I had always been told that both my parents were the only children in their family and that we had no kin outside of them. It was a lot to take in. All I wanted was a hot bath and something decent to eat. The bread and jerky they gave weren't enough. I was a growing girl after all. After a few moments of sitting there I grew tired. I could feel my eyelids dropping and uncrossed my arms as I curled into a ball on the ground. I didn't mind. I had always been a fan of the outdoors. Soon I fell asleep and forgot about how angry I was at my mother.
The next day we left at dawn again. This time my brother and I were given separate horses and allowed to ride without being tethered. I could've escaped if i had wanted. But i didn't want to. I would go with Dorian to wherever he lived. There was no harm in doing so. I had no place else to go after all. It was worth a shot. We rode for five days north and stopped only for a few hours of sleep here and there. Aaron instantly became accustomed to living with the men. He warmed up to them quite nicely. I'd grown use to sleeping for a few hours every day before riding all night. Evey time we stopped a fire would be built and warm food cooked. The men would sit around and tell us stories of their own lives and how they had come to serve Dorian. Yes they said served.
On the sixth day we came to the city we were to live in. We had already passed through seven others and every time Dorian went to different inns and came out with a large bag that was full. I wasn't sure what he was collecting but he did it every time we stopped. The company entered the city a few hours before dawn. Their horses must have recognized the place because their ears perked up and they started leading the way towards wherever we were going. I hadn't the slightest idea. I sat as quietly as I'd done the past six days, never saying a word and soaking in everything that was being said.
We stopped outside a large inn/bar. There was a sign hanging above the door that indicated the name "The Devils Crypt". I saw Aaron raising his eyebrows at this. We should have expected something like this. I mean the man had ordered the six men we were traveling with to be killed merely because they were with the wrong people, us being the wrong people. We were needed and they weren't, they were disposable, end of discussion. So the name didn't really bother me.
The men led the way through the side ally towards the back of the inn. Behind was a stable where the men dismounted and handed their horses over to the three boys that stood there waiting. I dismounted as well and walked towards Aaron who was getting off of his horse.
"Stay close," Brutis ordered coming up behind the two of us "We don't want you two getting lost." he pushed us forwards after the other men and followed along behind us. Dorian was at the front of the pack and led the way towards the door. He opened it swiftly and ushered us all inside. We were in a kitchen, the smells of which drifted through the open door outside. Bread had been baking in the oven and stew was boiling in a large pot. We didn't stop to eat though. Dorian opened another door that led into a large room. The room was bustling with men and women, all of them drunk off of their asses. The inn was a noisy, boisterous place with tables of men everywhere and barely enough room to walk. Men shouted over the noise bringing it to a louder level and women threw large mugs of ale on the tables without bothering to serve them properly after collecting the money. The men hurled their bodies across in order to be the first to the mug. If they weren't doing that they were playing cards, fighting, throwing darts or staring off into space from their drunkenness.
My brother and I backed into the kitchen as two men came running in behind us, both drunk and tripping over their own feet. They scrambled to their feet and stumbled out the back door. Behind them ran a third man, waving his fist and screaming. He threw a cloak at one of them before wiping his hands on his own dirty jacket. Aaron raised his eyebrows as he watched the man stumble down the alley singing to himself. The man closed the door and turned around.
"Thieves" he was muttering to himself not noticing my brother or I standing there. "Can't live with 'em…"
"Can't live without 'em" Dorian finished for the man coming in behind us. Looking up startled the man started to say something rude in reply but stopped when he realized who he was talking to.
"Dorian! You old fool!" the man said grinning as he shook the Dorian's hand.
"Vince. Healthy as always I presume!" Dorian inquired
"The misses keeps me goin!" Vince replied with a hearty laugh that made his rather large belly roll. He was a few inches shorter than Dorian with a pudgy body. His head was bald and he hadn't shaved in a while. He looked like he hadn't had a bath in a few days or hadn't changed his clothes either. He wore plain cotton pants and shirt with a brown leather apron tied around his waist. "Mithros be saved!" he exclaimed when he finally noticed Aaron and I standing there "who'll these be?"
"My sisters children come to live with us." Dorian replied glancing at the two of us while crossing his arms over his chest.
Vince stood up straighter and tried looking Dorian in the eye but he was a good four inches shorter. "Jacqueline's children? Ye sure tis a good idea? I mean two more children growing up in this environment..."
"Their kin Vince," Dorian replied with a low growl "I'm not about to throw them out on the streets. Their better here then they would be at some school."
Vince seemed to think this over for a few minutes before raising his eyebrows in agreement and shrugging it off. "If 'ye think so. Well if at's settled. Let's get ese two warmed up with something to eat. I have a feeling Sara's going to love em!"
Sara turned out to be Vince's sister. She had no children of her own and the minute she saw the two of us she fell in love. I was the daughter she'd never been able to have before her husband died of the small pox. I didn't like becoming somebody else's daughter. Though i wasn't keen on claiming my mother as mine I wasn't about to replace her with another women. I knew Sara was only treating me like that out of the goodness of her heart but I seriously didn't want that at the moment. There was nothing to fret over of course, nothing I could do either. The kitchen was quiet. We occasionally heard loud outbursts from the main room whenever the door was swung open and a servant girl would come running through shouting for more ale or a food order, but that was about it. Vince ran things in the kitchen. Cooking different meals on his large stove while complaining and telling stories the entire time.
"Aren't they just the most darling little humans ye've ever seen!" Sara exclaimed squatting by our chairs and watching us eat. It was rather disturbing to have someone all over us. We were only eating after all. Nothing to be so excited about. Sara was much like her brother as they were both some-what short and pudgy with graying hair and kind smiles. She later gave us a bath before setting us up to sleep in one of the spare bedrooms. We hadn't seen Dorian all night and I doubted we would be seeing him before we went to sleep. We didn't. He never came inside to explain what was going on or why everyone in the main room was so...weird? I guess you could explain it that way. There was something off about all the men. The way they looked, acted and sounded was too proper to be poor men, yet not civil enough to be of any noble status. Something was weird about the inn, but I wasn't going to fret over it now. Not when I had Aaron snoring lightly beside me and I finally got clean after all of that traveling.
I woke the next day to sunlight streaming into our bedroom. I blinked my eyes against the burning and rubbed them hard.
"Careful now," came a voice beside me. "You don't want to rub them raw now do you?"
I stopped rubbing and looked at Dorian, lounging in a chair beside our bed while smoking a pipe and watching me. It was awkward. Aaron was nowhere to be found. He was probably off somewhere eating.
"He's downstairs eating." Dorian answered without my asking. "In case you were wondering"
"Oh," I replied a bit rudely "Well I wasn't,"
Dorian stood from his chair and walked towards the door. "In that case I suppose you're not hungry and I can tell Sara to dispose of your food."
He was crazy. He had to be. No one threw out food that hadn't been touched. Somebody would eat it. But I was hungry. And he could tell I was.
"Get dressed and come downstairs" he told, commanded more like it. I nodded in reply. I wasn't about to disobey this man. I dressed in the plain blue dress that Sara had somehow produced and found my way downstairs. Instead of being in the kitchen though i was in the main room of the inn, or rather bar. Now that morning had come the place had cleared out and only a few people remained. There were three men and a few children standing on the far side of the room throwing daggers at the wall that had a makeshift target painted on it. Others sat at tables either nursing hangovers or talking quietly. The room itself was large and jam packed with round tables that looked like it could seat a hundred men.
Dorian walked out through the swinging door that led towards the kitchen and beckoned towards me. I swallowed the lump in my throat and walked towards him, following him inside the kitchen. I stopped when I saw Aaron and four other children sitting around a table eating. There was one spot left, which I guess was for me. Aaron looked up from his food and waved me over to the extra seat where I sat and started eating without a word. I had no idea what was going on but apparently Aaron did.
We sat and ate in silence for a few moments before one of the boys spoke up. "So this ears yer sister?"
"Right," Aaron replied swallowing his bite. "This is Alecian,"
"Nice ta meet ya," the boy, who couldn't be much older than I, said sitting next to me while sticking out his hand to shake mine."Me names Mace" I simply stared at him. There was no way I was going to be shaking his hand. I looked like it had been rolled in mud and then caked in dirt and grime. I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. The boy must have sensed my discomfort but simply grinned and turned towards his friends, all of whom seemed to be Aaron's age.
"I don't think she appreciated me good manners mates" Mace said with a hint of an accent from another country. I rolled my eyes at the ceiling. If those were his good manners I'd hate to see what his regular ones were. I suppose watching a pig eat out of a trough could be exciting, but not what I wanted to spend my time dealing with. Mace was a bit taller than me, no older I bet, and had long dark hair that was pulled back in a band with decorated beads woven throughout. Whoever had done his hair was quite talented. His green eyes sparkled with anticipation of something and looked like he was ready to burst from his skin with excitement. He looked like a troublemaker in the midst, no wonder he was with this group.
"Looks like ye've got yerself a little spitfire on yer hands there Aaron," one of the older boys said.
"Leave er alone you three," the only other girl at the table spoke up. She looked to be about my brothers age and had light brown hair that flowed past her shoulders and down her back. Her eyes were identical to Mace's and had the same mischievous look in them.
"Why should we?" the last boy spoke taunting the girl.
"Because if you don't I'll see to it that Dorian finds out, and e said to be nice to er, or else." the girl replied grinning.
I had to smile at that. Sure these people were the last thing on earth I wanted to be associating my self with. But since this was the situation I was in I might as well make the best of it. And it appeared as if these people wouldn't be hurting me anytime soon, so I had nothing to worry about.
"I'm Merry," the girl said reaching across the table and offering her hand to me. I shook it gently before returning my hand to my lap. "Don't mind my brother Mace, he can be quite a handful."
"Hey now!" Mace spoke up beside me. "Why are you shaking er hand and not mine?"
"Because my hands are clean," Merry replied tapping him across his head. Her hands were cleaner than Keith's but they were no where near the clean that I was use to. But I would bet my life I'd never be seeing that lifestyle again so I might as well make myself comfortable in this place and get use to not being as clean as I'd like to be.
"And this is Christian and Jerome," Merry finished. Both boys were tall and had blond hair that hung at their shoulders. They weren't siblings, just friends but looked similar in some ways.
"Hello," I said nodding towards them.
"So er the new kids that came in last night, huh?" Jerome spoke while stuffing his face with food.
"I suppose so" Aaron spoke up for the first time. He seemed to fit in quiet comfortably with these people.
"Did anything exciting happen in the main room?" Mace asked
"Any fights or killins?" Christian asked as well.
"Sara makes us go to bed early so we never get to see anything fun." Jerome explained
"Yeah and I have ta go ta bed even earlier," Mace complained.
"Well it's for yer own good," Merry answered.
"Is not!" Mace argued.
"Is too!"
"Na uh!"
"Yes huh!"
"Would yew too stop yer bickering," Jerome interrupted.
"We've got newbies who don't need ta be seeing that!" Christian added. "Anyways, were any of the thieves happy that their king came home earlier?"
"Well of course they were happy!" Jerome insisted.
"Yeah I know, but most of them had to be drunk off their asses, like usual and must have been excited." Christian replied
"Well duh, that don't mean nothin!" Mace complained.
"So much you know" Jerome said taunting him.
"They king said so!" Mace replied
That was it then. We were among thieves, well we'd already established that last night, who referred to Dorian as their King. For some reason that fact didn't surprise me and didn't frighten me either. It was almost like I had been expecting news like this. And for some reason it excited me. I was happy to be sitting at the table sharing a meal with thieves who could probably kill me in an instant, but that all made me want to stay more. I wanted to be thief. If Aaron would let me. I doubted we would be going anywhere else. I mean these people were perfectly willing to take us in and I'm sure once we learn some things we could pay them back for their kind hospitality.
I glanced at Aaron to see his reaction. He was listening to every word the four kinds uttered. He glanced over towards me and smiled while nodding. He approved. We were staying. This was going to be quite and interesting turn of events.
A/N : So I'm back! I know I've been gone for quite a while but my life has been dreadfully busy w/ my senior year of high school and all of the stupid responsibilities I've taken on. Besides that my big sister is getting married this weekend and I have mono. So! Yes, I've come back and I've decided to just re-post these under a new story since I did a little bit of editing and I've smushed more chapter together. Hope you enjoy and thanks for all the reviews from the first time this was shortly updated!