It took three weeks from the time Alexander arrived at the monastery before he managed to start walking on his own. Since no one, not even himself, was aware of his actual age this accomplishment wasn't really all that much. What was a bit of a surprise though was that it didn't take him more than a month after arriving for him to start making sounds that sounded like words. Even with his apparent age this could be considered quite early.
So it was that Alexander was moved from the room with all the smallest children to the boys room in the orphanage. It didn't take him long to learn that being moved here was not really any kind of improvement. First it turned out that the one or two free beds the orphanage had was actually in the girls room, so he would have to stay on a pile of straw with some blankets until one of the older boys would be given to an apprenticeship or taken in by the monks in one of the other monasteries. Luckily it wasn't wasn't too many months before he got a bed, so he didn't have to sleep on the floor over winter.
For the most part his days in the orphanage was filled with sermons and playing with the other children in the courtyards of the monastery. A few times he managed to end up in a fight with one of the other boys and was punished by the nuns. It didn't take long for him to learn that the punishment in the monastery was not worth the fights. Being taken to the front of the the entire convent during one of the daily sermons and beaten before being placed in a dark chamber for a day without food and drink.
And so the days came and went until he reached the age of six. At which time during the daily sermon the abbess told the convent and children that they wouldn't be able to keep the children any longer. The reason for which was that the local lord, Baron Atius, no longer wanted to donate money to feed, what he called, filthy rascals that provided nothing in return. Thus it was that the children of the orphanage were to be thrown out, unless they were of an age where they could take on an apprenticeship or become a monk or nun.
Alexander, with a few other of the children, found themselves walking from the monastery shortly after the sermon towards the city nearby. When they arrived outside the city, Tiramdal, they were stopped by the city guards. One of whom said to the group "what do you children want here huh? You think we will be letting you in to beg? Get away from here and let proper people get in!"
George, one of the older boys which had gone with the group Alexander had come with, decided to take charge of the group since they couldn't get into the city. He got them to follow him inside the nearby forest where he gathered them around himself before saying "damned city guards! Of course they wouldn't let us in. But, I heard from one of the older boys back at the monastery, one who got there at an older age, that there are tunnels under the walls. So I say that we find one of them and sneak in. Once we get inside you all will have to follow me, otherwise I am sure you wont survive." All of the children in the group nodded, even those who were a bit sceptical about following George.
They ended up splitting up, agreeing that they would meet back at the same location in the forest when the sky started to darken, especially if someone managed to find one of these tunnels. Alexander went with two other boys he had become friends with at the orphanage, Tarin and Mersek. They decided that they would be playing some games whilst walking along the city wall. After a few hours of walking and playing they started heading back, having not found any sign of any tunnels. They were also starting to get hungry at this point so they picked some mushrooms as they walked back. Though not daring to eat any of them yet, given how many people had come to the monastery seeking healing after eating bad things.
All the children met up again in the forest where George had spoken to them earlier in the day. Many of them had brought different kinds of plants and mushrooms they had found on they way whilst searching for the tunnels. Some of the older girls looked through the different plants and mushrooms since they had helped the nuns with healing so they recognised what was inedible. One of the boys in the group said he had seen some people going under a tree and when he followed he had found a tunnel which he believed where one of the tunnels going under the wall. At this George applauded him and said that after they had all eaten, obviously after he had his fill since he was now the leader, they would make their way there.
After eating the plants and mushrooms the children, under the leadership of George, and following the boy who found the tunnel made their way towards it. It didn't take them long to get to it, though the moon had started peeking out in the sky. Once they got to the tunnel George took the lead and they made their way through it. They were quite lucky and did not meet anyone in the tunnel and came out in what appeared to be some sort of storage. Given that they had only had some plants and mushrooms for food this day they almost threw themselves at the food stuffs in the storage.
Jack, the barkeep of The Rotten Tankard, heard what appeared to be children's laughter coming from the storage leading to one of the smugglers tunnels. He was sure there shouldn't be any one coming through the tunnel at this time, especially not children. So he told one of the maids to keep watch of the bar whilst he checked it out. Making his way back to the storage room he opened the door and found a large group of children eating his stores. "Who the fuck are you?" Jack shouted at the children. The entire group of children stop dead at the sudden shout, many dropping the food they had been stuffing in their mouth. "Get the fuck out of here, right now! All of you will have to pay for this damage!" Jack continued shouting. He grabbed the closest child and starting dragging him towards the front room.
Some of the children, amongst them George, decided that this was the opportunity to flee whilst Jack was busy dragging Alexander. Whilst the others, being obedient from the years at the monastery decided to meekly follow Jack and Alexander out of the storage. "Hey, were do you think you are going!" Jack shouted at the fleeing children, dropping Alexander and trying to grab some of the running children. Unfortunately for him, given their size, he didn't manage to grab any, so he quickly grabbed Alexander again, so as to make sure he wouldn't run.
"Damned children. How did you even get in there?" Jack asked of Alexander whilst dragging him to the front room of the tavern. "We… we… we found the tunnel outside, and followed it here sir. We were thrown out of the monastery since Baron Atius didn't want to pay for us the be cared for any longer. So George"-Alexander looked around to see if he could find George-"uhm, one of the boys that ran, said we should get into the city so we could find food and stuff. The city guards stopped us so George said he had heard about tunnels going under the walls from the older boys so we searched for them, and we found the one leading into that"-Alexander pointed back to the storage room-"room there."
"And so you just decided that since you found food in the storage you would just take it huh?" Jack inquired. "Well sir, we had only had some plants and mushrooms to eat since yesterday and when we saw the food we couldn't stop." Alexander answered. Shaking his head Jack let go of Alexander before saying "it's too late about the food now, but I will have you lot"-he pointed to the two boys besides Alexander, and the four girls that had followed from the storage-"work to pay back what was eaten. All day for the next month I will have you come here and do work for me." "But sir, we don't have any were to stay," one of the girls chimed in. "Well, fuck if I care. So long as you show up here and work I don't care where you stay, but one thing is for sure I ain't letting you stay here, nor am I going to feed you" Jack answered the girl.
"I expect you all to be here at first light tomorrow, or if I ever see you again you will wish that you were never born" Jack said has he showed the children out the door of the tavern. The group of children, now only seven, looked at each other outside the tavern. "What do we do now?" one of the other girls asked. "I think we just find somewhere to sleep. I don't want to risk not being here tomorrow" one of the two other boys said. So the group walked around a bit, not too far so as to not lose track of where the tavern was. Before they ended up sitting down in an alley and huddling together. It didn't take them long to fall asleep there, but the sleep was quite restless, as they started at each and every sound.