Just after sunrise, Freyja found the black haired boy standing in the same cave she found him yesterday. He touched the freshly-healed wound on his side. It still stings. He acted tough, but he really thought it was the end of him.
His job was rather difficult. He managed to kill the person he's supposed to, but was wounded in the process. The aura of his opponent was so strong, it even stuck to his wound and caused him deathly pain. To make things worse, his comrades chased after him relentlessly.
"Hey!" A familiar voice called him. "It's you!" Freyja called.
He stared at her as she ran to him with a relieved expression on her face. He carefully assessed each and every step she took. Is she an assassin? Is she an enemy? But he found no single trace of aura from her. She is an ordinary person, but how did she dispel the aura in his wound yesterday?
"Glad I found you! Here, you dropped this!" Freyja returned the silver locket first thing.
"Don't touch that!" The boy snatched the locket away from her.
"Uh... sorry?" She was unsure how to react.
Now that she's closer, she noticed that the boy is actually just as tall as she is. And strangely, he reminds her of something, but she can't point out what. She watched him tie the locket around his neck. But one thing she noticed is that he held the locket gently, as if he's holding a delicate flower. Subconsciously, Freyja touched her chest, feeling the Celestial medallion under her shirt.
"Hey." He finally said something, but his voice is cold and cautious. "Why did you help me?"
It took Freyja a few seconds before she could answer. "Hm... it looks like you needed help." He looked away. "By the way, what's your name? You're same age as me, right?" She reached her hand out for a handshake but was ignored. "Anyway, I have some meat buns here. You can have one."
"I don't need it."
"Whatever. Fine. Goodbye!" She was about to turn her back, when the boy suddenly held her shoulder. "If that's poisoned I'll kill you." He's blushing. Freyja giggled, and ended up laughing. She sat on the ground, cross-legged, and split all the meat buns in her basket, in quarter pieces. "There! We share, okay?" She put the basket between them before getting a piece. The boy too, hesitantly took one.
"Delicious, right?" She grinned. He took another piece and nodded.
When they finished the entire basket, Freyja stood up and picked the empty basket up. "Well then, good bye! Make sure you don't lose that locket again!" She waved her hand and headed out of the cave, back to her errands.
The next day, the boy found himself in the same cave again. He was surprised himself, why he went back when he has nothing else to do there. He kept on glancing at the cave's entrance. He stayed there for hours, and is growing impatient for some reason.
"You're here again!"
Her voice lit his eyes up. She ran to him with a wide smile on her face, this time, with a basket of apples. "Have some! Only three though, they're for someone else!"
They boy found himself eating with this stranger again. For some reason, she talks non-stop and doesn't seem to be afraid of him. He is sure that the girl is aware that he's being hunted down. But why she won't tell the townspeople is something he couldn't understand. "You know I'm wanted here, don't you?"
"I figured. They're chasing after you, right?" She answered as if it's not a big deal.
"Why aren't you saying anything to them?"
"Why would I? Besides, it still hurts, doesn't it?" She pointed to his wound. "If you did something bad, just make sure you apologize once you're okay and don't do it again." She said, mimicking how Kirin scolds her.
The boy felt his hear race. Usually, he would just say what he did wrong straight to anyone's face. But for some reason, he can't bring himself to tell her.
"Anyway, my name is Freyja. How about you? What's your name? How old are you? I'm thirteen! But I'll be fourteen soon!"
His eyes widened. "Y— you're a girl!?" He exclaimed. His surprise, annoyed her. "Yeah, so what? I'm just in training that's why I'm wearing boys' clothes!"
"I'm..." He looked away from her. "... I'm Keon. I just turned eleven two days ago." Freyja had this impression that he'd be stuck up and arrogant. But seeing him like this relieved her. She knows that he's just shy. "That's great Keon! Happy Birthday!" She leaned towards him. "Yay! You're younger than me! It means I'm your big sister!" She's always been the youngest, having someone younger than her gives her made her feel a bit special. Freyja can't stop grinning.
"Why are you happy?" He raised an eyebrow. "It's just a birthday."
"Are you kidding!? What do you mean it's just a birthday!?" Freyja eyed him from head to toe. He looked human, but he reminded her of emotionless Astrid. Looking at him closer, she finally realized who he reminds her of. It's Kirin. "You see, birthdays are celebrated, because we endured another year of everything that happened in our lives... happiness, pain, whatever it may be, that simply means that we got stronger because we are able to live all through that!"
Keon blankly stared at her, making Freyja feel stupid.
"You mean, you never had a birthday present before?" Freyja asked, feeling quite sorry for Keon. "Ah! I know! I'll go and get you a present!" Freyja wanted to stay more, but looking outside, and the remaining apples in her basket, she's reminded of the unfinished errands she still has to do. "Will you be here tomorrow?" She asked. Keon nodded. "See you!"
Every day, during her morning herb-picking errands, she would stop by the cave to hang out with Keon. He's quiet most of the time, but he attentively listened to every story that Freyja told him. Although she felt comfortable with her new friend, Freyja has been very discreet about her identity and Kirin's. After all, they too are wanted persons.
Despite his silence, Keon liked staying with her. She was his first and only friend. He accompanied her while gathering herbs and she even challenged him to a spar. Although Freyja lost badly, her energy seemed to be endless. Keon giggled, catching the girl's attention. "Keon! You smiled!" She pulled his cheeks, a victory smug on her face. "Finally you laughed!" Keon blushed, shoving her hands away. "For some reason, I feel like I already won! Haha!"
"Anyway, see you tomorrow."
"Yeah, see you." Keon waved her goodbye.
For the entire week, Freyja regularly met with her new friend to test her sword fighting skills. She found Keon extremely strong, resembling Kirin's swordsmanship and skills in many ways. Keon and Freyja sparred on that place often, but Freyja could not land a single strike on the boy.
However, Freyja kept this a secret to Kirin. She was sure that Kirin would never let her befriend someone who is wanted by townspeople. But still, she can feel in her heart that there is so much more to this boy than the heartless assassin everyone thinks he is. And to add to that, Keon reminded her so much of Kirin, both in fighting style and in their expressions when they first met.
"Your skills are relatively good. Believe me..." Keon complemented with a rare smile.
Since the first time they met, Keon's attitude towards her completely changed. He now looks more childlike and carefree, much to her relief. Freyja started feeling sorry for not revealing her true identity to him. While Keon helped her train her combat skills, she tried her best to answer his questions like 'Why do people smile?' and 'What is a dream?' Keon's childlike questions amused Freyja so much that she felt like having the little brother she never had.
A week passed, and their stay in that town has come to an end. Kirin and Freyja must now head to the next country and continue her training on the way to Djin. She is happy to go forward, that is true. But she also felt sad about leaving Keon. For a moment, she contemplated on asking him to go with her and Kirin.
A day before their departure, Keon and Freyja were eating apples in the usual spot in the cave, when Keon noticed she's unusually quiet. He pulled the silver locket out of his clothes and opened it in front of Freyja.
Inside is a picture of a beautiful lady with long curly black hair and black eyes. She looks very much like Keon.
"She's very pretty!" Freyja couldn't help but stare at it.
"She's my mother... but she's long been dead."
"Oh, I'm sorry..." Freyja covered her mouth all of a sudden, "I didn't mean to..."
"It's alright."
Freyja stared at Keon's lonely expression. She could tell, by just looking at him that he loves his mother so much and he badly misses her— something she can totally relate to.
Looking at Keon's expression reminded her of the Alfiore's death, still haunting her mind. Freyja's tears fell before she even realized it.
"Hey, why are you crying?"
"It's just sad. I don't know." She wiped her tears off while laughing at her own sensitivity.
"You're... crying for my sake?" Keon wiped her tears off with his hand. "Why?"
"I lost many things too. Home, people... I lost them. Many of them, I couldn't even remember their faces, which makes me even guiltier for not being able to mourn for them." Freyja took a deep breath before continuing, "But, its okay for now, sad things happen, but I have friends with me." The faces of Kirin, Alaric, and Astrid flashed in her in mind. She almost told him about them, but she didn't, making her feel guiltier and lonelier.
"I know that they are watching over me, so I have to be strong and make them proud. You too Keon! I know that your mother is watching you always. She wouldn't want to see you sad, would she? "
Keon smiled and he nodded. "Thank you, Freyja."
"That's why from now on, you have to be more careful and not get injured!" Freyja found it even more difficult to tell Keon about their departure after that talk. But she didn't want to miss the chance to properly bid him farewell, so she gathered her courage to tell him nonetheless.
"Keon, let's meet here tomorrow. There's something I want to give you— before I leave this town."
~ o 0 o ~
"Are you ready? We'll be leaving tomorrow" Kirin noticed Freyja's unusual lack of enthusiasm. She did say something about having a friend but she never really told him the details. "Did you say goodbye to your friend?"
"Kirin, is it okay if we meet him tomorrow? I want to give this bracelet that I made as a birthday and parting gift."
"Him? I thought your friend is a 'HER'!?" Freyja shrieked. She lied because she's afraid Kirin wouldn't let her become friends with a stranger.
"I'm sorry! I didn't want to worry you. But he is also a fighter and he can use aura too! He's been helping me out with my training too."
"He can use aura?" Kirin's eyes narrowed.
"Yes. But I can tell! He's not a bad person. He is eleven years old, his name is Keon."
One name from her lips and Kirin turned pale as a ghost. "Keon? Did you say his name is Keon!?" Kirin's tone rose all of a sudden. "What is he like?"
"He's a little weird, but he's very friendly. Really." Feeling tension from Kirin's questions, she tried to give out as many information as she could. Freyja was ready to get scolded but instead, Kirin ruffled her hair and gently brought her face to his chest in a loose embrace. She could hear his pounding heart. "Kirin? Is something wrong?"
Kirin sighed in relief. "Freyja, don't ever hide things from me again, no matter how small. I promise, I'll listen to you. So don't be afraid to tell me things."
"Yes. Sorry Kirin."
Kirin went back to packing their bags, but Freyja could clearly tell that something she said about Keon greatly worried Kirin. And Freyja, could only pray that her hunch was wrong.
~ o 0 o ~