Free day, Marco and his friends had been hanging and talking to him and Miles and Pebbles, no chance to talk to Miles alone.
He wanted to chat with Miles and explore the town they lived beside.
One interesting, scary thing he had noticed was a watchful presence in the back of his mind, remote and alien but in some form of rest.
Another thing he noticed was how the world seemed more alive the more he lived in it.
The sensation that he had changed things by befriending Marco. Naming people and just talking to people.
The world still also seemed a little false, but less so as the days went on.
Whether that was him adjusting or him actually changing things he didn't know.
The day came when they were free once more, as everyone dispersed, Pebbles was running circles around Twig, they both yammering on about a sword fighting display in town that interested all of them, Marco leading and Izzy walking behind the two youngest, Kaidan caught Miles's arm and delayed him long enough for everyone to be out of earshot.
"Kita?"
Miles slumped a bit, "please don't say anything! We wanted to stay together!"
"I never planned to tell, I was just curious."
"If they knew, she would be sent to the nunnery, we would never see each other again, we just knew it."
"I'll keep this a secret, forever," he promised.
Miles sighed in relief, "thank you!"
"Come on, let's catch up."
"Race you!"
Miles won the race, he grabbed Kaidan and ruffled his hair all up.
"Hey!" Kaidan laughed, it was nice, having friends.
Oh, he knew full well what happened to secrets, no matter if this was a game or novel. It'll be revealed at some point, but not by him and not if he could help it.
The gates are open guards lazily looking over the people entering but not really barring anyone.
They easily entered, eyes skipping past them as if they were nothing. Orphans often aren't worth much, were they.
The towns blocks were interesting, towering buildings lined the street, each designed as if from a different place, though all the same materials.
Chinese like buildings here, southwestern buildings there, something vaguely incan or astecan there, and generic medieval buildings all over.
Brightly colored banners and pennants flew everywhere.
The crowds funneled into a great public park, mot likely a market square with it's clear, flat dirt.
Different "rings" were set up, showing different fighting styles. A mini tourney in a way.
Kaidan drifted from each ring, watching the fights, jousting, archery. There would be a competition in the afternoon, that seemed interesting.
He kept his ears open for anything's, any shred to clue him in to where he was and gained a handful of familiar but still generic feeling clues.
This was Riverside Town, ruled by some unnamed Lord. Everything was ruled by a king who's only child was a daughter, Princess Azura.
He stopped to watch some squires swordfighting, it was divided by age, the youngest going first. One stood out, he had long black hair, a square jaw and looked Japanese, he display great skill to Kaidan's eye, though admittedly he was going off of movies, t.v and SCA events he had been to.
He walked around the ring, watching the squire, drawn to him even though he wasn't sure why when he bumped into a squire also watching the fight.
"Careful kid."
"I'm sorry, but. . . who is that? He's great!"
The older boy smiled, his golden hair setting off his black skin and gold eyes, the promise of handsomeness in his future clear in his jaw and smile.
"He is a bit beyond you, kid."
Kaidan couldn't help but pout, he really wanted to know, "then who are you?"
"Alec, I'm a bit beyond you too," and he patted Kaidan on the head before heading to the exit of the ring as the squire they discussed won his fight to the cheers of the others and offered his hand to the loser with a beautiful smile.
That didn't help! But it was now feeling so much more familiar.
Hm, a dog's head banner, like the dead body. . . He frowned and grabbed a teen watching the next fight, "who does that belong to?" he demanded, pointing.
The teen winkled his nose and yanked his arm away, "sir Vennegot is the Lord whom that belongs to," and he moves away with a bit of a snotty expression.
A lord or knight called Vennegot? Three novels and two games he had played had such a person in it.
The day, and the competitions passed pleasantly, that fascinating squire won all the rounds he entered, Alec second on their shared entries.
He mostly watched alone, dodging anyone sketchy looking and enjoying himself.
He waited at the gates for his friends to join them, and they talked of nothing but the tourney for the rest of the night.
The boring routine of work and lessons resumed, one night Kaidan climbed the highest point of the monestary and looked out on the night dark landscape, town and fields and forest spread out under a star filled sky.
He cried, he cried for his lost life, the lost feeling of knowing so little, he felt very much like he had lost everything and was restarting, or maybe what was before was all a dream.
What even was his goal? What was the point?
He must have fallen asleep, as he stirred while being carried, the monk who always came for them, he was carrying him.
His sleepy eyes saw the monk, and saw Gregory, one of his better foster father's, "Gregory?"
"Out at night?" he clicked his tongue before delivering him back to the orphan room, laying him by the others and tucking Kaidan's blanket around him, "go back to sleep, morning comes quick."