Morning came quick, and with it, my grief left. It felt as if I had only slept for a couple of minutes, but there was no denying it. The sun was shining brightly and spreading its warmth across the kingdom. With its bright light, the sun lit the room up and gave the room a welcoming feel.
I didn't recall the window being open last night nor the curtains being pushed to the sides of the window. Perhaps, the old man opened it this morning to let some fresh air in.
Moving from the bed to the desk sitting below the window and against the wall, I heard the sound of children laughing and playing around. I guess it wouldn't be unusual for children to be playing around, but the sound was louder than I thought.
Peeking my head behind the window, I spotted two children, a boy and a girl, running around chasing each other. They were running with wide grins across their faces as they traversed within the yard of the small house.
"Tag! You're it," the boy said upon lightly nudging the younger girl's back.
Turning around, he sprinted in the opposite direction after barely evading the girl's swift attempt to backhand him and reclaim her spot as the runner.
The two appeared to have a close bond. With the distinctions in their sizes, the boy appeared to be older than the girl by a few years. Side-by-side, he had a noticeable height difference as the young girl's head barely reached his shoulder. Her beautiful green eyes that paired perfectly with her long blonde hair alluded to the innocence behind her youth.
As for the boy, he wasn't exactly molded by youth to the same magnitude. He appeared to be in his early preteen years. Unlike the girl, his eyes and hair were both dark in color.
"Got you!" the girl rejoiced after finally catching the boy.
The door behind me creaked open. It was the old man with a platter of food in his hands.
"Oh! I didn't expect for you to be up," he said as he entered the room. Setting the platter down on the desk, he noticed the kids playing outside. "I hope the kids didn't wake you," he said. "They're usually quite rowdy. I'll go tell them to quiet down."
"It's alright," I stopped him. "I don't mind."
The sight was refreshing and peaceful to me. Like a melody, it put me in a trance where I daydreamed of the time I was younger. In this dream, I was running around a big grassy field with other kids—about five others. It was the greenest field I had ever seen. The sun was bright but not too hot which led to the beautiful colors of the environment being enhanced. Even the faces of the kids glowed in the great light that made their distinct features stand out more like some of their pointy ears and colorful eyes.
We laughed as we ran with the gentle breeze of the wind. The weather felt good; it was perfect. Nice and warm, good on the skin, it was as if Spring had come to live and wrapped us within her loving arms.
Eventually, we'd settle from running around to laying down in the soft grass. The sun would begin its slow descent as night approached. The sky would dress up in its fanciest dress of red, gold, and orange. The sunset with friends... it was mesmerizing.
The dream ended. A tear had rolled down the cheek under my left eye. It felt so real...
My head pounded slightly. The sensation quickly went away after I winced and wiped the tear away.
"It's not much, but this is all we have at the moment," the old man said.
Looking down at the platter, I saw Cres already digging into the food. Scuffing down all the berries, he left me with a piece of bread and an apple. I took a bite out of the bread and threw the rest at him.He scrambled to catch it as it fumbled between his hands.
"No," I argued. "This is enough... thank you."
"I appreciate your humility, but a growing boy like you needs lots of nutrients."
"It's fine," I said softly and nodded "Your hospitality is more than enough."
"Speaking of which, I didn't catch your name," he changed the topic.
"Ares."
"Well then Ares, you can stay as long as you'd like until you get your feet off the ground. In the meantime, I'll be needing your assistance with things like running errands or watching the kids."
"Kids?" I paused. "You mean the ones outside?"
"Yes," he responded. "Mia and Romeo. They're my adoptive grandchildren."
"Adoptive?"
"Yes. They were born orphans from different families. I took them in a couple of years ago and have been raising them since." He looked at the kids through the window before shifting his glance to the floor and taking a deep breath. "You see—I've known Romeo's father since he was a little boy. He was a good man. In his youth, his ambition led him to become an adventurer. Having been born in our small village, it was unexpected for him to gain the popularity he did."
The old man's eyes twinkled as if he was reliving the events.
"Making it to an A-Rank adventurer, he was recruited to serve for the king as a Black Knight. Unfortunately, the joy our village knew was taken from us with the news of his death in battle."
The old man coughed briefly. It seemed as if he wanted to cry.
"My condolences," I said in the heart-aching moment.
He took a moment of silence before continuing.
"As for Mia—I have no idea where she came from. One morning, I heard a knock at my door and when I went to answer, nobody was there except a cradle with a baby inside."