Vera's POV
"What's going on?"
"It's an alarm…" Her new friend said without looking at her or the chaos below.
"Oh, they brought out the dogs, that's so cool! Doesn't that mean they're searching for someone?" she asked excitedly.
"Probably…" Dan replied nervously.
"Why are you hiding, they can't see us from there, can they? Wait, are they looking for you?"
"Ha, ha, no. what makes you think that?" he said suspiciously.
"You look guilty!" she said matter of factually "are you a thief?" she asked.
"No," He denied vehemently.
"I should call them over and you can tell them you're not."
"No please don't" He begged.
"You are a thief, aren't you?"
"N-no." he said. "I'm not."
She looked him up and down her brows furrowing. "The clothes you're wearing now… they are lots nicer than what you had before. And… that sword… it has gems and gold!" she said noticing the quality of his attire for the first time. "If you can't afford food, how can you have that?" she asked him.
"I can, it's not… I have food at home, I just didn't think to bring any with me when I ran away… these are my things, they just got wet so I ahh… borrowed that shirt to sleep in."
"If you're not a thief then why are you scared?"
"… because… they're looking for me… because I ran away." He admitted.
"Huaa! You are noble" she exclaimed frightened.
"No, I'm not." He quickly reassured her. "I'm anything but noble." He added sadly.
"Then why are they looking for you? I thought the people that lived on the hill only cared about others from the hill."
"No, well, maybe. Their probably only looking for me because my dad ordered it. So, I can get punished when they find me."
"Who could order all that?" she asked pointing to the large commotion coming from the main city.
"Well, he's kind of a commander I guess."
"That's so cool! Is that why you can fight so well?
"I cannot. I am an embarrassment to my family. I can only win against you because you're so small, and weak."
"I am not!" she said suddenly upset.
"I did not mean it meanly I only meant you are small because you are still quite young and weak only because you're so small. But you are strong for your size, and you will get bigger." He reassured her.
"Fighting is the only thing I'm good at, I don't want to be small and weak."
"I'm sure that's not true you seem smart."
"I'm not at all good with letters here. Or talking."
"As I said, I like the way you talk."
"Oh, I know, my family you help teach you to fight and you can teach me to read and write!"
He smiled sadly. "That would be fun, but I don't think I could stay, I'll have to go back or go away forever."
"You can't go away forever, you're my only friend and I just now found you." She cried out tearing up. She couldn't lose her only friend.
"I… don't cry," he said.
"I can bring you food, then you won't have to steal or go away."
"You can't keep running away, your dad will worry."
"What about yours?"
"I… I don't know. I need some time to think. And you, you need to go home now, the sun is touching the top of the wall." He said illustrating it by weaving his hand between the light and the shadow. "You should hurry. Come I have a quick way down." He said leading her back down to the fourth-floor window. He went to the room he'd slept in and came back with a rope. Tying it around her he helped her threw the window and lowered her down. She untied the rope and tied a small bag to it instead. Then put on her blue dress and ran across the fields to a large brick building on the edge of town, her father's smithy.
When Vera got home her father wasn't there, her uncle Ham however was, and he did not look pleased.
"Where have you been? Fog and your father have been out looking for you for close to an hour?" she had never heard him sound so angry before.
"I… I ran away… they were all so mean, they make fun of me for not talking. And they wouldn't let me play with them. They told me to go away… so I did."
"A warrior does not run away."
"But Father said I can't hurt anyone at school."
"Not all battles are with swords and fists. Some are a battle of wills and minds. Train your mental fortitude. And do not let the bullies win again." He scolded.
She nodded and stood taller. Then they went to find her father and frog, who were both equally angry and had similar things to say. She asked if she could at least be allowed to speak in school and her father told her, no. only a coward takes the easy way out. A brave person faces their fears. Words on their own have little meaning, you need to win this battle without your words and find a way to be heard and seen in a new light without them, actions speak louder than words. Now write these lessons down so you remember them."
"Yes, father." So, she did. She ate dinner and thought of the boy in the empty castle with no dinner and wished she could tell her family about him, her first friend in this country. "Father, could I have time after school tomorrow to play with a friend?"
"You made a friend?"
"Yes"
"Who is it?"
"… Ah… a secret friend…"
"You are not allowed to have secret friends and one of us must be with you always unless you are at school. No more going off on your own." Her father told her sternly.
"But he doesn't have any other friends or food and he ran away because his family is mean and doesn't like him." Her father and uncles exchanged looks.
"It sounds like your friend is in need of a similar lesson as you. His family is likely really worried as we were. Where is he?"
"I… I can't say, but he said he might go home tomorrow! ... or leave the kingdom forever..." She added quietly. "But he wanted to think things over during the night and he'll wait to see me tomorrow, just in case we don't get to see each other again. he was really nice, nicer than the kids at school. So, I hope he stays. We fought; it was so much fun! I won the first round because he wasn't trying then he beat me really, really quick. It's not fair his family is so mean to him. Even when you guys get mad because I mess up… like today… you don't hurt me."
"Did he say his family hurt him?"
"No, but he was hurt, he tried to hide it, but I could tell. He had a lot of bruises and He kept grabbing his side or his arm and he had a limp."
"Ask him if his parents know how badly he's been getting hurt."
"Does that mean I can visit him tomorrow?"
"Yes, someone must convince the boy to go home. And if we go, he may spook and run again.
In the morning when she got up, her father was waiting in the kitchen with a large, packed lunch. And some breakfast. She ate as he told her the packed food was for her new friend and she could borrow his horse to get to the wall and back quickly. Then he reminded her of her lessons and what she should say to the boy before sending her on her way. She was so happy to be going to see her new friend and skip a day of school that she never stopped to think how odd it was for her father to allow this.
When she got there, she tied the napkin filled with leftovers to an arrow, her arms were too sore from the day before to climb that much again. She aimed the crossbow; she'd borrowed at the broken window. She fired and the kickback knocked her off the horse and the arrow hit the wall several feet shy of the window then fell to the ground broken. Her but was going to bruise but she brushed it off and tied the cloth of food on another arrow and tried again, this time from the ground planting her feet wide. The kickback hurt but she didn't fall over and best of all the arrow went through the window. She smiled at her accomplishment.