"Everyone, does the wild boar meat stew sounds appetizing?" Bob asked looking around? The girls noded enthusiastically, almost drooling.
"Ben lets get a couple of boars then." Bob took his bow and arrows. Both the boys went into the forest talking and laughing.
"Will they be alright?" Irene asked with a bit of worry.
"Don't worry lady Irene, you need an army of boar's to even put a scratch on those two." Harry smiled looking at the direction where the boys had disappeared and shook his head.
"How are they all so strong, master Harry?" I have never heard anyone taking on 200 mercenaries singlehandedly and coming on top. Without so much as a scratch. And that too within a matter of minutes!! It felt like I was living in a dream." Irene was totally in awe and still was in disbelief.
Dave who was unloading the utensils heard it and grinned triumphantly. Before Irene even could get a response from Harry, Dave's loud voice was heard by everyone there....
"Guys take out my gold now. All of you, 1000 gold each. Thank you lady Irene, I almost forgot about the bet we had." Dave smiled goofily at Irene.
"Nope, you lost Dave. There is a scratch on your left forearm." Alan grinned wickedly.
"What....!!!" Dave looked at his forearm where he saw an inch of tiny hair line scratch. He thought about it carefully. Then facepalmed. "What a dumb luck." He sighed sadly.
"You jerk. Can't you have ignored it and let the others give their gold first? I would have let you keep your gold." Dave glared at Alan with a scowl on his face.
"Rules are rules brother. Besides what value does the gold have in your eyes. You will give it to someone in need anyway." Williams said nonchalantly.
"Ah, forget it. You jerks know how to get the upper hand over me when it comes to the matter of gold." Dave shook his head, left the items near Alan and sat next to Harry.
"Lad, I still don't understand. Why do you boys bet, when all you do is donate that amount for one or the other cause. Or to someone in dire need?" Harry asked in puzzlement.
"Gold doesn't mean anything, master Harry. But the bet helps us to raise the standards we set for ourself." Dave said watching the log burn slowly.
Irene who was sitting near Harry became curious and asked, "Dave, why don't you value gold?"
Dave looked up from the burning log to Irene and smiled sadly. "Lady Irene, can you tell me, why should I value gold?"
Irene was taken aback by this question. She thought for a few seconds and replied, " With enough gold you can lead a comfortable life. You can have all the luxury you would like and get those things which not only you need, but also those you simply wish to have."
Her answer was genuine and even true. Practically without gold one would struggle to lead a comfortable life and everyone there noded in agreement to this.
Dave bowed his head slightly accepting her words. "Let me ask you then my lady.... If.."
"Please call me Irene. I am still your junior from the academy." At these words, the old Duke and even Irene's mother smiled noding approvingly. Irene who always was lonely due to her status as the duke's daughter was opening up and trying to make friends. Which made them happy.
"As you wish my... I mean Irene.... Dave smiled."
"I might have a different perspective but let me ask you this..... Being a daughter of Duke what did you miss the most or missed while growing up?"
"I missed making friends, I missed having a bit more of my fathers care and attention."
"Say... if you would have received 100,000 gold and asked not to care about the things you miss the most. Would you have been happy having the gold?" Dave asked again.
"No.... Never... No amount of gold would have replaced my father's love or having friends whome you could rely on." Irene said shaking her head with certainty.
" Exactly..." Dave looked sad, you would not value the money you get which makes you leave your father or family."
All three boys felt a pang and came towards Dave and sat around him and put a comforting hand on his shoulders.
Dave genuinely smiled looking at them.
Then he looked at Irene, "This is what I want, he gestured at the boys. The friendship, the brotherhood. The ones who could die for you or better, even kill for you. That is what I want, he pointed at Rose and Lilly. Sibling for whome you can die or kill for. They are what I want. He gestured and bowed his head at the Heathrow's. The ones who inspite not being you family welcomed you with open arms and open heart. Not even bothered to know who I was or what was my background."
"This is what I want. Not the gold my own father gave me because he felt helpless towards me. Not the gold I can earn easily. Not the luxury or the things that I can buy from gold."
"I want them. I want these fools. Without having all these people around me, there is no Dave that you are seeing today, Irene." Dave said patting Chris's hand which was on his shoulder.
"Well I had almost forgot that I have a father and a family somewhere else Chris !!" Dave said shaking his head sadly.
"A heap of Gold doesn't hold even the value of a copper in my eyes. But everyone in my family, even this lunatic...." Dave gestured at Harry, "Ment more than a mountain of gold for me."
Silence fell. Only a few sobs were heard from Mary, Elena and Lilly.
Even Irene had tears in her eyes and thought to herself, "What a fool I was to think, he was a greedy person."