Alden’s heart pounded as he crept towards the kitchen, the knife gripped tightly in his small hand. Every step felt like an eternity, the cold floorboards creaking under his weight. The dim light from the dying fire barely illuminated the hallway, casting long, eerie shadows that danced on the walls.
As he reached the kitchen door, he saw a shadowy figure rummaging through the cupboards. The figure’s back was turned, and Alden could hear the faint rustling of items being moved. Fear and adrenaline coursed through him, and he tightened his grip on the knife, ready to strike. He had to protect himself and the home of his unknown savior.
In a swift, silent motion, Alden lunged forward, aiming for the figure’s back. But just as the knife was about to make contact, the figure whirled around, revealing a young boy, clad in strange, glistening armor that seemed to shimmer in the dim light. The boy, slightly older and taller, grabbed Alden’s wrist with a vice-like grip.
"Stop!" the boy shouted, his eyes wide with surprise.
Alden struggled, but the boy’s grip was too strong. He swung his other hand wildly, but the boy easily deflected the blows, twisting Alden’s arm behind his back and pushing him against the wall. The knife clattered to the floor.
"Why are you attacking me?" the boy demanded, tightening his hold on Alden. "This is my home!"
Alden squirmed, his face pressed against the cold wall. "I thought you were a thief!"
The boy’s grip tightened even more, his voice a low growl. "I’m not a thief! I live here!"
Alden’s mind raced. He hadn’t expected this turn of events. "I... I was brought here. Someone saved me."
The boy eased his grip slightly, just enough for Alden to turn his head. "I saved you," the boy said, his voice softer now. "I found you wounded in the snow and brought you here. My name is Aric."
Alden’s eyes widened with realization and embarrassment. "You... you saved me?"
Aric nodded, his grip loosening completely. He stepped back, giving Alden some space. "Yes. I found you and brought you here to heal."
Alden’s face flushed with shame. He dropped to his knees, bowing his head. "I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I thought someone had broken in. Please, forgive me."
Aric looked down at Alden, his expression softening. "It’s alright. You were scared and confused. Just try to think before you act next time."
Alden nodded vigorously, tears welling up in his eyes. "Thank you for saving me. I didn’t mean to cause trouble." Alden was skeptical at the beginning when Aric said that he was the savior since he looked so young but then he remembered that he heard that many Acolytes liked to look young.
"You have got a good heart, but don’t take steps before you know exactly what is happening in your surroundings. It will cause you less trouble," Aric said. He also saw the washed plates and the bowls of food being cooked. Alden had calmed down a lot, but he didn’t forget the strong grip he was subjected to and the strange armor covering Aric’s body that had vanished again.
He was in awe of what he had seen and felt, but he knew it was only possible because Aric was a mage, maybe higher than an Acolyte, since he had such strength that made him feel helpless. That lustrous armor was something he had never seen before.
"I am thankful for saving me. What do I need to do to pay you? I don’t know much, but I can clean and cook food for you. If you want coins, I will work hard to pay you," Alden said as he bowed his head.
"There is no need for that. I helped you not because I wanted coins from you, and from what I can see, you have already cleaned the whole place. That is enough of a payment," Aric said as he didn’t bother and was busy tending to the fire.
"How can that be? I even took the copper coins you left behind to cook for you, and I even ate from that. Cleaning the whole house only pays 3 copper coins for 2 days of work. What you did is much costlier than that. You saved me," Alden said. Aric wasn’t bothered by the copper coins at all.
A few copper coins didn’t matter to him, as the only thing he ever wanted were gold coins. Though copper coins could be converted to gold coins, he wasn’t much bothered that some change was left elsewhere. He was a rich man now.
"You don’t need to be so uptight about the fact that I healed you. It was just a small matter to me," Aric said as he sat on the couch opposite Alden, who was standing still.
"No, esteemed Sir. You have healed me, and the least I can do is pay you back," Alden said again. Aric’s eyebrows moved when he heard the term ’esteemed Sir’ but he didn’t ask him to stop addressing him as such. He could see that this young boy had a sense of integrity since he wasn’t ready to accept something for free. Such a young lad and already swimming in principles?
This boy would toil hard all his life. He had seen how good people were treated, and it was mostly ugly. One needed to be a bit twisted to survive.
"Who harmed you?" Aric asked, now looking serious.
"Uh... I..." Alden did a double take when Aric asked that question.
"You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to," Aric said.
"No. It’s just... I was betrayed by the adventure team I was following," Alden said.
"Adventure team?" Aric was confused and thus asked.
"Yes, I was appointed as the bell boy of a new adventure team. I lost my mother two years ago due to the Green Plague, leaving me and my younger sister behind. She has been suffering from fever for the last two days, and thus I thought of earning some coins by following as the bell boy. But these three seemed not to like that I asked for some more. They betrayed me when some Eclipsian Hyenas showed up and pushed me towards them."
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