Astor waited for an answer as the boy eyed him wearily. "Sorry if that was too sudden. My name is Astor Jacobs. My family owns quite the reputable chunk of land. If you accept my offer, then I will provide you with proper living amenities including a salary for you to do with whatever you want with." "......." "What's your name?" The boy remained quiet. So he's not as naive as he looks, Astor thought. The boy was considering his options. Astor understood the reason for his indecision. What he offered seemed way too good to be true. The boy probably heard stories of people taking children like him off the streets only to have them suffer a more horrible fate. "What if I don't want to?" the boy replied, disregarding his previous question. "Then you'll be free to go. Don't worry. I have no intentions of harming you." More silence. Astor decided to take a more passive approach. "You don't have to decide now. I'll be heading up the northern road by sunset. If you change your mind, you'll know where to find me." Astor watched the boy look down at the ground before dashing away. Well... even if he doesn't come searching for me, at least he won't starve for the next few days, Astor thought. War had left the country split and drained. Of course, a direct result of this would be the increase of orphans that littered the streets. As a soldier, Astor felt a bit responsible for their situation. Astor pulled out his other coin bag. He had always separated his money into two pouches. The one, the boy had stolen, was mostly filled with pebbles except for around ten coins. Astor bent over to clean his pants. That was quite the scramble the boy had led him through. Astor sighed. He, at least, wanted to catch the kid's name. Astor looked over the top of the alleyway. He had about an hour before the sun plunged completely under the horizon. Hurrying towards the center of town, Astor tried to look for the blacksmith building. While looking around, Astor stumbled on a crack in the pavement. Thankfully, the commerce on the road was low at this time, so he didn't run into anyone. Rebalancing himself, Astor proceeded to look around. He had wandered into a shady part of the town. Perhaps I missed it? Astor thought. Astor looked around nervously. He really didn't have enough money for another little thief. Out of the clusters of small huts, Astor saw one tall stone building with a chimney. As Astor approached, he could smell the nostalgic aroma of burning charcoal mixed with a slightly sweeter scent. His master was also a blacksmith as well, so he had become quite accustomed to the smell. The structure didn't have a sign that distinguished it. Walking through the open doors, he was greeted by a young apprentice. "Sorry sir, we're closing soon." "Ah, I see... Excuse me then." Astor cursed his luck. As he turned to leave out the door, he was stopped by an deep voice calling out to him. "We're closing soon, but not at this very instance. I can at least listen to your request." Astor turned to see a bearded man staring at him. The man's face was etched by the harsh lifestyle of a blacksmith, but his eyes still gleamed with some childish enthusiasm. Astor could feel the mighty presence emanating from him. "Much appreciated. The name's Astor Jacobs." Astor shook hands with the blacksmith. Each held a firm handshake. "Guarin. It's an honor." Astor pulled out his sword and handed it to Guarin. "My niece's birthday is coming up soon, and I was planning on gifting her the gem embedded at the pommel of this sword. Can I entrust you with removing it?" The blacksmith eyed the blade carefully before nodding. "This sword has seen better days," Guarin uttered. "Can you fix it?" The blacksmith shook his head. "I can probably try to reforge it, but I can't say how much of it will remain. I have no experience with swords after all." "Excluding the costs of reforging, how much will this service cost?" Guarin closed his eyes in thought. "I'd say around at least 20 coins." "Make it 25 if you can remove the gem by the tomorrow," Astor replied, placing down ten coins on the counter as a downpayment. Astor was quite fickle with his own money, but he had neither to tools nor the experience required to remove the gem. "I'll have it removed for you by next sundown. It was a pleasure doing business with you," Guarin exclaimed. "Likewise. Until tomorrow then." Astor smiled and left through the entrance. Two days left until Aricia's birthday celebration. He hurried up the dark pathway. As he reached the outskirts of the town, Astor took a glance at the small orange ball peeking over the horizon. The Jacobs' Manor was quite the jog from here. He would have to hurry unless he wanted to walk in complete darkness. As he approached a bend in the rising road, he saw three small shapes sitting near the road. He was delighted to see a familiar black fluff of hair on one of them. "So you decided to come!" Astor called out. His little pickpocket stood up and walked towards Astor. He looked down before he started talking. "Mister, I'm sorry. Unless my friends gets to come, I can't become your apprentice," he said solemnly. Before Astor could say anything, he was given back his stolen coin pouch. Upon closer inspection, he found that the little knot on top was left untouched. Astor looked over the boy's head and scrutinized the two small figures that stood a few paces from the roadside. The youngest was a boy with brown hair and standing to his left was a pale little girl with blonde hair. She was struggling to stand. Oh... She's about the same age as Aricia, Astor thought regrettably. With his heartstrings being tugged at, Astor knew it was futile to try and refuse his emotions. Shifting his posture, he began to contemplate. One little orphan, his mother will let slide, but three was out of the question. Thus, he would have to find shelter for the other two, and it would have to be close enough so that he can provide sustenance. His savings wouldn't last them forever so, to save money, he would have to start hunting during his free time. Then, there was clothing, education, cooking, training, protection, and to top it all off; he would have to perform his duties as a family member of the Jacobs house. Astor sighed,"Do you know how much trouble it will be just to support your two friends? I doubt you could hardly take care of yourself. How are you going to repay me if I accept this request?" "I will...work hard for them," he repeated while grasping for words. Astor looked into the boy's eyes. They stared back at him, unfazed by the harsh words. Astor examined the boy's darkened features, and smiled. He allowed a few seconds of silence to pass to let his words sink in. "Is that so? .....Alright then, let's go," Astor gestured towards the three. Astor took a few steps before stopping. He heard no footsteps following him. Looking behind him, he saw the two boys trying to support the girl in walking. Astor was impressed by their care for each other. He turned around and approached the trio. The girl flinched as she made eye contact with Astor's icy glare. They scrambled to move forward as if trying to dismiss her handicap. Astor reached his hands out towards her. He watched as the little girl closed her eyes in fear. In the corner of his vision, he could see the older boy ready himself for action. Astor quickly picked her up and placed her on his shoulder. He leaned her tiny frame against his head and the girl instinctively held his head for support. The three orphans were shocked by his actions. "Let's hurry." Astor marched uphill, occasionally avoiding potholes and rocks littering the path. As the hill leveled off, Astor looked behind towards the two lagging boys. Through the few rays of sunlight, Astor could see the condition of his little companions. The pickpocket was the oldest of the bunch. He had his face turned towards the ground and was breathing exponentially, probably due to long-term exhaustion. The youngest boy was lightly bruised in one eye, and his arms were covered in scratches. Worst was the girl. Even after walking for a good bit, Astor had never felt her weight affect his stamina. From the looks of her gaunt cheeks, she was either deathly sick or extremely malnourished. There were worst ways to die than getting sick from a little girl. "That's right. I haven't heard your names yet." "I'm Rolfe.... she's Mimi.... and he's Danny," the oldest boy breathed out. "My name is Astor. Pleased to meet you three." They approached the tree line that led towards his house. Astor scanned the darkened forest and found a clearing in the distance. Stepping off the dirt road, Astor continued onwards into the vegetation. "This way." The path hasn't been used for a while, so Astor tried clearing a path in the tall grass for the two behind him. Looking up, he felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him. A little distance away, he saw a lone boulder sitting on top of a grassy hill. In his memories, he always remembered running past this rock on his way to meet with Her. Now that he was taller than before, Astor was able to see a bit more on the hill. As a child, he never noticed the glowing specks of glitter embedded on top of the rock. The group walked past the stone. Stepping around the foot of the hill, Astor and the kids approached a small wooden house surrounded by rotted tree stumps. "This place will be your home from now on," Astor said to Rolfe. His apprentice gave him a weary look. The house was long abandoned with half of the thatched roof caved in on itself. The planks that served as the wall were all disheveled, leaving wide gaps to the outside. It was about three of his arm's span wide and two heads above his height at the top of the triangular roof. "Beggers don't get to live in castles huh... Wait here." Placing the girl down, Astor walked through the open doorway. He needed to check the house for snakes or spiders. After taking two steps in, he spotted a large, cat-like shadow darting towards him. It lunged at his legs, but Astor reacted quickly. Stepping back to avoid its claws, he then kicked it into the wooden wall. A flimsy board gave way from the impact, causing a chain reaction of other planks to fall. It hissed before running away through one of the open gaps in the wall. Astor sighed. Geez, That was unneccesarily loud... He continued to inspect the house for about five minutes before popping his head back outside. "It's safe now," he called out. The three were a little startled by his appearance. The younger boy had worry plastered all over his face. It seems that the little scuffle he had with the animal scared them. "Don't worry. I found a raccoon, but, hopefully, it won't be coming back anymore," Astor smiled. He watched as three shuffled towards the house wearily. Astor walked over to an elevated mound of dirt meant to be a large bed and sat down. He looked around and noted the condition of the house. His eyes fell on the little girl again, and he stood back up. "Stay here. I'll need to gather a few things." After saying that, Astor jogged out of the house and walked north on the road. A few minutes later, he saw the stone enclosure that surrounded his family's Manor. Walking through the gates, Astor disregarded the guards that greeted him. "Greetings sir, We're glad you..." "I'm in a hurry, excuse me." Astor walked straight to his room and found his large sack. He probed his room, grabbing an assortment cloths and cushions before leaving for the kitchen. Astor opened the doors to the surprised faces of the chefs working there. He wandered in and started grabbing rations that could be packed in the sack. "Umm... sir... Dinner will be ready shortly," a puzzled Cook explained. "These are not for me, excuse me for barging in. It's an emergency," Astor apologized. After placing a few water bottles into the bag, he left the stunned chefs and continued out towards the gates again. The two guards that were still recovering from their previous encounter eyed Astor's with new suspension. "If my mother asks for me, tell her I won't be back until tomorrow evening," Astor informed them. He moved passed the guards before hearing a quiet exchange of whispers between the two guards. "Were we just robbed?" "......" "Shouldn't we say something?" It'd be a hassle so, please don't. Astor pleaded. Astor looked towards the horizon. The sun had fallen below the dark outline in the distance. He sped back down south on the path before turning off into the direction of the abandoned house. Passing the large boulder on the hill, he strode up to the house and placed the sack next to the young girl. "Can you eat?" he asked her. She looked at the bag curiously before nodding. "That's a relief," Astor smiled. If she were truly sick, then Astor would have to find proper medical attention for her. "Rolfe, can you help Mimi eat?" Astor got back up and walked around the shack. Looking up, Astor could still see the wooden beams in the ceiling. He admired its durability. Shelly's dad was really an impressive craftsperson. The roof would required a ladder, so Astor turned his attention to the wall. It was a jumbled mess, but most of the planks were salvageable. After estimating the amount of materials needed, he stretched his limbs and focused his mind. Astor started the repair by taking off the planks near the doorway. Some required a little digging to be removed from the ground. After obtaining a neat little pile of wooden planks, Astor moved to the opposite wall and began replacing the missing gaps. Pushing the diagonal planks back into a horizontal pattern, he gathered up the broken planks into a pile above the open rooftop. Using a sharp slab, Astor began to dig a pit in the dirt flooring. When he finished, Astor walked over to his sack and got out a rough, small rock. He quickly checked up on the trio. They were quietly nibbling on a variety of bread, cheese, fruits, and carrots. Walking out to the shrouded greenery; Astor plucked a batch of soft cotton from the tips of the tall grasses. He balled it up and placed it in the pit. Pulling out his dagger, he stacked the wood neatly into a tipi inside the pit. Striking the dagger against the rock, Astor saw a flash of light followed by a shower of sparks that sprayed into the pit. The glimmer seemed to have faded away but from deep within, Astor saw a small orange glow engulf the wooden stack. After blowing on it, Astor started to add more wood to the fire. Feeling the heat lick at his face, Astor watched as the last of the hot orange coils in the cotton dispersed its heat throughout the wood like electricity. With the room now lit, Astor turned around to see three dark figures sitting next to each other for comfort. He walked over to the bag and pulled out a small hankerchief. Wetting it with water, he walked over to Danny and started to wiping the dirt from his wounds. Astor could see the tiny scars from some previous abuse the boy had endured. "What happened for you to have become this way?" "I.....fell....while working" the boy replied hesitantly. "Is that so." Astor didn't want to pry any further. Until the boy is comfortable enough to declare it himself, Astor will remain oblivious. After a series of dabbing and wiping, Astor sighed as he finished with the treatment. "There, all better." He gestured for the three to come closer. "I've got some cushions and blankets in the bag for everyone." Astor grasped a series of furry sheets from the bag and handed it out. He then grabbed himself a cozy sheet of wool and sat down. Leaning his back against the cool wooden wall and taking a deep breath, he allowed the soothing, warm air to calm his chilled body. Twenty minutes passed in the cracking silence. Astor could feel the pull of sleep sweep over him. Shaking off the drowsiness, he added more fuel to the fire before taking another peek at the kids. They were huddled together in a large blanket, asleep. Three children of three unknown backgrounds, Astor wondered if it was right for him to raise them after all the things he's done. Astor took one last glance at the night sky. Tiny punctures of light were scattered across the dark, endless sky. He watched as the dim moonlight seeped in through the cracks in the house. Residing himself to sleep, Astor added the last batch of wood into the fire pit before dozing off.