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Ree turned to tell the other to hurry but the look on his face paused the words in his throat. He could see the ship he wanted still tethered to its line so he slowed to dawdle a little. “Kais?” He said getting the others attention. His attention was gained by the man exiting the port house. “Kais, I must speak with Captain Garagin before he leaves.” He nodded in the mans direction before pulling the other towards the man. Upon seeing the two, the captain merely laughed and assured Ree he had time before casting off and that they could talk in his private quarters about the young James who was now apart of his crew. |
they were ushered onto the ship and into the captain's quarters and though the tilting of the ship made him queasy the famillier chatter of contracts and dates was familiar and comforting. after listening for a few minutes however he began picking up the words themselves and with an angry flush pushed the thief aside. "that is a ridiculous offer, you are a cheat if you attempt to take that child for that price" without waiting for a reply he picked up a pen and dipping it into the inkwell went to redlining the contract
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Ree opened his mouth to tell the other to hush but Kais could not be stopped. Any amusement had left the captains eyes. The street clothes had fooled him, though he still thought he was dealing with street mongrals he decided to get serious. The only thing Ree could do was stay protectively by Kais with his arm blade ready. He had promised the other until he returned to the castle, the young man would be safe. |
the captain was not happy but it was a fair deal that still cut him more profit than any legitimate contract would have allowed. with a haughty frown he watched as the captain pulled down another strip of cheap parchment and rewrite the revisions out. he felt pleased
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When two copies were made and the ink was dry with both Ree and the captains signature, Ree took some time to say his good byes to James. He realized he owed Kais a great deal of gratitude. Once off the ship, he rolled up the parchment and placed it in his satchel. He turned and faced the boy and bowed mimicking Kais earlier actions from the tub. The words that followed were slow to come out of his mouth. “Kais... thank you, you do not know how much this means to me.” He felt it unfair that he had nothing to pay the noble with. "if there is anything you need I am in your debt." |
he wasn't expecting the words but he tried not to show it, "then we are even for the bed bath and food." he let out a light huff, "what are we doing now ree?"
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Ree's shoulders dropped at the sound of the huff. “I need to get a few things at the market, we are running low on a few things, and some of the other children are sick...” He mirrored the others huff with his own sigh. “I suppose that shall wait until after you return to the castle.” Ree stopped himself from taking hold of the nobles arm and dragging him along. He gestured for the other to follow him. After a few blocks of silence Ree finally spoke up again. “How did you do that to the captain?” |
he tried to tell the other that he wanted to see the market but the other began walking away. walking briskly to keep up he was out of breath and almost missed the words. " ah- well, i don't know, he was just trying to get the child as a near-slave, i simply fixed it so that he was still getting more than he was paying for while getting just enough to make it worth the child's effort as well, when you negotiate you do not make either party happy but equally unhappy"
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Ree looked towards the ground, his feet naturally taking him to the market place instead of the castle. "I mean how did you know that the contract was bad? Work is work really... its not suppose to be good or bad its... work." |
he shook his head. "what you two were negotiating is not work it is slavery, the size of his ship? the condition of the rigging? the condition and cut of his clothes? the cargo he is carrying and the destination? all of those things tell you how much profit is made, i may not have done any negotiations out side of my father's chambers but even i know he could afford more than what he was offering and what he was offering was next to nothing. he lied about what he could give and what the labor is worth in silver as well. i am sure you did not read the contract? there were several contradictory catches and clauses and details. if he had tried something like that under my father's eye he would lose his papers to sail...." he stopped walking as he remembered what they were supposed to be doing, "i have to go home today"
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Ree blinked embarrassed he failed, and felt like he had been put in this spot so many times before. "I can not read, much... and you are right...... but the medicine does not stay in the market long, I am sorry Kais, I will only delay this for an hour longer."
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he nodded relieved, he hadn't realized it before but he didn't want to go home, not yet. silently he followed behind the other
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He kicked a stray stone out of his pathway as they walked towards the market. Ree had been rehearsing asking Kais to teach him how to read. But the long walk soon fell into a comfortable silence. The came to the market, a bustling area of covered caravans, stands and opened door shops. Majority of it seemed to be covered wall to wall in shoppers and Ree and Kais were soon jostled into the crowds. |
he made sure to stay as close to the other as he could manage, even going as far as grabbing the boy's shirt to keep him tethered. as he was pushed and jostled a broad hand wrapped around his wrist and pulled him forward. he nearly cried out before he realized it was ree's. he closed the distance until they were standing side by side before twisting the hold so that he could clench the the fingers in his own. stiffly he turned his head though he kept his eyes mostly forward. "there are more people here than all but the most crowded lectures of university and the noise and smell!"
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The others excitement made him happy. It reminded him of a child pointing at everything. “It is a good thing you do not have a purse.” He said swimming through the pushing crowds. “Your skin makes you a prime target it stands out to much, and you look as though you do not know what you are doing.” Ree gave the other an ironic smile full of teeth .”Take it from a thief.” At last they reached a space where the streets were clear for large transports to travel. They crossed quickly into another area of crowds. He finally found the shop he was looking for. It was full of others looking for remedies like himself. “We need a powder mother can mix into tea and soup.” |
he said nothing else until the streets had cleared enough that he was no longer being touched on every side. he loosened his grip and relaxed his shoulders, "you keep mentioning medicine, what sort of medicine are you looking to find?"
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His body rose and fell in a shrug. “something for colds and oranges. Most of the little ones are catching fevers. So mostly something to sooth the cough and lower the fever.” He drifted to one side of the store hoping to find some one that could tell him what each of the remedies did. He turned to Kais “Can you tell what they do?” |
he shook his head quickly. "we are a family of war makers and law-men, not apothecaries and healers, i know nothing about healing fevers"
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his face dropped a little and he waved over one of the free clerks. He began drilling the man with questions In the end he left with a few pounds of various remedies that he was sure would work. Ree tucked it all away In his satchel. “Are you hungry?” He said licking his own chops. The small slices of bread were already churned in his stomach. He knew of a tavern where one of mothers former daughters work. She always feed Ree the scraps and give him left over bread for the house. |
he was but he knew enough not to eat anything sold by venders "not really but do not let me discourage you from getting something for yourself." absentmindedly he played with the fingers still in his grip
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In the small area were they were safe from the crowds, Ree studied the boy. He realized the low brow food the was used too was not good for the royal. His stomach most likely could not handle it. He laughed. “It is nothing I can not save for later.” He said pulling the other once more in to the crowded fray. This time he let the silence stretch, he realized he could not expect the other to be a magical problem solver, nor to stay with him for the rest of his life. This time he would not detour. Once leaving the market place Ree began to tread towards the castle. . |
when the other fell to silence he did too and by the time the sun was high in the sky he could see his home looming tall and straight in the distance. he wanted to tell the other to stop, to turn around, to say that his one day of freedom was not enough but he could not, all he could do was walk a little slower and say nothing at all
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Ree noticed the other was falling further and further behind and slowed his step to match the boys. He still could not bring himself to say anything even as they neared the gates. Finally he spoke. “Kais... “ He grew nervous the closer they were to the castle with in sight of the guards. |
he turned at his name, "what is it ree?"
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He placed one of his hands on the others shoulder. “You are not being executed, you are going home.” he tried to sound excited about it despite the others long face. He led the other to one of the more well known 'secret' passages through a tunnel that brought them immediately back up through the garden of the castle. Ree grew more nervous now. He turned to say his good bye's and flee wondering if a hug was appropriate. He realized then he was still holding the others hand.
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he managed to keep his spine straight and his face blank until the guards had left. letting his face fall into a frown he dropped onto the soft mattress and breathed in the familiar stifling smell of his ancestral home. already he wanted to go back to the loud squalled ramshackle building the thief called home
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He had not forgotten about Kais, but it felt as if their brief time together was merely a dream. The reward he had gotten had afforded him a lot of things that the small shack needed. Not only that but Ree bought himself a book intending to learn to read it. A day after the royal returned home, Ree learned his friends were still alive. He spent hours planning a rescue with oddly included a visit to Kais whom he secretly named friend. In the dead of the night, Ree used a passage that was mostly hidden finding his way into the castles cellar. He freed his after they all promised to scatter to the winds. Ree then snuck through the shadows into the upper floors wondering how to find Kais again since the first time was purely by accident.
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his moodiness from the day before had turned into a restlessness that could not be assuaged by his usual roaming of the halls and though he knew nothing could be done to free him a second time he still wanted it. the sights and sounds of children hustling about, the smells and feel of a crowded market. he didn't mind being dirty and hungry because it filled a different empty space that was more in need of food than his stomach, a hole inside that was only tickled at when he was away in arborak. taking a sharp turn he headed for the kitchen, he was going to run away
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Ree got distracted sneaking among the halls seeing all the various shiny that he could stash. He soon found himself near the castles expansive kitchen. He peeked in to see if there were any staff but they all seemed to be resting for now. He moved into the room seeing the silver cutlery and put some in his bag.
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he was in the cheese cellar grabbing small wheels and jars of preserved foods when he heard the footsteps overhead and froze. several heartbeats passed before the feet tapped into the silver closet and he silently went back to packing his bag
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His bag had gotten heavy and he had gotten lost. Strangely Ree found himself in a familiar set of rooms. Ducking between the thick folds of curtains he stumbled into a room with a large four poster bed. The expansive space was walled with books maps and many items of the worldly traveler. He walked over to the bed touching the silk threads before falling into the blue waves. The late night adventure was taking its toil on Ree, he wanted to sleep on the soft billowy fluff. |
when his bag was nearly filled he snuck back to his room to back a change of clothes and enough silver to buy him passage across the sea thrice over. he was so close to being free. without a sound he slipped back into his room and quietly closed the door so that no guards would hear, with a soft sigh of relief he headed for his desk
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It only took a matter of seconds and comfort to over come Ree. He snored lowly on the unknown bed, with his feet dangling off the edge. |
as he passed by the bed a light snuffling snore issued from the gauzy curtains and he jerked away dropping the food. "who is there?!"
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Ree opened his eyes lazily at the sound of the others suspicious voice. "Kais...?" it sounded like the alabaster whiny noble that haunted his dreams for the previous two nights. He yawned deciding that if he could he would take the sheet with him. He rose from the bed rubbing his eyes. |
when the blue form rose from the bed his first instinct was to attack and rearing back he hit it as hard as he could before falling back a step. when all he received was a somewhat familiar sounding grunt he leaned in curiously
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Ree pat his chest rolling over defensively. Briefly he wondered if he had been caught by the guard but when the punches stopped, and he was blinking into the grey eyes. He wheezed out a laugh. “You certainly are quick like a whore.” He relaxed bouncing on the bed and patting the bed with faux seductive look on his face. “Was that a love tap or do you hit hard beneath the sheets too?”
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at the words he thought about hitting the boy again but he was grateful enough of the other's timing to forgive the trespass. "you are back! why did you come, have you been stealing more spoons?" he turned just enough to sit by the other. "i keep thinking about two days ago, i was happy when i was free and unknown"
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Ree grinned, now was not the time for bowing or any other formal greeting. He reached out and pulled Kais into a hug. He did not admit it as audibly as the other but it was nice having some one his own age to talk to instead of being nearly 10 or 12 years their senior. “Would you like to be happy again?” He asked. “You can come with me.” |
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