by Brandon Chen
Yuri’s mother, on the other hand, was completely awake. She sat on Yuri’s bed in her ragged dress, which was now tinted black despite its original white color. Her dark hair was greasy, for she was in great need of a bath, and her hazel eyes watched Yuri as a panther would its prey. The patient woman sat on her knees, her hands folded before her. “Where have you been, Yuri?”
“I left you enough money to—”
“I don’t care about that,” Yuri’s mother snapped, standing up. “What’s that on your face? Another beating?”
“No, I participated in the Nobles’ Tournament,” Yuri murmured, turning his head from his mother so that she would no longer have to look at his swollen eye. “I won.”
“Y-You did?” The tone in her voice changed completely from anger to that of surprise. “Then that means you must have—”
“Money? Yeah, this should be enough to feed us for a week,” Yuri said, holding out the bag of coins. He tossed it to his mother, who caught it. Instead of being gleeful, her countenance reflected disappointment and shock.
“You won the Nobles’ Tournament … and all you got was enough food to feed us for a week? You should’ve been granted enough wealth to buy a home in the Upper District! How is this possible? As the victor of a prestigious competition, you should be awarded much more than just this! Is that bastard Beo hoarding all of the winnings for himself? If that’s so, I’ll—”
“You’ll do what, Mom?” Yuri said, watching his mother. His expression was apathetic. He’d known that this would be her reaction. “You’ll do nothing. It’s not Beo’s fault that we didn’t get a lot of money from the tournament. He offered me half of the winnings, which would be more than enough to buy a mansion in the noble sector.”
Yuri’s mother’s face was filled with dismay as she stared at her son. Her hands trembled and she dropped the pouch of money on the mattress. “You … you rejected his offer?”
“Yes,” Yuri replied.
Her face turned red with rage as she lashed out and struck Yuri across the face. The sound was loud enough to wake up Yuri’s brother, Han, who sat up and rubbed his eyes. “What’s going on?” he murmured.
“We live in an absolute shit hole, Yuri! We are one of the most desperate families in Horux, barely scraping by with enough food to eat. We’re unhygienic and we don’t even have the money to afford medicine when we get ill. I can’t believe that you have the audacity to turn down any amount of money. Money that could change our lives. Do you not care about us?” Yuri’s mother was practically screaming.
“M-Mom…,” Han croaked out, watching his mother with wide eyes.
“Shut up and go to sleep!” she barked angrily, her eyes still on Yuri.
“Don’t talk to him like that,” Yuri snarled. “The reason that I didn’t accept the money is because I don’t want to earn wealth through my connection to the nobles. There are thousands of people in the Lower District who are just as unfortunate as us. They don’t have the same opportunity that I do, to come home with money to feed you and Han. And if either you or Han ever got sick … I know that Asmund would give the money to—”
“You’re denying wealth … because you think that we don’t deserve it?” His mother brought her hand back, about to strike Yuri once more. But Yuri grabbed her wrist before she could hit him. The woman’s eyes went wide with disbelief, her hand shaking as she attempted to overpower Yuri, but to no avail. “You dare—”
“I’m the reason we have this home,” Yuri declared, squeezing his mother’s wrist, inflicting slight pain. “I’m the reason food is put on the table and that we are clothed. I am the reason that our family is still alive. Do you think that your job sweeping crap off the streets is enough to pay for anything? Without me, you and Han would both be on the streets or dead.” His gaze was cold, striking visceral fear into the heart of his mother. “The only reason I don’t shatter the bones in your wrist right now is because of my respect for you as a member of my family. If you were anyone else, I wouldn’t hesitate.”
Yuri released his mother’s wrist and leapt out of the window behind him. His hands latched onto the edge of the tiled rooftop of the building on the other side of the alleyway. He grunted as he pulled himself onto the roof and turned to glance at his mother over his shoulder, watching her from the corner of his eye.
“Where are you going?” his mother demanded, rushing to the window.
“Out. Use the money I gave you to buy food for you and Han,” Yuri said, dashing away along the rooftops. He’d taken a few gold coins for himself, and they jingled like bells in his pockets as he ran.
The boy’s shoes thumped loudly against the tiled material of each roof as he leapt from building to building with no real destination. Regardless, he had no intention of stopping. He marveled at the full moon, which beamed its luminous light down on the sleeping city.
Slowing to a stop, Yuri realized that he’d reached Horux’s docks, which housed dozens of monstrously large ships. His heart pounded from the brisk run as he gazed upon the glistening seawater, the moonlight delicately reflecting off the ocean’s surface.
Yuri plopped down at the edge of the building with his legs dangling off the roof. “Sometimes I don’t know what to do,” he murmured. “I know that it’s best for Mom and Han if I just take the money that Beo offered me. But … it’s unfair to everyone else. People like Terias don’t have the chance to get money like I do.” He groaned, looking up at the shining moon, as if it would offer him guidance. “I would never let anything bad happen to Mom or Han. I can provide what we need to survive, but do we need more than that?”
Silence.
“Maybe Mom is right and I should accept the offer … for the good of our family. Han deserves to get an education, and I don’t remember the last time that I saw Mom smile. She tried to hit me today and I said some awful things to her … damn it. I just wish—” Yuri swallowed hard, wiping moistness from his eyes. “I just wish that you were here, Dad. You’d know what to do. You always did.”
Fellowship
“Oi, wake up. You’re going to fall off the roof. From this height, you’ll go splat as soon as you hit the ground. Hey, are you listening to me?” an echoing voice called to Yuri.
The boy’s eyes groggily cracked open, spotting Terias hovering over him with his hands on his hips. Yuri blinked several times and rubbed the crust from his eyes with the back of his hand, yawning. He dragged his legs off the side of the roof and rolled over, laying his stomach on the hard tiles. “Eh? What are you doing up here, Terias?” he groaned, stretching himself out like a cat.
“I saw your ass drooping off the side of the building from the streets,” Terias grumbled, folding his arms. “I came to make sure that you didn’t fall off and break all your damned bones, that’s all.” He was about to walk away when his stomach began to howl like a whimpering hound. The young man’s hand went to his belly and he grimaced, the features of his face scrunching up in pain.
“Hungry?” Yuri said, pushing himself to his feet. He brushed some dust off his clothing and reached into his pocket, pulling out a few golden coins. “I have enough to grab some grub. Anyway, I was heading to the market. Do you want to come?”
“Huh? I don’t have the money to go there!”
“I’ll pay for you, idiot.”
“I don’t want your pity!”
“It’s not pity,” Yuri said with a shrug. “It’s me thanking you for waking me up before I shattered my back. If you’re not hungry then don’t accept.” Without warning, he started to jog along the rooftops once again, his shoes tapping against the tiles. He smiled as he heard the noisy footsteps of Terias behind him.
Yuri was actually surprised that Terias was willing to tag along for breakfast. Ordinarily, his dislike of Yuri would’ve steered him away, regardless of the offer of free food. He must be really hungry then.
After fifteen minutes of hopping from rooftop to rooftop, the two young men returned to the streets and walked the rest of th
e way to the marketplace.
The market was located between the Upper and Lower Districts and was open to people of all socioeconomic classes. It was probably the busiest area of Horux, for traders from around the city would gather in this massive plaza to barter and sell their products.
Yuri raised his eyebrows and whistled as they walked into the market, impressed with how many people there were today. “It usually isn’t this packed. Is there a celebration today?”
“Who knows?” Terias mumbled, still holding his stomach. His face was weary and there were heavy bags underneath his eyes, clearly the result of sleep deprivation. “I’ve never been here before.”
“Yeah? It’s a pretty nice place if you’re looking for random stuff to buy,” Yuri said. “Plenty of food as well.” He reached into his pocket and flicked a golden coin through the air in Terias’s direction. He caught the money cautiously with both hands, as if it were a fragile egg that would shatter if he weren’t too careful. “Get something for yourself. There’s a lot of choices to pick from.”
Terias’s face drained of color and he blinked several times, shocked that Yuri had just given him a gold coin. This was worth at least a thousand copper coins and could buy him several meals. “T-Thanks,” he muttered, averting his gaze.
“What was that?” Yuri said.
“Nothing,” Terias snapped, sliding the coin into his pocket.
“What were you doing near the docks so early anyway?” Yuri asked, holding up his hand to shield his eyes from the sun’s dazzling beams. “Don’t you live on the other side of town?”
“I work there,” Terias murmured with a shrug.
“Really? Do they not pay you or—”
“Of course they pay me, you idiot!”
“I was just wondering! It doesn’t make sense that you look like you haven’t eaten or slept in days!” Yuri replied angrily, but the frustration left his face within seconds. Terias was glaring at the ground, his hands balled into tight fists at his side. He was clearly angry about something. It’s probably not smart to press the issue. “Hey, stop being a wimp and tell me what’s wrong.” That was subtle.
“A wimp,” Terias murmured. His eyebrows were knit together and he clenched his teeth so tight that Yuri thought they would fall out. He closed his eyes and began to move away, shaking his head to himself. “Don’t worry about me.” Within moments, the marketplace’s gigantic crowd swallowed him and he disappeared from view.
Yuri put his hands on his hips, watching the place where Terias had vanished. “What’s his deal?”
“Healing! Healing! You have an illness? I can cure it! You have a wound? I can mend it!” an elderly woman called out. “Come here today to get all of your physical ailments miraculously healed by my magic and ancient remedies!” Her voice wasn’t exactly loud, compared to the hundreds of other merchants that were screaming and hollering like a bunch of irate protesters. But for some reason, she stood out for Yuri, and before he knew it, he was standing at the entrance of her little white tent.
The decrepit woman was dressed in a long black shroud that covered her entire body. Her grey hair was bundled up into a ponytail, which was not a style that elderly women in Horux typically adopted. The healer’s aged face was filled with more wrinkles than Yuri had ever seen on a person before, making her look ancient. How old is this lady? Two hundred?
“Oh my, it looks like you have quite the bruise there. Did you get into a fight recently?” the woman said, pointing to the boy’s face with a doddering finger.
Yuri pouted, narrowing his eyes. “You could say that. I don’t know if you’re the right person, but I figured that I’d ask. I have a letter that I’m supposed to give to a particular healer.” The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out the parchment of signed paper that Beo had given him. He held it out to the healer. “I was wondering if that was you.”
“Well, it must be your lucky day! You’ve found me!” the old woman threw her hands into the air excitedly and snatched the piece of parchment, stuffing it into her pocket. She sure has a lot of energy for her age. The healer pointed to a table inside of her tent and smiled at Yuri. “Lie down on the table and I’ll make those bruises disappear. Once I’m done healing you, there won’t be a scratch on your body!”
Yuri chuckled nervously as he obeyed the lady, sprawling himself out on the table. He exhaled, listening to the bustle of the populated marketplace. “So, um, what’s with all of the people today?”
“Well,” the elderly woman said, sliding white gloves onto her hands, “I believe that the princess has decided to come down to the marketplace today. Of course, she’s escorted by a dozen royal knights and is being protected by at least a hundred different magical enchantments granted by talented mages. Tough luck to the thousands of young men looking to charm her and win her favor.” She placed her hands on Yuri’s warm cheeks, chilling his skin with her freezing-cold gloves.
“Wait, what?” Yuri exclaimed, not hearing past the healer’s first sentence. He was about to lean forward but the woman was surprisingly strong. She clamped her hands tightly on the boy’s cheeks and pinned him down on the table. “Ow, ow, ow!”
“Stay still, otherwise you’re not going to be healed!” the mender exclaimed. “Are you one of those unfortunate chaps that wants to charm the damsel?”
“Huh? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Yuri said, folding his arms over his chest.
“Your heart is racing, your face is red, and your right leg is twitching uncontrollably; you’re like an excited child on its birthday. I don’t understand how you kids can keep falling for people that you’ve never met before. That isn’t true love, is it? It’s just you finding someone attractive,” the woman said, her chilling hands suddenly feeling warm on Yuri’s cheeks. A tingling sensation began to surge from his face throughout his body, but he hardly noticed, being invested in his conversation with the old lady. “So, tell me, why her? She is beautiful, but there are plenty of enchanting girls in Horux. What makes you want her?”
Yuri blinked several times, looking up at the elderly woman. “I suppose it’s because I find Princess Violet to be very … mysterious.”
“Mysterious?”
“Yeah, mysterious,” Yuri said with a slight smile. “No one knows what she’s like since she’s always stashed away in the royal castle. I’ve always wondered so many things about her. What she thinks like, sounds like, acts like, looks like up-close … I don’t know. There’s just something about the princess that makes me want to get to know her. Besides,” Yuri’s expression softened as he spoke, “I can tell that she’s lonely.”
“How can you tell that?”
“I was in the Nobles’ Tournament yesterday,” Yuri said, chuckling wearily. “That’s where I got all of these bruises. I saw the princess there, and she was absolutely gorgeous. But there was a look on her face that told me that she felt alone. Even though people constantly surround her, I’m not sure if she regards any of them as true friends.”
The woman looked down at Yuri pitifully. “But how do you recognize the look of loneliness?”
“When I was younger, that was the look I used to wear.”
The healer lifted her hands from Yuri’s face and smiled slightly. “All finished,” she said, handing Yuri a mirror. The boy’s mouth dropped open in awe as he looked at his face, which didn’t have a single scratch on it.
“Whoa, ma’am! You really can use magic. I heard that there weren’t many mages in Escalon, let alone in Horux. How does your magic work?” Yuri asked, dragging the tips of his fingers across his smooth, unmarked skin.
The boy knew little about magic, but he did realize it was rare. Certain individuals were born with magical energy locked up in their bodies, waiting to break out. There were a variety of methods to awaken this magic, though most people lived their lives without ever bringing their talents to fruition. He’d read that on the continent, Dastia, mages inscribed permanent tattoos into their flesh using enchanted ink. T
he tattoos activated the magic and allowed individuals to utilize their powers. If this healer was from Dastia, she was hiding her tattoo.
“I got my magic from a pill many decades ago, given to me by a talented alchemist,” the old woman said. “Now I am capable of healing most wounds and illnesses, though I do feel awfully tired afterwards. Using magic takes a huge toll on me these days. I used to have little trouble with healing mere scratches and bruises.” The healer plopped herself down in a chair, exhaling.
Yuri lowered the mirror and got off the table, smiling thankfully at the healer. “Well, I appreciate you fixing me up. Thank you.”
“You’re probably going to dash after your beloved princess now, aren’t you?”
“If I can manage to push past the horde of charming men that you mentioned, then yes.” Yuri ran his hand through his hair, chuckling. “Otherwise, I’ll still have my chance later on. Apparently, I’m to dine with the royal family tonight!”
“Really? My, that must mean that you were victorious in the Nobles’ Tournament!” the woman exclaimed, her eyes twinkling with excitement. “To think that I would be healing the bruises of such a skilled warrior! That is interesting, that they are hosting the dinner the day after your battle, though. Do they not give you any time to rest?”
“I don’t know,” Yuri said with a shrug. “The letter that was delivered to me yesterday told me that I should be at the palace tonight. Anyway, I ought to get going now. I have a lot of errands to run today. Thanks so much for fixing me up!” he said, reaching into his pocket to dig for some gold coins to tip the healer, but the elderly woman shook her head.
“Don’t worry about it. Use that money to get yourself some food. You look famished,” the healer said.
Yuri smirked, shrugging. “All right. Hopefully we will cross paths again,” he called, waving to the magical mender as he walked out of the tent and into the relentless torrent of the marketplace’s aggressive shoppers.
Being swept up like a child trapped in churning rapids, Yuri was shoved about as he attempted to locate the princess. But there were just too many people. Hundreds of faces filled the plaza and he couldn’t recognize the one that mattered most to him. Wincing, he exhaled. Maybe I should just go and get some food.
