V
James huddled into the stone wall at the mouth of an alley, trembling with cold on the floor.
No matter how much he blew warm air onto his numbed hands, they remained stiff and useless.
His arm burned, despite it being scabbed over.
Whenever he moved it, the hardened blood would crack and ooze.
He'd long since ran out of bandages to wrap it in, still wearing the same filthy ones from days ago.
If he was in a better position he would've had the energy to worry about infection.
?He'd already lost all of his mangled golden buttons. Three had been spent getting this far away from the capital, to this small town by some woodland. The other buttons had been stolen as he slept, cutting his journey short.
?He had really lived a privileged life in the past, if this was what the average homeless child had to experience. Life was cruel out here.
?Seeds of hopelessness had been planted by this point, with James starting to believe it would have been better if he'd perished with everyone else after all.
All those people had fought so that he, at least, could live; and for what?
For James to live like this? He would have rather died.
It was a waste. They should've saved themselves.
?Yet, somehow, James still smouldered with the desire to live. His stomach demanded food, whilst his lungs demanded oxygen. Even if his brain was done, his body had other ideas.
?He hugged Eris tight to his chest. He had her, at least.
?Allowing himself to peek out from the tight alley, he kept a keen eye on the people that walked past, selecting his target.
?The market was too lacking to steal from, with winter taking a toll on food supplies. People didn't have enough food to eat, let alone sell. Only a few sellers remained, animal pelts and jewellery being all that was left. Money was his target instead.
?James understood his position; to nobles, he was dirt. He knew because he used to think in the same way. Begging for money would land him into trouble, he'd seen other kids get beaten up for doing so. He wouldn't make the same mistake.
?There, he saw an underdressed man in cheap thin clothing, his skin a pale brown like his hair.
James immediately recognised him to be a slave.
Whilst slaves weren't common, they were certainly seen enough that it wasn't a surprise.
They were all from the same defeated nation and shared the same olive skin.
It was unlike the mostly pale complexion of the kingdom's citizens, so they stuck out like a sore thumb.
?The slave silently followed a man of much higher status, with expensive wear.
James watched them for a moment and then casually left the alley to calmly walk past them.
He was good with his hands, the rich man wouldn't even notice.
He knew he was taking a risk and the slave may see him do it, but he was too desperate to wait longer.
?Without any suspicion, James snuck up behind them, pocketed the man's purse, and kept walking.
He let himself look back, and saw the slave staring right at him.
James' heart froze in fear, knowing he'd been caught.
He waited for the slave to tell his master, unable to muster the strength to run away.
Yet, that never happened, and the slave looked away as if he'd never seen James steal in the first place.
?James fled.
?With this, he could buy himself some better clothes and some medicine. He might just survive the winter after all.
?In his daze, he knocked into someone, the purse falling out of his hands and onto the floor, the coins clinking together and creating a very recognisable noise.
?Damn it.
?James clenched Eris harder to his chest, her brilliant sheath clumped with mud, and slowly looked up, staring at the stranger right in the eye.
?He was big, and very strong.
?James took a step back nervously, the man's brown eyes assessing him in a way that made James feel small.
?"S- sorry." James said, and looked back down to the purse he had dropped, too scared to pick it up under the man's gaze.
?"It's a very nice looking purse." the man remarked, his voice low and threatening.
?James had nothing to say to that.
?The man leaned down and picked it up, James felt his heart jump seeing his lifeline in that person's hands.
?Popping it open, the man looked inside, and then back at James.
?"There's a lot of money in here, and I don't think it belongs to you."
?"It does."
?The stranger's eyes narrowed.
?Before James could think of an excuse, a plan, his arm was held in a vice grip, and his body got dragged away from the main street.
?"Let go of me!" James squirmed, thankful the man had, at least, taken his good arm. He held on tighter to Eris, he wouldn't drop her too.
?James wasn't like how he used to be, he was bordering on starving and his body had become weak. He knew he'd be unable to fight back in this situation.
?Away from prying eyes, the man pushed him against a wall and James whimpered in pain, his bad arm getting grazed under his clothing.
?"Suffering doesn't give you a right to steal, kid." the man said.
?James inwardly scoffed, as if this well-fed man thought James had any other option.
?He resorted to glaring at him, it wouldn't be like this person would understand. It was a waste of his words, and he hadn't quite mastered the common accent yet. He was self conscious that someone could recognise his refined drawl if he spoke enough.
?James' eyes darted around, seeking a good escape route.
?"That sword..."
?James froze in fear. The man's focus locked on Eris.
?"It's mine." he insisted, gathering courage out of his terror.
?James made a step to escape but was again shoved into the wall, the man pulling Eris away from his tight grip. James' fingers slipped with clumps of mud that came off her, letting her come loose in his grasp and into the possession of the man in front of him.
?"This sword is way too big for a young boy, who did you steal this from?"
?"I didn't steal anything!" he insisted, his breath becoming laboured and his heart racing.
?"Who did you steal it from?!"
?"No one!"
?James pounced for the sword, trying to pull her free. The man tripped James up by the feet and used Eris to push him down, he gasped in pain.
?"You filthy liar," the man spat, "real swords aren't made of gold, this belongs to a noble." he turned to leave.
?James' eyes stung with desperation. "No please! She's my friend, don't take her away from me! Please!"
?The man stopped. "She?"
?James' whimpers took over his mouth, unable to regain composure quickly, unable to come up with a solution.
?"You called this sword a 'she', boy?"
?"Please." James pleaded. He would give this man the money, that he could lose. But not Eris, never Eris.
?The man stared at James for a moment, thinking, before scratching the mud off of the sword, dirt clumping under his nails. He traced the revealed pattern under his fingers, inspecting it, before attempting to unsheath it. He, as the large man he was, was unable to.
?James watched helplessly, gathering his nerves back together, he would at least die trying to get her back.
?"What's its name, boy?"
?James took in a shaky breath. "Please, sir. She's all I ha-"
?"What is her name?" he demanded sharply.
?"Eris." James squeaked.
?The man looked down at the sword again, admiring her. James hoped that since he had been unable to unsheathe her, that he'd think of her as useless and give her back.
?"... Eris, huh?"
?James swallowed a hard lump down. "Please, sir, I will give you my body, I will give you anything. Just don't take her away from me."
?"Your body?" the man spluttered. "What are you saying?"
?"I need her."
?Begging was fine. Pride was only a burden out here. It was a privilege he had not got back yet.
?The man thought some more for a moment, gazing around and tapping his finger against her body. Then, he looks squarely back at James' defeated crumpled form.
?"You can have her," he said, "but, you must come with me."
?James didn't care what this man wanted, he didn't care if this man was leading him to his death. He would do anything to have a chance of getting Eris back. He nodded.
?He would get her back no matter what.
James bit his lip against the memory, his life shouldn't flash behind his eyes just yet. He hadn't given up.
?"I don't know what you're talking about." James said, defiantly, "Striking someone out of nowhere like that, I hope you don't do that to all the innocent civilians you threaten."
?The knight's dark eyes looked him up and down with the kind of apathy you gaze upon an insect with. It was quite chilling to gaze into those endless black pools, they couldn't even be considered brown.
?"You're fine." the man said, not glancing away for even a single moment.
?James knew Eris would be on the ground with him, somewhere. She couldn't have been flung that far away. This knight was just too careful to give James that opportunity to look for her.
?"Where is the child that was with you?"
?James racked his brain for any kind of plan, anything he could do in this situation. Without Eris' presence, he felt untethered and unsettled. Maybe if he could just get onto his feet somehow...
?"I don't have kids." James shrugged, slowly moving his legs as if he was just trying to get more comfortable, "I'm not even married."
?The knight didn't look remotely convinced by his innocent act, nor was he stupid enough to move from his superior position.
?James slowly, subtly, moved his arm towards his side to where he had a dagger.
?There. The man looked at his hand. James took this opportunity to use his other hand, full of dirt, and launch it into the knight's eyes.
?He did it. The knight was caught by surprise and lifted an arm to block his eyes from the attack. This gave James just enough time to stand and retreat, looking for Eris in the few precious moments he had.
?Shit. She was too far away.
?James ran and lunged for her, his hand barely skimming over her, before a dagger was stabbed through his sleeve and into the ground.
?James fought hard and dirty, kicking, scratching, pushing, but he was quickly overpowered. The knight's build was bigger than his, he had more muscle to throw around, and when you were fighting on the ground like this, weight mattered.
?His hands were pinned above his head, his legs immobilised by the knight's as he was straddled by the waist.
?James did not have the weight to throw the man off him, but he tried very hard to.
?"Stop." the man said, a dangerous glint in those black eyes, "I will hurt you if you keep resisting."
?James was persistent, but not an idiot. If he wanted any chance to escape, it wouldn't be now.
?He relaxed his body, but kept his eyes in a defiant glare. He was dimly aware his hood had slipped in the struggle and his face was on full display in the low sun.
?"I don't know what you're talking about." James protested, "I'm just here to hunt boar."
?The knight narrowed his eyes. "I was told that a man in a brown hood, carrying a tatty sword, was running away with a sickly child on his back." He looked him up and down, "You fit the description perfectly, no?"
?James didn't have enough information, which frustrated him. Was the knight just responding to some civilians' concerns, or was he aware of the child's unique trait? There was also the possibility that he was involved in the trafficking himself.
?James inwardly scolded himself. This all happened because he didn't keep a good enough eye on his middlemen. He needed to be more interested in them. He hated surprises.
?"Look around, idiot. Do you see any children here? Go have a look around yourself if you're so sure."
?He hoped that kid was over the border by now. The kingdom's knights wouldn't be able to touch him there.
?What a shitty situation.
?The knight, surprisingly, did not seem annoyed by his words; rather, he seemed much more interested at staring at James' face.
?James tried to keep his face neutral.
?"You..." the knight said, leaning in closer to James' face. "What's your name?"
?He did his best to stay calm. "It's sexy with a 'y'."
?He was scrutinised for one more moment, before the knight turned his nose up in what was probably disgust.
?"Excuse me, one moment." the knight said, and turned James onto his front somewhat violently.
?James grunted at being manhandled, not taking the unlikely chance to escape. He would need to get the knight's guard down first.
?With his face in the dirt, James' hands were held behind his back, but the knight still sat over him, not taking the chance.
?"What are you doing?"
?James was finding this whole thing very annoying, but he supposed it gave the child more time.
?"Blonde hair, brown eyes, taller than average," the knight listed, he then tore off the glove off of James' hand, and unravelled the bandages that were underneath, "and a burn scar that runs up the arm."
?The knight pulled James' hair so he would turn his face to look up at him.
?"Are you Jay?"
?Goddamn it.
?He might have to kill this man at this rate. It was uncomfortable for someone to know his appearance so clearly.
?He wished he could get Eris' opinion in that moment.
?"I told you my name already."
?The knight tied rope around James' wrists, pulling it tightly. It would have hurt his bare hand if it hadn't been hardened in scar tissue.
?"Whether you deny it or not," the knight said, "I have to take you anyway since you fit the description. It's a royal decree."
?James' heart jumped. "From whom?"
?The knight gave a puzzled look. "Are you stupid?"
?Right, it would be the Drykas house of course. He was in their territory and their knight's custody after all. He didn't need to panic.
?"Can I at least know who is arresting me?" James asked. He supposed he could begin the long game of building rapport.
?"Alexander," he replied. "Though, I'd prefer you wouldn't address me at all."
?'What a grumpy guy.'
?Still, it was surprising that a man of his race had such a typical Khearian name, it wasn't what he expected.
?This man was quite interesting.
?"Well, it's nice to meet you Alex," James smiled, big and wide, "I'm innocent."
?Alex's brows furrowed and he stood up, dragging James up by the hands without care.
?"Hey, careful."
?James was very quickly getting tired of being dragged around. He didn't like people being this close to his body as it was.
?"Keep up." Alex told him, sternly. "I will stab you if you so much as look at me funny."
?James inwardly scoffed. That was an impossible request when he acted like that.
?He would just have to pretend to be obedient and co-operative until he got his chance to flee. They were some distance away from the nearest knights' post. He would get the time.
?James obediently stood up for him, but protested almost immediately.
?"You can't just leave my sword and bag here, you know."
?"Why can't I?"
?"Because I stole them," James said, smiling, "you need to go return them to their rightful owners don't you? I stole them from nobles."
?Alex stared at him for a moment, their eyes levelled at matching heights, then he sighed. Clearly the knight was just taking his things to get him to shut up.
?Good. James would annoy him to death to get what he wanted.
?James would have to give him credit though, Alex didn't lower his guard even when he picked up James' things. It felt like there was a tense eye on him at all times. There was no opening for James to exploit.
?James smiled to himself. It was going to be night in a matter of hours. This guy would get tired like everyone else, he is human after all. He could just consider this whole experience as a challenge.
?After all, no one was better at running away than James.