Arthur watched as Raphael slowly began closing his eyes and gently leaned towards Claire. "He seems tired. How long have you guys been out here?"

"Hmmm, I don't know. Maybe five days?" Claire held onto her older brother and snuggled close to his chest for warmth. She said, "Mom told us to run when scary men showed up at our home, and when my brother saw them, we quickly ran."

"Scary men? What did they look like?" Arthur tilted his head when he heard this and stared at the siblings. It was odd for a group of men to suddenly show up at someone's home, and depending on their appearance, it would be a blessing or curse. "Did they wear armor like the guards, or was it mainly leather and fur?"

Claire scratched the side of her cheeks while trying to recall their appearance and asked, "The shiny things on the guards?"

"Yeah, were they like that?" Arthur scanned the nearby crowd to see if he could point out one of the guards patrolling the streets, but to his surprise, not a single guard could be seen.

"They were even fancier. All the scary men who came to our home had blue capes and a mean-looking dog." Claire made a small gesture with both of her index figures to show the outline of the beast. "The dog had yellow fur and sharp teeth!"

Arthur furrowed his eyebrows in discontent before asking. "Did they have horses?"

"Yeah! Big horses with a fancy wagon!" Claire excitedly smiled, revealing a small pair of dimples on each side of her cheeks.

Arthur smiled back at Claire, who excitedly described the black and gold carriages before him. He sensed significant gaps in his memories but was slowly assembling the bits and pieces with the information Claire gave him. But parts of him felt wrong asking a younger child these questions when he should have asked Raphael.

Noticing Claire's drowsiness, Arthur said, "Alright, it's time to rest."

"Will you be sleeping, too?" Claire innocently asked, looking at Arthur and gazing at the main street.

"No, someone has to keep watch over you two," Arthur replied as the corner of his lips curled upward.

"Eh? Brother and I just sleep when we get too tired." A hint of surprise came from Claire. She rubbed her eyes with one hand and let out a quiet yawn.

"Well… I'm not really tired, so I'll sleep after Raphael wakes up," Arthur said softly.

However, deep inside, he couldn't help but feel that the siblings were a bit naive to sleep without someone keeping watch. Even though this city had a decent number of guards and was well-lit, it didn't necessarily mean it was completely safe.

"Okie, night night," Claire tiredly said.

Claire closed her eyes and slowly drifted to sleep. The fatigue that had built up over the last few days had finally caught up with her.

I'll find out more when I ask Raphael about what happened to them.

Arthur let out a deep sigh and cursed his constant headaches. He could barely remember anything, and when he tried too hard, it felt like a continuous ringing was piercing his ears.

Who was that old man?

It was a pleasant memory that Arthur didn't mind recalling. He had nothing except the clothes on his back, and a sense of emptiness consumed him as if he had lost something precious to him.

"Principles…" Arthur muttered the word to himself with a content smile.

I must have lived a very blessed life to meet him. Hopefully, we can see each other once again.

Maybe when he was arguing with the old man, the word had little meaning, but now it was different. A newfound sense of self had been born. Arthur glanced at the children beside him. One was around his age, while the other was a few years younger. He felt sorry for them, knowing firsthand how painful it was to be separated from one's family.

In the world of knights, their worth was judged based on the equipment they possessed and the noble family they served. However, the most crucial factor was the number of aura stars they had developed within their bodies; five stars were required to become a knight. A knight who served a wealthy and influential family could easily achieve five stars. But why would they send an escort of knights after Claire and Raphael? None of it made sense.

The chilly midnight air sent shivers coursing through Claire's body, causing her to tremble faintly. Seeing this, Arthur moved over to her and sat down with his legs crossed. He leaned against the cold stonewall while gazing at the cloudy sky. When faced with the current situation, he felt frustrated and helpless. He wanted to know more about who he was, more about how he lived, and, most importantly, about what he should do.

Arthur carefully wrapped the other side of the cloak around Claire's shoulders and gently leaned his shoulder against hers. The warmth that radiated from Arthur's body flowed through the cloak and surrounded them. He could see the quivering shoulders slowly subside and breathed a sigh of relief.

They were both well dressed, unlike him, whose clothes were covered in dirt. He was surprised they even took the muddy cloak, but he understood how cold it really was once he saw the small white cloud flow out of his mouth. Yet, for some reason, Arthur didn't feel the same coldness that the siblings felt. His body was fine despite the low temperatures, and it was rare to feel tired.

As the sun traveled across the horizon, bright orange and yellow hues trailed in the sky. Several hours passed as Arthur thought about his body's abnormal conditions. From the other side of the cloak, he felt a slight tug from Raphael, who slowly opened his eyes.

"Morning." Arthur's gentle smile met Raphael's discontented frown.

Raphael used both hands to rub off the morning fatigue before blinking multiple times. He angrily glared at Arthur, who moved beside Claire, then at the cloak before clicking his tongue.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Disgruntledly, he asked, "Why are you still here?"

"Well...I thought we could stick together," Arthur said.

"Stick together? We don't even know each other," Raphael refuted.

"It's okay, we can get to know each other," Arthur casually replied.

"You weirdo." Raphael felt a minor headache talking to Arthur as he watched the carefree kid before him. Although he was in a similar situation, his attitude was completely different. "How can you be so carefree despite your current situation?"

"I mean, the current situation isn't that bad," Arthur replied.

"Isn't that bad?" Raphael scoffed and asked, "Have you not seen where you're at?"

He pointed to the surroundings in bewilderment. They were in a damp alleyway that hardly had any light. The further they went in the alleyway, the closer they were to the slums. It smelled awful, and there was hardly any food or water. To Raphael, everything about the current situation spelled trouble.

"It could be a lot worse. We could be even more drenched. It could be winter. It could be many things," Arthur's reply nearly sent Raphael off the deep end. The past few days, no matter how Raphael looked at it, pushed him to his limits.

Both corners of Raphael's mouth curled downward in disapproval. Even though Arthur made valid points, Raphael's discontent was worn like medals on his chest.

"Don't you know attitude is everything when it comes to these things?" Arthur closed both eyes and proudly waved his index finger from one side to another.

Raphael felt a sense of regret fill his chest, but he asked anyway, "Is this another one of your principles?"

"Yep!" Arthur's satisfied remark sent Raphael a wave of emotions he couldn't explain. Shock? Disbelief? Frustration? Those were the first few emotions he felt.

Once Raphael heard Arthur's quick response, he buried his face between both palms. He didn't even want to talk to Arthur anymore, but what could he do? Arthur was their only new company; if he could describe him in one word, it would be delusional! He prayed each night for someone to help him; the first person to help him was some weird beggar.

"I feel like I'm going to regret asking…but who taught you these principles?" Raphael briefly looked up from his palms with a calm and collective expression.

"Some old man I met when he visited my town," Arthur's clear and concise answer was another nail in the coffin.

"Like…your grandpa?" Raphael asked with a trace of worry.

"Nope, just some old man," Arthur quickly responded.

Maybe if he had his old memories, then a decent answer would come out of Arthur's mouth, but in all honesty, he had no clue who that person was.

Raphael buried his face into his palms once again as Arthur spoke. How could someone be so naive? It was hard enough taking care of his sister, but now he had to take care of some stranger trying to help them.

Wait, take care?

The sudden thought made Raphael pause momentarily as he traced the events that led to this point. Gradually, just like Arthur was helping others out of the kindness of his heart, he, too, was under the influence of returning gratitude when given gratitude, and the only ones he could blame for this behavior were his own parents.

Slowly reaching into a small poach beside him, Raphael pulled out a loaf of bread and held it towards Arthur. "Here."

Arthur glanced at the stretched-out hand holding the bread, then shifted his gaze between the bread and Raphael. "Are you sure?"

"Don't make me change my mind." Raphael dangled the bread before Arthur and smiled as Arthur received it. "My dad said this was how we break bread."

"Breaking bread?" Arthur felt like he had heard of this expression before but couldn't recall from where.

"Yeah, we're brothers now, and as brothers. We should trust and have faith in each other," Raphael tiredly said.

"Is that how it works? Who did you learn it from?" Arthur curiously asked.

"From my dad, he told me about it from his stories when he used to travel. He said it was hard to be enemies with someone you shared a meal with," Raphael replied.

Raphael reminisced about his father's adventures. Each story emphasized how difficult survival was, especially when rationing their food. Most importantly, it was about ensuring that everyone was taken care of. Even though they didn't have much food left, he figured they should at least look out for each other.

"I see…" Arthur held onto both ends of the loaf of bread, ripped it apart from the center, and handed one piece to Raphael. "Like so?"

Their eyes met as Raphael grinned while taking the other piece of bread. "You pick up quickly. Now, let's set some boundaries."

Feeling a slight misunderstanding, Arthur asked, "What boundaries do you have in mind?"

"Yeah, first things first, stay away from my sister!" Raphael angrily yelled while pointing at Arthur's shoulder, which pressed against Claire's.

But before he could say another word, Claire grunted and hit Raphael's head before falling asleep. With a frown and a stare that blamed Arthur for what had just happened, he gestured with both hands, representing them slowly moving away.

Seeing the gesture, Arthur acted accordingly. He understood Raphael's intention and shifted over, leaving a sizable gap between him and Claire. "Better?"

"It'll do. I was hoping you would go to the other end of the alleyway, but I guess that would be too much." Raphael gave a satisfied shrug as both shoulders moved up and back down before asking, "Why did you move beside Claire anyway?"

Arthur lightly scratched his cheek in response to Raphael's question and spoke in an embarrassed tone, "I thought she would be cold."

Raphael's expression gradually worsened, and he didn't want to admit he was wrong. As Claire was younger, she might not be able to endure the cold like them. Acknowledging his mistake, Raphael moved both hands back together while staring at Arthur, causing him to shift back to where he originally was.

"Next time, ask for permission," Raphael angrily said.

"Alright, I'll make sure to ask Claire next time." Arthur nodded in agreement.

"Claire? Are you crazy?" Raphael looked puzzled before using his thumb and pointing to himself. "The one you should ask is me. I know what's best for my sister."

“Right…right…” Arthur nodded in response, but in the back of his head, he couldn't help but silently pray for Claire and her troubles in the future. Quickly changing the topic, Arthur brought up an earlier conversation. "That reminds me, Claire told me that some people were looking for you guys."

"She told you that? Well...you will find out eventually, so there's no problem with that." Raphael bitterly held onto the cloak with a troubled look in his eyes. A part of him was scared, but since he was the oldest, he couldn't show it to Claire. Raphael said hushedly, "I don't know why they showed up at our house. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding since my parents would never do something to put us in danger, but if it is something bad and they do find us, you can leave us."

Arthur sensed Raphael's uneasiness and calmly reassured him, "I won't abandon you guys, so don't worry about it."

With a gentle pat on Claire's head, Raphael looked at Arthur and quietly spoke, "Just in case, so you don't regret it. I'm not one to force others into a situation I wouldn't want to be in."

The slight tremble in Raphael's hands caused Arthur to remain silent. Being left out on the streets was difficult for children like them, and if anything, Arthur wanted to do his best to help them. After finding food and shelter for Claire and Raphael, Arthur's next goal was to reunite them with their parents.