Part Two
Sunflower
Hunter internally cursed as he strode away from the second-floor window of the orphanage. He had traveled to a different kingdom, being careful to bypass the border posts between Tascela and Malin, had spent six days on a horse to get here, only for Thomas to say no, he didn’t want to meet Wells. While Hunter rarely, if ever, pondered potential difficulties his plans possessed--Michael was always getting on him about that one, saying that by thinking of millions of different problems, one would never be caught off guard--he had, in fact, thought up of a couple, but never would he have imagined that Thomas would refuse to take him up on his offer. He paused, then turned back around to look at the open window he had just climbed out of. What was he supposed to do now that Thomas didn’t want to meet Wells?
True, he could have forced the matter, but he found himself unable to do that, not when, just moments before Thomas had said no, he had lied about knowing Thomas’ mother. He had known he would have to not mention her during their conversation long before he had entered Ridgecrest--hell, long before even entering the kingdom--but he hadn’t planned on outright lying to Thomas. Still, it had to be done.
Or, at least, it had to be done to ensure that Thomas would go to Castle Tascela first, but that plan had flown out the window when Thomas had said that he wanted to stay. Hunter cursed again and began to turn around. Suddenly, he heard a noise to his left and he faced that direction, spying a group of soldiers talking amongst themselves in front of the orphanage. Pivoting on his heel, Hunter started walking in the opposite direction. He hoped to God that they hadn’t spotted him, hadn’t wondered why a boy his age didn’t have an Aspayan uniform on, hadn’t seen the sunflower pin clasped to his gray cloak. After he left Tascela behind, he couldn’t bear to keep his pin in his pocket and had put it back in its rightful place, on the left-hand side of his cloak.
“Hunter!” someone called from behind him.
With his concern of the soldiers still flooding through him, he reacted instinctively, acting as if the person behind him was an enemy and someone to be dealt with quickly. He whirled around and, in the same motion, pulled his knife from the left side of his body. Spying the person that called out to him just a couple of feet away from him, he stepped forward, grabbing and twisting the front of the person’s shirt with his right hand and shoving them up against the wall next to him. The person had the hood of their cloak up, making it hard to see their facial features and even harder to tell what they were planning on doing. The one thing in their favor, though, was the lack of a red uniform, telling Hunter that the person was not an Aspayan soldier. Still, that didn’t negate the possibility of them being a threat.
They struggled for a second, their hand reaching for something at their side. Realizing that it could be a weapon, Hunter brought up his left hand, placing the cool silver of his knife on the person’s neck, just above the bandana tied around their neck.
“I would stop moving if I were you,” Hunter said. He heard a clang, the sound of metal hitting the cobblestone road, but he refused to move his eyes away from the person. They quickly put their hands up, moving their head back further against the wall they were pinned against, trying to get away from the knife Hunter held.
“Hunter, it’s me!” they gasped, quickly pulling off their hood to reveal blonde curly hair and blue eyes widened in fright.
Quickly, Hunter stepped back, releasing his hold on him. Still, he kept his knife out. “Thomas?”
The boy nodded enthusiastically, not even trying to hide his relief over the removal of the knife from his neck. He rubbed his neck, right where Hunter had twisted his shirt and where the blade of the knife had been just moments before.
Hunter blinked then resheathed his knife. “Sorry, I thought you were someone else.” Thomas only nodded, still rubbing at his neck. “Did you change your mind?” Somehow, he managed to hide his hopeful tone, changing instead to one filled with curiosity. He couldn’t appear to be too overjoyed at the idea of Thomas deciding to go to Castle Tascela, but he couldn’t help the small voice whispering louder and louder that his plan could still work, that he might be able to avenge his parents like he had promised he would do years ago.
“Um, yeah,” Thomas answered, bringing his hand back down to his side. “Are you still up to taking me to Castle Tascela?”
Hunter smiled widely. “Of course.” Still aware of the group of soldiers milling around the entrance of the orphanage, he decided that they had to leave--and fast. “Let’s go.” He began to turn away when the other boy called after him.
“Wait!” Hunter turned, frowning as Thomas bent down to grab something. Following the movement, he found that the clang from earlier had, indeed, belonged to a weapon, a knife similar in size to Hunter’s. His frown deepened as he watched Thomas fumble with it as he put it away on the left-hand side of his body.
“Have you ever used a knife before?” he asked.
Thomas shook his head. “I only got it today,” he replied, still trying to sheathe his weapon.
Hunter blinked, watching him struggle for a few more seconds. Finally, he decided that he should offer his help. “Are you left-handed or right-handed?”
Thomas looked away from his side, looking instead to Hunter. “Right.”
“Then the knife should go on the right side of your body.”
The other boy frowned. “But I thought swords go on the opposite side of your dominant hand.”
Hunter raised his eyebrow. “Are you holding a knife or a sword right now?”
Thomas sighed. “A knife.” He moved the sheath over--though it hung low and looked to be close to falling off at any moment--then renewed his efforts to put away the knife.
“Let me,” Hunter said, stepping forward. He quickly arranged the sheath how it should be, placing the weapon back in its rightful place.
“Can you teach me how to do that?” Thomas asked, his tone filled with awe and wonderment. Hunter hesitated, knowing that they had to leave soon but also that Thomas needed to know how to properly handle his weapon if he hoped to defend himself.
“What do you mean he’s gone?” an angry voice asked.
Hunter looked over to the orphanage, finding that the soldiers were quickly turning into a swarm of angry bees, seemingly over the disappearance of Thomas. “I will later. Now, though, I think it’s time to go.” Without waiting for Thomas to respond, he headed down the street, ducking into the stables of the inn, heading directly for his horse, Magnus.
“Uh, Hunter?” a voice asked. Glancing behind him, Hunter found Thomas standing awkwardly at the front of the stables. “What are we doing here?”
“Getting horses,” he responded, turning his attention back on his horse.
“I don’t have a horse, though,” Thomas pointed out, stepping forward until he was standing next to Hunter.
“So we’ll find you one,” he replied easily, not letting Thomas’ concerns worry him as well. “There’s plenty of horses here.” Hunter gestured around the stables, glancing around as he looked over the half a dozen horses in their stalls.
“They’re all huge, though.”
And looking at some of the horses--including Magnus--and comparing them to Thomas, Hunter had to agree. “We’ll find you a smaller horse, then.”
Thomas shifted uneasily, seemingly nervous as another concern came to him. “I’ve never ridden before. Is that a problem?”
Hunter shook his head. “Not at all. You have plenty of time to learn.” He glanced at the knife hanging at Thomas’ side. “And time to learn how to use that knife correctly.” Noticing Thomas hanging his head, he bumped into his shoulder lightly. “It’s no big deal. We all start by knowing nothing.”
Thomas nodded, though he still didn’t seem too convinced by Hunter’s words. “How long does it take to get to Tascela?”
“To the border or the castle?”
Thomas shrugged. “Both, I guess.”
Hunter looked away, thinking through the boy’s question before answering. He rubbed his horse’s nose as he said, “The border is about an hour west. Then it’s about six days to Castle Tascela.”
Thomas blinked. “It’s that far away?”
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Hunter chuckled. “What, did you think it was closer?”
Thomas’ face went pink. “Well, no, but I didn’t know that it was six days away.” He paused before adding, “Did you really travel all this way just to turn back around for me to see my father?”
Hunter froze, staring intently at his horse’s head. He thought carefully before answering, keeping his eyes off of Thomas and instead on Magnus. “I know that you’ve always wanted to meet your family,” he said slowly. “And, when I found out that Wells was your father, I knew I had to tell you. The long journey didn’t phase me, not when I knew how desperate you are to know who your family is.”
He didn’t mention how he wanted to see his parents again, didn’t mention how much he wanted the chance he was giving to Thomas, how he longed to talk to them again. He also didn’t mention what he was planning on doing once they arrived at the castle, didn’t say that he wanted to use Thomas to get closer to Wells, thus enabling him an opportunity to avenge his parents’ death. Instead, he held his tongue, still looking away from Thomas, while he waited for him to respond.
“Thank you, Hunter.”
Hunter only nodded, humming in acknowledgement over the boy’s gratitude. It was the second time he had received thanks for what he was doing from Thomas, but the lies and the unspoken words made it impossible for him to speak, sitting heavy in his stomach and making him wonder if Thomas would still be thankful about the chance to meet his father if he knew what Hunter was planning and that he was withholding information about his mother.
“Woah, this horse is pretty.”
Hunter finally looked up from Magnus, watching Thomas as he approached a mare with a light golden coat and a white mane. She was slightly bigger than a pony, but much smaller than the other horses in the stables, making her the perfect size for Thomas. She was sturdy, seeming to be up to the long trip to Castle Tascela. “She is,” Hunter agreed, stepping forward to stand next to Thomas. “What do you think about riding her to Tascela?”
Thomas frowned, appearing thoughtful. He rubbed a hand over her nose, laughing when she breathed softly on his hand. “I like her,” he decided, sounding happy about his choice of horse.
“Well, it lo--”
“What are you doing with my horse?” a voice asked, cutting Hunter off. The two boys turned around to face the curious face of a man.
“Hey, Mr. Campbell!” Thomas called, appearing to know the man talking with them. “Your horse is really nice.”
The man shrugged. “She gets the job done. Still, what do you want with her?”
Hunter stepped forward. “Is it possible for us to borrow your mare?”
Campbell glanced at the golden horse before turning back to face Hunter. “Angelina? What for?”
“We’re going on a trip and Thomas here needs a horse.”
The man looked suddenly at Thomas. “A trip? Where to?”
“Tas--”
“Oh, here and there,” Hunter said, giving Thomas a glare. Soldiers were currently looking for Thomas and he knew that they considered his disappearance a sign of desertion. And the Empire did not treat deserters nicely. The longer they kept their end goal a secret, the harder it would be for the soldiers to find them.
Campbell looked at Hunter with suspicion, considering his interruption to be a source of unease. “And where exactly is that?”
Hunter looked him square in the eye, knowing that it was a sign that he was being truthful. “I’m taking Thomas to see my family. They live a day’s journey to the south.”
The man’s arms crossed. “Then why do you need a horse to go a day away?”
“It’s too far away to walk. Thomas’ birthday is a week away and he needs to be here for the Enlistment Act.” All of this was said with a straight face, but the lies still sat heavily inside of Hunter, adding to the lies he had already uttered to Thomas.
Campbell considered Hunter’s words before nodding. “Understandable. Well, I can let you borrow Angelina here for five gold pieces.”
Hunter cursed internally. Five gold pieces was an insane price, even to borrow a horse for a supposed few days. Thomas seemed just as concerned as Hunter.
Hunter took out his purse, preparing to negotiate. “Would you con--”
“No.” The man folded his arms, making Hunter think that there would be no negotiating the price. “Five gold pieces.”
Hunter sighed before counting out the money. “Ver we--”
“Mr. Campbell, sir,” Thomas said. “Would you consider a discount? For the boy who helped your kitchen staff for nothing the past several years?”
Campbell shifted his weight. Hunter felt gratitude for Thomas rising up inside of him, but he refused to let it show. “I-I--”
“Sir, I’m about to leave for the army in a week. Before I leave, I want to see my friend’s family, who I have never met before. I want to meet the people who raised the greatest friend I’ve ever had, before I di--leave.”
Hunter blinked at Thomas’ beautiful lie. Even adding in the last stammer led his act even further.
Campbell was quiet for several seconds, appearing to think over Thomas’ statement. Eventually, he relented, saying, “I can let you borrow Angelina for half-price. Two gold and five silver pieces.”
Hunter nodded, counting up the money. Still a lot--anything above one gold was--but much more doable. Thomas, however, didn’t seem to think so. He opened his pack, taking out and removing it from the shirt it was wrapped in.
“Would you consider this as payment?” he asked, handing it to Campbell.
Campbell took it, holding it up to reveal a snowglobe. Inside were mountains, mountains that seemed to resemble the ones just outside. Campbell considered it, seemingly to think of the price it could fetch him. “Sure. It seems pretty nice. Angelina’s all yours for the week.” With that, Campbell turned around and walked away.
Not waiting any longer, Hunter hurried into Angelina’s stall, preparing her for the trip to Castle Tascela. He started to explain to Thomas what he was doing but quickly broke off. Thomas was staring in the direction that Campbell had gone, looking conflicted.
“Thomas?” Hunter asked.
“Mhm?” he hummed, still not looking at Hunter.
“What’s wrong?”
Thomas was quiet for a few seconds. Then, he said, “Derrick and Erick gave me that snowglobe. They said that they wanted me to remember home.” He paused then cleared his throat. “When I’m gone, I mean. And now I just gave it away.”
Hunter didn’t mention the fact that he was ready to pay for the horse. He didn’t mention that Thomas didn’t have to do what he just did. Doing that would make him insensitive to the emotions Thomas was experiencing. Instead, he said, “You don’t need things to remember home by, Thomas.”
Thomas looked sharply up at Hunter. “What do you mean? They gave me a present that they spent most of their savings on. And I just gave it away. I gave it away the same day that the twins gave it to me. It’s like I didn’t even care about it. Like I didn’t care enough to keep it or take care of it or something.”
“Thomas, do you care about Erick and Derrick?”
Thomas looked affronted by Hunter’s question, seemingly shocked that he would ask him that. “Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Then how does having a snowglobe show that you care about them? Isn’t love more about what we do and say than what we own?”
Thomas looked away. “It is but…”
“But nothing, Thomas.” Hunter paused to let Thomas think about what he said. “Things and gifts mean little. They can be destroyed at any moment. We shouldn’t use them to remember events and people from the past. They live inside of us, not in things. We keep them in our hearts and in our memories. Cherish the time you spent with Derrick and Erick. Cherish your love and care for them. Don’t measure what they mean to you by the gifts you have from them; measure it by what’s in your heart and mind.”
Thomas huffed, looking away from Hunter. After a couple of seconds, he looked back at Hunter. “It still feels like I’m dishonoring the twins. It still feels like I don’t care for them.”
Hunter tilted his head to the side. “You said that you do care for them, though. How can it feel that way, then?”
“What if they find out that Mr. Campbell has the snowglobe now? And they start to think that I don’t love them?”
“Who cares what they think? All that matters is what you know to be true.”
“But Derrick and Erick are the recipients of my love!” Thomas exclaimed, throwing his arm out to point at the orphanage they had just left. “What if they find out about the fact that I gave their gift away? What if they feel like I don’t care about them? Shouldn’t they really know that I care about them?”
“Thomas, you practically raised them. I think they know that you care for them. You don’t need a snowglobe to prove that to them.”
“I don’t know…” Thomas said. “I want to believe that what you say is correct but I’m not sure.”
“I get how you feel. Really, I do. Material things are hard to hold on to, though, and sometimes we need to let those go in order to be happy in life. You know that you care for Derrick and Erick and they know that you care for them. That’s all that matters. You don’t need anything else to prove that.” Thomas stayed quiet, contemplating Hunter’s words. Seeing that the matter was closed, Hunter turned his attention back to Angelina. “Now, let me show you how to take care of your horse.”
With a little reluctance--reluctance that Hunter summed up to be due to the fact that Thomas was still struggling with his emotions in regard to the snowglobe--Hunter explained how to saddle a horse to Thomas. He then demonstrated how to correctly mount and dismount. Once he got Thomas on Angelina, he led the horse outside, showing Thomas how to correctly hold the reins.
“I’ll be right back,” Hunter assured. Thomas didn’t look happy that Hunter was leaving him--his hands were twisting the reins in his hands, seemingly in a nervous action--but he nodded anyway. Hunter returned to his own steed, who was munching on some oats with indifference.
“You ready, boy?” Hunter murmured in Magnus’ ear. He got a twitch of the ear as a response. Then, Hunter quickly put on Magnus’ own saddle, which he had removed before going to see Thomas. Before Hunter could mount, though, he heard soft voices.
Hunter looked in the direction of them, trying to figure out who was speaking. Then, he realized that they were coming in the direction of where he had left Thomas outside. With a groan, Hunter led his horse out to Thomas quickly. He didn’t want to know what kind of trouble Thomas had got himself in during the few seconds he had spent alone.