Two: A MAN OF FEW WORDS

#Wren

I looked out the small window of the carriage and sighed, the journey had been long and the destination was nowhere in sight. I longed to be home, bathed and clean, in my own bed, it was my favorite state to be in. I was a livestock and grain farmer, and had made my monthly visit to the town place. Going to the town market for business always left me drained and all I desired was to hide from the world for the longest time. Full of filth and noise and too much bargaining, it was my least favorite place to be. But it was my chosen trade, the only I was good at anyway, and I had to put up with the ugly side of it. In my case, going to the town place. So you could not blame me for just wishing this journey to come to an end already, was that too much for a man to ask?

The answer to my question came soon enough when the carriage stopped. What now, I thought. My impatience and exhaustion could hardly handle any more delays, and not even Matthias taking time to relieve himself! I swear, the old man would drink something and it just went straight to his bladder! Like pouring water into a sieve. Looking out my window, I could see Matthias on the ground, walking toward something. I slowly opened my door and stepped out, walking around to see a kneeling boy in the middle of the road. He looked worn out and lost, his eyes too dull and innocent to be a cunning robber attempting to trick us. My guard now slightly lowered, I noticed the body next to the boy, what exactly was taking place here!

"Boy, what is the meaning of this?" Matthias asked, echoing my thoughts exactly.

"By God! You are sitting in the middle of the darn road!" He continued shouting at the boy, who cowered a little in response.

"It is my...," the boy hesitated and looked down at the body, "...brother. He is hurt, please, we need help."

I frowned at his hesitation, perhaps they were partners in crime and not really brothers?

Matthias kneeled next to the boy and checked the body, "Dear Lord! The boy is burning up! What happened to him?"

The boy hesitated again, making me raise my guard again, before he answered," His foot was caught in a trap, a deer trap."

Matthias gasped, "A deer- were you boys trespassing?"

I almost rolled my eyes, of course they were! People only put up traps on their property after all, it was within their rights. The young boy lowered his gaze as if in shame and I had half a heart to just leave and ride away then.

"We need to get him to a physician and with haste." My traitor of a servant said.

I narrowed my eyes at Matthias in disapproval, he certainly did not expect us to pick up these two strangers, did he? Who knew where they were from and what they did in life! By the boy's own admission, his brother's injury was a result of their trespassing. Heavens only knew what else they dabbled in! The old man looked at me and I shook my head vigorously, no!

Matthias, however, ignored the look from his employer and bent to pick the boy up carried the injured boy as if he weighed nothing. The man simply ignored my wishes, the nerve! The boy's limbs were lifeless as Matthias walked to the carriage and placed him on the side I had not been sitting on. I just stood there, watching the events as they unfolded, until Matthias helped the other boy to sit up where he was driving the carriage. Was the vigorous sideways-shaking of my head not signal enough of my disagreement? Or the stern glare? It became evident this old man was not jesting at all! Grudgingly, I entered the carriage and faced the unconscious boy.

The carriage felt tiny now and I drew as farther away as I could into my own corner. I faced the window again, trying to ignore the boy's presence as the carriage began to move. My mind wandering to Matthias once more, the man disregarded my authority time after time! Perhaps stemming from the fact that he had been in my employ for long, he did not fear me as the others did. With them, I only had to glare and they would scurry away like mice! Which was how I liked it, masters and workers were not supposed to be friends! Not when I had to pay them each month and provide food and shelter as well. No, they provided a service and I gave them a fair wage, no need for friendly terms at all!

I got startled when the carriage hit unlevelled ground, my instinct instantly being the ill boy. I caught him in time too, cursing when I pushed him farther from the edge of the seat. Halting when he stirred a little, I could not help but brush the hair from his filthy face. It was cut shorter in the back it seemed, but fell in dark bangs over his face. Probably to hide his eyes, a trait of a liar and a thief! I groaned in frustration at Matthias' impulsiveness and gullible heart, it would surely end in a tale of woe one day!

The boy stirred again, mumbling incoherently just as he opened his eyes. I froze, silently cursing my stupidity. Even immobile, the boy could still see me and wonder what I was doing so close to him! Pugh, I did not need to explain myself, I could stand on my head if I wanted! This was my carriage, thereby entitling me to every square inch of it to do with as I pleased. Armed with my silly encouragement, I stared back at the boy who appeared immobile as well. I gasped when I looked into his eyes, surely mine were deceiving me!

I had heard of such genetics, in exotic women of the ton who lured men with their rare eyes. But here was a pair right in front of me, and I understood why men would be so intrigued with a pair of eyes! I forgot for a moment he was even a boy! One eye as blue as a calm ocean and the other as green as well-nourished pastures, it was the most intriguing sight! The boy closed his eyes then, but his eyes burned deep into my mind. One blue and one green, what a pair indeed!

Even with all the filth on his face, I could tell his skin was pale and smooth, probably never having grown a beard yet. Which was odd, considering that he appeared to be at least ten and eight. Did boys not become men around that age, why, I had my first shave at ten and seven! I supposed it differed, this boy was also small for his age too. I looked closer at his face now, he looked entirely too feminine! And I could see now that under the dirt, the boy was beautiful! How could any man be so...delicate? Where had these two boys come from really? That is the first question Matthias should have asked, the fool! But judging by his clothes, they looked well kempt enough, probably they came from a family of acceptable means. Although what family would let two young boys travel on their own? Perhaps when the physician was sent for, we needed to send for the Inspector as well. Because I was beginning to suspect these boys were up to no good!

I finally closed my eyes to catch some rest for the remainder of the journey, which was not long now, a couple of hours at most. And when next I opened them, we were already at my home.

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Matthias glared at me as soon as he opened the door, as if I had done anything to the boy! I rolled my eyes and got out, pushing him out of the way as I did so. If he wanted to treat me like the villain, then I would do my best to act like one! As soon as that boy was well enough to travel, I wanted them gone. My home was not a charity house and I did not owe them a thing. Boys or not, strangers were not welcome in my home.

"One of these days, you will need someone to show you kindness!" Matthias called after me.

I groaned but ignored him, making my way to my house. Whatever he decided to do with the boys, I had done my part by not throwing them out of my carriage! Did I need do more than that? Was that not kindness enough? Why could not people be kind to me and just do as I pleased? Pugh, life was unfair, not me.

"Wren! Where are you off to in such a hurry? Did your trip not go well?" My mother asked, startled after I had banged the door loudly.

I ignored her as I made my way to my bedchambers. No, business had gone well, I thought. Fifty dozen of eggs, two pigs and thirty bags of grain was not a bad sale. And all with good prices as well! I was pleased when I took my journal to record my earnings, the profit was enough to last two months even after I had paid my employees' wages. So yes, not bad at all. Not including the daily earnings from the milk and products we sold to the nearby families. I took out my purse of earnings and pushed aside my bed, unlocking the safe built into the floor to place my money. I would need to pay the workers before the week ended, so I had not put all my profits into the bank when I had been in the town place. After pushing my bed back into place, I took a deep breath as I loosened my tie.

I stared at the portrait in front of me as I always did after a day at the market place. I did it again, I thought. She looked cold and menacing, even the artist had captured that in her portrait! I grimaced when I thought that I had actually married this woman, she was no one's wife but my own! The phantom pain I always felt in my side when I thought of her returned, more piercing in my arm than anywhere else. I took off the glove from my right hand and massaged the wrinkled skin. A permanent reminder of my wife and all that she had done to me. I touched the right side of my face that matched my hand, burnt and forever scarred, just as I thought of the two boys in the workers' quarters.

They had to go, and soon. Because the last time I had let a stranger into my house, I had acquired these scars in return. Yes, it had been my own fault, but I was determined to never do that again! My wife had taught me one thing, kindness birthed pain, and pain brought with it regret.