Stranger

I walk down the dirt road, dressed in poor villagers' clothing. Mother would be furious to find out that I snuck out, but I didn't care, I needed to get out of the stuffy security of the guard's protection.

The only noises were the wind rustling through the trees on the side of the road and the crunching of dry dirt underneath my shoes. I inhaled a breath, enjoying the peace of quiet of being alone for once. The breeze was crisp, and he wrapped the thin sweater he was wearing tighter against his body.

Mother needed to supply more materials to the poor. I was deep in thought about resources when a cry pierced the air, startling me out of my head. "Stop...please...I'll give you my coin just stop..."

There was silence for a moment and then a series of dull thuds followed. I sped up my pace and round a bend. Two teen boys were kicking a younger boy on the ground. The boy on the ground had dirty blond hair and a sickeningly white face.

He was thin, obviously starved and malnourished, and blood dripped from his mouth and a cut on his forehead. His eyes were squeezed shut and he was curled in a ball.

As the boys continued to kick the younger boy on the ground, I felt worse and worse. Why was I just watching? Should I turn around and go back the way I came, or should I stop them?

"Hey" I called out. The two boys jumped at the sound of my voice and turned to face me. After realizing that I was alone, their panicked faces relaxed, and the smaller boy grinned. "Come to join the fun, eh lad?"

He had an accent that the nobels from far off lands had when they came to visit the country. "I think not," I said, letting my hand rest on the hilt of my dagger that was in the sheath on my waistband.

The taller boy snickered. "I think he wants a beating too"

My eyes darted to the boy on the ground, who wasn't moving. The other boys followed my gaze. "Ah, yer not from around here, eh?" the smaller boy asked. It sounded like more of a statement. "No. I'm just passing through" I grunt.

"Oi! In that case, you should know that this here boy is a scoundrel and a bastard. We don't let the likes of him walk around town for free ya know" the taller boy said with disgust, kicking him again. The boy lets out a sob and his body heaves in pain. The other boy laughs. "Do it again!" He croons. The taller boy kicks him in his ribs and this time the boy on the ground let out a gasp and then goes limp.

The gasp sounded like he could get enough air.

"STOP! He's just a boy. I'll give you both two silvers each if you let him go." I say. The boys look at each other and sneer. "we'll take 2...each" the small one says. I sigh and pull out four silvers. I give each boy two and point my chin in the direction of the town.

"Don't let me see you bothering this boy again," I say.

They give me a strange look and head down the road to the town. I go to the boy and crouch next to him. I touch his face. He's still warm. I breathe a sigh of relief. It would have been unfortunate if I had wasted 4 silvers for a dead boy.

I roll him onto his back and he lets out a moan. "No more..." he whimpers his eyes still shut.

There's a shoulder back a foot away from him, so I open it up and look inside. I grunt in annoyance when I find only a flask of rum inside. It will have to do.

Unscrewing the cap, I look at the boy. He has good features if not a little dirty. High cheekbones and a toned jaw were some of them. I take off my thin sweater and rip a piece off. Then I pour some rum onto the fabric and wring it out.

"This is going to sting a bit," I tell him, not entirely sure he can hear me. I get a groan in response. "Don't say I didn't warn you," I say, touching the rum-soaked fabric to the bleeding cut on his forehead.

The boy cries out, and his eyes shoot open. He looks at me with wide eyes and struggles to sit up. He falls back with a gasp. "Shit!" he swears. "those asses!" he clutches his ribs and pants slightly.

I look at him in shock and then blink. It's probably normal for people to swear in this town, something to get used to. I clear my throat, and he looks at me in fear. "Look, I don't have anything else to give you..." he says. His eyes brighten and he picks up the bag. He reaches inside like he's looking for something, and then pulls out a copper coin. He presses it into the palm of my hand, and for a second I could only stare at it.

It was old, a couple of generations old. You couldn't even see the crown that was supposed to be stamped into the coin.

I pocketed the coin and smiled at the boy. "Thank you" I stand up, for my legs were starting to burn from being in a crouching position for a while. I turn to leave but look at the boy once more. His curious dark blue eyes met mine. "How old are you?" I ask him.

"15" he replies.

I was surprised. He was small for his age, as I was about a foot taller than he, and just a year older. I turn and walk back down the road I came.