Elf twins

Eric tried not to think about it, but his memories were chaotic. He remembered a lot and forgot a lot. Every time the young man tried to remember something, his head began to split terribly.

Eric, are you upset about something? Suddenly, the alarmed face of the master appeared before his eyes.

— It's all right, just thinking, — the boy smiled and took Richard's hand. — Let's go, I want to look at the new sweets in the store.

The Sugar Country shop was the most popular confectionery in the city. After lunch, a lot of people were spinning here, adults returning home from work, and children from school. Few could resist and not pass by the shop. From there there was always a wonderful smell of fresh baking.

Now the shop was almost empty. One single salesman was reading the morning paper, it was still too early for the petitioners.

— Good morning, gentlemen, — he greeted, briefly looking up from the press. — What do you want?

— All kinds of marmalade, chocolate, ice cream, sweets, cinnamon rolls, blueberry pie and banana muffin — the seller perked up noticeably and began to collect the order in hats.

— Twenty cants from you, — Richard handed the seller two silver coins, and Eric took the heavy package.

— Have a nice day. — The man seemed to be very pleased with his unexpectedly wealthy clients.

— Have a good day.

They sat by the fountain in the main square. Eric immediately set to work on the fresh berry buns. He has loved them ever since he first tried them.

— Eric slow down, — Richie chuckled, "you're dirty," the boy gently wiped the berry puree from his friend's face.

— You embarrass me, — the young assistant squeaked in embarrassment. Deep down, he wished that these moments would never end.

— You're so cute when you're embarrassed. — The aristocrat approached Eric, their noses almost touching.

— You shouldn't do that, — Erik pinched Richard's cheek mechanically. He did this as a child when his master started teasing him.

— You are such a brute, — the future duke pulled back, his lips puffed up in a funny way.

— Your cheeks are so soft, — Eric couldn't help but pinch his friend on the other cheek, — and you look like a kitten when you pout like that.

— Stop, eat your buns silently, — the annoyed aristocrat shoved the remaining berry bun right into his friend's mouth.

— Very tasty, would you like to try it? — Eric asked indistinctly, trying to quickly swallow a large piece of bread.

— I'd rather have a blueberry pie.

After eating, they sat by the fountain for a while longer, too full to move even an inch.

— Sui! Sui! — The boys looked up and saw a small silver bird flying towards them. She had a note in her beak.

Hey, we're bored, if you're already done, why not join us?

— Thank you, Pori. — Richard stroked the bird's feathers gently. She squeaked loudly, bowed and soared into the sky.

— Then we should go to them. — Eric took a deep breath. He meets friends again after so many years.

The base was deep in a dark forest that surrounded the city on three sides. No one went there because of various terrible rumors. Some of the rumors were spread by the young gentleman, and some of the locals came up with their own ideas.

They walked slowly, enjoying the rustle of the wind and the fresh scent of the flowers. Eric kept looking back, torn images of his past and future popping up in his head. Finally, the two reached the tree that towered over everyone in this forest. Amail, the heart of the forest.

— At last you are here! — someone shouted, sitting on top. Eric raised his head and his heart skipped a beat. It was Caen. A young elf with long silver hair and green eyes. He was swinging on a branch, upside down. It seems that he was not at all embarrassed by the height at which he was.

— Be quiet, — the other boy whispered softly. Ren was Kaen's older twin brother. He was sitting on another branch reading a book with his back against a tree. The brothers were almost the same in appearance, except that Ren usually tied his long hair into a high ponytail and wore an earring in his right ear.

— I'm just glad to see them, — the younger pouted slightly, but quickly forgot about it as soon as Rich beckoned him to him. The elf deftly jumped from branch to branch until he landed right in front of the young master. He was a little taller, but he still managed to hug Richard so that his head rested on the chest of the young duke. — I miss you, my lord.

— Me too.

— Kai, you should at least sometimes act like an adult, — the elder elf intervened, carefully descending next to Erik, "they are your juniors.

— Don't be mean, — Kaen hid behind the master's back and stuck out his tongue.

— It's all right, Ray, how are things going? — Richard reacted quickly and moved the conversation to another topic.

— Like you said, we are careful, the merchants are delighted with the goods, we are lucky that they are so greedy. Next week I'll send last month's ledger.

— Good job, — when Rich praised the elf, he could burst with pride. — Here, take it. The duke handed him a fresh cinnamon roll.

— Thank you.

— I want too, — Kaen leaned over his master so that his puppy eyes were clearly visible — I did a good job, I killed a lot of monsters.

— Of course, — the aristocrat nodded and took out a large piece of blueberry pie.

— Where are the others? — Eric looked around to make sure he hadn't missed anything, but the clearing was empty.

— They're picking berries, — muttered the younger elf, mouthful of pastries. Crumbs flew to all countries, and his thin lips were smeared with blueberries.

— You're such a baby, — Ren shook his head, slowly biting into his treat.

— I'm just enjoying it. What's bad about it?

— It's all right, eat slowly, otherwise you may be served, — the senior assistant carefully wiped the black spots on the boy's face.

— You two deserve less to indulge him.

— We'll go check on the others, are you with us?

— I'll stay, I want to read a little more before we start.

— I'll stay too, I want to train.

— As you wish.

So they parted ways. Ren returned to his book, while Kaen moved a little further to practice with the sword.