Chapter 4: Desperate Measures

"O-of course I d-do" Alicia stuttered, having trouble looking the tiny man in the eyes.

"Good" The man clenched his eyes – the spurious smile fading from his face as quickly as it had arrived. "That saves us a lot of time."

"You were supposed to pay your taxes this morning. You do know what happens to those who fail to pay their taxes, don't you?" He continued. This time a genuine smile appeared on his face. Not one born out of a pure emotion like happiness, but one born out of greed and cruelty, the vilest emotions of them all.

Alicia lowered her eyes. "Y-yes sir."

"Then make sure you pay them tomorrow before the clock strikes noon; you wench." He spat on the ground and walked away from the door, whistling a cheerful tune.

Alicia slammed the door shut before sitting down on the ground – her hands covering her face as she shuddered.

"Good gods Vedel, how could we forget Tax Day?" she murmured with a barely audible voice.

"I- I don't know. I've just been so busy that I forgot all about it." Vedel spluttered – his skin turning a few shades paler.

"How could we've been so stupid? They'll take our Ruen if we don't pay!" Alicia sobbed.

'What do they mean "take me"?' Einar pondered. 'Taking a child as collateral sounds excessive.'

"I know." Vedel replied. "I- I don't want to lose him, Alicia." He choked out, his voice trembling with fear.

"Don't we have anything saved up?" Alicia replied.

"No, I don't think s-" Vedel replied before abruptly stopping. "A-Actually I have an idea." He continued after a short pause.

He quickly walked over to the closet in the corner of the room and knelt in front of it. After rummaging about for a few seconds he came up again with a small wooden box in his hands.

The box was made of a dark kind of wood and lined with brass on all sides. In the middle was a lock decorated with all kinds of ornaments. On both sides of the lock was some kind of shield. It looked like a coat of arms, but from his position, Einar couldn't make out what exactly was depicted on the shields.

"What is that?" Alicia stopped her sobbing and raised her eyebrow.

"P-please don't ask me… don't ask me questions that I won't be able to answer." Vedel stammered. "Just know that it's a family heirloom and that I didn't steal it!"

Alicia was taken aback. "Family heirloom? I thought you didn't have any family?"

Vedel nodded. "It's true. I'm the last of my family. That's why this box is in my possession. But please, no more questions."

Alicia stayed quiet for a bit before responding. "Will it be enough to save Ruen?" She asked.

"Most definitely." Vedel confirmed. 

"Then I don't care what it is or how you got your hands on it." Alicia exclaimed as she hugged him. "Go save our boy, Vedel."

******

Vedel left the apartment in a hurry, carrying the box under his jacket. His footsteps reverberated through the metal hallway as he ran through it.

'Seems like my new father is more interesting than I gave him credit for.' Einar thought. 'That was most definitely a coat of arms. How would a common miner get his hands on something like that?'

Einar thought about it for a long time, but the answer stayed nebulous. It just didn't make sense. Coats of arms were reserved for Noble families, yet his family was as poor as they could be. And how did his mother not know about any of this? Something was off.

******

'How could I be this stupid.' Vedel thought. 'I was so obsessed with my work that I almost lost my family over it.' He sighed.

His breath was ragged and his feet hurt from all the running. The road in the slums where they lived was uneven and poorly maintained. Traversing it without stepping in a pothole was as mentally tiring as it was physically tiring. 

He needed to reach the deepest part of the slums, where the black market dealers resided, before midnight. They always held great interest in items that could be linked to Noble households. Whether it be to blackmail them or to impersonate a member. If Vedel found the right broker he could surely get enough money to pay off their Tax debt.

'With this, my last tie to my late family will disappear.' A tear streamed down his cheek. 'The last of their legacy will be squandered by common thugs.'

Vedel felt disgusted by the thought alone, but he had to do it. His family was long gone, whilst his son was still there for him to love.

After what seemed like an eternity of running, Vedel reached the entrance of the slums.

Before stepping into the shady alleyway, Vedel held the box in front of him, slowly caressing the family crest engraved in it. 

"I'm so sorry father." He whispered. "If only you were still here to help me out."

He opened the box one last time. The inside was covered in a red satin pillow. In the middle of it lay a tiny amulet made out of gold. It was shaped like the coat of arms on the box but had a large purple gem in the center. The gem shone a bright purple light that was mirrored in Vedel's eyes. For a second he felt a pull on his conscience, but he shrugged it off and closed the box.

He felt a pang in his heart as he took a step towards the alleyway. With this, his old life truly was over.

"Forgive me Father, for I am about to desecrate your legacy."