Luck in money 1

He didn't know where he was heading, in fact he didn't even know where he was. He just knew that he was free, that he could walk on the grass, touch the leaves and enjoy the sounds of nature that he hadn't heard in very long time. He wasn't sure how many years had passed. Though he counted everything, though he marked the days, he didn´t know if he recorded them all. He didn´t know if due to luck of energy, he really calculated a good time. However, if he was right, it would have been two hundred years since he had seen the outside world.

Rue didn't care how he got here or what his freedom meant...he was just happy, so incredibly happy.

He walked briskly through the forest among the trees. With a broad smile, he passed from one stem to another, enthusiastically embraced them, talked to them for a while and then moved on. He was aware that the trees wouldn't answer him, that nothing in nature spoke, but it didn't matter, because even if a trunk fell on him, he would laugh.

Nothing could spoil his mood, so when he stopped and saw flowers near the roots, he bent down and stroked them gently. They were beautifully soft, fragrant and in harmony with all that surrounded them, to the point that he felt like sprinkling their petals with water just to please them.

As he was leaning towards the grass, a soft flash hit his field of vision. Surprised, he looked in its direction, but saw nothing. Just a group of bushes, wood and tall grass in a tangle of other trees. However, Rue was interested in all that was happening around him, so he set out to find out what was shining there. He walked contentedly to the grass and gently moved a larger piece of wood from behind it. He smiled softly and reached under where something was sticking out. He slowly pulled it out and looked at the pouch, wrapped in a golden ribbon, which caught his eye. He curiously took a look at what was inside.

His eyes fell on strange coins that he had never seen before. He pulled one out and examined it. He hadn't been in the world for a long time, but he didn't think their currencies would change. Actually, he wasn't sure if the small gold coins could be called currency compared to their predecessors, which were of significantly higher quality.

He didn't know what the money was doing in the stump in the forest, but since he didn't see its owner anywhere and thought that someone had probably lost it, he had no intention to leave it there, lest someone steal it. He slowly put them in his inner pocket with the aim of finding their owner or asking in town who they belong to and continued his journey.

He walked for a few minutes before hearing the familiar sound of water. He quickened his pace and found the clear river, which brightened his face even more. Rue excitedly ran to it, bent down to the stones on the shore and dipped his hands under the water´s surface. He enthusiastically rinsed his face and laughed again. Cold and fresh. He loved the water...actually he loved everything in the outside world.

He drank it again with a smile.

"Thank you." He said, even though there was no one around and just happily dipped his palm into the water. He enjoyed the fresh stream and closed his eyes, what a beautiful feeling filled him.

He wanted to dive in, swim to the other side and let himself be possessed by the fact that he really had access to the water. Not that he didn't get to drink in the cell, he got everything there. But since his kind didn't need that much, since he was able to live without food and water for quite a long time, he didn't get it every day. Although, as he hadn´t guessed, they took care of him fairly well...at least by delivering food.

A beautiful moment of enjoying the cold water and the warm rays of the sun, which lulled him to sleep, was suddenly interrupted by a voice:

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Someone shouted at him from the bank of the river, and in a second briskly walked towards him.

Confused, Rue stood up and looked at the young man. His clothes weren't the worst, he looked like a well-kept merchant or someone in the middle class, although at about seventeen years of age he didn't earn his position on his own. However, it had been many years since Rue had seen a human, let alone communicate with one, so he was grateful for any voice he heard.

"Hello, Luck with you." He greeted happily.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Thief! How did you get here?!" He rushed towards him.

Their eyes met and Rue blinked a few times before realizing the human was upset, "Did I steal something?" He didn't understand.

"You're still pretending you don't know!" He raised his voice, "You brat! Wait until the guard comes! You think you can steal when no one sees you?!" He reached out to him, causing Rue to take a step back and automatically avoid his touch.

"Brat?" Rue didn't understand. Although he wasn't the oldest, he lived for around three hundred years and was definitely not a child to humans.

"Ah! There they are! Guards! Guards!" the young man shouted to the nearby bridge, over which a group of armed men was just crossing.

Rue realized for the first time that he had probably really committed a crime: "What did I do wrong?" He didn't understand.

"What's going on?" the guards ran up to them, "Laren, what's the matter?" They looked at the young man they obviously knew.

"He was stealing water," he nodded at Rue, "this is the fourth case this week! Do you even go on inspections or am I the only one checking?!" He was furious.

The guard looked at Rue and measured him: "Why did you steal water? You don't look like you can´t affort it."

Rue blinked, "I didn't know there was a charge for water." He clarified.

The guard raised his eyebrows: "You didn´t know?" He looked at his colleague.

"So he didn't know." He laughed.

"Where are you from?" the guard asked.

Rue opened his mouth to answer. Then he realized that his residence wasn´t something people should know about, so he remained silent.

"You don´t know," Laren laughed, "he steals water, has no money and pretends he doesn't know it's not free! How did your parents raise you?!" He shouted.

"I told you the truth...I didn't know that water can be appropriated by someone, but if it's in your rules, I understand and I apologize. It won't happen again." He promised.

"Hah!" Laren laughed, "So now he's apologizing. If that was enough we wouldn't need a guard!" He clarified.

"Leave him alone. You are taking it too seriously." the second guard said.

"Me? Are you kidding?!" Laren growled.

"How much did he drink, anyway? He doesn't look like he's local, maybe he really didn't know, you can't come to us with every drop of water that's lost." They scolded him.

Laren chuckled, "Of course, you're not the one in trouble for giving counts and reports to Prince Nielle," he looked at them, "I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about last month!" He shouted.

"If you would change the report-" the guard began, but the other nudged him and silenced him before he said something inappropriate.

"What did you want to say?" Laren got angry.

"Nothing," the guard cleared his throat and looked at Rue, "what family are you from? Is there anyone to pay for you?"

Rue calmly clarified, "There isn´t."

"Do you see? He doesn't have any money, he doesn't even know where he's from... why are we still talking to him?!" Laren shouted.

"I have money." Rue said after a while. Although he didn't want to take anything from others sources, he didn't want the conflict to continue, so he looked at Laren.

"Liar, if you had, you would say so immediately." He explained.

"What do you use to pay?" Rue wondered and looked at the guard, who seemed to be more friendly than Laren.

"What?" He blinked as if he didn't believe someone would ask such a question, "Where did you come from...all three countries pays with coins...gold, silver...or crystals if you have some."

"Or luck." the other added.

"Probably difficult in Equil." He objected.

"You're in Rinse, who cares about those idiots?" He didn't let up.

"In Rinsel..." Rue repeated silently to himself as he finally found out where he was. Although he had heard of the land´s name, that was it.

"Do you have any coins or luck you can pay with?" Laren glared at him.

"Luck?" Rue blinked as he didn't believe they were serious.

"You found him, didn't you? I don't think anyone you find is lucky enough to pay with it." the guard laughed.

"Why not? He just has less of it than I do." Laren smiled.

"Luck is not for sale." Rue, for whom luck was a sacred source of life that no one was allowed to touch, frowned.

Everyone looked at him confused. There was silence for a while before Laren spoke, "If you don't want to, give me coins, you said you had money." He assumed he was sensitive to his luck reserves.

"I have." Rue nodded. He meant to get back everything he´ll pay, so that he wouldn't rob the owner of the pouch. He pulled it out from the pocket of his black-gold robe and showed it to the guards.

All three fell silent at that moment, looking at each other incomprehensibly and then again at Rue, who didn´t understand what was happening.

"Finally." Laren gritted his teeth and clenched his fists aggressively.

"What's going on?" Rue didn't understand.

"Where did you get that money?" The guard placed one hand on his sword.

"I found them by the tree." He admitted.

Laren laughed and angrily approached Rue: "Liar! Do you know what I had to go through because of you?! Where have you been hiding?! Because of your greed, I had to-" he didn't answer, "Shit!" He tried to hit him, but Rue simply dodged and backed away.

"I really found them...someone lost it in the grass between the trees." He clarified.

"I don't think he's lying." one of the guards said.

"Of course he's lying!" Laren objected.

"He doesn't look like he has to steal...have you ever seen such beautiful fabrics? Where would he get it if he was poor?" He tried to grab the luxurious garment, but Rue ducked again and backed away even more.

"Thank you," he smiled, "I really didn't steal them."

"Okay...okay," Laren laughed angrily, "if you don't arrest him, at the next report with Prince Nielle, I'll say that I highly suspect that you two have hands in the thefts he's trying to solve! I think he´ll be happy to have it investigated!"

The guards raised their eyebrows, but since none of them wanted to see how Laren would implement his words, they finally sighed and looked at Rue, who didn't understand the situation.

"Well," said one, "boy, I'm afraid you'll have to come with us until the situation is investigated." He clarified.

Rue blinked, "I really didn't steal them."

"I'm not saying you did, but you're the only suspect at the moment. It would be illogical not to question you, don't you think? Don´t resist, if your innocence is proven, we will release you today." He explained.

Rue looked at them doubtfully for a moment: "I'm not going to the cell," he clarified, "I didn't steal anything."

"We don't have cells, you´ll simply wait with us in the camp." He promised.

"Ah," Rue calmed down, ,,okey then." He nodded.

While the first guard offered their suspect, as always, the option of going with them voluntarily, the second placed his hand on his sword with the intention to make him follow them by force if he resisted, as was usually the case. However, Rue didn't seem to have any plans for that.

He knew that the truth would come out, he knew that he hadn't stolen the pouch, and that he wouldn't be fined heavily for the water he drank, since that would be wrong. He believed that everything would be resolved and he would soon resume his journey.

Since he hadn't been to Rinsel, he knew that if he went with those guards, he would at least see a new part of the world, meet new people, talk to someone, and his day would be at least a little more interesting than it had been for two hundred years.

And since he wanted to get rid of suspicion, he quietly followed them to the camp. It's just a shame that he didn't know that Luck had other plans for him.