New Friends

Urd sat in his cell. It was dark, damp, and cold. He was hungry and tired. He hadn't eaten anything in days.

"Hey, kid." A voice called from across the hall.

Urd looked up. A young man stood there, looking through the bars.

"Yeah?"

"What's your name?" the man asked.

"Urd," he answered.

"I'm Eldric. I'm here for stealing too."

"Really? What did you steal?"

"Nothing much," Eldric said. "I just picked someone's pocket."

"That's all?"

"Yep."

"How come they didn't kill you on the spot?"

"Luck," Eldric said.

"So what's going to happen to you?"

"Probably be hanged," Eldric said. "Unless I can find a way out."

"I wish I could help," Urd said. "But there's no way out."

"Maybe," Eldric said. "But I've got a plan."

"You do?"

"Yes. We're going to break out."

"How?"

"With magic," Eldric said. "It's not really my specialty, but I'm going to give it a try."

"Are you sure you can do it?"

"Pretty sure," Eldric said. "I've learned a lot from the books I've read. If I can just summon enough mana, I should be able to break through these bars."

"And then what?"

"We escape."

"Where would we go?"

"Anywhere but here."

"And you're going to take me with you?"

"Of course," Eldric said. "That's why I'm talking to you. Besides, I can use all the help I can get."

"Okay," Urd said.

"Good. Now listen closely. Here's what we're going to do..."

Urd listened intently as Eldric explained his plan.

"Got it?"

"Yes."

"Good. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Okay, stand back."

Urd backed up against the far wall. Eldric stood next to him and closed his eyes.

"Here goes nothing."

Eldric raised his hands and began to chant. His words were soft and slow, but his tone was powerful. Urd watched in awe as blue light flowed from his fingertips.

The air around them crackled with electricity. Eldric opened his eyes and smiled.

"This is going to work," he said.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Eldric concentrated, and the blue light grew brighter. Urd felt a strange sensation. It was like the world was vibrating.

Eldric continued chanting. His hands moved gracefully, and the blue light grew stronger.

"It's working!" Urd said.

Eldric ignored him.

The bars began to glow. Eldric's chant grew louder.

"Come on, come on," Eldric muttered.

The bars glowed brighter. Eldric's chant grew faster.

The bars snapped.

Eldric smiled and opened his eyes.

"It worked!" Urd said.

Eldric nodded. "Now we have to get out of here."

"How?"

"There's a door down the hall. It leads outside."

"Can we get out that way?"

"Probably not," Eldric said.

"What should we do then?"

"I'll think of something."

"Okay."

"But first, we need to find some supplies."

"Supplies?"

"Food and water," Eldric said. "This is a prison. No one comes here to eat. We'll have to scavenge what we can."

"Alright."

"You stay here. I'll go look for food."

"Okay."

Eldric headed off. Urd watched him go, feeling anxious.

Eldric returned a short while later carrying a sack.

"Found some bread and cheese," he said. "And a bottle of wine."

"Nice," Urd said.

"Now let's get out of here."

"Where do we go?"

"Anywhere but here," Eldric said. "We need to get far away from the city."

"What about your parents?"

"They'll be fine," Eldric said. "They have money. They can afford to lose a son."

"Okay."

"Let's go."

"Wait," Urd said. "What about my parents? They're poor. They can't afford to lose me."

"Then we'll find them and bring them with us," Eldric said. "But first, we have to get out of here."

Urd nodded. "Lead the way."

Eldric and Urd crept through the hall. Eldric held up a finger to his lips and motioned for Urd to follow him. They snuck past the guards and reached the door.

"Ready?" Eldric asked.

Urd nodded. Eldric pushed the door open and peeked outside. It was dark.

"Come on," Eldric whispered.

He ran outside, and Urd followed. They stopped and hid behind a bush.

"Where do we go now?" Urd asked.

"To the west," Eldric said. "We'll hide until morning, then start walking."

"What about your parents?"

"Like I said, they'll be fine," Eldric said.

"Okay."

They waited for a while. When it was almost dawn, they got up and headed west.

"Keep low," Eldric said.

Urd crouched and walked through the grass. Eldric followed behind.

They continued walking until the sun came up.

"There's a village ahead," Eldric said. "Let's rest there."

"Okay."

They arrived at the village and found an inn.

"Hello," Eldric said to the innkeeper. "Can we get two rooms?"

"Sure," the innkeeper said. "What's your name?"

"Eldric."

"Eldric?"

"Yes."

"Okay. You can have room three."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Eldric and Urd entered their rooms and rested. They were exhausted.

"We need to find a way to earn money," Eldric said. "I'm not sure how long we can stay here."

"Me neither," Urd said. "We don't have much."

"Maybe we can do some jobs around the village."

"Sounds good."

"Okay," Eldric said. "I'll talk to the innkeeper."

Eldric went downstairs. He found the innkeeper cleaning tables.

"Excuse me," Eldric said. "Are there any jobs available in the village?"

"There might be," the innkeeper said. "Do you have any skills?"

"I can read and write," Eldric said.

"Oh, great! You can help me with my paperwork. It's been piling up, and I don't have the time to deal with it."

"Sounds good," Eldric said.

Eldric helped the innkeeper with his paperwork for a few hours. Then they had lunch and returned to their rooms.

"Well, that was easy," Eldric said.

"What's your plan now?" Urd asked.

"I'll continue helping the innkeeper. You can find work somewhere else."

"Okay."

Urd went outside and asked around. He found a farmer who needed help with his crops.

"I can pay you a few copper coins," the farmer said. "It's not much, but it's better than nothing."

"Deal," Urd said.

He worked for the farmer for a week. Then Eldric found another job, and they continued working.

One day, the innkeeper told them they could stay at the inn for free.

"I appreciate your help," he said. "It's been a big help."

"No problem," Eldric said.

They spent the rest of the month helping the innkeeper and the farmer.

[I'm losing motivation for this 😪]