The Orphan Boy

Unfounded Fears

Aeryn woke up stiff and his clothes were wet. Both were normal feelings that always came when he slept in the cave. He sat up and stretched then crawled over to the pool on his right and splashed his face with water. He breathed deeply. Aeryn was leaving today, leaving the city. He would miss it in some ways, especially the abundant harvest, it seemed like the farmers had so much food that they never noticed that one or two potatoes went missing. Truthfully he had overstayed his welcome, it was time for him to move on.

Aeryn picked up the rest of the chicken, he had eaten half of it the day before. He rapped up the rest of the chicken and the loaf of bread that he stolen in on of the blankets that he usually slept on. The chicken, he decided that he would eat on the road that day since it would spoil first. The loaf, he would make it last until he could steal more food from a farm.

Before he left Aeryn stuffed another blanket and some fire wood into the blanket that he was using as a sack. He slung the thread bare sack over his shoulder and slipped out of the cave.

Outside the cave the morning was cool and damp from the rain the previous night. Grey clouds over head promised more rain but for the time no rain fell. Water dripped from the leaves into the grass, it was the only sound in the forest besides Aeryn's footsteps.

It wasn't long before he past a farm, then another. Soon he was approaching the city. He smiled, he didn't even know the city's name. Neither did he know the name of a single person inside the city, and none of them knew him. Better for them to know nothing about him than too much.

Aeryn retreated farther into the forest to make sure that no one could see him. But as he did something near the city gates caught his eye. It was a red cloak, waving in the gentle breeze. At the city gates there were several men talking with the city guards. These men weren't clad in the normal leather jerkin and brown cloaks of the city guard. These men wore chain mail and red cloaks, they each held the reigns of a horse. They were elite warriors, the red cloak meant that they served Aeryn.

Abadonn was the man that had invaded the country, throwing it into civil war. The King had left the country long ago and hadn't yet come back. While he was away the kingdom fell into turmoil and civil war. The edges of the kingdom were divided and became their own countries but the center of the kingdom was still very much at war. It was divided between the men that followed ??? and the men that were still loyal to the King. So far Abadonn was winning but the fight was subtle and lengthy, it was hard to tell just who was winning and who wasn't.

Most of the people in the kingdom tried to stay neutral, giving tribute, promises, and answers when one side of the other demanded them. But really they didn't want anything to do with the conflict.

The men at the city gate, who obviously served Abadonn, were arguing with the city guards. They were gesturing with their hands at their horses and the city. One man had his hand on his sword.

Aeryn wondered what the soldiers were after. What they were arguing about was probably weather or not they could come into the city but what did they want. Why were they traveling this way? Aeryn had never seen any of Abadonn's soldiers before. Where they looking for something? Were they looking for someone?

Suddenly a wave of fear washed over him. What if they were searching for him? What if that was why they were here, to find him? They could have gone from city to city and the people that he had stolen from told them what they knew about him and now they had tracked him as far as this city.

Aeryn shook his head. Why would these men care about him? About a young, homeless, thief. It was common knowledge that Abadonn cared nothing for justice, he wouldn't waste his men's time on hunting Aeryn. This fear was clearly a ridiculous one.