Chapter 41: Spring gives way to summer
The spring saw the two boys working hard on their tailoring magic. Bellchime was a tough task master, but she gave them plenty of breaks. Yet, the thing the two boys didn't want to happen, did happen. They ran out of cloth.
"Are we going on an adventure again, Ly?" Erin asked, as he made a perfectly good woolen sock. He giggled, and began to get his mana to stitch snowflakes on the sock.
"This time, we are going west. To Snowfalls," Lysander said, as he finished with the shirt he was making. "Bellchime, do you have anything you wish for us to pick up from there for you?"
"More silk for the Queen," Bellchime said. The two boys shared a look. So far, they were yet to see the Queen of the Lily Pond. Maybe, if they brought her a good enough gift, she will finally come out and greet them?
"Ok. Goodbye, Bellchime. See you in a couple of days," Lysander said, as he placed all the ready clothing in his bottomless bag. They were from the last bundle of wool they had. If they wanted to get better at magic tailoring, then they needed more cloth.
Lysander and Erin hadn't just worked on their tailoring, during the spring. Each day, they would go to the meadows which didn't have owners, and collect herbs to dry them. Some of the herbs, like the red sand snake flower, were in their potion's book. So, they made quite a few potions as well.
Lysander placed the bottomless bag to his hip, and then offered his hand to Erin. The blonde took it without a word, and they began to walk back towards the hut. They would need to say goodbye to Belle and Tine. Maybe, they could swing by Elias, and ask him to come with them? Surely, he had some strawberry preserve, in need of selling? They could stash it in the bottomless bag, and have a traveling companion.
The two boys reached their hut after a two-hour walk. Erin finally let go of Lysander's hand, and rushed inside. Now that it was warm, they only lit fires to cook. It was nice, that they got to explore the forest again. Paul, now a full-grown wolf, went to his house, which Belle made for him, and went to sleep.
Belle, ever watchful of the two boys, had given them beast tamer skills, without them knowing. If they had not tried to tame Paul, the skills wouldn't have started to affect the animal. Yet, the boys paid a lot of attention to their wolf.
Lysander checked how much mammoth meat they had left. He would need to feed Paul with one slab of it, and then they would have just three more. He sighed. The journey to Snowfalls would be tough. They needed to make sure Paul had meat for that time. He might be a fully grown wolf, but they thought that they will lose him if they let him hunt alone. Besides, wolves hunted in packs.
"When did we eat the entire mammoth?" Erin asked. Lysander bit his lower lip.
"I don't know. But we need more meat. Rin, we might have to hunt, on our way to Snowfalls," Lysander said. It was a mountainous region. Full of mountain goats. Yet, Lysander was also running out of salt.
"I don't know, Ly. I don't want to kill," Erin was shifting in his spot. Lysander placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Look, Rin, such is the way of life. We have to kill animals, so we can eat. Remember, we can't go and steal cabbage again. The gnomes don't want to trade with us, unless we have meat," Lysander said, with a heavy heart. Paul gave a howl, from outside. Lysander grinned. "Paul can help hunt. He could lure the animals to us, and then you, in your dragon form..."
"I don't want to kill, Ly!" Erin protested once more. Ashen, now that he knew just what Lysander had in store for him. Just why did his Ly think it was ok, for Erin to kill? Didn't he know that Erin was a good boy?
"Listen to me," Lysander said, as he took a hold of Erin's other shoulder. "You, in your drake form, can deliver quick kills. If the kill is quick, then the animal won't suffer. Think, Rin, isn't it nice, when there is no suffering?"
"But then I won't be any different from the bandits, who..." Erin let out a sob, his blue eyes filling up with water. Lysander hugged him tightly then. He really should have known that Erin still thought about the death of his old life.
"We are not bandits," Lysander argued, as he made comforting circles on Erin's back. "We are hunters. Ones who need to survive. Our cabbage is still sprouts, we can't eat it. Belle can give us fruits, but only during the autumn. Tell me, Rin, how do we survive?"
"We can ask Tine for food," Erin said. Tine always had a spread when they went to visit him. More than once, the boys didn't cook dinner, and went to the wizard for food. "He is our Papa!"
"Tine is not our papa," Lysander argued. A part of him didn't want to be just Erin's brother. He wanted to be more. "Just like Belle is not our mama. We had parents, Rin. And they are dead."
"But, I don't want them to be," Erin was crying now, his tears soaking Lysander's nape. The wanderer sighed, and began to pat him on the back.
"We can't change the past. Besides, if Tine is our papa, and Belle is our mama, then we will be brothers. Brothers can't marry, Rin. It is a sin," Lysander said. Erin let out a sob. "But they can be your papa and mama, if they agree to it."
"But then you won't have a mama and a papa," Erin said, between sobs. "And that is not fair."
"I will have something better. I will have a mate," Lysander said, as he hugged the crying blonde tighter.
Erin was a princeling, with silly ideas. Yet, he was the first person, since Anna, to accept him for who he was. Besides, Lysander had saved the dragon shifter's life. Once you save someone, you were responsible for their happiness for life.
Chapter 41: Spring gives way to summer
The spring saw the two boys working hard on their tailoring magic. Bellchime was a tough task master, but she gave them plenty of breaks. Yet, the thing the two boys didn't want to happen, did happen. They ran out of cloth.
"Are we going on an adventure again, Ly?" Erin asked, as he made a perfectly good woolen sock. He giggled, and began to get his mana to stitch snowflakes on the sock.
"This time, we are going west. To Snowfalls," Lysander said, as he finished with the shirt he was making. "Bellchime, do you have anything you wish for us to pick up from there for you?"
"More silk for the Queen," Bellchime said. The two boys shared a look. So far, they were yet to see the Queen of the Lily Pond. Maybe, if they brought her a good enough gift, she will finally come out and greet them?
"Ok. Goodbye, Bellchime. See you in a couple of days," Lysander said, as he placed all the ready clothing in his bottomless bag. They were from the last bundle of wool they had. If they wanted to get better at magic tailoring, then they needed more cloth.
Lysander and Erin hadn't just worked on their tailoring, during the spring. Each day, they would go to the meadows which didn't have owners, and collect herbs to dry them. Some of the herbs, like the red sand snake flower, were in their potion's book. So, they made quite a few potions as well.
Lysander placed the bottomless bag to his hip, and then offered his hand to Erin. The blonde took it without a word, and they began to walk back towards the hut. They would need to say goodbye to Belle and Tine. Maybe, they could swing by Elias, and ask him to come with them? Surely, he had some strawberry preserve, in need of selling? They could stash it in the bottomless bag, and have a traveling companion.
The two boys reached their hut after a two-hour walk. Erin finally let go of Lysander's hand, and rushed inside. Now that it was warm, they only lit fires to cook. It was nice, that they got to explore the forest again. Paul, now a full-grown wolf, went to his house, which Belle made for him, and went to sleep.
Belle, ever watchful of the two boys, had given them beast tamer skills, without them knowing. If they had not tried to tame Paul, the skills wouldn't have started to affect the animal. Yet, the boys paid a lot of attention to their wolf.
Lysander checked how much mammoth meat they had left. He would need to feed Paul with one slab of it, and then they would have just three more. He sighed. The journey to Snowfalls would be tough. They needed to make sure Paul had meat for that time. He might be a fully grown wolf, but they thought that they will lose him if they let him hunt alone. Besides, wolves hunted in packs.
"When did we eat the entire mammoth?" Erin asked. Lysander bit his lower lip.
"I don't know. But we need more meat. Rin, we might have to hunt, on our way to Snowfalls," Lysander said. It was a mountainous region. Full of mountain goats. Yet, Lysander was also running out of salt.
"I don't know, Ly. I don't want to kill," Erin was shifting in his spot. Lysander placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Look, Rin, such is the way of life. We have to kill animals, so we can eat. Remember, we can't go and steal cabbage again. The gnomes don't want to trade with us, unless we have meat," Lysander said, with a heavy heart. Paul gave a howl, from outside. Lysander grinned. "Paul can help hunt. He could lure the animals to us, and then you, in your dragon form..."
"I don't want to kill, Ly!" Erin protested once more. Ashen, now that he knew just what Lysander had in store for him. Just why did his Ly think it was ok, for Erin to kill? Didn't he know that Erin was a good boy?
"Listen to me," Lysander said, as he took a hold of Erin's other shoulder. "You, in your drake form, can deliver quick kills. If the kill is quick, then the animal won't suffer. Think, Rin, isn't it nice, when there is no suffering?"
"But then I won't be any different from the bandits, who..." Erin let out a sob, his blue eyes filling up with water. Lysander hugged him tightly then. He really should have known that Erin still thought about the death of his old life.
"We are not bandits," Lysander argued, as he made comforting circles on Erin's back. "We are hunters. Ones who need to survive. Our cabbage is still sprouts, we can't eat it. Belle can give us fruits, but only during the autumn. Tell me, Rin, how do we survive?"
"We can ask Tine for food," Erin said. Tine always had a spread when they went to visit him. More than once, the boys didn't cook dinner, and went to the wizard for food. "He is our Papa!"
"Tine is not our papa," Lysander argued. A part of him didn't want to be just Erin's brother. He wanted to be more. "Just like Belle is not our mama. We had parents, Rin. And they are dead."
"But, I don't want them to be," Erin was crying now, his tears soaking Lysander's nape. The wanderer sighed, and began to pat him on the back.
"We can't change the past. Besides, if Tine is our papa, and Belle is our mama, then we will be brothers. Brothers can't marry, Rin. It is a sin," Lysander said. Erin let out a sob. "But they can be your papa and mama, if they agree to it."
"But then you won't have a mama and a papa," Erin said, between sobs. "And that is not fair."
"I will have something better. I will have a mate," Lysander said, as he hugged the crying blonde tighter.
Erin was a princeling, with silly ideas. Yet, he was the first person, since Anna, to accept him for who he was. Besides, Lysander had saved the dragon shifter's life. Once you save someone, you were responsible for their happiness for life.
