Chapter 4: The beginning of a long journey, Part 1

It was one of those nights when the temperature was low. Lyanna and I were covered with black coats that Mary gave us. The man hidden in the gloom approached the group as we stood in front of the carriage. By his build, I could tell he was strong probably less than Aldrick. He was quite tall but his height didn't seem to be a problem. He stepped in front of Gerald and pulled down his hood. Standing before us was a man in his late twenties. He had  long brown hair tied back, a square jaw, and a three-day beard.  His menacing blue eyes stared intently at an impassive Gerald. We could also see a two-handed sword at his back.

"Hoy, old man, you could at least apologize." said the man with a deep voice.

"Apologize for?" 

Gerald asked sounding confused. He was standing with both hands behind his back. A classic butler !

"You think coming here so quickly after your message was easy? Thirty-five silver coins is what it cost me to jump into the first teleportation portal to Alenia. And on top of that you make me wait in the cold." complained the man, who was showing his fangs like a rabid dog. A strange way of expressing his anger. 

Alenia was the name of the agricultural region that the Novius family governed. It was composed of several villages whose main activities were farming. This region produced a large part of the kingdom's food resources. 

"I am pleased to see that you always come running when I call you," Gerald replied, laughing softly. 

"Do you think I'm your dog ?" 

 The man shouted, showing his fangs again. 

'But why are you giving him a reason to think so?' 

"Of course not, you're a loyal person. If not the best friend a man can have," 

Gerald, put a friendly hand on his shoulder. 

"Yes, I admit I am a good friend." the man responded with a broad smile on his face. 

'Is he dumb? How can he not understand the analogy?'

Lyanna fidgeted next to me while holding the little black cat. She couldn't laugh anymore but she was amused by the situation. 

"Enough of the familiarity, I need a favor, Orion," said Gerald taking his seriousness back. 

 Orion's expression changed as well. He looked carefully at Gerald. 

"I'm listening, what do you need?" 

he was standing with both hands on his hips.

"I need you to take care of these two children. Protect them and keep them with you until you feel they are strong enough," Gerald explained.

Orion's gaze fell on us for the first time. He watched us for a moment before looking away.

"That's a strange request, old man. Who are these children?" asked Orion.

"Rinne and Lyanna Novius, the children of Lord Novius," Gerald answered immediately. 

" ? "

We were surprised that he would so easily give this information to this man. The first rule for a fugitive is to keep his identity secret, right?

"Oh, they are the offspring of that old bastard." 

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Orion's gaze became menacing again. He didn't seem to like Aldrick. Few people liked him anyway, so we weren't surprised.

"Why should I take care of his kids?"

"Because those two kids killed their father." Gerald replied, still serious. 

Orion's gaze returned to us for the third time, but this time with curiosity. We looked him straight in the eye and there was a moment's silence before a slight smile broke out on his face.

"You know how serious the death of a noble is considered in the kingdom. Even more so in the case of murder. What I am asking of you Orion is delicate but I need your help." added Gerald. 

Orion let out a long sigh before throwing his head back and gazing up at the starry sky. 

"He was an old fart, but those two kids must be pretty damn good to have whacked their dad. I guess they've already mastered the myndo. But strangely, I don't feel their spiritual energy. Plus, I doubt they're strong enough to hide it."

"No, they haven't even mastered spiritual energy."

"WHAT ?" reacted Orion in surprise as he immediately leaned towards us. He lifted me off the ground and began to observe me from every angle.

"Hey hey hey, " 

I complained as he finally put me down, almost dropping me. And then he began to think. He didn't seem very smart even when he was using his neurons. 'This man is pretty simple.'

"Ahh shit, I don't understand how they could have done it. Hoy, old man, I'll take care of them but I want to know everything at least."

"I leave it to the children to choose whether to explain their situation  to you or not. If they decide to trust you, they certainly will." 

"Hmmm, well I guess I am fine with that. I hope you have prepared enough money to feed them, old man." 

Mary, who had been standing back all this time, came forward with a small box that she handed to Gerald. The latter took out a large purse of gold and silver coins. He handed it to Orion who took it and  put it inside his coat. 

"This should be enough for the first few months. Equip them with good weapons, and teach them to use spiritual energy and myndo. I don't want you to cover them up, I want you to make them strong warriors." Gerald ordered Orion before turning to us.  

"Got it"

He bent down to our level and took us both in his arms. My eyes widened in surprise.

 "From now on, you are Rinne Jabal and Lyanna Jabal. Forget your old family name and grow up under this new name. Become strong and even brighter than you are. Learn from the world around you and define the kind of person you want to be. These are words that your real father should be saying to you, but let me take his role for this brief moment. When you feel ready, come back here and get what is rightfully yours. " Gerald suddenly said.

"You have always had this role uncle Gerald, You don't blame us for what we did ? I know you were close." I asked in a low voice. 

My heart tightened at this question I wanted to ask since the beginning. Lyanna and I  were very fond of Gerald. He was always what Aldrick was not, a father. I didn't want him to hate us.

"I should be the one asking that question. I should have protected you, but I didn't.  I somehow failed to keep my promise to your late mother Evelyn. I sincerely apologize to you, Rinne, Lyanna," Gerald said, his voice tinged with emotion. 

His embrace grew stronger and his warmth covered us.  I felt tears welling up in my eyes again. I cried a lot lately but this time I felt like it was for a good reason. 

"Thank you for everything, Gerald,"  

The next few minutes, we walked into the forest with Orion. 

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