Soon, the two saw the small waterfall made by the wall of rocks, and the screams of joy were gone. Now the only thing remaining was laughter and the bickering of the older boys and men.
All the kids seemed to have left—it made sense; it was getting late, and now it was the turn for those working on the farms. Cassian and Cele tried not to look at them, not to catch their attention, but how could they not notice them when Cassian's pale skin and white hair stuck out like an undying flame in Dark?
"But isn't this the little whore's daughter—the one who wants to be a knight," said one of the men, nearly naked if not for the cloth covering his lower part. "And the white boy," said another. More people had begun to know Cassian in the small village; gossip and word reached all. Nicknames emerged for him: White Boy, Little Corpse, and Short Old Man. The first was obvious. The second was because his skin resembled that of dead men whose blood had escaped their bodies, leaving only paleness behind. And the final was because his hair was like that of an old man.
Cassian saw Cele lowering her head—dark with anger, or maybe embarrassment.
"Girl, tell your mom her services are missed at the crops. Corn is waiting for her. Tell her how much we miss the company."
Cele didn't even glance back as she left. The men laughed after seeing her reaction.
"Little knight is mad," said the nearly naked one. "Hey, white boy, bring me my breeches. I'm planning to leave and maybe visit our sweet knight's home." More laughter erupted.
Cassian's golden eyes flickered from man to man, face to face—from crooked noses to mismatched eyes, from the fatness of their arms and bellies. In a world where people shared the same traits, simple things could be noticed. These men were ugly.
Shoukd I kill them? No. It brings more problems.
"You heard me, boy! Bring me my breeches!" the man screamed again, this time in anger.
"No," said Cassian. "Get it yourself. Walk, you pig."
Another rush of laughter erupted—this time against the man whose face turned cold.
"Funny lad, are you not? Bring those rags unless you want to get killed by that fatty," instructed the man sitting on the roots of the tree the kids had been jumping from. He had only been watching—not laughing nor minding. It was as if he was trying to see what Cassian would do.
"No," repeated Cassian.
The fat man who was good at making fun of others stood, letting the thing covering him fall. Cassian couldn't avoid the sight of the disgusting thing that made him a man. He had been seated on the opposite bank from where Cassian stood, so he had to move through the water—his fat stomach bouncing to the surface as the water reached his middle. Once he reached where his clothes were, he picked them up and put them on.
"You were right, kid. It wasn't so hard." He let out a crooked laugh, but his eyes weren't amused at all.
"You're too old for this, Luiz. Let the boy go. You'll get nothing from killing him," said the man sitting on the roots.
"You shut up! It's not about that. I'll just teach him a lesson on how he should respect his elders." Luiz wasn't tall or intimidating. If anything, Cassian found it amusing how he tried to act tough, when the emotions inside him were those of fear, uncertainty, and purpose. Cassian could see his breathing quicken and his hands tremble from exhilaration.
Cassian got ready for an attack—that did come. The fat man rushed at him, arms wide open, aiming to grab him. But instead of backing up, Cassian rushed forward, his small fists aimed at the man's leg. When it made contact, a loud crunch sounded, followed by screams. The man fell to his side, trying to cover his leg. The other men rushed to him.
"Get the fuck out of here, lad! Get to your mom!" said the one sitting on the roots.
Cassian ran from there without looking back. Even if they tried to follow him, it was impossible to catch him.
If you had aimed for the stomach, you would have killed him.
I know.
You should have.
Maybe.
As he was running, he soon caught up to Cele, who was sobbing, trying to clean her face from crying. Cassian said nothing and just followed behind her, always looking back to see if anyone was after him.
"Don't believe them," said Cele. "My mom would never do anything like that."
She is lying.
"I believe you," responded Cassian. "Cele… want to eat at my house today?"
Cele nodded without looking at him. She looked so vulnerable — a child who hadn't yet seen the best of her life. She always looked confident in Cassian's eyes, but now…
He steadied his pace and got to her side, taking her hand.
"Come on, let's hurry, or Aylin will be worried."
A small smile found her lips, and both started running.
When they reached Cassian's house, Eduardo was outside, moving his sword along a whetstone. He had recently started living here, with the promise to wed Aylin. As he saw Cassian, he waved at him smiling.
"You had me waiting, didn't you, Cassian," said Eduardo. He wasn't mad, only joking.
"Sorry, we spent too much time catching fish," answered Cassian.
Eduardo looked at him and Cele.
"And where are those fishes?"
The two looked at each other and laughed.
"We didn't get any," said Cele.
Eduardo shook his head. "You two… In any case, Aylin is done cooking. Nothing good, only milk soup."
Cassian was tired of eating soup, but Cele looked happy.
Inside they found Aylin sitting in a chair with a small candle in front of her, knife in hand, peeling potatoes.
"Cassian, you had me worried, look how late it is."
The fire in the candle was fully yellow, but the top had a white fierce tail.
"We were getting fish," said Cele.
"I know, I could hear you from outside. The walls are not that thick," continued Aylin. "And you, Cassian… you have something to tell me."
How does she know? Who knows. Sometimes it felt like Aylin could read his mind.
"I… no. No I don't."
She kept looking at him, her eyes pressing on him.
"I might have broken a man's leg."
Aylin looked thunderstruck but said nothing on the matter.
"Eat. The food is on the fire. Serve Cele as well. I will keep Eduardo company outside."
She left soon after saying that.
"You broke a man's leg?" Cele seemed to not believe him. "Who?" she asked.
"The one saying stuff about your mom. But worry not, it is not your fault. I did it because he kept nagging me after you left," reassured Cassian.
Cele didn't believe him fully, but still asked what the man had said. Cassian told her how the fight had started while serving food for the two.
"With a single punch…" Cele murmured. "That's scary."
She was baffled. What if Cassian were to hit her like that? She was sure he wouldn't do such a thing, yet she could not help but be wary. Mutants were stronger than men, let alone women.
"You're not thinking anything weird," said Cassian, while putting the spoon in his mouth. The soup was thick and creamy, but compared to the foods the older Cassian had once eaten, this was as good as water — flavorless and simple. Not because Aylin couldn't cook properly, but because of the lack of spices and meat.
Yet Cele was munching in a hurry, devouring the soup in large scoops.
"Really good," she said. "Can I get more?"
"Here, eat more." He pushed his bowl to her side, and she started eating.
At least someone was hungry.
A pair of lights went by. Cassian had expected a group of men to come any day to get him, but nothing happened. Still, he could feel the gazes of people — fear and worries. Even Daniel kept a small distance, putting Cele between him and Cassian. Everyone knew, and they started treating him the same way as Ezo.
A weird thing, considering how small he was. He still had the features of a kid; the uniform they had given him was still too long for him. But they still found him scary. In any case, today the three were going to the lord's residence to train with the squires.
Even Cele was allowed. But she was not considered a squire — the same for Daniel. Cassian found strange the sudden change in Lord Roberto. He had allowed anyone who desires to be trained to do so.
You were unwise as what was to come.