A boy sat atop the grassy hill, his straw hat shading his pale face from the afternoon sun.
He was staring at the village below. From where he was, the people looked like ants. The small boy swung his legs lazily over the edge of the hill revelling in the scent of flowers and warm earth filling the air.
"Asche!" The peaceful spell broke at the sound of a woman's voice. The boy's head snapped up. His face lit up with pure, childish excitement as he spotted her: a woman with blazing red hair that whipped wildly in the wind, standing at the bottom of the cliff-hill with her arms wide open.
Grinning, the small boy, Asche scrambled to his feet, the straw hat wobbling dangerously on his head. Without a second thought, he sprinted down the slope, his long white hair streaming behind him like a comet's tail. The woman laughed as he barreled into her, wrapping his small arms around her waist. She scooped him up effortlessly, spinning him around until his giggles filled the air.
"Asche! Don't wander off like that! You make me worry so much!" She scolded lightly, squeezing his stubborn little nose. But it wasn't doing much damage — Asche just kept giggling, totally unbothered.
"Now then, Geo is waiting for you."At the sound of the name, Asche's striking grey eyes practically sparkled. He immediately started wriggling like a caught fish, trying to escape her arms. Now, Geo was equivalent to Asche's sunshine, after all the man seems to spawn food out of his being, and if Asche needed something it was food. The beautiful young child's body beneath his ragged clothing was very scrawny and starved; and even now it was better because of Geo's attempt to feed the child every waking moment.
"M...Mooom! I want to go…" he whined. She just smiled, carrying him easily, ignoring his protests as she started walking toward where Geo was waiting. "There's Geo, you little gremlin!" She ruffled his white locs.
Geo sat cross-legged on a worn patchwork cloth, a simple woven basket set beside him, brimming with rough bread, fresh berries, and a clay jug of watered wine. He was a strict-looking man with a kind face. He looked forty-ish, and wore glasses and a tunic. Yet his face, as he watched Asche approach, was nothing but soft — like a man receiving a present.
Asche wriggled free from his mother's arms the instant they reached the cloth, stumbling a little but recovering quickly. He bolted the last few steps and hurled himself straight into Geo's lap.
"Careful, boy!" Geo laughed, steadying him with ease. His voice rumbled low, like a warm fire on a cold night. He ruffled Asche's hair beneath the straw hat, then straightened it with exaggerated care. "Have you come to raid my basket, Asche?" Asche had a habit of rummaging through Geo's belongings – usually a basket– whenever he met him, even before greeting Geo himself. But it wasn't his fault if he was often starving before every of Geo's visits.
Asche only grinned, wide and shameless. Geo chuckled again and reached into the basket, tearing a hunk of bread and offering it along with a handful of berries— Asche's favorite food discovery. Asche snatched them eagerly, munching happily as he rolled off with his prize and kicked his feet in the air. "Wait, wait… come drink this potion, Asche."
Asche made a disgusted face but was quick to take the cup Geo held out and drink it. He happily went back to what he was doing. Geo hummed, satisfied. It was a potion meant to help Asche absorb more nutrients to help him become healthier. Geo took the jug again and poured a double portion for Asche's mother.
Mirella drank it and settled down beside them, adjusting the worn hem of her linen dress. For a few blessed moments, they simply watched Asche. It didn't take long for Mirella's smile to waver. Geo leaned closer, voice low and careful, so Asche wouldn't catch their words. "You're certain of it?" he asked. Mirella's fingers brushed her stomach, slow and tentative, like she still wasn't sure the life growing there was real.
"I'm with child," she whispered. Her voice cracked on the words. She didn't dare lift her gaze from the worn blanket between them. "But... I'm not sure..."
"Shh.." He silenced her. Mirella was being held 'prisoner' by Asche's father who would abandon her in the moor caves for months at a go. If it wasn't for Geo…she and Asche would be dead. But that didn't stop Asche's father, the leader of one of the biggest crime groups in their duchy, Borden, from monitoring and using Mirella.
The breeze grew stronger, stirring the grass around them. Overhead, the crows cawed. Geo calmly asked. "Did he?" he said quietly.
Mirella nodded, the motion brittle. "I wish I could run away" Her voice caught. "But I'm scared of what would happen if we do." She wrapped her arms around herself, as if trying to hold herself together. Geo's hand covered hers — rough, calloused, but impossibly gentle.
"I'll take responsibility. I swear it, Mirella. On my life." Mirella held in her tears. She wished with all her heart that this was Geo's child and not that monster's.
"But what if it's not yours, Geo, what will I–" Mirella started. Geo shushed her.
A short distance away, Asche giggled as he chased after a bright-blue butterfly. He had run back to the cliff-hill he was previously at. He looked down at the village again and froze. Down in the winding streets, specks of figures moved. From here they were barely more than shadows — but Asche recognized them instantly. Men in dark cloaks. His father was here.
"Mom!" Asche cried out, voice breaking with urgency. He stumbled back toward them, pointing with one shaking hand. "Down there — it's him!"
Mirella and Geo both snapped their heads towards Asche, following his trembling finger. They both stood up abruptly. Geo was already packing up the picnic.
"Hurry," she whispered hoarsely, already pulling Asche close, already gathering him into her arms. Geo stood, fast and sharp, scanning the moors. His mind raced — thinking not for himself, but for them.
"I'll stay here," he said, voice like iron. "I'll watch. Make sure you're safe."
"Don't be stupid Geo, we'll be fine." Cradling Asche against her chest, she turned and ran, heading back toward the hidden mouth of the moor cave.
Geo waited until Mirella and Asche vanished into the caves before he moved. Silent as a fox, he slipped down the slope, weaving through the tall grass and scrub until he found a rocky outcrop just above the cave's entrance. He knew he shouldn't stay, but he couldn't risk Mirella having another untreated severe injury. At least if he was near, he could treat it earlier.
He crouched low behind the stone, one hand resting on the hilt of his emergency blade, the other pressed against the rock to steady his breath. It didn't take long for him to see them. Dark shapes emerged on the moors. At their head — a man cloaked in black and crimson, riding a horse.
Weir.
That was the only name everyone knew him by, and it was well-feared. The horrid man was a leader in a notorious criminal gang that not even the King had been able to fully eradicate. The gang were close now. Close enough that if he strained his ears, he could hear what they were saying.
A ruff voice spoke, "Captain, you can't be sure that this would work again? The Eirwin girl, hasn't she proven to be useless–hmph!" It sounded like someone had clamped his mouth.
"You should know better than to use her name carelessly, Ern." The deep scary voice that was Weir's spoke out. "Of course, I must try. I can't let all my hard work go to waste. Think of it, Ern, the wealth we could amass if we have a child with the fraction of that family's po–"
A hand clamped over his mouth, suffocating Geo. "Captain!," His attacker shouted. " I found an eavesdropper!" Boots dragged him through the grass. Geo thrashed, but the man holding him was incredibly strong. They stopped at the edge of the group. Geo knew he had messed up. Weir turned slowly in his saddle.
"Well, well," he said. His voice was low and lazy, like he had all the time in the world. "And here I thought I smelled a rat." The man shoved Geo forward. He stumbled, landing hard on one knee.
"Caught him right behind the stone." the man said. His attacker seeme to be a rat-like man who could not have seen better days. Weir swung down from his horse, the hem of his crimson cloak brushing the grass. He stopped just before Geo's hands and crouched.
"I thought Mirella would have picked a more daunting paramour." Geo froze. "Oh, don't bother looking surprised. You can't seriously think you can hide anything from me in this town." Weir's eyes flicked up, and the smile that followed was all venom. "She must've been really desperate to fall for someone like you." Weir straightened, brushing invisible dust from his cloak. Then he turned to his men.
"Take care of him," he said, voice steady. Then he strode over to the cave entrance. "Well? Get out here, you sniveling little lapdog!" Silence. Then came the shuffle of footsteps—slow, reluctant. From the mist, two shapes emerged. Mirella's eyes widened when she saw who was on the floor.
"Geo— Shit." she breathed.
Asche stood beside her, trembling so hard it looked like his knees might give out. His hands were clenched, but useless. His eyes darted to Weir, to the ground, to Geo, and back again. Weir's hand shot out. He grabbed Mirella by the arm and yanked her forward. Asche held his hand out in an attempt to hold his mother, but didn't dare to speak.
"Well?" Weir hissed, he was smiling for some reason, close to Mirella's ear. "You want to tell me who this is?" Mirella didn't answer. She looked at Geo again. He was tied and gagged up. Her lips parted—no words came. He gave her a shake.
"You lying little thing," he spat. "Tell me, did you think he could protect you? That this"—he kicked Geo hard in the ribs—"was your way out?" Geo gasped, folding under the kick.
Mirella shook her head. Weir sighed and signalled.
"Stop it!" Mirella screamed. "You'll kill him—!" They descended on Geo like animals. For a while, the only sounds were Asche's tears, Mirella's pleas and sickening thuds against bone and flesh.
By the time Weir signalled them to stop, Geo couldn't even raise his arms. He felt the vague taste of blood on his tongue. The gang stepped back, breathing heavy, faces blank.
Weir grabbed Mirella by the back of her dress, jerking her towards the cave. "Inside," Weir growled, dragging her. "Both of you." Asche stumbled to follow, silent, hands shaking.
Weir shoved Mirella forward. She hit the wall hard. "So are you feeling smart now?" he snapped. Mirella winced but didn't fall. She stood with her back to the stone, chest heaving. Her eyes flicked to Asche, then to the entrance, as if hoping, praying someone might come. "I found out you've been meeting him." Weir's voice dropped lower. "And Sleeping with him." She shook her head.
"No—" His hand lashed out, striking her across the face.
"Don't lie to me!" Asche flinched like he'd been the one hit. He didn't move from the entrance. "I have all the evidence and information proving you've been doing so!" Weir's voice cracked with fury. "Do you know what you've done? What you've risked?! Explain yourself! " Mirella's lip was split. She glared at him, but she didn't speak.
It only made him angrier. He slapped her again. Mirella staggered, but he caught her by the hair and yanked her upright again. "You little rat! I should have killed you, but I spared your life – " he snarled. "I saved you, and this is how you repay me? With some weak little mouse of a boy—?" Mirella frowned. How despicable. It was he who kidnapped her in the first place. He struck her again. Asche let out a broken sob, covering his ears. Mirella tried to twist from Weir's grip, but it only made it worse as he hit her again.
"You're going to tell me everything," Weir growled, dragging her deeper into the cave. "When this started, how long you've been sleeping with him, when, where and how." He angrily threw her onto a 'bed' that was really just stacked stones with grass and cloth on it. Mirella cried out as her shoulder slammed into the edge of the bed. Her lack of response was irritating Weir who put his hand up again. Blood was already running from her nose, her lip and her brow.
"I'm pregnant!" The words tore out of her mouth like a scream. Silence crashed over the cave. Weir froze, arm still raised. His breath came in sharp bursts, the air between them thick and trembling. She sobbed once, crumpling to the floor. Her hands clutched her stomach like instinct. For a long moment, he didn't move. Then his hand slowly lowered. He stared at her—eyes dark, calculating. A slow smile crept across his face.
"Well then," he said softly, like the storm had passed. "You should've led with that." He turned and walked out of the cave. Asche watched his father leave the cave in bewilderment.
Mirella got up and ran out of the cave, only to see Weir's men carrying a limp body onto one of the horses then riding off. Mirella ran after them as fast as she could.
"Wait!" She screamed but they didn't stop. Asche came to stand by his mother and they both watched helplessly as the horses rode away.