Eliza and Nero just turned onto a side street. They hadn't met a single soul, nor did they want to meet anyone. Silently, with sad and disappointed faces, they walked side by side the way home. They lived in a big house in the rich quarter of the village. It was the last remnant of their family's honor and wealth. Although her father was only a foot soldier, his family had long been great merchants who had amassed a considerable fortune. Unfortunately, her father was a drunkard and did not invest the fortune well, but squandered it on all sorts of things.
"Hey, kids!" someone suddenly called from behind.
Nero flinched, and his sister cursed softly beside him, but then immediately covered her mouth with her hand. The two siblings looked into each other's eyes.
They turned around and saw an older gentleman standing at a door a few feet away. He had on a long robe and was grinning at them with a gap-toothed face.
Eliza let out a sigh of relief. This was Herald, one of the richest people in the village. He had always been kind and very friendly to Nero's family and would definitely not deprive them of their gains.
"Hello, Mr. Herald," the two said in unison.
"Hello, little ones, on a hunting trip again? "
"Yes, Mr. Herald. Don't tell anyone, but we actually caught something." Eliza whispered softly.
Herald laughed heartily, "Don't worry, it'll be my little secret. Ahh, speaking of, I have something for you..."
With that, the old man went back into the house. He returned a few minutes later with a small packet in his hand. Light steam rose from it.
"Here you go, little ones. But make sure no one sees you with it."
Eliza took the package and looked inside. Nero stretched to take a peek as well. Inside the box was delicious roasted meat, which instantly made Nero's mouth water.
Eliza immediately closed the package again and stared at Mr. Herald in disbelief.
Mr. Herald just grinned at her. Eliza stepped forward and hugged him gratefully.
"I don't know how to thank you." She said with watery eyes.
"That's all right, after all, my family and yours have been friends for a long time. I am sure you know the story of how your grandfather bailed me out one time, so don't worry about it. I have plenty to give. Please go and take this to your mother and give her my greetings."
The two children thanked him gratefully.
After they said their goodbyes, Herald waved his hand and went back into the house.
As far as Nero knew, the deep friendship between the two families was due to the fact that her grandfather had once invited Mr. Herald to stay with him, back when his house had burned down. He helped Mr.Herald rebuilding it, even sponsoring him.
Happily, they turned and ran further down the street to their estate. "Mr. Herald is really nice." Gasped Eliza, out of breath.
"Yeah."
Nero could only groan.
Finally, they arrived in front of their house's garden. The building was large and painted white. It had once symbolized wealth and honor, but now it was crumbling and overgrown. It was the last remnant of their family's past wealth.
Breathing heavily, they walked through the big black gate and along a snow-covered stony path. Back then, hundreds of flowers had bloomed and flourished on their property, but now, even in summer, their garden was bare and unkempt. There was only the ancient tree towering far above their house.
Nero had always imagined it to be a magical tree. He often climbed it and played around it, but it was too cold now, so they just went to the big wooden front door of their house and knocked hard.
They waited for a moment, full of excitement, and finally, the door opened.
Behind it stood the second-favorite person in Nero's life: His mother.
She was a beautiful woman. She had long black hair, pale skin, and, of course, the same deep black eyes as her children. Unfortunately, her beauty was marred by the fact that she was barely skin and bones.
She smiled at her children with warmth and love.
"Mom!" Cried Nero, falling into her arms, hugging her. Eliza also stepped forward and hugged her mother tightly.
"Come on in, my little angels."
Without hesitation, the two children went inside the warm and cozy living room.
"Look what we caught," said Nero, full of pride, and presented his mother the dead fox.
"I am so proud of you! Tonight I'll make us a delicious meal. "
Eliza shook her head, "Let's save the fox for tomorrow. Today we can eat this."
She said and handed her mother the package from Mr. Herald.
When she saw the contents of the box, her brow furrowed,
"Oh, where did you get that? I hope you didn't steal it from anyone. "
"No, Mom, Mr. Herald gave it to us. He also told us to give you his greetings. "
Her mother nodded,
"Then I guess we have to thank him. Next time you pass by his house, I want you to give him a thanks from me. I'll prepare a gift too."
The children nodded, then their mother clapped her hands, "So, let's make a delicious dinner. "
With that, she went back to the kitchen,
"Eliza, honey, could you help Nero change out of his wet clothes, please?"
"Yes, mom," Eliza called back and stepped up to Nero.
"I can do this on my own. I am not a little baby anymore!"
Grumbled Nero as he backed away from her.
Eliza laughed,
"Go ahead then," she said, stepping back to take off her wet jacket and pants. She had been wearing two pairs of pants at once to better protect herself from the temperature.
Nero somehow managed to slip out of the thick jacket that was way too big for him.
He sighed and sat down at the small dining table in front of the fireplace.
Eliza laughed, "After we eat, we can play again for a bit, but then we'll have to go out and hunt again. After all, we should use the mouse while it's still not falling apart. "
Nero nodded half-heartedly, who didn't feel much like going outside in the cold again. They sat together at the dining table, and Nero rested his head on his hand.
Finally, her mother arrived with three steaming plates. Mr. Herald's meat was divided evenly among the three plates. She handed each wooden cutlery, and then they began to eat.
They ate slowly, savoring the meal so it would be more filling, but even so, Nero finished very quickly and was still hungry.
"Here, Nero. You can have mine. I am already full!" said his mother, who has eaten just half of her meal. Nevertheless, she pushed the plate towards Nero and offered him to eat it.
Eliza stared at the rest of her food for a moment and then at her mother. She pushed it to her mother,
"You need to stay strong and healthy, because if you get sick, what are we going to do?"
Her mother smiled at her nicely but shook her head and pushed the plate back to Eliza, "No, honey, I really am full. Besides, you need it much more than I do, because you still have to grow, while I'm already fully grown. But that's sweet of you, my little angel."
Reluctantly, Eliza withdrew her plate and ate her last few bites. She was not happy with that, but she knew she could not change her mother's mind.
"Mom, we are going to play upstairs, and then hunt again." Said Eliza after a while. Nero was eating the last piece of his meat.
"Ok, honey, but don't stay out too long."
She stood up and collected the plates on the table,
"Yes, mom."
"And take care of Nero, he's still so young. "
"Yes, mom."
"Thank you, honey." Said her mother and kissed Eliza on the forehead.
"Hey, I'm already big. I can take care of myself now. " Nero grumbled.
Eliza laughed,
"I know, I know, of course you are. He really is getting better at hunting. Not long now, and we can go hunting separately to get double the efficiency."
Nero was getting impatient, "Eliza let's go play now."
"Why are you so impatient? But okay, let's go upstairs then." With that, Eliza got up and headed for the stairs.
"I'm not impatient, I am just bored!" Nero muttered as he followed Eliza.
They went up the stairs, side by side. When they reached the second floor, they went through a door on the left side. The room was large but almost empty.
Only one object stood in the room: a piano.
It was made of fine dark wood, the exact origin of which Nero did not know. The keys were ivory and it was well-tuned.
This instrument was the most expensive thing the family owned, but they felt it was too bad to sell. They had it for emergencies; in case they had no other choice, then they would sell it.
But until then, they would play it. It was one of the only activities the family still had, apart from hunting, and so they played almost every day.
"Play the same song as yesterday!" Nero ordered excitedly.
Eliza bowed, "As you wish, Your Majesty," she said playfully, lifting an invisible skirt. She sat down on the old piano stool. She concentrated, placed her hands on the keys, and began to play.
She played only for Nero at that moment, a concert for him alone. She was incredibly talented, playing what was actually a difficult piece almost perfectly. The performance lasted almost twelve minutes before Eliza finally finished.
Nero, who was usually active and bored, sat motionless on the floor for those twelve minutes, just staring.
When Eliza was finished, it took a moment for him to react. It was like a trance, but then he jumped up, "Let me go!" he shouted and literally pushed his sister off the stool.
"All right, all right, don't be so rude," Eliza complained as she got up. Nero sat down and mimicked Eliza as she concentrated. Then he played. His game was nowhere near his big sister's level, but it was still impressive.
Even Eliza was amazed at how quickly her little brother was learning. It wouldn't be long before he caught up with her, maybe even surpassed her. She shook her head in disbelief. Eliza already knew, that her brother would be a great man someday.