People with light hair had a weaker constitution and were more prone to catching various diseases.
People dyed their hair just to avoid getting sick and finding a job. Women had it easier due to their beauty being valued. Men, however, were left to their own devices.
Despite this prejudice, Lucian's mother still chose his father and gave birth to a son that had the same color of hair as him.
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One year later…
Lucian was a bit smaller and thinner than the kids his age, but that didn't stop him from being happy and running around the town with a smile on his face.
He was waiting for a day when a little wife would fall from the skies and play with him; someone who would accept him even though his head was 'full of hay'.
He wasn't picky and didn't mind if she had some hay on her head too. She just needed to be brave enough to want to be with him.
The Rochefort territory was safe, but it didn't mean that it was without dangers. A shackled was currently being dragged through the town square by the guards. It was so strong that not even heavy chains could hold it down.
It was a beast in human form, a woman with the strength of twenty men. She looked fragile and thin, yet her eyes were that of a wolf. Golden like Lucian's but more feral. Her wrists were bleeding, but she didn't seem to care as she tried to break free.
"Illegal slave market?" a passerby asked, watching the woman being dragged to a cage. Lucian turned his attention to the conversation, listening to their words. "Oh, that's horrible... Did they manage to capture all the slave traders and save all the slaves?"
"Yeah, all thanks to her," the man nodded towards the shackled woman being dragged away and then lowered his voice to a whisper. "She went berserk and killed the buyers, then broke out and killed the sellers. It was a bloodbath, and there's no doubt she'll be executed."
Lucian hid behind a building, wondering if he could pick up something that would earn him a coin or two.
His mother was getting better thanks to the medicine, but his father didn't have enough money to buy more. He didn't mean to catch a shackled's attention. "..."
He could feel the eyes of the woman slave on him, watching him intently. Then she talked, her voice low, almost sounding like a growl, "...Thank...you..."
"Go to hell, you monster!" A guard took the advantage to pierce her chest, making her cough up blood.
"...Gah!...You...human scum...I'll...kill you...all...I...will...haunt...your dreams… until… the end… of time..." The woman rasped and then started laughing like a lunatic until her last breath.
'Don't close your eyes, Lucian,' the little boy heard, forcing his eyes wide open and his body to remain frozen in place. 'You are stronger than this. Toughen up, or you will be the next one to die!'
Lucian quickly switched his attention to what he came here for, and it wasn't to witness people dying. The havoc the shackled woman caused left a lot of mess in her wake, and where there was a mess, there was bound to be some broken things that could be revived back to life.
"Can I have this, mister?" Lucian asked, picking up a broken lantern, and showing it to the owner of a stand, who was trying to clean his goods.
"Go away," the man said, annoyingly snatching the broken lantern away from Lucian, "I don't need beggars near my stand."
"I'm not a beggar," Lucian said, "I'm a helper, and I'm trying to help you get rid of the junk. The sooner you clear your stand, the sooner you can start selling again. See, I'm not a beggar."
The man's eyes widened, and he raised his head to look at Lucian, "You are a smart brat, huh? If I catch you stealing any of my things, I'll call the guards! You hear me?"
Lucian nodded eagerly, "Yes, sir!" he said and began to clean and organize the man's goods.
A good deed after a disaster was like a sign from God. People's hearts were moved by the smallest act of kindness, and soon enough, Lucian found himself with a bag full of goods that no one else needed or wanted. The Little Boy walked back home with an empty stomach, but a full heart.
"Dad, my good deed got rewarded again," Lucian announced, dropping the bag on the table, "Dad?"
He opened the door to the workshop, his heart stopping when he saw the collapsed man on the floor, "Dad!" he shouted and ran towards his father.
The man coughed, trying to stand up, but failing. Lucian helped him sit up, and the man smiled, "It's alright. Just a little tired, that's all. How did it go? Did you find anything useful?" he asked.
The little boy nodded with a grin on his face, "Yes!" he exclaimed.
"That's my boy," The man chuckled, pulling a wooden comb from his pocket to smooth down his son's wind-tossed hair, "You have mom's brains and dad's charm, it's only natural you turn out amazing! Our legacy will live on through you, and that makes us very happy, so don't be afraid to show people how smart and handsome you are, okay?"
"...okay?" Lucian said, wondering what his father was talking about. He couldn't possibly be talking about dying, could he?
The voice in his head said so, but he would rather trust his parents instead. They were a family, and a family stuck together, through thick and thin, through good and bad. They would not betray him, they would not leave him behind.
Would they?
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One year later…
Lucian had his chin plopped on his hand, staring at the empty cart he used to sell his goods at, but not really seeing it. He had started a mobile pawn shop of sorts and had sold out all his items by the time the lunch hour came around.
One would think that a successful day was enough to lift his mood, but not for the boy who was still mourning his parents.
He tried to busy himself with the thought of the future, about how to earn enough money to buy himself medicine in case he got sick, when a loud slam startled him from his day dreaming.
A stack of papers wobbled and toppled ontop his mobile cart's counter. Then a voice, cute but commanding, followed right after the thundering appearance.
"These are the most exquisite paintings in the entire city. I will give you the honor of selling them, and you will get fifteen percent of the profit."