Another year went by; summer ended and autumn arrived. Along with the arrival of the freezing cold came Aedric's foul mood, and someone had to pay the consequences…
Rinella found herself running for her life as she was chased by a boy with a wooden axe. Aedric had arbitrarily decided that his friend would also train with him, even if it was against her will.
And that is how the peculiar sight that three adults were watching from a distance unfolded.
"Your son is a bit peculiar, Mildred…" —Lysa held her cheek, worried about her daughter's future—.
"Exercise is never a bad thing, don't you think?" —Garreth added as he laughed non-stop—.
"My daughter is only five years old!" —She retorts, offended—.
"So is mine" —A triumphant smile adorns his face—.
"…" —She had no comeback; he won the argument—.
"Look on the bright side, Lysa" —Mildred joined the conversation so her friend wouldn't feel depressed about losing the argument— "Your daughter uses her legs for everything; having stronger legs is beneficial for her."
"You're forgetting the small detail that she's running for her life, not to exercise…" —Lysa's voice sounded concerned—.
Meanwhile, Angel had woken up from the small wooden house Garreth had made for him, let out a tired yawn, and stretched his small body as much as he could. His tiredness quickly dissipated when he saw his owner chasing the girl; normally, a normal dog would protect the girl from the pursuer, but he was not a normal dog.
Rinella saw how Angel joined the chase and felt deeply betrayed; it wasn't the first time it had happened to her, but she always felt the same way. She even secretly gave him food to bribe him, which clearly didn't work. The dog, just as crazy as his owner, continued running for a long time until all three of them were gasping for air, unable to move their legs anymore for today.
Even so, Angel now wanted to play fetch with the sticks Aedric threw; he seemed to have infinite stamina.
Year 1246, First Month
In the world of dreams, a young man was sleeping peacefully when he was suddenly awakened by a sharp blow to the stomach.
His little brother, [??], had woken him up with a technique he himself had taught him; the disciple had surpassed the master.
A chubby boy with black hair and brown eyes was on top of him, having pounced on his stomach while he was sleeping. He had taught him that based on a Pocket Monster that reminded him of his little brother, Snackrlax.
"What do you think you're doing, waking me up like this?!" —He yells with fake anger at [??]—.
"It's your birthday, you jerk!" —[??] told [??], and continued— "Happy birthday, brother."
The younger child affectionately hugged his older brother.
"You're lucky, [??]" —The little one tells his brother— "Your birthday is right during the holidays; you don't have to go to school on your special day!"
"You say that as if it were a good thing; I have never been able to celebrate my birthday at school. Plus, I have to put up with you all day, you little devil" —[??] says playfully to [??]—.
It was at that moment that [??] and [??] walked in.
"Happy birthday, son!" —They both say at the same time, holding a cake that shone brightly from the candle decorating it—.
Both were in their military dress uniform; they had come as fast as they could along with the cake, both of them panting from running all the way after finishing their shift. Some cream even stained the father's uniform, but he didn't care. He just wanted to be there when his beloved son woke up, a tradition that had been maintained all these years, the same for his younger son.
Putting the cake aside, they approached him and tenderly gave him a comforting hug. [??] closed his eyes as he received the warm embrace from his family, trying to hold back his tears.
…
Aedric, now six years old, opened his eyes. He was disconcerted to feel a wet sensation running down his cheeks. He then remembered the dream, which, although it wasn't him, felt very nostalgic, and he couldn't help but sob softly, trying to understand what was happening to him.
—My nose is running and my face is soaked with tears just from waking up— He thought, confused.
He started wiping himself with the pillow; he didn't want to show himself in that state in front of his parents. It was at that moment that the wooden door of the cabin opened; his parents had arrived.
"Happy birthday, son!" —They both say at once, having coordinated this greeting before opening the door— "We love you very much and we will always love you."
Both smile with happiness, while in their hands they brought their respective gifts. They both knew their son loved food, so they spent a lot of money on a dish that only nobles usually eat: a fig tart. Its filling of dried figs with honey and other spices gave it a delicious smell, and the crust covering it looked crispy and appetizing.
Normally Aedric would already be drooling and ready to eat it, but something in him felt strange. A slight pressure in his chest was palpable, and he felt that if he said a single word, he would burst into tears.
Garreth and Mildred were disconcerted by their son's unexpected reaction; they expected him to snatch the cake from their hands immediately, fingers and all.
Mildred's maternal instinct kicked in; she approached her son and crouched down to his level to then wrap his small body in her arms. Garreth, copying his wife, did the same.
The child's emotional dam broke; tears began to fall from the corners of both his eyes. A cry full of pain, not only from him, but from someone else resonated along with his inside him; he cried without worrying about anything else about the feeling that was impossible to hide.
His face was buried between his two parents. For their part, they hadn't seen their son cry since he was a baby; he grew up too fast for them to enjoy those moments.
The creak of the wooden door echoed; visitors had arrived at an awkward moment for Aedric.
"Well, well, what's going on here?" —Lysa's voice is heard with evident curiosity—.
"Could it be my student who is crying?" —The wise old man asks calmly—.
"…" —Rinella peeks out from behind her mother to observe the situation, feeling worried since she had never heard her friend cry—.
The cabin was suddenly filled with people. Aedric held back his crying with all his strength; he no longer wanted to cry from sadness, he wanted to cry from embarrassment.
—I will never cry in front of another person again— He promised himself after showing a sensitive side in front of so many people.
Pulling away from his parents' hug, he ran outside behind the cabin, next to Angel's little house. He fell into the accumulated snow, where he sat on the ground while covering his red, hot face with shame.
—I wish Ignis would throw fire at me and reduce me to ashes!— He is very embarrassed as he covers his face and kicks the ground.
At that moment, he felt something wet moistening his hand. He lowered his hands to look, and there he was, Angel, watching him with his protruding teeth while his tail wagged slowly.
"Good morning, Angel," —he murmurs softly, wishing the animal a good day, even though it doesn't understand—.
The dog moved closer and lay down next to him, his head resting on his lap, looking at him all the time with his tail moving animatedly.
—I guess that's your way of cheering me up— Aedric thought, as he watched Angel lick his hand while he stroked the dog's chin.
Soft footsteps were heard on the accumulated snow; a girl a little shorter than him was approaching, her short, jet-black hair contrasting with the white snow, and her light green eyes always watching him.
"Are you okay, Aedric?" —She asked with her typical soft voice, but with a slightly gentle tone—.
He couldn't say anything; his face turned red again remembering how he had cried in front of her.
She had grown up just like him and was now capable of empathizing and understanding, slightly, how other people felt. In the face of her friend's silence, she decided to stay silent too and sat down next to him, huddling against him.
He felt disconcerted; although they usually sat together, she had never snuggled up next to him. He could feel her warmth transferring to him.
They both remained in silence, watching the clouds that filled the vast sky; there was no need for words. Even Angel, normally noisy, remained breathing calmly on his owner.
After a while of sitting there, Aedric got up first.
"Are you better now?" —Rinella asked softly—.
"Uh-huh" —He murmured while nodding his head—.
She briefly remembered an old moment from when they first met. She approached him and wrapped her arms around him, what was left of her arms which wasn't much, in a half-hug, but Aedric understood the intention and returned it.
A while later, they both went back inside the cabin. Sitting together on a bench, the two children began to eat the fig tart with great ferocity.
—This is the first time I've eaten something so delicious!— He tried with all his might to eat the tart slowly, since it wasn't a giant portion, and he probably wouldn't eat another for a long time.
For her part, Rinella had already finished the tart faster than him. That day, everyone discovered that she was just like Aedric when it came to sweet things.
Angel looked fiercely at the tart his owner was eating, saliva dripping from his snout. The boy took pity on the dog and gave him the sweet crust edges; the pastry disappeared as if a vacuum cleaner had passed.
"Did you just swallow that crust whole?" —He said, dumbfounded after seeing his dog swallow the food in a blink—.
"WOOF!" —The dog wisely replied—.
While this scene was unfolding in one part of the cabin, another one happened simultaneously…
"See? It was a good idea not to follow him," —Duncan said, his chest puffed out with pride— "This decrepit old man isn't this old for no reason, ho ho."
"Certainly, it was a good idea," —Garreth said—.
"Of course, I would never invade my son's privacy," —Mildred added to the conversation—.
"I agree," —Lysa supported her friend—.
Of course, the four adults secretly followed the two children and started gossiping about them. The forest managed to hide all four of them well, thanks to the abundant bushes.
Garreth had to cover both women's mouths with his hands when Rinella hugged Aedric; a squeal of excitement came out muffled by his large hands. As his father, he had to protect his son's special moments.
And that's how Aedric's sixth birthday passed.
Year 1246, Third Month
Today was Rinella's birthday; the worst part of the year was over, winter. Spring had already arrived, and it was noticeable in the smaller amount of snow accumulated on the ground.
What should have been a calm and happy birthday for Rinella turned into an intense exercise session with Aedric and Angel. The three of them ran in the field; they had eaten a small dessert made of raisins and thin dough with honey on top. After the sweet meal, Aedric felt energetic and began running with his dog around Rinella's house, located in the village.
After getting bored of running, he decided to invite Rinella. She initially wanted to refuse, but she didn't want to be chased by a wooden axe again, so she decided to voluntarily run with Aedric from today on.
—Anyway, strengthening my legs wouldn't be a bad thing; it's not like I like spending time alone with him or anything like that— she thought to herself, as a slight blush grew on her cheeks.
After running for a long time, the three of them were resting on the dirt ground of Rinella's house.
"Do you pray to a God?" —Aedric asked suddenly—.
"Huh? Not really… I don't know which one to pray to. My mom told me to wait until I grow up, in case I want to use a divine power that I like; after all, you can only choose one in your whole life" —The girl said wisely, repeating Lysa's words—.
He paid no mind to what she said and began to ponder what God would be a good fit for his friend. His gaze fell to the ground to think even more deeply.
Ground… His eyes looked at the dirt floor of the house, and his mind clicked.
"You should pray to the God Terran" —He said wisely after a series of very complex and difficult thoughts: looking at the dirt floor— "Duncan told me that his believers are very strong and good at using their bodies."
"You think so?" —she said, almost convinced by her friend's idea—.
"Yes!" —Aedric said enthusiastically—.
"Don't you need to put your hands together to pray?" —She questioned doubtfully after thinking about it for a moment—.
"My master said you pray with your heart, not your hands. You just have to open your feelings to God for it to reach him."
"…" —Rinella was momentarily silent; for the first time in her life, she was hearing such profound words from her friend. Had another brain grown inside him? —
Before she could answer, he quickly pulled something out of his pocket.
"Take this!" —He said with emotion in his words— "It's a gift I made for you."
Surprised by the sudden change of topic, she took a while to take the gift. Extending her stumps, she held it as best she could. It was a thin board of polished wood; looking closer, there were two figures on the board: a boy holding the knot of a girl's sleeve while smiling. It was crudely drawn with cheap dyes that Mildred bought for her son.
"Thank you, Aedric," —she hugged him as best she could with what was left of her arms; this had become more normal after that day— "It's very pretty." —A sincere smile appeared on her lips as she looked at him face-to-face, which were very close due to the hug—.
Both children ended up blushing after that. She left the wooden board next to her bed, so she could easily see it at all times.
And that's how Rinella's sixth birthday ended.
—End of chapter 4—