That night Elsa greeted Eugene with her chin. She kept her feet together as she watched Eugene appear from that dark corner behind the knight statue,and her teeth set as the boy greeted her with the same sparkle from before.
"Hey Elsa, you know I've got more fun ideas that we could do! I was thinking them up all day, and look my tooth got off."
Eugene showed him the gaping hole in front, and the little girl stared curiously, before she ironed herself back into position again.
"Eugene." She called in the most authoritarian voice she could muster. Eugene's eyes fluttered to attention. She admitted his reaction sent her chest swelling with pride, despite the sour dread swirling in the pits of her stomach.
"I've got something important to talk to you about."
"What? Was it the snow slide idea from before? Yeah I know that was too intense wasn't it, I just thought it'd be cool you know, since you could make snow and things--"
"No that's not it."She frowned.
"Then what?"
Elsa pursed her lips.
"Come on, you could tell me."
Should I ask him? She thought, clutching the sides of her nightgown. He could hate me.
He sighed, "Hey if it's something I did, then tell me. Nothings gonna happen if you just stand there and keep your mouth shut like that you know."
I guess he has a point.
"Well..." Elsa started, "I was just wondering if you got anything last night."
"Huh?"
She cleared her throat, and continued, "O-One of our maids said that someone's necklace disappeared and I was just thinking that you might have seen it lying around or.."
Elsa's voice trailed off into incoherent mumbling. But Eugene could understand her perfectly well. She looked up, and watched his eyes turn glassier with each mumble.
"You think I stole it didn't you?" He spat. It was all he could do to keep his tears held back.
"N-No!" Elsa had never seen a boy cry before, and was more than a little concerned when his face started to grow a shade of red under the dark.
"Yes you do! That's what they always do!"
"I just saw something from your bag when you left before and I was just asking--"
"It's a satchel, not a bag!" He cried, his voice echoed throughout the hall. "And there was nothing in there, just this--"
He grabbed his bag,and threw the thing inside between them. It landed with an angry thud, then Eugene huffed into a corner to cover the tears that were already spilling past his cheeks.
That thing wasn't a necklace like she'd expected. It was a book.
'The Adventures of Flynnigan Rider'
"It was a Christmas gift okay?" He called over his back. "Sometimes people donate stuff to the orphanage and the nuns give it to us as presents."
"You're an orphan?"
He said nothing at this. Elsa leaned down to pick up the book.. It was thick, almost half the size of her palm. The title was intricately decorated, with trails of gold and silver weaving itself in and out across the letters. There was a painting of a man on the cover running across the bush. He held a crossbow in his hands, and wore a confident smirk that radiated throughout the pages. The book reminded her of one of the books her parents give to her sister for her birthday. She heard them talking sometimes, about how rare to get a book so finely illustrated. She started to wonder how on earth an orphaned peasant like Eugene managed to get it.
"There's pictures inside. " He mumbled. "I can't, read but I like looking at it sometimes. See I never steal anything."
Elsa paused a moment."I guess you're right. Here's your book back."
He took it wordlessly and hid it inside his satchel. They were quiet for a moment.
"You know... if you can't read, I can't teach you. I'm pretty good at reading."
"..You are?"
"Yeah." She smiled. "You want me to teach you?"
Eugene hesitated. He bit his lip, and picked at his nails. "I don't know.. It might be hard."
She shook her head,"No, it's not that hard. You can borrow my old books. I don't need them anymore, anyway."
"..Well, alright. I guess if you don't want them."
"So you want me to teach you?"
He thought for a moment. "...Okay. If you want"
