A World Among Thieves: A Humble Beginning

Chapter 3

I walk back over to my bookshelf and return the book back to its proper place. I turn and look in my mirror that's in the corner of my room. I notice that my apron is covered in dirt, my face as well, and my dress has stains of mud. I sigh and walk over to my dresser. I grab a new dress and apron and set them on my bed. I grab a washcloth from a bucket of water that I had refilled last night and submerge it in the water for a few seconds. I wring out the excess water and begin scrubbing the mud off my skin. Once the mud is removed, I change into the new dress and apron. I put my dirty clothes in a pile next to my dresser. I walk down the stairs and see everyone sitting at the table, waiting. My mom glares at me.

"It's about time that you got down here," she says.

"I apologize, Mother. I had to get cleaned up for dinner," I explain, sitting down in my chair.My mother doesn't respond and starts eating. Everyone follows suit. I take a bite of my dinner and realize that it's deer meat!

"How did we get deer meat? Did we have any extra from our last hunting trip," I ask.

"One of my coworkers hunted too much for his family to use. So, he gave me some," Father explains.

"That was nice of him!" I exclaim, taking another bite.

We all eat in silence. After about thirty minutes, we all finish.

"I'll take care of the dishes," I say, taking up the plates.

No one objects. I use the last of the water that I collected earlier to wash the dishes. When I finish, I shake off the water from my hands and put the dishes in the drying rack. I walk up the stairs and go into my siblings' room to tuck them in for bed. As soon as I walk in, I see them passed out on their beds. I chuckle and cover them up with their blankets. I close the curtains and walk out of their room. I walk into my room and change into my sleepwear. I climb into bed and pull the blankets up to my chin and fall asleep.

~~~~~~

I wake up to a loud crash coming from downstairs. I see black smoke entering my room from under my door. I immediately get up and grab some clothes. I open my window and jump to the tree that's outside. I climb down the tree and run away from my house a bit. I turn back around and see my entire house enveloped in bright orange and red flames. I cover my mouth in shock. I drop my clothes and run back inside, trying to find my family. The entire living room is filled with flames. I cover my mouth and nose with my hand to try to keep myself from breathing in the smoke. As I begin to go up the stairs the rafters fall, blocking the passage and fanning the flames. I curse under my breath and rush out of the front door in case any more supports break above me. As soon as I'm outside I turn to climb back up the tree, but I notice that the entire tree is now engulfed in flames. I also notice a searing pain in my right shin. I glance down and notice a large piece of wood that had splintered off of the rafter is embedded in my shin. Blood is running down my leg like a river and the area around the wound has an extremely severe burn. I cry out in agony as the pain begins to worsen and fall to my knees. I adjust myself so I'm sitting and clutch my shin as tears begin flowing down my face. I watch my house burning with my family inside of it, unable to do anything to save them. I notice my vision becoming darker and darker until I pass out.

~~~~~~

I open my eyes and notice that I'm no longer outside my house. I sit up and hiss as the pain from my shin radiates all the way up my body. A few moments later a man enters the room.

"Ah, I see you're awake. How are you feeling, dear?" he asks, sitting down in a chair beside the bed.

"My leg and my throat hurt, sir," I croak.

"Well, we can't have that. Drink this," he says, handing me a cup.

"What is it?" I ask.

"It's a tonic. It will help soothe your throat," he answers.

I drink the tonic leisurely as to not upset my throat further. When its all gone I look back over at the man.

"What happened? Where am I?" I ask.

"We saw a fire in the forest so we went to see if we could help. We found you passed out on the grass with a gash in your leg. We carried you here and patched you up as best as we could. You'll have a scar for the rest of your life," he explains.

"What of my family? Did they make it out alright?" I ask hurriedly.

"When the flames died down we searched the house. Your family didn't survive the fire," he says solemnly.

My entire world came crashing down. Everything I have ever known was lost in an instant.

"We did, however, find this untouched by the fire," he says, handing me a long slender object wrapped in a cloth.

I unwrapped it and revealed my dad's sword. Tears well up in my eyes and I smile slightly.

"You are in the infirmary of the castle of Dawnwood. Do you know where that is?" he asks.

"Yes. My father used to work in the city," I explain.

"Good. Now that you're mostly healed, we have to tell you to leave," the man explains.

"Wait! I remember hearing that children work here in the castle. Is that something that I can do?" I ask.

"I'll ask the queen. In the meantime, you have to leave," he says.

"Thank you, sir. I truly appreciate it," I say.

I get out of bed but I'm still wobbly. I manage to steady myself before I fall. The man gently grabs my arm and leads me out of the castle.

"You stay safe now," he says, smiling.

The man walks back into the castle. I turn and begin limping down the road. People stare at me as they pass. My face is still covered in soot and I'm carrying a sword, so I can understand that is a little strange. I see an inn at the end of the street. I quicken my pace until I reach the door. I open it and walk inside, greeted by a concerned innkeeper.

"You can't be in here! This is no place for kids!" he exclaims, trying to usher me out of the door.

"Please, sir. I have nowhere to go," I plead.

The innkeeper sighs.

"Alright. Just stay close to me at the front. I can't, in good conscience let you wander around here freely," he says.

"Thank you, sir! I really appreciate it," I giggle happily.

The innkeeper pulls up a stool beside him while he attends to patrons. I look around and take in my surroundings. The walls are a dark wood with candle chandeliers dangling from the ceiling. The floors are of rough gray stone. Tables fill the room and stair ascend to the above floor. Windows house small knickknacks and plants to fill the empty space. The place is rather empty, as it is only mid-day. Patrons who are leaving hand the innkeeper their room key and exit. Whereas the patrons who are entering take those same room keys and pay their fees. The innkeeper writes in a book the patron's names so he can keep track of who all is occupying the rooms. The warmth of the fire in the fireplace envelops me; making me grow more and more tired with every breath. I eventually fall asleep, still sitting on the stool.