The King

"So...how did the two of you come about being orphaned?" Brian asked as he and his two new friends walked about the village. He glanced over at Zach and Matt, watching as a dark yet sad look passed over Zach's face.

"Well, my parents died in a fire a few years back. We don't really like to talk about Zach's parents. To put it shortly," Matt explained as Zach averted his gaze from the other two boys, "Zach's parents were murdered."

Brian felt a pang of sympathy in his heart for both boys' losses, but more so for Zach. he could never let anyone know, but his father was lost in the same way. He knew exactly how Zach felt, and about how sensitive of a subject it must be. So he just nodded in acknowledgment both of the news and of the face to never bring it up again. Quickly, he thought of how he could change the subject.

"How do the two of you know each other?" Brian asked, his eyes catching with those of a local girl who didn't appear much younger than he. He smiled briefly at her as she smiled coyly as she passed. "Did you just happen upon each other at random once you were out on your own?"

"No," Zach spoke up this time. "We had actually lived right next to each other for quite a few years before we were on our own. It was a bit of a relief, knowing we'd have each other to rely on."

Brian nodded once more. He kept looking over his two new companions, knowing they couldn't have been much older than he, if older at all, and wondered how long they had been on their own. But he figured he'd let it drop, as he had already intruded into their lives quite a bit.

"So Brian, how old are you, exactly?" Matt asked, and Brian couldn't help but grin at the fact that they had been thinking the same thing.

"I'm but sixteen," he answered, looking around at some of the food shops they passed. he could see clear through the glass windows at the fresh breads and cheeses, and was slowly beginning to realize how hungry he was. He hadn't eaten since he had left his home, and already the sun was beginning to set on the next day, his first full day on his own.

"I am sixteen years as well. Zach here will not be turned until the winter, though."

Brian found himself nodding once more, his stomach rumbling. He had hardly heard Matt speak over the sound.

"What do you do for food? I have not eaten in the longest time. I'm nearly starved. Not to mention parched," Brian said, absentmindedly rubbing his stomach.

Matt and Zach looked at each other and grinned.

"We know just how to fix that."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The sun had gone down, covering the village in darkness, by the time Matt and Zach had taken Brian to an alleyway behind the local tavern. The three of them were crouched behind a line of wooden barrels, waiting for the right moment. Brian just didn't know what moment that was.

"What is it that we are hiding here for? Why don't we just go in?" he pondered aloud. Matt had to bite back his laughter as Zach clapped Brian on the shoulder.

"You are quite funny, you know? Of course. Let us just prance right in and buy ourselves a feast with the money neither of us have. Unless you have some secret hidden fortune on you that we don't know about..."

Brian's brow furrowed. He forgot entirely that he had no money on him. He had never needed it for anything back in his kingdom; everything, in effect, belonged to his family. Money was never something he needed. He still couldn't figure out what his friends were sitting around waiting for, though.

"What exactly are we doing then?" he voiced, and once again the boys smiled.

"You'll see..." Matt said, crouching a little higher so as to see over the barrel in front of him. No sooner had he said that did he hear the handle on the back door jiggle. In the dim light provided by a gas lamp in a nearby window, Matt watched as the tavern's back door creaked open. He could see the silhouette of a man as he stepped out into the dark alley. There was the soft crash of what Brian thought was a platter being set out.

The man let out a shrill whistle, and Brian heard a few faint barks from one end of the alley. In a loud, excited scramble of heads, legs, and tails, a pack of hounds made their way quickly toward the platter. Brian figured there must have been food, scraps, left out every night like this.

As soon as the tavern door was shut, Matt scurried from his hiding place. He made a mad dive for the food, and Brian watched with wide eyes and bated breath as his friend wrestled the wile beasts for whatever he could get. Hearing a mixture of barks, growls, and yelps, Brian shot a worried glance at Zach. The boy had an excited smile on his face and didn't seem worried in the slightest. Brian realized this must not have been the first time these boys had wrestled dogs for their meals.

Matt finally beat his way to the platter, delighted to see what was left there. He triumphantly snatched the two half-eaten turkey legs, growling with a gruff laugh as one of the dogs snapped at him. The dog backed away, its head lowering, and Matt made his way back to his friends behind the barrels.

"Here," he said, handing one of the turkey legs to Brian, who hesitantly took it. Nose scrunched, he looked down at the meat before him. In the dim light he could see the teethmarks in the bone, saliva coating a few of the attached chunks of meat. He didn't know if it belonged to dog or human, but the thought of either made his stomach turn over.

Looking up, Brian saw Matt and Zach already feasting on the other turkey leg, seeming to be quite pleased with the meal.

"There's no way this can be... sanitary," Brian shuddered, looking back down at his own food again.

"Well," Zach said, chewing through a mouthful of some of the tastiest meat he had had in quite some time. "We've been eating like this for years. We're both still healthy and alive." Gulping the juice mouthful, he then eyed Brian and his untouched food. "Look...if you don't want it, we'll be glad to take it from you. We don't come across a meal like this all the time. Trust me, it's good..."

Sighing, Brian figured what with his new lifestyle it might be awhile til he had any food at all. Reluctantly, he took a bit of the turkey, the juices and warmth of the meat filling every corner of his mouth. It tasted much better than he expected it would.

"Is this how you usually eat?" Brian then asked, chewing through his mouthful. "Waiting behind taverns until they bring out the rubbish and scraps?"

"Hey..." Matt growled playfully, licking his fingers. "We do not eat rubbish. But sometimes, yes, this is what we do. We also steal from the street vendors when they're out and not paying attention. That bit tends to be harder though."

"Harder than wrestling dogs?" Brian asked incredulously as he continued to scarf down the food, finding it more delicious with every bite. Both Zach and Matt laughed.

"You'll learn in time, Brian," Zach said, finishing his food and rising to his feet. Soon Matt had done the same, Brian following shortly after.

"Time to find a place to settle down for the night," The youngest of the three said, his eyes twinkling from the light of the moon.

It didn't take long until the three boys happened upon a field toward the outskirts of the village, equipped with a stone barn set apart from the small cottage on the property. Matt and Zach decided it was the perfect place to sleep for the night, though Brian felt a bit wary of it. His heart was pounding as they crossed the field, certain that whoever lived in the cottage would know they were there and come out to chase them away. regardless, he followed Matt and Zach into the stone barn. He couldn't deny it was cozy inside, but he still felt uneasy.

"Come, have a rest," Matt offered, dimples showing as she smiled widely, settling back into a messy pile of hay in the corner. Sighing, he rested his arms behind his head. Zach quickly found a place near Matt and followed suit.

"Won't we get caught?" Brian asked timidly, still cautious to lie down.

"Of course not. We'll be gone by morning, before anyone knows we were here," Matt chuckled, closing his eyes with a smile. "We don't worry of these things."

Sighing, Brian knew he really had no other choice. And the hay did look comfortable. Quieting his mind, he found a place to lay near his two new friends. Curling up on his side, arms under his head, he closed his eyes thinking of home, and of his mother. He hoped she was okay without him there to comfort the loss of the king. And then he thought of Lyndsey, his heart aching knowing he would never see her beautiful face again.

Thoughts flooding his mind, Brian drifted off to sleep. And just as Matt had promised, the three boys were awake and on their way at the crack of dawn, before anyone had even known they were there at all.