Justus

A pair of feet descend the staircase in haste as the boy takes but a moment to slip on some shoes. Next, he fetches his usual cloak, though he doesn't get a chance to turn the doorknob when a voice calls out. Glancing back at the middle-aged woman, her jet-black hair flows just past her shoulders. His mother's silver eyes stare with curiosity, and he was hoping to leave before she holds him up.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry? You were eager to get back here after church service ended and scarfed down your lunch."

"I'm...going to visit Pencent for a bit."

"The farming village, correct? This will mark the first trip you've taken over there. Well, be careful not to get lost now. That place is almost as large as Opal Forten."

"I'm not a little kid anymore. You don't have to worry so much."

"It is a parent's nature to worry, no matter how old their children grow. You'll learn that yourself one day," she replies as a gentle smile spreads across her face. "I'd still feel better if you weren't going all alone. Oh, you must invite your new friends from the schoolhouse to accompany you. It'll be boring to take a grand adventure by yourself."

"...Okay, I'll try."

This is the exact opposite of a fun trip like she's imagining but a serious investigation. However, there's no point in needlessly worrying her about the details, so it's best for him to keep quiet for now. The boy lingers to exchange quick goodbyes and then waltzes out the front door.

Justus speedily maneuvers through the crowded roads, using his hood to block the beaming sunshine. The heat is miserable, and the summer season doesn't even start until next week. The boy merely hopes a shower could lower this temperature later, though not the freezing thunderstorm he was caught in before.

"Justus, hey!"

A familiar voice rings in his ears, surprised to see a certain dwarf with the future king beside her.

"Saelufu, Prince Wendell, what are you two doing here?"

"We're about to get a bite to eat at Versace. They had tons of good desserts recently added to the menu. Wanna join us if your schedule is free?" she offers, and tempting as it sounds, he shakes his head.

"No thanks, I'm on my way to Pencent. I heard the famous adventurers, Barric and Leila, would be staying there for a while."

"Really, I didn't think you'd be into that kinda stuff. Classmates have been spreading rumors the two are coming to visit our country, yet you never seemed interested in their chatter. What changed your tune?" Saelufu leans closer with a smirk, and it's annoying how she can read him so easily. Truth be told, he doesn't care about adventuring in the least, but there is another reason for wanting to meet the married couple. The boy contemplates if he should share or lie, though it can't hurt to open up this once.

"...You're right, I have no interest in their day jobs. What I desire from them is an honest confession. To tell me if they're possibly...my birth parents."

"W-What?!" The prince exclaims, causing a few to shoot glances. Saelufu, on the other hand, looks shocked for only a second before it fades. Realization flickers in her hazel eyes, and perhaps, she recalls what was asked that day he visited her home.

"The woman who is raising me now isn't my biological mother. I was informed of this fact myself just two years ago..." Justus mumbles, the revelation still vivid in his memory.

In a cozy home three sat in the living room in total silence. His parents said they had something important to speak with him about, yet neither of them had uttered a word. The woman shot her husband with a torn gaze, and he cleared his throat leaning forward.

"Justus, there is something we've meant to tell you for some time now. It hasn't been easy for us to keep such a terrible secret, but we decided to wait until you were mature enough to handle the truth. I don't know how exactly to sugarcoat this, so I'm just going to come out and say it. We...We aren't your real parents."

His body stiffened up, and Justus's skeptical lilac eyes darted between the two. "Huh? W-What are you talking about? Is this some kinda joke?"

If so, it wasn't a funny one but they didn't appear to be pulling his leg.

"No son, my wife isn't the woman who gave birth to you. We took you in one winter day after visiting a church in Lunaville during our anniversary. The bishop told us that he found you in a basket left outside on the doorstep..." he took a breath to collect his thoughts, and Justus couldn't process anything to even respond. "Well he was planning to drop you off at an orphanage, but the two of us volunteered to take you in. We had been trying for a baby for a very long time and it just wasn't working. This seemed like the perfect blessing to raise a child we could call our own."

He tried to deny their confession as he frustratedly shook his head; nevertheless, his mind let sink in their drastic differences in appearance. The boy hadn't thought much of it at the time, since not every child comes out a carbon copy of their parents. And now the cruel reality must be faced that the pair before him shared no blood relation.

"...If you took me in then who-who are my actual parents? How could you both keep this from me for twelve whole years?! W-Why did they abandon me?!" One unanswered question poured out after another as he leapt to his feet and started to pace. This nice little happy home was nothing more than hollow roles built upon deceit. Emotions overwhelmed him as his heart began to race, unable to properly sort through them all.

"Yes, we shouldn't have kept you in the dark for so long on your roots. We just-we didn't want to see you in pain but that was selfish!" Hannah had closed the distance between them, and though he tried to push her away, Justus lacked the strength. She wrapped her arms around the boy motherly as done countless times in the past. "I don't know who your parents are or why they left you out there all by yourself. I can promise while there is still breath in us, we won't ever abandon you. It's understandable if you need space, but please don't let this anger turn into hatred."

The betrayal he felt then did remain for a few weeks but now is solely held toward his birth parents. To this day, Justus has no idea who his mother is nor why she gave him up. Despite how content he is at home this mystery drifts into his thoughts over and over again.

"Anyways, people in town said those adventurers and I have a lot of similar features. Others even mistook me to be some blood relative of theirs. That's why as far-fetched as this is I want to see them for myself," he finishes, finally turning to face them.

The two respond with silence, having him regret sharing in the first place. Just when he is about to storm off a large grin spreads across the dwarf's lips. She and the prince exchange looks as if they're somehow communicating through their minds.

"Well, I believe we have different plans for today."

Arriving at Pencent, the lushly green grass stretches as far as the eye can see. The farmhouses are all spaced out to leave plenty of room for barns and fields. Between several windmills and sturdy fences, it's a much higher standard than he was expecting.

"So this is Pencent. I assumed with here and Aniex being at the working-class level it would be a little more rundown. Actually, the village looks pretty cozy from an outsider's perspective."

However, there is another factor that surpasses his image of this farmland. Justus glances back at the pair who decided to accompany him on his mission. They hadn't hesitated to cancel their plans, though the boy insisted he could track these famous adventurers alone.

"Yup, the farmers live peacefully raising crops for the capital. Similar to Aniex, there aren't many hotspots, so unless you're an animal lover, travelers don't stop through often," Saelufu explains, and it makes him wonder why Barric and Leila would want to visit this place.

"Instead of roaming ourselves, we need to ask if anyone has seen them. Perhaps even split up to have the search go by smoother?" Wendell suggests, but the dwarf shakes her head.

"No, I'd advise against that. Justus hasn't been here before, and he'll probably wind up getting lost."

"Hmm, how about you two stick together around this side, and I'll search in lower Pencent? I'm sure there'll be residents eager to help me, and we can meet back up after an hour."

"That's a great idea! Let's have our rendezvous point be at the apple orchard. We'll discuss what we gathered then."

"Ah, okay, that sounds good," Justus agrees as they wait for his approval, and it might be rather late, but he must speak up once more. "...You know, you two really didn't have to follow me. I'm not familiar with the village, but I am capable of finding them on my own."

"You shouldn't reject our help, which is an outright foolish thing to do! Let's have this play out differently from your stubbornness at the ball and when stuck in cold, near-flood weather. Both of us offered to lend a hand because we're friends, whether you like it or not. Understand?" Saelufu finishes, causing the boy to quickly nod rather than argue any further.

I suppose I could've asked like Mom suggested if they hadn't volunteered. Ever since the truth came to light, I've been trying to act more independently by handling stuff on my own. I just can't win against this stubborn dwarf, and I'm actually fine with that...

"Come on, let's get moving! Wendell is long gone, and there are a lot of areas for us to cover. We should start our investigation in the busier locations first." Saelufu takes the lead as he snaps back to reality, running behind her.

Their search begins by questioning those at the grocer, next the town's inn, and even farmers alongside the road. No matter how many people they've approached, it always produces the same responses. Most recognize who the married couple is but haven't seen them-or ever heard of the famous adventurers coming there to visit. The hour ends with a complete bust as they slowly drag their feet towards the apple orchard.

Upon entering, Justus doesn't spot the prince anywhere in sight, so he must've not made it yet. Still, there are other villagers jovially picking varied colored fruits amongst the lofty branches. The disheartened boy takes a seat in the shade with a sigh, and Saelufu plops down beside him.

"Jeez, I realize Pencent is big where they can blend in, but I was hoping we would gather something useful. Well, maybe when Wendell gets here he'll say otherwise... What's wrong?" The dwarf asks, studying his downcast face.

"I'm just... unsure if I want to discover the truth now. What if we're going through all of this trouble for it to turn out these adventurers aren't my parents? Or worse, that they are but... didn't wish to be found."

Justus has only been aware of their existence for two short years. During that period, endless reasons came to mind on why they might've left him there in the snow. Additional bad than good, and having them confirm his darkest fears leaves a sour pit in his stomach.

Maybe I'm better off just not knowing...

"As I mentioned, I'm an orphan too that was adopted into a nurturing foster family. Do you also recall me saying I am a dark dwarf? Any guesses on what that means?"

"In school lessons, we were taught that dark dwarves are labeled unlucky. They bring misfortune to those around them-or at least it's what the old legend claims."

"Yup, that's exactly the myth. Dwarves aren't always welcomed by society, though I've heard we're better off in Calestra than in other kingdoms. Still, when it comes to us dark dwarves, even our kind tend to shun us." Saelufu's gaze focuses on the blocked skies, wearing a bitter smile. However, it vanishes just as fast, her olive eyes relocking with his violet ones. "I'm going to share with you a little story I haven't told anyone but Wendell. How I felt when running into my birth parents that abandoned me six years ago."

"Wait, weren't you a baby when they put you in the orphanage?"

The boy assumed her situation matched his own, and he can't imagine who would give a child away years after having them.

"Nope, I was younger, though not a newborn. My parents had a pretty rough time stuck with a dark dwarf as their child. You see, there are just two categories when it comes to our race, unlike humans. It's not hereditary, so dwarf women randomly birth normal dwarves or dark dwarves-which they had the latter. Some people avoided us like a plague because of me and would constantly whisper behind our backs. I guess after suffering through five years of cruel treatment, the two reached their limit."

While Saelufu speaks, her voice remains monotone, sounding so disconnected. Almost as if she is talking about someone else's awful past compared to her own.

"So that's when they decided to drop you off at an orphanage?"

"For me, I got lost in town and was found by authorities who tried tracking down my parents. When they couldn't and nobody stepped forward, only then I was taken there. The significance of this story is when I got reunited with them during a festival in the capital. Such a long time had passed since I'd seen them, yet there wasn't any doubt in my bones. Both were standing right in front of me, and I was initially filled with joy... until we spoke."

"...Had they failed to recognize you?" Justus softly guesses, and she traces her fingers in the dirt.

"At first, but once I said my name, I could tell it all clicked. Instead of this being a heartwarming reunion, do you know what they said to me? 'We've never once held a dark dwarf; furthermore, lost any children. You must be confusing us with someone else because you're not our daughter. Now, don't rub your bad luck unto us as we wish to enjoy this festival in peace.'"

The last bit rolls off Saelufu's tongue so smoothly, and it's like she has uttered these words repeatedly that it would be near impossible to forget. Such a gruesome thing for any kid to hear from their so-called parents, and this pain must surface even today after that harsh rejection. How sickening to be shunned by the very individuals whose jobs were to protect and raise their child with care. Experiencing these exact emotions is why he's so nervous to meet them now.

"Anyways, I was real depressed for a good while as a result of that. Didn't confide in my true parents about the incident, so they were worried sick about me. It became clear I might've gotten lost by chance but that was a fortunate accident in their book..." Saelufu's finger stops moving, and her finished artwork is a broken heart made in the dirt. "Neither of them ever wanted me or they would've come before I got placed into a home."

Justus, being immersed in her story, is taken by surprise when the dwarf suddenly stands. He's no longer able to read her facial expressions with the dwarf's back turned toward him. Of course, talking so deeply about this dramatic event would surely stir up bad memories.

"Why is it I yearned to receive their affection? I already obtained loving foster parents that treated me like a gem. They didn't care if I was a dark dwarf, or if I was bothered by the rude remarks a few gave us now and then. I also made a best friend for life, and had a family that accepted me back at the orphanage."

By the tone of her voice alone, Saelufu's mood is a complete flip from just moments ago. The dark dwarf was abandoned by her birth parents, but she didn't allow this to keep fazing her. Rather, the spunky girl chose to focus on all the other blessed bonds in her life.

"It took me a whole month to come to terms with the fact that" --Saelufu kicks the dirt, sending it flying and destroying the once broken heart-- "I don't need them anymore! You too can confront those adventures today without any fear. Regardless of whether they end up being the sweetest or total scum, you still have plenty of people that care. Blood relations don't create a household but love--no matter what race you are," she encourages brightly, spinning around with a smile. Her positive spirit is contagious, one slowly tugging at his lips as well. If the dwarf hadn't shared her hardships, these anxious thoughts could've led to him fleeing.

"Yeah, you're absolutely right. Thank you for opening my eyes to that, Saelufu. You know, I was afraid of forming connections because I could be abandoned again like with my parents..." the boy admits, a bit ashamed of his mental weakness.

"You managed to break through the heavy walls I kept up, despite my distant attitude. Old tales may say dark dwarves harbor misfortune, but I feel awfully lucky to have met you," he adds, and though wishing to express his appreciation, the last sentence slips out before he can stop it. "D-Don't weirdly twist that! I'm just grateful to have such a supportive friend!"

Justus shyly takes a peek at her, expecting the girl to brush off his thanks with some usual teasing. However, she stares motionless as one joke doesn't exit her mouth--it only left agape as a gentle breeze blows between them. The lighter yet awkward air continues to linger, and before he can break this silence, another person joins them.

Unfortunately, as he predicted, Wendell hadn't found anything either. If they all came up empty-handed when asking so many farmers, the adventures must not be in this town. Justus holds a small twig of disappointment after he considers going home.

"They could've postponed their trip for some reason and will come later on this week," Saelufu suggests, seemingly back to her normal self.

"Yeah, searching so long we probably would've run into them ourselves if they were here. I have no intentions of calling it quits though. I'll keep my ears open for new leads until I get a chance to meet them one day."

"I'm sorry this investigation was a letdown. Still, I'm sure if you stay with that mindset you will meet them soon enough. On a different note, there's a place we should visit before heading home. It would be a shame for you to leave Pencent for the first time without one fun activity," Wendell replies, and he is curious about what exactly the prince has planned.

The trio walks inside a large pin with several sheep and goats scattered all around. Other than themselves, it's only two visitors who are feeding the small animals. A farmer maintains a watchful eye nearby, informing the kids to ask if they have any problems.

Wendell's suggestion was for them to visit the Rue Drop Open Barn. A welcoming family-run farm that allows paying travelers to pet, play, and feed their livestock. It's quite a unique setup as none of the neighboring farmers hold such services.

"How are you so popular with them? You don't even visit that often!" Saelufu stares daggers at the ash-blonde currently surrounded by sheep.

"Perhaps they can sense my princely aura that you lack," Wendell teases, and she rolls her eyes, grabbing Justus's arm.

"Come on, I'm sure the goats will be far more interesting."

He is dragged by her to the opposite side of the pen where a few goats are enjoying the evening sun. They were specifically instructed not to offer them anything besides what was provided. All the farm animals are on a strict diet, and they might give something that will make them ill.

"This spotted color contradicts your fellow goats..." Justus squats in front of a tiny goat with a freckled coat far different from the rest. Offering the animal some hay, it accepts, and he gives her head a gentle rub. "I believe that makes you the odd goat out but it's much cooler to me."

"That's a newer member of the herd. I would remember seeing this awesome breed the last time I visited. It was nice for Wendell to cover our fees, even if it was fairly cheap."

"He kept insisting since this was his idea. I'm glad one good thing came out of our trip that lasted until sunset. Though I'll be coming back eventually when--hey!"

The younger cuts himself off when a fatter goat snatches a chunk of hay from his grasp.

"Yup, that's typical Zuma. Always hungry and will steal whatever he pleases if your guard drops for a second." The dwarf retracts her feed as he leans backward with a sigh.

"Jeez, I hardly have any now."

"Can I take mine if ya want it? My wife and I were about to go anyways."

A man's shadow blocks the little daylight remaining, and it's the same couple he noticed upon arrival. His large straw hat practically hides the stranger's face though he catches their intertwined hands at their sides. The stranger exchanges a glance with the woman before clearing his throat as their once cheerful mood shifts.

"I reckon you kids, not from around here, are ya?"

"Nope, I'm from Opal Forten and he's from Everlane."

"Didn't sound like y'all were from these parts, but ain't it gettin a tad late for kids your age to be roamin about?" The man follows up, and his direct questioning is very odd. Their interaction was purely by chance, so why the sudden strong interest?

Saelufu's cautious gaze doesn't waver from him, not giving a second answer. "...You also don't live around here, right? Regardless of your western accent, no farmer would pay to feed livestock when having some of their own. And if Pencent is the sole village where people speak this way, then you're not even from Calestra."

Justus anxiously waits for his response, and he releases a dry chuckle.

"That's correct actually. Sorry if my pryin was a bit pushy to y'all. The name is Barric and this is my lovely wife, Leila. It's nice to meet ya both." He offers a tip of the hat, and his introduction leaves them both speechless.

A/N Hello readers. This is the first chapter of Justus's POV. For the middle chapter of every side story will be a double one, so his POV will continue in the next update.