Chapter 13

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“I have never been this hungry since I was abandoned as a child!” Erin complained.

“You have been stealing from people's farms all day! How is it possible that you are still hungry?!” Damon’s mouth fell open in shock.

“We have been stealing.” Erin corrected. “What we got to eat out of those farms are barely filling!” Erin glared daggers at him.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Damon whispered.

“What? Afraid that I might eat you?” Erin breathed out, his tongue licking at the bottom of his lips, while he eyed Damon as if he saw food where the man stood.

It has been days they have been wandering about.

They have no idea where they were going but had been walking and stealing a few bites of fruits every now and then. Falling asleep wherever they got tired and then continuing on their endless journey when they had gathered enough strength to proceed.

Luckily for them. No one had shown interest in them or had any attempted to bother them. Although most they saw were harmless animals and a few passersby.

“Okay, easy boy,” Damon whispered and backed away slowly.

“Don’t run away.” Erin moved forward.

“No can't do mister!” Damon ran but stumbled into something.

Both he and whatever it was he had stumbled into grunted in pain. His eyes felt dizzy as he stood up and then turned back around to find a boy, perhaps of the same age as they were, if not younger on the ground.

Damon’s heart skipped when he saw red color stained the white the boy wore.

“I killed a man!” He cried out staring at Erin who was busy eating something out of the grounds. “Erin?” He asked. But was completely ignored. “What are you doing?” He made to walk towards the other man when he heard groaning sounds coming from the body he thought had died.

“I think you are starting to see things, my friend!” The not dead boy spoke and got up, dusting the dirt from his pants.

“What?” Damon asked.

“I was staring at you the whole time!” The boy laughed and moved closer to him.

“Staring at who?” Damon asked again.

“You! Are you alright?” The boy asked concerned.

“I don't..” Damon collapsed to the grounds.

“Oh my!” the boy yelled and rushed over to the fainted man. “A little help please!” he called out to Erin.

Erin had found salvation at the dying minute. He has no idea where the boy had appeared from but as Damon ran into him, something dropped at his feet. It was as though the heavens had opened and had spat out a basket filled with apples and tomatoes and all those glorious fruits and vegetables.

So he went on his knees and helped his hungered stomach.

The rest of the world disappeared around him as he filled his belly.

“Help!”

Erin squinted his eyes and squeezed his lips to the side. He must be hearing things.

“hmm!” he shrugged his shoulders and went back to digging into the basket once again.

The boy ignored the other man and ran towards him.

Erin thought he saw someone digging into his basket, but as fast as the person came he was gone.

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Having found his water bottle, the boy ran back to Damon and poured a good amount on his face before shoving the bottle in his mouth and pouring the contents within inside Damon’s mouth.

Damon coughed and choked and like a mad man, jumped awake.

He found himself staring into the brightest hazel eyes he has ever seen.

“You scared me!” The boy smiled so beautifully, his eyes burning into those of Damon’s.

“I had the strangest dream. I Was drowning!” Damon eyed the boy.

“That would be me.” The boy chuckled and showed him the biggest water bottle he had ever seen.

Damon laughed as he stared at the huge thing. “That is one huge water tank!”

“Tank!” the other cried in laughter.

“Didn’t want to die of thirst?" Damon asked.

“No!” the boy smiled. “And did not want you dying of thirst either.” he winked at Damon, knocking the smile off his face instantly.

“Erin?!” Damon yelled as he remembered his foolish friend.

“Would that be him?” the boy asked pointing at Erin who now laid on the muddy earth with a very satisfied grin that looked as though he was born with it plastered upon his face.

“That is him!” Damon smiled and shook his head. “I’m Damon.” he introduced and pressed his hand on his chest.

“Evander.” The boy replied, his eyes caught sight of the silver around Damon’s wrist. “You’re a slave?”

“We both are, we escaped!” Damon averted eye contacts with Evander.

“Hey, don't be like that. I'm not a bad person.” he smiled and Damon found himself smiling too.

There was something about this Evander. The way he talked, when he smiled, it seems to reach deep into his eyes making it sparkle.

“Thank You for not letting me die,” Damon spoke and got on his feet.

“Don’t thank me.” Evander followed him until they reached Erin.

“Hey…..guys!” Erin yelled with that same grin on his face.

“What happened to him?” Damon asked.

“Apparently he has just finished a basket of my freshly harvested crops!” Evander laughed.

“You’re a farmer?!” Damon asked in wonder.

“Yes I am, and this right here is owned by me!” Evander pointed proudly round about them.

Damon stared at the beautiful farm they stood in. He now understood why the younger boy looked bigger in stature. He had to say, the boy looked beautiful and breath is taken.

“You are not angry that he ate all your hard work?!” Damon asked.

“Why should I be? he was hungry!” Evander smiled down at Erin and then without warnings carried the boy bridal style in his arms. “Where are you two headed?” he asked while reaching for his water bottle and the basket.

Damon’s mouth fell apart as he watched the boy carry both Erin, a huge basket and not to mention a water tank all at the same time.

“Damon?!” Evander called.

“Hmm?” the only sound that came out of Damon.

Evander laughed again. “Alright!” Evander shoved the water tank in his face. “Stop doing that and help me carry my water tank!”

Damon was taken aback for a few seconds before his brain started up again. He smiled shyly and took both the basket and water bottle from him.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered softly, his eyes glued on mother earth.

“I was asking where you two were headed,” Evander spoke as they walked out of the farm.

“That would be Golden Gates,” Damon replied.

“Really?” Evander asked surprised. “How long have you two been walking?!”

“I’m not sure, but I stopped counting after the fifth day,” Damon told him.

“Golden Gates is a day and a half more ahead of my village but we can make the journey after you both have well-rested, fed and looked after.”

“Your village?”  Damon asked.

“Yes, welcome to River!” Evander announced as they emerged from the farm and faced a beautiful looking village. Children were seen running around in circles and men and women went about their businesses.

“River?” Damon asked.

“Yes. Look around you!” Evander used his hand to turn Damon around.

His eyes almost fell out of their sockets as he saw the brightest, most beautiful sight of all. It looked as if the entire village were surrounded by River.

He could not get enough as he kept turning round and round on his heels while taking it all in.

“Your village is beautiful and peaceful!” Damon whispered.

“Lord Xrysos keeps us safe and all that surrounds the Gates.” Evander resumed walking again.

“He is your King?!” Damon asked astonished.

“He is a powerful King, and he rules all within and outside the gates, so yeah, he is my King!”

Damon walked behind the man. His eyes still glued around the small village. He just could not get enough of this place.

“Why are you headed to the Gates?” Evander asked and laughed when a child ran into him and grabbed one of his legs.

“Oh, Uhm...I have to meet someone there!” Damon told him. He honestly could not bring himself to admit that the great Lord Xrysos was whom he was after.

Only a crazed person would say that.

“I will take you both to the Gates in a day or two.”

Damon stared at the boy who still gripped tightly onto Evander’s leg like a baby panda. What surprised him the most was the fact that Evander moved on as if a four-year-old was not clutched onto one of his legs.

“Meet my nephew, Jason!”

“Hello, Jason!” Damon waved at the boy who smiled back at him.

“His mother is my only sister. Our parents have died and her husband died in battle a few months ago!” A sad line crossed Evander’s face for the first time since he met him.

“A few months ago?” Damon asked and stared at Erin. His soft snores could be heard as he sleeps.

“Yes, our formal Queen Atlas and the King’s long term enemy and cousin had attacked the Gates. Every man that has come of age and had been taught were sent for when the battle got tougher. So I and my sister' husband had gone but I alone made it back home.”

“I am so sorry!” Damon whispered.

“Don’t be, it's in the past now and we have moved on.”

“I don't want war again!” Little Jason sniffled.

“I will protect you,” Evander told the boy and Damon blinked back tears. “We are here!” he yelled. Immediately the boy left his leg and ran into a woman’s embrace.

Damon knew from the colors of her eyes and hair that she must be the sister he spoke off. They looked very much alike and had the same smile.

“Good looks must run in their family!” Damon thought.

“Hello, Sister!” Evander kissed the beautiful woman and she smiled.

“Where are your harvest?” she asked taking the empty basket from Damon who smiled at her question but also felt guilty at the same time.

“He ate it all!” Evander gestured towards the sleeping man on his arms and to the shock of Damon both brother and sister laughed.

“He must be starving then!”  She took the bottle and smiled at Damon.

“He was, glad I could help!” Evander stared into Damon’s eyes as the other looked away.

“Please do come in!” the woman spoke just in time for Jason to run back out and helped dragged Damon into the house.

It wasn't the biggest Damon had seen but it was big enough and beautiful.

“Evander built this house himself and also made us move in with him after my husband died.” She brought him water to drink and then another in a wooden bowl for him to soak his foot into.

“Thank you!” Damon moaned as the warm water kissed his tired feet.

Evander had just appeared from one of the rooms where he had gone to lay Erin down. He also took a seat and his sister brought him water and another for his foot.

“I will go set the pots, we are having a feast!” she smiled at her brother. “ My name is Evadne.” She told Damon before leaving the room.

“She is beautiful!” Damon whispered to Evander.

“I know, she stole all our mother's beauty!” he laughed.

“And you stole all our father's strength!” She yelled from wherever it is she was at.

Both Damon and Evander laughed.

************

“Where are we?!”

Both men turned to find Erin standing at the door, his hand in his head.

“River Village!” Damon told him.

“What?!” Erin whispered and fell into a chair.

“Oh, look who is up!” Evadne’s happy tone filled the room once again as she served him a cup to drink and another to soak. “Missing my brother's arms already?” she winked at Erin who stared at her confused.

The moment she left them alone Erin faced Damon.

“What does she mean?”

“Evander carried you all the way here. Like a baby. Because you were drunk in fruits, you fell asleep, on dirt!”

All the while Damon spoke, Evander laughed.

Erin’s eyes caught sight of the man and he found himself in the same state Damon had been in earlier.

“Alright, I will leave you two alone now, I need a long bath and so do you both!”

They both sat there ogling at the retreating back of the man.

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Another chapter up my lovelies!

Votes, comments and enjoy!