Year 1460 – Shersian Orphanage
"Oi, new kid. Pass the bread."
Alaric looked up from his bowl. A hand was waving in his face, attached to a skinny girl with short, spiky hair and a grin too big for her own good.
They sat at the long table in the orphanage hall, plates of porridge and a shared basket of hard bread between them.
"I'm not the bread," Alaric said.
"You're sitting next to it, so close enough," the girl replied. "Come on, before Corwin remembers to make us share fairly."
Alaric hesitated, then pushed the basket closer.
She grabbed a piece and tore into it like a starving wolf. "Thanks. I'm Rin."
"Alaric," he said.
"I know." Rin spoke around a mouthful. "Sister Elaina said, 'Be nice to him, Rin, he's had a hard time.'" She mimicked Elaina's voice terribly. "So this is me being nice."
Alaric wasn't sure if that was reassuring or not.
On Rin's other side, a girl with dark hair tied in two low braids smacked her on the shoulder.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," she scolded. Turning to Alaric, she added more politely, "Ignore her if she gets too loud. I'm Mira."
"Nice to meet you," Alaric said, a little stiff.
Mira gave him a small, assessing look, then nodded. "You can sit with me from now on. It's less annoying than sitting besides Rin and by the window. The drafts are terrible."
"Hey," Rin complained. "Are you calling me less annoying or just differently annoying?"
"Yes," Mira said.
Alaric couldn't help a tiny snort.
Further down the table, a taller boy with sandy hair and a serious face glanced over. "Rin," he said, "don't steal the new kid's food. We're supposed to keep him around, remember?"
"I'm not stealing, Kellan," Rin protested. "I'm sharing the experience of hunger."
"That's just stealing with extra words." Kellan stood and walked over, picking up the bread basket. He split the remaining pieces evenly, dropping one in front of each of them. "There. Fair."
Alaric eyed him. "You're… Kellan?"
"Yeah." The older boy gave him a brief nod. "You're the Horsin kid."
Alaric's stomach tensed.
"Don't worry," Kellan added quickly. "Sister Elaina told us not to ask stupid questions. I'm not stupid."
"Debatable," Rin muttered.
Kellan ignored her. "If anyone bothers you, tell me," he said to Alaric. "Some of the older boys like picking on new kids. They stop faster if someone hits back."
"You mean you hit back," Mira said dryly.
"Details are not necessary" Kellan said.
Alaric managed a small smile. "Thanks."
He took a bite of bread. It was stale and hard, but… warm company made it easier to chew.
Maybe this place won't be awful.
As they ate, Rin launched into a story about chasing a stray goat through half the town. Mira corrected her exaggerations. Kellan rolled his eyes but listened.
Alaric listened too, letting their voices blur over the harsh edges of his memories.
For the first time in a long while, his chest felt lighter, free of fear and grief.
The feeling was weak and uncertain, but yet unmistakably there.