Anger filled his gut as he pasted back and forth. It had been years since he and his love left Bree. She had been married to a man who beat her, who was a criminal and put his wife and his children at risk. But now she was with him, not the man in Bree. They lived in Gondor, just the two of them for she had never given him a child. But then a secret finally came out, after all the years.
"My daughter in Bree, she's your daughter, not my old husband's."
He couldn't look at her at the moment, all he wanted at this point in his life was a child. Yet he had one all this time. And she didn't even care to tell him. He assumed that both the children in Bree's father was the other man's, not his. Yet now that he knew it was his, he wanted her more than anything. He needed her, to share his family heritage too. Both is parents and his two brothers had died by now, he was alone. With no children, he had feared that his family wouldn't live on, but it could. He knew he had to find the little girl that was his.
The man stopped, looking up at the evening sky as a low breath escaped him. How old would she be now? At least six, it had been six years since they left Bree anyway. He had to go back to Bree, and he had to find the six year old daughter that was his own.
-In Bree-
Blake looked kicked some pebbles as he walked, slugging under the weight of the furs thrown over his back. Although he was only twelve now, he had grown strong from working and tall. Well, tall for a Breelander. He made his way up the stone steps, walking through the market area. He threw the hides onto the table of the merchant, snorting softly as he says,
"I got ten this time."
The merchant tilted his head slightly before he fingered through the ten, untainted hides. As he raised his brow, he said, "Most hunters have holes in their hides, you got this batch perfect. Ya gettin good, kid."
A soft smile spread across Blake's face before instantly disappearing, it was a habit his father had before, that he had picked up himself over the years. Blake then said to the merchant, "So ya gonna rip me off this time, or are ya gonna give me full price?"
"Oh you know me so well. How about this, cause these hides are so perfect this time, I'll give ya twenty silver."
"Twenty silver? They are worth at least a gold."
"I aint gonna give ya a gold, kid. Twenty silver or nothin."
A long sigh escaped Blakes mouth before he muttered, "Fine, twenty silver. I need the money now."
The merchant just laughed, pulling out a small bag as he counts out the silver coins in front of Blake. The way he always did. He then held out the bag to Blake, saying, "Here's ya money. Now get lost kid."
Blake didn't thank him, or say anything else. He just gripped the coins and slid them around his belt as he made his way down the steps again. Twenty silver was enough to pay his rent, and maybe pay for some food. He'll find another job to do in a bit, but till then he needed the money from hunting. Life had never been easy from the start, but it wasn't about to get any easier for him.
As Blake passed by the local tavern, he turned down a street past the fountain. But a little girl caught his eye. A tiny girl, who had to be around six with bouncing brown hair. Her gaze was fixed on the water as she splashed into it, grinning to herself as the water bounced up in the air. Her skin glowed in the afternoon sunlight, and she wore a soft, elegant dress. Something you would expect to see on a noble or one of them pointy eared elves.
But she was so familiar. So very, very familiar. He could have recognized her from miles off. He almost broke out into a run, grabbing at the girl as he hugged her tightly, almost shouting, "Eva."
The girl broke out in a scream as she tried to pull away from the twelve year old boy. Which caused Blake to quickly let go of her as to not scare her half to death. A blonde woman came running out, from where, Blake had no clue. She scooped the girl, his sister up and glared at Blake, snarling out, "Don't touch her."
A weak whimper came out of Blake as he said, "I-I'm sorry, I thought it was my sister... My sister, Eva."
The woman just snorted, her face relaxing as she says, "She isn't Eva. This is Nimeway, not your sister."
Without another word, the womanand carried the little girl away as Blake watched her. He then sighed, repeating the name, "Nimeway" under his breath until he made his way back home. He knew she was his sister, there was no doubt in his mind. The little girl moved like Eva, looked like Eva. He sat down and began to draw the memory of the infant that was his sister, a picture he would keep for the rest of his life.
He had to find his sister again, he missed her to much. He had to find Eva.
The Mother
Image by: Williams
