family
Draven carried Alice as they ran wildly through the alleyways of Besilico. In the distance, Darius and Quiretta's shouts echoed through the narrow alleyways, growing ever closer.
"Draven, run faster!" Alice hugged Draven's neck, naively thinking they were playing a game. "Don't let Draven catch us!"
Draven gritted his teeth and turned into the dock area. The docks were still busy at night, with workers loading the last batch of goods onto a medium-sized cargo ship. Taking advantage of the foreman's inattention, Draven secretly slipped onto the cargo ship with Alice on his back and hid in the shadows behind a pile of wooden crates.
"Shall we play hide-and-seek here?" Alice asked softly, her red eyes gleaming in the darkness.
Draven covered her mouth: "Shh, don't make a sound. Let's talk after they leave."
The two huddled in the cramped space, listening to the shouts of the workers and the sounds of goods being moved outside. Draven's heart pounded like a drum, filled with fear of being discovered and worry that his brother would find them.
After an unknown amount of time, the dock finally quieted down. The workers left one by one, leaving only the sound of waves lapping against the ship. Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the cargo hold, illuminating Alice's pale face.
"Hey, as expected of me, I easily left my brother behind."
"Draven, I'm cold," Alice whispered, snuggling closer to Draven.
Draven grabbed a piece of canvas from the side, wrapped it around Alice, and hugged her tighter. "Is this better?"
Alice nodded and leaned against his chest: "Why don't we go home? Da De and Sister Kui are looking for us."
Draven was silent for a moment. The night wind blew through the cargo hold, bringing with it the salty smell of the sea.
“You know, Alice,” he said softly, his voice almost drowned out by the sound of the waves, “my brother once said that family members don’t abandon each other.”
"Back then, our family didn't live in the riverside shantytown in the north of the city, but in a fishing village at the foot of the mountain in the south of the city. We had a small but sturdy stone house."
He began to describe a world completely different from Besilico: green fields, tall trees, and all sorts of animals.
"In spring, the wildflowers on the mountain bloom, and from a distance, it looks like the mountain is dressed in a colorful coat."
Alice opened her eyes wide, imagining the beautiful scene: "Is it prettier than Besilico?"
Draven nodded: "Much better. Besilico only has gray walls and smelly alleys, while our village has green fields, tall trees, and all sorts of animals."
“My father was a fisherman who often went out to sea to fish and sometimes carried bags at the dock. My mother did housework and farmed at home. Although we weren’t rich, at least we had enough to eat.”
He continued, his voice lowering: "...When I was three years old, my father was hired by Quelletta's father to go on a merchant ship to Ionia, but the fleet encountered a great storm...and no one came back..."
“My mother was already in poor health, and she fell ill after hearing the bad news. Not long after, she also passed away… At that time, my brother was only eleven years old.” Draven’s voice choked with emotion as he hugged Alice tightly.
After a while, he continued, his voice even lower:
“After my parents passed away, those relatives not only didn’t help us, but they also took advantage of our misfortune, occupied our house, and kicked us out, saying that we were too young to manage it and that they were ‘kindly’ helping us look after it.”
Draven's fists clenched involuntarily: "My brother begged them not to do this for Dad's sake, saying I'm still young, he has no job and nowhere to go, and I'll starve to death."
“My relative lied to my brother, saying he would introduce him to an apprenticeship in the city so that he could take me with him and support me. My brother had no choice but to take me with him to the city.”
“I remember it very clearly. At night, they thought my brother and I were asleep, and they sat by the campfire secretly plotting to sell my brother and me into slavery when they got to the city.”
Draven clenched his fists: "I was so scared I didn't dare move. But my brother, who was only eleven at the time, suddenly changed completely. While the relative was away to pee, he pulled out the knife Dad had left him, rushed to the campfire, and stabbed the relative's son in the thigh!"
Alice listened without blinking.
"The kid screamed and collapsed to the ground, rolling around, blood and urine everywhere. My brother held a knife to his neck, his eyes bloodshot: 'Hand over the money and food, or I'll kill him!'"
“The relative was terrified and quickly gave us all the food and money he had on him. My brother held a knife to protect me, backing away step by step, and then carried me on his back and ran. We survived on that little bit of food until we reached the city of Besilico.”
“My brother led me to meet Quileta in the city. We found the cheapest corner in the slums in the north of the city and built a shelter from the wind and rain using scavenged planks and tarpaulins. The little money we had was quickly spent. I was crying from hunger, so my brother went to the docks and begged the foremen to give him some work. He was too young to carry heavy loads, so he could only do the dirtiest and hardest jobs, cleaning up the rotten fish and shrimp in the ship's hold, running errands for people... He always used the money he earned to buy food for Quileta and me first.”
“I heard a captain at the dock wanted to hire him as a sailor, saying he could earn several silver coins per voyage, but my brother said, ‘Dravin is too young. I’m at sea for months at a time. How will he survive in the city with no one to take care of him?’”
“A neighbor told my brother that he was having such a hard time with me on his shoulders, and suggested that he sell me to a gentry to be a serf. He rushed up and punched the man, saying, ‘We are family, and family will not abandon family.’ From that moment on, he has protected me and Quelletta, and he still does so today.”
“He said family won’t abandon family.” Draven hugged Alice tightly, his voice barely audible.
"But now, he's going to abandon you, his family."
Alice listened quietly, then asked, seemingly understanding but not quite, "So if we run away now, is it because Da De is going to sell us into slavery?"
Draven shook his head: "No, Quelleta is pregnant, and there's not enough food at home. My brother wants to give you away to someone else to raise."
Alice tilted her head: "What does 'giving someone else to raise' mean?"
"It's about finding you parents who will treat you well, give you a nice place to live, and give you good food."
Alice's eyes immediately lit up: "Great! I'll give it to someone else to raise!"
Draven stared at her, wide-eyed in disbelief.
Alice said excitedly, "When I get some delicious food, I'll bring it back for you all to eat together! That way, Sister Kui will have the strength to have the baby!"
Draven's eyes suddenly reddened, and tears welled up uncontrollably. He hugged Alice tightly, his voice choked with emotion, "We won't send you away! We'll have your baby too! Once you're pregnant, we'll be a real family, and my brother definitely won't send you away!"
Alice asked innocently, "Okay! How do I get pregnant?"
Draven wiped away his tears with his arm and said seriously, "Men and women can get pregnant by spitting their tongues into each other's mouths. Once I peeked through the window of the house at the end of the alley and saw the man holding the woman and spitting his tongue into her mouth. At the end of the year, the woman gave birth to a child, and the man was so happy that he went door to door giving out an egg, saying that everyone should share in the joy."
Alice immediately perked up: "Then let's spit our tongues out too!!"
Draven nodded: "Mm!"
The two children's lips touched awkwardly. Dreywen, recalling what he had seen, poked his tongue into Alice's mouth twice before separating.
“That should mean she’s pregnant,” Draven said earnestly, as if he had accomplished something significant.
Just then, a light suddenly came on overhead. An old sailor with gray hair and beard stood on a cargo container, holding a lamp, watching them. The old man had a wry smile on his face—he had initially thought they were stowaways or thieves, but after sneaking closer, he discovered they were just two children playing house.
"What are you two little rascals doing on my ship?" The old sailor walked over from the cargo box and sized up the two children.
Draven immediately shielded Alice behind him, watching the old man warily: "We're just hiding for a little while, we'll leave right away."
The old sailor sighed, took a leather pouch from his waist, poured a glass of amber liquid, and handed it to Draven: "Have some, the sea breeze is cool tonight."
Draven was indeed thirsty. Thinking it was water, he took it and tilted his head back to drink it, only to choke on the alcohol and cough repeatedly, tears welling up in his eyes.
The old sailor laughed heartily: "Kid, this is rum! It's for men!"
Draven wiped away the tears that had welled up in his eyes and said defiantly, "Of course I'm a man!"
The old sailor raised an eyebrow: "Oh? A man? You just said you're about to become a father?"
Draven puffed out his thin chest: "Yes! I'm going to be a dad!"
The old sailor suppressed a laugh and said seriously, "Being a father isn't easy. A man has to support his family and drink when he's out socializing. Is the money you earned today enough to buy meat for your family? Is it enough for them to have warm clothes to wear in the winter?"
Draven said proudly, "I carried goods all day today. Although I didn't earn as much as my brother, I still made five copper coins! That's enough to buy ten loaves of black bread!"
"Ten loaves of bread? It seems you don't know that prices in the city have gone up," said the old sailor. "Don't you know there's going to be a war? Prices in the city will only get higher and higher, and soon five copper coins might not even be enough to buy a loaf of bread."
Draven was dumbfounded. After a hard day's work, he might not even be able to afford a loaf of bread.
The old sailor continued, "How do you plan to raise the child? How will you ensure the pregnant woman is well-fed and warmly dressed?"
Draven gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes: "Go kill the other gangs and steal from them!"
The old sailor shook his head: "But as far as I know, in this small port city, the big gangs are too big for a kid like you to mess with, and the small gangs are just as poor as you, down to their last penny. Besides, is murder and robbery, making your woman worry every night, what a real man does?"
Draven fell silent. Normally, all he thought about was fighting and brawling, how hard and painful it was to hit someone, but for the first time, he began to consider how to feed and clothe his family. He realized... he couldn't do it.
Seeing Draven's dejected expression, the old sailor softened his tone: "Kid, I'm not making fun of you. I was young once too, and I once thought that fists could solve all problems. But the real difficulty isn't fighting, it's how to ensure that the people you care about can live a stable life."
He pointed in the direction of the dock: "Look at those porters. They may have never been in a fight in their lives, but they can bring food home every day so that their wives and children don't go hungry. That's real skill."
Draven lowered his head and asked in a low voice, "Then what should I do?"
"Go back early, and come back early tomorrow to unload the goods. There are several more cargo ships setting off for Ionia for trade in the next few days. Work hard and earn more copper to exchange for food. Even if the war doesn't get any worse, at least your family will have more to eat." The old sailor patted Draven's thin shoulder and whispered in his ear, "Also, spitting your tongue won't get a girl pregnant."
"!"
"Let's go, I'll take you downstairs—"
Draven carried Alice, who was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open, and the old sailor led them off the ship. The dock was much quieter at night, with only the sound of the waves.
Carrying Alice slowly towards home, Draven's heart was heavy. The old sailor's words echoed in his mind, and for the first time he realized that fighting skills alone were not enough; the real challenge was protecting those he cared about from starvation and freezing to death.
He remembered that the porridge for dinner had been getting thinner and thinner lately, and the rye bread was getting smaller every day.
He thought of all the sacrifices his brother had made over the years. Darius could have easily abandoned him and lived a much easier life on his own, but he always carried him along as a "burden." Even in the most difficult times, Darius would save the last bite of food for him.
As they neared home, two anxious figures emerged from the shadows. Darius and Quelletta had been searching all night, their faces etched with worry and exhaustion.
"Where have you been!" Darius's voice was filled with panic. He looked the two up and down and only felt relieved after finding no obvious external injuries. He reached out to take the sleeping Alice from Draven's back.
Dreywen instinctively tightened his arms, holding Alice even closer. But in the end, he let go, allowing his brother to take the little girl.
The four walked in silence back to the hut. Once there, Darius gently placed Alice on the straw mat and covered her with a blanket. Quileta silently heated up the remaining porridge and shared it with the brothers.
No one spoke, but the atmosphere was no longer as tense as before. Draven ate his porridge, stealing glances at his brother's tired profile. Darius's dark circles were particularly noticeable under the oil lamp, and his fingers trembled slightly as he ate his porridge—a sign of exhaustion from carrying goods all day.
That night, Draven couldn't fall asleep for a long time. He listened to the breathing of the three people around him, and the old sailor's words echoed repeatedly in his mind.
In the darkness, he spoke softly, "Brother, are you asleep?"
A rustling sound came from the straw mat on the other side: "No."
After a long silence, Draven's voice rang out again, much lower than usual: "Tomorrow... let's go and ask around that farm."
Darius was visibly taken aback: "What?"
“I said, go and find out about that family,” Draven’s voice trembled slightly. “If they really are a good family… if Alice can really have a good life…”
He couldn't continue, but Darius understood what he meant. Silence reigned in the shed, broken only by the steady breathing of the two girls.
"Draven, I'm not..." Darius tried to say something, but was interrupted by his brother.
“I know you don’t want to abandon her,” Draven said softly. “I know…”
He turned to face his brother, though they couldn't see each other's expressions in the darkness: "But this isn't forever. When I'm rich, when I'm capable, I will definitely bring Alice back. I swear."
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