C L (First Version-Complete)

3: Heart of Gold

"Otouto..." I heard my rapitore call me. It was already nightfall. The moon was staring above us. It was as if any moment now it would fall and crush us. The thing in front of me was really warm and bright. Wood was its fuel. I believe it was called pyram (bonfire). Many of the dwarves went to sleep while many of them stayed around us, eating -I shivered- meat. Why would they kill living creatures and eat them? And here I thought I was the heartless one.

My eyes were trained on the pyram. The fire rose whenever another wood was sacrificed to sustain its life. How greedy can it get to ask for more? These people already killed a tree for its life. And they have been doing it even before I arrived. Well, it goes the same for the ancients. The castrum (castle) was made of trees.

"Lucian...you haven't touched your food. Are you not hungry?" He asked.

"This food tastes good. It is not for me," I told him. He let out an exasperated breath.

"It is for you otouto. Please eat it."

"Why?" I asked him. This food tastes good. I may become as greedy as that pernicious pyram.

"Because like that fire, you need strength so that you can provide help for others," he explained calmly.

"How can that tree eating thing help me?" I questioned. My voice rising in tone which made him crack a smile.

"It provides you warmth during the cold night," he replied. "Now eat, many more villages need our help," he stated and disposed the leaf to the pyram which made me glare at his back. After plucking the leaf from its tree, he'll just dispose it like that? They didn't even ask permission to pluck these fruits.

My eyes widened. Why was I even caring for something that did not even speak? I lived in the wooden castle for years and I didn't even think of the thousands of trees sacrificed for my home.

I looked down on the huge leaf that was on my lap. It was filled with fruits of all sorts. The one I ate was really soft and sweet. It was really smooth on my tongue.

All those 18 years of training was worthless. I didn't even maintain my emotionless behavior outside. Why didn't they train me outside of the walls? They could have prepared me for this kind of situation.

Lucius went to talk with the dwarves and I was left staring at the pyram. A detka (baby) dwarf was crawling towards the pyram. No one was looking or even noticing that there was a detka crawling towards the nature eating thing.

Will it also eat the detka? He looked intrigue to touch it. I placed the leaf filled with fruits on the soil and stood up. I walked to where the detka was and picked him up. I almost dropped him when he let out a giggling sound. Why was he suddenly giggling? How low was his happiness level?

I have never experienced carrying a detka before. We do not have one in the castle and they didn't allow me to mingle outside. How do you carry one? I raised the detka by holding him by his two legs. The detka laughed as I figured out how to fix his position.

He was so small. His height was from my elbow to my wrist. I rotated the detka and had his bum covered with leaf on my palm and his head facing my neck. The detka giggled and placed his plump hands against my face, squeezing my cheeks together so that my lips would pout out. He seem to be fond of doing it since he was laughing all throughout. The little curls on his head moved backwards as he clapped his hands from joy.

"Fara, that is enough. Time to go to bed. Give oniisan a kiss," I heard a woman's voice say from behind me. Fara did place a kiss on my cheek and my mind suddenly disappeared. I held Fara and he was looking at me curiously. My rapitore appeared by my side with a smile and he took Fara from me.