Loki's Family

4

When Runa told Harry to follow her, he'd done so without question, wondering where his new, and first real friend, was taking him. Though as the traveled further from the palace, he began to worry if he'd be able to get back in time to keep Loki and everyone from noticing his absense.

"Runa, where are we going?" He asked after a while, all the turns they had taken were starting to get confusing in his head.

"Don't worry Harry. I'll make sure you get back to the market later so you can go home. But you can not tell anyone about the place I am taking you. I'm taking a big chance trusting you with this secret, so you better keep it." Runa told him.

Harry nodded. He had no plans to tell anyone that he had gone to where ever she was taking him as he was sure he'd get in big trouble with his family for it.

After a while Harry could make out a wall with a gate in the distance, the wall appeared to be a patch work of different stones and the gate was made with pieces of wood that had been put together from pieces that had been salvaged.

"Is that where we're going?" Harry asked her.

Runa nodded. "It's a different part from where most of the adults live, so don't expect to see many of them around." Runa told him before opening the gate just enough for them to slip in.

Inside Harry saw houses built from pieces of stone and wood, as if they were made from scraps rather then like the other homes he had seen. Thinking back Harry remembered his uncle Vernon talking about places called 'Slums' and how the people who lived there were 'no better then rats'.

"Runa, what's the meaning of bringing a noble brat here?"

Harry turned and found the dark haired boy he had seen eariler that day, the one that had been with the boy that had fought those men.

"He's different Ari. He's lived without a family or anyone who wanted him until recently. I don't think he means us any harm. Besides what could he do?" Runa told him.

The boy, Ari looked Harry over with a frown. "He could tell everyone where the entrance to this place is. You know that a lot of nobles want to see this place and everyone inside burn."

"I won't tell anyone, I promise." Harry swore to Ari.

Ari sighed and gave him a dark look. "You better not. Because if you do myself and a friend of mine will find you and make you pay."

Harry nodded in understanding, he didn't doubt that Ari would come after him if he told anyone.

Runa roll her eyes. "Ari stop it! He's the first friend I've made outside this place and I am not going to let you chase him away."

"Fine I'll stop. So what's this noble brat's name?" Ari asked.

"His name is Harry." Runa answered.

The corners of Ari's mouth twitch. "Harry? What kind of name is that?"

Runa shrugged. "I don't know. You know how weird nobles are."

Harry had started to look around him at everything and spotted the blond girl that he'd seen being followed by a guard. "Hey I've seen her before." He said without thinking.

Runa and Ari turned to look where he was looking.

"You mean Godiva?" Ari asked. "Yeah, she wanders around a lot outside of here."

"There was a guard following her when I saw her." Harry told them.

Runa rolled her eyes. "Must have thought she was going to steal something."

Harry shook his head. "He wasn't dressed like a guard but I could tell he was one, and he looked like he was trying not to be noticed."

Ari frowned at that. "A guard was following her but hiding that he was following her? That doesn't make sense."