Breaking out

III. Chapter 2

Ruth stood still, sword unsheathed and wary. His eyes glanced from left to right, to the two boys who stood infront of him. They were young, a couple years younger than him, fifteen or sixteen in age.

"That was quite impressive," it was the brown haired one, his eyes glittering a beautiful sea blue, a playful smile dancing upon his lips.

Ruth raised a brow, refusing to answer.

"Your sword work, he meant, you can't be more than, what, sixteen? seventeen?" Spoke the other. There was no smile on him, his face stuck in a default frown. Eyes as black as the abyss and silvery white hair.

Ruth did not replied yet.

'Are you not even younger? Your sword work is nothing to scoff at either,' he rolled his eyes in his head.

Just outside the city gates, in the surrounding woods, he had gotten entangled with a flock of bandits who soon proved to be too much, even for him. It was thanks to these two he manged to chase them off and yet, Ruth had learned his lessons on trust very early in his life.

"Not much of a talker, I see," the brown haired boy stated.

"Why did you help me?" Ruth opened his mouth for the first time.

"Well, it looked like you were in a bit of a tough situation, and, fifty against one? Didn't seem like fair odds." The same boy answered.

"And they were bandits, were they not?" Asked the other.

"It could have easily been me who was robbing them," Ruth inquired.

"Yeah, no, too hard to imagine, you don't fit into the type, and, those robes are definitely high class, not something bandits would use"

"Looks can be deceiving," Ruth cut him off.

"Which means, you definitely did not picked a fight you cannot win because you did not wanted to save those merchants who scampered away just a moment before we came?" The silver haired boy countered with a raised brow, sarcasm dripping from the words.

"My intentions aside, how am I to know you are not bandits?"

"Who fought with our own kind?" It was the same sarcastic tone.

Ruth raised a brow.

"Bandits are particularly keen on removing competition,"

The silver head frowned, his dark eyes darkening even further.

"A simple thank you would have sufficed."

Ruth smirked.

"Yes indeed, thank you, you did save me, your motives aside, whatever they may be,"

"We are looking for someone, could you help us find him?" Brown haired one quipped up, cutting through their passive aggressive politeness.

"Despite my appearance, I'm not exactly all knowing," Ruth turned to him.

"But, do say, I will offer as much assistance as I can,"

"OH I think you can, Prince Ruth, we are looking for your brother, after all, and you, of course,"

Ruth's spine straightened further. Not many were in knowledge of their existence, much less identify them from sight alone.

"Who are you?" He asked, voice as hard to iron.

"You do not have to be alarmed Prince Ruth, I am Yeran Avos, crown prince of Aved and this is Zeke Venon, my knight in training." The brown haired one raised his hands in a pacifying gesture.