Winter had Caldon tight in its grip, the snow and winds were plentiful, powerful, and unrelenting. All the citizens stayed indoors, except for the guards and volunteers who clung to their fur and leather coats, cloaks, or whatever would offer warmth, even with the sun highest in the sky. All the buildings, all full of people were quite, except for one.
The Maiden's Folly was just as rowdy as ever, children of various ages seemingly bouncing from one wall to the opposite with ease. The orphanage's construction was rather simple; The building itself represented that of a rectangle, with the dormitories hugging the perimeter. The boys were all downstairs, doors lining the walls of the main area, with the girls all upstairs in the same fashion. The only difference, the girls would be able to exit their rooms and be greeted by an overlook of the main area, the large fireplace illuminating the large room.
Most of the orphans were sitting either in their dorms, by the fireplace, on the stairs, or looking over the area from the balcony. One of the many orphans in their dormitories was a boy, sitting in his dorm directly below the staircase, so he heard every footstep from his angled ceiling. He was sitting by the window, the light making his blonde hair glow, but it had a slight brown tint to it when it reached its tips, that ended at his jawline. His skin was pale and his frame was thin, but he was obviously not out of shape. He used the sun's light to see better as he guided a thread through the eye of a needle. Over the years, the boy had developed skill in sewing to pass the time, with plenty of it to kill. With that, he began to sew closed the split in his shirt, erupting from the seam.
Some time later, just as he finished repairing his shirt, he heard the thundering footsteps of the orphans running down the stairs. He wrapped the rest of the thread around the needle and set it aside before putting on his newly repaired shirt and opening his door to see the sudden rush. As he stepped out, he saw all the orphans gathered around the front door. He sighed and thought to himself, 'Huh... Must be another orphan...'
He began to turn to walk back into his room, when he heard his title being told.
"The blonde boy over there is Damascus. Just stay away from him..."
He sighed and hung his head a bit. That was the very same greeting everyone gave to a new orphan, stay away from the lonely boy. But a small voice replied, gentle as a whisper, but put curiously, with a hint of challenge- "Why? I don't see why anyone should be left alone, especially another orphan."
The blonde boy lifted his head slightly at this, surprised. 'Most, if not all new orphans would take the given advice and do as told, but this one... Why is this one so curious, if not persistent?' He thought to himself as he watched through the corner of his eye.
One of the children replied to the new orphan with what he thought was a good reason to avoid Damascus. "Only his mother was known to be dead, and his father was nowhere to be found, so he'd be a coward, and most boys are like their father. Also, Damascus is a name for metal; funny thing is, he didn't have a name, so Abuscus had to name him because his parents never did!"
The boy began to laugh, earning a few chuckles from the other kids, but they fell silent when the new orphan pushed their way out of the group, walking directly towards Damascus.
The new orphan was a girl, about 4 and a quarter feet tall, three inches shorter than Damascus, with her coal black hair just touching her shoulders her skin was pale, but probably just from the cold.
She walked to Damascus and held out her hand, seemingly more cheerful than before. "Hello!" The one word she said, but it was the most inviting thing Damascus had ever been greeted with. He smiled lightly and took her hand firmly, but not a deathgrip. "Cheers..." He replied.
She smiled and proceeded.
"I heard your name is Damascus, is that right?"
-"well... Yes, I'm known as Damascus... " He replied with slight hesitation.
But her smile seemed to grow with every word he said.
"Great! I'm Sophia, its a great pleasure to meet you!"
He was officially shocked. No one had ever treated him like this, and just out of the blue she was happy as could be! Which was very strange for a new orphan...
He was pulled out of his thoughts by her next question. "So Damascus, how old are you and how long have you been here?" He thought a moment, making sure the information was right.
" Well... This is my tenth winter, and I've been here for... Ten...winters..."
Sophia's smile faded into an expression of amaze.
"Wow... You've been here your whole life? That must be tough..."
He nodded, affirming her statement as she spoke up yet again.
"This is my eighth winter, but I've lived to see nine summers." Damascus was still silent, staring at the floor, so Sophia hit his arm to get his attention. "Damascus, why are you so glum?? I've gotta make sure that stops!" She smiled widely he looked at her rather shocked. Seeing that he needed a slight push, she made another comment- "So, what do you think? You in?"
He thought a moment and smirked with confidence. "Alright, Sophia... Let's see what you've got!" With that, he turned and ran off with her chasing at his heels.
For the next three years, they bonded like family. Damascus taught Sophia how to sew, read, and mimic nearly any noise, and she taught him to cook and braid hair, but that was just so she wouldn't have to and he was fine with it. Those were just things they did in the day, but when the sun fell, they got more adventurous. He would climb out his window and up to hers, which was directly above his own room.
"Sophia... This isn't an ordinary orphanage..." He explained to her one night in a soft whisper.
"It's more of an illegal trade. Abuscus doesn't get people to adopt us, he SELLS the children as slaves, workers, and...well... 'Toys'..." She nodded in understanding, knowing the urgency of what he was saying. "But the key to not being sold is mischief. Ever wonder how I keep getting those apples for our midday meal?"
Sophia thought a moment. "Did you... Steal them?"
-"yes, I did. I had to, in order to stay here." He went on, Sophia falling silent and paying close attention.
"No one wants a bad child, you know? So I've been stealing to... Well... Stall for time, almost. See, Abuscus is required to let us go when we are of legal age."
Sophia nodded again, and that night was their first lesson. They both snuck out of the Orphanage and he taught her to keep low, and stay out of sight. As time passed, they snuck out more and more, Damascus teaching Sophia in the shade of night. Eventually, she had learned about staying out of sight and in the shadows, move in silence, and increase her dexterity. They were officially equal, he had taught her everything he could. They were a mirror image in skill. They were the best, and the youngest Thieves in Caldon.
