This forest was rocky. There was some green, yes, but not as much as there was near my house. Or what used to be my house. Now I didn't have one anymore. There was no place I could call home.

The trees were very tall and leafy, the sunlight filtered through the branches.

He didn't seem tired, even though he was carrying all that weight with him. He jumped and slid down the rocks with ease. With a body and stamina like that he could do any job, so why did he choose that one? Hm... Maybe he had no other options.

He was truly a mystery.

He continued walking at a brisk pace when at a certain point he stopped.

"Lift up your head. Look." I did as he said. When I raised my head I saw a few more trees in front of me and then, in the distance, another village. It was different: it looked like mine but it was different. There were watermills and windmills, all together. The houses were far apart, like in Shae, but most of them were made of stone, not wood.

"Have you ever been here?"

"No, never. I've never been outside of Shae Village. It's all new to me," I said, curious.

"Never? Wow. I'm always on the move, never in the same place for more than a night. You must have had a peaceful life."

I remained silent. Once again I was forced to think about it.

He noticed my expression, my hurt.

"Ah, sorry, I spoke without thinking. It wasn't my intention to offend you."

I didn't answer. I didn't have the strength. Every time I thought about them I became weak, helpless.

He looked at me and sighed. He looked at the view and the village a little longer, and then set off again.

"We're almost at the village. Here we can go to a doctor together, see how your leg is and what can be done."

"Thanks again for the help, really."

"You're welcome... You're not that bad, just a little naive."

I couldn't say anything. Well, he was right. I knew a lot less about how the world worked than he did. We were like Dad and Tin when he was little. He tried to help as much as he could but in the end he was useless and a hindrance, since he didn't know how to do anything, not even carry wood.

Yes, I was just like little Tin.

"Here we are." I raised my head once more "This is Kal Village, you've probably heard of it. It's quite famous around here because of its size. Err, I think it's about two villages away from yours. Maybe not enough for you."

"No, no, that's fine. People around here don't travel as much as you do, we won't find anyone I know here. It's not a problem."

I had heard of Kal Village. No one had ever been there, but since it was known that it was bigger than Shae, the inhabitants of the latter didn't really like it.

When I got there, it actually didn't seem as bad as the others described. The air was clean, the birds were singing, and I felt free. Free from the chains that kept me trapped in the memory. To Shae.

"I see a sign. I think the doctor is over there." Having said this he set off quickly and after walking for a while, he slipped through a large wooden door. He asked to see the doctor as soon as possible and they told him to wait a few hours. I didn't know how to count hours, but apparently he did.

We sat down next to each other on two chairs. Me on the right, him on the left.

I leaned my head on his shoulder. How I wished it had been a soft pillow.

He didn't seem to mind, he didn't say anything.

The place wasn't very big. There was little furniture and only one large staircase. Near me were other chairs and a small table, with a vase with a pink lily on it. What an aroma. It was wonderful.

As I looked ahead, into the void, I noticed a newspaper hanging on the wall, with a print on it.

...No way.

Oberian!! I recognized him immediately.

The only Rich whose name I remembered. The only one worthy of having his name remembered.

"Hey," I started nudging him with my elbow.

"What's up?" he asked, annoyed.

"Look, look!" I said excitedly, pointing at the newspaper. "It's Oberian!"

"I can see that. You like him?"

"Is there anyone who doesn't like him? He's a hero!"

"Well, I guess so. He's the only Rich I tolerate. It's true that he's done a lot to protect the country."

"Right? Right? Will you bring me the newspaper so I can look at it up close?"

He looked at me for a moment. I could see he didn't feel like getting up. But he did anyway.

"Here, take it."

"Thanks!" I was so happy that I gave him a hug, but he didn't like it very much. Maybe he wasn't a big fan of physical contact.

I looked closely at the newspaper: it showed Oberian at an event that had taken place a few days earlier, giving a speech and thanking the crowd for their continued support of justice in the country. What a man, too old for me, but I could still appreciate him in every sense. It wasn't just admiration. I guess you could call it a crush.

"You know, I even saw him live once."

"Hm? When?"

"When I was little. He was going around all the villages in the area, to check that everything was okay. One day they set up a stage and he gave us a speech from there. I still remember it "The righteous are not afraid to fight. They just do it. For the cause and for the country you have to fight. Fight and win. Always remember that." So cool! How can someone be so cool? When he got off the stage he shook everyone's hand, he didn't forget anyone. Even me! It's one of my most precious memories."

"I guess... I didn't think you liked him so much."

I just smiled and put my head on his shoulder again. We stopped talking and waited our turn. We were silent, but it wasn't a heavy, awkward silence. We had gotten used to each other's presence by now.

After a long time, they finally called us. He picked me up again and carried me up the stairs to the room where the doctor was.

When the doctor saw my leg, his expression was ugly. Really ugly.

"This wooden board is totally useless with the bone placed like this. You have a displaced fracture, the bone is not where it should be."

I had noticed that too, thank you very much.

"It's incredible that you're not worse off, with a leg like that."

"I gave her some very strong medicine, drugs basically." said the boy.

"Oh, that explains it. The pain should be unbearable, but you don't seem particularly shaken."

"No, actually I don't feel my leg at all. I don't feel my body in general, as if it were all asleep."

Yes... It was such a strange feeling. As if my body weren't my own.

"Okay. The payment for the treatment will be high, do you have enough money?"

"Yes, yes, here." he reached for his coin pouch, but his hand paused for just a moment. It was so full. He placed it on the table. I had never seen so much money all in one place.

In that moment of silence, broken only by the clinking of money counted by the doctor, I looked around. There were a total of two assistants. Two men. One was glaring at us. The other was whispering something. And they were staring at the boy's necklace. They weren't hiding it. I didn't like their looks. They were full of superiority, of hatred.

"That'll be enough." He took the money and gave it to an assistant. "Now, young lady, come with me this way. You can stay here, unless you want to see unpleasant things."

The boy shook his head and stood there. Maybe he didn't have the stomach for this kind of thing.

I was scared. I had never been in such a situation.

They laid me down on wooden benches and counted to three, then, in a quick, coordinated move, they moved my bone. I screamed. I screamed loudly. It hurt. So bad. The drugs weren't enough, damn it. Maybe the pain my mother felt at that moment was similar to mine. Argh, all I could think about was them. My screams made me think about them. Their pain. Their death.

I could feel my consciousness slipping away and my vision was getting blurry, but the doctor kept yelling at me to stay awake and, with all the chaos, I couldn't pass out.

I don't know exactly what they did, but they used tools on my leg. I couldn't feel anything anymore, the pain was too much. I couldn't look. There was a lot of blood. A lot. And it ended with another rod wrapped around my leg. This time it was done better, more professionally. My leg was straight again. But I was in so much pain.

They gave me some kind of drug after the surgery and the doctor recommended I moved as little as possible. He said it would be months before I could walk again. It didn't really matter.

I was so, so tired, and I yearned to be back in his arms. And, yes, when he picked me up again I immediately fell asleep. He had become my safe place, someone I could trust and count on. An unexpected friend.