Chapter 124
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Since the story of their change of hearts had ended, Lily chose this opportunity to ask something that was on her mind. "How much have you forgotten?" It wasn't unheard of for people to lose their memory in the Kingdom. Head injuries were fairly common there in certain occupations. Still, to completely forget every interaction a person had with certain people was unheard of even in those situations.
Her family was neighbors with Altair's family. She had grown up with Sief and his sisters. They were basically family even from when they were young. Their parents had even predicted Sief's marriage to Lily when they were younger. She remembered getting an earful from both parents about how slow Sief was at courting her and how they wanted their grandchildren years before they actually got married.
It bothered her quite a bit that Altair couldn't remember her at all.
Altair gave her a flat look. She didn't really care to say exactly how much she lost. It was already gone and she didn't feel that she had lost anything. It was just slightly uncomfortable when people talked to her about things she did that she didn't remember at all. It was as if they were talking about someone else and putting her in into the picture when she wasn't.
Thus, she shook her head and said, "It doesn't matter."
Lily had an aggrieved look on her face at her worries being dismissed so casually.
Sief was about to interject when Allie's voice came from outside as she ran into the house, "Aria! Aria! I got this for you!" She then held out a small blue flower that she had picked from somewhere towards Altair with a big smile on her face.
Altair turned her head and gave Allie a gentle smile as she accepted the flower. "Thanks," she said while she patted Allie's head, "You're so nice Allie."
By now, the sun was entered its evening hours. It would soon consume the entire town in darkness. Altair would soon need to leave to find a place to stay for the night as she didn't want to stay with her brother.
However, that idea crumbled into dust when Allie energetically asked her, "Aria can we sleep together and you can tell me stories about auntie?" She even tilted her head slightly as she looked at Altair with her big innocent eyes that held a hint of expectation.
Altair was silent for several moments before she finally caved to the pressure of her niece, "Alright. Why don't you go up and get ready for bed and I'll join you in a minute."
Allie jumped with joy as she cheered briefly before she ran upstairs with renewed vigor. She had effectively ended the discussion as Altair stood up right after she ran outside and walked to where she put her satchel on a barrel.
She then dug through the satchel as she said, "I have something I'd like to give you two." She then dug out the large sack of coins she took from the fat noble who wanted her bag and the small transparent bag of coins that she kept for herself. She walked over to the table with both of them and saw the look of confusion on both Sief and Lily's faces before she set them both down on the table.
The large sack jingled heavily when it was placed down, hinting to its robust contents.
Altair looked at Sief and Lily as they eyed the bag and pushed it towards them, "This is for you." She then pushed the transparent bag towards them afterwards and added, "This is for Allie in the future. Use them however you wish."
Sief's head shot up to give Altair a searching gaze. He then asked, "The money we found occasionally at home… that was from you?" He remember his mother and father would sometimes find silver and copper squares in strange places in their home. Often, they were in places that was just impossible for them to have lost them in. It caused his mother and father to question where they came from multiple times but they soon stopped after the nth time it was found and merely added it to their funds.
Altair was very careful with the amount she gave her parents. She couldn't give them any gold squares because it would be too suspicious given how much her parents earned a year normally. There was a good chance they would raise a fuss if they actually found a gold square somewhere in their home without any warning.
Thus, Altair merely nodded in response to Sief's question.
Lily pulled the string free from the top of the sack and it opened, revealing the gold squares inside and she gasped out loud before abruptly pushing it back towards Altair. "We can't accept this much!"
Altair's brow rose slightly as she looked into the bag herself and saw that all she could see was gold squares. She then frowned as she put her hand inside and dug around to see if there were any other denominations. She quickly found that there was more silver below the gold and some copper below the silver as well. With this information she then pulled out six gold squares and put them into the transparent bag at the side that was for Allie.
Once that was done she pushed the bag back towards Lily and Sief and said, "This is all I can do for you. Besides, it's useless to me. I'll be leaving Dyersburge tomorrow so the money has no value."
Lily frowned as she said, "But-"
However, Altair didn't let her continue her excuse as she said, "Make sure the small bag gets to Allie in the future. Tell her it's a gift that I sent her since I couldn't come and see her." She stared into Sief's and Lily's faces with a serious expression as she left everything else unsaid.
With her meaning clear to them, Sief reluctantly wrapped the large sack with the string and started to tie it as he said, "Very well. That's what we'll do then."
Altair roughly judged that the contents of the large sack were enough for a single person to live for twenty years without having to work and they would face no real hardship. For a family of four, as Altair assumed that Sief would have a child eventually, it would only last about five years. But, with how Sief was, she knew that he would also use the resources to help the kids at the orphanage. So, in reality, the money would probably be gone in a year. Thus, she had to make sure that the money she set aside for Allie would only go to Allie and no one else.
She then sent a glare towards both of them as she warned then in a harsh tone, "I am serious about Allie's money. I do not want to find out later that you two skimped on what I have left her."
Sief gave her a wounded expression as he felt that her accusing words were too much. He then said, "I swear that we will make sure that the money goes only to her."
Altair nodded her head and she heard Allie from upstairs call down, "Aria, are you done yet?"
Altair straightened up and called back, "I'm coming now," before she turned to the stairs without another word and went upstairs.
Altair spent the night with Allie and told her many stories about her time in the Empire. She spared no detail at the fantastical things she saw and she reveled in the responses she got from Allie at her words. She didn't mind telling her about the Empire because no one would believe a child when they talked about this sort of thing. Even when she became an adult, she doubted that anyone would take her words seriously. The things she told her about were just too magical to take seriously.
Allie wound up falling asleep before Altair did, leaving Altair to feel uncomfortable on the straw bed that they were sleeping on. She gazed out the window towards the starry sky for a long while before she, herself, finally drifted off to sleep as well.
Altair slept lightly, unlike how she usually slept when she was in the inn or back in the Marnithok mansion. This was because she couldn't bring herself to fully trust her brother and his wife. There was a voice in the back of her head that constantly warned her against them.
She decided to trust that voice until she could verify their claims about the war. She also planned to do that the very next morning.
Altair's stomach growled lightly as she was awoken to Allie getting up in the early morning hours. There was already the sound of movement downstairs that further stirred Altair out of her slumber. Allie wound up giving Altair an unfocused look for several long moments before she fully woke up and quickly hugged Altair while saying, "Good morning, Aria!"
Altair smiled wryly at herself as she softly said, "Good morning, Allie."
Allie climbed off the straw bed and got dressed at the same time that Altair did. It was then that Allie asked Altair, "How are your clothes cleaner than they were last night?"
Altair looked at Allie in confusion before she examined the white shirt in her hands. It was indeed spotless and Altair didn't know exactly how it was keeping itself clean but she suspected it had to do with the Empire's technology. Thus, she gave Allie a knowing smile and put her finger to her lips like it was a big secret. She then softly said, "It's a special kind of Magic. Keep it a secret, okay?"
Allie's eyes brightened considerably at this claim.
Once they were both dressed, Altair led the way downstairs with Allie following close behind her.
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Since the story of their change of hearts had ended, Lily chose this opportunity to ask something that was on her mind. "How much have you forgotten?" It wasn't unheard of for people to lose their memory in the Kingdom. Head injuries were fairly common there in certain occupations. Still, to completely forget every interaction a person had with certain people was unheard of even in those situations.
Her family was neighbors with Altair's family. She had grown up with Sief and his sisters. They were basically family even from when they were young. Their parents had even predicted Sief's marriage to Lily when they were younger. She remembered getting an earful from both parents about how slow Sief was at courting her and how they wanted their grandchildren years before they actually got married.
It bothered her quite a bit that Altair couldn't remember her at all.
Altair gave her a flat look. She didn't really care to say exactly how much she lost. It was already gone and she didn't feel that she had lost anything. It was just slightly uncomfortable when people talked to her about things she did that she didn't remember at all. It was as if they were talking about someone else and putting her in into the picture when she wasn't.
Thus, she shook her head and said, "It doesn't matter."
Lily had an aggrieved look on her face at her worries being dismissed so casually.
Sief was about to interject when Allie's voice came from outside as she ran into the house, "Aria! Aria! I got this for you!" She then held out a small blue flower that she had picked from somewhere towards Altair with a big smile on her face.
Altair turned her head and gave Allie a gentle smile as she accepted the flower. "Thanks," she said while she patted Allie's head, "You're so nice Allie."
By now, the sun was entered its evening hours. It would soon consume the entire town in darkness. Altair would soon need to leave to find a place to stay for the night as she didn't want to stay with her brother.
However, that idea crumbled into dust when Allie energetically asked her, "Aria can we sleep together and you can tell me stories about auntie?" She even tilted her head slightly as she looked at Altair with her big innocent eyes that held a hint of expectation.
Altair was silent for several moments before she finally caved to the pressure of her niece, "Alright. Why don't you go up and get ready for bed and I'll join you in a minute."
Allie jumped with joy as she cheered briefly before she ran upstairs with renewed vigor. She had effectively ended the discussion as Altair stood up right after she ran outside and walked to where she put her satchel on a barrel.
She then dug through the satchel as she said, "I have something I'd like to give you two." She then dug out the large sack of coins she took from the fat noble who wanted her bag and the small transparent bag of coins that she kept for herself. She walked over to the table with both of them and saw the look of confusion on both Sief and Lily's faces before she set them both down on the table.
The large sack jingled heavily when it was placed down, hinting to its robust contents.
Altair looked at Sief and Lily as they eyed the bag and pushed it towards them, "This is for you." She then pushed the transparent bag towards them afterwards and added, "This is for Allie in the future. Use them however you wish."
Sief's head shot up to give Altair a searching gaze. He then asked, "The money we found occasionally at home… that was from you?" He remember his mother and father would sometimes find silver and copper squares in strange places in their home. Often, they were in places that was just impossible for them to have lost them in. It caused his mother and father to question where they came from multiple times but they soon stopped after the nth time it was found and merely added it to their funds.
Altair was very careful with the amount she gave her parents. She couldn't give them any gold squares because it would be too suspicious given how much her parents earned a year normally. There was a good chance they would raise a fuss if they actually found a gold square somewhere in their home without any warning.
Thus, Altair merely nodded in response to Sief's question.
Lily pulled the string free from the top of the sack and it opened, revealing the gold squares inside and she gasped out loud before abruptly pushing it back towards Altair. "We can't accept this much!"
Altair's brow rose slightly as she looked into the bag herself and saw that all she could see was gold squares. She then frowned as she put her hand inside and dug around to see if there were any other denominations. She quickly found that there was more silver below the gold and some copper below the silver as well. With this information she then pulled out six gold squares and put them into the transparent bag at the side that was for Allie.
Once that was done she pushed the bag back towards Lily and Sief and said, "This is all I can do for you. Besides, it's useless to me. I'll be leaving Dyersburge tomorrow so the money has no value."
Lily frowned as she said, "But-"
However, Altair didn't let her continue her excuse as she said, "Make sure the small bag gets to Allie in the future. Tell her it's a gift that I sent her since I couldn't come and see her." She stared into Sief's and Lily's faces with a serious expression as she left everything else unsaid.
With her meaning clear to them, Sief reluctantly wrapped the large sack with the string and started to tie it as he said, "Very well. That's what we'll do then."
Altair roughly judged that the contents of the large sack were enough for a single person to live for twenty years without having to work and they would face no real hardship. For a family of four, as Altair assumed that Sief would have a child eventually, it would only last about five years. But, with how Sief was, she knew that he would also use the resources to help the kids at the orphanage. So, in reality, the money would probably be gone in a year. Thus, she had to make sure that the money she set aside for Allie would only go to Allie and no one else.
She then sent a glare towards both of them as she warned then in a harsh tone, "I am serious about Allie's money. I do not want to find out later that you two skimped on what I have left her."
Sief gave her a wounded expression as he felt that her accusing words were too much. He then said, "I swear that we will make sure that the money goes only to her."
Altair nodded her head and she heard Allie from upstairs call down, "Aria, are you done yet?"
Altair straightened up and called back, "I'm coming now," before she turned to the stairs without another word and went upstairs.
Altair spent the night with Allie and told her many stories about her time in the Empire. She spared no detail at the fantastical things she saw and she reveled in the responses she got from Allie at her words. She didn't mind telling her about the Empire because no one would believe a child when they talked about this sort of thing. Even when she became an adult, she doubted that anyone would take her words seriously. The things she told her about were just too magical to take seriously.
Allie wound up falling asleep before Altair did, leaving Altair to feel uncomfortable on the straw bed that they were sleeping on. She gazed out the window towards the starry sky for a long while before she, herself, finally drifted off to sleep as well.
Altair slept lightly, unlike how she usually slept when she was in the inn or back in the Marnithok mansion. This was because she couldn't bring herself to fully trust her brother and his wife. There was a voice in the back of her head that constantly warned her against them.
She decided to trust that voice until she could verify their claims about the war. She also planned to do that the very next morning.
Altair's stomach growled lightly as she was awoken to Allie getting up in the early morning hours. There was already the sound of movement downstairs that further stirred Altair out of her slumber. Allie wound up giving Altair an unfocused look for several long moments before she fully woke up and quickly hugged Altair while saying, "Good morning, Aria!"
Altair smiled wryly at herself as she softly said, "Good morning, Allie."
Allie climbed off the straw bed and got dressed at the same time that Altair did. It was then that Allie asked Altair, "How are your clothes cleaner than they were last night?"
Altair looked at Allie in confusion before she examined the white shirt in her hands. It was indeed spotless and Altair didn't know exactly how it was keeping itself clean but she suspected it had to do with the Empire's technology. Thus, she gave Allie a knowing smile and put her finger to her lips like it was a big secret. She then softly said, "It's a special kind of Magic. Keep it a secret, okay?"
Allie's eyes brightened considerably at this claim.
Once they were both dressed, Altair led the way downstairs with Allie following close behind her.
Since the story of their change of hearts had ended, Lily chose this opportunity to ask something that was on her mind. "How much have you forgotten?" It wasn't unheard of for people to lose their memory in the Kingdom. Head injuries were fairly common there in certain occupations. Still, to completely forget every interaction a person had with certain people was unheard of even in those situations.Her family was neighbors with Altair's family. She had grown up with Sief and his sisters. They were basically family even from when they were young. Their parents had even predicted Sief's marriage to Lily when they were younger. She remembered getting an earful from both parents about how slow Sief was at courting her and how they wanted their grandchildren years before they actually got married.It bothered her quite a bit that Altair couldn't remember her at all.Altair gave her a flat look. She didn't really care to say exactly how much she lost. It was already gone and she didn't feel that she had lost anything. It was just slightly uncomfortable when people talked to her about things she did that she didn't remember at all. It was as if they were talking about someone else and putting her in into the picture when she wasn't.Thus, she shook her head and said, "It doesn't matter."Lily had an aggrieved look on her face at her worries being dismissed so casually.Sief was about to interject when Allie's voice came from outside as she ran into the house, "Aria! Aria! I got this for you!" She then held out a small blue flower that she had picked from somewhere towards Altair with a big smile on her face.Altair turned her head and gave Allie a gentle smile as she accepted the flower. "Thanks," she said while she patted Allie's head, "You're so nice Allie."By now, the sun was entered its evening hours. It would soon consume the entire town in darkness. Altair would soon need to leave to find a place to stay for the night as she didn't want to stay with her brother.However, that idea crumbled into dust when Allie energetically asked her, "Aria can we sleep together and you can tell me stories about auntie?" She even tilted her head slightly as she looked at Altair with her big innocent eyes that held a hint of expectation.Altair was silent for several moments before she finally caved to the pressure of her niece, "Alright. Why don't you go up and get ready for bed and I'll join you in a minute."Allie jumped with joy as she cheered briefly before she ran upstairs with renewed vigor. She had effectively ended the discussion as Altair stood up right after she ran outside and walked to where she put her satchel on a barrel.She then dug through the satchel as she said, "I have something I'd like to give you two." She then dug out the large sack of coins she took from the fat noble who wanted her bag and the small transparent bag of coins that she kept for herself. She walked over to the table with both of them and saw the look of confusion on both Sief and Lily's faces before she set them both down on the table.The large sack jingled heavily when it was placed down, hinting to its robust contents.Altair looked at Sief and Lily as they eyed the bag and pushed it towards them, "This is for you." She then pushed the transparent bag towards them afterwards and added, "This is for Allie in the future. Use them however you wish."Sief's head shot up to give Altair a searching gaze. He then asked, "The money we found occasionally at home that was from you?" He remember his mother and father would sometimes find silver and copper squares in strange places in their home. Often, they were in places that was just impossible for them to have lost them in. It caused his mother and father to question where they came from multiple times but they soon stopped after the nth time it was found and merely added it to their funds.Altair was very careful with the amount she gave her parents. She couldn't give them any gold squares because it would be too suspicious given how much her parents earned a year normally. There was a good chance they would raise a fuss if they actually found a gold square somewhere in their home without any warning.Thus, Altair merely nodded in response to Sief's question.Lily pulled the string free from the top of the sack and it opened, revealing the gold squares inside and she gasped out loud before abruptly pushing it back towards Altair. "We can't accept this much!"Altair's brow rose slightly as she looked into the bag herself and saw that all she could see was gold squares. She then frowned as she put her hand inside and dug around to see if there were any other denominations. She quickly found that there was more silver below the gold and some copper below the silver as well. With this information she then pulled out six gold squares and put them into the transparent bag at the side that was for Allie.Once that was done she pushed the bag back towards Lily and Sief and said, "This is all I can do for you. Besides, it's useless to me. I'll be leaving Dyersburge tomorrow so the money has no value."Lily frowned as she said, "But-"However, Altair didn't let her continue her excuse as she said, "Make sure the small bag gets to Allie in the future. Tell her it's a gift that I sent her since I couldn't come and see her." She stared into Sief's and Lily's faces with a serious expression as she left everything else unsaid.With her meaning clear to them, Sief reluctantly wrapped the large sack with the string and started to tie it as he said, "Very well. That's what we'll do then."Altair roughly judged that the contents of the large sack were enough for a single person to live for twenty years without having to work and they would face no real hardship. For a family of four, as Altair assumed that Sief would have a child eventually, it would only last about five years. But, with how Sief was, she knew that he would also use the resources to help the kids at the orphanage. So, in reality, the money would probably be gone in a year. Thus, she had to make sure that the money she set aside for Allie would only go to Allie and no one else.She then sent a glare towards both of them as she warned then in a harsh tone, "I am serious about Allie's money. I do not want to find out later that you two skimped on what I have left her."Sief gave her a wounded expression as he felt that her accusing words were too much. He then said, "I swear that we will make sure that the money goes only to her."Altair nodded her head and she heard Allie from upstairs call down, "Aria, are you done yet?"Altair straightened up and called back, "I'm coming now," before she turned to the stairs without another word and went upstairs.Altair spent the night with Allie and told her many stories about her time in the Empire. She spared no detail at the fantastical things she saw and she reveled in the responses she got from Allie at her words. She didn't mind telling her about the Empire because no one would believe a child when they talked about this sort of thing. Even when she became an adult, she doubted that anyone would take her words seriously. The things she told her about were just too magical to take seriously.Allie wound up falling asleep before Altair did, leaving Altair to feel uncomfortable on the straw bed that they were sleeping on. She gazed out the window towards the starry sky for a long while before she, herself, finally drifted off to sleep as well.Altair slept lightly, unlike how she usually slept when she was in the inn or back in the Marnithok mansion. This was because she couldn't bring herself to fully trust her brother and his wife. There was a voice in the back of her head that constantly warned her against them.She decided to trust that voice until she could verify their claims about the war. She also planned to do that the very next morning.Altair's stomach growled lightly as she was awoken to Allie getting up in the early morning hours. There was already the sound of movement downstairs that further stirred Altair out of her slumber. Allie wound up giving Altair an unfocused look for several long moments before she fully woke up and quickly hugged Altair while saying, "Good morning, Aria!"Altair smiled wryly at herself as she softly said, "Good morning, Allie."Allie climbed off the straw bed and got dressed at the same time that Altair did. It was then that Allie asked Altair, "How are your clothes cleaner than they were last night?"Altair looked at Allie in confusion before she examined the white shirt in her hands. It was indeed spotless and Altair didn't know exactly how it was keeping itself clean but she suspected it had to do with the Empire's technology. Thus, she gave Allie a knowing smile and put her finger to her lips like it was a big secret. She then softly said, "It's a special kind of Magic. Keep it a secret, okay?"Allie's eyes brightened considerably at this claim.Once they were both dressed, Altair led the way downstairs with Allie following close behind her.
