An Apple Is Not Worth a Hand
The noise ahead sharpened. Voices rose. People slowed.
A small crowd had formed.
"What's happening," Lyra asked.
Before she could stop him, Aurelion moved closer.
Those Three people were present at the center.
Aurelion gets down from Lyra's shoulder and stopped in front of them.
Lyra tries to stop him.
"We shouldn't, Your Highness."
He did not answer.
The man was shouting in anger.
"They had their hands in my bag."
Someone in the crowd says "That bag smells like food."
The man glared.
"They're thieves," he said.
The boy spoke up.
"She took an apple," he said. "That's all."
The girl was scared.
The man laughed.
"The law is clear," he said. "You filthy scums tried to steal my money, hence, I WANT HER HANDS TO BE CUT OFF."
The crowd shifted.
Some people stepped back.
The boy moved in front of the girl trying to shield her.
"She's four," he said.
"Cut my hands, if you want to."
He put out his hands.
Aurelion asked Lyra.
"How is this ok, Lyra."
"By law, a noble can demand any form of punishment if a commoner commits a crime against him."
He stepped forward.
"That's enough," he said.
The man turned toward him.
Annoyed he said.
"And who are you," he asked. "This is no place for a brat—"
Lyra stepped beside Aurelion.
"This is Crown Prince Aurelion Valerius Evergold," she said clearly.
Everyone was shocked.
The whole crowd kneeled in front of him.
"Forgive us, Your Highness."
The man was frozen in fear.
Then he turned pale.
"Your Highness," he said quickly, bowing "I did not recognize you."
Aurelion looked at him.
"You were going to cut off a child's hand," he said.
The man swallowed.
"I was enforcing the law," he replied.
Aurelion looked past him at the children.
The girl peeked out from behind her brother.
Aurelion took another step forward.
And the crowd closed in tighter.
Aurelion stopped just short of the circle.
People were standing close together, not pushing, not helping either. Just close enough to see without being involved. The kind of crowd that forms when no one wants responsibility.
Someone near the edge spoke quietly.
"He says they tried to rob him."
Another voice, "They're kids."
"Kids from slums," someone else added.
"Explain the situation, properly," Aurelion commanded.
"She had her hand in my bag," the man said loudly. "I felt it."
Aurelion noticed something right away.
The bag smelled like food.
Not coins.
Someone else noticed too.
"That's bread," a woman murmured. "And apples."
The man shot her a look.
"Doesn't matter," he said. "The law is clear."
The boy spoke before anyone else could.
"She took an apple," he said. "She was Starving."
The man laughed once, short and sharp.
"Hunger doesn't give permission," he replied. "If it did, this city would be empty."
The girl shifted behind the boy. Her grip tightened cause of fear.
"Pickpockets lose the hand they steal with," he said.
"That's all I want."
The man asked with a grin.
The crowd shifted.
A few people looked down.
"Take mine," the boy said again.
"She didn't know," the boy continued. "I should have stopped her."
The man thought for a little, then smiled.
"Well," he said. "That makes this easier."
He reached for the boy's wrist.
"That's enough," Aurelion said.
"Your Highness, he himself has offered the solution."
The man replied.
"My apologies, Your Highness."
"But, this situation does not concern you."
Aurelion pointed at the bag.
"Open it."
The man hesitated.
Aurelion waited.
The bag opened.
Inside were apples. Bread. A small bundle of dried meat.
No coins.
Everyone was baffled by the situation.
Aurelion looked back at the man.
"You assumed," he said. "You did not check."
The man bowed again.
"It was a misunderstanding."
Aurelion turned away from him.
He went closer to the children.
"Are you hungry," he asked the girl.
She nodded once, barely.
Aurelion straightened.
"Lyra," he said.
"Yes," she replied immediately.
"Buy everything in that bag," he said. "At the proper price."
The man's shoulders sagged in relief.
"And then leave," Aurelion added.
The man bowed repeatedly and backed away into the crowd.
People slowly stood.
The circle loosened.
The market noise crept back in, like it had been waiting.
Aurelion looked at the children again.
"What are your names," he asked.
The boy hesitated to answer.
He was still being protective of her sister.
Aurelion reached out his hand to him.
"Would you like to be my Knight?"
[To be Continued]