Through the icy winter mountains, a great carriage advanced, pulled by two beasts.
Their thick white fur blended with the surroundings, and their enormous webbed hooves kept them from sinking into the snow with each firm step, making them the perfect means of transport for that inhospitable environment.
Inside the carriage, sheltered from the merciless weather, traveled eight people.
The first was a middle-aged man, fair-skinned and sharp-faced, whose most notable feature was his abundant facial hair, converging into an elegant brown beard. His clothes, though thick to protect him from the cold, were of an elegant cut, uncommon among the lower or middle classes.
Beside him was a woman with gentle features, somewhat younger. Her long, well-groomed chestnut hair matched perfectly with the beautiful winter dress she wore, adorned with gems and gold, completing the impression of an aristocratic wife.
Right in the space between them was a seven-year-old boy, dressed in a wool suit so extremely thick it clearly limited his movements. Yet, to his misfortune, his mother was only concerned that he not feel the slightest chill.
This small family was surrounded by four tall, burly men with serious gazes that hinted at years of unceasing struggle.
Finally, leaning against the wall a few meters away, was a young man who stood out completely from all the others.
He was pale and extremely thin, to the point that if his clothes were lifted, his protruding ribs would be visible.
His eyes bore deep dark circles, and his hair was long and unkempt. Anyone who saw him would think he was a street urchin. And, to no one's surprise, they would be right.
This fifteen-year-old youth, who looked much younger due to malnutrition, was indeed a street child, with no family or friends.
Why then was he traveling with what seemed to be an aristocratic family? The answer was simple.
They took pity on him.
From the beginning, the young man had intended to go to those mountains, a statement that, given his appearance, would have drawn ridicule from anyone who heard it.
He didn't seem like he could survive a single day in that environment.
No one understood this better than he did. He knew his own body and knew it was already at its limit. Yet, he had no other choice. If he wanted to survive, he had to reach that place, no matter the cost.
Luckily, as he walked through the cold streets of the nearest village in the dead of night, he was seen through the carriage window by the man, who unexpectedly ordered the vehicle to stop. He, along with his wife and two guards, approached to speak with the young man, who looked as if he might faint at any moment.
The man asked him kindly where he was headed.
The boy, however, was reluctant and tried to leave without speaking. The man took this as a sign of shame and kept insisting until the young man finally explained that he was just looking for a place to spend the night.
Immediately, the adults understood he was a homeless child. The woman's eyes welled with tears as she superimposed the young man's image with that of her own small son.
These people, despite being wealthy aristocrats, seemed to be good people. A rare thing.
Right away, the man offered him a considerable sum of money, enough to survive for a good while and rent a dwelling. However, the young man refused, something the adults didn't understand at first.
Seeing their confused faces and wanting to end the conversation as soon as possible, the young man explained that if someone with his appearance suddenly showed up with a lot of money, it would draw too much attention. Most would likely think he had stolen it from someone, and he might even be in danger if others tried to take it from him.
Upon hearing this, the lord and lady understood instantly. The boy's logic was impeccable. The man even touched his forehead, chiding himself for not having thought of something so obvious.
It wasn't surprising, these people had never experienced such hardships. They didn't truly know the wickedness of the world, and that only made the young man want to entangle himself with them even less.
For that reason, he thanked them for their concern and began to walk away. However, he was stopped again by the man, who told him they were heading to an inn to spend the night and would resume their journey the next day.
He offered for the young man to spend the night at the inn with them.
This surprised the young man quite a bit, who hadn't expected these people's kindness to go so far, but he kept refusing.
It wasn't until the woman insisted for over ten minutes without stopping that the young man, with a sigh, finally accepted.
The lord and lady quickly grew fond of him, as he seemed kind and mature, something explained by all the hardships he had endured in his life.
After eating and bathing . An act that took the young man considerably longer than normal, as he hadn't taken a shower in years. The lord and lady noticed the boy's fine features, which had previously been hidden beneath the grime.
Now they were sure that, properly fed and dressed, he could easily pass for a noble.
After this, they finally sat down to talk. The young man already seemed to have won the affection of the boy, who played with him, further warming the woman's heart.
"Excuse me, I think we should have done this earlier, but... now that we are settled, may I ask your name, young man?" asked the man, while the lady brought a hand to her forehead, realizing they had forgotten such an important detail.
The young man didn't seem bothered by this and, in a calm and kind voice, said, "My name is Kairen. But you can call me Kai, if you wish. And you, kind sir and madam, what are your names?"
The lord and lady couldn't stop being impressed by the manners of this destitute youth. He didn't seem at all like someone who had learned everything he knew on the streets.
"Kairen, that's a beautiful name. Mine is Lorcan Helvante, my wife's is Mira, and that little one beside you is Beyram. We are a family of watchmakers from Solaria," the man replied kindly.
'Solaria, huh? I see. They must have rarely, if ever, seen a street child,' kairen thought.
Solaria was known as the richest country in the North, where practically all its inhabitants lived comfortably. It was very unlikely to encounter poor people, much less vagrants.
'They also don't seem like the type who travel much. I think seeing me just popped the bubble they've lived in for most of their lives.'
The young man sighed inwardly.
'Be that as it may, they seem like good people… Of all the homeless they could have met, why did it have to be me? Well, I guess it's as they say: the good die first.'
Mira, being utterly ignorant of Kairen's internal thoughts, continued.
"Little Kai, may I ask what you plan to do from tomorrow onward? I know it won't be good for you if we give you a lot of money, but we'd at least like to help you… Perhaps we could help you find a job."
This made Kairen groan inwardly.
'Ma'am, seriously, please stop being such a good person for five minutes. For the sake of everyone here, I need to leave as soon as possible.'
"Please, don't worry. Tomorrow I plan to leave the city," said Kairen, enunciating each word in the hope that the lord and lady would be at ease for once.
Unfortunately, it didn't work.
"You're leaving the city? May I ask where to?" asked the man, scratching his beard.
At that moment, Kairen's mind began searching for a good excuse.
"I'm heading to Beridia, the small country right next to this one. I'll take the stone road and should arrive in a week. An old friend told me he'd have a job and lodging ready for me there."
Obviously, it was a lie. In reality, Kairen was heading to the frozen mountains.
However, against all expectation, the woman's eyes lit up even more.
"Beridia, you said? We're headed there! My husband has a small job to do there. Why don't you come with us? Instead of taking the stone road, we'll go behind the mountains; it will take three days instead of a week."
'Shit…'
At first, Kairen cursed in his head, but, upon thinking it over…
'This could be my only chance to get there without freezing to death, but…'
Kairen fixed his gaze on the warm family before him and subtly clenched his teeth.
"May I think about it for a bit?"
The man nodded.
"Of course. Tell us your decision tomorrow. But you can be sure it's no trouble for us to help you get to Beridia. Our carriage has plenty of space, and I'm sure our little one will be happy to have someone else to play with during the journey."
The boy's smile confirmed what his father said.
After that, the lord and lady left the room they had assigned to Kairen, taking their son with them.
Finally alone, in the darkness, Kairen could think properly.
'It's a great opportunity. I might not find another like it. But three days of travel is too long, there's no way I can prevent them from…'
Kairen ultimately decided to decline the offer, something even he didn't think he would do. It seemed he could still feel emotions like gratitude toward these people who had helped him without asking for anything in return.
He closed his eyes.
His plan was to rest for a couple of hours in that comfortable bed and then, before anyone woke up, leave the inn and begin his journey without anyone noticing.
But when he managed to fall asleep, he felt it again.
That feeling of imminent death, like prey sensing its hunter drawing ever closer.
He opened his eyes and sat up in bed, sweaty and breathing heavily.
"I can feel it. It's getting closer. If I stay in this country too long, he will find me. The problem is, my chances of surviving in the mountains are slim, too."
Inside his head, it seemed death was certain unless he accepted the lord and lady's offer.
He lay back down.
"I'm sorry."