Blue Rose, Part III

Street rat. Beggar boy. Good-for-nothing.1

Sundan had been called these names a thousand times, and was deaf to them by now. He survived the only way he could, and he had accepted that by now. His heart had grown cold over the years, and he didn’t care if a little girl went without dinner or an artisan had one less item to sell because of him.2

When he was young, he didn’t need to steal or pickpocket. He had lived in a nice, small home with his mother and five half brothers. But when a drunken man had killed his mother, his brothers threw him out of the house; after all, he wasn’t REALLY related to them, and he was just another mouth to feed. That was when he was eleven.3

Now he was nineteen, and life hadn’t improved. But at least now he was skilled in his “art”, if you could call it such a thing. He could steal money right out of someone’s pocket, and they would never notice. He was also fast on his feet, and could easily hide himself if necessary.4

Tonight, he was searching for victims in the Wildrose Tavern. The smells in there made his stomach grumble.5

The wokers knew him there. And that wasn’t a good thing. He tried to blend in with the crowd. Who can I steal food—or money—from? He asked himself, looking around the room. He hadn’t eaten since yesterday morning.6

He spotted a girl, a stranger to the town. He was used to seeing strange men—sailors, mostly—but a girl? She seemed innocent enough. She wore a dress with fading red dye, and a wool cloak over it. Her hair was in a long chestnut braid, and she was nibbling on a shepard’s pie. She looked a bit worn, but he could see she had soft features, and knew she hadn’t been a common, hard working girl, despite her simple clothes; they normally had calloused hands and more muscle. As he moved closer, hidden by the crowd, he noticed that she also had beautiful clear blue eyes and full red lips. For a moment, he wanted those lips to touch his own, if only for a moment…but he nearly laughed at the idea. He wasn’t hear to flirt, he was here to eat!7

So he quickly snuck up behind her, and was about to steal the small sack in her cloak pocket when a few pieces of her hair brushed his face. Distraced, he looked up at her while he took the bag.8

Bad move. She looked back to see what had happened, and saw him running through the crowd holding her bag of coins. He ran out of the tavern and down the street. He was surprised at how long she chased after him. At first, she screamed, “Come back here! That’s mine!” And other such things, but eventually ran out of breath. Sundan was hardly out of breath by the time she gave up on running. Victory!9

*   *   *10

Mari cursed the theif under her breath. Now all her money was gone! What was she going to do? She shook her head and walked slowly back to the tavern. Hopefully her shepard’s pie would still be there.11

Luckily, it was. She finished it off, and a worker came up to get the dishes. “What’s wrong?” The woman asked. “Ye look down.”12

Mari looked up at the woman. She realized how lonely she had been, not being able to confide to anyone during her whole journey. She sighed. “A man just stole all my money. I’m sorry, I can’t pay for this.”13

The waitress raised her brows, not sure if she could trust Mari. Finally, she shrugged. “What’s one pie? No one’ll have t’ know.”14

Mari attempted a smile. “Thank you so much. Do you know where I could get work around here, to earn back the money I lost?”15

“Well, Lady Coriole, on the edge of town, just lost ‘er nurse t’ a horrible disease. She needs a new one fer her children.” The woman scowled. “Spoiled brats, they are, though. I wouldn’t take it if’n I were ye, but that’s all I can think of.”16

Mari stood up, deciding what she would do. “Thank you so much,” She said and slipped out of the tavern.17

*   *   *18

“So, you wish to become my childrens’ nurse?” The widow Lady Coriole said. “Why would I hire you, when I don’t even know you or where you come from? Yes, I can tell you’re an outsider. You have an eastern accent.”19

“I…” Mari honestly didn’t know what to say. How could she persuade this woman? And how could she explain her past? She would have to be as vague as possible, maybe lie a little. “Yes, I come from the east, and I grew up in a tiny village. After my mother died, I wanted to go to a large town to find work.”20

“Why didn’t you marry? That would have been a much simpler solution to your problem?”21

Mari shook her head. “Oh no, I don’t—I don’t want to marry.”22

“Well, I suppose I can give you a try. Would you like to meet the children?”23

“Oh, I would love to.”24

“Bana!” Lady Coriole called, and one of her servants rushed in the room. “Bring the children here,” she told her, and the woman curtsied and left.25

There were two of them, Evah and Tancred, five and eight years old. They came in quietly and sweetly, and Mari thought, these can’t possibly be the spoiled brats the waitress was talking about.26

“Evah, Tancred,” Their mother said to them firmly. “This is Marietta. She will be your new nurse.”27

Tancred, the older one, stepped closer to Mari. “She’s very young,” He stated. He turned back to look at his sister, and they smiled knowingly at each other. Mari became confused, wondering what that “look” they exchanged had meant. Tancred turned back to Mari. “She’ll do.”28

Their mother nodded. “Yes. You’ll start right away.”29

Mari soon found out that the children were, indeed, spoiled brats. She went to sleep every night exhausted, with a headache, and new bruises. Mari had never been around too many children—she had never been around too many people, for that matter—and had no idea how to handle them. After a few days, she could stand them to where they were bearable, but hardly.30

One day, a worker for the household was in bed sick, and Lady Coriole needed someone to go to the market. She asked Mari to go, and take the children along. Mari was not looking forward to it. When they got there, she said to them sternly, “Now, you two, stay close to me. DO NOT RUN OFF.” They nodded solemnly.31

She had learned to love the market—it was so busy, so full of life. She walked around, trying to find the vendor who sold eggs while Tancred and Evah argued in the background. Suddenly, she saw a person who looked vaguely familiar. She walked toward him, wondering who it was. He was talking to a jewelry vendor, and she realized who it was when he pulled out a purse of coins.32

Her purse. It was the theif. She turned around to face the kids. “Now, you two. Stay right here. I have to go speak to someone quickly.” As they watched where she was headed, she could hear them snicker. “It must be a lover of hers,” she heard Tancred whisper to Evah, and the little girl gasped.33

Mari stomped over to the boy and tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. “Excuse me!” She said, and he turned around. She could tell he recognized her right away, because his eyes grew wide, and he appeared nervous. She pointed to the purse. “I believe that is mine.”34

“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. ‘Tis obviously my purse. Th’ vendor ‘ere saw me pull it out o’ my pocket, didn’t ye?” He asked, turning to the vendor. The old woman nodded. He turned back to Mari. “Ye can’t go up to people an’ simply steal their money.”35

“Oh, really?” Mari was determined to prove this boy was wrong. “Then, tell us, where did you earn all that money?”36

“I’m an apprentice t’ the blacksmith.”37

Wow, he was good. Lies seem to just come to him without hesitation, and she wondered if he had been in the same situation before. Who knows? People like him were unpredictable and untrustworthy, she knew that much.38

Suddenly, she looked around the marketplace. “The children!” She cried, gasping. “They’re gone!”39