A Morning in Mokhaven

Bob woke up first.

The two suns were shining. Dust danced in the light. The room was quiet. Traveller was still breathing slow.

Last night was like a dream. A pretty woman. A warm feeling. A kiss. The memory was fuzzy. Nice. But far away.

He was not sleepy. He wanted to move.

He slid off the bed. His feet were quiet on the floor. He picked up his stick-sword. It felt good. He looked out the window. Mokhaven was awake. People walked. Carts rolled. It was a new day.

His stomach rumbled. Loudly.

Traveller moved. The hood turned. "Hungry?"

Bob nodded. He patted his stomach. "Bob... hungry!"

A small smile was on Traveller's mouth. "Alright. Let's find breakfast. And supplies. Stay close today."

They went outside. The street was full of people. Bob was small. Traveller said to stay close. He did. For a little while.

His eyes saw a stall. A man with a big, braided beard sat sadly at his cart. The cart had amazing fruits. Orange stars. Blue fuzzballs. But the man was just staring at a broken wheel on his cart, his shoulders slumped.

Bob's thought was simple. Sad man. Good fruit. Good things make people happy.

He let go of Traveller's robe. He walked to the cart. He picked up the biggest orange star-fruit.

The man looked up fast, his face grumpy. "Hey! That is not free! And I'm not in the mood for customers."

Bob did not move. He held the fruit out to the man.

The man stared, confused. "What? Are you deaf? I said I'm not—" He stopped, looking at the fruit being offered to him. "You sell me my own fruit?"

Traveller came. They put a few coins on the cart. "My apologies," Traveller said. "He saw you were troubled. He wanted you to have it."

The man looked at the coins, then at Bob's wide, plain eyes. His grumpy face softened. "Troubled? My axle snapped. A whole day's trade, gone." He sighed, then looked at the fruit in Bob's hand. A short, loud laugh escaped him. "Well, I'll be... A customer trying to cheer me up." He pushed the coins back. "Keep it. For the kid's strange kindness. Made me forget this blasted wheel for a second." He managed a small, tired smile.

Bob held the star-fruit. He gave the man one nod. His job was done.

Before he could bite it, he heard music. It was slow and pretty. It came from an alley. He followed the sound.

A woman with pointed ears sat on a box. She played a dark wood instrument. The music was slow. And sad. A few copper coins lay in an open case at her feet.

Bob stopped. He sat on the ground. He watched. He did not speak. He only heard the music. The woman saw him. Her music became softer. She played a simple song, just for him.

The song ended. Bob clapped his hands. One time. Loud. The woman gave him a weak smile.

Bob looked at her sad eyes. He looked at the few coins. He looked at the big, juicy star-fruit in his hand. He stood up, walked over, and placed the fruit carefully in her coin case.

The woman's eyes went wide. "For me? But... this is worth more than all these coins."

Bob just pointed at her. "You... sad." Then he pointed at the fruit. "Happy."

A real, bright smile finally broke through on her face. "Thank you, little one. Thank you."

His tour was not over. Clang... clang... clang. A hammer. He followed the sound. A blacksmith shop. It was hot and loud. A big man was there. His arms were thick. He hit hot metal with a hammer. Sparks flew.

Bob stood and watched the fire. He saw a real sword in a water barrel. It was long and sharp. He looked at the real sword. He looked at his stick.

He held his stick-sword high. His face was serious. He nodded. A strong nod. His was also a good sword.

The blacksmith saw him and stopped hammering. He let out a booming laugh. "That's a fine blade you've got there, lad! What's it for? Slaying spiky badgers?"

Bob's face stayed serious. He shook his head. "No. Big... dragon."

The blacksmith laughed even harder, a deep, rumbling sound that made the tools on the wall shake. "A dragon! Well, you'll need a strong arm for that! Keep practicing, little warrior!"

"Come on, Bob," Traveller's voice said. They had a bag with bread and meat. "We have what we need."

Bob lowered his sword and followed. As they walked to the gate, he felt a small, happy warmth inside him. He didn't have the star-fruit anymore, but his stomach didn't feel empty.