Kindness and Approval

Chapter 13

Part 1 - Kindness

“Halt! Why did you come back, Avi?” The village guard yells at us at the entrance. 

Elda is on my back and Dima, with his hand wrapped in bloody cloth, by my side. We are exhausted and beaten, my chest and legs ache. The guard's hostile expression is making my blood boil.

“Come on, let's go,” I tell Dima.

We walk past the guards into the village, ignoring their commands.

“I said stop!” the guard yells and grabs my arm with hesitation.

Turning my head, I look him in the eyes. I’m too exhausted to handle my anger, truly ready to do whatever it takes to get through.

Seeing the vibrating purple, the guard lets go, and we keep walking.

“Oh, you should probably head to the mine soon. The bodies will start to smell,” I tell them, turning around one last time.

The bell rings as we come into Björn’s shop. He comes running through the door behind the counter, his mouth drops and his eyes widen. I lift up the shimmering blue Sathrill and ask:
“This is it, right?”

The fireplace burns warm in the living room, as Björn grinds down the Sathrill. The crunching noise is soothing.

“Tss!” Dima sounds in pain when I wrap his hand. He probably has many fractures aside from the ripped skin on his knuckles.
Looking over, Björn says:
“I will make some for you all.”

“It’s fine, we Avi heal fast,” Dima answers with a forced smile, feeling his hand pulsate.

“You will take it…” Björn says, continuing to grind.

It is very unlike the bravado he has shown until now. He can barely look us in the eye, but I can somewhat sense his emotions. His relief, joy and embarrassment.

After heating the grounded Sathrill and dropping it through a filter, Björn pours some from a bowl into Heins’ mouth. I can see his white beard twitch from his smile.

“Next is the girl,” he says.

Lifting the sleeping Elda's head, he pours the rest into her mouth. She grimaces at the taste, lying under some hides.

“Sorry, you two will have to wait a bit longer,” Björn tells us boys.

In my dream, I am sneaking through the jungle. Leaves caress my sweaty skin as I move forward, breathing quietly and my eyes strained. Creatures sing and chirp around me, but my attention lies elsewhere. Through the bushes, I see a man at the waterfall. Grey skin and dark slicked back hair. He is crouched down, drinking from the pool of water. I stop and watch him. Sweat keeps dripping down from the immense heat, my body burning. Grasping my spear, I slowly raise it.
I wake up to loud knocking, coming from the shop front.

“Hello! Open up!” A boy's voice is heard muffled from outside.

I am sweating and breathing heavily from my dream. Dima wakes up on the living room floor, next to his groaning sister, and looks at me with his half-open eyes.

“You okay? What’s going on?” he asks me.

“Yeah… I think someone is outside,” I tell him.

Björn is also waking up in his armchair, smearing his hand over his tired face. He stands up and walks to the door.
A moment passes and we hear the boy talk to Björn, eventually they both come back in. The boy that first led us to Björn's shop, is looking down in guilt at the doorway.

“The guards wish to speak to you…” the boy mutters.

“Speak up boy!” Björn says, slapping his back. The boy almost falls over.

“Why?” I ask him.

He doesn't answer, just looks down to the ground.

Björn looks at Dima and me, and nods.

Outside the shop, a couple guards are posted in a row, including the two from the entrance. We stand at the porch, looking at their serious faces. It’s not only them, many villagers have gathered around with looks of terror.

“Why are you letting these Avi into your home, Björn? You need to step away, they are dangerous!” One of the guards yells at us.

“Yes, we need to take them into custody right away!” Another guard yells.

“Dangerous? You should see the way the girl snores as she sleeps in there,” Björn jokes and laughs like an old man.

“Björn! Stop this nonsense at once, and step back!” A guard yells in anger, as they all look ready to fight.

Dima and I are standing speechless. The sight of the aggressive guards, and the terrified villagers is making my head spin. I can’t believe it, the very people we helped are looking at us with such malice. The beat of my heart gets louder and faster as my anger turns in my stomach. I’m not able to take it anymore.
Björn stops laughing, clenching his fists.

“Nonsense?!” he yells with a deep loud voice.

Jumping down the stairs, he stands in front of the guards with his massive body, tensing his muscles.

“Nonsense you say?! Our mine is free again because of them! Heins is still alive because of them!” Björn yells out at the frozen guards, intimidated by this one old man.

My body releases tension, loosening the clench of my fists. Instead, a smile comes to my face as I see the Baiin man stand up for us.

“So, it’s true… They are the ones that killed the bandits?” The boy comes running out of the shop to ask.

Chatter grows from the gathered villagers.

“Yes, they did. They did it to get Sathrill for Heins. If they didn’t, he would have been dead…” Björn tells them all.

Even more chatter comes from the crowd, people shocked from what they’re hearing.
One of the guards swallows, and asks:
“But… How? We saw the bodies, how could a couple Avi kids do such a thing? If they did, they are… monsters…”

Björn leans to the smaller man, and answers:
“I am glad they are.”

He turns around and walks back up to the porch, but stops half way.

Turning around one last time, he yells to the whole crowd:

“The Avi will stay with me!”

Part 2 - Approval

Heins opens his eyes slowly, grunting. He sees a white beard in front of him, helping him up. As he sits on the bed, he sees the three Avi staring at him.

“Ehm, who are you guys?” Heins asks us.

We look at each other, not really sure how to answer.

“Don’t worry about that, here, drink,” Björn tells him as he hands him a mug.

It took two days for him to wake up. The other two and I had already gotten better. It was lucky that Björn had allowed us to stay. Only Dima's hand still hurts from time to time.
Heins drinks but starts coughing as he suddenly tries to speak:
“Wait! You’re the ones that brought me here, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, you were not doing so well,” I told him with a smile.

“I remember now. What happened to the bandits?” He asks us, looking confused and excited, almost jumping out of bed.

Björn pushes his face back down on the bed again, and says:
“I told you not to worry about it, now stay there you fool.”

Björn holds his hand over his face and shakes his head as he goes over to the cooking pot.

Heins turns his head on the pillow and looks at us. We smile at each other.

After dinner, Heins is already staggering around the room. Dima is helping him with his arm around his shoulder.
It’s truly amazing. A man who was on his deathbed only yesterday is now walking around. I had no idea something like that medicine existed in this world.

“How does that stuff even work?” I ask Björn.

“Sorry lad, I can’t give out our village secrets,” he answers with a smirk.

Me and Elda pout, looking at the stumbling Heins and struggling Dima.
“What is he talking about, old man?” Heins asks, stopping for a moment.

Björn pauses, hesitating before answering:
“Sathrill.”

Heins' eyes open and he turns his head to me. Shoving Dima off, he stumbles to the table, leaning on it towards me.

“Did you… go to the mine?” he asked me, with an almost worrying look.

“Yes, we did,” I answer, not really sure on how he will take it.

Heins' expression gets sadder, almost angry.

“How? What about the bandits?” He asks more seriously.

“We… took them out,” I answered in confusion.

“What?!” How?” he yells at me in surprise.

Björn sighs and sits down in his armchair. I struggle to find the right words, not really sure how to answer.

“We beat them up, dumbass,” Elda calmly says next to me.

“What?!” Heins yells again.

“Ohh shut up you fool,” Björn bickers from his armchair, having his hand over his face.

Heins sinks down on the chair in front of us, looking deeply disappointed. I don’t know what to say, I didn’t expect his reaction.

Elda smashes the table, I see her angry face when I look over.

“You’re telling me you’re not happy about it? We did it for you, you brat!” she yells at Heins.

Heins just looks away, pouting.

Veins pop on her forehead; she looks ready to leap across the table. Dima comes rushing over, grabbing her arm, I grab the other.

“I was gonna do it,” Heins mutters.

“Wha… What did you say you litt…” Elda says even madder, before Heins interrupts her.

“I spent months getting ready! I made explosions and blades, I just needed more ore!”
All three of us are shocked at hearing his selfish reason. But then I realized something, and tell him:
“Well… We used your stuff.”

Heins’ whole demeanor changes, his eyes turn to me with excitement.

“Really?” he says with his eyes twinkling.

“Yeah. I used your blade and Elda used that smoke thingy,” I tell him with a confused smile.

“Haha! I told you they would work, old man!” Heins says, standing up toward Björn like he's completely fine.

Björn just hides his face in his palm and sighs.

Heins turns to me with excitement and asks:
“Where is the blade? I want you to show me how you used it!”

I swallow before I tell him:
“Well… about that…”

After sunrise the next day, Heins wants to show us the cellar. Climbing down from a hatch behind the shop counter, we come into a room with stone walls and floor. As Heins lights up candles, many tools and smithing equipment are shown from the darkness. There is an anvil, a crafting desk, shelves, and baskets filled with material. Heins walks up to a bellows next to the fireplace.

“This is where I make all my stuff,” he tells us with a smile.

“Wow, how do you come up with all those ideas?” I ask him with curiosity.

“Well, I kinda have to. Since I can’t do much else,” he says with a slight sad smile.

After Heins fell asleep last night, Björn had told us that Heins never was able to manipulate stone. The villagers looked down on him growing up. After his parents died from disease, Björn had taken him in. Fascinated by the merchandise and tools that Björn made, he started creating all these odd things when he became a teenager. Things that could help people like him, even though most of it was rubbish.

“Why are you showing us this?” Elda asks as she yawns, still sleepy.

“Because, I want to make you all something. Like that pointy thingy you have Elda, and a new blade for you…” Heins answers, squinting his eyes at me.

“That would be great,” I answer him with a smile.

“Then let’s head back!” Heins says with a smile, walking towards the ladder.

“Back where?” Dima asks.

“To the mine, of course!” Heins answers excitedly.