The Happy Few

A/N: Best to get the pre-adventure writing done and up fast. Many thanks to our first reviewer.

Chapter 2

The next day started in a similar manner. The rattling of a key in the cell door woke Kir from a sound sleep. When he did not move from the cot, an elf came and bodily hauled him out of the cell and into the hallway. He was getting more than a little irritated by the way the elves dealt with him and he thought that they were projecting all of their disdain for humans onto him simply because he was an easy target.

Kir was a little perturbed to see that the same elf who had been his guard yesterday would serve the same duty that day as well. After yesterday’s embarrassing conclusion, the human had little liking for Ari. The feeling seemed mutual if the way the guard sighed dismally was any indication. As if he had any right to be complaining about the company, Kir seethed to himself.

The elf that had taken him out of the cell gave Ari some instructions, none of which the thief could understand, and Ari nodded. They exchanged a few more words and when the elf turned to leave, he gave Ari a friendly pat on the shoulder, unlike the hostile shove the one elf had given the guard the previous day. The kind touch seemed to put the guard in a good mood. When Ari reached out to take Kir by the arm, his grip was firm, but gentle. It lacked the bruising force he had used the other day, which was all the better for Kir since he desired to have no more bruises on his flesh. He decided not to try Ari’s patience, lest the man’s mirth disappear.

As they proceeded up the stairwell, he asked, “Where are we goin’ today?”

“The mine. You have a week’s worth of labor to do and each day you refuse to work you postpone your leaving, so it’s in your best interest to cooperate today.”

“And if I don’t?”

The guard paused on the steps and glanced down at the human, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. “Then my fellows will punish you in whatever manner they see fit and believe you me, they are creative in their methods and they have a good deal of pent up anger at humans right now. They would love to take their aggression out on you.”

Despite the threat hanging in the air, Kir couldn’t help but press forward in his curiosity. “Then why didn’t they?”

The question caught Ari off guard. He took a moment to think then shoved the human forward. “Because we aren’t ready to declare outright war with your kind yet.”

He did not ask any more questions after that. Having trod the path the previous day, Kir knew the way towards the mines and moved along quickly. As they walked, he glanced at the elves they passed, noting their agitation and dark, accusing stares. The looks didn’t bother him so much; he had received many dark looks from people when they discovered his profession. Still, a knot of anxiety tied in his stomach when he remembered that he was alone in a city full of resentful elves. He slowed his steps slightly and hung back close to Ari. Aside from the other day’s mishap, the guard didn’t seem inclined to act out violently towards his people’s unwanted guest.

They arrived at the mineshaft and, just as before, Ari grabbed some gear and guided his charge down the tunnel to the pile of rubble where he would dig. Kir sighed when they stopped before the heap of stone.

“I have ta do this?”

“If you ever want to be released.”

“For six hours?” It still seemed like such an impossible length of time.

Ari sat down on the crate. “For six whole hours. Or you can take the twelve hour shift and cut a day off your sentence.”

Kir laughed. “Yeah right!” He looked at the rubble. “How exactly do I start?”

The guard looked up, brows furrowed. “You dig. You have dug before, haven’t you?”

“Why would I do that? It’s easier to wait for people ta get the jewels for ya then steal ‘em.”

A strangled sound of disbelief left the elf’s throat. For a long moment, Ari warred with himself on what he ought to do; he was beginning to see very quickly how useless this human was. An eager part of him urged him to go back to the prison master and convince him that the human was more trouble than he was worth and to simply set the thief free. The other part reminded him that he was currently out of grace with the other elves at the prison and to suggest such a thing would reflect badly on him. That logic swayed Ari and he set his mouth and stood, picking up the shovel he had brought and extending it to the human. Kir took it.

“Digging is simple. Take the shovel, thrust the spade into the wall, and loosen the rock. Once enough rock has been loosened, use the shovel to put it into the carts. Before you can get at the wall, you have to move the pile of stone at your feet though.” He paused to think. “When we leave, we’ll take the carts up to the surface to be sifted through.”

Kir stared at the shovel in his hands. “Can’t we do the sifting part? That sounds much easier.”

“This isn’t debatable. Get to work.”

The young man tried several more times to convince his guard that they ought to find a different, simpler task, but Ari was not listening. The elf had on the same irritatingly passive face as he had when Kir had first met him. When he finally realized that his pleas were falling on deaf ears, the human turned to the pile of rubble on the ground that was waiting to be cleared away. He gulped. Taking a tentative step forward, he put the tip of the spade into the pile. The rock seemed loose enough to easily shovel into a cart.

Kir began to shovel the stone into the nearest cart. His spade was usually less than half-full when he pulled it from the pile and a good portion of the rocks fell when he moved the shovel in an arc towards the cart. Watching the human’s pitiful endeavor made Ari twitch. He had spent some time as a miner and if one of the men on his crew had dared to work in such a pathetic manner as Kir, then management would have punished all of them. They had learned to work hard and pick up each other’s slack. Perhaps that was why, when Kir paused to catch a breath, chest heaving after ten minutes of work, the elf went over and took the shovel from him.

The human looked up.

“You’re making more work for yourself. You have to fill the shovel completely and shake it slightly before you move towards the cart, otherwise half of the rocks will fall back onto the floor.”

Kir looked at the ground; it did seem to be littered with more rock than before and the pile did not look any smaller than it had when he had started. It would be impossible in a day for him to move the pile of rubble in front of the wall, much less actually begin to chip at the walls and help the elves mine and tunnel. He wondered what idiot thought it would be a good idea to send him down there in the first place. Ari, if his looks of agony and frustration were any indication, certainly knew he had no talent mining, so he presumed it was some other pompous elf.

He had been so lost in his lamenting that the human did not realize Ari had begun to dig until the guard pushed him aside to move the cart closer to the stone pile. Kir blinked. The elf had removed his over shirt and had rolled up his shirtsleeves. He planted a foot into the pile then plunged the spade in, pulling a mound of stone free, shaking it a little, then transferring it to the cart. It was an impressive display to someone who had never performed hard labor in his life.

Kir backed up a step and sat down on the crate that Ari had abandoned. His breath returned to him after sitting a minute, but he made no move to relieve the elf. He rather hoped that Ari would forget that his charge was supposed to be working and would continue to shovel in his place. It seemed for awhile that his desire had been granted, but all too soon Ari struck the shovel into the pile and stepped back.

“Now you see how it’s supposed to be done. Get to work.”

The human sat still, loath to give up his seat. Ari narrowed his eyes; he didn’t need to utter a word of warning. Kir got up with a heavy sigh and trudged back to the pile. He picked up the shovel.

“We only have like an hour more of this, right?”

“It’s been forty minutes at best.”

“So that means another half hour, right?”

The muscles in the elf’s jaw twitched as he clenched his teeth together. “You have five more hours. We’ll know when you’re done when the second mining crew starts their shift.”

“But five hours--!”

“Shut up, I don’t want to hear you complaining anymore!”

Kir snapped his mouth shut when he saw anger rising in the elf’s face. The last thing he wanted was a repeat of yesterday; his scalp still tingled when he thought about how hard Ari had yanked on his hair. He turned back to the pile and began to work.

Though watching Ari work had showed him how the labor ought to be done, the human still had trouble performing the task. He tried to distract himself, and his guardian, by striking up a conversation, but Ari was ever mindful of his task. The elf replied in monosyllables and single sentence answers and if he felt that Kir dallied too long talking he snapped a command. Eventually, Kir contented himself by grumbling about how cruel and unfair the elves were and how he would exact vengeance. Ari showed no concern.

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By the time the second mining crew came to start their shift, Kir was covered in dirt and could hardly breathe. When Ari informed him that he could stop, he tossed the shovel away and dropped to his knees, making exaggerated noises as he sucked in air. While he caught his breath, Ari spoke with some of the other elves. They cast glances at the human and several of the miners laughed. When Kir looked over, he saw that Ari was laughing too. The sight surprised him enough that he forgot he was trying to make a show of being exhausted. With his drooping eyes filled with joy, his usually slack face lit up with laughter, the elf looked like a different person. He looked pleasant; not like the snore Kir knew him to truly be.

Ari bid farewell to the other elves and instructed the human to start pushing the rubble-filled cart up towards the mine entrance. Kir grumbled, but put his hands on the cart ledge and pushed. It did not move. He pushed again, digging his feet into the ground and heaving with all his might. It still did not move. A chorus of laughter erupted from the miners and Kir immediately stepped away from the cart and glared at Ari.

“Are you playin’ some kinda prank!?”

The guard laughed and came over. “No. They’re laughing because of how weak you are. Move aside.”

Kir moved. He crossed his arms and waited for Ari to see for himself that the cart was too heavy to move. To his embarrassment, with only a little bit of effort, the elf dislodged the cart from where it had been standing and started rolling it up the incline. The display made the other elves laugh again.

With little else to do, save stand there and be the subject of ridicule, Kir trailed behind his guard and left the dark tunnel.

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It seemed that Ari was his permanent guard. Ari was there when Kir woke the next day and again lead him to the tunnel and watched him during the day. Though he was still angry at the way the elf had reacted the first day they had gone to the mine, Kir preferred Ari’s blank face and bored stare over the hatred of the other elves.

When they returned to the prison after his second day of labor, Ari sat down in his chair outside the cell and stared down the hall at the stairway; he could hear his fellow prison workers upstairs laughing. Kir watched him.

“How come you’re the only one who understands me?” He asked.

The elf turned his gaze towards the cell. “We all understand you perfectly well.”

“None of the other elves speak the King’s Language.”

“They do,” Ari said, leaning his head back against the wall to stare at the ceiling. “They just don’t let you know it. You think we elves would have managed as long as we have, dealing with you humans, if we didn’t know your language? Your people have shown no inclination to learn our language, so we took the pains for you and learned yours instead.”

A bit of contempt slipped into the man’s tone and a part of Kir told him that he should stop speaking before he angered the guard. As usual, he ignored that rational part of himself.

“How come I’ve never heard the other elves speak the language then?”

“This is our home; why would we speak your language in our home?”

“Because I’m here.”

“My people despise you. It brings them great joy to speak about you in their own language while you stand in front of them, oblivious of their comments.”

“Well that’s not nice!” Kir yelled, going up to the bars. “How come you don’t do it then?”

Ari shrugged. “I’ve never been one to follow the path of my peers. Though they may hate you, I don’t particularly care about you. Why then should I make an effort to be cruel to you when I can use that energy towards something more productive?”

Kir pressed his lips together; he felt as though he had been insulted, but he could not wrap his mind around what the elf had said. He decided to let it go. He retreated to the back of the cell and sat down on the cot. With nothing better to do than sleep and wait for dinner, he curled up and wrapped the thin blanket around his slim body. Before he shut his eyes, he muttered a half-hearted ‘thanks’ to his guard. In the hallway, Ari shifted in his seat, frowning and thinking to himself that it was because he didn’t follow the path of his peers that he was being forced to babysit the human.

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The remaining days of his imprisonment were a haze in Kir’s mind. He knew he was forced to work—a ridiculous amount in his mind—and he knew that he was constantly in Ari’s presence. He had come to appreciate the protection that the guard brought and the carelessness with which he regarded his human charge. Having spent plenty of time around the other elves in the mine, Kir knew that were it any other elf guarding him, he would have likely been forced to endure worse than he did.

The human did not realize that his imprisonment was over until he was led out of the city and down a different trail than the one they usually traversed. It took a moment for Kir to realize they were heading in a different direction than the mine. Giant trees and thick bushes of green leaves flanked the path they took now. It was nothing like the rocky, barren trail to the mines.

“Where we goin’?” The thief asked.

Ari did not respond. He continued to push the human ahead of him, though he did not lay hands on Kir as he normally did. If he had so desired, Kir was sure he could have sprinted away before the elf could reach out to grab him. He didn’t want to test that theory though, not after the last time he had tried to run from the guard.

They walked on in silence. A small bit of fear pierced the human’s gut, wondering if he were being taken from the city to be killed. He glanced at Ari’s face. The elf looked as bored as ever so he assumed he was not being led to his death. With that fear squashed, Kir walked a little faster, gaining a little distance from the guard. Ari did not seem to mind.

A twenty-minute walk from the city brought the sound of waves to their ears. Kir paused when he first heard the sound of rolling waves crashing on shore. He waited for his guard to give a reason why they were heading to the shore, but Ari walked by him, offering no explanation.

The shore was of fine white sand with pieces of driftwood and green sea plants scattered about, deposited by the rushing waves that ran up the sloping beach. The day was dark, the clouds swollen and promising rain. A gray haze had settled on the horizon, but if he squinted, Kir could see in the far distance the blur of land that was his own home. And to his right, its tail end sticking into the water of the full tide, was the boat he had used to get to the Elven island. A sudden spark of hope went through him. Kir turned wide, eager eyes to Ari.

“Hey, yer lettin’ me go, right?”

The elf sighed. “Yes. You’ve done your time, now leave and don’t come back. If we catch you again you’ll suffer worse than a week of limited labor in the mines.”

The human waved a hand dismissively. “Yeah, yeah. You’re gonna miss me, aren’t you, Ari?”

For a moment, the guard looked offended that the human had used his given name. He shook his head and gestured towards the boat. “Go. Please.” He stressed his plea.

Kir took a few steps towards the boat then stopped and turned back to the elf. “Don’t I get a goin’ away present?”

He wasn’t sure, but Kir thought he saw the elf’s eyes narrow slightly. He could well imagine what Ari was thinking: ‘your going away present is me not hitting you’. His old partner used to say something akin to that all the time. The thought made him frown. Just before he turned back to the boat, Ari called out,

“Catch.”

Kir looked up just in time to catch a small stone that the elf had thrown at him. He clapped his hands around it then shifted his palms apart to look. A pink shine greeted his eyes and he saw with no small bit of surprise that the elf had tossed a ruby at him. He looked at Ari.

“I wasn’t really expecting a gift, but thanks!”

He did not wait to hear if the guard replied. Kir turned on his heel and ran over to the boat, pushing it out into the water and hopping in. It wasn’t until he had paddled past the high rolling waves that tried to push him back to the shore that he glanced back. The shoreline was empty, save a few stunted trees that stubbornly continued to grow on the windy stretch of land. Ari had retreated to the city it appeared.

With a careless shrug, Kir turned back to the expanse of water that stood between him and his home. A sly grin made its way onto his face. His sweet home, filled with suckers and jewel hounds. There were a hundred people he could sell his wares to and even more to steal from.

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It was harder than Kir had thought to sell the items he had. It seemed that since he had been gone, locked away and mistreated in an Elven prison, that matters in the trade business had gone from bad to worse. Where he had once thought that decreasing trade with the elves would make his jewels more valuable, he now found that trade had all but stopped and no one wanted to buy things that came from the elves. Some kind of law had been made prohibiting such trafficking. Even on the streets and with his more questionable clients, it took much time and cajoling to get someone to buy an Elven item.

The embargo put a strain on his business because, Kir realized, after failing to peddle his wares, most of the jewels and riches his people had and desired came from the elves. He wondered why trade would suddenly be cut off from the elves. His people depended on the elves for their resources. Something tingled in the back of his memory, something that Ari had told him days ago while he was imprisoned. The thief tried to remember what it was the elf had told him.

His memory failed him. Kir shrugged when he could not remember. He was sure that if he hadn’t committed it to memory then it was nothing important. Trade would flow soon and until then he could pickpocket to make ends meet.

END