Dhampir Knight

Dhampir Knight #04 - In the Capital

When they asked Danell's mom what a spinless quack was later, she turned red and scolded her husband for using such language in front of the children. Theo, Danell, and Nallie laughed a lot at seeing the older couple argue, and then ate some cake Danell's mom had made. Danell's mom made much better cakes than Theo's mom, which always made her a bit jealous. After stuffing her pocket with an extra slice, Theora bid goodbye to Danell's family and left their house. She walked back the way to the main alley of the village, carefully avoiding the plaza crowded with people coming to see Yanheim's caravan. Theora had said she was going home, but she couldn't resist dropping by the shoemaker's workshop first.

"Theo!" the shoemaker's nephew and assistant, who was working on a sole at the machine, greeted her. "How are ya? If you're looking for my uncle, he's gone to collect his order from Yanheim. Did you see the caravan?"

"Yeah," Theo nodded, already making her way to the workshop's corner, where they had a bin almost as tall as her with the discarded scraps and bits of materials they wouldn't use.

She was already on her toes, peering through the mountain of discarded pieces of leather, suede, strings, and other fabric, frowning at them and sorting through the multi-colored pile. Then, she checked the other, smaller bucket, where they put the discarded pieces of metal, pins, and buttons, careful where she put her fingers.

"Do you have a buckle I could take? Not one that’s too broken?"

"Sorry, I don't think so... We're pretty down on materials at the moment actually, it was high time Yanheim showed up! You might have better luck next week, though, we have a bunch of orders to get started on."

His answer didn't please Theo; that meant they'd have to wait another week before they could take that trip to the Capital... She dug through the bin of discarded leather again, pocketing whichever bits she liked, regardless of how much she needed them. She knew the other girls also came by the store, but they only liked to keep pretty strings of leather to make bracelets and other useless things. She'd rather take those before they did and find a use for them later.

"What are you working on this time?" the assistant asked, amused to see her almost climbing it to put her nose in the large bucket.

"...'secret," Theora groaned, her eyes focused on the digging.

"Is it now?" he chuckled. "That's too bad. I could have made you a brand new buckle if you'd told me that secret of yours..."

Theo stood back up, staring at him with serious eyes. She knew Yulke well, he was only a few years older than her. He was handsome, tall with a nice smile, his long hair tied over his shoulder, and quite popular amongst the girls, too. That was another reason why the older girls kept the shoemaker's business flourishing, while the younger ones, those closer to Theo's age, kept coming here and stealing her scraps to make their stupid bracelets.

"I need a belt. For a thigh," she finally said.

"F-for a thigh?" he said, trying to contain his surprise. "Aren't you a bit... young to wear a belt there?"

"It's not for me, it's for Danell."

"Danell? ...Oh."

From Theo's personality, he could quickly gather what kind of 'secret' she was working on. He smiled.

"Belts to wear against one's skin aren't going to be the same as the ones you can wear on top of some clothing, you know. Leather that hasn't been treated can cause burns in the long term."

"Really?" Theo frowned, she hadn't foreseen that flaw in her plan.

"Yes. Come on, now that I'm in on your secret, why don't you tell me your plan? The part I can help with, at least. Is that belt going to be connected to some knee glove for Danell then?"

And so Yulke earned Theora's trust, by chatting with her for a long while about her project, the right fabrics to use for Danell's sheath, and how the leather she was to put on her friend's thigh had to get some specific treatment. The more they talked, the more Theora frowned, realizing her project wasn't nearly done, and instead, seemed to be stepping backward... She was going to have to tell Danell they wouldn't be able to go into the Capital anytime soon. Still, she sat by Yulke's side, listening to his advice as he detailed the flaws in her initial project, and offering his own suggestions to resolve them.

"I can make that knee glove for you," he finally said. "But I might need Danell to pop by to try it a couple of times."

"He's growing too fast," Theora growned. "I had to take his measurements again today."

Yulke laughed.

"He's a boy, Theo, of course he's going to have growth spurts! I reckon he'll be pretty tall, too, if he takes after his dad... Don't worry, I can make sure that knee glove's adjustable."

"Do you think I'll grow tall too?"

Yulke's smile faded a bit. For a second, there was some uneasiness, until he recovered, giving her a nice smile.

"Aren't you already taller than most girls your age? I bet you'll be pretty tall, for a lady! You'll grow up to be gorgeous too, if you take after your mom!"

"I don't want to be pretty," Theo pouted. "I want to grow to be strong."

"I'm not worried about that either," Yulke chuckled.

"But my dad's a weakling," Theo pouted.

Again, there was an awkward beat. Yulke cleared his throat.

"I heard you've been taking some lessons with the Marshall! Maybe you'll become strong like her! It would be nice if you could be our next Marshall!"

"I don't want to be Marshall," Theo groaned. "I want to be an engineer. I'll go to the Capital with Danell to meet the Guild."

"Are you now? You'll love it."

"You've been to the Capital?" Theo asked, surprised.

"Of course! You have to if you're going to be an artisan. My uncle took me there a couple of times, and I got to get my license from the Shoemaker's Guild."

"There is a shoemaker's Guild?" Theo said, raising her pale eyebrows, surprised.

"There is!" Yulke nodded. "There's a guild for pretty much anything in the Capital. The last time I went, there were over fifty of them! Some are pretty small and only have an office, but some are so big they have an entire building to themselves! You should definitely visit the Capital someday, Theo, it's amazing. Every time I went, there was something new. They are always building and expanding, but it's the heart of our Kingdom. The train station is incredible, too. It can take you anywhere in the Kingdom, from the former Capital in the North to the new villages down South, where you can see the sea! You know Yanheim's people came from the Archipelago in the Southern Isles, right?"

"I thought they were pirates?" Theo tilted her head, although she was already more interested in visiting the Capital than ever.

"Well, we've pacified most of the isles, but yeah, there are still a few pirates," Yulke said. "They don't cause much trouble unless you're traveling by ship to the islands, I hear. But if you're curious about the South, you should ask Yanheim, he knows better than anyone here, and I can't think of anyone in the village who's traveled South of the Capital."

"Have you been to the Engineer's Guild?" Theo asked.

"I visited their building, yes. And it was one of the most amazing of all," Yulke nodded. "There are inventions everywhere, and many different metals covering their walls. But I wasn't allowed past the entrance Hall. Sadly, some Guilds don't allow visitors to visit their premises, they want to keep their secrets after all. ...I'm sure you'll love it, Theo."

Theora nodded but didn't say anything. She was getting a little bit excited now. There was a whole building of people who liked building stuff like she did, in the Capital! Would they understand when she explained what she did? Would they think she was good? Or, better, would she be able to learn even more things? She blushed, slightly excited at the idea.

Yulke was watching the young lady smile, hardly repressing his own amusement. Although she tried to conceal her emotions, Theo was rather bad at it, and he could see her lips trying to break into a smile, and her fingers fidgeting.

"You-"

Before he could finish his sentence, young female voices suddenly called his name from outside the workshop, growing closer. Theora's smile instantly melted, and she directed a glare at the door even before the other girls were in sight. They appeared, all three girls looking overexcited.

"Yulke! Did you see the caravan?"

"Yanheim's brought new colored leather!"

"And there is-"

They interrupted themselves when they saw Theo. Of course, they all knew each other, and all three of those girls disliked Theo. Fabina, Yosette, and Glanys were the only other girls who were close to Theora's age in the village, but they had decided long ago that they disliked her. In another life, perhaps, they could have been friends, but somehow, it felt too late for that now. Theora had been ostracized from their little group for too long now, and she knew those three were best friends, and she was the outsider they never wanted to include in anything. The four girls stood in a strange, silent stand-off for a few seconds, with Theora fiercely glaring at them, as if daring them to say anything, while the newly arrived trio kept a safe distance. It was like seeing three kittens ready to hiss at a pup ready to bark.

"G-girls," said Yulke, a bit at a loss of what to do. "You were saying something about colored leather...?"

"Yanheim brought some pretty ones," Fabina said, although her eyes were still set on Theora, as if she was afraid to look away.

"Ha! You took all the pretty leather again!" Glanys shrieked, pointing an accusing finger at Theora's hand.

She clenched on her findings, unwilling to let them go.

"I found them first," she said.

"It's unfair!" Glanys protested. "You always take more than the three of us combined!"

"You use it to make stupid stuff anyway," Theo spat. "I make useful stuff."

"I don't care! You should share with others!"

"Come on girls," Yulke said, trying to pacify them. "Just share, Theora really needs them too. Plus there's plenty left-"

"I'm sure she just takes the pretty ones first so we don't take it!" Glanys insisted.

"Leave it!" Yosette insisted.

"No," Theo stood firm. "They're mine."

She stepped toward the door to leave, but the three girls all placed themselves in front of the exit, visibly determined to prevent her from taking the piece of leather.

"You let them go first," Glanys insisted.

"...I'll punch you," Theo warned them.

"Girls!" Yulke exclaimed, getting nervous about a fight in the workshop. "Girls, come on, just let her through! I'll save pretty ones for you with the new colors Yanheim brought! Just let Theora through! Girls shouldn't fight-"

"She's the one who's always fighting!" Fabina exclaimed, again pointing a finger at Theora. "She fights even more than the boys! And she bites people, too! She bit Dandan this morning!"

"He started it," Theora hissed.

"You're not a girl, you're a rabid dog!" Fabina insisted.

"Don't call her a rabid dog!" Yulke exclaimed, shocked. "Fabina! I'll have a word with your mother if you start spouting such horrible things!"

"She's not a rabid dog," said Yosette, more calmly than the others. "She's a vampire."

There was a sudden horrified silence. It wouldn't have been quite as bad if it wasn't for Yulke's suddenly shocked expression, too, and it was his reaction that hurt Theora the most. She clenched her little fist on her leather, seriously considering punching her way through.

"I'm. Not. A vampire," she spat, tears appearing in her eyes.

Yosette seemed taken aback by Theora's tears, and for a second, she seemed almost sorry, as if she wasn't sure about what she had called Theora anymore. Glanys, too, seemed to think they had pushed it a bit too far; Theora had never cried in front of them. Fabina, however, seemed happy to finally get some reaction out of her and chuckled.

"Ha! You are a vampire! You always bite people! And you have weird eyes! You're definitely a vampire! And we should give you a muzzle like a dog before you bite someone else-"

Theo pushed her out of the way and ran out of the workshop before she could hear the rest of the sentence. She ran, crying in the street, as fast and as far as she could, crying loudly. She wasn't a vampire. Being a vampire wasn't a good thing. And her mom was human. Her dad was human. How could she be a vampire? Why were her eyes strange? Theora was crying in anger, because she hated that those stupid girls' words had gotten to her. She hated that they had seen her tears, and Yulke, too, had seen them. She didn't want to cry. She would much rather be known as a brute than a crybaby!

She kept running until she reached the forest that surrounded the houses. She had run past the street she should have turned on to go home a long while ago, but she didn't care. She didn't want to go home anymore. Theora ran up the forest, and when she couldn't run anymore, because there were too many trees and the path was too steep, she angrily walked, and climbed. She had dropped her pieces of leather at some point, and she only realized it when she scraped her hand against one of the rocks. Finally, when she was too tired, she slowed down and looked around. There was nothing but trees, grass, moss, and rocks around her. She had left any path far behind her, and she was deeper in the valley's forest than the other kids would even dare to go. She took deep breaths, but they soon turned raspy, and Theo began crying, out loud, letting her tears flow freely. She dropped down on her bum, wrapping her arms around her knees and crying in them as if even the forest shouldn't get to see her face. She was angry, frustrated, upset. She hated feeling like this, and she hated crying, too. But just this once, when no one was watching, she could let it out.

Theora cried for a long time. She cried until the sky got dark and until a faint drizzle started. She didn't want to move yet, because she knew it would show on her face that she had been crying, and she didn't want her parents to see, nor to ask why. Her mom would be angry, and her dad upset. She didn’t want to explain what those other girls had said. Theora cried, until she felt too tired to cry anymore, and she didn’t have any more tears left in her. She just stayed like this, a bit tired from crying so much, silent, and listening to the sounds around her, the pacifying sounds of the forest. She liked being alone in the outskirts, where no one could bother her, and she was alone. She was far enough that she couldn't even hear the noises of the village. She moved just a bit to sit next to a tree, and sat still, slowly drying her tears, and wondering how late she could go home before her mom got really mad...