The Guardians' Legacy

— I said we didn’t come to your apartment. — Garta replied a second time and took a few steps to reach the simple door leading to the first floor of the building. The wooden sign with the words “Runa’s Tailor Shop” gave an obvious indication of what they would find there.

The guardian knocked on the door and waited, leaning against the outside wall of the store.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to buy a dress.” Colth walked closer to the woman. His words were a little ironic, but he couldn’t imagine anything else coming from a visit to a tailor shop.

— No — she replied, rolling her eyes. — Just be quiet and let me talk.

The tailor's shop's weathered wooden door opened. They were received by a gray-haired lady in a colorful, flashy outfit.

— Ah, Garta. I was waiting for you... Who is this? — As soon as the woman noticed Colth's presence, she stopped her welcome and adjusted her previously relaxed posture.

— He's a temporary resident — the guardian replied as she closed her eyes as she anticipated what would come next.

— Garta, introduce me. — The older woman replied, nudging the bored girl's elbow, without taking her eyes off Colth.

—... — Garta took a deep breath, swallowing her clear annoyance before fulfilling the merchant's request. She knew that exotic figure and knew it would be easier, and faster, to just grant her wish. — Madam...

— Miss. A widow is also single — the woman corrected.

Garta looked to the sky for patience.

—Miss Runa, this is Colth Lasvin. Colth, this is Miss Runa Ruthord.

- Pleasure to meet you. — The woman who was in her late sixties smiled and hummed her words like a girl who had just graduated from an all-girls school.

—The pleasure is mine. — Colth was polite, but he couldn't help but look at Garta strangely.

— Are you new here? — Runa took two steps towards the boy. — Are you enjoying this part of the city? If you want, I can show you around...

“Miss Runa,” Garta interrupted the sycophantic woman’s words. “We’re in a bit of a hurry. Could you—”

— The cashier next to the counter — she answered the question dismissively, she didn't take her eyes off the uncomfortable boy. — Listen, Colth...

Crash! The sound of breaking glass echoed throughout the square. Everyone immediately looked to see the source of the distinctive sound. Little Jorge was standing in front of the broken window of one of the many buildings in the neighborhood. He had a few small stones in his hands and a very suspicious look on his face.

— Boy! What is this!? Are you crazy? — Runa shouted, shouting the beginning of a scolding.

The boy looked at the gray-haired woman and immediately, realizing that he had done something he already regretted, he dropped the stones and started running in the opposite direction of the tailor's shop.

— Come back here! I'm going to beat you up, boy! — The woman set off in pursuit of the boy without any commitment to the rest. Her colorful dress fluttered in the wind as she ran, standing out against the gray North.

— Whatever. — Garta muttered and took a deep breath. He didn't think for more than two seconds as he watched Runa running away after the naughty child. He entered the tailor's door without fear. — Come, Colth.

The boy hesitated for a second as he entered an unknown place without permission, but he did so. He followed the determined woman closely.

They came across a dark corridor, lit only by natural light that entered through the narrow, dusty windows, a few meters of a narrow and silent path. At the back, a wooden counter and, leaning against the side walls, large rolls of different types and colors of fabric. In addition, some incomplete pieces of clothing hanging on hangers throughout the establishment gave color to the environment.

Garta continued walking down the hallway as Colth followed her with curious looks.

— What are we doing here?

— We have a mission — she replied.

— Won't that woman get mad?

— Runa? No, she wouldn’t mind that. — Garta stopped near the counter and then crouched down in front of a large cardboard box in the corner of the wall. — Runa’s just a little crazy.

—Crazy? — Colth raised his eyebrows.

— I think everything is here. — The woman closed the box after checking its contents. Then, she placed the package on her arms with some effort and, only then, handed them to Colth. — Here. Hold it.

— Wow. — The impact of the weight of the box in the boy's hands threw him off balance for a moment. — That's heavy.

— Yeah, a little. Come on, let's deliver this. — Garta wasted no time, she walked back across the hall while being accompanied by the box carrier.

—Are those weapons? Or maybe ammunition? — Colth still maintained his curiosity.

— What? No. Of course not. Why would Mrs. Runa have weapons in her house?

— You were the one who said she was crazy.

— Hi! — Garta let out the beginning of what would have been a laugh. With one hand she forced herself to contain her comical impulse, her face blushing for a split second. She hid it, but continued to be in a good mood. — She wasn't the kind of crazy person I was talking about, but maybe you're right, I should keep an eye on her.

Colth didn't answer, he just enjoyed his own surprise at seeing the seriousness give way to a brief, awkward smile on the cold guardian's face, even though it was visibly rejected by her. For him, it was impossible not to be enchanted by that break in his own established conception of Garta.

— Don't even think about telling Jorge about this. — Garta showed a slight concern outside the small store while waiting for Colth with the box in his hands.

As soon as the boy left, Garta closed the door and they both began a new walk towards the narrow street that cut through the residential buildings to the North.

— Say what? — Colth asked, following the woman.

— You don't want to go around insulting other people's families like that, do you?

The discreet sun between clouds began to rise in the sky while the streets remained sparsely populated, with just a few pedestrians and no cars, not even carts, bothering them along the narrow alley.

— Familiar? —Colth's curiosity was piqued. — What is Jorge's relationship with that woman?

— Runa is his grandmother.

— Ah, that explains why she was so mad at him.

— That's right. But Jorge isn't really her grandson, not by blood. — Garta replied as the sound of their footsteps echoed on the paving stones of the street amidst a gust of cold wind that hit them. — Jorge is... Like a war orphan. He lost his parents during the annexation wars of Nyasan, when he was a child. Runa found him, I think they were neighbors, or something like that. It may not seem like it, but she's a good person. Anyway, Runa and Jorge were the only ones from two families who managed to escape that storm.

“The only ones from two families?” The boy’s heart sank. “I had no idea. I didn’t know the Nyasan war had been so deadly.”

— Was it fatal? If you meet anyone from Nyasan around here, you can be sure that person lost a family member to the damned Capital army. — Garta shook his head negatively without realizing it. His disapproval of that was also evident in his tone of voice.

Colth was shocked by the information. He wondered how such important things could go unnoticed during his school education. “Wasn’t the son of one of the chiefs of the city of Toesane receiving the best education? With the best teachers available in the city?” He asked himself, reviewing his memories of the classes he had taken, and the conclusion was just more questions.

— I had no idea. But what happened to Nyasan? — he superficially expressed his thoughts and continued with his curiosity.

— Now it's just a big iron mine and an almost infinite source of wood — Garta replied without taking his eyes off the path they were walking. — Besides, a good part of the water consumed in the capital comes from there. So, basically, it's become a land of extraction. Typical of the empire.

—... — The boy thought carefully before asking the question that was about to come, and gathered courage. — Listen, if you hate the empire so much, why did you sign up for the Defense selection? I mean, I know your goal was to get closer to Celina, but why didn't you do it another way?

— Believe me, it wasn't my idea.

— Was it that Manager you talk about so much?

— Exactly. — Garta replied and turned to see a building on the edge of the narrow street. — Here. We're here.

— Are we there? — Colth asked strangely.

They were both standing in front of a brick wall in the middle of the street, which was so narrow that it would perhaps be more prudent to call it an alley or even a lane.

— Yes. We're here — Garta replied, sure of herself. Then she took a step forward, and then, three light knocks on the wall with her closed fist. — Sometimes, things are not as we see them.

The woman sighed lightly in anticipation. Colth did not hide his confused expression as he still held the large cardboard box that he had no idea of ​​its contents.

The silence, which was only competed with the sounds of crows perching on the roof of one of the houses on the other side of the alley, was abruptly interrupted by a noise coming from the other side of the wall.

Part of the wall was moving. Some bricks moved away from each other to reveal a passage. It was like a narrow door to a dark and mysterious place. From inside the passage, an old, bald, poorly dressed man with a hopeful face welcomed them.

“Miss Garta. How nice to see you.” The old man smiled warmly at the waiting woman.

“It’s good to see you too, Oskar,” she replied with a slight smile that bordered on friendliness.

— What can I do for you? — asked the attentive and good-humored man after greeting them with glances.

— It's going to be really cold tonight, so I brought you some things — Garta replied, pointing to the box in the arms of the porter.

— I can't believe it. You guys are so good to us, I can't believe it. — The old man was moved as he received the cardboard box from Colth. — I don't know how to thank you. I really...

— Don't worry about it, Oskar. But I need to tell you something. — Garta turned away from the compliments and showed seriousness to continue the conversation. — I think the Manager is starting to suspect that I'm helping you, so...

— Girl! — A shout of joy came from behind the man. A girl who was about to enter adolescence smiled and greeted the woman who returned the gesture in the same tone.

— Iara. How are you? Are you still teaching your mother to read and write?

— Yes. She can even spell without needing to read... Oh? — The girl noticed the presence of the unknown boy and immediately changed her expression to a more shy and curious one. — Girl! This is... your...

— I don't know what you're thinking, but no — she cut him off. — He's just helping me deliver a box to Oskar here. He's just the cashier guy. — Garta looked away when he was met with a confused look from Colth. — That's it. He's just the cashier guy.

— Ah. I see... — The girl's answer was interrupted by a call from inside the hiding place. A more mature female voice. — It's Mom. I have to go. See you later Garta, and... the guy at the cashier...

The girl turned around without hearing the answers, went back into her hiding place and let the silence reign outside.

— “Cashier boy”? Seriously? — Colth asked.

Garta didn't listen.

— As I was saying, Oskar. The Manager is very attentive and...

— You don't need to say anything else. — The old man interrupted her painful words, cutting the conversation short. — You should forget about us, at least for a while. It will be safer that way.

— But you...

— We'll be fine. I mean, we've been fine so far, no need to worry. We'll figure it out. — The man avoided looking fragile.

— Okay. You're right. — she nodded reluctantly.

— Since you’re here, Garta… — Oskar took a few steps back to put the box he’d received and the harsh conversation aside, then returned with a small metal object. — Please, can you take this to Bertha?

— Is that what I think it is? — Garta's question was answered with a simple positive gesture from the old man. — Thank you, Oskar. This will be very useful.

— Well, I'll take your donation to the rest of the people. — The old man walked back into the passage as he said goodbye. — Thank you very much, Miss Garta.

“Thank you,” she replied with a hint of a smile on her face.

The wall began to move on what looked like a metal track on the floor.

The bricks met again and the passage was hidden. Immediately, Garta turned around and started walking back along the path that would lead her there.

— That's it? — Colth seemed a little disappointed, but he didn't think it was bad. He was even relieved that it wasn't something dangerous or against the laws of the Capital.

— Yes. What did you expect?

— I don't know... What did we give him? What was in the box? — he asked as he walked with his shoulders aligned with Garta's, he no longer had to worry about the weight of a box on his shoulder.

— Are you this stupid all the time? — Garta filled his mouth to spit out the clue.

“Are you this funny all the time?” Colth took the teasing like a disgruntled child, then returned to seriousness. “You didn’t say anything, how should I know?”

“They’re clothes,” she replied disinterestedly. “What else could a tailor shop provide? Anyway, it’s supposed to be cold tonight, so I just brought some clothes for the people who are irregularly staying here.”

—So that man is an “irregular”? — Colth asked the first question that came to his mind.

— Oskar? No. Oskar was born in the Capital. But he is helping a family from out of town who lost their jobs and have nowhere to go. They are not much different from you.

— Eu?

— Yes. People who came to the Capital looking for a better life, but obviously didn't find one. I heard that there are a lot of people from Toesane like that recently too.

— What? Why? — Colth was surprised.

“No one wants to be made a slave to work on farms for the rest of their lives,” she replied without apology. “Even though we have to live in hiding and in fear, some people think it’s better here than the great fields of Toesane.”

— Slaves? In Toesane? — asked the boy as if responding to a joke.

— Yes. After the empire annexed Toesane and began to control the fields, payments to workers became symbolic. — Garta realized that Colth had not understood the meaning of that and tried to explain. — With less money circulating, the city begins to wither until the population dies working for a simple piece of bread. This happens every day there, especially in the more remote regions, but it shouldn't be long before it reaches the center of Toesane.

— In the center of Toesane? No, that's... not true. — Colth denied it vehemently, but his thoughts were telling him otherwise as he remembered what his sister had said when she complained about the finances.

—Have you left your house, or your garden, during these last two years? — asked Garta in a harsh tone.

Then she stopped in her tracks in the middle of the narrow street to get attention, and realized she had been a little rude when she noticed the boy staring aimlessly.

— ...

— What I mean is...

“No, I get it.” Colth interrupted as if he didn’t care, but he failed to let himself look dejected by Garta’s words. “First the wars of Rasuey and Nyasan, and now even Toesane. It seems that everything outside my vision is completely different from what I imagined.”

— It's not just your fault, Colth. The empire always tries to cover up or change the facts all the time. The Rasuey war, for example, few know that it was very bloody, some don't even know that it existed.

— I understand. Still, what you said about Toesane. I mean... It's in my city, I should know. — Colth hung his head under the weight of his thoughts.

— It doesn't matter. You couldn't do anything, could you? — Garta tried to get around the boy's melancholy.

— Yes, but the one who signed the peace treaty with the Capital was my father. — he replied without hiding his disappointment. — I always thought he had made the right decision, but now... I don't know anymore.

 —... — Garta thought, but couldn't come up with anything he could say to minimize that situation.

— Whatever, none of that matters anymore. — Colth responded to his own feelings.

— Let's go to the restaurant, I have to take this. — Garta pretended to show the small metal object he was carrying in his hands, changing the subject completely.

—... Sure. — he agreed, still thoughtful. Then he shook his head, composing himself, and followed Garta's initiative to change the subject. — What's that in your hand, again?

—To be honest, I don't even know what that is. — he returned with his steps in a familiar direction.

As for the object, it had the shape of a small rectangular block, something the size of a pocket diary, but it was clear that it was a device that had a single opening, an entrance through which it seemed possible to fit something, perhaps a cable or another device.

— She said this will help us, so it must be important — concluded Garta.

— “She”? Bertha?

- That.

— First that weird lamp you bought from the merchant, and now that little metal box. If it's like you say, then it's planning something.

— That doesn't concern you. — Garta replied directly in a dry tone.

“You still don’t trust me, do you?” Colth guessed. “You’re not fair at all.”

— Life isn't fair. — Garta deliberately avoided combat.

— Yeah, it seems not — Colth could tell the woman wasn’t going to change her mind. — Did you threaten Aldren and Celina too?

— I didn't threaten anyone. — she replied without thinking.

—...Really? — he showed his dissatisfaction with the answer with his eyes closed.

—No one but you—she corrected herself.

— Thank you for the exclusivity.

— Shut up — he replied good-naturedly. The woman ignored Colth's comment and hurried her steps along the pavement of the square with the two old trees to avoid the tent that remained in the middle of the commercial space. — Come on, we're almost there.

After entering the restaurant building, Garta and Colth went to Bertha's room.

— That's the.... — The short girl's eyes shone when she saw the object in the guardian's hands, her words were accompanied by a euphoric and excited smile. — Old Oskar did it!

The girl grabbed the object before Garta could even offer it to her. Then she turned and walked skipping back to the counter with the metal box in her hands.

— That's it! That's it! — The girl's high-pitched voice reverberated through the room.

Bertha was already excitedly fiddling with the tools on the workbench while the other two had been forgotten. Colth was impressed by the girl's sudden and energetic way of acting. She laughed loudly as she opened the device with a screwdriver in an unconventional way.

— Hey Bertha, where are those two? — asked Garta as she sat down casually on the sofa in the center of the room.

—They are going to dine with the Manager—replied Bertha, without paying attention to her own words.

'Or that!' — Garter practically pulled off the couch.

Immediately, the only door in the room opened and revealed three people, the first of them was a very well-dressed man, with a few gray hairs and a confident expression, he looked at Garta and said calmly:

— Yes. I'm going to have dinner here tonight. And these are my guests. — The man in the dark suit made room for the two people right behind him.

— Hey guys. Are you guys going to have dinner here too? — Aldren asked cheerfully. Beside him, Celina showed her usual inert face.

— Shit... — Garta whispered inaudibly.