Part I Chapter 13
"Then I shall watch as it's measured again."
The vendor's face turned bright red as he poured the flour out and showed him that it was indeed short of the mark. Cursing under his breath, the vendor added more until it reached the correct weight. There was malice in his gaze for Merus once he had the sack resealed and shoved it toward the boy.
"Merus?" Acheron said, keeping his gaze locked on the vendor who couldn't see his face.
The boy looked up at him. "Yes, my lord?"
"Should you ever find your ya ya cheated again or should anyone here ever hurt you, I want you to go to the palace and ask for Princess Ryssa. Tell her Acheron sent you and she'll make sure that you're treated fairly and that anyone who hurts you is punished for it."
His eyes lit up even as the vendor's darkened. "Thank you, my lord."
His grandmother placed a gentle hand on Acheron's forearm. "May the gods bless you for your kindness, my lord. Truly, you are an asset to this world. Thank you."
Her words touched his heart and brought a lump to his throat. If only they were true. But they weren't and the old woman would recoil in horror if she knew what she was touching the arm of. "May the gods be with you," he breathed quietly before he started away from them.
He hadn't gone far before Merus came running up to him.
"My lord?"
It was so strange to have someone address him like that. "Yes?"
"I know we're beneath you, my lord, but my ya ya wanted me to ask you if you'd take bread with us so that she can thank you for your kindness. I know she's blind, but she's a wonderful cook. We bake bread for the baker who sells it to the king and his court."
Acheron looked back to where the old woman stood proudly even though she couldn't see any of the activity bustling around her. Beneath him . . . If the child only knew what he really was, he'd be shunning him like everyone else.
They both would.
Still, Acheron hesitated. He should go before they learned the truth of him, but he didn't want to insult them and make them feel as low as people made him feel.
So instead he nodded. "I should like that very much, Merus. Thank you for asking."
The boy smiled, then led him back to where his grandmother waited at the edge of the market.
"He's with me, Ya Ya."
The kind lines of her face crinkled as she smiled and spoke in the opposite direction from where he stood. "Thank you, my lord. It might not be as fancy as you're used to, but I promise you you've never tasted better."
"We're over here, Ya Ya."
Her cheeks pinkened. "Forgive me, my lord. I fear I'm a little directionally inept."
"I don't mind." He took the packages from Merus that the boy was holding. "I'll carry these if you wish to help your ya ya home." He was amazed at how heavy the load was for the child.
Beaming, Merus took his grandmother's hand and led her through the crowd.
"My name is Eleni, my lord."
"Please, just call me Acheron. I live at the palace, but I'm no one of any importance."
"He looks important, Ya Ya. He's got very nice clothes and shoes, and he's really, really tall."
She tsked at her grandson. "It's not nice to contradict people, Merus. Remember what I've told you. Looks can often deceive you. A poor man can don the robes of a prince and a prince can be shoeless in the street. We judge people by what their actions are, not by the clothes they wear." Her smile was one of complete serenity. "And by Lord Acheron's actions today, we know him to be noble and kind."
Acheron paused as her words touched him deeply. Never in his life had he felt like anything other than a whore, yet here, with two people who were dressed in rags, he felt like a king. It was such a foreign sensation that he actually lifted his chin a degree.
Merus opened the door to a small house that was nestled among a row of them. Acheron had to almost bend double to fit through the short doorway as he followed the two of them inside. The main room was small and crowded, but it felt like home. There was an energy to the place that let him know Merus and Eleni were very happy here together.
However, it made him appreciate how much space he needed in order to move. The rafters were so low, he'd almost given himself a concussion two seconds after he'd entered.
"Are you all right, Lord Acheron?" Merus asked.
Acheron nodded without moving his hand away from his forehead that throbbed from its collision with the wood.
"What happened?" Eleni asked in a panicked tone.
"As I said, Lord Acheron is extremely tall. He banged his head on the ceiling."
Eleni's eyes widened. She approached him with her hand waving in front of her.
Acheron took her hand in his and put it on his shoulder so that she could tell just how tall he was.
"Oh, my gracious," she breathed. "You are huge. Like one of the gods."
Yet another thing that made him a freak to normal people-it'd also made Estes and Catera a lot of money since those who were shorter liked the feeling of power they had over someone his size.
Moving with a grace that was unfathomable to him, Eleni crossed the floor as if she could see every item in it and pulled out a chair for him. "Best you sit, my lord. I can only imagine how stifling our tiny home must seem to you."
"Not at all," he said honestly. Though he was fearful of colliding with more objects, he rather liked her peaceful home.
"Fetch us some milk, Merus."
The boy ran out the door.
Acheron watched as she went to her stove and stoked the fire there effortlessly. He was amazed at how she knew where everything was. There were no missteps or burns.
"My lord?" she asked as she pulled a knife from its holder. "May I ask you a prying question?"