"Poor Aeron," Mellonin said.
Aeron heard her and turning to her, dragging his sister to her feet, said, "Poor no one. You did as well as you could and the merchant is gone after all." He glowered after the cloud of dust, rubbed his arm and spat. Sighing he said, "There is naught to be distraught over."
He crouched down in front of Mellonin and grinned. "You should not be crying," he said. "All is said and done now and there was no exchange and no one was harmed." He wondered why she still wept and wondered if it could be her brother. He wondered if Gwyllion would be so upset if she lost him, and whether if he would weep at her loss. He could not imagine his sister dead, or missing. It would not happen...He pushed the thought away and said, "Ravion will find your brother, and I am sure he has made some friends." Hopefully good friends...
He scratched his nose, and said softly, "You did me kind service, Mellonin and Ravion. I would thank you." Leaning over, he pecked Mellonin on her brow and bowed to the ranger. Why had the ranger tried to save him? Aeron was like a flea that would not go away, while the ranger was a load of brickish lectures about Aeron's neck. The boy shook his head and shrugged once again. He had been saved, his sister was still with him, and the fellowship remained in tact. "Of course, I do not seriously think that the merchant would have drowned me for a mere trinket," Aeron said with a cough. But what if would have? Struggling in the water, lungs screaming for breath...he shuddered.
"That was not a mere trinket," Ravion said.
Aeron shrugged. "To me it was. And it was foolish to be upset at the loss of it."
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