A/N: Happy New Year everbody! I hope that 2019 is treating you somewhat nicely. I've been playing with this story for a while know (because I'm a perfectionist and are never fully satisfied with what I write) and I've finally decided to post it. If you've never read something of mine, welcome! I hope you like this. If, on the other hand, you already know me and are wondering why the heck I've decided to post yet another story with my well-known uncapability of updating regularly, don't worry. I've thought of everything and will explain more on the note after the chapter. For now, simply enjoy the reading! :)

CHAPTER 1

A CRUMBLING KNGDOM

I rubbed my hands together, trying to bring some warmth to them. The last thing I needed was for one of my fingers to fall off. I counted the people before us in the queue once again, just to be sure (and to do something beside standing there in the cold), and the number was the same than the last time I had checked. But still, I breathed in relief. We would definitely get the medicine. The ones after us, well, they would probably not be as lucky. I shook my head. Everyone else's problems didn't concern me. I already had enough on my plate.

"Next" said the doctor, sending another poor soul home with a little bit of hope in a tiny bottle clutched between their shivering hands.

My legs complained when I forced them to move, the frost crunching beneath my worn-out boots. Next to me, Ness tried to hide a cough behind her fist. It was getting worst, we both knew it. But neither wanted to say it out loud, as if not speaking the words would somehow make everything alright. But it didn't.

"We're almost there" I said, not really knowing if it was to assure myself or her.

"Yes, we are" she agreed quickly, happy to fill the silence "are you cold?"

"Just a bit" I lied.

I had no right to complain. I had a cloak, ragged and falling apart, sure, but she only had her jacket. Her thin, full-of-holes, old jacket. She was the one who had the right to complain, not me.

"Me too" she confessed, her cheeks and nose rosy from the cold air "but I've had it worst."

And so there we were, lying to each other and failing miserably at it. I hugged her, trying to partially cover her with my cloak, and partially succeeding. She pressed her body close to mine, all pretences long gone, and I felt her shiver. A cough shook her body once again, and I pressed my lips in a thin line. It was definitely getting worst.

When it was finally our turn, I barely felt my face. Or my hands. We stood before the doctor and his cart, and I let Ness do the talking. I had my eyes glued to the floor letting my cloak's hood to cast a shadow over my face, like I always did in front of anyone who wasn't my sister, and so I had a perfect view of the man's boots. The black leather stood up from the surrounding white snow, but they didn't shine as much as they usually did. In fact, they were starting to look…old. As if they had been worn for quite some time. Why hadn't the doctor bought new shoes? He always looked after his appearance. Always. Could this mean that…that…he was short on money?

I didn't need any more bad news.

"Hello, sir" my sister greeted, always polite.

"Hello, my dears" the man sighed.

I bit my lip. He usually didn't hesitate so much. Something was definitely wrong. I heard Ness take out the small pouch with everything we had managed to collect that month in it, and my stomach growled unhappily. I'd probably not eat for four days, at least, and I was already starving. But it was worth it. Of course it was. And we would manage to hold one, like we always did.

"I'm sorry, I really am" the man started "but the price has gone up."

"Again?" my sister whispered, and I knew that the words had slipped from her mouth before she had realised it.

"I'm sorry" the doctor repeated, but his words sounded hollow.

"But the King was supposed to pay for half of it, like he has been doing for the past few years…"

"His Majesty has decided that he will no longer pay for the people's medicine. If anyone needs any of my products, they will have to pay for it with their own money."

"But" Ness swallowed, trying to keep the conversation civil "he was only paying for half of it, the rest we had to pay it ourselves. I'm not asking for you to give me my medicine for free, but this is all we've got. Please sir."

"I'm sorry" he repeated. This time more firmly, and I could tell he was losing his patience.

"How much is it?" I asked suddenly.

I had risen my gaze and was now looking at his jacket. It was in an even worst shape than his boots. The man squirmed, visibly uncomfortable. It was, after all, the first time I had spoken to him.

"You don't have the money" he said simply, and I felt my blood starting to boil at his tone.

"How much" I repeated, and I angled my face towards him so he could start to see what I was hiding under my hood.

He swallowed audibly.

"Sixty pieces" he finally said.

Shit. He was right. There was no way we could have afford it. We had barely managed to collect thirty pieces.

"Thank you, sir" I heard Ness whisper.

She grabbed my arm and forced me to move.

"Let's go, Serena"

I tried to argue back, but she was having none of it. She dragged me away from the man and his cart, and the queue full of desperate people who would probably leave just like us. Empty handed and humiliated.

We didn't talk during the walk back to the place where we spent the nights. Calling it home would have been stupid, and childish. It was simply a roof above our heads, and an old mattress on the floor. But it was better than the cold streets.

Soon enough, the crumpling building was looming before us. No one really knew how old it was, but it probably looked older than it really was. Time had not been kind to the big house, just like it hadn't been to the people living inside. The rotting air welcomed us as we walked in, and I automatically wrinkled my nose. I'd never get used to that foul smell.

We climbed the stairs, still standing by some miracle, that creaked with every step we took. I could hear sounds from behind every door we passed, but I didn't stop. I could do nothing for the people behind me, just like they could do nothing for us. It was better to leave everyone to their own business.

Finally, we arrived at our door. After some pushing from Ness' part, it opened showing our humble room. I helped her block the door once more with an old chest, the only furniture in the whole room, to keep any unwanted visitors out. We had nothing worth stealing, but there where a lot of desperate people. Very desperate people.

Ness took off her old hat, freeing her short brown curls. There was a time, a few years ago, when her hair had cascaded down her back. I loved her long curls. They were soft, and beautiful. And they had suited her so well. But one day, she had returned without them. At first, she had offered no explanation. But after a lot of insistence she had confessed that the short hair made her look older. Nobody wanted to make deals with a child. With a young woman, whoever, yes.

I would have offered to cut my own hair too. She was only one year older than me, after all. But I needed my hair long. The hood sometimes wasn't enough, and my long locks helped. So I had simply thanked her for what she had done, making sure she knew how much I appreciated the gesture. She had smiled that sad smile of hers and promised that it was only temporary. When things get better I'll let it grow again. But things hadn't got better, and the short hair had stayed.

I walked to the window and made sure it was closed. I also checked the pieces of cloth we used to cover some of the wall's holes, making sure they all kept the cold more or less outside. It always was more less, but at least there was no risk of freezing to death.

"Take the hood off when we are inside" Ness said, but she didn't sound angry. Just tired.

"I'm cold" I explained without turning.

I heard her walk towards me, how could I not with the floor boards groaning with every step, and she put a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"It's just me" she whispered.

"I know" I whispered back.

We stood in silence for a bit, but it was a comfortable one. We didn't usually exchange many words between us, we preferred to let our actions speak for us. And, honestly, neither of us was very talkative.

"May I?" she finally asked.

I nodded.

With slow movements, she put my hood down revealing my face.

"See? Much better."

I half shrugged, but a small smile was starting to stretch my lips. I knew her words were true. We never lied to each other. She carefully put a stray lock behind my ear, and used the gesture to tenderly caress my cheek. Her brown eyes were full of love and trust, and my heart swelled with love of its own at the sight. She bended slightly and pressed her lips against my right eyebrow, just barely brushing it. I instinctively tensed, but quickly relaxed. It was Ness, my sister. I could trust her.

"What are we going to do?" I suddenly said, voicing what we were both thinking.

"I don't know" she said, earnestly "but we are going to get through it. Together."

"Together" I repeated and nodded.

The future was uncertain, but with her by my side it wasn't that terrifying.

"Come, let's get some sleep."

She grabbed my hand and guided me to the mattress lying on the floor. We lied on it and put the not-thick-enough covers over our bodies. We kicked our shoes off but didn't undress. That would have been mad. I huddled against her, using her body warmth to fight the cold. She did the same with me, and there we fell sleep, surrounded with the strange sounds of the night and ignoring our empty stomachs.

When I woke up a few hours later, there were a lot of things bothering me: the hunger, the cold, a baby crying somewhere in the night…But there was one thing, a tiny little voice in the back of my mind, that kept me awake. It whispered insistently, becoming louder and louder until it was impossible to ignore.

Things are not going to get better. They never do. It's up to you to do something, because no one else is going to do it. No one cares about you. Not the King, who's sucking the kingdom's life like a leech, and definitely not the other citizens, the ones who look at you with fear and hatred. Only you.

And the voice was right. I had to do something, and soon. I didn't know how much longer it would be until one of us broke, like a rubber band that has been stretched too far. I looked at Ness, completely hidden under the covers, and heard her ragged and desperate breaths. I needed to do something that same night. There was no time to lose.

I slithered out of the covers, careful not to wake my sister up, and quickly put my boots on. It only took me a couple of minutes, and I did it in an almost complete silence, but the biggest challenge still laid in front of me: the big chest blocking the door.

I approached it and started pushing it, slow enough to not make it screech against the floor but without spending more time than necessary on it. Finally, I could open the door and didn't waste time in slipping trough the gap. I closed it carefully behind me and waited a few seconds outside. Only when I was sure that my sister was still sleeping soundly, I climbed down the stairs and left the house.

The night was dark, nobody had bothered to put lamps in the poorest neighbourhoods, and cold but that didn't stop me. My feet seemed to know exactly where to go, so I simply let them carry me. I put my hood down, more to protect me from the biting air than for fear of anyone seeing me, and kept an eye out for any guards. Getting caught wasn't in my plan.

Soon enough I realised where I was going, although deep inside I already knew. I had been thinking about it since our encounter with the doctor. Ness needed the medicine, badly, and if I couldn't get it with legal means I would have to resort to…less advisable options. Desperate times called for desperate measures after all.

The doctor lived in a richer neighbourhood, with street lamps and all that, but the houses looked in bad shape. I was right: the man was short money, but apparently so was the entire street. And I had no doubt that it was the King's fault. In the past, when the monarch's father had ruled, things weren't as bad. Ness wasn't sick, we ate almost every night, and winters weren't as hard. My sister even had an old violin that she used to play at every chance she got. She had found it in the trash and had fixed it herself (with a little bit of my help). She had a natural talent, and folks would give her a bit of coin when she played it in public.

But then the old King had died, and everything had changed. Some people said that his son had murdered him to get the throne, but there was little prove of it. What was sure was that he had not inherited his father's qualities, and everything went downhill from then on. Ness got sick, and we've had to sell her violin to not starve to death. Despite this, we had never resorted to bad means to get what we needed. But maybe that should change. After all what did the King, or the guards, or any of the kingdom's laws do for us? Nothing at all. So why should I respect them?

The wooden sign with the caduceus seemed to call to me like a beacon in the dark night. I felt the adrenaline running through my veins, my heart beating against my ribcage. I checked my surroundings. It looked like I was the only soul out there and I thanked whichever god, angel or saint seemed to be watching over me that night. I approached the shop's door with quick and silent steps, grimacing every time my boots crunched.

Luckily, I soon was in front of it and nobody had seemed to notice me. Yet. I studied the door looking for any weaknesses, and I was surprised to find that the shop wasn't as impenetrable as I had thought. Furthermore, the door looked as if it would open under the right amount of pressure. But I'd have to do some noise in order to manage that.

I hesitated for a second, but soon found my resolve again. I had no other options. I checked one last time that the street was empty before kicking the door. The wood crunched and splintered, but that was it. I bit my lip, feeling the anxiety clutch my heart, but I ignored it. I channelled that fear that threatened to paralyze me and used it to kick the door once more.

And this time, it opened it's dark mouth for me.

I took a moment to regain my breath before slithering in. The inside was mostly covered in darkness, however one of the lamp streets shed enough light for me to see the silhouettes of all the bottles lined up in the shelves.

Now what? Asked a fearful voice inside me, the same one who hadn't thought I would get that far.

Now it's time to act spoke a louder voice silencing the other completely.

I jumped into action, scanning all the goods trying to find what I had come there for. I knew exactly what it looked like: small, made of glass and with a black dense liquid inside. The only problem was that were hundreds of bottles in that shop. It could take ages before I found it, and I didn't have that much time to spare. But I couldn't back away either.

Fortunately, the same luck that had been smiling at me since the beginning of that mad venture shone on me again. After almost half an hour searching, my fingers closed around a very familiar bottle's neck. I picked it up and recognised immediately, but to be sure I put it under the lamp's light. Yes, it was definitely Ness' medicine. Euphoria substituted the fear, and a shining smile found its way through my lips. I had made it.

Without missing a bit, I ran towards the door but stopped in my tracks. I suddenly felt a weight in my pocket. I furrowed my brows, confused, but took out whatever was hiding inside. In the palm of my hand I held the small pouch of money, the one with the thirty pieces inside. I didn't remember picking it up before leaving, but there it was. Seemingly staring me back. I weighted in my hand, thinking, but it didn't take long for me to come to a conclusion. I sighed and walked to the counter, leaving the small pouch there. It wasn't the doctor's fault after all that we had a horrible King, and it looked like he was going through a rough patch too. It might not pay entirely for what I had taken but it was all I got. My debt was payed.

I turned again, finally leaving the shop. I carefully closed the door, although it stayed ajar, and walked confidently into the night. My steps felt somewhat lighter and the future didn't look so dark anymore. Things were going to be okay. I felt it.

Suddenly, a hand came out from the darkness and grabbed me, throwing me to the floor.

A/N: Okay so here's the thing. I've already written five chapters of this story, so what I plan to do is to post one every two weeks on Wensday or Thursday (haven't decided yet) and hopefully this will give me enough time to write more. And this way, theorically, I'd manage to do regular updates. Thereocally. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, and I want to say that English is not my first language and even though I always review my grammar and spelling before posting, there might be some mistakes. Sorry. Well, I believe that's all. See you in (hopefully) two weeks!