13. Souls
Rating: PG
Characters: Conrad, Julia, Wolfram
"Wolfram!" Julia smiled warmly, running her fingers over the boy's cheek to 'see' him. "You've gotten so big!"
"Conrad's teaching me to swordfight!" Wolfram announced proudly.
"Is he now?" Julia asked, straightening up and turning to her other visitor.
"It's all I'm good for these days, you know," Conrad said lightly.
"Conrad," Julia admonished, but Conrad put a hand on her arm to stop her.
"It's all right," he said. "Wolfram, why don't you show her your new sword?"
"I can hold it one hand now!" Wolfram said, drawing it from the sheath that hung on his belt, and Julia ran careful hands over it and said 'ooh' and 'ahh' in all the right places. It was a three-quarters sword, the right size for someone Wolfram's age, but he was in that stage of childhood where everything got too small too fast, and soon he'd need a full-sized weapon.
"You can come protect me when you're old enough," she was saying, jerking Conrad back to the present.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Didn't Gunter tell you?" Julia asked, turning her head to give Conrad an apologetic smile. "I'm going out to help at the hospital camp. I'm leaving in a few days."
"Julia." Conrad's voice was tight.
"Don't worry," she answered lightly. "He's sending along Gisela to watch after me. I'll be just fine. They need me."
"I like Julia!" Wolfram announced during the carriage ride home, leaning his chin on his arms on the windowsill as the scenery rushed past and the breeze ruffled his hair.
"So do I," Conrad murmured.
"When I get strong enough," Wolfram continued, putting one hand to his sword, "I'm going to protect her with my wife!"
"With your life, you mean," Conrad remarked absently, letting his eyes close.
"Right!" Wolfram said fiercely.
