Note: If any of you notice any OOC from Griffith let me know in your
reviews. Do take into consideration, however, that his personality and
attitude maybe different from the one portrayed in the anime/manga. Just as
a side note.
...............................................
Chapter Four: When Ambition comes from a Child
As the moon filled the village with its glowing warmth, the stars sparkled high in the sky and made a gargantuan roadmap of eternity. Judeau and his newly found friend, Griffith were busy at this time leaning against a stonewall near a local pub. After all of the other stores and businesses had been closed, the pub had opened in order to entertain those men and women who either were too tired to go walk home just yet, or had more pressing matters to keep them from their homes. The pub was designed more like it was a simple roadside stand, and the roof was a simple canopy made from a thick cloth fabric. The patrons and barmaids walked around under this tarp, the countertop an oak table in the center, the stoves and other kitchen accessories near the back.
Griffith was staring intently at a large bowl full of beef stew that sat on the counter. He licked his lips and was about to reach out and grab it from its resting place when he noticed that the bowl belonged to a very tall and well built man. The man smiled and then slammed his hand on the table, demanding more ale to go with his meal.
Grifftith turned towards Judeau, who was absent-mindedly flipping another kitchen knife into the air in front of him. "Hurry up and get the food Griffith, I'm getting bored." Judeau said with a deep sigh. Judeau was an active boy, and he wanted to run around and do more things with the time he had left in the village. "If I don't hurry soon, I'm going to miss the caravan, and then Il be stuck here." He thought to himself. "Can't have that happen, I'm not fit for simple farm work."
"Hey, Judeau." Griffith whispered to the other boy. "I have a plan to get that stew away from that big lug over there. But I'm going to need your help." Judeau raised an eyebrow and smiled "Why do you need me? You can easily run over and just grab the bowl from the man before he even knows what happened. I bet he's colossally drunk and out of it anyways, it'll be simple." The knife thrower smiled and then shrugged, "Unless of course, you have a better plan."
"I do." Griffith said slowly and quietly, his strange and entrancing eyes narrowing and re-setting their attention back on the targeted bowl of food. "If there is one thing I'm good at friend, it would be strategy."
"Strategy?" Judeau found himself saying out loud. He shook his head and tried once more not to laugh at this comrade in mischief. "You know Griffith, you sound more and more like a knight every time you open your mouth."
Griffith smiled and gave Judeau a quick glance. "Excellent, then perhaps maybe Ill be one yet." Judeau was about to say something more to his friend, but he never had the time too. Griffith's supposed plan was to run out and grab the stew as fast as he could. He rushed over and grasped the bowl with both hands, the steaming hot outer edges causing him to whimper, he then fell backwards and sat on the floor, shoving his hands into the boiling hot liquid and licking it off his hands furiously. "The hell is he doing?" Judeau said in amazement as he watched Griffith sit in front of the drunken man as though the man were not there any longer.
The drunken patron looked over and was shocked to see a small street urchin like Griffith eating his food he had just purchased. He stood up and lowered his face at the boy. "Hey kid, get your own damn food." He shoved his right hand forward to try and get the bowl back, but Griffith quickly lunged out of his way and tried to hide the bowl behind his back, long drooling amounts of brownish liquid running down his chin. "No, please sir. Please let me have it, I'm so hungry." Griffith took another gulp of the stew as the large man drew his left leg back.
The initial impact was hard and forceful, it struck Griffith in his forehead, and he spat out the stew he had just brought into his mouth. The stew flew in the air and landed on another customer, it saturated the other man's clothes and made him jump in alarm. Griffith fell over, a large bruised and bleeding welt across his head. Judeau found himself narrowing his eyes in anger at what the man had just done to his friend. He saw the man walk slowly towards Griffith and stomped down with a massive leather boot on the back of Griffith's head, slamming his face into the ground. Griffith looked up as Judeau was readying to throw is knife at the enemy, and gave Judeau a cracked smile. "He's got to be joking me, after taking such a beating like that why doesn't he just run away?" Griffth smiled some more and sat up, his head wobbling from side to side as his entire face was bloody from a bleeding nose.
"Stupid little kid, you should know better then to take others things!" the drunken man yelled at Griffith, his right face going back and preparing to strike Griffith in his face once more. "Please sir, I'm just hungry...please.." Griffith sounded as pathetic as he could, but the man was still about to strike him anyway. Judeau leaned against the stone wall and was about to make his move on the drunken man anyway, despite Griffith's please when the sounds of someone else was heard in the pub.
The man that had been sprayed with stew stood up and grabbed the drunken man's right arm, just before he was going to punch Griffith with it. The drunken man turned and looked at the one who stopped him, he was a skinny man with tanned skin and large beard. "Get lost buddy, you don't want any of this." The drunken man told the new arrival. "I wont just stand by and let someone pound a small child in pulp." The thinner man said, still holding the drunken man's arm tightly. "That little kid just stole my food!" The drunken man cried in anger. Griffith rolled back into a sitting position and made himself look scared. He slightly nudged the bowl towards the drunken man who had struck him and cowered in the corner of the pub.
Raising an eyebrow, the thinner man shook his head slowly. 'You should be ashamed of yourself Cohen. Not only is the boy small, he also appears to be all alone and poor too. Look, he's trembling." The thin man walked passed the now stunned drunken man, whose name turned out to be Cohen, and kneeled before the boy. "Are you alright little one?" He asked Griffith in a happy voice.
Griffith slowly nodded. "I'm really sorry sir, I was only hungry. I haven't had anything to eat in so long, and I don't know what to do." Griffith cowered some more and wrapped his arms around himself. The thin man patted the boy's face and smiled down at him. "I know how much of a pain life can be sometimes. It's hard and we just have to do what needs to be done in order to make sure everything will be ok later." The man opened his pocket and pulled out a small bag of coins and handed it to Griffith, who slowly took it from him. "Maybe this will help you buy your own food. Now, move along boy." The thin man got back to his feet and walked back to his seat. Griffith stood and slowly limped his way into the alleyway where Judeau was still frozen from both fear and awe.
As soon as he entered the alleyway, Griffith's limp failed and he walked normally, rubbing his injured face and sighing. "Well, that went well." Was all he said. Judeau just nodded slowly. "So you planned that then? You were hoping the man would hit you?" Griffith let an evil smile cross his face. "You need money to buy things Judeau, but I'm just a kid. I don't have a job, and I don't have a family either. Living all by myself has taught me a great lesson. Would you like to know that lesson?"
Judeau nodded and awaited what Griffith would say next. "In order to get what you need in this world, you have to use what you have to the best ability you can muster. I am a small child, most adults would consider me cute. In order to get what I want, I will use what I have to get it, regardless of what I will lose." The boy walked over to Judeau and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You should be getting back to your caravan before they leave without you."
Judeau just nodded and shook his head in confusion then began to run away towards where his group's wagons were parked. "Griffith huh? Why is it that whenever he talks, I feel like I'm being flooded with emotion? Is this what it feels like to be enthralled with someone?" These thoughts washed through Judeau's mind and he could not find the answer. As he ran down the road, he quickly passed by a small cart full of strange items, a mule and an elderly woman at the helm.
Chapter Four: When Ambition comes from a Child
As the moon filled the village with its glowing warmth, the stars sparkled high in the sky and made a gargantuan roadmap of eternity. Judeau and his newly found friend, Griffith were busy at this time leaning against a stonewall near a local pub. After all of the other stores and businesses had been closed, the pub had opened in order to entertain those men and women who either were too tired to go walk home just yet, or had more pressing matters to keep them from their homes. The pub was designed more like it was a simple roadside stand, and the roof was a simple canopy made from a thick cloth fabric. The patrons and barmaids walked around under this tarp, the countertop an oak table in the center, the stoves and other kitchen accessories near the back.
Griffith was staring intently at a large bowl full of beef stew that sat on the counter. He licked his lips and was about to reach out and grab it from its resting place when he noticed that the bowl belonged to a very tall and well built man. The man smiled and then slammed his hand on the table, demanding more ale to go with his meal.
Grifftith turned towards Judeau, who was absent-mindedly flipping another kitchen knife into the air in front of him. "Hurry up and get the food Griffith, I'm getting bored." Judeau said with a deep sigh. Judeau was an active boy, and he wanted to run around and do more things with the time he had left in the village. "If I don't hurry soon, I'm going to miss the caravan, and then Il be stuck here." He thought to himself. "Can't have that happen, I'm not fit for simple farm work."
"Hey, Judeau." Griffith whispered to the other boy. "I have a plan to get that stew away from that big lug over there. But I'm going to need your help." Judeau raised an eyebrow and smiled "Why do you need me? You can easily run over and just grab the bowl from the man before he even knows what happened. I bet he's colossally drunk and out of it anyways, it'll be simple." The knife thrower smiled and then shrugged, "Unless of course, you have a better plan."
"I do." Griffith said slowly and quietly, his strange and entrancing eyes narrowing and re-setting their attention back on the targeted bowl of food. "If there is one thing I'm good at friend, it would be strategy."
"Strategy?" Judeau found himself saying out loud. He shook his head and tried once more not to laugh at this comrade in mischief. "You know Griffith, you sound more and more like a knight every time you open your mouth."
Griffith smiled and gave Judeau a quick glance. "Excellent, then perhaps maybe Ill be one yet." Judeau was about to say something more to his friend, but he never had the time too. Griffith's supposed plan was to run out and grab the stew as fast as he could. He rushed over and grasped the bowl with both hands, the steaming hot outer edges causing him to whimper, he then fell backwards and sat on the floor, shoving his hands into the boiling hot liquid and licking it off his hands furiously. "The hell is he doing?" Judeau said in amazement as he watched Griffith sit in front of the drunken man as though the man were not there any longer.
The drunken patron looked over and was shocked to see a small street urchin like Griffith eating his food he had just purchased. He stood up and lowered his face at the boy. "Hey kid, get your own damn food." He shoved his right hand forward to try and get the bowl back, but Griffith quickly lunged out of his way and tried to hide the bowl behind his back, long drooling amounts of brownish liquid running down his chin. "No, please sir. Please let me have it, I'm so hungry." Griffith took another gulp of the stew as the large man drew his left leg back.
The initial impact was hard and forceful, it struck Griffith in his forehead, and he spat out the stew he had just brought into his mouth. The stew flew in the air and landed on another customer, it saturated the other man's clothes and made him jump in alarm. Griffith fell over, a large bruised and bleeding welt across his head. Judeau found himself narrowing his eyes in anger at what the man had just done to his friend. He saw the man walk slowly towards Griffith and stomped down with a massive leather boot on the back of Griffith's head, slamming his face into the ground. Griffith looked up as Judeau was readying to throw is knife at the enemy, and gave Judeau a cracked smile. "He's got to be joking me, after taking such a beating like that why doesn't he just run away?" Griffth smiled some more and sat up, his head wobbling from side to side as his entire face was bloody from a bleeding nose.
"Stupid little kid, you should know better then to take others things!" the drunken man yelled at Griffith, his right face going back and preparing to strike Griffith in his face once more. "Please sir, I'm just hungry...please.." Griffith sounded as pathetic as he could, but the man was still about to strike him anyway. Judeau leaned against the stone wall and was about to make his move on the drunken man anyway, despite Griffith's please when the sounds of someone else was heard in the pub.
The man that had been sprayed with stew stood up and grabbed the drunken man's right arm, just before he was going to punch Griffith with it. The drunken man turned and looked at the one who stopped him, he was a skinny man with tanned skin and large beard. "Get lost buddy, you don't want any of this." The drunken man told the new arrival. "I wont just stand by and let someone pound a small child in pulp." The thinner man said, still holding the drunken man's arm tightly. "That little kid just stole my food!" The drunken man cried in anger. Griffith rolled back into a sitting position and made himself look scared. He slightly nudged the bowl towards the drunken man who had struck him and cowered in the corner of the pub.
Raising an eyebrow, the thinner man shook his head slowly. 'You should be ashamed of yourself Cohen. Not only is the boy small, he also appears to be all alone and poor too. Look, he's trembling." The thin man walked passed the now stunned drunken man, whose name turned out to be Cohen, and kneeled before the boy. "Are you alright little one?" He asked Griffith in a happy voice.
Griffith slowly nodded. "I'm really sorry sir, I was only hungry. I haven't had anything to eat in so long, and I don't know what to do." Griffith cowered some more and wrapped his arms around himself. The thin man patted the boy's face and smiled down at him. "I know how much of a pain life can be sometimes. It's hard and we just have to do what needs to be done in order to make sure everything will be ok later." The man opened his pocket and pulled out a small bag of coins and handed it to Griffith, who slowly took it from him. "Maybe this will help you buy your own food. Now, move along boy." The thin man got back to his feet and walked back to his seat. Griffith stood and slowly limped his way into the alleyway where Judeau was still frozen from both fear and awe.
As soon as he entered the alleyway, Griffith's limp failed and he walked normally, rubbing his injured face and sighing. "Well, that went well." Was all he said. Judeau just nodded slowly. "So you planned that then? You were hoping the man would hit you?" Griffith let an evil smile cross his face. "You need money to buy things Judeau, but I'm just a kid. I don't have a job, and I don't have a family either. Living all by myself has taught me a great lesson. Would you like to know that lesson?"
Judeau nodded and awaited what Griffith would say next. "In order to get what you need in this world, you have to use what you have to the best ability you can muster. I am a small child, most adults would consider me cute. In order to get what I want, I will use what I have to get it, regardless of what I will lose." The boy walked over to Judeau and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You should be getting back to your caravan before they leave without you."
Judeau just nodded and shook his head in confusion then began to run away towards where his group's wagons were parked. "Griffith huh? Why is it that whenever he talks, I feel like I'm being flooded with emotion? Is this what it feels like to be enthralled with someone?" These thoughts washed through Judeau's mind and he could not find the answer. As he ran down the road, he quickly passed by a small cart full of strange items, a mule and an elderly woman at the helm.