Tom was waiting impatiently in the front room for almost ten whole minutes. It got boring after the first five, and by the tenth, he was ready to jump off the roof. The moment he saw Hera, that thought changed. She looked radiant. With twin braids that Tom was dying to tug on and a pretty dress that matched her eyes, Hera looked so pretty. His Hera, no one else could have her. He grinned foolishly and noticed that she was slightly taller than normal. He looked down to her feet and noticed that she was wearing low heels. Although he would probably never admit to it, he was glad that she was shorter than him.
He walked up behind her and gently placed his hands on her head. He ruffled up the tops of the braids before pressing his magic onto the top of her head. She gave a slight shiver before turning around and saying,
"Tom, you know I don't like it when you do that," he smirked at her and increased the flow. Hera looked up at him and smiled softly before bringing down a wave of warm spring on Tom. She seemed to be under the impression that he didn't like it. But she was heavily mistaken.
"I will tell Matron that you are being mean to me and should not be allowed to come with me to town," Hera was practically singing at him. Taunting him with the power she now held. Hera was one to give her heart, and Tom appreciated that, but he was not like that, and never could be. He would keep all his emotions penned up, and only release them when he was hurting someone, or getting revenge.
Tom scowled down at her, noticing the height difference that grew with each passing year. He playfully put a hand on his heart and stumbled backward, dramatically screeching, "you wound me so dear Hera," He proclaimed, and she giggled, that sweet giggle that sent his stomach fluttering. He grabbed her hand and they walked together to the Matron's office.
Because Hera was turning eight years old, she could now go to town with permission from the Matron, and a child over the age of ten with her. It opened up so many possibilities for both Hera and Tom.
The orphanage never had enough money to feed all the children, so it was out of the question for Tom and Hera to take the trolly. The town center was only about three miles away, so the two children walked. It was the first time in a long while that they had been able to be alone. The Matron distrusted Tom, and loved Hera like her own child. Mixing the two caused headaches that would last for weeks.
The two children walked downtown, talking the entire way. Hera would speak about the things she would get herself if she had as much money as she wanted, and Tom would talk about alternatives to those things. It was enjoyable for the both of them, and soon, they got to the village. It felt like they had been walking for barely ten minutes, when in reality, it had been twice that.
The first shop Hera dragged Tom into, was the bookstore. The bookstore owner knew the Matron very well. Well enough for rumors to be spreading like crazy about the two. Because of this very close relationship, all the orphans got 75% off of every purchase. All they had to do was promise not to speak about the relationship to the townspeople. The owner of the bookstore was married after all.
The moment Tom and Hera entered the store, they both breathed in a large breath of old books. It was the scent both liked most. It was soothing to them, and Hera calmed down a little about the plans they had.
Hera had always loved fantasy, and true to that, she hopped right over to the fantasy section. There were meager pickings, as many of the townspeople agreed with Hera and her love of fantasy. The war going on had put many people into a position of wanting to read fantasy, where no matter what happens, the good guys will always come out on top. Hera found the final installment of the Lord of the Rings series quite quickly, and ran over to Tom, who had the money. He looked at her book choice and smiled a little, he had collected the first three books by various means, stealing from other children, although he would never admit to it in front of Hera, getting the last one was a something he had been looking forward to,
"I am glad you found this," he murmured, excitement lacing his tone, "I can read it aloud before we go to sleep if you want," Hera looked up at him, her head cocked,
"Really?" he nodded down at her, and she squealed, the joy of having a good book and good company taking over her. It was something she had wanted to ask. Having Tom read to her was one of the most relaxing parts of her day. She got to sit there and doze in and out of sleep while the low smooth tones of Tom's voice washed over her. Filling her head with the wonders of the Hobbit realm.
As they left the bookshop, many of the people lingering around saw the excited little girl and came over, asking what was going on. Tom always answered with a short,
"She is excited about the chance to leave the orphanage for once, Matron does not have enough money for all of us to take trips together," and soon after, there would be hands full of money pushing their way Toms way. He would decline once, then take it while sighing,
"I really shouldn't, but maybe we could save this and have a nice Christmas dinner this year," He would look down at Hera, fake sorrow in his eyes. He would thank the people for their generosity and Hera would bounce after them, thanking them over and over, her high pitched voice filling the air.
There was a bar that the adults from the orphanage (specifically Matron) frequented, and there was a small corner of the shop dedicated to ice cream. Each child got one ice cream on their birthday, and for many, that was the highlight of their year. It was cold, and sweet, melting on your tongue as you licked the delicious frozen treat.
Hera bounced up to the man behind the counter, excitement visibly rolling off her. Her power was going crazy and Tom loved it. He could soak in that soft breeze and springtime air for hours, never getting tired of it.
Tom loved watching her, the brightness, the energy. It wasn't like he wasn't energetic, he had learned to hide it. To keep everything inside. Hera had not learned that yet, and he hoped that she would never have to. He wanted her to keep that childlike energy, he wanted her to look at the world and not see the awful things that go on, to keep seeing the best in everyone. It was one of the things he loved most about her.
Hera ordered strawberry ice cream, and with the leftover money, Tom also got a dark chocolate and coffee flavored ice cream. The two children made their way outside to eat their treats. It would not be good to get any on their clothing or on the floor, and sitting outside would make it easier to not make a mess.
~~Heirlings~~
Sorry that this chapter is so short, I am trying to figure out my schooling situation. This chapter really had it out for my guys… like… come on.
Someone at my school got COVID, and so I am in a two week mandatory quarantine. I have hit a little bit of writers block for this story, so I am working on a oneshot. It is all wolfstar, and I think it is turning out well.
Do you want longer chapters that take longer, or keep the semi-regular shorter chapters? (Aug 28)
Hi... It is Sep 16, the day i am posting this. I am so sorry about not posting earlier, but unfortunately, my mental heath has decided to go on a several week vacation. I have been really struggling to function normally. I usually have about four chapters pre-written and I wanted to keep up with that. I only have one other chapter done right now, and it made me feel like I am abandoning this story. I am not, although updates might become much more sporadic. I am really sorry guys. I love this story, but I have two hours of free time a day and an hour of that is eating. the other hour is trying to sleep.
If you guys have any questions, feel free to PM me, I should answer within the day. I hope you enjoyed it, please comment any suggestions or thoughts you had about this chapter.
I love you guys (male, female, other, and spoons)
Bookfairy
