"No! I won't allow an outsider to stay in this house!" A strange woman shouted.
"It's not like that, Stepmother! Quin has nowhere to go!" Arya shouted back, the best her four-year-old voice could shout. Quin looked towards the window of the house where her newfound friend lived, glad someone cared for her. The Espeon from earlier jumped onto her lap and she scratched it behind the ears.
"Fine, Arya. She may stay here but in the shed. She can't be allowed in the house. She'll never be allowed here." Arya's stepmother rushed out of the house, flashing a look of disgust at Quin.
Arya came out and made an odd smile towards Quin. "Sorry about that, people here aren't that used to outsiders. It's because of those men who attacked you earlier."
"I see," Quin said. "I'm fine. Thanks for sticking up for me. You seem a lot different then the rest of the villagers."
"That's because I'm an outsider, too," Arya said. She looked towards the nearby shed. "I'll sleep with you tonight. There's not many people here who trust you and they may try to attack you. I forgot to ask you something: what's your age?"
Quin looked up at this question, realizing she didn't question Arya's age either. "I'm five. What about you?"
"Four," Arya said with a smile. "C'mon, Ms. Shade, let's get you comfortable in that shed."
It took some time to clear a spot big enough for both girls. Once the area was cleared, Arya looked sternly at Quin. "I have one request, Quin."
"What is it?" Quin asked, kind of worried.
seeing the look on Quin's face in the dim light, Arya softened her tone. "It's nothing bad, Quin. I want to ask you to become my Bloodbound Friend."
Quin's eyes widened. "This will allow me to avoid the prejudice?"
"Modt of it," Arya said, pulling out a special dagger. "This dagger is called Sav. To become Bloodbound Friends who will always look out for each other, we must both grip the blade tightly. This dagger is the symbol of our pact, Quin."
Quin nodded, understanding. "This is a lot like the Blood Brother ritual they did in my village, on the outskirts of Hoshido. I see we are on the outskirts of Ylisse, now."
"Yes, indeed we are," Arya said. "So, shall we do this, Quin?"
"Yes," Quin said, then both girls gripped the blade of the dagger hard. Arya nodded then both set the dagger down at the same time and Quin quickly bound their hands together. The entire ritual took five minutes.
Arya then smiled. "It's done now, Bloodfriend Quin. Use the dagger to unbind us and I will bandage our wounds."
Quin nodded then did so. She then asked Arya what she wanted done with the dagger.
"You keep it, Quin. I have a feeling it will help you when the time comes." Arya smiled. "Now, let's get to bed."
"Yes, let's," Quin said, smiling at her new friend.