Leo woke up feeling tired. He was shifting around all night after he had his conversation with Queen Sybil. She unsettled him, constantly saying that he was in danger while at Happiness Village. He could see where she was coming from but at the same time, he doubted the villagers actually went as far as to kill someone.
They were cruel, yes, but they were desperate for numbers. Desperate for people to work on the farms to provide food. Trade from Illiasburg had long since died down, only a few traders here and there showed up, and most of them were to purchase honey that some of the villagers made. Rarely did any of them come with excess crop yields or other goods.
Despite all that occurred in Happiness Village, he could say he felt safe to a degree, much safer when mother was around. It still felt safer back in Happiness Village than it did in the Harpy Village, Sophia and Queen Sybil still had his full attention. He could not let his guard down around them, they had to be plotting something. Especially if Queen Sybil had the final say in any kid that was kidnapped.
He was targeted, and Leo knew the reasons Queen Sybil gave were not the real reasons. She wanted him because he slipped up at Happiness Village and became a target. Leo just had to figure out exactly how he became a target, and that is what unsettled him. He made sure to be careful around all of the villagers and he knew mother would never side with the harpies.
Sophia shifted in her bed and woke up, she slowly got up from her bed mat and stretched while looking over her children and Leo. Once she saw he was awake as well she waved her wing and mouthed 'good morning.' Trying to not wake up the other kids.
Leo offered a simple wave before standing up and walking toward one of the windows away from Sophia.
Tree leaves blew in the wind, slowly shifting back and forth as the gale went by. The sun was just beginning to rise over the tree tops and its orange hue shined towards the window he was looking from.
So that was east, towards the main village. The only problem was he had yet to see a true map of the continent. Leo had only heard stories of locations and had no way of placing exactly where these locations were, there goes another thing on the checklist.
Sophia slowly walked over to Leo and stood next to him, watching the sunrise.
Leo did not acknowledge her and simply rested his arms against the small ledge that was making up the window sill. She leaned against the wall further away from the door and tiled her head so that she could also watch the sunrise. He could not even blame her, it was a beautiful sight.
After around twenty minutes the sun fully came up past the trees and the other kids began to wake up. First were Vasil and Natassa, they slowly moved side to side until they eventually touched, not long after they were both awake they started lightly hitting each other with their now free wings.
The commotion caused Irini to wake up. Her wings kept twitching until she shot herself straight up, throwing her head side to side looking for where the noise was coming from. Sophia chuckled in response to her child's antics.
Irini settled down and looked at the bed mat she was resting in before looking at Leo, "Why am I in your bed, Leo?" She asked innocently.
Leo fully turned around to face her, "I should be asking you that. You kept trying to move into my bed through the night so I just let you have it."
Natassa spoke up once she and Vasil were done fighting, "Irini, you always move around while you sleep."
Irini turned around and pouted while looking at Natassa, "…I don't move around."
"Vasil doesn't move around," Natassa corrected, "You try to fly away in your sleep."
Vasil puffed her chest up taking Natassa's comment as a compliment. "Irini tries to catch me in her sleep because she can't catch me normally."
"That's not true," Irini whined, "I'm fast enough."
"Then prove it!" Both Vasil and Natassa called out causing Irini to shrink down in her spot on the ground.
"Alright girls that's enough for now," Sophia said sternly after watching Irini's reaction, "Let's get something to eat then you can go out and race all you want."
The harpies nodded their heads and stood up while Leo still watched from the window sill.
Breakfast consisted of mostly fruit. Leo could place the apples and berries but once again there were some that he just had no idea what they were. They clearly were not present in Happiness Village or on earth. But he had eaten them the day prior so he ate them in the morning today.
Mild banter continued between Vasil and Natassa while Irini got continuously dragged into it. Those two were certainly passionate about who was faster. Leo was not sure if it was commonplace among the harpy children or just all children. He honestly could not remember if he was the same or not when he was younger.
Before long, breakfast was done and Sophia started to clean up as best she could. There was no running water at this village or at Happiness village so most cleanings were just a simple wipe down with a thick cloth. At most, they would wet the cloth with some of their bucketed drinking water, but that was not often.
When Sophia finished she spoke to the kids, "I'm going help the Queen with some work today, but I'll be back before lunch. Try to come back in time and make sure to have fun! Just remember if you need anything don't be afraid to ask someone."
"Yes Mama," The harpy kids replied.
She opened the door with her talon before walking out. Leaving the kids alone in her house.
"Well come on, let's go to the platform!" Vasil said quickly, "We can find an open spot before everyone else does."
Everyone else followed her as they left the house, Leo trailing behind like he intended to do. While he thought about Queen Sybil's request to give them a chance, he could start with the kids and see what they were truly after. If anything.
He guessed that they were around his age but at the same time, Leo had no idea how harpies aged. If it was slower, faster, or the same. If they lived shorter or longer lives, all of this came into account with determining maturity. But for now, he would assume they were around his age if not slightly older.
Plus they were kids, if they were plotting anything it would not be anything that sinister. Most of them were optimistic and innocent, at least the ones who grew up peacefully. He could give them the benefit of the doubt, he could at least try. It might make getting out easier if they trusted him.
By the time they reached the platform, it was fairly empty, only a few harpies sitting or running around. However, that was not going to last for long as Leo saw several harpies and even some humans walking towards where they were.
Vasil and Natassa were flapping their wings and stretching them, making sure to warm them up. While Irini started doing the same after watching for a few moments. Eventually, she started smiling and laughing the same as Vasil and Natassa, getting into the mood they were trying to set.
Leo wondered what had got to her this morning. She was not nearly as chipper as she was yesterday but he digressed. It could have been something as simple as she was not a morning person, he had not known her for very long after all. Maybe the banter this morning got to her?
He started walking by the rope on the edge of the platform, he turned around to walk backward before speaking, "How far do you want to go?"
Vasil and Natassa looked at each other and shrugged before Vasil called out, "Go all the way to the other side!"
Leo complied and eventually found himself with his back to the rope on the other side of the platform. He made sure to give them space to finish so that they would not run him over when they tried to finish.
It was fairly far from one edge to the other around 50 or so meters. By the time he had stopped walking he waved with both arms above his head to signal that he was ready. Not long after all three of the harpies sprinted off, he never even got to say 'go'.
They were not running at him, they were flying at him. He had never seen the kids fly yet so he was not expecting much, considering that they were in fact just kids. But his expectations were blown away.
Not only were they fast but they were hard to keep track of, even if they were flying directly toward him. It somewhat felt like he was watching cars go by, but one thing was for sure. They were certainly faster than the harpies that he had seen in the forest the day he was kidnapped.
Either Sophia's kids were simply faster or those harpies in the woods were extra cautious and could not fly nearly as fast. Needing extra caution made more sense to Leo but he could not rule anything out. If the kids were related to Queen Sybil then they must have had something going for them over the rest of the population, maybe that was speed.
After about four seconds the harpies had already crossed from one side to the other. It was an extremely close race. No one was able to get a true lead on anyone until Vasil started to tilt her body and snuck out a finish before the rest. Almost like a track star tilting their head at the end of a race.
That was not to take credit away from Irini or Natassa, those two finished at almost exactly the same time and he could not tell who won between those two. Leo was too surprised to pay attention to anyone other than the first-place finish.
Once the harpies landed on the edge of the platform the three of them were panting. Sprints always took the breath out of someone, guess the species did not matter for that.
"Who… won." Vasil choked out between her pants.
Leo looked at the three of them, "Vasil won by a hair, but I couldn't tell who was after her, it was really close."
Vasil threw her wings into the air in celebration while Natassa slumped over, clearly disappointed with the result. Irini was indifferent to the result, after all, she was dragged into it. What confused him however was even after being so excited about the race right before it started she seemed to not care about the result.
From what Leo could tell Irini probably did not like racing and trying to be the fastest as much as the other harpies. Different people have different interests.
Vasil threw her wing over her head, motioning for the others to follow her, "Come on… Let's see where everyone else is."
Natassa followed directly behind and the two started walking toward the other harpies that were walking onto the platform.
Irini on the other hand slowly walked up to Leo and rather than continuing on to follow her sisters, she stood right next to him.
This harpy confused Leo, one moment she was a hyperactive child, the next moment she was seemingly lost in thought, then the moment right after she would go back to being an optimistic little kid. She was clearly thinking about something and Leo could only guess it was about him.
Irini had moved to sleep on top of him over the night. Leo understood moving in your sleep, his brother had done that all the time when they went camping together. Alex always got stuck in some awkward position which left his back and neck hurting in the morning. So he understood what it's like to live with someone who can't stay still at night.
However, what she did last night was not simply 'moving in her sleep.' It was targeted toward him, she wanted to get closer to him and she took the opportunity when it presented itself. Now Leo just had to figure out what she wanted from him.
No! They are just kids. They do not have that many malicious thoughts. If she wanted to kill him she would have easily done it last night. Any of them could have. If they wanted him dead for taking up space then the kids would have done it, consequences be damned.
If she wanted to manipulate him then it was another story, but once again. What would she have to get from manipulating him? She was too young to be thinking about having children so that was off the table. Hell, he doubted if she actually knew what sex was. Discounting the harpy's constant lack of clothing, they were never actually nude, their feathers covered up everything important.
After standing for a few moments lost in thought Leo walked in the direction of Vasil and Natassa. He stayed behind them as intended.
Shortly after he moved, Irini followed. She was making sure to stay closer to him. While she was not at the point where she was touching him.
"Umm, " Irini said sheepishly, "Leo… I'm sorry for last night."
Leo was taken aback by her apology and turned to face her. Her head was down and she clearly looked sad. Her wings dropped down at her sides and her body was slightly slumped over.
"Why are you apologizing?" Leo said feigning ignorance and playing the innocent card she had played this morning. Maybe he could get something out of her if she really wanted to bring it up. "You just move in your sleep, that's what your sisters said."
"I do that… but I also went to you last night… I thought you were daddy." She said solemnly.
Leo winced before speaking up he did not know which side he wanted to take. Caring for the child who was clearly hurting, or staying distant. Both were tempting options but at the same time, it pained him to see her like this. She was a kid, and kids do not normally look this deep in their thoughts.
"Well, I may be a human like him but I can tell you I'm not him." Leo said softly.
"I know," she forced out, "...but Mama said the humans were nice and they love getting really close to us like daddy did. I didn't know what to think when you started running away." Irini started to tear up, "do I scare you, Leo?"
Once again, Leo winced. He was not ready for the conversation to take a turn like this. He would have no problem going off on Sophia or Queen Sybil. But Irini was different. She had not actually done anything to him. She did not bring him here, his problem was not caused by her.
"You don't scare me Irini." Leo said carefully.
Leo motioned towards the corner behind them where they had finished the race, he had a feeling this might take a while. "Can we sit down?"
Irini nodded her head before following Leo. Once they were sitting on the ground Leo rested his back against the rope.
"Your father meant a lot to you, didn't he?" Leo asked.
Irini nodded, "He was great. I only knew him for a little bit but he was so kind, and he was always there when I got scared. I was so worried last night and I saw him in a dream and I just… went to him like I used to. I felt safe and the worry went away."
"My mother was the same," Leo began, "She was always there for me and Maya when things got rough. When we were down she would always pick us up. That's what good parents do, they keep us safe and protect us… Your father did that for you, he wanted to keep you safe. I can't be the same person your father was to you."
"But it was so real," She continued to cry her voice wavering slightly in the process, "I saw him and he was there, daddy came back." Irini brought her wings to her eyes to wipe the small tears that fell down.
Leo sighed internally, this hurts more than he expected it to. Watching a child cry was never fun but the way she talked about her father reminded him so much of mother. That and his parents back on earth, he could never forget them no matter how long he lived in this world. He could never forget who made him who he was today.
He reached out and grabbed one of her wings with both hands, gently squeezing it, "I know Irini, and for what it's worth, I'm sorry."
"I want him back." she cried putting her other wing up to her face to wipe the tears, "I want him back so bad."
"I can't bring him back Irini," Leo said solemnly, "But you can work for what he wanted."
She took her wing away from her face and turned to look at Leo, "What?"
"Your dad wanted the harpies and humans to stop fighting right?" Leo asked.
Irini nodded her head.
"Then why don't you try and make it happen, make his dream come true? Don't let him being gone bring you down. Let it give you strength, let him be your reason to keep going." Leo said.
That's what he had done when he first came here. He thought back to his parents and Alex back on earth and he used them as his reason. Leo would not let this life be in vain because they would look down on him if he did. There was a reason he was given this chance and he was going to make the best of it.
It's what his family would have wanted, and it's what Leo wanted. He could not stop trying and just wallow in grief, nothing would get done and he needed to push forward.
"But how do I do that, Leo?" Irini asked, she was interested in what he had to say. Her full attention was focused on him while the tears clouded her eyes.
"I can't answer that, Irini." Leo said, "That's something for you to figure out, it's your quest."
She pulled her wing back from Leo's grasp and rested them on her lap before looking back at him the sad look still on her face.
"It's my quest?" She said quietly, "But I don't know how to do it. If daddy couldn't do it…" Her voice quieted even further to the point where Leo could not hear her.
"Sophia can always help you," Leo said trying to reassure her. "Let her help you, I have a feeling she would love to carry on her husband's dream."
"But why can't you help me?" Irini asked.
Leo paused, here she was again asking for him specifically. He was not her dad, no matter how much she tried to make it so. He could not take that role away from him, he refused to be a second father to her and tarnish the reputation that David had made in his family.
"Because I have my own quest," Leo said firmly.
He had to get back home, just like Irini worries and thinks about her father. Leo did the same for Mother and Maya. He worried about them and wanted to find his way back. But he could not her know that. All of his work to calm her down would have been wasted, she'd go back on the tangent of 'he was scared of her.'
Which frankly, was not entirely wrong. Even if it was not entirely correct.
Irini leaned slightly closer toward him, "What's your quest, Leo?"
Leo sighed, "I can't tell you. It's something I have to do on my own."
Irini slumped over, she almost looked defeated by his response, "I'm sorry."
"You don't have to apologize Irini, you did nothing wrong. It's okay to think of the people we've lost." Leo said calmly.
"I'm sorry for what Mama did to you." Irini clarified, "I know you don't like her. She took you away from your mommy and daddy. Nobody should have to go through what I went through."
Leo looked back at her firmly but tried his best to not make the atmosphere hostile, "Your right Irini, nobody should have to go through that. It's why I can't forgive Sophia, she took me away from everything. But I have nothing against you."
"...I know," Irini said.
Leo could never forgive Sophia. He would never even give her a chance. She blew what chance she had when she and Queen Sybil decided it would be a good idea to take him from his home.
But Irini was not too bad. She reminded him of Maya, and it hurt. But at the same time, she was entirely different. Irini had her father's death weighing her down and she had no real way to deal with it.
Leo had no idea when he died, but if she speaks this fondly of him she must have known him for quite some time. Not to mention that Sophia likely did not comfort her as much as she thought she did. Vasil and Natassa seemed fine outwardly. Those two picked each other up as much as they berated each other. He was sure of that, even if he had only known them for a day, they were like two peas in a pod.
Maybe Irini does not have the same bond that Vasil and Natassa have. Maybe she's the 'odd one out' in the family. It was entirely possible, but he was not sure of her life before he came around. Just by watching the family, she seemed hooked on him rather than on her sisters.
The two sat around for a little bit. Irini did not want to move and Leo was still not interested in running around with Vasil and Natassa. He would leave them to their own devices. Plus, Irini needed someone right now and he was not about to abandon the sad child.
Eventually, Vasil and Natassa came by the two.
Vasil was the first to speak up, "Still don't want to come and play?"
Irini quietly spoke up, "...Not today"
"Well," Natassa chimed in, "Let's go home and see if Mama's back."
Irini nodded her head and once again Leo quietly followed behind the two harpies. With Irini directly at his side. No matter how far behind he trailed she was right next to him. Leo sighed internally, this was going to go on for a while, he could feel it.
A few weeks had passed and Leo was starting to get used to life with the harpies. Irini always tried to include him in everything they did while he could tell Vasil and Natassa were less than interested in having him around. They eventually got used to him being there, and after Sophia gave them a stern talking, they became more friendly with him.
Leo saw Queen Sybil occasionally at best. She would either stop by the house to see Sophia and the kids or they would see her flying from her home to another place in the village, escorted by guards. It slowly became obvious to Leo just how much authority Queen Sybil had over the population.
They all respected her and in turn, she helped the harpies thrive. Food was never a shortage despite the lack of several farms. Clothing was never a problem for humans despite the fact that harpies could not make the clothing. Medical needs were somewhat tended for but there was only so much he could expect from people in this time period.
There were a few human adults who started to work on more artisanal projects. Some became tailors, some worked on making planks for carpentry and expanding the village. While others simply found what the harpies needed them to do and went to work. It was interesting, to say the least.
One thing Leo did start to notice was the arrival of other monsters. They were mostly elves but there was the occasional minotaur and other human-like species that came by. They all had one thing in common, wagons full of food.
He had overheard from some of the humans that the local monster villages loved selling with the Harpy Village because it was orderly and profitable. There was a structured market and trade network that he did not know existed. No matter the species, someone will always be out there trying to make money, and Queen Sybil made sure to capitalize on that.
However, one thing Leo noticed was that each time he went out with Vasil, Natassa, and Irini he rarely saw the adult harpies. He saw one or two at most but that was when they were passing by, they never stayed to watch the kids. When Leo looked for some of the adults he saw a few guards watching from a distance but that was about it. It was entirely possible that they were out foraging for the fruits that they normally ate.
Meanwhile, Sophia was almost always either with the queen or with her kids. He knew that the other harpies were doing something that was helping the village but he could not put his finger on what. They were not out with their kids watching, playing with them, or even teaching them. It was just a matter of finding out what they were doing.
Leo had a suspicion that there was some level of favoritism in regard to village duties between Sophia and Queen Sybil. It only made sense, Sophia was technically royalty to the harpies. Maybe she was just helping out her sister with administrative work? It was a possibility, much more likely that her not doing anything at all.
"After we get done eating I've got a surprise for you all," Sophia said.
No matter how long Leo was here he doubted he would ever understand just how dexterous the harpies were with their talons. He watched them eat with spoons that humans would use, and hold items with their talons the same way humans would hold them with their hands. It was surprising to Leo, but at this point everything he was coming across was new.
Irini picked her head up while Vasil and Natassa tilted their heads in confusion. All the while Leo sat there unmoving, still observing Sophia at any chance he could to figure out exactly what she was thinking.
"Suprise!" Irini cheered while accidentally dropping her spoon against the table.
"What do you want us to do now," Vasil responded dryly, she was more confused and worried than excited.
"I've been working to get some tablets from Queen Sybil and all the work has finally paid off," Sophia said before pointing behind her at a stack of wooden boxes. "But only after we eat, then I can show you what to do with them."
"What are we doing with them?" Leo asked.
Sophia's smile brightened, "I'm going to teach you all how to write! It's important to learn how to read and write if you decide to travel to other villages."
Leo actually grinned. For the first time since coming to the Harpy Village, Leo had grinned at something Sophia had said. She was going to teach him the language, the written language.
This was how everything changed, Leo knew this was how he could make gains in the world. If he knew anything about medieval culture it was that peasants typically did not know how to read and had the bible scriptures read out to them at church. While he never had a truly religious experience in this world. Mother was still the only one who told him about Illias and their faith. It would be nice to gain his own interpretation of the texts.
Meanwhile, Irini's expression flattened, "...But that's not fun."
"Don't worry Irini," Sophia said, "I'll make it fun for us all."
Natassa looked over to Irini, "If Mama says it's important that it doesn't matter if it's fun or not. We should still do it."
"It can't be that bad," Vasil called out, "If Mama can do it then we should be able to do it."
Irini just pouted again at her sister's response which caused Sophia to laugh.
After around ten more minutes the five of them had finished eating and Sophia brought out the tablets to the table and opened one up. On the inside, there was a metal pen resting against what Leo could only guess was some kind of candle wax. He was itching to start using it, he had to get the pen in his hand and remember what it felt like to actually write something.
Leo was never much for doing paperwork, if anything he despised it like most people. But after going six years without writing anything he was going crazy. Something so fundamental that he had not been able to do simply because of the lack of resources.
Sophia picked up a pen and pressed it against the wax. When she was done she turned the tablet around and there was a letter that looked like a backward 'J'.
"This is what we're going to do with the tablets. When you press and pull the pen against the wax on the inside it leaves a mark." She rubbed the mark quickly with the soft side of her talon, "When you rub it the marks go away."
She passed the tablet and pen to Natassa on her right before standing up and looking over her shoulder. "Give it a go. Press the pen against the wax and pull it toward you just like I did."
Natassa followed the instructions after fumbling with the pen. Sophia held it elegantly while Natassa was essentially gripping it with the full force of her talon just to hold the pen straight and she pulled down.
Slowly the same 'J' like letter was drawn on the wax. While it was much more crude compared to the letter Sophia had written, it was still distinctly the same letter. Natassa looked up to Sophia when she was done.
"Like that?"
"Just like that, good job!" Sophia said enthusiastically.
Natassa pumped her wings up and down lightly. She was clearly excited from the little encouragement, either that or she was just happy she did it right. Shortly after she passed the tablet down the table to Vasil.
Vasil looked like she was deep in thought before she grabbed the pen. She held the pen with a significant amount of force compared to Natassa. It looked like she was straining herself just to simply hold the pen. When she brought it down and pressed it against the wax it barely made a mark.
Over and over she slowly moved the pen down over the same spot and a line never showed. Vasil never made it to the curved part in the letter, she could not even get the same straight line down.
"Try pressing harder then pulling down," Sophia said over Vasil's shoulder.
Vasil complied and the strain in her leg almost doubled from the looks of it. She was really trying to hold the pen still. When she pulled the pen down it made a very light mark. Almost barely noticeable but it was still a mark nonetheless. Then the curve in the letter came. While the pen was steady in her talon it was still jumping around from side to side when it moved against the hard wax.
When Vasil looked down at the board after removing the pen the initial line was barely present and the curved part looked like jagged edges rather than a smooth curve.
"Good job Vasil!" Sophia encouraged just as she had done for Natassa.
While Vasil was not as receptive as Natassa was, she still looked up and smiled at Sophia.
Next was Irini. She looked at the pen and moved it around her talon several times. She was clearly more dexterous than the other kids and it reminded Leo of when people would spin butterfly knives around their hands.
She grabbed the pen with the sharp part of her talon very close to the tip of the pen. When she moved it down toward the wax she was easily able to make a mark in the wax, although it was still fairly faint. When she started slowly writing the curve only the initial part showed, while the upward motion did not produce any markings on the tablet. Unlike what Natassa and Sophia had done.
Shortly after seeing that she had missed a part she went from top-down and finished the letter.
"Good job Irini!" Sophia once again encouraged, "Next time try and finish it in the same motion you started. You'll write faster that way."
Irini looked up and nodded her head in response. Not offering much of a reaction compared to the other two.
Finally, Leo was up. He reached for the pen and inspected it. After feeling the tip he could tell that it was actually fairly dull. The end part of the pen had a little circle that he missed before. That was likely what allowed the pen to really show on the wax tablets.
After inspecting the pen he felt the wax, it was extremely hard and had clearly been used before. There were bits of excess wax all around the edges, likely from where others had cleared the wax.
He brushed away the shavings with his hand and placed the pen on the wax. Leo made sure to press down fairly hard on the wax and pulled toward himself. The circle tip pulled against the wax and lifted it up, leaving a small trail in the shape of a straight line.
It was harder than writing with a standard pen or pencil but it marked just the same. Leo just had to add a tad bit more pressure than he normally did.
Moving toward the curve he tilted the pen slightly to avoid the side of the circle from digging in and not making a noticeable line.
Once Leo was done he brushed off a little excess wax and looked down. It was not perfect but it was certainly a start. The thickness of the line waned at the start of the curve but regained its thickness once it went up.
"Good job Leo!" Sophia said again.
Leo wanted to keep writing in the wax, he needed to get better at this so that Sophia might let him use actual ink and paper instead of the wax tablet. Once he's able to do that he can write notes to himself in English rather than the local language. Simple notes that only he could read, only he could understand. It would be vital to fully plan out what his next step was.
Before Leo could try again Sophia pulled the tablet away from him and brought it to the head of the table where she originally showed them how to write the letter. She removed the wax markings that they had made and started writing on the tablet again. Once Sophia was done she turned it around and showed the rest of them.
"Here is another letter" it was a diagonal line from the bottom to the top right followed by another flat line coming from the top of the diagonal. "I'll pass around the tablet again and you all try and copy it."
The tablet went through everyone once again and when they were done Sophia showed another letter. This continued for around another hour or so. By the end of it, they had written the entire alphabet and Leo just had to piece together how the sentences would form.
He was never a fan of learning sentence structure, he just wrote what made sense. Leo simply wrote what he heard, he never thought much more of it. If it sounded correct it would soon be down on paper. But considering that he was hearing everything in English that potentially made things much more difficult.
In time, Leo thought. In time, it all would make sense and it all would be clear. He just had to work on it daily. Small steps and the written language would make perfect sense to him. As much as Leo hated to admit it, he would need to rely on Sophia for help with this. The Irini, Vasil, and Natassa were kids like him, they could not help him. So he had to rely on the adult, and that scared Leo.
He was waiting for the moment when Sophia needed him for something that he was entirely unwilling to do. Maybe she would even send him to Happiness Village to try and make amends. He doubted it but it was still a possibility.
She was looking after him and teaching him alongside her children. She wanted him to be a part of their family so she could actively look after him and raise him to be like her husband. That's what made sense to Leo, he could not see her simply kidnapping a child for any other reason aside from causing direct harm to his family.
He would take advantage of her hospitality before she decided to take advantage of him. Leo was constantly thinking about what could go wrong, and what he needed to do to get closer to his goals.
But for now, he was learning how to read and write. Something that most of the population could not do. It might not mean a lot for a farmer, but if he wanted to climb the social ladder to make actual changes in the world then reading would be a key part of that. He just needed time to learn.