The Young that Grows

Chapter 11

The current king was a good one, with a good reputation and a fine use of his power. People often liked to call it the Golden Age because of how much the kingdom's wealth was improving. Poverty rates were going down and their were more jobs than ever! Or so you would hear... Lew had turned 16 just earlier that year, and he already was forced to have two jobs to support his family. His mother was too weak to work and his father could only balance so much. His sister was to be married soon, and that was a celebration they were all looking forward to. Secretly, Lew was excited to have one less mouth to feed. As the boy passed by a stall, he eyed the expensive jewelry with disgust. There was no point in having those stalls, only royals could afford such luxuries nowadays, and they would never come down to the market. They thought too highly of themselves. Sometimes, for fun, Lew would imagine what a royal snob would do if they suddenly had to work two jobs to stay alive. Skip sleep to fit in more

hours. Do house work and chores. Sometimes, it made him smile to think that he could do things they could not. "Fresh bouquets! Freshly picked, straight from the garden," a nearby store-owner called. Lew eyed the selection, grimacing a bit at the sight of a happy couple browsing it. Every couple lew saw felt like they were making a mockery of him. He had never felt something as deep as love, or as pure as a crush. Not even l**t. Girls just never caught his eye, even when he was in schooling with a few nobles' daughters. He yearned to fall head over heels for someone, maybe even to have his heartbroken. He decided something was better than nothing at all. It was only a few years until he turned eighteen himself, and then he would be expected to marry. For now, though, he would enjoy being single, and he would enjoy needing no one at all. Mentally, Lew made a note of how much he could spend right then. He still needed money for the family and other necessary items, so he couldn't go crazy. He separated the coins in his head, planning out how he would spend every last cent. He would have two silvers to spend on his little endeavors and the rest would go towards food, clothing, and bills. While he was thinking, he paused in front of a fruit stand. The apples taunted him, and the man running the stand began to notice his interest. The man picked up an apple and held it out, the glint of a possible sale shining in his eye. Lew's stomach grumbled audibly, causing his ears to heat up out of embarrassment. Gingerly, the boy took the apple, trying to seem like he wasn't has eager as he was." That'll be three silvers!" Lew's eyes widened out of shock, and he nearly dropped the apple. " What?! Why so expensive?!" "There's a famine up north and my farm is donating, I've had to raise my market prices to account for the sales lost," the man explained tiredly." Now, three silvers."

"I don't have three silvers,"Lew mumbled. The man rolled his eyes and gestured to the bag. You seem to have a lot more than just three, this'll be nothing, kid," he insisted. The dark-haired male debated with his inner demons. He badly wanted the apple, but he couldn't afford to be one silver down when it came to bills. He sighed and moved to return the apple to its pile. The man grabbed his wrist, stopping him. "Nah, you can't put it back. Your