Lawrence the young renegade

After Amy's talk with Caina, she sets off to Alabaster's side at Damat. He found Selim's brother. The boy's name is Ali and is five years old. However, unlike his older brother, he is pragmatic and uncooperative.

He bought Ali's slave contract and now the boy is being aggressive. Unfortunately, Alabaster doesn't know how to handle children so he hopes that Amy could settle this issue.

She observed her surroundings. The beautiful Damat architecture and infrastructure are quite the culture shock and view.

Alabaster groaned. "The boy is extremely hard to deal with. I figured that if anyone knows how to deal with unruly children, it's you."

Amy smirked mischievously. "I never would've expected to see you fail at something. I was beginning to think you know everything."

"Let me go!"

Both stare into the direction of that sound. It was the sound of a young boy.

Amy looked to see a group of men chasing the boy. Amy quickly got in the boy's way much to his shock and he made a complete stop.

"What the? How-"

Upon seeing his face up close, she is quite shocked to see how much he resembles his brother. He has the same eyes and facial features as him. She could immediately tell that he's going to grow up to be handsome as him. The difference is his tough exterior and hair color which is a dark chocolate brown.

He looks familiar, not because he resembles Selim but from somewhere else. She is surprised of this sheer coincidence. In the original story, there were a group of people, mistaken as bandits, who tried to overthrow the Damat regime because of the treatment of unacknowledged children. This Renegade organization teamed up with Rufus and thanks to their cooperation, the Damat dynasty has fallen. This child is one of the core members. She remembered because Aron faced him. He looks so much different without the scar on his face.

"Why are you running away?"

"These men!" he pointed, "They want to use me just like they did with my brother!"

Amy frowned and stared at him. "No, they didn't. They are calling you out for misbehaving. No one is going to use you. Selim asked me to take care of you. These men are under my orders to take you out of the brothel."

He looked confused and stared at her.

"You're from Solin. Why did my brother say that?"

Amy grabbed something from her pocket and hand it over to him. It was the only picture that the two took together.

"You know what your brother got himself into, did you?" she says softly, letting him take the picture.

He looks distraught. "What happened to my big brother?"

Amy showed a sympathetic look to him and kneeled in front of him. "He died from his injuries and in my arms. His last request was to make sure you wouldn't live the same life he did."

His tough facade faded quickly and then he burst into tears. Amy waits for him to cry even though it is hard to when he is.

After calming down, he sat next to Amy on a stone bench.

"What's going to happen to me now?" he asked.

"I asked the man who bought your slave contract to rip it out in front of you and in front of me. Then you can live a normal life. You will have to receive a new name and be adopted into a new family or stay with Alabaster."

"Can't I stay with you?" he asked.

Amy smiled sadly at him. "I'm afraid that isn't possible. There are more people who need my help and there is much I have to do. It is not safe for you to be near me, but I promise that I will visit as much as I can though."

"You name is Amaryllis, right?" He said.

She nodded slowly.

"He says you are a pretty lady with noble blood and that you're really nice to him but there are people who want to hurt you."

Amy chuckled. Well, he isn't wrong.

"Don't worry about me. No matter who hurts me, I always fight back." she replied with a head pat.

"You will have an education and if you want, you can even learn how to use magic. If you're anything like your brother, you will make a powerful fighter and smart mage."

The boy looked at her with bright, anticipating eyes. "I can?!"

"Yes, you can."

"But I don't want to have a new name! If I can't use my real name, then I would rather not use my real name at all!" he complained.

"It is for your protection. Danger lurks every corner. A false name would provide some level of protection. You don't need to like or even be that name."

He looks defeated, knowing it is true. "Then... what is it?"

"I think Lawrence would be fitting. In Solin, it has a shining sort of meaning."

"Lawrence?" he mumbled. "Alright, I'll take that name."

After talking to the boy for a bit longer, she returned back to the ship that is still empty.

Selim, I promise to take care of your brother. He will never have to live the life you did.

*

Caina and Ali are surprisingly cooperative. Caina spent her time reading and catching up to current events. She even explored and enjoyed the island. Boris conducted some tests, and it doesn't seem to be any major issues so far.

Alabaster adopted Ali as his ward, and it seems he has accepted the name. Ali is an incredibly smart kid. He is starting his formal education, and he is taking it all in very quickly. Alabaster commented that at this rate, he might catch up to children her age. He will basically fly through higher education before he turns ten.

Amy told Alabaster about him in the original story. In addition to being a strong and proficient fighter, he is also a skilled fire mage. He will need some magical training, and she will have to train him once he gets through his elementary studies in both magic and in martial arts. According to Alabaster, Ali is actually quite volatile in both personality and in his magic as he accidentally burned the curtains. To help Ali, they made an unmarked grave at a peaceful spot for Selim for both Ali and Amy's solace. While she is sad and angry for what happened, she is surprisingly optimistic for the future. She could basically see Selim's whole world in her care, happy and free. The thought alone makes her think about Selim positively. 

He's quite the prodigy.

Lisa sighed over the deck. Her sea sickness is not much of an issue now that she regularly takes her medicine.

"What's the matter?"

"Just thinking about something. Once this whole journey, I'm worried on what to do next."

Amy sports a curious look, "What do you mean? Don't you have your mercenary group to go back to?"

Lisa scratched the back of her neck with a grimaced look, "I didn't want to tell you, but I had been thinking about leaving the mercenaries. I kind of want to settle down somewhere but it's hard to find a job that pays well without risking my life. This journey is tiring."

Amy gave her a smile. "Wanna work for me then? You can be my bodyguard. I've seen your skills, and they are impressive, probably more than some adults. You'll get paid very well. If not, then it will come out of my own pocket."

"Can I?" she asks eagerly.

"If you want to. My previous maid got injured and left my service over a year ago to get married. I have another handmaiden to take her place, but I would like someone who is both my friend and a good fighter."

"Absolutely yes!" she says with childish excitement.

In just a few months, she will return home, and things will change the moment she steps foot back into the mainland.