The Unwanted
"I remember that my childhood was not one of the best, but let's say that Leonor helped me a lot to be happy, I just wanted things to be minimally different."
Before we proceed with Gaius' story, we need to know more about his motives, and for that, let's look at his past.
(865) Born to a woman who was in the middle of Mark's army, little Gaius was born on the 7th of December witnessing death, his mother died in childbirth, in addition to being an unplanned child, it was a motherless child.
But on the other hand, Marcos' gang welcomed him as if he were one of them, after a few missions Marcos' men took a child who lost his parents due to war times, this being Adrian, Gaius' best friend. From 820 to 870 it was considered by many to be the darkest era yet, with death being common for many people.
However, the leader of the group did not agree much with the idea of children participating in the band, but many as a family liked it and especially Leonor, being the likely father figure of Gaius.
Leonor was with Rodrigo, Ernesto and Faustos, talking about Marcos' change of temperament:
- Lately he doesn't seem to be the same Marcos as before, as if something from the outside changed his convictions. – says Leonor
- To be honest, the last ones were not the best, not everyone can stand it. – says Faustos
-So... But I don't know, I have a slight impression. – says Leonor
- Marcos is calling you. – says Ernesto
He gets up and goes towards Marco's hut, who seemed thoughtful about a certain subject:
-Mark. – says Leonor
- You can sit down, I want to hear the opinion of someone from the outside. – says Marcos
Leonor sits in front of Marcos:
- I must thank you for what you have been doing for the gang, at this moment you are the one I trust the most, and for that, I want to know if we should leave Gaius here. – says Marcos
- Although it is a very difficult place for a child to grow up, I believe it is better for him to stay here, especially since he had strong ties here. – says Leonor
But I soon thought about it:
- Actually, why don't you take your son and take him away from here? – says Leonor
- You are very innocent, Leonor. – says Marcos standing up
He was watching his son from afar, he was holding a sword much bigger than him, talking to Adrian about something that boys his age would talk about:
- Gaius, you must get out of here... I'm sorry to say this, but he's more like a past for me, and I need to get over it. – says Marcos
Marcos took a paper with an address from somewhere far away, it was in a cabin in the middle of the forest:
- My brother, Dante, lives there... Give the boy to him, you'll be doing the right thing. – says Marcos
- But Mark... is your son, how can you say that... – said Leonor
- You always come with this but... ah Marcos but this, where is your loyalty from before, is fresher than before. – says Marcos
Leonor stood up, picking up the paper:
- A child, do you want to abandon him just because you have a new family? – says Leonor
- You don't know anything. – says Marcos
"I know enough. – says Leonor leaving
He would take Gaius by the arm and carry him away:
- Hey that, Uncle Leonor, what are you doing? – says Gaius
Leonor looked into the eyes of little Gaius:
- Your father asked me to take you to a place. – says Leonor
- Where to? – says Gaius
- Para longe daqui. – diz Leonor
In a few hours, on horseback, they were already in the South, wandering to the woods where the hut would be, during the whole trip Gaius seemed quiet, but always asking about what they would do next.
In the middle of the night, they were already close to arriving at Dante's hut, which by this time had already been informed, but when he saw the hut, the situation where Gaius would spend the rest of his childhood, he looked at Gaius:
- Gaius, listen to me well... I believe that it is better to go somewhere else. – says Leonor
-What? It took a long time for this trip, and why this sudden change? – says Gaius
- You're not that much of a child anymore, so... it's better to explain, Marcos doesn't want you to return to the group, you'll spend the rest of your life here. – says Leonor
-What? Why would he do this to me, he..." says Gaius in disbelief
-But... how about we go somewhere else, if I come back with you probably something bad will happen, Marcos is no longer the same as I knew, something happened to him. – says Leonor
- And where would we go? – says Gaius
- Anywhere other than here. – says Leonor returning with the horse
-What about... Julianja? – says Gaius
- Hahaha, it's a children's tale. – says Leonor
- I saw that in the West it is a colder place. – says Gaius
- Do you like the cold? – says Leonor
- I like it better than the heat here. – says Gaius
-Actually... but... It will be better for you. – says Leonor
But looking up a hill, he saw that he was being chased by some bandits: - Hold on! – says Leonor galloping faster with the horse
The cold of the night made the atmosphere worse and worse, until Leonor receives an arrow in the arm, forcing him to make a forced stop:
- Let's go this way, in the middle of the forest. – says Leonor
- I can attack them, I have a sword. – says Gaius
-No! Let's run away. – says Leonor crossing a part of the forest
But as an instinct, he realized that he was bleeding too much, he knew he couldn't continue, recognizing who the bad guys were through the arrow:
-Gaius... Do you know how to ride a horse? – says Leonor
-I... I know a little. – says Gaius
- Then get on the horse. – says Leonor putting Gaius on the horse
Leonor removed her black cloak and put it on Gaius, squeezing it very hard:
- Although it's too big for you, you can run away with the horse. – says Leonor
- And you? – says Gaius
- I'm going to distract them. – says Leonor
- But where do I... - said Gaius with fear
- Go to your uncle's cabin, that's what they want. – says Leonor
Gaius about to cry says:
-I... I swear I'll meet you again! – says Gaius emotionally
- I know it will, now stop with this sentimentality that you are ugly crying. – says Leonor
- Screw you! – says Gaius
Leonor, seeing that the bandits were coming, says:
- Take care of yourself, son. – says Leonor hitting the horse for it to run away from the place.
Now he was alone, but pulling a bow he fired a few times at the bandits shouting at them, who seemed to be in pairs, but when it was about to dawn, he was weak. As he lost a lot of blood, he was about to faint, and leaning against a tree, he found himself defeated.
And clearer than before, Leonor was sure who the bandits were:
- Faustos and... Rodrigo... – says Leonor
- He told you to follow you, and... We fulfilled what he commanded. – says Faustos
Leonor laughing, but coughing drastically:
- So that's it? Years in this gang to die like nothing? – says Leonor
- He always knew the rules, so he did it already expecting the consequences. – says Rodrigo
- I gave everything I had, to die helping a child. – says Leonor
- As you said, criminals have no honor. – says Faustos before killing Leonor
In this way, Gaius managed to escape, but it was not to die, but not to see Leonor die.
Rodrigo and Faustos carried Leonor's body to the horse, removing the arrows in the process, despite committing such an act in a cold way, it was still sad for them to kill a man they had lived together for so many years, all for the sake of Marcos:
- Faust. – says Rodrigo
-What is it? – says Faustos
- That doesn't make any sense... Marcos went crazy... – says Rodrigo
-Is... But to do what, now is to bury him. – says Faustos
- We have to do something, even if it is behind the scenes. – says Faustos
"I'd get into it with you, if half the gang wasn't crazy like him, but who knows, we might start a rebellion." – says Rodrigo
"A very silent one, that no one can perceive..." says Faustos
And with an initiative taken, in the next few days something would happen in this gang, Leonor's death was the trigger for the end of Marcos' gang, but the story is not about them.
But Gaius, who at that time was already in Dante's hut, who had a face that was not at all friendly:
- Marcos' son? – says Dante
"yes," says Gaius
- You know how to work, don't you? – says Dante
- What do you mean to work? – says Gaius
- Manual service, I hope this gang didn't give you a hard time. - says Dante going to get a drink
And so Gaius' next five years went, doing manual labor carrying tree parts, staying further away from fights and consequently fleeing from there.