didn’t remember much of them in the morning, but he knew that they were still there but somehow a bit better.
He hefted a pork shoulder onto the counter, reached for a knife, and began to cut the meat. He should be thinking about what was going on with him and his Elven side, but right now he didn’t give a heap of dung about it. The only thing on his mind this morning was Sasha. He was going to come of age in one month, and that meant he was going to have to leave regardless of whether he became an Elf or not. He decided to go with the original plan of moving to another town and starting a life there, and if he became an Elf he would cross that bridge then. He would avoid large cities and probably move to a new territory to ensure that no one knew anything about his past.
The biggest problem was Sasha. Kovos was right; it would be impossible to get enough money to the family before next spring. She was going to have to come with him and Kovos. There was really no way around it.
He turned to his father. “I’m taking her with me.” His father didn’t need an explanation. He knew what Legon meant.
“Are you sure? It’s a big sacrifice. You won’t be able to get married or start a family of your own until she gets married or is able to live on her own, and neither seems likely,” he said, turning to look at his son.
“I know, but it’s the only way to give her a chance. I don’t like the idea. I don’t know what my life holds, and that may put her in danger, but we know what will happen if I don’t take her,” he said flatly.
His mind was made up. Sasha’s situation was precarious from any angle. If she stayed here she would be made a slave; if she came with Legon there was a chance that she would get hurt.
There was a little comfort in the thought of Kovos coming along. He knew that if things got bad he could always send Sasha to Kovos and that would at least give her a shot. He explained this to his father, who gave a deep sigh after he was done explaining.
“You think it’s a good idea, I take it?”
His father took his time answering. “No, I think it’s a bad one, but it’s also the only way. Your mother and I have always hoped that you would take Sasha with you when you left, but we didn’t want to press you one way or the other. It had to be your call because you are the one who has to pay the price.” His face was somber. Legon could tell that he hated the thought of either of his kids being dealt a bad hand in life.
“I understand. Don’t worry dad, I’ll take care of her. I’m going to try and tell her later this week. She’ll fight me on it, but if you and mom back me then Sasha will cave in eventually.”
“You have our support, but we hate to have this happen to you two.”
“It’s fine. Everything will work out.”
In truth, part of him was happy at the thought of Sasha coming with him, but the other part was sad, not because of the future that he was probably giving up, but because he knew there was a hard road ahead. He didn’t want Sasha’s life to be any harder than it already was.
He decided to tell her the next day. He would take her on a picnic so even if she got upset, she wouldn’t be able to walk away and lock herself in her room. He knew that this was going to make her mad, not because she had little choice in the matter, but because she would see it as Legon throwing his life away. The biggest argument that he would have to make was that it was very unlikely that he would be getting married soon, if for no other reason than he didn’t know if he was going to be Elf or human and so he would always be in just a bit of danger. He finished with the pork and began to clean up. They would go in for lunch soon.
When they entered the house Sasha was home, standing over a pot and stirring. She turned and smiled at them as they walked in. “I