The cart rattles and jostles down the road, as May hops and spins, giggling. Tomas watches her with a bewildered look on his face, like he's unsure what to make of her behavior.
It's not as if Tomas has had much experience around children. The only children he knows are the ones at the mercenary camps. And there, they're treated like tiny adults - expected to pull their weight. They're rarely allowed to play around and enjoy themselves. They're rarely allowed to be children.
That's the life of a true mercenary, though. Softness, childishness, it's a good way to get the children killed their first few missions.
That's a lesson Roland taught me.
He's still not said a single word about May playing, though. Then again...there's no reason for her to take such a harsh life. She can learn, she can be trained, but she will have the life of a noble, as long as she stays with us.
Much as she talks about being a mercenary now, I expect her to end up a merchant instead.
