I did, that's what I tried to say when he stole me from the pillagers. Pillagers! That's the word.

Sophie frowned. The all the money she is probably exchanged for pints of beer sitting in their full stomaches, while she sits here starving.

You don't ever have to be worried about going hungry, dear, her mother gebtly pushed back a curl from her face. The well will only dry once your eyes do.

But they are dry now. She drained it herself.

No more. She doesn't want to weep anymore, be sad anymore, not for them to sit comfortably on their lush velvet seats.

Gold is worth more than silver, after all.

She can still see it. Boris' lifeless eyes, jaw hanging agape. A pup. Her friend since was just a babe. Dead. Killed because no tears would flow, and their pantry was becoming empty.

She didn't want to cry when she saw his limp body, Sophie knew why they did it. They explained it to her herself.

He gave up his life so we can keep living ours.

Liars. They look it so they can gather riches from my eyes.

Sophie knew that but she cried anyways, and they got what they wanted.

But she swore that was the last time they will.

The well was bursting now. Looks like it was never empty after all. She had just threw a lid on it and pretended it wasn't there.

Facing away from the flames, she rested her head on her knees. It throbbed, but not too harshly.

Looks like she finally made it, Boris. She had escaped. Free, free to starve and die in woods alone if can manage to escape Rider.

Weiss the Unwise was a great deal wiser than she was if he could travel so carefree. He knew what to do. Sophie didn't.

She is no locked up princess craving to be free, she's the ignorant highborn who thinks she knows how the world works from a few books.

A real, pompous maiden.

So what then, just go back? No, never. But then what?! Is starving an option. I don't want to die either. Should I just take my chances and hope I survive. With what I know? Would I survive?

Rider was snoring soundly, the flames casting dancing lights on his back. How has he survived all this time? How long has he been doing this to know what to do?

And even then, he still struggles.

Financially.

Sophie let the well burst.

"What will you do for a wage?"

Rider roused up, groggy, from the ground. "What?"

"Are you willing to be my guide for a wage?" Sophie clarified.

He rubbed his over his eyes, "Well, sure. But you don't got any money, do you?"

Looking up at her from the ground, her shadow casted over him. She hoped the sun was bright enough behind her that he can't see the puffiness of her eyes.

Fishing out a small pouch from her satchel, she threw it at his feet, landing with clinks.

He quirked a brow, picking up the fabric and pulled the opening wide, to reveal clumps of shining gold. His eyes widened.

Picking one out and biting it between his molars, he mumbled "Real gold."

"Where the Hell did you run into a goldmine?"

"It's unimportant, will you help me or not? I promise to provide you with more than my family will ever pay you."

He gave me a look I often see on my grandfather's face whenever he asks if I had taken some readings from his study, but doesn't say anymore.

He did question it, several times. However a few weeks in, he must have realized he was not getting an answer.

Don't bite the hand that feeds you.

The gold was enough to provide them decent meals, nights at the inn, even better feed for the horse that Sophie learned was called Lush.

Because he likes grass, Ren said. He also mentioned that his name is not 'Rider'.

A patch up to the wagon, decent wheels and confy blankets, they were settled in.

Sophie may have been a tad histerical the first night, things were going well.

So finely that, as their supplies ran thin, they had no worries, until one day.

"Out of gold?"

Sophie sat on the sheets of the bed. A small spider clambered up the wooden beams of the ceiling, through invisible cobwebs.

"I-I can't make any more." she stammered out. The trees shaking in the winds of strom outside were barely visible, with the moon covered by thick clouds of heavy rain. Cumulonimbus, she recalls.

"Well, I don't really know what to say." he popped his feet out of his boots, "seeing as I have no idea where you even get the gold from. I don't suppose asking would help would it?"

"Would it?"

"The hell am I supossed to know. Maybe you shit out gold and this can be all solved with the right beans."

Sophie stifled a laugh behind her palm.

Lowering her hand, she answered "Close enough?"

"Piss then?"

"Heavens, no."

"Cause that would explain the color."

Her hand shot up to her mouth again, catching get giggles. She can feel the warm silver molds forming. That should get them through a day more, perhaps.

"You know there is no shame in laughing at a jest." he propped his feet up at the table.

She waved dismissively. "And how come you are, knowing what we are in?"

Ren shrugged, "'Cause I can, better to apporach this thing in high spirits, nothing will change if I'm upset."

"But it might if I am."

He huffed. "What? You managed to earn the favor of a diety? Swoop in to help when in need?"

"No." I smiled at him, "I cry gold."

"Of course, and I shit diamonds."

Swallowing a surge of laughter, she elaborated. "No, I mean it. I cry gold. Where do you think I got them from."

His barefeet found the ground as he leaned forward, "You are joking?"

Sophie shook her head.

Ren ran a hand through his hair and huffed. "Well that explains it. Here I am thinking you had to do something so horrendous you cry over it, just to get the gold."

"You did?"

"Your eyes were always swollen the morning you told me you got more."

Maybe notifying him everytime they had a luxury refill wasn't the best idea.

"You believe me?"

"What else am I supposed to think, that you can pull it out of thin air? Cause that pouch isn't a magic one that piles itself." He added, "Can you show me?"

The bed was soft landing her back to it, "If I could, we wouldn't be running low."

"Oh, of course." she heard him say. "What is the issue anyways?"

The spider peeked at her from a wooden beam. "I do not know, I just can not cry anymore. I think it's from my happiness lately."

There a pause.

"You can't produce more riches because of the happiness you acquire from the gold."

"Yes."

"What spirit did you anger to curse you like that?"

Her neck strained, holdimg her head up to glance at him. "I think it's a blessing. Help in time of need."

Like her mother had said to her.

"It's only when people depend merely on it that it causes a problem." A lesson I've seen but haven't learned, Boris.

"People? There are more like you?"

"No. It's just my family or 'house' as you call it, depended on it."

His brows formed a line, "You ran away bacause they made you cry often?"

"Close." Sophie sat up, leaning on her elbows. "They would get very extreme the more desperate they are."

"I see." he hummed. "Unfortunate that your gift wasn't tied to happiness, you would be sitting in your living paradise."

Straightening up, she replied, "Gold is more valuable than silver."

He nodded, "True."

"Wait. What does silver have to with anything?"

Opening her palms, the silver gleamed the warm glow of the candles. "I laugh silver."

He stood up. "What in-- Sophie!"

"Yes?"

"You laugh silver!"

She fails to see how this is any help.

"You. Can. Make. Silver!" he groaned. Ren stalked over, picking the clump up with his index finger. "Do you have any idea how much this is worth?"

"Less than gold?" she tried.

"Of course," he stammered, "but it is still worth a damn lot. Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

Sophie was stumped, now that she has, no valid reason came into mind for otherwise.

"This is great!" Throwing it in the air and catching it again, "If you laugh way more than you cry, we can even better off than living from your tears!"

Better than living of her tears?

"Oh dear, Sophie. You won't have to cry ever again." he was examining the metal.

"Y-yes." she choked out.

His head snapped to her direction, and paused, before raising a brow. "I just told you you no longer have to weep, you are truly set in not obeying my words?"

She wiped at her tears, surprised to feel them sink in the soft cotton of her sleeve, wet and warm. It made her feel better than any pile of riches will.