Chapter Text
It was winter in 1700 at the village surrounded by woods, the streets were cold and crowded with people. Most of them were going to the market, where stands were filled with customers, everyone needed food, water, wood for fire. Winter this year was not kind. It was extremely cold and people needed good clothes just not to freeze. Healthcare was only for the rich. So yeah, the times were hard.
Melody was a 19 year old woman and lived already 5 years on the streets. She had brown hair about shoulderlenght, she was pretty tall and had brown eyes. Her clothes were thin, worn out, and she was freezing in her simple pants, shirt and thin jacket. She had some shoes she found in the trash that kept her feet somewhat warm. She looks as if she has walked 1000km in them. Which she probably did. The biggest problem for her right now, was hunger. She had nothing to eat for days, because it's much harder to find food in the winter then ANY other season. Which led her to the only option, which was stealing.
She hated stealing, but she had no choice. She hated how she has gotten better at it, how her hands automatically took the food without even looking at it, or having anyone notice her. It made her feel like a thief - which theoretically; she was, but never wanted to accept it. As she was running through the crowd at the market, she accidentally bumped against a someone, making her fall down. As she looked up, she noticed it was a priest. Probably from the church in the village. He was a tall, slim man, but strong, wearing a long black coat, a visible cross and a big hat. He had longer black hair and a stern expression. As Melody bumped into him she fell down on the cold, freezing floor, scraping her knee. Her knee started bleeding through the already thin clothes and she slightly winced at the pain.
"Fuck..." she said silently, seeing her knee bleed through the pants. The warm blood quickly turning cold. The priest didn't fall down, he stood still, looking down at her. He noticed her state. Thin, cold, hungry. But there were many homeless people on the streets. Just not that many young ones. His expression unreadable but his brows furrowed.
Melody quickly stood up, letting her weight fall on her other leg. She wasn't able to read his face, but by seeing that hes a priest in his warm, expensive clothing, she knew she fucked up. Seeing the way that he is dressed and the fact that he is a priest, she realized that he is one of the richest men in the village, and they hated street rats like her. Melody looked at him for another short moment, quickly apologizing. She didn't really want to apologize, but she also didn't want to get into trouble. "I'm so sorry...", she whispered under her breath, and she started going her way again quickly, in a hurry. But suddenly she felt his hand grab her wrist and she stood still. His hand was warm against her cold, thin wrist. His grip strong and firm, but not hurting her. He waited until her eyes met his. His expression still unreadable, but hers? Her eyes told a whole story. He glanced down, his expression softening upon seeing her knee bleeding. He even noticed her state. Brown hair, tall, thin, maybe even too thin. Her worn out clothes, everything. His voice surprisingly kinder then she had expected it to be. "Apologies are all mine. Are you okay...?" he asked.
Melody wasn't used to people showing kindness to her. Of course, why would she. After all she went through, she is surprised that he even looked down at her. So she quickly said "Sorry again..." She didn't want any trouble, she just wanted to get food before freezing to death. She pulled her hand out of his grip and ran away to the crowded market. Blending in with other people.
The priest was a little surprised. Was she scared of him? Why was she in such a hurry? He shouldn't think about it, there are so many people on the streets, but there was something in her eyes, he wanted to know her story. He just wanted to see where she was going, so he slowly followed her.
In the meantime, Melody was at the market. There were so many people and many stands with all kinds of food. Meat, bread, fruits, vegetables... She took her almost empty bag and went to the stands, asking the sellers some questions about prices, or the quality of the food, while secretly sneaking some food in her bag. She didn't take much. It was too risky. But a loaf of bread and some apples were the priority for now. She hadn't noticed the priest following her. The crowd was too big and she was focused on getting food. After getting something small to eat, thinking no one saw her, she made her way out of the marked, out of the village to the woods. Only a long, slow shadow, following her from behind...