The vendor raised his hand in warning to the child as if he were about to hit him.
Backing up, the boy's face lost all color.
"Merus?" his grandmother breathed. "What's happening?"
"N-nothing, Grandma. I-I-I was mistaken."
Acheron didn't know why, but the boy's cowering went through him like a dagger. How dare the man take advantage of an old woman and her charge when it was so obvious that neither of them had much in this world.
Before he could think better of it, he stepped forward. "You need to give them what they've paid you for."
The man started to argue until he took in the full height of Acheron who stood more than a head taller than he. Though Acheron was lean, he was muscled enough to look intimidating. Luckily the vendor had no idea that Acheron knew nothing about fighting. The man's eyes also widened at the quality of the cloth he wore—a royal chiton Ryssa had insisted he wear whenever he ventured out to the plays.
"I wasn't cheating them, my lord."
Acheron looked down at the boy who gaped at his height. "What did you see, child?"
Merus swallowed before he crooked his finger at Acheron.
Softening his face so that he didn't scare the boy any more than he was already, Acheron bent down.
The boy whispered loudly in his ear. "He had his thumb on the scale. My ya ya told me to always tell her whenever they did that. She says it's cheating."
"So it is." Acheron patted him on the arm before he straightened to look at the vendor. "How much flour were you buying, Merus?"
"Three pounds."
"Then I shall watch as it's measured again."
The vendor's face turned bright red as he poured the flour out and showed him that it was indeed short of the mark. Cursing under his breath, the vendor added more until it reached the correct weight. There was malice in his gaze for Merus once he had the sack resealed and shoved it toward the boy.
"Merus?" Acheron said, keeping his gaze locked on the vendor who couldn't see his face.
The boy looked up at him. "Yes, my lord?"
"Should you ever find your ya ya cheated again or should anyone here ever hurt you, I want you to go to the palace and ask for Princess Ryssa. Tell her Acheron sent you and she'll make sure that you're treated fairly and that anyone who hurts you is punished for it."
His eyes lit up even as the vendor's darkened. "Thank you, my lord."
His grandmother placed a gentle hand on Acheron's forearm. "May the gods bless you for your kindness, my lord. Truly, you are an asset to this world. Thank you."
Her words touched his heart and brought a lump to his throat. If only they were true. But they weren't and the old woman would recoil in horror if she knew what she was touching the arm of. "May the gods be with you," he breathed quietly before he started away from them.
He hadn't gone far before Merus came running up to him.
"My lord?"
It was so strange to have someone address him like that. "Yes?"
"I know we're beneath you, my lord, but my ya ya wanted me to ask you if you'd take bread with us so that she can thank you for your kindness. I know she's blind, but she's a wonderful cook. We bake bread for the baker who sells it to the king and his court."
Acheron looked back to where the old woman stood proudly even though she couldn't see any of the activity bustling around her. Beneath him . . . If the child only knew what he really was, he'd be shunning him like everyone else.
They both would.
Still, Acheron hesitated. He should go before they learned the truth of him, but he didn't want to insult them and make them feel as low as people made him feel.
So instead he nodded. "I should like that very much, Merus. Thank you for asking."
The boy smiled, then led him back to where his grandmother waited at the edge of the market.
"He's with me, Ya Ya."
The kind lines of her face crinkled as she smiled and spoke in the opposite direction from where he stood. "Thank you, my lord. It might not be as fancy as you're used to, but I promise you you've never tasted better."
"We're over here, Ya Ya."
Her cheeks pinkened. "Forgive me, my lord. I fear I'm a little directionally inept."
"I don't mind." He took the packages from Merus that the boy was holding. "I'll carry these if you wish to help your ya ya home." He was amazed at how heavy the load was for the child.
Beaming, Merus took his grandmother's hand and led her through the crowd.
"My name is Eleni, my lord."
"Please, just call me Acheron. I live at the palace, but I'm no one of any importance."
"He looks important, Ya Ya. He's got very nice clothes and shoes, and he's really, really tall."