The long voyage tortured the two of them mentally. The low-calorie onions were spicy and they couldn't eat too much. Although they didn't want to do this, Carlotta was too weak and she fainted from hunger.
Ella's situation is just as bad. It's a miracle that she managed to survive all the way from her hometown.
The onions were harvested on June 15th, but the fleet brought too many onions. When the fleet arrived at the Mälaren Market, it was already the morning of the 17th!
Even in mid-to-late June, the climate in Northern Europe can only be described as warm and humid. It is relatively cold every night, although this does not prevent a large number of boys from playing in the lakes during the day.
Eating onions to fill your stomach? That is of no use at all, otherwise people who want to lose weight will not pursue it.
The linen cloth was lifted, and the sailors were shocked.
"Wow! Is there an onion fairy? There are two girls' heads here?!"
"Are you a fool? Could it be that the girl from Hjermalen was brought here by us?"
"Maybe, children all like to play. Some like to climb trees, and some like...hehe, get into the onions."
The sailor had never seen such a thing, but the owner of the fleet realized the problem: "Don't laugh, these must be two little thieves."
They only came to their senses when they were roughly picked out by sailors.
Carlotta's mind was very confused. After she woke up, the pain in her legs returned.
She was pulled up by her clothes that were about to be torn to pieces. Because their bodies were covered with dirt from onion roots, their delicate faces were completely covered. At first glance, they looked really dirty!
"Is this Melalen?" Carlotta asked weakly.
"You two are rats! You almost ruined my onions. I'm not a bad person. Now get out!" The businessman had no intention of punishing the two children, let alone what the girl muttered. He just wanted to expel the children.
Because merchants arrived at the port of the Melalen people, it was already a crowded place, and the Melalen people were very disgusted with the violence in the trading area.
Even if the businessman is angry, he will not vent his anger on two children who look like beggars.
Without any explanation from Carlotta, the two of them were rudely thrown ashore.
The businessman shouted in a "good-natured" voice: "Little beggar, go and pray! I hope the people of Mälaren are kind."
She landed on her knees again, but Carlotta was strong enough not to scream loudly this time. She bit down two of her baby teeth that were about to fall out in pain, and then she dragged her little sister who didn't know what was going on, staggering towards a narrow alley.
"A rat in a panic." The businessman grinned and cursed his bad luck, then faced the sailor who was still discussing happily: "There is no onion fairy, don't laugh! Check our onions quickly and see how much damage those two rats have done.
.”
The people of Melalen have seen similar situations many times. There are always petty thieves who take risks to steal merchants' finances, and the Melalen army has to execute a few regularly to maintain order.
People walking in the port are all paying attention to the newly arrived fresh onions. Who cares about the two little beggars?
The two of them got into a hidden and damp corner of the dirty street, which was a corner where feces was dumped. It was so stinky that it was the only place that could give the sisters a brief moment of peace.
Carlotta, whose mouth was full of blood, sat down and covered her knees with her hands, her face turning red.
Ella tried to comfort her sister, but received a strong and wry smile from her sister.
"Sister, what should we do? Is this Melalen? Is your mouth okay?"
"That's it... that's Melalen. I lost my teeth, and new ones will grow in the future."
"Now...what should we do?" Ella asked anxiously.
What to do? Carlotta still doesn't know what to do now. But her survival instinct tells her that she and her sister must live strong.
Perhaps, happiness is just ahead, it’s just that the suffering in this destiny has not passed yet.
She reluctantly told her sister: "We need to find the leader of the Melalen people and tell him our experience and our tribe. We will definitely get preferential treatment."
"Okay, as long as my sister is here, I'm not afraid of anything." As she said that, Ella didn't care about the stench around her. She leaned closer to her sister and snuggled up. Only in this way did Carlotta and Ella, the poor sisters, feel it.
Precious warmth.
The dirty and disgusting corner was just a temporary refuge. After nightfall, they left without attracting anyone's attention, and no one cared about the fate of the beggars on the streets.
If we really care about it, it would be the attitude of the leader of Mellaren, whether he will accept the suggestion of the tribe's nobles and execute all street beggars.
In this way, this group of potential thieves can disappear forever, and merchants no longer have to worry about their unexpected losses.
The size of Mellaren exceeds Carlotta and Ella's imagination!
Compared with my hometown, this place is obviously richer.
But no matter how beautiful Mälaren is, does this place have its own place? No! No.
A better future is still far away.
There are also beggars here, and there are a lot of children in ragged clothes like them. How about striking up a conversation with a real beggar? Carlotta doesn't dare, Ella even less dares, or in other words, they don't even bother.
The two children found a dark, damp alley. The only good thing here was that it was not a place for dumping excrement. It was just a gap in the stone wall of two houses.
Perhaps, before contacting the leader of the Melalen people, this was his refuge.
They were waiting for a suitable opportunity, and the days passed little by little.
But Carlotta's injuries became more serious, and the long-term hunger was about to wear away her last vitality! The elder sister gave most of the scraps collected to her younger sister, but what she got in exchange was not her younger sister's safety.
Both girls are struggling on the line of life and death, and until now, Ella still believes in her sister.
Until a terrible critical point, my sister's head was too strong. Even if she pushed hard, she could not wake up her spirit.
"Sister! You...you..."
Ella felt that her lovely sister had left her to reunite with her parents and clan members who had died long ago.
No! She can't die!
Ella, who was dirty and crying bitterly, always believed in a miracle, that is, she and her sister would be saved by coming to Mälaren.
Because the Valkyrie gave her a favor, it may be that neither he nor his sister met the nobleman sent by the Valkyrie.
The crying Ella rushed out of the alley where she was hiding, exposed herself on the same dirty street, and cried to the passers-by.
"Please! Save my sister!"
"I beg you! My sister is dying!"
"Which one of you will save us? Wuwuwu..."
Poor and pathetic, Ella just knelt on the ground and whined in pain. She was so weak that she almost passed out from crying, and her eyes were swollen from crying.
Who among the Melalen tribesmen passing by would pay attention to a dirty little beggar? Especially a little girl beggar.
Because, if it is a little boy, a kind person may take him home and train him to become a loyal male servant. As for a maid, of course, she is also needed, but normal people will not think it is inappropriate to take away a female beggar with a suspicious identity.
Correct decision.
Moreover, even the bustards in the flesh business would not pay attention to such a dirty and skinny little girl. Those people are raising children who are bought from decent families and cannot afford to raise them.
A group of children wandering on the streets of Mälaren. The street girls here are the most despised group. They often die like a rat rushing on the street. After the bodies are found by the Mälaren people, they take them away and bury them in a pit.
.
Could it be that coming to Mälaren full of hope will lead to death?
No!
A great benevolent man gave Gould a request, and Gould arranged for his trusted subordinate Jevro to help his future master complete his kind deed.
Javro landed with more than 20 people. They were not selling Gould's products. They were entirely responsible for this aspect and were a group of mercenaries engaged in armed escorts from the Gould family. They accepted the new task.
Jevlo has only one mission - to collect as many helpless children as possible from the streets.
Jevro fully supports this mission! He fantasizes that he can find the poor Finn children, who are his own people, at the slave market in Mälaren.
Nearly twenty years ago, he was pitiful and helpless. Now that he has the ability, he just wants to save his own people.
However, this year's slave fair only had another group of poor Britons, and not a single Finn.
Helpless children still have to be collected. There are no restrictions on men and women here. Even beggars can count as long as they are generally healthy.
The sharp cry of a little girl caught Yevlo's attention. He thought it was just a parent scolding the child in the street. When he led others to find out, he discovered that the girl's clothes were almost only a fig leaf, covered in dirt and bare.
The little girl with her feet hidden is crying.
A little beggar?
No! I'm afraid the problem is not simple.
After all, Yevro is already a warrior, which makes him extremely sensitive to metal-colored things. Because the sword is metallic, only by seeing its color clearly can you avoid being hit in battle.
Even though it was dirty, Jevro saw the hairpins on the girl's braids.
This hairpin is extraordinary. It is said that a child who was abandoned by his parents can wear a hairpin made of silver?
What? She also said she has a sister?
Jevro shook his neck: "Brothers, save her, it seems there is another girl in this alley."
"Boss, is it okay? I think she is too dirty and will get fleas on our hands."
"Yes, boss, why should we? There are other children. This little girl is destined to die. We..."
"Shut up. No matter how dirty it is, just shave your hair and wash it with soap." Yevluo said displeased, "I feel very abnormal. I have a hunch that now that we have rescued this girl, all of us will
Everyone can benefit.”
"Yes, boss." The mercenary said impatiently: "Everyone you pick up will be given a silver coin, and we will all share it equally. Yes, the donor is generous."
"No! My premonition is indescribable. Follow me now! Remember, I am your captain." After saying that, Yevluo shook his neck and stepped forward one by one.
The mercenaries had no choice but to approach the little girl who had been crying for a long time but no one answered her.
Ella, with her eyes red from crying, saw a large group of people standing in front of her. Their fully armed appearance was frightening.
Ella slumped to the ground, then subconsciously grabbed the rags of her torn clothes to cover herself, and then stood up tenaciously.
"Please, save my sister! She is dying! Please."
"Are you asking for help?" Jevro asked kindly.
The girl nodded vigorously: "We must save my sister, we have very important things!"
"Okay, brothers, let's go." After saying that, Yevluo suddenly hugged the extremely light girl, not caring about her filthiness.
Yevlo was so straightforward. The girl's so-called "important things" made him feel that the matter was indeed not simple.
A group of mercenaries got into the narrow box, and Yevro suddenly saw a little girl leaning sideways.
She looks dead...
Jevro put down the girl in his arms, and the child rushed over with a quick step and fell on the "corpse" of her sister.
"Boss, are you a little sorry?"
"Yes. But saving one is at least one silver coin. This girl is lucky to meet kind people like us."
Yevlov stretched out his hand to stop his men from talking. "I'll go take a look, you guys keep watch."
Whether it was a dead body or not, Jevlo had to judge for herself. She felt that the situation of the dead girl was different. The body should be gray-white, but this child was not.
He knelt down, and while the other little girl was crying, he put his hand on the neck of the dead girl in front of him. The faint pulsing touch was so real.
"Sir, is my sister dead?!"
Jevro was startled for a moment, then frowned and asked, "My child, have you not eaten for a long time?"
"Yes, sir. My sister always gives me the food she finds, but she...wuwuwu...I don't have a sister anymore."
"She fainted from hunger, not dead at all." Yevluo looked at the crying girl with a smile: "What's your name?"
"My name is Ella, and my sister's name is Carlotta." After that, the girl continued to cry and coughed.
"Okay Ella, your sister is not dead." After saying that, Jevlo took out dry food from his pocket - a small piece of wheat cake.
The appearance of the wheat cake completely suppressed Ella's crying. She grabbed the wheat cake out of instinct and started to eat it.
Jevro shook the limp Carlotta desperately and called the girl's name desperately.
In the dark, Carlotta felt that she had arrived at the top of an empty mountaintop, with the turbulent sea in the distance and clouds above her head, just one step away from her.
On the clouds, my family members are all there, with smiles on their faces.
Suddenly, this voice came to my ears: "Carlotta! Wake up! You can't die now!"
A gentle call from Norse coming from a male voice?
Suddenly, Carlotta, who had almost lost her soul, opened her eyes.
Her blue eyes saw the face of a strange man, but this face was not scary at all, and there was even a feeling that she could rely on him.
"Carlotta, you finally woke up."
"You..." with her dry lips opened, Carlotta said slowly: "You... know my name."
"Of course I know, I'm here to save you."
"Valkyrie sent you here? Thank you..." As she spoke, Carlotta tilted her neck and seemed to have fainted again. This time hot tears flowed from the corners of her eyes.
Jevro did not bother, and ordered his subordinates to throw in a leather water bag filled with ale. He bit open the cork and poured cheap ale into the girl's mouth quite roughly.
The cheapest ale, it can also fill your stomach at critical moments. Because the ale used here is hardly filtered, not only has the alcohol content extremely low, but the liquor is also very turbid, that is, suspended oat particles! In other words,
It actually contains a lot of energy.
At this moment, the wine also became sweeter, and the weak Carlotta suddenly woke up. She felt that something was wrong, and when she opened her eyes, she didn't care about anything. She hugged the leather sleeping bag and started drinking without restraint.