Chapter 10: Rock, Paper, Scissors

Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Rock, Paper, Scissors

Daniel cracked his knuckles, staring down the pirate captain. The village was silent. The villagers watched with wide eyes. The pirates trembled behind their leader. The wind blew dust across the empty space between them.

"Rock, paper, scissors," Daniel said, his voice steady. "First to three wins."

The pirate captain nodded, his one good eye narrowing. "Arr. Agreed."

They raised their fists.

"Rock, paper, scissors!" they shouted in unison.

Daniel threw rock. The captain threw scissors.

"Ha!" Daniel pumped his fist. "One to me."

The captain growled, his hook hand twitching. "Lucky shot, Handsome Devil. Again."

They raised their fists.

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

Daniel threw paper. The captain threw rock.

"That’s two," Daniel said, grinning. "One more and this is over."

The captain’s face twisted with rage. His parrot squawked nervously on his shoulder. Behind him, the pirates huddled together, whispering prayers to gods who had clearly abandoned them.

"Last round," Daniel said. "You ready?"

"I was born ready," the captain spat.

They raised their fists.

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

Daniel threw scissors. The captain threw paper.

Silence.

Then the captain fell to his knees, his hook hand slamming into the dirt. "No! Impossible! I lost!"

The villagers erupted into cheers. "Handsome Devil! Handsome Devil! Handsome Devil!"

Daniel stood there, basking in the glory. He raised his arms, soaking in the adoration. The pirates scattered, running in every direction, screaming for their mothers. The captain crawled away, his parrot flapping uselessly above him.

"And that," Daniel said, leaning back in his seat, "is how I defeated a pirate captain and his crew."

Lyra was quiet for a long moment. Her lips were pressed together, her shoulders shaking slightly.

Then she burst out laughing.

"That," she wheezed, clutching her stomach, "is the most ridiculous story I have ever heard."

Daniel frowned. "What? It was a great story."

"Rock, paper, scissors?" Lyra wiped a tear from under her glasses. "You defeated a pirate captain with rock, paper, scissors?"

"He accepted the challenge," Daniel said defensively. "It’s not my fault he picked paper."

Lyra kept laughing, her whole body shaking. Daniel watched her, and despite himself, he started to smile. Her laugh was infectious. Bright and warm, like sunlight after a storm.

"You’re an idiot," she said finally, catching her breath.

"Yeah," Daniel admitted. "But I’m an entertaining idiot."

Lyra shook her head, still smiling. "I suppose that’s true."

The carriage rolled on, the wheels creaking in their steady rhythm. Outside, the desert was slowly changing. The endless sand dunes were giving way to patches of dry grass and scattered rocks. In the distance, Daniel could see the faint outline of what might have been trees.

"How much longer?" he asked.

Lyra tilted her head, listening. "Not long now. Maybe another twenty minutes."

Daniel nodded. He looked at her, at the soft smile still lingering on her lips, at the way she sat with her hands folded so neatly in her lap. She was different from anyone he had ever met. Blind, abandoned, sent away by her own family. And yet here she was, laughing at his stupid stories, making promises about libraries and novels.

He didn’t know what this world had in store for him. He didn’t know how he got here or how to get back. He didn’t know if he would survive the next day, let alone the next week.

But for the first time since he woke up in that desert, Daniel felt like maybe, just maybe, things would be okay.

"So," he said, breaking the comfortable silence. "What’s the town we’re heading to called?"

Lyra’s smile faded slightly. "It’s called Fallbrook. A small town on the edge of the kingdom. Nothing special."

"And your family is sending you there to... live?"

"Yes." Her voice was quiet. "To live. Or to disappear. I’m not sure which."

Daniel felt a pang of anger. Her family. The Pricks. They had abandoned her because she was blind. Because she was "too weak." It was cruel. It was unfair.

"Well," he said, forcing a grin, "Fallbrook sounds great. Small towns are nice. Quiet. Cozy. And hey, they probably have a library."

Lyra’s lips curved into a small smile. "You’re still on about that library?"

"A promise is a promise." Daniel leaned back, crossing his arms. "I’m going to read you a novel. The best novel in the whole town. You’ll see."

"I can’t see," Lyra said dryly.

Daniel winced. "Right. Poor choice of words. You’ll... hear. You’ll hear the best novel in the whole town."

Lyra laughed again, softer this time. "I’ll hold you to that, Handsome Devil."

Daniel groaned. "Please don’t call me that."

"Too late. It’s your name now."

"I hate you."

"No, you don’t."

Daniel opened his mouth to argue, then closed it. She was right. He didn’t hate her. Not even close.

The carriage rolled on, toward Fallbrook, toward the unknown. And for the first time in a long time, Daniel was actually looking forward to what came next.