profits

"You know what it means?" and her eyes sparkled "If it is like you said, then I am immortal. Then I can enter those tournaments where warriors fight and everyone would die but me. Then I win hundreds tournaments" she made a gesture with her arms as to signify the greatness of it all, "and I go rich."

"Coins glitter" said the other, arms propped up against the straw mattress.

"Papa would have lands" she went on fantasizing "in a faraway kingdom with no bad weather and no rivers that kill. And a family crest."

 "What is family crest?"

"A coat" she said, and searched her memory for something more accurate "that the thanes wear that makes them important and has big big pockets, so they can collect all taxes in it.

"What is taxes?" came another questioning look.

She pondered for a moment, then answered matter-of-factly, "The food of the peoples, and the coins."

"The thane eat the food of them peoples", nodded the other. Then it struck her that usually coins are not edible. "And them coins?"

"The coins for the king."

"And the king eat them coins?"

"Non," she chuckled "the king buys food for the peoples."

"And the thane eat it again?"

She stared at the astonished child, surprised by her illiteracy and the little knowledge of the world it brought about, and silently thanked God in the Heights for the teachings of her master.

" 'Course he does."

They stayed silent for a moment until the kid spoke again.

"If I want the chestnuts, buys the king chestnuts with them coins of the peoples?"

"The king eats pig" she shooed her like she'd just been insulted "and if you want chestnuts you go climb the tree in the backyard of Bilsb and let the king mind his own business with the pig."

"Then why you want to win tournaments and lands and coins if you can steal the chestnut from Bilsb an hav'em for free?"

"I can buy a forest full of chestnut trees with coins if I want to, and put them in my lands."

"But then I steal the chestnut from your trees an'still" the little one insisted, not really knowing how to get her point through, "Why buy you a forest of something you can get for free?"

She pondered a proper answer, found none, saw her daydream being bashed in, grew frustrated, pulled the covers to her head and turned around to face the wall.

"To spite you," she growled, and feigned sleep.