Zal and Nim hid not far from Nim's home and witnessed the men drag Nim's father out of the house and beat him. They left him laying in the mud, face down. After they were sure nobody was still around, the boys went to Nim's father but it was too late.
Zal comforted his mate, telling him they'd be together, that his father had given his all to protect him and that he, Zal, would fill that role in the future.
Again, keeping to the shadows, the boys made their way back to Zal's house. They found much the same thing. Zal's father had a rope around his neck, the rope was thrown over the limb of a tree and the man was hanging there. Nim repeated the oath that Zal had given him. They would be together and would stay that way out of respect for the sacrifice their fathers had made for them. They gathered what little they could carry that they thought they'd need from the house and together they left the village.
It had been three days since the boys escaped from their village. They had been keeping away from main roads, but by this time figured they were far enough away from their former home to travel some of the main roads. Since they had only been able to carry enough food for just over a day, they were very hungry when they happened across a farmer at the edge of his field.
Zal went to the man and asked, "Sir, do you have any work that my friend and I can do so we can earn a meal and maybe be allowed to sleep in your barn tonight?"
The man looked at the two boys and took pity on them. Zal was obviously a half-breed and the man knew the type of treatment they received more than they deserved. The other boy, well, the man had always been of the impression that Hobbits were just cute, no matter how old they were; more importantly, they were honorable. He smiled at the two and said, "I could use some help with the animals. Their stalls need cleaning and I'm getting too old to do it myself."
The two boys agreed to help the man in exchange for a hot meal and a bed for the night.
After finishing their chores, Nim and Zal found the farmer who inspected their work. "You two did a right fine job. I'd be smart to try to get you two to stay on more permanent like." He let that line of thinking go by continuing, "But for now, you two need to bathe. You smell like the animals you were cleaning up after. There's a small pond behind the barn, go ahead and get cleaned up, we'll wash your clothes for ya too. Supper will be ready soon."
The two boys stripped right there. They had little modesty at that time. They handed the man their clothing and scampered around the barn to the pond. They took care at making sure the other was clean 'all over' pausing long enough to give one another a kiss. Unknown to the pair, as their attention was otherwise occupied, their kiss had been witnessed.
"Now I understand why they had to flee," the man said to himself then continued, "At least for a day or two I know they'll be safe."
What the boys didn't know is that the farmer's own son had been involved with another boy. The pair had been caught in the act and neither survived. Those were simple times; yet cruel.
When they'd finished bathing, they walked to the farmhouse to find the man and ask what had happened to their satchel. They had a change of clothing each in the bag. Upon knocking at the door to the kitchen, the man waved them in, showing them where he'd brought their bag. The boys dug into the bag and put on their spare clothing.
They all sat down to a stew the man had prepared. The boys didn't realize how hungry they were... that, or the stew was so good they each had three helpings. Their conversation was light, mainly consisting of the quality of the work the boys had performed. The man offered them an additional day of labor for meals and another night's sleep in a real bed, in addition, he'd make sure their satchel was full of food that would last on a journey.
Nim and Zal readily agreed to the man's proposal. The man lit a pipe and motioned the boys to sit upon the porch with him. It was then that the man let the boys in on the fact that their secret was no longer secret, but they had naught to worry over as far as he was concerned.
"My own boy, wasn't much older than you two, was caught by some men a couple seasons back. The men didn't take kindly to two boy cavorting in that manner and taught them a life's lesson by beating the life out of both of them. Tears were evident in the man's eyes, not to mention those streaming down both boy's faces. Nim stood and approached the man saying, "I'm very sorry you lost your son." He then wrapped his arms around the man's neck and cried into his shoulder.
As the two boys cuddled in the bed in what had been the man's son's room, they agreed, out of respect, to forego any play between themselves. They simply held one another, allowing their love to flow freely one to the other and back again.
They awoke to the sun, ready to give the man a fair day's work for a fair day's trade. They went to the kitchen where the farmer had been cooking something for them to eat. He set plates in front of the boys along with a glass of some kind of juice that neither had ever tried before. The food was exceptional, the juice was unlike anything they'd ever tasted; it was like an ambrosia.
Upon completion of the meal, the boys asked what the farmer needed them to do that day. He gave them a list of chores that needed to be attended to. He told them he had to go into town to get some supplies and that he'd be back by mid-day. Zal and Nim set off to their chores as the farmer looked on. After a time, he turned and left to deal with his business.
Zal and Nim got right to the chores they had been assigned. It had never even occurred to them that they could easily take enough supplies to last and left before the man had returned. Doing such though was more than just distasteful to these two. Their personal honor was far too important. Both their fathers had instilled in them that a man's word was all he really had in life. Giving it dishonestly is one of the worst crimes a man can commit.
Meanwhile, the farmer entered a bookshop and inquired as to the location of the book that held myth and prophesy. Having been shown where to look, he began leafing through page after page, tome after tome. Eventually, he found what he was looking for. He read the passages several times, pausing now and again to match up what he knew to what he read. He came to a conclusion, took the tome he had been reading and, after paying for it, made his way back to his wagon to return to his home.
The names the boys gave for themselves seemed familiar. Neither was a common name, but it wasn't either that was so interesting. It was the fact that they were being given at the same time. He returned to the farm to find both boys still hard at their labor. From the amount of work finished, he knew they had taken no breaks, not stopped to eat the food he'd left for them for their mid-day meal. This was yet another fact to add into the column that was making things more than just mere coincidence.
The boys finished their chores and, without being bidden, stripped off and headed to the pond to clean themselves. Knowing the man knew of their 'special' relationship, the boys allowed themselves a bit of 'play' time in the water in addition to the job of getting clean. Once finished, they made their way to the kitchen where their supper was ready. They sat naked, no use putting on clean clothes when they were just going to strip them off again after the meal to sleep.