A/N: I restarted this, as I took far too long to upload anything, and it look sloppy to me. I hope since I began writing this, two years ago, I have learned a little more about writing and it is more coherent this time. Thanks for the support, it means a lot to me. :)

Brass And Gold

Angelus In Tenebris

A little girl was crouched on muddy ground, nought but a tattered blanket wrapped around her. It failed to stop the winter chill from sapping her strength. The rough fabric rubbed against her skin, creating red splotches, little welts. The ground was wet beneath her feet, her shoes soaked from the sheets of rain that fell from the night sky, followed by the booming sound of thunder that stole a shaky sob from her.

She'd run away from her home, but the reason behind that wasn't what most would assume. She wasn't a rebellious child, or a little tearaway. She had run because she had to, because the life as she knew crumbled before her eyes in ways she could not yet comprehend. The place which she called home, where she had gathered many precious memories, had been bought by someone else, just days after her parents were murdered. The girl didn't know nor did she understand what was going on. Everything had happened in such a short span of time. She had lost everything within moments. It was hard for her to understand the cruelty of this world when she was just a little child that wanted nothing more than to listen to her Mother read, or laugh with her Father as he happily held her up on his shoulders.

She knew that these new people wouldn't want some dirty, filth laden rat, scurrying about their home. It wasn't hers anymore. She wasn't welcome, and now she had nowhere else to go. The family that bought the home were some of the nastiest people the young girl had ever seen. As she hid under her bed, all she could hear was shouting, and smashing downstairs. When the coast was clear, she ran downstairs, and her heart wrenched as she saw her Mother's vase, a gift from her Father, when they were married broken, in pieces on the carpeted floor. She ran outside, running until her lungs ached and she could barely breathe.

She ended up, in a dingy, backstreet area, that made her feel sick, a bitter smell lingered in the air.

Now, the frightened six year old hid in the Lower Quarter of Zaphias, and just hoped that no one heard her whimpers. Some of the Lower Quarters inhabitants were rather gutsy, loud, making her tremble when they walked past her, completely unaware of her presence. And even if they knew she were there, they'd be uncaring.

But someone did notice her. She could feel their eyes piercing through her like daggers, and the feeling made the girl uncomfortable. She mustered enough courage to look up and see the man that was looking down on her, and a gasp escaped her. The man's merciless gaze made her feel like he was up to something. His intentions were those of evil.

Now, she really had become a rat, trapped, fearing for its life, under the scrutiny of a potentially horrid person, whose intentions were less than amicable. Her father had always taught her not to talk to strangers...

So the only thing she could do, the only remaining option, was to look away from the unknown man, and hope that this person didn't report her to the guards, or worse, kill her.

She was a nobody, a street urchin that had lost everything. She no longer warranted care.

Cumore stared at this impotent little thing, and felt nothing. A slender, arched lilac brow did raise however, when the girl scurried back. A futile effort, as her back was now glued against the wall, but he did not care.

What he had not being paying attention too however, was that Commandant Alexei had seen him stop, and wondered what he was looking at. The streets were devoid of people at this time, so he was a little curious as to what had drawn the flamboyant Captain's attention.

When he wandered over there, Cumore smirked and looked at him. When he saw the trembling girl, his jaw dropped, but Cumore remained smirking. His superior glared back at him, effectively shutting down his amusement. He felt an obligation to help the girl. After all, he had worked his way up from nothing, fought his way up the ladder, to a position that he now held so dear. But that did not mean he had forgotten his fellows, whether in the Lower Quarter or not.

The ivory haired man bent down but didn't move any closer. The child tried to scurry even further back, but her attempts were futile, her back against a wall.

Cumore groaned. "Commandant. Your duties are to the palace, not to coddle an urchin".

Alexei spun around and growled. "Cumore! She is a mere child! Do not speak of her like she is nothing. Leave me".

The purple haired man gave a curt nod, and went to join the guards, who were still awaiting orders.

"All of you, go back to the castle".

The four heeded the Commandant's order, bowed, then walked away.

"Don't be frightened, little one. I am not like Cumore, I won't speak ill of you. Are you the missing child reported a few days ago?"

Reported? Reported by whom?

The little girl looked at the young man, and nodded.

He frowned. "Your parents. I am sorry to hear about what happened to them, and I assure you that I will do everything in my power to find their killer".

The girl started to tear up. Worry spiked inside the man.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry. How old are you?"

The small child looked up and put up six fingers, her lips felt too numb to speak, and her throat was too dry to voice her answer.

Alexei looked glum. "Six? Oh, you poor thing. If you wish, I will get you a place in the orphanage, so you don't have to be in the cold anymore. Only if you wish it, okay?"

The girl crawled forward and nodded. She didn't wish to be cold anymore, and, despite not knowing this man for long, she had no one else to turn to, trust.

She stood up on shaky legs and walked forward.

Alexei moved one of the barrels out of the way, and she walked next to him. He noticed her shoes were ruined, and his frown deepened. "May I? The floor is freezing cold, and your health will suffer more as a result".

The girl nodded, so, he picked her up.

Alexei, true to his word, took the fragile young girl to the Azalea Orphanage. The staff took one look at her, and brought her in immediately.

They gave her a room, let her warm up, bathe, and gave her new clothes.

Afterwards, she sat in front of a roaring hearth, and tucked into a hot bowl of soup. Alexei tipped his head to the staff, and walked over to her.

"I have to go. You're safe here, I swear that".

As he went to leave the warm shelter of the home, the small girl spoke, barely audible, but he heard it.

"Thank you".

He nodded, smiled, and left the orphanage, bound for the castle.