Warning, it's fast.


"What? You think holding your high-blood status over my head is going to make me angry? Like I want it?" I spat the foul thought onto his polished shoes, "I loth you! If I were cursed with your caste I would loth myself! Forcing a red-blood into the dirt like that? For not giving you the food SHE worked hard to get? What if it were you? What if blue were the lowest color? What if -" His manicured hand flew through the air. The crack echoed in the silence. My knees hit the ground. I watched my yellow turn brown with dust.

"What made you think that was wise? Are you stupid as well as pathetic? Or does your mustard sludge not provide enough oxygen?" His cronies' forced laugh only pounded the thought further into my head; this had to stop. This was not how trolls should live. There had to be more. Because if there wasn't... No. There had to be.


As soon as the red-blood said 'no' I knew there was going to be trouble. There always is with her. Oh, look! a dark alley well away from the circle of onlookers.

I couldn't hear the words from my hiding place, but from the high-blood's expression I would say it wasn't going well. I couldn't hear the words from my hiding place, but the crack came through loud and clear.

That's when I decided to step in. Shouldered my way through the crowd, "Excuse me...pardon me...if you'd step to the side?..."

"Please, your highness, she's delirious. she doesn't know what she's saying."

"Delirious? a likely story!"

"She won't do it again."

"She won't be able to."

"No, she won't. She'll be too busy working in the factories. Now if you'll excuse us highness..."

I hurried her out of the circle before he could make a reply.


I wiped the blood from my cheek and glared at Xanthous, "Why did you have to jump in like that? I was doing fine."

"Yeah, because 'fine' is on your knees, in the dirt, watching your blood soak into the ground. Don't you remember the last time you got beat up?"

"I'm fine now, aren't I? When will you get that pain is temporary?"

Why didn't he get it? They needed me. I couldn't stop when so many were ground to dust beneath polished heels.

Sure I felt pain. I remember just last week, I was trying not to wince at every step. Trying not to let Xanthous see. He'd only worry. He had enough to worry about.

And besides, my pain was nothing compared to the agony of the low-bloods.


Carnelia was going to get herself killed! 'pain is temporary'? What if they paralyzed her? blinded her? or cut out her tongue? What then?

She would keep going. She would find new ways to help the low-bloods. She wouldn't care. She wouldn't care that she hurt. She wouldn't care that seeing her hurt, hurt me. She wouldn't care, but I would.


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