So... Last time we had a migration of the story to the castle. This time... What will happen? Only god knows, okay... The god of this story... AKA me.

Gerry-sama: Your not God Ruroni-chan...

Ruroni: Yes... But can't we pretend?

Gerry-sama: *Glares* No.


Clean and dressed in spare uniforms, or in the case of the oldest children, Laurel and Kar borrowed clothes, the children started acting more like children, and less like scared animals. Each child attached themselves to a soldier, and when they weren't playing together in the courtyard, clung to that soldier, several of them going as far as to run to them when they had bad dreams. A few refused to sleep anywhere but their soldier's bunk.

Kar was by far the worst in the group. He had to be coaxed to eat and only slept when he body was completely exhausted. He did little and moved little, unless someone lead him somewhere. It was like having a walking corpse in the palace. Laurel on the other hand was nothing but helpful. She mended clothes and helped clean and cooked when they let her. Despite her blindness she found ways to be useful.

Within a week the children were a part of the palace, as was Laurel. Her dog, Shadow was limping by her side by the end of that week, his rib cage wrapped in white bandages. Where Laurel was the dog was never far away. The story of the Weaver Orphans as they were called spread like wild fire, and families arrived from all around wanting to take them home and give them proper homes and new families. None of the children wanted to go though. They screamed and cried, clinging to legs and anything they could not to be taken away. After the second day of this, Julian ruled that the children needed more time to adjust to the loss of their families. They would be allowed to be adopted after six months, no earlier.

As Late autumn slipped into the early months of winter, the castle was seized captured. I and the children being civilians with no connection to the rebels or Elyon were hidden in the depths of the castle and accidently left behind. They day the seventeen of us where dragged in chains before the new king was the most terrifying day of my life, by far. It felt like a moment of déjà vu. I was pushed to my knees as was Kar, who still acted like a dead man, while the children huddled together whimpering.

We stayed like that for a moment until Phobos turned his attention to us. I could feel it in the air, he thought we were little more than vermin, "Who are these."

"They were found in one of the storage rooms. We believe they were here under the protection of the guards, possibly family members."

"We are not!" I cried out, "We are mere-"

"SILENCE!"

I flinched at his echoing voice, my chest tightening in fear. I was terrified of this man.

"These people are nothing but children…" He sneered, "Throw the younger ones out into the cold. The older can go and work on my portal. That girl… the one who spoke… Let me see her face."

I was dragged forward, and my head ripped up by my hair for Phobos to see me.

"Ugh!" he grimaced, "She's more ugly than a passling."

"Please…" I begged weakly, "Please I'll do anything… let the children go… I'll be your servant… your slave, just let the children go."

I was slapped and fell to the ground again, "Of course you'll be my slave you ugly girl. Without the scars you are decent to look at, I suppose we can put drapery over her to hide those scares…" He sneered as I turned my head in the direction of his voice. Then I heard him laugh. It was an evil thing, "She's blind. Completely and utterly blind. Perfect. Make her a serving girl. She will attend to my needs whatever they may be."

"LAUREL!" The children screamed as I was dragged away.

I was pushed into different clothes and my head covered with a new cloth. A collar was placed around my throat, and someone discovered a way to make sure the scars on my hands and arms would not be seen. Then I was pressed into service. Phobos found it amusing to give me tasks that I could not complete, then beat me for failing in a minor action. He would use his lighting on me when I could not find his goblet to refill it with wine, and lashed me with wind as sharp as razors if I brought the wrong color of dishes. Yet he did not kill me, or send me to the dungeon like he did so many others who did wrong. I believed later that he found joy in my screams when he beat me.

As much as I wanted to run away, a voice in my head told me to stay; to keep my head down, and keep working. I listened to that voice.

I was there when the last of the resistance was defeated, and the rebel leader, a boy not older than Kar was captured. I was the hooded figure with the serving tray in the background. We returned soon after that to the palace. I listened as he ordered the boy, Caleb to be executed and knew I had to offer what aid I could. In the gardens I sniffed out a plant which should knock out anyone who ate a diluted bit of it. I slipped the plant into the soldier's food, and prayed for success. I was helpless however to do anymore.

When I could not sleep that night I slipped through the palace hallways until I found a single room, untouched by Phobos's magic. I could feel the cleanness of the air in the room and took my time exploring it. It was a chapel. No doubt the royal family's private chapel. There were a few rows of seats, and my hand glided over the alter, I knew the walls went high, but I couldn't see what was on them, but I could hear rustling fabric and feel something over the alter. There was something on it that called to me. It took me a long time, but finally my hand found something. It was small, fit into my palm and felt like a part of me. I felt dizzy, and the world tilted under me before I passed out.


Laurel is not Phobos's slave... There has to be a way out of this... Doesn't there?

Ruroni: *Whispering* There's no way out... There's no way out... without your reviews...

Gerry-sama: *Sighs* Review before she hires out an advertisement team... We can't afford that kind of cost...