Cearbhail:

Not going to lie; I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this chapter. It seems more like a character development chapter with little to no action. Ok, no action at all. But it does have the character development. I guess this is more of a filler chapter while things start cooling down. Anyway, should be good. Hope you enjoy. ^^

[Olin]

"Welcome to your first day of work labor. Before you are allowed to work for the King of England, we must first give you a minor safety briefing. While workers and slaves have no rights, our gracious King has decided that an informed brief will keep the body count to a bare minimum. First off, dear slaves and war prisoners, welcome to Nottingham: home to the current King of England, King John. Please note his portrait in your gruel hall; he may come inspect our progress, or at least one of his doubles. Either way, you must treat him or his doubles with the respect that you would give God, our god of course, not yours because yours doesn't exist. The proper respect to give him is to drop whatever you're doing and gravel at his feet. Feel free to kiss his boots, he expects it. Secondly, please keep an eye out for people dressed in over-the-top white robes. If you see one of these suspicious individuals, please blow on your assigned rape whistle. It may save your life."

My fellow slaves all stood around the slave driver, listening to him as he started telling us of all the dangers of the area. I was curious what these white robed people were. Were they a nearby village of kin members that were seeking to claim new land? I couldn't guess they were anything else, other than a tribe of bandits. I hate bandits.

"These berries are poisonous. Do not eat these berries. Remember: bright mean blight. Deep means keep." Our slave driver showed us two different berries. The bright ones were supposed to be poisonous. I didn't recognize them. I would have to remember that for later. "Beware of wild boars, wild bears, French men, and mimes. If you see a mime, don't forget about your rape whistle. I may save your soul."

"Sir?" One of the slaves asked as he raised his hand. "What does a mime look like?"

The slave driver's face blanked over. He was lost in his own world. "They live in a silent world of black and white. So…deceitful." He shook the memory away, looking at us. "You will know them when you see them. They are black and white and the embodiment of hell on earth." He looked around the town, no doubt looking for any sign of a mime. When he was sure that there were none around, he cleared his throat. "Beware of falling rocks. We are rebuilding a wall, the entire port, and a new tower. There will be times where unsupervised beams of wood and rocks may become dislodged. If you are not aware of your surroundings, you may become another victim of the reconstruction of this town. Upon completion of the task of rebuilding this town, the Crown has given you the opportunity to repent your sins, accept the one true God and the Lord Jesus as your true savior, and become a citizen of this mighty kingdom. If you reject this marvelous opportunity, you will be killed for the penalty of sin is death."

So, he'd kill us if we decided to keep worshiping our gods? And I thought the Gaels were bad.

The slave driver nodded to us. "There is one last thing we must bring up: four day weekends. You are allowed three days off every week, whether or not you use them all at once or over the course of the week is up to you. If you wish to take all three days off at one time, please notify the shift supervisor of your request. During this time of rest, if you wish to travel off post, you must notify your shift supervisor and fill out a travel voucher. You will be given a meal ticket for the use of the town's various restaurants. If you meet a wench and decide to have sex, remember to wrap it before you tap it. No need for a surprise nine months from today. Upon return, make sure you notify your return to the current shift supervisor and report for your next day's duty." The slave driver nodded to us. "That is all. I shall now give you your orders."

I stood there as the slave driver started looking at us, telling us where we'd be assigned. "Port, port…wall, tower, wall, port, port." When he came up to me, he looked me up and down. "You're strong, Norse, tall. You look like you have some stamina to you." He scratched his chin as he looked around. "Port." He replied. "You'll be assigned to the port town. Your duties will include dismantling the run aground galleon, repairing the dirt pathways, rebuilding the many houses, the docks, and the shops. You look like you can handle it, though." He pointed to the destroyed port. "Get moving slave!"

He walked past me and up to the next person. I looked over to the port town, seeing the other slaves gathering to the shift supervisor heading up the port construction. I quickly jogged to catch up to them. When I got there, I could hear the shift supervisor briefing the other slaves. He saw me running up and nodded to me. "Ah, the lone Norseman is assigned to port. Glad to hear it." I remember this shift supervisor. He was the knight that took my sacred treasure. I wonder if he still had it. He stuck out his hand, nodding to me. "My name is Eric Johnson. What's your name?" I looked down at his hand. Did he wish to exchange forearms? I reached out, grabbing his forearm tentatively. He looked mildly surprised but he shrugged and grabbed onto mine as well. "I guess that works too." He chuckled to me.

"Olin." I said to him. "My name is Olin." I guess Eric was our shift supervisor. I guess that wasn't so bad. It was better than someone some random person I didn't know at all. Of course, this guy did knock me out and throw me on a ship with the intention of using me to rebuild his destroyed city and then possibly kill me for all my effort. So much worse than the Gaels. At least the Gaels tried to defeat us in battle before kicking us around.

Eric nodded, shaking my arm. "Nice to meet you, Olin. You'll be starting tomorrow morning at sunrise; just so you know. You'll find the workers' quarters are the remains of the old pub. It wasn't hit too badly so that will be our main sleeping quarters and dining hall. Just pick a bed and fall in it when you're tired. But I'm sure you workers will work out who sleeps where in time."

As he started turning away, I said, "Why are you acting so nicely when you have kidnapped me and forced me into rebuilding your home when you're just going to kill me in the end?"

Eric looked back at me, smiling. "Who said anything about killing you? Personally, I plan on giving you a home in the refugee sector for serving the crown. You might even get knighted."

Knighted? I just wanted to go home and see if anyone was still alive. I don't think I even knew how to get home. I've never been this far away before and I wasn't exactly out watching which way we sailed on the way down here. I had to face it…I think this was going to have to be my new home. It still hurt, though. I would never see my father again, my kinsmen. My entire village was burnt to the ground and I may very well be the only survivor. It was a hollow feeling in my heart, knowing that everyone I loved was nothing more than ash in the dirt. And all for a divine artifact. My family was killed for a divine artifact; a thing that shouldn't even exist in our world. It belonged with the gods. I had to find it and get rid of it. For my family, I had to send it back home where it belonged, or at least make sure no one ever saw it ever again.

Somehow, I found myself in the only remaining building in the port. It reminded me of our longhouses, only higher and had more than just one floor. Weird. I did like all the bottles of fiery water that was stocked on all the shelves, though. It made the pain in my heart disappear; it also made me very tired. So, once I drank a bottle or two, I found myself falling in a bed. I didn't even care at the moment. I doubt I'd remember today at all once I woke up. Hopefully, I would wake up and be back at home like it never happened. I think that was what I was really hoping for.

…

[Little Red]

I was amazed that no one from town recognized me. Laila was right; dying your hair makes you someone else. I wasn't fond of my brunette hair; I liked my natural red hair better. But if it made me a new person in Nottingham, then I guess I didn't have a choice. According to Malik, our coven had to stay under the radar for a while. At least until the port was rebuilt. Too bad I just couldn't stay out of the town anymore. There were a few things I needed to see; things I needed to face.

Mother Goose walked beside me, humming a quiet song as we walked through the market place. The market place seemed to be back to normal. Of course, the accident was perhaps a month ago. Things were calming down. No one was even mentioning it anymore, unless they were expressing their excitement at having the opportunity to help rebuild the port as a paid relief worker. There didn't seem to be a witch hunt anymore. That was good. Maybe I didn't need to hide myself anymore. It's not like anyone really knew what I did, even though they suspected it from time to time.

"You seem quiet." Mother Goose said as she grabbed my hand. "Too busy contemplating how calm the town seems?"

I nodded. "Yes, it's not how I thought it would be."

"Mother always said that things clog up the river and block the flow but eventually the clog loosens and the river resumes flowing as it always has. What happened in this town was a minor clog in the everyday life. It's being unclogged by rebuilding what was broken. Soon enough, we can resume our lives here. But it's still too early to remind them what our family did to them, even though there wouldn't have been any deaths if their leadership hadn't been selling our sisters for slavery." She scoffed and shook her head. "They don't care what happens to us, but once something happens to them, we're the enemy. I hate it." She started speeding up, pulling me along. "Come, I wish to see the scene myself."

She was taking me to where the purge happened, on the poor side of the town. She wanted to see just how bad it was. I wanted to pay my respects to all those who died. Most of our parents were killed in the purge. The coven meeting was only for the Littles and the Coven Mother. Most of the other witches were relaxing in their homes when the knights burst down their doors and killed them in the streets. The blood still remained of all those that were killed. I had been avoiding it but now I was being forced to face it. "How come the other Littles didn't have to come? Mary, Jack, Lucy?"

Mother Goose closed her eyes and scoffed in amusement. "Are the other Littles training as a death-bringing Assassin?" She looked up at me. "You wish to avenge all those that were killed that night, right? Let this sight be what fuels your flame. Let it remind you why you train, why you have chosen to be an avenger." She looked down. "I wish to pay respect for the dead, you may wish to do the same." She stopped pulling me and turned to face me. "Listen, I don't know what you saw that made your aura turn so…black, but…you must let it go. There is nothing good waiting for you on this path. Wisdom is what you need, not revenge. What you seek will only bring more blood. And not just yours or your enemy's."

She pointed down the road. We had arrived to the scene of the purge. I could see all the destroyed buildings that had been burnt to the ground. I could see outlines of where bodies had littered the ground. I had no idea so many had died that night. There was no way there had been that many witches living here. I would have known them all. "What happened here?"

Mother Goose closed her eyes, feeling the pain in the air. It was really thick. Even I could feel all the screams of mercy and pain. It made me feel ill. "The knights didn't care who was a witch or not. They all lived in this area and people would lie. The killed everyone in this sector to make room for the refugees from the war. The witch hunt was a lie to hide the fact that the king wanted to clean up the poor part of town to make room for returning injured fighters from the war." She waved her hand across the whole area. "This is what you'll bring if you continue down this path. This street will only be the beginning. The King didn't care who was involved or not. You are fighting for a cause, I know that, but you must realize what it will bring. This is it."

I started walking past Mother Goose and into the street. I could see the dried blood that stained the road, the walls. I could see charred remains of bodies clinging to the road and the roads. They had lit everyone on fire once they killed them. Why waste time burying witches? Fire cleansed them of their sin, so we were just burnt instead. "They will pay for this."

"Who?" Mother Goose asked as she walked up. "Every knight in the kingdom? You will kill them? Fathers, sons, husbands? You kill one man and you've affected everyone that knows him. His wife will be affected, his son will lose his father, his mother a son. You've been giving a great opportunity. With the training you're receiving you can help people. You can prevent stuff like this from happening. But if you're going to use that training to antagonize more acts like this…you will only bring more pain to yourself and others. This aura of black will only deepen and you'll find yourself standing in a black room with no one to share it with. Strength is ok when it's used to protect, but not to take."

I turned to look at Mother Goose. She was standing in the middle of the road, her fists held tight. I released a breath that had gathered in my chest. I felt the weight building in there break apart. I fell to my knees, feeling suddenly very tired and pathetic. "Then how can I atone for what I did? It was my idea to sail the ship into the harbor. It's my fault everyone died."

"I just told you!" She screamed, walking up to me. She stopped a few feet away from me, stomping on a dried puddle of blood. "You prevent this from happening ever again. You wish to avenge those who died then make sure their deaths were in vain. You change this town, you make it whole. You make it wrong for these types of deaths to occur. You're an Assassin now, Red. Your job is maintaining the balance of all those alive. You bring freedom, and freeing us from our chains is just part of that job. Be the best you can be, save everyone that you can. This is how you atone for your mistakes, your failures. Every time you fall, you stand back up and keep walking forward."

Was it really that simple? I just got up from this and kept trying to improve? Everyone that died here couldn't come back. What if I screwed up again and this street only multiplied in puddles of blood? If I just went out of my way and started killing knights for killing my coven, wouldn't I just be creating more puddles of blood? Wait…is that what Mother Goose meant? I was becoming what I wanted to fight. No, I had to be better than them. So, what could I do then? I guess I would just have to figure that out later. Right now, I just had to focus on my training. But, what would be the purpose of training now? I wanted revenge on those who killed my coven and Mother Bo-Peep.

Mother Goose bent down to look me in my eye. "You ok, Red?" She asked. "You look confused. Did I confuse you?"

"I'm conflicted. I…I only wanted to make the King pay for killing my friends. Now…I see that I might become just like him if I continue training. I don't know why I should continue training if I'll just be like them." Seriously, it was bothering me. All I wanted was to free my sisters from the slaver. I originally was ready to start a war with Wolfe when I found out he had been kidnapping us. I didn't care what would have happened to me. It wasn't self-defense back then; it was a mixture of revenge and personal satisfaction at hurting the man that was hurting my sisters. I lacked the ability to do anything about it. Now, I had some ability. I could have done more to him for what he did. I still could.

"Your aura's turning darker again." Mother Goose said. "This is not good magic, Red. This magic will only consume you. Remember, you are a warrior for the Light, not the Dark."

"I can't continue training, Mother Goose. I can't use this power for anything less than pure revenge." I shook my head as I started standing up. "I think I know what you're trying to say, but I can't wrap my head around it right now."

She sighed as she started turning around. "You should continue your training, Red. I have faith that you will see the Light again. You already know the answer…heck, I've already said it. You must have not been listening to me. However, I think you'll figure it out sooner or later. Revenge isn't the only way to serve, neither is avenging. The world isn't just retaliation; it's also prevention. If you prevent the acts from happening, prevent the people from dying, you're doing so much more than just standing around watching it happen. Be a force of protection, not retaliation. Protection is in the service of the Light, retaliation is an agent of the Dark."

Mother Goose started walking away, back to the marketplace. I turned to look at the bloody remains of the coven section of town one last time. I bowed my head in respect, whispering, "I'll do everything in my power to keep the rest of us safe. You have my word." As I started turning around, I felt a hand rub against my face. An image of the Coven Mother formed in my mind. She was smiling, tears of joy rolling down her cheek. She didn't say anything, but I felt an overwhelming joy from her. The image faded just as quickly as it came to me. I paused as I turned back around to the bloody mess. "Coven Mother?" I called out.

Mother Goose paused and looked back at me. "You say something?" She called back to me. I spun around and shook my head.

"No, but…I think Mother Bo-Peep is proud of me." I said to Mother Goose.

She smiled coyly and spun back around. "She has good reason to be." She said as she started skipping away. "Come, Red. It's time for Brian's bandage change and I don't want to be late for that. I'm sure he's done something else to make healing him a harder task by now."

…

[Robin Hood]

I looked down at Red from the rooftops as she walked back into the marketplace with Mother Goose. This was the first time I had gotten to see the damage in the Wiccan sector of town. It was a bloody mess. No wonder Red wanted revenge so badly. If it had been my men that had been killed, I would have killed King John by now. I wouldn't waste time training. I'd just do everything I could do in the now. I wouldn't wait. But, I was glad to see that she had decided to forgo her revenge. It didn't suit her to be that angry all the time.

I felt a presence behind me and for once, I felt happy that my Sight was developing. "Yes, Mentor?"

"You're improving." Malik said as he slid up to me, crouching on the edge of the rooftop. "Well, I guess I was worried for nothing. Red has walked around the town and hasn't been stopped by one knight or village person. I guess it's safe to let them start going back into town."

I shook my head. "I wouldn't do it yet, sir." Red had dyed her hair. I could barely tell it was her. No one else would think differently of another brunette in town. Red's red hair was famous. She was one of few red heads in town. The other witches wouldn't get off so lucky if we dyed their hair. "The other Littles might get recognized if they go back into town. If you need an example, just three weeks ago you rescued that boy that was being pushed around for being a son of a dead witch. It's too early. We should lay low for a while longer."

"I don't know how much longer we can lie low." Malik responded. "It grows colder day by day. If it gets any colder, we're going to have problems. People will die. Our crops are already frosted over, and the river is freezing. The fish have moved on. With the plants dying, the food will travel to warmer parts of the woods. We live in the swamps where everything is cold and wet."

I nodded as I watched Red continue through the town. "Good point. But…where would we move to? Do you suggest we move into the rundown burnt down sector of town? Wouldn't the knights notice something that?"

Malik directed my gaze. "See for yourself. Do you see any knights in that sector of town? No, they avoid it like a plaque has taken it. Now, I don't suggest we go and broadcast we've moved in, but lie low in the buildings. There are enough that are deep in the mess that no one would notice us. The buildings are close to each other, and there is little light in that part of town. We can sneak in tonight and take a few buildings to sleep in. Tomorrow, we can finalize what we're going to do. But for tonight, it will have to do."

I nodded. "Sounds good to me. See that giant building right there, that used to be a tavern. I bet we would hold up our witches in that building. That building next to it used to be a smithy. My men will feel at home there. And we'll be right next to each other. And they are so deep in the sector that no one will notice us during the day." I couldn't believe it. Perhaps we could have normal lives for a while.

"Can I ask you something?" Malik turned to face me. "When you're standing on the edge of a building, do you ever get the urge to say something dramatic?" He cleared his throat. "I watch from the rooftops down to the filth of the city. Where men and women used to live peaceful lives, all I see are wenches and broken men, long taken by the vices of sin and corruption. They look up to the skies for salvation, but only find me. They look up to me, screaming for help. I look down at them and answer, 'no'."

I found myself smiling but shook my head. "No, but I do say this." I cleared my throat. "I'm Batman." I whispered off the edge of the roof.

Malik started laughing as he stood up. "No idea who that is, but I think we're cooler." He waved back to me. "Nightfall isn't too far away. Let's get everyone rounded up and packed."

Cearbhail: So, everyone is going to move into the burnt part of town. I guess that's not so bad. And Red is beginning to figure out what she really wants from this training. Locksley has it all figured out. He's already trying to help others to the best of his ability, but Red wanted revenge for the deaths that she was partly responsible for. Not because she's malicious, but because that's what she believed they deserved, retribution. Anyway, her intentions are becoming more pure again. Not that there is anything wrong with revenge, but it does have this effect of bringing nothing but more darkness and pain. Personal experience on this one.