Quirin swore under his breath as he ran down the dark streets. He was running late, and he was going to be in so much trouble. He was supposed to be having dinner with his mother and the royal family. If it was just his mom, it wouldn't be a problem. She was late half the time herself, and would only give him a look of disappointment. If he was just meeting with the royal family, he wouldn't get in trouble then either, because he knew that Prince Edmund would cover for him.

Quirin's mom had certain expectations for him, especially when it came to interactions with the royal family. She wasn't going to let him get away with slacking off. She was the king's advisor, and she didn't want Quirin's poor behavior to reflect badly on her.

This wasn't usually a problem. Quirin was a responsible person, and he didn't want to let his mom down. However, he'd gotten careless today. Quirin had woken up early and walked past the borders of the Dark Kingdom to watch the farmers as they got to work. It was planting season, and Quirin wanted to take a few notes to see if he could figure out just why they struggled to grow things, even outside the kingdom.

Quirin hadn't meant to be gone so long, but when the sun had gone down he'd found himself entranced by the sight of the stars. The Dark Kingdom, as gloomy and dark as it was, had always had very beautiful night skies. Quirin was usually content to stargaze from his bedroom, or in Edmund's room with his telescope, but for some reason it looked absolutely astonishing out here.

Quirin watched the sky, looking for constellations, for much longer than he probably should have. By the time he realized how much time had passed it was about an hour until he was supposed to join the royal family and his mother for their midnight meal. That was barely enough time to get home and get himself cleaned up.

As Quirin ran back towards the castle he saw that he was being waved down by an annoyed looking woman. Quirin looked around, but nobody else was out and about in this part of the kingdom. She could only be trying to get his attention. Quirin wanted to ignore her and continue on his way, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. It wouldn't feel right to leave somebody in need, even if he had plans.

Quirin sighed and slowed as he approached the woman. "Yes?"

"Are you a guard?" The woman asked. Quirin looked down at the symbol of the Brotherhood that he wore pinned to his cloak. The symbol was immediately identifiable by everybody in the kingdom.

"In training." Quirin said. "Do you need help?" He couldn't do everything, but he would definitely do his best.

The woman nodded. "It's my neighbor." She gestured down the street. "He has left his dog out for the past three days, and the mut won't stop whining. Can you either talk to him or shut up the dog?"

Quirin frowned. He didn't like the thought of a dog being left out for so long. The Dark Kingdom was not a good place for life to thrive. Any animal that lived here needed to be cared for carefully, and if it was whining and howling enough to bother the neighbors at the end of the street, maybe it wasn't being as cared for as it should be.

Quirin didn't really have time to spare, but an animal might need help, and this woman had come to him for assistance. Surely Quirin's mom would understand if he ran a little late.

"I'll see what I can do." Quirin said. The woman immediately looked less annoyed and Quirin finally noticed the fatigue in her eyes. Has this dog been keeping her up all this time? It was no wonder she was grumpy. Quirin probably would be a little moody himself.

He wished the woman a good evening and made his way down the street. At first he didn't hear any dog, but as he came closer to the small house at the end of the street he started to hear tired and pained whimpers. Something was hurt, and maybe Quirin wasn't very familiar with dogs or other animals, but this didn't quite sound like a small animal.

The house itself looked fairly rundown, but that wasn't unusual for the Dark Kingdom. Between their lack of resources and the unpredictable black rocks, a lot of people either didn't have the means or the motivation to maintain their property.

Quirin thought about knocking on the door and speaking to the wonder of the house, but something that he couldn't identify stopped him. He just had a feeling that he shouldn't do this. Quirin looked around, as though to look for the source of his sudden uncertainty. His eyes landed on a high and secure fence to the side of the house. The whimpering was coming from the yard, and now that Quirin was closer he could swear that it sounded almost human.

Maybe…maybe he should check on the dog before talking to the owner.

Quirin made his way to the fence, quickly patrolling around it. The fence was taller than he was, and didn't have any cracks for him to look through. When Quirin couldn't find any weak spots he figured that his only way to look into the yard was by getting in himself.

Quirin took several paces back, enough room to take a running start so he could leap up, grab the top of the stone fence, and pull himself up. His landing into the yard was far less graceful, and he could just imagine Edmund laughing at him as he tumbled headfirst into the yard, but at least he had made it.

Quirin groaned and sat up, rubbing his head. He looked around the yard, only to freeze. There wasn't a dog back here. It wasn't a dog at all. What Quirin saw sent shivers down his spine and made his blood boil.

It was a boy. A skinny, pale, bleeding boy. Quirin cursed and scrambled to his feet. He rushed towards the other, though when the boy stiffened and curled further in on himself with a growl he had to make himself slow down. This boy was hurt, yes, but he was probably also very scared.

"H-hey." Quirin said quietly as he slowly approached the boy, who was watching him with unnervingly bright yellow eyes. "Are you okay?" It was a stupid question. Of course he wasn't okay.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Quirin said. He held up his hands to show that he wasn't armed. While his hands were raised he unclasped his cloak and gathered it in his arms. It was chilly out tonight, and Quirin was feeling a little cold himself. This boy didn't seem to be wearing any clothes. He was completely exposed to the elements.

"I'm just here to help you." Quirin knelt next to the boy, who growled and tried to pull back. The boy's arms twitched and he clawed at the ground. He looked like he wanted to attack Quirin or scare him off, but as soon as he started to move he gave a pained whine and squeezed his eyes shut tight. He looked in agony.

This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all.

"Hang on." Quirin said. He threw the cloak over the boy, who flinched, but then sighed weakly and nuzzled against it. Quirin hadn't done very much yet, but at least he hadn't done anything wrong yet.

Quirin moved to pick the boy up, and it was then that he noticed the tight collar around his neck. A chain was attached to the collar, wrapped around one of his wrists, and chained to the ground. Looking at the boy's free hand it looked raw and swollen. It was clear that the chain had been wrapped around both hands, but with a lot of struggling he'd managed to free his hand.

How long had he been out here? As soon as the question crossed Quirin's mind he realized that he already knew the answer. Three days. That was how long the woman said that she'd been hearing the boy's pained cries. Not many people lived on this street, but Quirin didn't understand how any of them could hear the desperate pleas for help and decided to just look the other way.

This boy was weak. He was hurt, and a lot of his bruises and scars looked like they'd been there for more than just a few days. Looking around the yard Quirin saw patches of dug up dirt right against the fence, as well as scratches against the stone. It looked like somebody had tried to escape the yard, and Quirin had the horrible feeling that it hadn't happened in the past few days. How often was this boy chained up and hurt? How could nobody have noticed? And if people did notice, why didn't they care?

It made Quirin feel sick to his stomach, but he pushed it down. He needed to make sure the boy was taken care of. Once he knew he was safe, then he would set out to make sure that something like this never happened again.

Quirin reached into his pocket and pulled out a small knife that Edmund had given to him and made him swear to not tell anybody else about. It was a shard of a black rock, just the tip of a rock that had been cut through by another rock that had grown right into it. This kind of thing happened surprisingly often, and some people in the Brotherhood had the job of finding these shards and picking them up to make sure that nobody else could get to them. The black rocks were dangerous, and could be used as weapons.

They could also be a very useful tool. Using his small dagger Quirin was able to cut through the chain. When he moved to get rid of the collar the boy flinched back, striking fear into Quirin's heart. He drew back, dropping the dagger. He couldn't get rid of the collar, not without risking slicing right through the boy's neck. Quirin hated the collar, but for the moment it had to stay, at least until the boy was calm and still enough that they could get rid of it.

"I'm sorry." Quirin said, his voice breaking. "I'll get rid of it as soon as I can, but it'll have to stay for a little bit." He pulled the cloak tight around the boy and lifted the boy. He was heavier than Quirin expected. While the boy clearly didn't have a lot of fat on him, he had a shocking amount of muscles.

The boy growled as soon as Quirin started picking him up, but as soon as he was holding him in his arms his growl turned to a whine. He tried to push Quirin away, but he was too weak to get anywhere, and the simple movement seemed to pain him. After a short moment the boy settled and just hung limply in Quirin's arms, seemingly giving up.

"Just hang on." Quirin said. He already knew that there wasn't a hole in the fence, and he didn't think he'd be able to get the boy back over the fence the way he had come. The only way out was through the house. Quirin wasn't afraid of going that way, but he didn't know what to expect inside. He held the boy close and clutched his dagger tight, ready to protect the boy from whatever he might find.

Quirin carried the boy inside, moving as quickly and quietly as he could. He thanked the moon above when he was able to pass through the back door to the front door and out of the house without event.

Once they were outside Quirin tightened his grip on the boy and started to run. Every so often the boy would flinch or whine when his injuries were irritated, but Quirin didn't dare slow down. The sooner they got back to the castle and away from whoever had done this to the boy, the better.

As Quirin ran he started to ask the boy random questions. Part of it was because he wanted to know just who this boy was and what had happened, but mostly he wanted to keep the boy from falling unconscious. He wanted the boy to be as awake and aware as possible.

Quirin asked the boy dozens of questions ranging from his name to his favorite color. He just asked anything that came to his mind that he didn't think would cause the boy to panic. The boy didn't answer any of the questions, or respond like he heard them at all. He just blinked tiredly and stared blankly ahead. It went on like this until Quirin asked the boy how old he was. The boy finally looked up at Quirin.

"F-fourteen." The boy said. It was older than Quirin had expected, but it was still surprising just how young he was. He was a few years younger than Quirin, and he'd been hurt in ways that Quirin didn't think he could ever understand.

"So you do understand me?" Quirin had been wondering if the boy was so hurt that he couldn't understand his words at all, or if there might even be something else going on.

The boy blinked and looked confused for a long moment before he nodded. "Little." He lowered his head, looking ashamed or maybe sheepish. The boy tilted his head as he looked at the cloak. He moved one of his hands and touched the clasp. "Moon?"

"Yeah, that's the symbol of the knights of the Brotherhood." Quirin said. There was no understanding in the boy's eyes. "You know, the protectors of the kingdom."

"P-protect." The boy said the word roughly, like he was repeating a word that he'd heard for the first time. "Safe?"

Quirin's heart clenched. "Yeah, you're safe. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Eventually they got to the castle. For a moment Quirin didn't know where to go from here. The boy needed medical help, but Quirin knew that if he took the boy to the castle doctor then a lot of questions would be asked. Quirin didn't have any answers, and the boy wasn't in any state to answer for himself.

Quirin knew that he should also tell his mom about the boy, but he knew that she wouldn't be happy that he had practically kidnapped a boy, and Quirin didn't want to deal with that right now.

What Quirin needed was some privacy so he could do what he could for the boy, and then figure out where to go from there if things got any worse, or after they were better. Quirin himself didn't have access to a lot of privacy in the castle. His own room was in the lower barracks with the other knights in training, where there was always another trainee or knight around.

His mom's personal quarters were more private, but then she would find out about the boy. Quirin briefly considered taking the boy to Edmund's room, as he knew that his friend wouldn't mind and wouldn't ask questions if he was asked not to, but getting to the prince's room would involve walking through the halls of the castle. There was way too big a chance that they would be seen.

Quirin could only think of one thing that he could do. There was one room in the castle that was private and out of the way. Quirin just had to call in a favor.

He carried the boy downstairs towards the training barracks, but then turned left at the end of the hallway instead of going right. This was where the supply closets were, as well as just a single bedroom that belonged to the only trainee who had their own room.

Quirin kicked at the door to knock at it. "Adira? It's Quirin. I need to talk to you." Adira was the only female trainee at the moment, but she was far from the first. When trainees became knights they all stayed in the same barracks, regardless of gender, but the king thought that it was best that the youth were separated during sleep, so here Adira slept, all by herself.

There was some rustling from inside the room before Adira opened the door. As soon as she saw him holding the clearly hurt boy in her arms she stepped aside and let them in.

"What happened?" Adira asked.

"I found him." Quirin said. "It was…it was really bad, and I don't think it's a good idea to make it open knowledge yet."

Adira crossed her arms. "What do you want from me?"

"I just need him to stay here, just for a few hours." Quirin said. "I'm supposed to be at dinner with my mom and the royal family. I'm already running so late. As soon as I'm done I'll take care of him, but until then I need somebody to watch him, to make sure that he doesn't get any worse."

Adira frowned. "I really don't think-"

"I'll cover for you for training." Quirin said frantically. Adira shut her mouth, clearly intrigued. Quirin almost had her. "And I can convince Edmund to let you join us for our private training." The Brotherhood's training was very rigorous, but Edmund's personal training involved much more advanced techniques. Quirin, as his sparring partner and closest friend, had the chance to train with him, but nobody else had the opportunity.

Adira hummed thoughtfully. "I would just be watching him, right?" Adira asked. "You're not expecting me to play doctor?"

"I'll take care of that after dinner." Quirin said. "I just don't want him to run off or hurt himself even more than he already is."

"...Alright." Adira agreed. She held her arms out to take the boy from Quirin's arms.

"Thank you." Quirin breathed a sigh of relief. "I owe you one."

"I'll hold you to it." Adira said. She carried the boy to her bed. When Quirin's cloak slipped off of the boy, revealing his naked form, Adira didn't think twice. She just adjusted the cloak, covering the boy again as she laid him on the bed. Adira made sure that he was adjusted, taking more care than Quirin was used to seeing from her. When Adira was content that the boy was as comfortable as he was going to get she walked to the middle of the room and sat down, getting into a meditative position.

Quirin gave one last look at the boy, who was just staring at him blankly with those yellow eyes of his. "I'll be back as soon as I can." Quirin said. The boy didn't react, which Quirin had expected. With reluctance and a heavy heart Quirin left the room, closing the door behind him. He didn't want to leave the boy, but he didn't see any other way. If he didn't hurry to dinner, his mother was going to come looking for him herself, and he wasn't quite ready for that.

Quirin didn't bother changing clothes, like he usually would. He knew that he was expected to look his best when he presented himself in front of the royal family, but his mom always said that if he had to choose between good behavior and a good appearance, he should let his actions speak for him every time. Quirin may already be late, but he wasn't going to be winning any favors by being even more late because he needed to change.

It would be far from the first time that Quirin had shown up at dinner covered in sweat and dirt. Hopefully the blood wouldn't raise too many eyebrows.

When Quirin got to the dining hall he found the royal family and his family already sedated and eating. It looked like they were still on the first course though, so at least he wasn't unreasonably late. Quirin nodded at the king and queen, sheepishly avoided his mom's gaze, and made his way to the seat next to Edmund.

"How gracious of you to join us, Quirin." His mom said coldly. She was clearly unimpressed.

"Sorry, I-I lost track of time." Quirin said. "I was on my way back when I was asked to deal with a noise complaint." He told himself that it wasn't really a lie, because he really had dealt with a noise complaint, he just wasn't telling the whole truth.

His mom seemed to know that he wasn't being completely honest with her. She raised an eyebrow at him. "What was the problem?"

"Someone left their d-dog out." Quirin said.

His mom sighed. "Please tell me you didn't bring a stray home."

"I didn't bring a dog here." Quirin said. He clenched his fists on his lap, trying to hide how furious he was.

Quirin's mom finally seemed satisfied, at least for the moment. He knew that she would be asking him more later, but for now she turned her attention to the king and resumed her discussion with him.

Quirin usually loved these dinners shared between their families, but tonight he couldn't bring himself to relax. He couldn't stop thinking about the boy, and he just wanted to go back to Adira's room and help him. Quirin was counting down the seconds until he could leave.

Edmund gave Quirin a concerned look. "What really happened?

Quirin shook his head. "Not here." He looked around, just to make sure that they weren't attracting attention from their parents. "I'll tell you later, but I'm still figuring things out."

Edmund eyed the dried blood on Quirin's arms. "Are you okay?"

"It's not mine." Quirin said.

"I figured. "Edmund said dryly. "But that's not what I asked."

Quirin sighed. "I-I don't know." He felt lost and extremely out of his depth. He didn't know what to do, and he didn't really want to do it either, but he didn't want to give the responsibility to anybody else. He couldn't give up on the boy after he had been the one to find and help him. Quirin had made a choice, and he was determined to stick to it, just like his mom had taught him to.

Edmund gave him an affectionate kick under the table. "If you need something, just say the word."

"I will." Quirin said. "I just want to try to figure it out by myself first." If he needed a little more help, Edmund was definitely going to be the first person that he would go to, unless it was a true emergency and they needed a lot more than what Edmund could give.

"Just be careful." Edmund said.

"I'll try." Quirin said. "But it's not my well-being that I'm worried about." Quirin was stressed, but a little bit of stress was well worth it if it meant the boy could be okay. The boy needed him, and even if Quirin didn't know what he needed he knew that he wasn't going to let him down. He refused to.

Quirin had told the boy that he was safe, and that he wouldn't let anything happen to him. Quirin wasn't always a man of his word, as he wasn't afraid to lie and manipulate the truth to get what he wanted, and part of the Brotherhood training was to teach them how to keep a secret. However, Quirin intended to keep true to what he'd promised the boy. He would make sure that he was okay, no matter what it took.


A/N: So that you guys can visualize people's ages and stuff, Hector is 14, Adira is 16, Quirin is 17, and Edmund is 19.