Hector didn't really feel good about returning to the castle, but he didn't feel bad about it, and that was good enough. Things actually got better. He still felt nervous around all of the people that were around all of the time, but it got easier and easier to just ignore them. Some people seemed annoyed or irritated that he was ignoring them, but they didn't hit him or yell at him for being disrespectful. They just frowned and moved on.

It gave Hector a feeling of power. Every time he did something that someone else didn't like, and they didn't do anything about it, Hector felt more and more comfortable and confident. No matter what limits he pushed or who he annoyed, he remained unharmed and unpunished. He was starting to see that Quirin was right, and he really was safe here.

Hector started to venture out of his room. He'd thought that he had been confined there, but apparently as soon as his injuries had healed he'd been allowed to leave whenever he wanted.

Hector stayed close to either Quirin or Adira's sides. He saw Quirin as a safe protector. As for Adira, she had made it clear multiple times that if anybody started to cause problems for him then she would immediately start a fight with them. She'd done it when Hector had first run into the captain and trainees, and she'd done it when the man from the circus had grabbed him.

Adira was willing to fight for Hector, but she also fought with him a lot. Adira kept on saying things that got under Hector's skin, like she was looking for a reaction, and when he eventually gave it to her she just smiled and treated it like a game.

For a bit Hector hadn't liked this game, because his dad had done something similar sometimes, where he would basically force Hector to resist him, and then punish him when he did. When no punishments happened though Hector started to relax and he started to find Adira's game kinda fun, even if sometimes the things she said would repeat in his head in later days and sound much more mean and angry.

Hector's head had always been kinda mean to him, lingering on the things that hurt. He'd thought that it was just because he had been living in a bad place, but here in the castle where he was starting to feel better and almost safe, the voice in his head was not any quieter. If anything, it was louder. Hector had to reluctantly admit to himself that this wasn't something he could blame on his father. This was all him.

Hector tried to ignore these things by just following Quirin everywhere and focusing on getting ready to try to join the trainees for the Brotherhood. Hector didn't really like being around the trainees, but watching them train was interesting, and sparring with Quirin when they were done was fun.

What was confusing though, and made Hector very nervous, was that frequently he would turn around and see Quirin's mom just watching them. She seemed to be looking for something, and every once and a while she would frown slightly, like she had seen something that either upset her or made her thoughtful.

Soon after Hector noticed Quirin's mom, she would slink away and Quirin would pull his attention back onto him. After this went on for several days Hector had had enough.

"What's she doing?" Hector asked as he watched Quirin's mom walk away.

Quirin frowned in a way very similar to his mom. "She's going too far is what she's doing."

Hector grimaced and he tilted his head. He understood the words that Quirin said, but he really didn't understand what he meant, because the words didn't make much sense. It was a weird feeling.

Quirin noticed Hector's confusion. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, my mom's the one who comes up with the tests to see if somebody's worthy of training to join the Brotherhood. She's watching you to find something to test you on."

Hector couldn't help but fold in slightly on himself. One of the little bearcats whined and crawled onto his lap, licking his hand. Hector pet it, appreciating the animal's company. Moments like this made him glad that he had ignored the castle's horse master when he suggested that the bearcats and rhino stay in the stables with the other animals. Hector didn't want to bring them from one cage to another that was bigger. These guys were supposed to be wild animals, not pets. No, they stayed in his room with him. Even the rhino, though Quirin had pointed out that it would outgrow the room very quickly.

"I don't want to be tested." Hector pouted.

"Nobody does." Quirin said. "Don't worry, my mom's tests may be scary and push you to your limits, but they're fair and never cruel."

Hector knew that Quirin wasn't a liar, but he couldn't believe a word of what he had said. Tests weren't fair. Ever. They were made to be completely unfair, so that people could see you fail and either punish you or laugh at you, depending on their mood.

That was always how it went. Whenever there were visitors back home Hector's dad would give him clothes, tell him to talk when spoken to, and say that this was a test to see if he could fit in with normal people. The result was always the same. He couldn't. Hector would mess up every single time. The visitors would look at him weirdly, call him names that he didn't understand but knew weren't good, and then he'd be punished by his father as soon as everybody was gone.

Hector just wasn't good at tests, and he really didn't like the thought of Quirin's mom watching him carefully just so she can find all of the best ways to make him fail. He wouldn't be able to join the Brotherhood with Quirin. He wouldn't be able to learn how to fight to protect himself and his new home. He would just be there with nothing to do. No goal. No purpose.

It was weird. Hector hadn't really had a purpose in his life outside of just surviving, and his goal had been to be in as little pain as possible. Now that he wasn't being constantly threatened and hurt, he felt a desperate need inside of him for more. He needed a reason to stay in the Dark Kingdom with Quirin and the others, or else the call of the forest would be too hard to resist.

Hector planned on returning to the forest and running around, but right now he didn't think he wanted to stay out there. He wanted to feel safe with people. He wanted to enjoy Quirin's company. The wild forest was a great place to relax and feel free, but he didn't think it could be his home.

"I'm sure you'll do fine." Quirin said. Hector just scowled at him. His voice said that things would be fine, but Quirin's eyes said that he was nervous. Hector had found that it was so much easier to see what people really meant by the look in their eyes.

Hector worried about the test. He should have felt better when he didn't see Quirin's mom spying on him the next day, but he just felt more nervous. Was she doing this because she was up to something? What if he'd already failed the test and she was trying to figure out how to tell Quirin?

The Brotherhood trainees were just finishing up their latest training session, which Hector had quietly watched, when he finally saw Quirin's mom. She walked into the training room, her head held high and a boy that Hector had never seen before walking beside her. Everybody else seemed to know this boy. Some of the boys looked excited, like this new kid was a friend of theirs. Some of them looked tired and annoyed. Some of them, like Quirin and Adira, looked both sad and cautious when they saw the boy.

The captain ended practice early as he turned his attention to Quirin's mom. "Is it really that time again?"

"Yes, it is." Quirin's mom watched as the boy that she came in with went to talk to the boys that were excited to see him. They looked like old friends. She watched them for a bit before she turned and looked at Hector, a look in her eyes that he really didn't like.

Hector stared right back at her before he flinched back and approached Quirin, nudging him. "I don't like this."

"Well, at least Mom has found someone new to focus on for now." Quirin said. He was keeping his eyes on the new boy, so he had missed the way that his mom had looked at Hector. "You don't have to worry about Mikhail. Knowing him, he's not going to give you a second glance."

Hector hadn't been thinking about this boy, Mikhail, but now he was curious about him. He looked about Quirin's age, maybe even a little older. "Who is he?"

"He's determined to join the Brotherhood." Adira said. "He's failed his trial twice now, and people interested in joining the brotherhood only have three chances to join the initiates. If Mikhail doesn't make it this time, he can say goodbye to being a knight." Adira didn't sound very sad about it.

"You said the test was fair." Hector gave Quirin an accusatory look. How fair could a test be if somebody who was desperate to pass it failed it twice?

"It is." Adira crossed her arms. "Mikhail's tests have been especially simple. His problem is that he's arrogant. He thinks he's the greatest thing this kingdom has to offer besides the moonstone." Adira scoffed. "I wouldn't be surprised if he thought he was even better than the moonstone."

Quirin sighed. "Mikhail's tests have included challenges that were difficult on purpose. The point wasn't to win, it was to realize that he wasn't as strong as he thought he was." Hector's stomach twisted in knots. That sounded very familiar. "My mom and the captain just wanted to see some humility from Mikhail, but they're not finding it because he has been completely missing the point."

Hector was liking the thought of this test less and less. He was thinking of changing his mind and just trusting that Quirin had meant it when he'd said that he would still be Hector's family, and this would still be his home, even if he didn't join the Brotherhood.

Hector scratched at his arms. His fear and distrust were overwhelming, and growing up he'd realized that those things could be overpowered by physical pain. He didn't want to be hurt, because he was so tired of being in pain, but this little bit of scratching helped. It gave his head something else to focus on.

"Captain, I want you to prepare the arena." Quirin's mom said. She glanced from Mikhail to Hector. "At the moon's rising we're going to be having a match."

The room went silent. Hector didn't like it. He met Mikhail's gaze. The other boy was looking at him almost hungrily, not as though he was a person, but just an obstacle that was standing in his way. A part of Hector wanted to cower away, because he didn't want to start a fight. His stronger instinct was to snarl and make himself look as big as he could.

Hector wasn't afraid of this guy. Mikhail was trying to make himself look strong, and maybe he was, but Hector had dealt with his dad. This kid couldn't be anywhere near as bad as that. Hector could hold his own in a fight against this guy. No problem.

Quirin made a weird sound. Hector pulled his attention away from Mikhail to look towards Quirin, who almost seemed to be snarling himself and glaring at his mom.

"Adira, watch Hector." Quirin said stiffly. "Don't let Mikhail come near him. I have to go talk to my mom." Hector watched as Quirin stormed to his mom, muttered something quietly to her, and then the two of them left the room. Hector frowned and looked at Adira, who was frowning herself.

"Is something wrong?" Hector asked.

"I don't know." Adira said. She grabbed the arm that Hector had been scratching at, even though he knew that she didn't like to touch him. She pulled him out the door, but instead of going down the hallway that Quirin and his mom had gone they went towards Adira's room.

Hector was more than happy to spend time with Adira, but he wished that he knew what was going on with Quirin.


"What are you doing?" Quirin demanded from his mom as soon as they had reached her quarters. Quirin had wanted to talk to her right away, but it was more important that they have privacy.

His mom didn't try to play coy or dumb. She knew what he was talking about. "I'm setting up a trial for both Hector and Mikhail."

"With a sparring match? No way." Quirin shook his head. The tests were always much more complicated than that. "There's more to their trials. What are you planning for Hector?"

Quirin's mom's look softened slightly. "You know I can't tell you." Traditionally, people weren't supposed to know what exactly they were being tested on until after the trial was over and done with. But Quirin wasn't the one being tested.

"I won't tell Hector a word." Quirin swore. "I'll keep things fair, but I want to make sure that it's fair for him too."

Quirin's mom was quiet for a long moment before she sighed. "Quirin, I know you've said that Hector has a kind heart, and I know you believe that, but I need to see it for myself before I let him join the ranks of the Brotherhood or its initiates."

"You're testing his compassion?" Quirin frowned. He'd heard of people being tested for similar things. Some might argue that Mikhail's test to prove that he could be humble was along the similar lines. "How is he supposed to show compassion during a sparring match?" Quirin grew more quiet and his eyes widened as he realized the answer even as he asked the question.

"You want him to throw the match." Quirin said quietly.

"This is Mikhail's last chance." Quirin's mom said. "He has more to lose than Hector does. I know you told your friend about the situation, so now he knows it."

Quirin clenched his fists. "Mom, that's not fair. You know it's not. After everything that Hector's been through you want him to just lay down and let someone walk all over him just because they want to?" After Hector had made so much progress to trust them when they said that he didn't deserve what his dad had done to him, he was expected to let all of that go and let himself be a punching bag all over again.

"I don't expect you to understand." Quirin's mom said sympathetically. "I know it can seem cruel-"

"That's because it is." Quirin snapped. "I can't believe you!" Quirin turned to storm away, but his mom grabbed his arm and gently but firmly pulled him back.

"You can't tell Hector." She said. "This is his test, not yours."

Quirin could feel his hands shaking. He wanted to defy his mother, but he knew that if he did then she would just give Hector another test, one possibly even worse. "If Hector's supposed to throw the match, then what's Mikhail's test?"

"Win or lose, I want to see Mikhail do it with grace." Quirin's mom said. "The results of the match won't actually matter for him." It was much more fair of a test than what Hector was going to be faced with, but Quirin didn't think for one second that Mikhail would pass. He was far too arrogant and desperate for that.

Quirin just hoped that Hector would be able to overcome his personal demons and instincts. He hoped, but he wasn't holding his breath. Hector was still trying to trust people that had been helping him for weeks. What reason would he have to show kindness and trust to a total stranger who knew nothing about him?

Quirin didn't want this sparring match to happen at all, but he was glad that it was happening in just a few hours. He didn't think he'd be able to handle waiting for any longer than that.