Maria woke up from her deep slumber after hearing a commotion outside her room, most of her "co-workers" were rushing downstairs as if there were titans walking towards the orphanage. Maria stood up walked outside her room in her nightgown and jacket with all of her money inside the pockets and asked a co-worker that was passing by her door what was wrong.
"It's mother Holda, she's passed away in her sleep" Said the black haired co-worker sorrowfully yet coldly.
"What? how?" Maria was shocked and saddened by the news, then suddenly remembered what mother Holda had talked about yesterday at Sieg's birthday. And immediately walked hurriedly in search of Sieg.
"Aye, the poor souls i feel sorrow for the children who'll hear of thi- wait where are you going?"
Maria ignored her fellow co-worker's question and immediately determined to do her task of getting Sieg out. Although she was already a worker here at the Meissen village orphanage for 4 years she barely got on with the other workers, due to large part of her being from another village in wall Maria and the other workers being a native from the village of Meissen in Wall Rose itself, making her an outlier in their day to day activities. It's not as though she nor they hate each other at first, in fact they got on splendidly when Maria first got here, though she was more of a tourist attraction because of all the questions the villagers would ask about wall Maria. But after Maria met Siegfried and witnessed the horrible abuse perpetrated by her co-workers, mother Holda being the only one to take care of him before Maria, but mother Holda can only do so much being 80 years of age and already busy with taking care of the logistics of running an orphanage. Maria also began to take care of him too but that just made a distant relation with the villagers into at best a discriminatory hatred, or at worst into absolute hate.
Anytime Maria would get groceries she would be forced to pay 5x more for bread compared to her co-workers. The reason mother Holda had never experienced this was because she is an extremely respected person in the village, being a person born before the construction of the walls and being one of the founders of the village, the villagers treats her relationship with Sieg as mere eccentricities that an old confused woman would do, and at worst would just talk behind her back about her decision to take care of Sieg.
"Siegfried! I'm coming in!" Maria knocked three times on the door and came in Sieg's room. Finding his bed empty and cold, with his new biology book right next to his bed, his religious necklace which is an upside down sword gifted to him by Maria, and the bright green brooch on it. Maria took the brooch and necklace then started searching in other places for Sieg.
"Sieg!" Maria starts to panic, what if those that has more hatred for sieg got to him first? without mother Holda's protection he and her would be at best beaten then kicked out the village and at worst strung up by the neck at the village square.
Her heart rate starts to rise, she avoided the downstairs room because she knows there will be a lot more of her co-workers there being distraught because of mother Holda's death and will probably do something drastic to her and Sieg because of their emotional state.
"Sieg! Where are you!" Maria raised her voice significantly, a rare occurrence being the other time she raised her voice is when an old caretaker threw Sieg a plate of hot mashed potatoes, frustrated after being ordered to feed him by mother Holda when she was bedridden.
"Lower your voice girl! The children is sleeping" Maria stops, Turns around and sees her, the grey, haired blue eyed, tall and lanky old woman. "Eva" Maria says angrily yet timidly.
"It's Mother Eva now girl" Said Eva arrogantly.
Eva the second oldest behind mother Holda and the old caretaker that threw that hot plate of mashed potatoes at Sieg. Although strict yet fair to the other kids her attitude towards Sieg is the most abusive compared to the other caretakers. Because of that her relationship with Maria has always been antagonistic the moment Maria took care of Sieg.
"How did you become a mother? The vote hasn't even begun yet" Said Maria trying to reign in her anger at the mere sight of Eva.
"It has begun, you just weren't there in mother Holda's room" Eva said with extreme vitriol to Maria
"I see, so what do you need of me, mother?"
Eva pulled out her previously hidden right hand and showed Maria the red pulsating bite wound, not just any bite wound, but a human's, a child's.
"The Devil's child took advantage of the situation while we were all grieving for the death of mother Holda and bit me while i was trying to take his hand" Eva said with Vitriol
Maria trying to reign in her anger so as to not scream at her "What did you try to do?" Maria said with barely hidden hate.
"He was crying, crying so loud in fact that it caused some of the more, restless children to wake from their peaceful sleep. So i silenced him for the sake of the group yet he bit me" Eva said angrily and proudly, as if proving to Maria that the Devil's child she calls Siegfried is truly the Devil's offspring.
"Where is he now?" Maria said already losing her control of her emotion and almost screamed at Eva.
"Why should i tell you? and hold your tounge girl, you realize who you're talking to yes?"
Maria immediately pushes past Eva and runs downstairs in search of Sieg.
"Sieg!" Maria screamed and almost out of breath after pushing through the crowds of caretakers forming downstairs in the narrow corridors and also because of being elbowed by the caretakers she passed.
She then saw it, a crowd of caretakers grouping up in the corner of the main hall.
"Let me go!" Said a child with a hoarse sounding voice.
"Hold him down! The Devil has possessed him! Hold him down with the best of your strength if you want your fellow sisters and daughters to be safe!" Said certain fanatical caretaker in a group that is surrounding a mere child, while holding ropes, brooms, and knives.
Maria sprinted towards the group picking up a bucket that happened to be close to her, throwing it in the group and shocking them with the sudden coldness of dirty water that's been left out in the night.
She picks up the child made sure it was Sieg and ran through the main door, a double large wooden door, a place of prayer, playing, and the main hall of the orphanage.
After going out and being shocked with the sudden coldness of the night she immediately ran towars the stables, although all of the horses are skinny, craven and weak, largely used to plough the land and sometimes used for teaching children on how to ride it. Unlike the military horses which is large and menacing, able to charge a regiment of spearmen while in the midst of cannon fire.
Maria put Sieg on top of the healthiest horse used for riding, gave him the few money she has, her coat, the necklace, and his bright green brooch gifted to him by the recently deceased mother Holda.
"Siegfried" Maria said kindly and slowly, trying to see if there is any fatal wounds caused by the caretakers on his body.
"Ye- yes" Sieg says, voice shaky and hoarse after screaming and trying to fight off the crowd that was cornering him.
"Ride and follow that road, keep riding until you reach the gate. There will soldiers, they will be wearing a brown jacket with red flowers emblem on their shoulder, breast, and back. Then you give them this bag, keep hold of some for food. Pass through and live" Maria said trying to assure Sieg and herself that Sieg will in fact be safe.
"Bu- But what about you?" Sieg said tearfully, after losing mother Holda and now about to lose sister Maria the only two to ever take care of him and even give him a name, instead of calling him Devil's Child like the others.
"I will catch up and find you don't worry" Maria says now not even able to hold her tears.
"Bu-" "Sieg, be safe, be patient, and keep being kind, even if the whole world is against you, even if everyone you know is gone, even if you are alone. Keep being the kind you i know, keep being strong" Maria already crying and hugging him tightly, hearing the groups of caretakers already recovered from their shock and now running towards her. "Nobiscum Deus" Maria whispered her last word to Sieg and hits the horse for it to run.
Sieg grits his teeth looking back one last time with his teary bright blu eyes, seeing the darker blue eyed blonde haired sister Maria one last time, then looking forwards riding towards the walls.
Gates of Wall Sina
Garrison soldiers are as usual guarding the gate to wall Sina it is the second night shift of the day the first was at the night bell then switched once again at the first morning bell. And as usual nothing happens, once in a while a few smugglers pass by but it usually boils down to negotiations for bribes which is sometimes exciting but once done for the hundredth time it also becomes boring.
"Royal flush baby!" Said a particularly loud brown haired garrison soldier.
"Oi Gunther, shut up, you'll wake the whole district if you keep that voice up" grumbled the black haired bearded soldier.
"You lost Alard, pay up!" Gunther boasted.
"Fine! Damned god forsaken game the king should've banned this game long time ago" Alard paid a significant sum of his monthly salary, worrying about the fact that his wife will scold him till day when she finds out.
Suddenly the sounds of horse hooves approached the gates.
"Oh? they came unusually early didn't they?" said Gunther
"Probably screwed up on the job, but i don't hear any cart" Said Alard, they were used to smugglers smuggling weapons or people into wall Sina for the use of the criminal nobles or criminal businessman.
And then they saw it a brown reddish haired child wearing a jacket few sizes too big with wounds showing on the parts not covered by his clothes. And his eyes shining bright blue with tears falling down. The child then pulls out a jingling bag of coins and offers it to the soldiers.
"Here" Said the child with a voice so hoarse it's as if he's been screaming the whole night.
Alard takes the bag pours out it's contents and begins counting it.
"How much?" Said Gunther curious but not expecting much of anything from a child, unless it's a nobles, but with his clothes he doesn't look like any he knows thought Gunther.
"Only amounts to 10 silvers" Not little by any means, an average person could afford food to last weeks with it but not more than that.
Alard looks up to the child seeing him in that state, although he's seen people smuggled into the walls and weapons used to kill, for some reason he feels an overwhelming amount of pity in that child.
"Well get on then go back to where you's came from' Gunther started to push the skinny horse back around to turn away the child, while keeping the money of course.
The child tried to struggle and in his struggle to get the horse to face wall Sina again Alard sees it, the upside down sword the child is wearing that was hidden under his clothes. Followers of the martyr although few and far between will always help each other even if there's a difference between nationality, ideology, and ethnicity.
"No, let him pass" Alard said, baffling Gunther and making him shocked as to why Alard and in the process Gunther would risk their jobs for a measly 10 silvers.
"Oi now hold on a minute" Gunther started unslinging his weapon but is stopped by Alard.
"I'll give you my cut of the bribes" Said Alard.
Gunther Thinks for a moment "Fine! your salary and cut this month" Gunther said satisfied and smirking, then slinged his rifle back and grabbed a bottle of alcohol near his post.
Alard let the child pass but keeps the bribe and as the child passes him "Nobiscum Deus" The child shocked then nodded and answered back the motto and enter Sina.
Alard now wonders what'll happen to the child, Sina is no place for an orphan, there'll be nowhere for him to go.
As he looks at the child's back slowly disappears in the fog of the night he wishes him safe travels through life in heart.