Ebony quicker a smile, a real smile, at him. "I can always rely on you to be honest, at least."
She walked Iverson to her friend and wrapped her arms around his waist, seeking comfort for just a moment. Then all too soon, she pulled away and straightened herself. She glanced at the bowl of soup, her stomach turning and looked away. She wouldn't eat that morning. She likely wouldn't get a chance to eat until dinner.
"Have the maids prep some rooms for the children. I'm not sure how many will be coming but it's better to be safe than sorry. Have the cooks make nutrious meals and a few desserts on standby. When they arrive, send out maids to collect clothing for them. Have baths prepared as well should they want to wash."
Uriah nodded. "I do my best, My Lady."
He gently touched her arm, his armor oddly warm from the heat he was putting off underneath. He was glad she would look for that, even just a little.
He wished she'd eat, but he could push that later. He nodded as he took her orders, before looking her in the eyes one more time.
"Anything I can get you, Milady? Anything I can offer you?"
Ebony shook her head. "Peace and quiet would be nice buy I know I'm never going to get that. Maybe once everything settles down we'll go on a vacation but I don't see that happening in the near future."
Once she was sure she had her composure, she opened the door to her study and strode out. She started laying out orders on her staff, making sure her estate was ready for children that were to arrive. She wanted them feel comfortable. This is where they would stay until she found good homes for them. She would make sure they landed in homes with enough wealth to comfortably take care of them and give them a good life.
Uriah nodded slowly. "Yes, Lady Ebony. I'll handle what you've asked." He turned and headed out, scrambling to give the orders she'd given him to take care of.
The kids arrived around an hour later, in a horse drawn cart very similar to the one that had carried Elia, Lily and Calvin away from their old lives.
And sitting in the driver's seat, a very familiar figure indeed, was Carth. Bandaged and stiff, but a familiar face nonetheless as they came through the gates.
As soon as a maid informed Ebony, she was gathering Calvin and Lily and stood out in front of their front door. She had a hand placed on both of the children, a soft smile on her face. She hoped Calvin and Lily would be able to soothe any worries the children may have and give then a playmate. She allowed them to skip their studies and dismiss their tutors for the next few days so they could help the children settle in. She wanted them to be friends. Have friends. And hoped their friendship would last long past once she place them in other homes.
Uriah knew Carth from the Palace, and greeted him as a friend. They exchanged hellos, and Uriah checked the kids in the back.
The kids looked nervous. There were 5 Venian little ones, all under 10, looking healthy but underfed.
The 6th was a little Harad, around 12, and beaten black and blue, one of his eyes blacked terribly.
They all scurried out of the wagon and lined up, standing straight and tall like they were about to be inspected. Carth got down out of the wagon slowly, whispering something to them, and they all relaxed a bit. The little Harad had a limp, and was clearly in pain trying to stand, and Carth looped one of his arms under the shoulder of the little guy, supporting his weight.
"Lady Ebony." He called from the bottom of the stairs, bowing low. "I bring little ones seeking your help."
Ebony smiled wider when she saw Carth. Despite their issues in the past, it was nice to see a familiar friend. "There is no need for formalities, Carth, it is wonderful to see you."
She removed her hands from her own children and descended the stairs to greet the new children. She noticed the child with a limp and she would contact her healer on hand when they had a moment of privacy. Heal just enough not to be a discomfort but not too much that it would be very noticeable.
She gave them all a pleasant smile. "Hello children. My name is Ebony. You'll all be staying with me until I can find good homes for you all. My wards, Calvin and Lily, will help you all settle in. They'll show you to your rooms where fresh clothes are waiting for you and bathe if you would like. We have some breakfast left over if anyone is hungry and lunch will be on a few hours. Come inside. Everyone is excited to meet you."
And it was true. Each member of her staff were lined up inside, excited to meet the new children to greet them and care for them.
Carth relaxed, ever so slightly. He hadn't been sure how Lady Ebony would react to him turning up on her doorstep, but she assuaged his fears quickly.
He nodded at the little ones. 4 girls and 2 boys, 5 Venians, 1 Harad, and the little guy wouldn't let go of Carth now that he was helping him move.
The girls gravitated naturally to Lily, the boy to Calvin, but the little Harad couldn't take his eyes off of Lady Ebony. Carth tried to nudge him, but he wouldn't budge.
"Lady Ebony asked you to go inside, Teben." Carth was firm, but not harsh, like he was used to speaking to children, which was an odd concept for a man as rough built as he.
Teben didn't move. He just kept looking at Lady Ebony. Finally, he spoke, his voice the low, raspy voice of a boy just growing into his teen body.
"Are we going to be your new slaves?"
Ebony watched as the children went to hers. All but the one boy clinging to Carth. She waved off Carth at his words. It was alright. He had every reason to be scared.
She stiffened at the boys words. She crouched down in front of the boy. "No, you will not be my slaves. You will never be a slave again, this I promise you. Romulus saved me just as he did you. He gave me this, my lands, my home, my people. He gave me this so that I might help others just like you. You will be safe and comfortable here. And some time in the future I'll find you a nice home with loving parents who will take care of you. You will never want for anything again. You'll be safe and happy for the rest of you days."
She held out her arms so that she may pick him, should he let her.
Carth nodded at her wave, but he couldn't move away to give them privacy with how the boy was clinging to him. He had things he wanted to tell her about the kids, and favors to ask in their placement, but now wasn't the time for that either.
Teben furrowed his eyebrows midway through her words. "Prince Romulus rescued you?" It boggled his mind a bit to think that this grand Lady would have ever needed saving.
On top of that, she was Venian. For poor Teben, that meant she was one of the people who'd beaten and abused him his entire life. To think of her needing to be rescued by he Prince…
"Were you a slave?" He didn't move to her arms just yet, not quite trusting her offers of safety and happiness, though his grip on Carth's arm loosened a bit.
Ebony gave him a small, sad smile. "No, I wasn't. I was rescued from a pleasure house. I would have died in that place if it hadn't been for Romulus."
She didn't mention Calvin or Lily. That was their own story to tell should they want too. It was not for her to tell. She glanced back at the other children before focusing her attention back in the young boy in front of me.
"I was beaten and starved and every part of my body had been used and abused by them. I doubt I would have lived much longer had I stayed there. Then Romulus came one night and rescued everyone that wanted to leave. And now here I am."
"Prince Romulus." Carth corrected quietly. He gave her a look to remind her that to the kids, he was royalty, and they needed that structure to remember the grace extended to them.
He also knew full well the complicated situation between the Prince and Lady Ebony. And that fact that she would likely ignore him.
He was also aware that Lady Ebony was doing her best to relate to Teben. By the time she'd been rescued, she'd had power within the brothel, which was not a position the small boy had been in. But in order to win him over, she'd need to tell him she'd been where he was, regardless of if it was true or not.
Teben, on the other hand, just looked at her for a long time, without saying anything. He finally looked up at Carth and tugged at his arm.
"Can I bring Carth in with me?"
The soldier glanced at Lady Ebony again, clearly asking her permission with this look.
Ebony ignored Carth correcting her. This wasn't a conversation with A B and C. It was A and B. And she was doing her best to reassure the child. The best way she found for that was familiarization. Using too many formalities might scare him off. She wanted the children to feel welcome. She wouldn't force any of them to call her 'Lady.'
She didn't rush the child. She could the wheels turning in his head. The young boy had been through so much, she wouldn't force him. If he decided he wanted to go back to palace, she would let him with the promise from Carth he would be safe. She just waited patiently until his mind had been made up.
"Of course he can, my love. Let me show you to your room and I'll have my doctor come and see to that leg of yours. She has magic fingers, I swear. She can make anyone feel better."
If only they knew she truly was magic.
At the mention of the word 'magic', Teben stiffened, his eyes widening. He stepped back from her, immediately hiding behind Carth.
"No." The first firm word he'd said yet that didn't have a question mark in it. "No magic."
Carth rested a hand on his head gently. "She doesn't mean actual magic, Teben. They're just going to tend your wound."
The boy didn't budge.
Uriah stepped forward from where he'd been quietly watching all of this go down. "If I may… Teben?"
The boy looked up at him, a slight tremble expressing itself along his body.
"Maybe you'd like to stay outside for now, instead of going inside at all. I'm going to take the horses and cart to the stable, would you like to come with me?"
Teben looked up at Carth for permission, pointedly not looking at Ebony. Carth smiled at him. "Uriah is a dear friend, you can trust him."
Teben watched him for a moment longer, before looking at Uriah for a long while. He eventually let go of Carth's arm and hobbled over to Uriah, who gently picked up the skin-and-bones 12 year old and carried him with him as they headed off to the stable.
Carth sighed as he went. He glanced back at Lady Ebony.
"You can disrespect me as much as you like, you can disrespect The Prince as much as you dare, but whatever you do, listen to me now as I tell you where we found Teben."
He swallowed hard, the scene playing over in his mind. "He was in a pleasure den, but a very specific pleasure den. You'll find those wounds hard to heal because many of them are so old. Best we can tell, he was kidnapped by a group of Venian magic-users looking to take revenge on the Haradrim. How torturing one child for most of his life was full revenge in their minds, I don't know, but Teben has only ever known slavery and torture. Many of the wounds are repeats of old ones, and if you look closely, many of them are magic inflicted." He glanced at her, the look in his eyes careful. "I don't know if you were planning on healing the boy in some way with magic. I'm not asking and I don't want to know. But… don't. It hurts him and he fears it more than death itself. You'll note he's got some interesting scars from attempts to kill himself. They kept him alive with magic and continued to torture him. He's a broken mind and a shattered heart and if you want him to trust you, don't mention magic in his presence."
He looked off in the direction Uriah had taken the boy. "To most of the country, the Venians are the victims, the Haradrim the oppressors, and the sorcerors in particular are the persecuted. But to that poor kid…" He glanced back at her, his expression sympathetic. "Well, to him, you look how the Prince first looked to you. Like a representative of a murderous race of people intent on making his life a living hell."
Ebony pursed her lips as she watched Teben and Uriah walk off. It hadn't been her intention to scare the boy. She hadn't known he would have such a strong reaction to the word 'magic.' Abd while she still had every intention of her healer looking over him, she would have to be more careful about it.
She listened quietly to Carth's words, only looking at where Teben and Uriah had walk away too. She was quiet for a good moment before she settled her gaze on Carth. "I have not disrespected you or the prince here today, unless you are insinuating me not using his title as disrespect. I think we both know he doesn't like formalities. It's better these children feel welcome than being forced in another household where they have to uphold formalities. As for the boy, I can only imagine so much of what he went through. My time in a brothel was not all rainbows and unicorns. I may have gained a position of power at the end but it did not come easily. Remember that I understand hardship and torture just as well. My doctor has skilled hands. She is good at what she does. She isn't a healer. She doesn't have magic." She very much did have magic. "I did not mean to insinuate it or scare him. I just don't want him to be afraid when she takes a look at how wounds. Perhaps she might be able to provide some comfort to the wounds. A balm or a tonic. She is well versed in herbs and their healing properties." She clasped her hands behind her back. "I'll make sure I find a calm and loving home for him. Someone who has patience and tenderness. I would never place him in a home that would cause him harm. I wouldn't for any of them. They deserve to be loved and cared for."
Carth smiled at her. There was no point in arguing things, and certainly not on the front steps of her own home.
He would just have to hope she didn't mess this up.
"I know you'll do your best." he said evenly. "The other kids come from slightly more benevolent situations. Mostly workhouses and indentured servitude. No consistent beatings that we've noted, anyway. Just a bit underfed. They'll trust easier and get picked up by families easier, so that's good." He looked up as Uriah came back around the corner, Teben hobbling next to him.
"And it helps that you've got Uriah around. Man could put a gundabad at ease."
The knight in question was supporting most of the boy's weight, and Teben was skip-stepping to keep up. He didn't seem pained though.
"Carth! There's a Wulf in the stables named Lorcan and he's huge!" His young voice seemed excited for the first time, though he immediately calmed back down when he noted Lady Ebony's gaze.
Carth smiled at him. "I believe that's Lady Ebony's mount. You should ask her about him sometime."
Uriah knelt next to the boy. "I'm going to head inside, would you like to come with?"
"Only if-"
"I'll be right there, Teben." Carth said gently. The boy looked at him, then at Uriah, then at Lady Ebony, before nodding slowly.
Ebony nodded her head at Carth but refrained from speaking as she saw Uriah and Teben walking back towards them. She smiled as she heard the boy talking about her Wulf excitedly. Perhaps she would take him for a ride someday, when he was more comfortable around her.
She nodded at Carth, letting him know he was welcome for as long as he would like. "Woukd you like a tour Teben? Uriah and I can show you around the estate where you'll be staying for a little while."
Calvin and Lily would have already shown the other children around. She had a feeling Teben was much more comfortable with the two guards than her children. It was alright. It was take time. She could be patient.
Teben nodded slowly. Carth patted his shoulder, and Uriah slowly let the boy bear his own weight. He stepped up the stairs, his limp offset by a determined feature in his step, like he was squaring his shoulders for whatever came next.
Carth gave Lady Ebony a return nod and a small smile, before following the boy up the stairs.
Uriah watched them go for a moment. "Interesting case, this poor kid. Did Carth tell you what's wrong with him?"
He offered her an arm to escort her up the stairs, ever the gentleman.
Ebony nodded at Uriah. "Yes. But its not my story to tell, if he hadn't told you anything. It'll take time for him to trust us and likely even longer to find him a home. I see him being with us for a longer time than the others. I'll have a talk with Calvin and Lily later about him."
She wasn't sure if she would be able to find a good home for him or that it wouldn't take months. Not many people had the patience or wants to care for a disabled child. She would contact her merchant to see if there was anything to assist the boy up the stairs that were in the works. There were no bedrooms downstairs and she didn't want him to hurt himself trying to climb up and down them.
She took Uriah's arm and walked into her estate. They caught up to Teben and Carth. "We'll start with the kitchens. You can grab a bite to eat if any if you are hungry."
Uriah shook his head just slightly. "I need to know if I'm going to help him adjust. I have no intention of triggering this child because a desire to protect his privacy kept me from knowing his triggers."
He noted her watching the boy. "If we can figure out what's wrong with his leg, we may be able to get him a brace of some sort that'll help all of that."
They caught up easily with the limping child, who shook his head at Lady Ebony's offer.
"Not hungry."
Carth touched his shoulder gently. "I'll eat with you."
Teben glanced up at him, before nodding slowly, and when they got to the kitchens, he waited till Carth had been served and had started to eat, before taking any of the offered food.
"Magic, Uriah, magic." Ebony pursed her lips. Once more. She hated that her own people, her own kind, would do this to a child. She hoped they suffered. She hoped Romulus made them hurt for what they did to him. "I'll have Elsaria take a look at him, see if there's anything she could do to help lessen the pain. Hear her recommendation for him."
Elsaria. Her healer. That no one knew of accept her and four other people. Everyone else thought she was a skilled doctor. She grew up in an apothecary and was well knowledgeable in herbs. That was all anyone needed to know.
"You can have whatever you would like Teben. Just don't eat too much your stomach hurts." She understood food being used as a punishment and a reward. She knew what it was like to be starved and to be fearful around food. She hoped with time she could coax him out of his fear.
Uriah froze for just a second, before continuing in his stride. "Well. That's both terrifying and comforting. Terrifying for the poor kid, but comforting in the sense that he'll be safe here from that." He nodded at her statement about Elsaria. "I'm sure she can help him. She's very good."
Teben had eventually settled on fruit. Apples, grapes, and a sweet pear he seemed to particularly enjoy. He ate quickly, as if he were afraid the food would be taken from him if he didn't finish it in a hurry. He was up and ready to go around the same time Carth finished his food, despite starting much later on his meal.
Ebony noted how quickly he ate and how much he seemed to like the pear. She murmured with one of her kitchen staff for her to go to the market and buy some more pears for the boy. She passed her some coin discreetly, telling her get as many pears as she could with the money.
"Now that you've eaten, let show you around." She walked slowly so that Teben could keep up with them. She didn't want him to feel like he had to run to keep up with them.
She showed him the dining room, the ballroom, the different studies including her own, the larger library. There was a private one upstairs with the other bedrooms but this one was available to everyone at the estate.
Teben kept up, not showing any strain. Whether it was a forced effort to try to hide his fragility, or just some innate toughness, wasn't clear.
The huge table in the dining room fascinated him. He kept running his hand over the long, handcarved wood grained top, marvelling at how smooth it was.
The ballroom absolutely terrified him, for no clear reason. They stepped through the doors into the wide open space, with it's beautiful decor, and he froze up, his face locking down and his eyes going wide. Carth felt his sudden fear and suggested they move on.
The library was interesting, though he looked ashamed as he murmered to Carth that he couldn't read anyway. He'd calmed down as soon as they'd left the ballroom.
He kept glancing at Uriah and Lady Ebony the whole time, watching their movements with curiosity and suspicion.
Ebony over heard the boy say he couldn't read. It was no problem. She could hire tutors to help him read, or she or her children could help teach him. "We have some great children's books in here," she announced to Teben. "Some of the staff's children come with their parents to work and they like to sit in here and read. I think we have a few picture books."
She walked into the library and rummaged around for a moment before she pulled out a few books. They were small and thin, filled with mostly pictures. There were a couple words in a few of them but she hoped he would ask her or the kids what they said. She handed them over to him. "Here you go. You can keep these as long as you want them."
Teben looked at her funny for a long moment, not moving to take the books.
"I'm not a child though."
Uriah's heart went out to him then, more than it already had. He'd been forced to be something else for so long, he no longer recognized people's kindness as what it was. Treating a kid like a kid.
Ebony's heart hurt. He was. He was very much a child. Just one who was forced to do things that were much to old for him.
She knelt on the grown in front of him, the wood uncomfortable on her knees. She wasn't sure how she was going to get up but that could be saved for later. "Oh love, you are still a child. I know this world has been harsh and cruel to you and you have had to do things no child or adult for that matter, should ever have to do. And for that, I am so sorry. You are still so young. And your childhood has been ripped away from you. Enjoy this, while you still can. Read children's books, play as a knight saving the city, get into trouble and cause mischief. Be young while you still are. So take these books," she gently took his hand and put the books in them. "Read them, look at them, the pictures will tell the story. And if you want more, I will order more for you. If want me to read to you, I will read to you. If you want to play with the other children, go play with them. We have lots of activities that you can do."
Teben flinched away from her touch, though he took the books. He stared at her like she smelled sour to him, before looking up at Carth.
"I told you they were going to treat me like a little kid." He very carefully and respectfully put the books down, not even bothering to look at the brightly colored pages with their happiness and sweet morals.
Carth moved to try to correct him, but Uriah held up a hand. "Wait a second."
Teben looked up at him. Uriah didn't kneel, though he did offer Lady Ebony an arm up.
"How do you want us to treat you, Teben?"
The kid looked him dead in the eyes. "Stop pretending you know me, for one." His tone was quiet, his voice trembling slightly, like he expected to get slapped for speaking up. "Stop trying to make me have a childhood, for another thing."
He turned towards Lady Ebony. "Were you really rescued from something bad?" It wasn't disbelief, more like he wanted clarification.
Ebony sighed as she took Uriah's arm, thankfully he helped her up. Patience. She needed to have patience. He had only just been rescued. It would take time, lots of time. She needed a drink. Her hands had started shake, either from withdrawals or hunger. It was bad but it would likely worsen as time went on. However, this wasn't the time for a drink.
She walked to one of the small couches in the library, signaling for Teben to take a seat should he wish too. This wasn't a story she wanted to verbalize, especially not to a child, but here they were.
"I had a happy childhood. I had loving parents, albeit busy one ls. I had lots of siblings to play with and older brothers that would pick on me. I was Venian nobility. I had everything I ever wanted. I had the best tutors and the best dresses. Everything a child would want. Then the Harad's came. They overthrew the royal family and murdered almost everyone belinging to a noble house that wasn't loyal to them. I was nine. I heard my mother and father, my brothers and sisters die. I thought I would be next. I was terrified. The only reason I escaped was because of my maid. I don't know who possed as me nor do I want to know. All I knew was that I had to run. And I did. I ran as fast as my legs would carry me. I ran for hours until I finally collapsed. I was sure it was the end. I was sure I was going to die. But I didn't. I was found by Madame Rosette." She looked away, gazing out of an open window. Her foot had begun to tap. She didn't like talking about these things. "It was alright at first. I wasn't expected to pleasure anyone yet. I just had to do my chores and I would be fed and kept. But you see, I had come from nobility. I wasn't used to this. I talked back, I had an attitude. I was punished. It wasn't the worst at first. Maybe a backhand or two or no supper. But as time went on, it got worse. I would be locked in a small room, completely blacked out for days, or at least I think it was days. I would be starved. There was a time I was caught eating a pastry in the kitchen and the Madame made me eat until I threw up, and then I had to eat that as well until I kept it down. When I had my first bleeding, it was time for me to be put to work. Real work. I refused and caused harm to a patron. I was taken to that little room and whipped until I passed out, and then long after that. I almost died. I still have the scars on my back. I was raped more times than I remember. I've been beaten by patrons, the Madame, her goonies. I've almost died more times than I can recount. And I'm my last few years its true, I learned. I learned how to play the game. I learned how to put myself in a position of power. I learned to protect myself and others. So while my last couple of years there were not so bad. I endured and I survived everything to get there. Twelve years. I was there for twelve years, Teben. I'm barely Twenty-one. I think people forget that. They see me, see how old and mature I act, and assume I'm much older. It's because I've seen things no one should ever see or go through. It aged me greatly. My childhood was ripped away from me. I will never get to have my childhood. I'll never know what it's like finish school. I'll never know what it's like to have childhood crushes. I'll never know what its like to get my juvenile heart broken. You have a chance Teben.you are still so young. You still have a chance to be a child. And you have been through terrible things and experienced terrible things. And you will always remember that. But don't miss out on this opportunity. I don't want you to grow old and resentful you never had a chance to just be young. Don't be like me, Teben."
Uriah kept his face neutral, watching the kid. Knowing some of her background was helpful in putting together several of the pieces he'd been missing in his psychological profile of her. Now many things made more sense.
For Carth, this was nothing new. The soldiers who were part of the Prince's inner circle had seen similar and worse situations many times over the years. He also kept his eyes on the kid, not wanting to embarrass Lady Ebony with his sympathetic expressions.
For Teben though… his little face hardened. The gaunt features of his malnourished face locked down as her story progressed. When she finished, he just sat there for a long while.
And when he did finally speak, his voice was quiet.
"So then why are you trying to make me go back, when you of all people know that's not possible?"
