When Denice awoke, her head throbbed like a thousand knives stabbed her through the eyes. After the soldier had slapped her, she vaguely could remember anything, except in small flashes: one point she felt weightless as though she were being carried, and then she was placed down. Now, she felt that same weightlessness, and the air around her felt a lot clearer than where she was earlier. But why was there so little warmth, like her fireplace lacked a fire? Then, there was a soft blow against her forehead, like some sort of hot breath, but she could hardly open her eyes to see. Instead, she embraced the warmth and wrapped her arms around it welcoming.

She heard a deep gruff before she passed out once again, hearing nothing.

Arthur was carrying Denice in his arms. After the soldier had abandoned the girl for dead, he and his friends freed her: she was in the worse condition, and completely vulnerable to the world around her. It was decided by the trio that they would return to the Château with her and to hopefully avoid any more encounters along the way. At one point, the male had her dangling off his back as he kept her arms around his neck to keep low.  Now, she was nestled underneath Arthur's neck more calmly.

"What's she doing?" Amicia asked once she saw her move.

Arthur ghosted her back with his hand with gentle pats. "Sleeping like a rock. Hopefully, she'll stay that way until we return."

Mélie huffed. She wasn't completely opposed to taking the girl with them, even if she appeared to not approve of the guest. She was glad it was a girl at least. "Now we've got another mouth to feed," she added, walking alongside her brother, "Are we sure we can handle that?"

"We have to," Amicia responded, crossing her arms, "You saw what the soldiers did. They burned down the whole farm. She doesn't exactly have a home to return to." She looked along the path to the Château, remembering the heat of the fire almost burning along her face. The old wood of the home had burned so quickly and brightly that it nearly sent the rats back barreling back underground.

"Then I don't look forward to the extra trips out scavenging."

"Heh... Unless there is gold involved," Amicia joked.

Humored, Arthur inaudibly chuckled. "Only the shinest for you, Amicia. You know that Mélie would steal England's best rubies just for you."

"Heh..."

"Shut, it Arthur! Be glad that you're holding the girl or I would have slapped you by now."

"My bad, sister. I wouldn't want to expose your darkest secrets."

It was a long, quiet walk back to the Château d'Ombrage, greeted by a tired Rodric when they arrived. The dirty blacksmith's son followed Arthur close behind, wanting to ask about the stranger in his arms but not quite getting the words out yet. He was quite surprised to see the tattered girl in a ripped green dress. She did not look so well. "Be careful when you enter the room. Hugo is asleep," he warned his friends along the way.

"How is he?" Amicia

"Lucas says he is stable. He was missing you a lot, Amicia. By the way, who is she?"

"We don't know," Arthur responded and found a place where he could lay the girl once he entered the room everyone shared, placing her down carefully on his straw mattress with her head on his pillow. He observed her face and the lacerations that the soldier inflicted on her. He was sure that Amicia would have killed the soldier if they weren't so crowded by rats that were ready to eat them. He left Denice there, knowing Amicia and Lucas would take care of her. Tonight, he would either sleep on the ground or share the mattress with either his sister or Rodric. He approached Rodric, crossing his arms as he retold the story. "Found her while on one of our runs, along with some Inquisition soldiers. They knocked her out pretty cold, tried to feed her to the rats, and burned her house down. Might need Lucas to give her something for the pain."

Rodric's face contorted. "How horrible. Well, she will be good in hands. With us." He slapped Arthur's back, nearly sending him tumbling forward. "We might want to relight some braziers before going to sleep—might rain by dawn if we're unlucky."

Arthur nodded. "Alright." He followed the male out of the room, giving the girl a look before he left.

"What happened?" Lucas asked when his attention was brought to the girl by Amicia. He kneeled next to her.

Mélie crossed her arms. "A shit-show, that's what. Soldier barged right into her house and back-handed her when she didn't give him what he wanted. Then we had to rescue her from rats eating her alive when he tied her to a pole for not having enough food for them." She shook her head, not favoring the images in her head. Then again, it was not as gruesome from what they all had seen.

Lucas cringed, shaking his head as well. "Hopefully her wounds will be easy to treat, with the right materials. After that, I say we give her some space to rest." He coated her cheek with a wet cloth to wash the blood, being careful when she twitched in pain. They were quiet, Amicia and Mélie watching, and when he was done, they decided to part ways to try and catch a few more hours of sleep. Mélie would sleep near her brother's mattress as always and Rodric near him; Lucas moved his bed closer to the stranger in case she needed more treatment, would be with her own brother, who slept through the entire return of his sister.

"Do you think she will be fine?" Amicia whispered to Lucas as he was moving his straw mattress, removing her boots in the process. Mélie yawned and turned away from the two. She was no longer interested in the conversation since she was ready for bed.

"I think so. The beatings were bad, but I think she will survive. I can't do much for her crooked nose, however. It might stay that way for good," Lucas responded. Even if he was not a doctor, he had hovered over the stranger for what felt like hours. He ran a hand delicately over her nose, which had been broken at one point during the beatings, as he tried to feel for abnormalities. Barely responding, the unconscious girl twitched. She was an attractive girl around Mélie's and Amicia's age and stature. Her hair was dirty blonde, uneven and messy. She wasn't the cleanest, but it was not like any of them were. "For now, we should let her calm and see how she's feeling 

Amicia nodded. She looked over to her sleeping brother and nearly yawned at the sight. Lucas smiled at her. "I think you should get some rest too. It sounds like you all had some fun out there."

The tired girl looked at the male tenderly. She viewed him as her very own brother. "Thank you," she said with her tired voice, Lucas nodding at her. She gave the two their space and wheeled away, returning to the others who were surrounding the straw mattresses. Both Rodric and Arthur were back from relighting the brasiers and preparing for sleep. Clearly, everyone was still awake, excluding Amicia's brother. Smiling lovingly at Hugo's small frame as he slept, she crawled next to him, careful not to wake him. She listened to the soft whispers of the others before she slipped off to sleep. The long night concluded.

* * *

Dawn came quickly, but the three who returned late slept in. However, Denice awoke, gradually lifting her aching frame. For a moment, she was confused about where she was, looking around the crumbling walls of the Château... what in the world? Wasn't she just at home? Groaning softly, she pushed herself to her back. She reached up and felt her cheek, which had small bandages over a bump. Then she touched her nose, which was broken and sent a surge of pain when she stroked it. Steadily, the world was returning to her; she had been struck by the soldier she had been attempting to give food to... Then he— she shuddered, not wanting to remember any of it. Looking around, she saw the borders of others, recognizing them after squinting: seeing the familiar clothing and the red hair of one of the twins. Thinking about it, they were the people in her house. They must have saved her from the soldiers. That, or she was dead.

Denice stood, quiet as she tried not to wake any of them. She wanted to stumble, but the odd movement caused pain. There was a smaller male with darker hair close by her.

In the middle of the room, there was a dying fireplace with a kettle matching the one she had at home. Curiously, she stepped closer and peered down into it— empty. Her body rumbled, mostly in her stomach. She looked down at it, then at the others, thinking the sound of it would have woken them for a moment. She was relieved when none of them even winced.

"Something you looking for?" a deep voice sounded, and she jumped. Did she think too soon? She whipped around, seeing one of them rise: the larger male with dark hair. He had a noticeable burn over one of his eyes. He looked a bit scary.

"Um... No..." she responded, her voice extra quiet for the other ones in the room. She rubbed her arm uncomfortably.

"The name's Rodric," he said as he got up, grunting as he did so. He dusted himself off and came close. "The other's saved you and brought you here. Do you remember any of that?"

Politely, she held her hand out to shake. "I'm Denice, and no... I just barely remember the things that happened before-hand." She ran her hand over her cheek. "But, where did they bring me?"

"We call it the Château." He waved his hand around, almost presenting it to her, "It's where we come to hide from the Inquisition."

Hearing the name, the girl went quiet. Distress crossed her face.

Rodric noticed and scratched the back of his head. "Er, sorry... Say, you were looking in the cooker's pot. Are you hungry?"

Denice looked at it. Maybe she was, even if just a little: she hadn't eaten in a while. But this was their food, and not hers. Yet... the prospect of food sounded lovely. In fact, since the food hadn't been started yet, she knew exactly what she could do. "A little," she admitted honestly, "But you don't have to get anything for me. In fact, I can cook, if that could just be a little payment back for saving me back there."

An attentive expression crossed the male's face. He rubbed his chin with his gloved hand and nodded. "I don't see why not. Here, let me show you the supplies we have saved for the day. I'm sure there's plenty for you to cook something out of." He motioned for her to follow and carefully stepped over his friends to lead her to the back of the room. When they were a bit farther away, his tone picked up, "Are you our age?"

"How old are you?"

"We're all young. I'm seventeen. Amicia is fifteen and her brother, Hugo, is five. The twins are sixteen."

Denice had not seen a five-year-old. Then again, he was small, so who knew. "Then you're all as young as am I... I just turned sixteen some time ago." She nodded.

"Aye... Well, here's the food," he said as he showed her a crate of fresh food he had scavenged. "I hope that you can make good use of it. None of us are very good cooks. I know this is all sudden," He scratched the back of his head, "But just know that all of us got your backs here. We're all under the same roof with the Inquisition, and from the looks of it, they hurt you too. Lucas treated you and your nose. The Inquisition... they hurt most of us and killed both mine and Amicia's parents."

Hearing it said in such a way almost sounded worrisome, though she refused to show the male. She did not want any of them to know of her English blood, and what she was. What she was had hurt the others. "I appreciate it, Rodric. Thank you." She nodded before turning to the crate of food. There wasn't much food, but enough to make something simple but savory. She gathered what she thought would be good for a small breakfast and got to work. Along the line, Rodric brought in some fresh water and helped her fill the kettle for some stew. By then, the sun began to rise and a few stirred in their sleep; a different aroma was in the air, and it smelled very delightful: almost luring them out of their slumber.

Hugo stirred first, intrigued by the smell of food. He sat up, rubbing his eyes with his fists. He looked to his side, comforted at the sight of his sister safe and sound. He did not think too much of her long absence. "Amicia! Wake up, something smells good," he said excitedly and shook his sister. Amicia aroused, but it took her a few minutes to get up, even with her brother basically bouncing on her side. When she did, she yawned and stretched her arms above her head. She had hoped that she would have rested for a few more hours, but when Hugo was up, she had to be up.   

Her nose couldn't believe it. "What's that smell?" she asked, lifting her head. At the pot in the middle of the room, stood the girl with the familiar green dress. She stirred the kettle and filled a few bowls, setting them off to the side as she did so. That was the girl! Was she cooking for them? She blinked, a bit surprised.

Hugo tugged her sleeve. "Amicia, who is that?"

Amicia patted her brother's hand. "No worries, Hugo. She's nice. We brought her here last night when we returned."

"Can I go say hi to her?"

"Of course." She smiled.

Hearing the other voices, Denice raised her head and bashfully met Amicia's eyes. She cracked a smile, even if just the most insignificant. She placed the ladle in the pot and gathered two bowls. She approached the De Rune siblings and kneeled to meet them at eye-level. "Good morning," she said softly before extending the bowls, "Careful, they're a bit warm. They'll warm you right up. A personal thank you for saving me last night."

Amicia's eyes nearly bulged when she saw the food, let alone at how satisfying it smelled. "It's our pleasure. Say thank you, Hugo," she said while taking the bowls, checking the temperature before handing it to her brother.

Hugo flashed Denice a smile that warmed her heart. "Thank you, kind lady!"

"My name is Denice. You're Amicia, right? And Hugo?" She pointed to each of them as she said their names.

Amicia nodded. "Yes... He is my brother."

"So I'm told."

"It's nice to meet you too," she told Hugo with a smile. He was a small cutie. She shook his hand, adoring how small his hand felt.

"You're very kind for making us breakfast!" he said, a bit loudly.

"Hugo, keep your voice down. The others are still asleep."

    "Oh..."

"Hey..." a feminine voice echoed through the room, forcing the trio to look to the figures that were still tucked away on their makeshift cots.

"I guess it is too late then... The others are awake now." Amicia laughed.

"Ugh, just barely... So, shut it," Mélie threatened, half asleep. Both she and her brother rallied in their sleep. The last one awake—Lucas, did the same. Mélie yawned and stretched, placing her left hand on her right shoulder to roll her arm then did the same for the other one. She looked to her brother before kicking him in the shin. "Get up, you lazy shit." She teased before standing.

Groaning from both pain and sleep deprivation, Arthur did as he was told. Amicia stood and crossed the room, handing the bowl that Denice had given her to Mélie, smiling. "Eat up. I have a good feeling that breakfast is going to be extra flavorful this morning." Mélie took the bowl and looked down at its contents with a raised eyebrow. The expression was cute to Amicia.

"What is it?"

"I have yet to get a bowl myself, but it looks good. Denice made it."

"It's delicious!" Hugo cried from across the room. He shoveled the food into his mouth like it was his last meal, making a mess of his face.

Denice smiled to herself. "Please, then eat up. It's the least that I can do." Speaking up, she caught the attention of the others. She turned away and grabbed her own bowl, deciding to leave the room to focus on it. She did not like so much attention.

"Wow, did she actually cook for us? Strange," Arthur commented before he stood and took a bowl, handing it to Amicia before he poured one for Lucas then himself. Lucas was fixing his bed-head before he directed to the others sleepily.

"And it's pretty damn good," Mélie chirped before she tilted the bowl up to her lips, slurping the flavorful soupy breakfast. Then she ran the back of her hand across her messy lips. "Try it, Arthur."

"Don't have to tell me twice," he said before downing the soup in seconds, not bothering to use a spoon. He marveled at the flavor, smiling to himself.

"I'd have to say: this has been the best thing that I have eaten in a while." Lucas smiled, the food almost waking him up from yesterday's long night. He took Arthur's and Mélie's bowl, taking the responsibility to clean them this morning.

"Yeah... Maybe it was good that we brought her along," Mélie added.

"And not just to save an innocent girl's life?" Amicia commented, raising a brow.    

"I—"

"Amicia, can I have some more?" Hugo asked, raising his bowl to his sister.

"Let's see." Amicia took his bowl and walked to the pot, looking down at it. There was enough for a few more servings, and her brother was sick... The soup could make him feel better. She knew the others would not mind if the young boy got an extra serving before the others. "You can have a little more." She refilled it.

"Thank you, Amicia," Hugo said as he took the bowl in his hand. She ran her hand down his head as he ate.

Shortly, Rodric entered and ran a hand over his sweaty forehead; in his other hand, he held Denice's empty bowl. He had just returned from his patrol. "Whew. Exhausting morning, but I was refreshed with some soup." He lifted the bowl up in some sort of victorious moment; Denice had let him sneak a few bites of her food before he returned, and now he was pretty excited to grab his own bowl.

"Finally, some good fucking food," Mélie cheered and threw her hands in the air.

"But another mouth to feed," Arthur responded, "What are we going to do with her?"

"We're going to take care of her, of course," Amicia answered, seated on the ground. "The Inquisition attacked her. She's one of us now, and we all have to stick together."

"I'm sure we can find somewhere that she can pull some more weight. Albeit scavenging with us once in a while," Rodric added.

Before the conversation could continue, Denice stepped into the room. Everyone looked at her. She pulled a shawl Rodric had given her on her shoulders closer together nervously. Growing up, she had not been around kids her age. She wasn't used to seeing so many in a room. "Um... Hello." She stepped forward, scrutinizing everyone for their reactions. She wished they weren't looking at her so intently. "I want to say thank you for saving me back there." There was a bit awkwardness to her tone.

"It was nice of you to let us in," Amicia responded first, "It was the least we could do. For all we know, we were there at that moment to save you. I can't believe he was going to leave you out for the rats..."

"Why were you helping them?" Mélie asked, casually wrapping her arms around her knees.

It was time for storytime.

Denice hesitated and dropped her head, almost ashamed. "I... My mother and I didn't have too much of a choice. We were forced to help the soldiers. But our supplies were running low. As you can tell, he wasn't very happy that I didn't have everything... But everything's been so hard to do with mom gone—"

"What... Happened to her?" Amicia hesitated on the sensitive topic, knowing her own loss was still fresh on her mind.

"I don't know. She left to tend to the garden one night and didn't return. I wasn't supposed to leave the house with all the fighting going on, so I stayed. But she didn't return. I figure she went to town without telling me and got stuck." And truly, that's what the girl believed.

Guilt plagued the mind of the three who had been there. Putting two and two together, they knew what had happened, and knew that they needed to tell the poor girl so she could properly mourn her loss. But at least she would be spared from seeing the body that had been reduced to nothing but bones at this point. Should they tell her? Who should? Exchanging glances, it seemed like the other two knew exactly what the others were thinking.

"Denice." Amicia stepped closer, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder in a comforting way. She pulled her close. "I don't think she got stuck in town."

"What do you mean?"

"When we followed the soldier, he took you to a garden. We saw a body there... We think it could have been your mother."

Denice felt shocked and looked at Amicia, unbelieving. "What?" she asked, her jaw dropped. She closed it, then opened it again. "She's dead?"

"We think..."

Understanding, Denice lowered her head. Now, the food was not settling so well with her stomach. She presumed the worst for her lost mother, but to actually hear it... her heart was breaking. "O...Okay..." she nodded and lowered her head, holding her chest with her hands. "Thank you for telling me... but I need to be alone... I'm going to take a walk and clear my mind if you don't mind."

"Of course..." Amicia nodded. 

Turning away on her heel, she rushed out of the room before the others would see her tears. Her mother was dead. This was the first time she had people interaction since her mother had been gone, but now she felt the loneliest.

The others remained silent, unknowing what to say. They understood... They all had no parents; they could have something to say, but there was nothing to say to a person in mourning.

Sweets would have made Denice feel better, but it had been years since she had one; what was once a normal thing for her was now a delicacy her mother only made once in a while. Now that delicacy would be nothing because now she is gone and Denice would never have her back or hold her anymore. For a moment, she wondered how the other's were reacting to her walk-out— her emotions. Outside, she did not know where she was going particularly. The castle was different and the outside was cold, so she stood in one spot and closed her eyes; her pumping heart squeezed tears out of her eyes. Maybe she was being silly. Who knew. She had never lost a person before.

A new thought came to her, and it was one that plagued her the most: what was her father going to say, knowing that his beloved was dead? Would he come home to the ruins of his home and mourn as she did? Would she ever get to see him again?