The Château was the perfect hideout for everyone, and everyone had their own role around. The only time that no one liked the way the castle functioned was when it rained. The rain would seep through the walls and cause their small living quarters to leak, especially on the pouring nights. Rodric said that he would fix it one day, and today was that day that he would do so with Hugo, who handed him the tools when requested. Denice watched them silently for a few, but she truly needed a better distraction. Otherwise, the girl swore that she would fall apart worse than these walls.

Luckily, the girls offered to take her on one of their trips down to the river. Mélie had warmed up nicely to the third girl that joined their family.

A bit of girl time was something she probably needed, where her womanly emotions would not feel like such a burden on the others. She learned to trust the others over the course of weeks. Not just with the girls, but the boys too. All were entertaining and were there when she needed them. It felt weird to her, but she welcomed the new feeling. She could tell they were all close—like some family—and she noticed how close Amicia and Mélie were. Maybe she could make them an official trio of feminine power.

"Don't think I've been fishing before," she told the girls candidly and followed close behind, but nearly beside them. "I've cooked it, but not fished for it myself. Is it fun?"

"It's fun once you get the hang of it!" Mélie responded, excitingly. This was the first trip out with Denice but her third fishing with Amicia. "Some might call it men's sport, but it's quite fun, actually. And you can catch some pretty damn good food if you're lucky enough. Right, Amicia?"

Amicia nodded. "Mélie taught me how to fish too. I was in the same position as you before I met her."

Mélie winked. "Maybe you both can pay me back later for the lessons then if you're so keen on them."

Amicia rolled her eyes. 'Don't listen to her. She always wants to be paid back for something."

"Damn right."

They walked down a small path that luckily wasn't too muddy from the previous night's rain. There was still a bit of cold in the air as though it would still rain, but it still felt like the right temperature right in between. Not too hot, nor cold. Enough that you didn't have to layer up clothing, but if you did, it would not matter. Mostly, it was the wind that rattled the multi-colored leaves in the trees that was on either side of the path. Denice was enjoying the time out, and the clear air seemed to heal her soul and cleanse her body from any bad thoughts. She hadn't thought of her mother for a while when she went out with the girls.

"How often do the boys come fishing?"

"Not too often. Arthur hates it, and Rodric and Lucas are always busy sticking their noses in their work," Mélie answered, pushing up some branches that pushed out into the narrow path, allowing for both Denice and Amicia to walk by before she took the rear. "It's always a luxury to get away from male energy."

"Does your brother like fishing?" Denice asked Amicia.

"He hasn't gone, though he is excited to one day. I hope to teach him like how Mélie taught me. When he feels better one day."

Hugo's brother was sick. Denice did not know what he was sick with, but she knew that he had to stay near Lucas in case something were to happen.

The walk continued on for a little while. Denice had never walked a long distance. It gave her a feeling she had not felt when she was cramped up back at home: the Château was still somewhat cramped for her, but at least when she felt trapped, she could walk outside. There was no window she would be forced to look out of when she was feeling lonely. It was only getting better since her injuries had healed over the weeks. Her bruises had gone away, and the only trace of the attack was her slightly crooked nose, that probably would not be able to be put back in place.

"Hey, Denice."

"Yeah, Mélie?"

"Do you like my brother?"

The question caught the girl off guard. What in the world?

Denice's cheeks flared; she ran long fingernails over them as if it would hide them. Mélie caught up with her pace and walked beside her, grinning at the girl's silent response to her teasing. With a smug grin, she poked Denice's cheek before she crossed her arms. "Oh, so you do, like him? Are you in-love with him? I've seen you two fishing for each other's hearts."

Denice did not want to answer the question or even think about it. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at Mélie, resembling a pouting child through the twin's eyes. "I would never like your brother. Besides, I'm not... ready for liking anyone."

"Sure you are."

"I am!"

"I bet you like Rodric then—"

Mélie shook her head. "Nope."

"Uh-uh... We both know that it's either him or Lucas. But Lucas? I don't think so."

Mélie laughed, catching the attention of the third girl, who was farther ahead. Amicia curiously gazed at both the girls. "What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing! Mélie is just being mean again!"

"Are you being a bad girl, Mélie?"

"Always—"

The trio paused.

Both Mélie and Amicia exchanged glances before an odd silence filled the air. The two stared for a prolonged moment amidst the walking but eventually looked away and proceeded. Denice took it as a sign that neither of the girls had any crushes at the moment, but it was all confusing. Man, was she now embarrassed. And thinking of Arthur. Go away, thoughts! Coughing awkwardly, Mélie adjusted the fishing pole on her shoulder and ran on ahead, coming off the path to meet where the road diverged to the left and to the right. She turned back to the girls and waved for them to follow her to the right, where the stream would be.

Soon the conversation became just a memory.

Amicia smiled at Denice. "You're going to love this," she reassured her before he rushed ahead, catching up to Mélie. Denice followed suit, smiling to herself. Maybe Amicia was right. Mayhap losing her mother wasn't the worst that could have happened; now she had friends that seemed like they actually cared for her wellbeing.

The trio reached the stream and set up their spot for the rest of the day.

"I'm going to catch the largest fish," Mélie commented with a cocky grin that was wider than her brother's when he was up against Rodric.

"I'm sure you will, Mélie. They just like you!"

Amicia adjusted her sling to be ready to pull out any moment; through the time she had spent out there, never once did they run into some soldiers... but better safe than sorry. Denice had not seen her kill a man before, but judging by the stories the others told, it was a marvelous sight to see. The young noble placed down the basket of bait— some bread that had gone stale and cheese that no one seemed to be touching. She took the spot beside Mélie and used cheese to bait her pole. Denice was on Mélie's other side, in case the redhead needed to help her with something. The former thief had a knack for helping others when it came to this sport. She clearly enjoyed the wholesomeness it gave her, as Amicia could tell by her giddy expression.

Amicia could not help but smile to herself at the scene— Mélie carefully explaining to Denice how to toss the line (and reminding her to not hook anyone), and kept her posture. It reminded the young D\de Rune daughter of the day she taught her— Mélie looked exactly the same. Happy.

"Make sure that you check your bait from time to time. Slowly, you want to reel your line in, so your bait looks alive. Got it?"

"I think so."

Amicia's pole tugged only a couple of minutes later. Mélie turned away from Denice and toward her with large eyes, "Amicia, you got one!" she pointed out with a wide grin. She waved to her. "C'mon, reel it in and let's see how big it is!"

Embarrassed that she had been so side-tracked, Amicia quickly reeled in her catch. It was a mediocre-sized trout, yet it still was appealing and delectable. The noble became distracted immediately and tended to her catch.

"Looks like we're having fish tonight!" Mélie cheered, "Wrap it up and put it in the basket." She slapped Amicia on the shoulder before she cast out her own line. Amicia's heart was racing—the feelings returning—as she wrapped the fish in a rag and placed it carefully in the basket next to the stale bread. Then she proceeded fishing.

An ample amount of time passed before there was another catch.

"What kinds of fish are in this river?" Denice asked, patiently watching her rod, "My older brother used to come down here all the time, though I think he cooked and ate the fish even before he returned home. He didn't catch much."

"Trout, for sure," Mélie answered, sounding almost all-knowing and smug, "Maybe Cod too. I can't know for sure. It's a nice place... Hardly any rats or damn soldiers come by here."

"That's good."

The rats... Denice had almost forgotten about them; it was not pleasant to see them for the first time. When she had passed mourning, Amicia and Arthur showed her the rats they had been talking about prior and taught her everything she needed to know about the pits and what they did to trap the rats in one place. The girl had not seen them herself until then... The swarms... They were just awful to look at. Disgusting, even. Knowing what they could do made it worse, seeing as it was the way that her mother had died. She wondered what it would have been like: if her mother had suffered or not. She hoped the death was as painless as possible. Even if her mother was not the best, she hoped she did not scream her lungs out before her death. That she did not feel the bites all around her. She wondered if that was the reason her mother had kept her shut away from the outside. Maybe it was good that she had done so.

But now things were different.

"I'm guessing you don't know how to scale them then cut them, too, eh?" Mélie asked.

Denice shook her head, then nodded. "I do, actually, but we haven't had fish for a while. I might be a little rusty," she admitted, eyes locked on the unmoving water.

"Good. None of the others are good at it. It would be nice to spare a good chunk of the meat."

After a few minutes, she doubted that she would actually catch something. Amicia had caught one right off the bat... she wondered if they used the same bait or if there was something wrong she was doing. Mélie wasn't scolding her, so maybe not.

Then, gradually, they began to reel in some fish.

After a while, Mélie began to whistle. Whistling eventually turned into bird noises that the other girls would eventually laugh at. She was pretty good at it. Through the three of them, they caught about seven fish before deciding that it was enough for the night. They needed to return before it became too dark. "Keep fishing and we're going to run the bleedin' river dry." Mélie laughed and placed her wrapped fish up with the others. She took the bad bait and tossed it out in the river since it would not last another day. "Nice job, Denice!"

"I wouldn't say that two fish is an accomplishment." The young girl chuckled and secured her pole the way Mélie had shown her.

"They were still enormous!" Amicia made sure she pointed it out, her own pole ready. "Arthur will be impressed..." She wiggled her eyebrows, deciding that she would join Mélie in on the teasing. So she had heard them earlier. And seeing Denice's cheeks grew redder than an apple only fueled her to continue. "Maybe if you give him the biggest one, he'll kiss you."

"Ew, gross!" Mélie stuck her tongue out, not happy at the sound of her own brother kissing a girl. "Besides, I want that fish."

"Whatever—" Flushing, Denice tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, eyes rolling as well. "—I have to go pee guys. Can you hold up for a moment?"

Mélie winked at her, causing Denice to scowl at her. "Sure. There's some brush up ahead."

Huffing, Denice told her a thank you before she lifted her dress as she rushed to get as far away as she could from the others. The embarrassment was too much. Why did they suddenly choose to tease her so much about a boy? Denice enjoyed his company, and that was what she liked... Hopefully. There was not much time at the moment to think of love, especially to a thief. Nothing against him, however.

Finding a private place, she released a nervous breath; she was about to drop her drawers when she heard a twig crack not that far away. Her heart raced, and she frowned. What did the girls want more with her? Possibly tease her to death even more.

"Not funny, Mélie! Go away," she huffed.

A sudden unfamiliar voice spoke right next to her ear, hot breath trickling down her neck, "My name's not Mélie... And I am certainly not going away." Hands crept around her waist, yet her body only jerked the last second.

Denice yelped and bounced out of the arms of rough, calloused hands. She spun around; there was a creepy male with a red and sickish face. His entire appearance was disheveled, black hair greasy and sticking to his face. His tunic was untucked from his belt. Her heart dropped at the sudden realization that she no longer was safe.

"Go away, or I will scre—" Stepping backward, Denice yelped once again as she tripped over a chunky root of a tree she had not seen in the bushes. Tears stinging her eyes, she continued to move backward, trying to get away from the rapidly approaching male; he pulled a knife out from his boot, and she knew that her fate was sealed. He would kill her with that knife.

"No, please—" She begged for mercy and lifted her hand, shielding her eyes. She did not want to watch her own demise unfold.

The man laughed. "Just the way I like them. I hope you're a squealer then, whore. I like 'em when they scream like the little pigs they are."

Denice's fingers felt around the ground. Desperation made her feel like she would find something to save her from what was about to happen. Something sharp pricked her. Any normal reaction would have told her to scream out in pain, but there was something else inside her that told her to grab the object instead. Just as the man pounced at her like a hungry wolf, she brought her other hand up with the object. She didn't notice what it was right away, but whatever it was, it was sharp and tore right through the skin of the man's neck; slicing right through his jugular. The man hardly could pipe out anymore insults as blood poured from the wound and from his mouth, gushing down on Denice's face, hair, and chest. It was an abrupt bloodbath, and she tasted its metallic fiasco. The man dropped the knife and slumped forward more.

His entire weight crushed the object and snapped it in two, forcing the man to lay on top of the poor, shaking and crying, girl. Lifting the splintering object in her hand, she noticed that the weapon that had just saved her life was the butt of an arrow. Denice was still in shock... but it did not take time for her to start crying loudly; she could hardly breathe under the man and struggled to shove the man off her body. Something trickled down her leg. "Help! Help me!"

Both Mélie and Amicia heard the cries and gasped. Dropping whatever they had, they chased the sound of their friend's cries. "Denice!"

"Where is she?"

"This way!"

The two other girls ran to the scene of the crime, following her constant screams for help. They found her not too far off the road and rushed to her aid, gasping when they saw the bloody mess that was the man on top of her.

"What the hell?" Mélie hissed in anger.

"Get him off, please..." Denice begged, her face snotty. "He tried to kill me. Please get him off." She hit the dead man's head with the palm of her hand repeatedly as if it would help.

Without hesitation, the two girls grabbed at the man's forearms and dragged him off with laborious grunts. With him off, Mélie kicked his side and nearly stomped the broken arrowhead deeper into his throat. "Bastard!" she hissed. Meanwhile, Amicia rushed to aid Denice. "I can't believe he fucking did anything, the bastard."

"I've got her."

Amicia stopped, examining the girl's body for harm. She saw the blood and a... wetness near Denice's area. Her little heart broke as she grabbed Denice and carefully helped her to her feet. "Mélie," she said to her friend, who was angrily snapping at the corpse, "I'm going to get her to the river to wash off. Then we're heading back right away." Not waiting for Mélie, Amicia rushed to get her friend back to the river to clean off. She was shaking like poor Lion would do when he was a scared pup before he became a strong hunting dog. It made her want to punch a rock.

Once Denice was at the river, Amicia placed her hands comfortably on her back. "Can you remove the dress?" she asked carefully as she did not want to freak her out further, knowing that something traumatic just happened. Denice nodded, sniffling, and allowed Amicia to help her to remove her outfit. She covered her chest and sat down in the water. The water was numbing and unwelcoming as if it was worst than the hands that held her not that long ago. Amicia dropped to her knees and frantically scrubbed the dress underneath the water. By then, Mélie rushed over and watched over the two protectively.

"I hid the bastard's body. Hopefully, the rats will eat him by nightfall. Denice, are you alright?"

The traumatized girl hesitated to answer. "Yeah, I'm... Just a bit shook up at the moment. I... I killed him before he could hurt me." A sudden realization hit her and she covered her mouth remorsefully. "I... Oh God's, I killed him."

"For the greater good," Mélie added, "He could have killed you."

"Mélie! Don't be so insensitive... Killing someone..." Amicia stopped, looking down at her hands scrubbing the dress. She had done a lot to protect her brother, and it was never a good feeling on the inside "—Is not a good feeling, whether the person was bad or not. It forever changes you."

Mélie lowered her head, quiet. She did not have a say in on this. She waited for the two, and when they were ready, she helped Denice to her feet. She took the dress from Amicia and rang the water out of it as much as she could. "We'll get you some dry clothes when we return to the Château. And don't worry about the fish. We'll scale them for you tonight." Amicia took the dress out of the water. Mélie took it and handed the dress over and waited for her to gradually get clothed. There was still a big red mark faded across her chest, and Denice still felt uncomfortably wet.

Denice looked down at her dress disappointingly.

"I'm sorry," Amicia apologized, "I couldn't get all the blood out of the dress."

"It's fine..." the blonde still sulked. She hugged herself.

"We can steal her another for her on our next run. C'mon, let's go before we discover that he had some friends waiting around for backup." She snatched at the basket and poles then rushed on ahead, prepared to lead them through a more secretive path if she had to in order to protect her friends.

"I can't believe that happened..." Denice lowered her head, ashamed, but Amicia quickly shushed her.

"There is nothing wrong that you did. We are here for you, Denice. Come on, this way." the De Rune girl reassured her and wrapped her arm around her, despite the wetness from the river. Then, the three of them rushed all the way back to the Château. Keeping close by, Mélie acted as the bird, but it seemed that they were alone. That man must have been preying on helpless women by himself. The rest of the way back was a breeze. Mélie picked up a rock and chucked it at the castle wall to quickly attract someone's attention. Shortly, she saw her brother poke his head over the castle wall.

Mélie cupped her mouth. "Let us in now, Arthur!"

"Got it!" The redhead disappeared before Mélie allowed her arms to drop at her sides.

"Slow oaf," she scoffed and turned back to Denice, messing around with the dead fish in the basket. "I can... Cook tonight, if you'd wish."

Denice hardly had spoken on the way back. It was a bit concerning seeing as the other girl had finally broken out of her moping spell only to fall into another.

"No... It is fine. You can help if you wish, but I am well enough to cook tonight." She shook her head, hardly making any eye contact with the others. She did not need to. As soon, Arthur had opened the entrance for them; they rushed inside, Arthur's eyebrow raised at their hurried behavior.

"Did something happen?" he questioned, sensing something was off instantly.

"Arthur, not now," his sister retorted and rushed to one of the back rooms to drop the basket of fish off and to search around for spare clothing.

"Amicia!" Excitingly, Hugo jumped to his feet and ran to his sister, slamming into her and Denice for a tight hug. It did not last long as he pulled away and looked up to his sister and the other girl with a confused expression. "Why are you wet?" he asked Denice.

"I..." she hesitated, sideway glancing at the noble.

"She fell into the river, Hugo." Amicia pet the back of her brother's head, his hair soft but a little dirty and in need of a bath. "Maybe we should have taken you with us so we could throw you in as well."

"Ew, no!"

Hugo was about to question the red stain that was splotched across her chest. Mélie hurried over with an armful of clothes. Arthur wanted to say something, but found nothing to say and stared at the three.

"And I have some clean clothes. Now you boys leave while she gets changed." After Denice took the clothes, Mélie pushed past her brother and approached Denice; she turned and waved her hand at Arthur, "Go on. Go. And Tell Lucas and Rodric to not come in for another ten minutes."

Arthur sighed. "Of course, sis." He turned away on the ball of his heel, walking out. When the older boy had ventured out of the room, the girls did not mind having Hugo in the room while they changed— he was far too young to understand anything at the moment. Prying herself off of Amicia, Denice slowly stripped the wet dress off her body, hating how it clung to her skin and made her insides feel gross. Feeling the texture glide over her skin, she saw the flashbacks retrace themselves in the crevices of her mind, haunting her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to forget it for the time being as she stripped down bare for the second time. Mélie handed her the article of clothing one by one, starting with her undergarments and pants, where she felt the most vulnerable. The clothes were different from what she would normally wear; brown pants with a worn-down purple tunic Mélie had picked up for herself one day. It fit perfectly.

"Thank you—" she said to the girls in a shaky tone. "They fit nice."

"Of course, Denice... We are here for you." Amicia hugged her tight, placing her forehead against hers. They remained that way until Denice pulled away first. Mélie patted her shoulder reassuringly.

"I need a walk to clear my mind. If you could prepare the fish, I would appreciate it," she asked them, changing her mind from earlier. She often took walks when she needed time alone. The Château was the perfect place she felt as the scenery almost lifted the negative thoughts that were on her mind. Not waiting for them to respond, she left.

"What happened, Amicia?"

"Not now, Hugo..."

"Can I help you cook the fish?"

"Of course. Do you want to learn how to cut it—?"

Alone, Denice stepped outside and took a deep breath. She took the same route as per usual, walking through the abandoned halls. Naturally, she would have stopped to pick up a few rocks to help clean up, but now she was not in a good headspace, and her body was still shaking from the experience she had just battled. Of course, she was still somewhat petrified. There was no doubt about it.

Throughout the walk, Denice did not realize where she had been walking. She had been very distracted. In fact, she did not hear Arthur calling out for her several times. Then abruptly, her heart somersaulted as she slipped over the edge of the ground outside the Château. She gasped, expecting to hit the ground hard, but instead, she landed in the arms of Arthur, who buckled and collapsed underneath her yet still held her tight in both his arms.

"Are you crazy?" he asked, a bit breathless, "You could have walked right into the pit."

Denice looked around. Both her and Arthur were a couple of feet away from the pit where the rats climbed through when it was dark enough. Her heart leaped again and she hugged him around the neck tightly as she remembered how desperate the flesh-eating creatures would be in the midst of the night. "I wasn't paying attention," she said, her cheek pressed up against the males. Had she fallen in, no one would have probably saved her before the rats ventured out. "I'm so sorry, Arthur... But thank you for catching me."

"Just watch where you're going next time. I won't always be there to catch you," he threatened but in a softer tone. The redhead gave her back a few pats before he wrapped one arm around her, using the other to push them off the ground. He was a small and scrawny man compared to Rodric, who would have lifted her (and has) with no problem, but still had amazing upper body strength. He had them to their feet in no time. "Hey, are you alright? You looked pale back there."

Denice pulled away and immediately struggled to find the words... She gestured a few times with her hands to try and help the words to come out, but they didn't. Arthur placed his hands on hers to stop her. "It is fine not to tell me right now. I understand if something happened and you wish to not talk about it."

"Maybe... It's best if you asked Amicia or your sister. It's hard for me to speak about it right now."

Arthur nodded then looked down at his feet. "Maybe I'll ask Mélie then." Slowly, he lifted his arm for her. "May I walk you back for dinner?" he asked with a soft smile. It was obvious he was trying to cheer her up. Her heart felt like it was fixing itself by seeing his smile. She nodded and wrapped both hands around his small bicep and followed him to the ladder. Of course, the group did not fail to lift her mood; albeit Rodric teasing Arthur or the girl's out time together. In fact, she felt happier. She truly did.

* * *

Rain poured down in the Château, which meant extra work in the morning as the crumbling ceiling was leaking.

"It's almost like the Château is crying, Amicia," Hugo pointed out to his sister with his finger.

Amicia barely lifted her head from her work. "Mhm," his sister hummed happily, carrying an armful of wooden buckets that Rodric had made over the past few days. All of them would have to be used in order to keep the rain in somewhat control. She handed Hugo one of the buckets and pointed to the ground. "Hugo, can you place one there?" she asked, allowing him to do some of the work.

Excitingly, Hugo grabbed the bucket and shoved the full bucket of water aside and placed the empty bucket in place of it. Accomplished, he jumped. "Haha, this is fun, Amicia! Let's go get another bucket." The boy seemed to have in everything, even with simple chores. Amicia loved it since she had a little helper to ease the workflow.

Walking by, Rodric gathered the full bucket of water. "You got it, mate!" he cheered on the young boy, "We're going to have a lot of good drinking water for a while now. Nice job, Hugo."

"Thanks, Rodric!"

From the corner of the room from cleaning the floor not exposed from the rain, Denice smiled at the others. They worked strongly with each other... Strange how that could happen with people. Approaching, she placed her hand on Amicia's shoulder, turning so the girl looked to her.

"Denice, hello!"

"Hi, Amicia— Is Hugo enjoying the weather?" Denice asked and leaned over, ruffling his brown hair.

"I am!" Hugo bounced.

"Hugo, how about you go see if Rodric needs help with the water?"

"Okay!" He ran out of the room.

Denice smiled at the girl. "You all seem like a close family."

"Of course! I would say that we are close," the girl responded. She read the girl's face. "Have you had a close family like this?"

Denice shook her head. "No. It was always just my mother and me... My father... was not close to us and was gone often. And now—" she hesitated and was careful not to reveal too much, "He is fighting in the war." Which wasn't a lie, exactly. "I don't miss him at all. But you guys— I think I would miss you all if I lost you all."

"You won't ever lose us." The happy noble placed her hand on her shoulder, and for once Denice felt reassured about everything.