Frere's Story

Winter was right. He was always right. She hated that he was always right, but he was perceptive and logical which helped keep her in line. In this case, he was keeping her from running back to her death. She just couldn't help but feel she was abandoning her people to the likes of her... gods her aunt. She didn't even know her mother had a sister until she saw the woman. For a moment, as the woman stood at the bars of her cell, she believed it to be her mother and begged her to let her out. Then she saw her eyes and the darkness in them and backed away from her. It wasn't her mother. No. A monster wearing her mother's face...

She looked over at Winter and nodded. "You're right," She murmured. "Lets go." She took a step forward, her leg wobbled once but held her up. "I can run." She said before really believing that she could. She could hear them now. The pounding of soldier's boots on the cobblestone road. She stiffed, fear consuming her where once she would've been brave. She had heard them so many times from behind those metal bars... She took off as fast as her legs could carry her. She knew Winter would be able to keep up. Hell, he could outrun her. He had many times when they spent afternoons in the sunlight and floral aroma of the gardens while she was temporarily shirking her "princessly duties".

She allowed him to lead her through the streets, stopping when they heard boots stomping around corners or the clang of metal on metal as guards attacked each other. It was chaos. No one knew who to trust. For a split second, Drew worried that she was being deceived, but shook it from her. If was residual from being in her cell. She thought she could trust the guards, some she had known for years growing up in the castle. But Winter? Winter would never. She had known him practically from the time she was born. There was no way he would turn on her. She grasped the cloak about her shoulders as she ran, thankful he had given it to her. It was autumn, edging closer to winter with every moon and she only had the rags she was given in exchange for her torn party dress.

They were nearing the walls now. Her lungs burned and ached and her feet were blistering from lack of proper footwear, but she pushed. If she could just get through the wall.. It loomed before them. A promise of freedom, but also a promise of imprisonment if they couldn't get out the gates. If they were guarded by too many.. or they were lowered. It took four guards to lift one. They would never pull it off with just the two of them. Thankfully they were open... And there were only two guards.

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Kat had begun to doze in her hammock and had thought to get up and grab the blanket from her bed when she heard an urgent knock on the door. She blinked at it sleepily, startled slightly by the sound in the quiet of camp. There were two things it could be, someone reporting trouble outside camp, or someone wanting her to solve something petty inside camp. "Captain Kaitlyn!" A small voice called from the other side. She sat up straight, the drowsiness shed like a blanket as it fell from her shoulders to rest in her lap. Only the little ones called her Kaitlyn. And if it was a little one, something was very wrong.

"Hold on, Sweetheart!" she answered as she moved quickly across the room to her makeshift wardrobe to pull on some trousers. The older kids were used to her being in different manners of dress, but the little ones were... well too little. Once she was fully clothed, she opened the door and knelt down so she was just slightly shorter than the guard that stood before her. They looked frightened, eyes wide and shoulders shaking. "What is it, soldier?" She asked, voice light, but serious. The child took a few breaths, still out of breath from running and crying. Kat stood and moved to her bedside table where a jug of water sat. She took a glass, poured it, and then handed it to the child to drink. "Deep breaths, hun." Once the child was calm enough, they ran a hand down their face before delivering the news.

Kat's whole body tensed, but she gave a soft smile and patted the child on the head. "Thank you for alerting me. Go get something to snack on and return to your hut. We will not be needing you tonight." Being a guard was one thing, but fighting against the daggers was another thing entirely. The child nodded gratefully and climbed back down the short latter onto one of the many bridges until they made their way down to their hut. Kat shut the door and pulled on better clothing and a small section of light chainmail she had managed to acquire from a recent job. She also grabbed her sword which she strapped to her waist before pulling on her boots, and exiting her room. She moved as quickly and quietly as she could until her leather clad foot was firmly on the ground.

"Captain's Guard! We are needed in the city!" She commanded as she moved about camp. She saw little faces poking sleepily from windows and doorways but were quickly shuffled back inside by the older ones. They told different stories, a drill, a bear, a dragon. Something they could spin into a bedtime story. Those children deserved chocolate one of these days for all the work to do to keep the little ones calm. She grabbed ahold of one of the older guards, someone who had been off duty this night and told him to run ahead and tell Mavis to lead the people into the tunnels. "Keep her from engaging unless absolutely necessary. She'll probably be after blood since it's almost..Well you get the idea. Keep her safe. We need to keep each other alive right now. Worry about killing them later." He saluted and took off into the short cave tunnel that lead out into the dark of the forest. Kat found Andei and Will playing cards at one of the tables and knew, by the tarot cards on the table and the look of fear in her eyes, she knew something was wrong. Kat cleared her throat, and shuffled her feet. Momentarily at a loss for what to say to her friend. She couldn't say, "It'll be okay," because she wasn't sure that it would be. She wanted to hold her and promise nothing would happen, but she didn't. Instead she said, "It'll be okay, Andei." Smooth. She shook her head and turned her attention to Will. "Where's Leila?" She had been all over camp, but hadn't seen her. She turned her head up to the window of Leila's treehouse and frowned. Leila sat staring at the sky, Kat's bottle of wine in her hand. She sighed, rubbing her eyes with her thumb and forefinger. "Will, go get her down and sober her up would you? We'll need her to get things ready and... as much as i hate to say it" She hated to put her sister in danger, but Leila was very skilled at many things. Things they would need. "Bring her. You both are needed in town."

She didn't bother to wait for the question she knew was coming. "The Red Bitch made her move." She took off to finish rounding up her troops. Where's my Vice Captain? Where's Frere?"

Mavis's heart was beating rapidly in her chest. It was a mixture of fear, adrenaline, and worry. She realized now how stupid it was to not go back to camp right away. If that Red Bitch had finally made her move, there was no telling what she'd send after them all. 'Stupid. Stupid stupid stupid stupid!' She muttered as she ran. The Guard she was with eyed her. He was one of the older ones, so he knew about Mavis's past and what this date meant to her.

A willow came into sight and Mavis stopped dead in her tracks. Bodies, so many Mavis didn't bother to count. Her stomach churned as she stepped closer. Hopefully one of these poor souls were still alive. Her eyes danced around, landing on the center piece. She stepped a foot closer and a scream ripped out of her throat. 'Frere!'

Without a moment more wasted Mavis scrambled up the tree. 'Stand under him, be ready to catch him when I cut the rope!' The Guard's face went white but he did as ordered. It only took one upward slash of Mavis's sword to cut the rope. Like a stone in a pond Frere dropped, landing in the waiting Guards arms. Nimbly Mavis leaped from the tree. She helped the guard set Frere down and laid his head in her lap. Feeling for a pulse Mavis smiled. He was still alive. 'Frere...? She whispered. 'Frere wake up.'

A long stretch of silence was all ot took to anger Mavis. 'Frere!' She was yelling now, hot tears streaming down her face. Probably not the best idea since whoever did this could come back, but she didn't care. Mavis was not about to lose someone else.

Doing what seemed the most logical at the time, Mavis slapped the male in her lap. 'Wake up you stupid boy! The Captain needs you! The children need you! I...I need you...'

Leila snorted and grabbed another knife from her bedside table and started twirling it as she had before. "I've got plenty more where that came from." She raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to come nearer, but she knew he wouldn't take it. Instead he would just stand in the doorway and attempt to talk her down from there. Unfortunately, he knew exactly what to say to get her to do so. She listened with feigned disinterest as he spoke and snorted again when he spoke of handsome men falling at her feet. She didn't want to be a hero. She didn't want glory. But handsome men? She looked up at will. Well.. that probably wasn't happening any time soon.

The temptation to wait and watch was easy to overcome when faced with the second option. There was no way she would allow Will and Kat to do anything dire without her. No. If she was to die in battle it would be with them. There was no way she could live without them. She'd forget how to function without her sister and her best friend. A sick feeling rolled in her gut at the thought of either of them being dragged back, broken and lifeless to be buried. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the nausea to pass and when it did, she looked up at him again. She stood and walked over to him, slightly unsteady, but nothing a run couldn't fix. She held out her hand for her knife to be passed and she held up the uncorked wine bottle for him to take. "I think, Doctor, you drive a hard bargain."

Once her knife was once again in her possession, she went to grab the others before also grabbing her cloak and making her way down to ground level. When she was most the way down she started barking orders as if she was the captain and not Kat. "Alright, we haven't received much ammunition from our jobs as of late, so everyone will have to stick mainly with sword. Only those deemed "sharp shooters" are allowed to use a bow or cross bow tonight. Blasters, grab whatever you need in case of an emergency, but do not get selfish with the powders. Save them for what they're meant for in times like these. Emergencies. If I see any explosion with our signature in it, you will be hung from the cave ceiling by your toes until your legs go numb." She continued on like that until they were at the mouth of the cave and ready to leave.

There, she saw her sister. She sauntered up as if she hadn't stolen her wine and as if she hadn't been drinking most of the evening and said, "Hello, sister dear." That was honestly a dead giveaway. It was only ever Kat or Sis. Never Sister Dear unless she was drunk.

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Kat finished rounding up those who could fight, many had left before the others, members of the guard currently on and off duty. She split them into two uneven groups. A mix of those with skill and all those under the age of fifteen were made to stay behind and guard the little ones. Even though Kat was sure the Daggers wouldn't be attacking their home base (not that the idiots would be able to find it) since their attacks were focused on the city, but she would rather be safe than sorry.

As she was making her way to the cave entrance, she glanced up to check on the status of Leila's coming or not and smirked as she saw a familiar dark haired figure make her way clumsily downwards from her treehouse. She shook her head in bemusement as she began to bark orders at the others even though most had already gathered their weapons. She didn't bother to say anything until her sister was beside her at the cave opening. "You're late," she greeted with a smirk, but the time for talk had passed. With a nod, she turned and took off through the trees. Branches whipped by her face, but none struck her as if the trees were aware of their urgency and parted so they could pass. She heard Leila give out a curse every so often as they ran which told Kat two things. One of which she already knew and another that surprised her, though she'd never admit it. The first was that Leila was still buzzed from the wine. The second that the trees seemed willing to hinder her. Guess she must've done something stupid.

The made their way to the hill that overlooked the entire kingdom when she stopped them and motioned for them to split up. The different groups were to go to different parts of the city in search of people to bring down to the tunnel systems. Kat, Leila, Will, and two others were going through the front. They were to serve as a distraction for the Daggers. Not that they would truly take the bate, but they had to try.

With a crack, the sky opened up and the rain came down, causing the cobblestone streets to become slick, but it did little for the fires. Kat pictured the streets in chaos, but now they were just a mess. There was noise in the distance, but most of what she could hear was glass breaking and fires raging. No Daggers in sight and no people. At least, no people who were living.

"Come out, you red bitch!" She yelled into the streets, her voice echoing off the stone. "You're going to regret waking your neighbors!"

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Drew froze. She recognized those faces. She had seen those faces before. Not just in the castle, but after... in her cells. It took a moment of coaxing to get Drew to snap out of it enough for her to move and hide. Normally, she'd whip out her sword, but--other than the fact that she didn't have it--she just... didn't have the fight in her at the moment. She should be angry with those men, but instead all she felt was fear towards them. It was herself she was angry with. Angry that they had broken her. Angry that she had allowed it.

So now she watched, practically cowering behind a stone wall. Valie's once strong princess reduced to hiding in the face of danger. How sad. How sickening. Maybe The Red Lady was right about her. Maybe there was no way she could ever be queen.. The sound of metal on bone broke through her daze and brought her attention into the present and what she saw she hoped to never have to see again. Winter had sliced one of the guards' heads clean off and had stabbed the other into the wall. He was angry. Why was he angry? Well... besides for the obvious reasons.

He gave his call for her to come out and she felt the corners of her mouth lift ever so slightly as she made her way out to him. It brought back memories of playing in the gardens as children, giving each other clues as to each others' whereabouts while playing hide-and-seek. In a place as big as the castle, one needed hints in order to keep them from playing the day away with the same match of the same game. She stopped a couple feet from him. She reached out with a hand and wiped a spot of blood from his face. "I wish you didn't have to do that.." She whispered and then made her way out of the gate. "You have to show me the way to camp. I don't know how to get there. Also, do you have my sword?"

He was coming around felling his consciousness come back to him along with some noises that he almost recognized and then the feeling of being weightless of falling "am I dying?" he thought before everything was expelled from his body along with what little air was in his lungs when pain spread from his back while careful hands positioned him to lay on his back, his mind evade him for a while but something keep telling him to wake up, a voice was it Mavis but how... and then she slapped him, hard enough that his abused brain shouted in anger and sent through him a doses of adrenaline that served to fully recover his consciousness and not before another receiving slap he spoke "Relax... relax Mavis, can't a man take a nap" opening his eyes and slowly rising he winced a little from his wounded back "It's great to see you Guard Master I was actually looking for you before...Julien..." a quick glance to the tree and the surroundings confirmed there was no sing of Julien nor the wagon "That treacherous bastard, he has fully developed into a monster fitted for that bitch, which reminds me"

Standing up completely although a little out of it yet he noticed the young Shadow child besides Mavis and with directing a nod towards him "Good to see you soldier did The Captain send you here? Is she on her way? Have you talked to her Mavis? I have to tell her about what I heard in the city" turning to the sky to make a quick judge of how much time he was uncounted for, the moon had barely moved so it couldn’t be more than a few minutes turning back to look at the forest he decided on a lesser used route one that was hidden from the city giving them more protection and probably easier since he didn't truly trusted his balanced yet, with the wagon practically running him over and the blow to his head it was better to avoid his usual paths home through the thicket and the tall branches, allowing his mind to reflect for a second on the fact that their ex comrade appeared to be a sick and twisted monster but during their fight acted almost friendly playful even and he didn't really attacked Frere even when render unconscious Julien didn't killed Frere, but this thoughts were put aside when the rain started to fall on his face, bringing him to a more present matter. Turning his gaze back to Mavis he went to her and quickly but firmly embraced her "thank you is not even close to enough for what you just did but it must suffice... for now so thank you Crazy-appleas fast as he hugged her he let her go saying the last part as barely a whisper as his nicknames for his family where not always popular "Now I don't want to chance breaking the neck you just saved freerunning through the forest so I'm going to take an easier route, will you two accompany me, Guard Captain let's go back to our family this night just started"

With a kind smile back on his face even if his thought were plagued with urgency, he set down through a less used side of the forest or maybe not so less used as he thought. Maybe a mile from the large willow a weird set of branches forming a structure of sorts appeared on his vision, a structure he would have missed as if not for his attention being so focused on his surroundings and any surprises they may hide, he noted it for future checking as it would be a great place to hide and continued ahead almost dismissing it if not for a sound, something different than the rain or their footsteps, the sharpness on his gaze now equalled by the sharpness of his old poniard now resting on his hold...

Boys, Mavis decided, we're impossible. The first thing Frere did after basically coming back to life in her lap was make a joke. She almost wanted to slap him again. Instead she rolled her eyes, looking away from him like she hadn't just been crying.

Next to her the guard looked relatived at his Vice Captian being awake. 'The Captain did indeed send me sir. I was to lead Mavis back to the tunnels, I assume she had already entered the kingdom. Any new orders sir?' Mavis stepped forward and put a hand on the Guards shoulder.

'I'll tell you what you can do. Get Frere back to camp and patch him u-' The sudden hug she was pulled into cut Mavis off. It wasn't so much unwelcome as it was suprising. Still, it was nice. She returned it only slightly, both of them letting go quickly. 'Um.' She said, as Frere went off with his own plan. Mavis supposed she aught to follow it. He was the Vice Captian after all.

The Guard nodded, ready to follow orders. She sighed. There was no use arguing when two boys made up their mind. Now she had to go with them to make sure they didn't get their heads cut off. 'Fine. Okay. Lead the way Frere.'

There were voices coming from that structure, the rain was muffling them but two people were having a conversation "People running from the city no they wouldn´t be hiding in some branch fort they would still be running away and this part of the forest was the farthest to the border so it didn´t make sense or it was just a coincidence or this was people from the crazy bitch looking for them" inching closer silently he froze when another though cross his mind "Julien you traitorous monster you told sided with her and told her the way home... no if the old hag already knew of their location she would have attacked by now He had decided that he had to find out who this people were by force if needed this side of the forest wasn’t used very often nor was the closest to the cave but if the Daggers or some other lapdog was searching for them then he needed to protect they needed to protect their home

"Um....I heard...more... of the Shadow Children...I... didn't believe in them before..." with the rain was difficult to hear everything the guy was saying but he hear that and before a woman was talking something about a plan and going somewhere "This damnable weather is going to get me killed someday *[i]sigh*[/i] Turning a little he locked eyes with Mavis and quickly gestured that there was two people in the bushes a man and a woman and that they needed to hear what they were saying as they may be enemies, turning around he picked a spot more hidden behind a tree and concentrated in getting as much info as possible, Frere trusted completely in His Guard Master although young Mavis knew how to handle herself and her subordinates and was more stealthy than him so he focused solely on the strangers

As the awful rain was subsiding a little Frere was able to gather some details the woman was some sort of noble and was trying to find them to help Valie "A noble caring for the other people in Valie Julien must have hit me harder than I thought" The man was trying to present other plan and he gave the idea of being really interested in the woman´s wellbeing "I'll try to find some dry wood..." hearing this Frere improved his hiding spot with some elevation setting himself in a medium high branch just in time to see a dark indistinguishable figure come out of the structure and made his way a little around the makeshift camp selecting wood only to stop and punch a tree with a mumbled curse coming from him, Frere made his way towards Mavis as silently as he could to compare what their heard when the woman came from the fort almost spotting Frere but finally going towards the man allowing a glimpse of her face to Frere, that at first he mistook her for the former Queen but immediately corrected himself "The Princess she is alive! but how the guards said... and she is searching for us... for help" With a last look he found his companions again and confirmed that they all shared the same information, so deciding to not waste more time and get everyone as far from the old hag´s dogs he moved closer to the couple... "Winn, we should go. Daggers could be lurking..."

"I wouldn´t worry too much about them, they probably are too entertained burning the city and spreading rumors of your dead or imprisonment which I must say I´m glad they are just that Princess..." The usual cheerful and lighthearted demeanor completely gone from his voice he spoke like a noble addressing his equals with respect but demanding the same, his body still hidden in the tall brush but his position clear he wanted to be the least threatening possible as to not cause unnecessary distress but neither him nor his family were going to be turned into lackeys fir some royal, making his form a little more visible but keeping his distance he continued "I must apologize if we startled you we mean you no ill my name is Frere and I was just curious, as to the reasons behind you being here, this is the longest way towards the border and although people rarely come to this side of the forest we are not that far from the city" Moving myself as to be visible I looked behind the princess to the trees and to both her sides more for the man than her "It is considered polite to state your business beforehand when visiting a strangers home and if I did not misheard you were planning on visiting us" The presence of the princess was equal parts good and bad luck if they formed an alliance the fight against the hag would be easier but her presence was an immediate danger to the kids in the cave so he decided then and there he would hide her in the lookout post east of their home "*close enough to the cave, easily guarded, secluded and dry just what we all need...*it´s the norm that we found someone before they find us, so now if you are done thinking reasons to distrust me I would really like to get out of this rain so what do you say we talk honestly and without any more preambles"

Mavis and the Guard followed after Frere, both holding tight to their blades. The Vice Captian obviously found something, stopping dead in his tracks and turning to meet her eyes. His hand movement made Mavis understand and see nodded. The Guard and her worked in sync, Mavis nimbly scrambling up a tree to get a better look while he went around, gaining an advantage on the folks Frere had found.

It was hard to see the people through the bush so Mavis focused on the voices. Funny, one almost seemed familiar. Frere made his way back towards here and they shared a look. She knew at once what he planned to do and rolled her eyes. Going out to meet strangers was dangerous but at least they outnumbered the strangers three to two. She nodded towards him, agreeing to his plan. Mavis would pop out of the shadows when Frere finished speaking, hopefully scaring the strangers into giving them the info they wanted.

Frere kept his tone light, something Mavis was happy about. Had he gone in swinging his sword who knows what would happen. She didn't however enjoy him giving his name out. Mavis doubted Kat would like that. Once Frere finished his monolog Mavis knew it was time. A rustle of leaves could be heard and suddenly by the strange man dropped a girl. She looked up at him and nearly lost all breath. Mavis knew that scraggly head of hair anywhere. Just how in the world did she manage to meet her cousin here? She hadn't seen him in nearly four years!

Mavis backed away quickly, one hand on her sword. She didn't know what to feel right now. Half of her wanted to hug Winter and the other half was screaming at her to run. She took a position next to Frere. Once Winter and the girl he was with proved they could be trusted would Mavis act.

Briefly she wondered if Winter even recognised her. Mavis definitely did not look like the girl she was years ago. Then she was a child, with long braided hair, shinning eyes and a face that seemed to never stop smiling. Now her hair was choppy short, and her face was covered in dirt from the journey here. She wasn't smiling either, just staring at Winter with an uneasy look in her eyes.

Breaking out of her daze Mavis gave two sharp whistles and out of the bushes came the guard, his own sword drawn. Upon seeing both The Captain of the Guard and Vice Captian with no weapons out he sheathed his own. Mavis waved towards him and he nodded, staying behind Winter and Drew.

'I'm gonna defer to you here Frere.' She gave him a brief look, hoping he got that something was off about her. 'Shall I keep an eye on them while we walk? Wouldn't want you to get stabbed in the back.'

Drew heard a voice behind her and nearly jumped out of her skin. She spun around and withdrew her sword, the tip pointed at the newcomers. Despite the scare, her hands were steady, but her breathing wasn't and neither was her heartbeat. It was a man--young, but a man-- a boy, and a.. girl? Her hair was cut short and covered in dirt. It took Drew a moment to realize that they were a female. The man spoke softly, apologizing for the scare, but one part of his statement made her pause: "planning on visiting us". She lowered her sword just a bit and asked, "Who are you?" Could they really be members of the Shadow Children? They definitely hadn't made much sound coming up behind them.. but he recognized her. How? Not many people had seen her face. But the children had seen her mother's once upon a time.. She suddenly wished that they had markings or a crest of some sort.

Who knew her childhood heros would stand in front of her and she would question whether or not she should trust them or if they were leading her to her doom. At the moment they didn't have many options. "Are you really the Shadow Children? The children that live in the forest and do good for the kingdom from the shadows?" She stared at them, dumbfounded and afraid to be wrong. "How.. do I know that we can trust you?" Her back ached in a reminder of what happened when she trusted someone and she wasn't taking a step forward until she was sure they weren't playing some sort of trick.

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Finding anything dry was about a hopeful as finding the Shadow Children. Winter thought as he dug through the brush, hoping to find something dry buried beneath, he'd only succeeded in feeling like a dog, digging for his bone. "Winn, we should go. Daggers could be lurking.." The Princess said, making him feeling more like a fool for digging in the mud and dirt. He turned to her, a strange feeling twisted in his stomach at the sight of her dressed in his clothes. He was about to speak when there was a shuffle behind him. His hand went to his sword, and he stood protectively in front of her as a man speak from the trees.
"I wouldn´t worry too much about them, they probably are too entertained burning the city and spreading rumors of your dead or imprisonment which I must say I´m glad they are just that Princess..." The man then emerged from his hiding place, keeping a fair distance, Winter stood at the ready, his fingers curling around the hilt of his sword. "I must apologize if we startled you we mean you no ill my name is Frere and I was just curious, as to the reasons behind you being here, this is the longest way towards the border and although people rarely come to this side of the forest we are not that far from the city" The man called Frere stepped forward. We? Winter thought, sizing the man up as he made himself more visible.
"It is considered polite to state your business beforehand when visiting a strangers home and if I did not misheard you were planning on visiting us" Winter narrowed his eyes. Again, Winter wasn't an angry man, but that didn't mean there wasn't a limit to his patience. "Polite? Says the man who seemed to be spying on us?" Winter spoke, his eyes settling on the man, for a moment, before he saw the "we" Frere spoke of. At first glance, he thought it was two boys, one had short brown hair, round face, a stern demeanor, like someone with something to prove, but then, on closer inspection, Winter found that one that spoken something to Frere, and ad been given him a strange look, to be a girl, the delicate curve of her lips, the roundness of her face. It was a young girl, to whom yet grown into her womanly figure. There was something about those light eyes that struck Winter as familiar but he didn't have the time nor the patience to dwell on it long. "*close enough to the cave, easily guarded, secluded and dry just what we all need...*it´s the norm that we found someone before they find us, so now if you are done thinking reasons to distrust me I would really like to get out of this rain so what do you say we talk honestly and without any more preambles" Frere went on and Winter finally registered what he said. Visiting us? Shit, they were the Shadow Children.

He moved his hand from his hilt, or rather loosened his grip, while Drew beside him, lowered her blade. "Who are you?" She asked and Winter waited for the answer just before Drew went right on with more of her own. Winter remained silent. "Are you really the Shadow Children? The children that live in the forest and do good for the kingdom from the shadows?" He winched at the question. There was too much hope in her voice, too much information given by the sentence. To him, she pretty much told them that she was in fact hopeless, and vulnerable. If they were bandits posing as the Shadow Children, they would be at a disadvantage. Seeming to have come to the same conclusion, Drew started again. "How.. do I know that we can trust you?" Winter was taken aback by that. This was clearly not her forte, exchanges like this. This was a chess match, neitehr should give up too much, while making their moves, she all but made her intentions very clear, and thereby making his as well. There was no way to calculate how to proceed now. He just had to watch and wait, something that he was typically good at, if they weren't in such dire straits.

Winter didn't pay her more than a side glance. She didn't know if she should be relived or upset. A mix of both probably. Deciding to ignore the two for now Mavis looked to Frere, rolling her eyes at his lighthearted tone. 'Funny Frere, ha ha. But no. Despite how much you joke about you did get hurt.' Voice dropping to a whisper she grabbed her Vice Captian by the arm. 'Don't ask me how I know but that guy over there is good with a blade. If they turn on us you'll need me. I'll send him back.'

Mavis turned and straightend, something almost military like about her posture. Seeing this the Guard scrambled forward and stood at attention. 'I need you to return to the caves, watch over the children until we or The Captian comes back. Don't....tell her what we found until we investigate more.'

The Guard nodded, looking white in the face from his orders. 'Yes Ma'am!' He gave both the Shadow Children a meaningful look and shoot of into the night. Mavis stepped back next to Frere. She wondered if it looked strange to the Princess and Winter, an obviously older boy taking orders from a short, runty girl. She almost wanted to grin at the idea. Maybe they'd see her as more than a little girl now.

Frere spoke and Mavis kept her eyes on him. It was strange not to trust her own blood but she couldn't help but worry Winter would attack him. In his wounded state Mavis wasn't sure how well Frere could defend himself. He positioned himself as to protect her from the two and Mavis couldn't help but grind her teeth. Stupid boy.

[font=century gothic]Drew took a deep breath and ran her hands through her hair, catching in the tangles. "Hopefully you understand how dangerous it is for me--for us--to trust someone without identification of some sort." She looked up at the man, her dark eyes reflecting the white light of the moon. "I'm sure you would feel the same if you had been where I have been.." She knew that wasn't enough information. For all they knew, she had been in the castle getting the pampering that came with being the princess instead of in the cold, stone cells beneath and out in the gardens. She pulled a little at the tangles. "Unfortunately, we don't have a choice but to trust you and what you say." She knew Winter wouldn't like those words. They were far too desperate, but desperate was what they were. There was no use in hiding it. They walked in silence for some time and she heard the man utter something about a treehouse. In what sort of place do they live? She thought. In her mother's stories they had been in the middle of the forest living in huts and tents. "Will I be able to speak with your leader?