First Bloom - Windfall

Wyatt spent the next week recovering his fighting agility by training with the boys. Either his time in bed had brought his fighting skill down or the boys had made the best out of Andrea’s training. To the northerner’s merit what he lacked in skill he made up for in strength, when his blows were parried the boys still ended in the ground and if he had decided to follow-up they would be nothing more than a crimson smear on the ground. While the boys were playing sticks Andrea made constant trips to the market and bought different herbs, oils and spices from various merchants, she even went as far as putting special orders to some of the shadier bootleggers.


When the end of the week came Wyatt called for a reunion at the pub, not only the crew was there, some of the larger gangs had their leaders present or some of their larger bruisers. During the meeting Wyatt told them that they were planning to hit the slavers and finally bring them down in such a manner that they would not even think of going after any of their members, and if all went well, even the people of the slums could finally walk during the night without fear of never returning home. Before he presented the plan Andrea pulled him to the side and asked him to let her handle that part in her own manner.


One by one she called the groups by gang and told them different starting points for the plans.She was being deliberately dishonest. She hadn’t heard of any of the gangs working with the slavers but she wasn’t going to risk her hit be interrupted just because someone couldn’t keep their mouth shut or was just too greedy to think beyond their crooked nose. Before each group left she asked for a number and list of names of the members that were going to be present in the operation.Afterwards she had the boys tail the groups just to cover her bases and ensure none of them were so dumb they had to go running immediately to rat the plan out to the affected party.


The boys returned with no strange news, seemed if there was a rat at least it was patient.


Finally the night of the assault arrived and the kids reported a strange presence in the gathering point for a gang called the gilded crowns, without hesitation Andrea dispatched their best archers and a group of heavy hitters to bring down that lot. They weren’t going to fight they just needed to incapacitate and she had sent them equipped to do so. Sadly that meant that if the guys didn’t report back quick they would be expected in the slavers base. They needed to move quick and land on them from every possible angle.


They moved sticking to shadows and by the weirdest and most convoluted routes. They weren’t gonna waste the advantage of having set them up by being spotted before they were in position to hit them hard.They avoided a couple of incidents by having the kids deliver sleeping dart directly into the lookouts throat. Almost as if blessed by the lord of shadows, the moon hid behind a heavy cloud casting the whole city of arminier in darkness just as they surrounded the slavers compound. Andrea had asked Wyatt to allow her to lead the infiltration unit, as she moved to the windows she saw Wyatt and the larger groups mob the doors and await the signal before starting the breach.


Andrea made sure all her people were positioned and then she pressed a small whistle to her mouth and blew into it. The sound was very similar to the crowing of the local birds, of course it was weird to hear it at night but it would at least gain them a second of confusion. The sound died into the night and all hell broke loose.


The sound of shattering wooden doors quickly mixed with the roar of the bandits assaulting the slavers and the confused running of the slavers as they tried to regroup and were quickly cut out from moving into the more defensible areas of their stronghold. As the battle sounds peaked Andrea and her unit moved into the compound as silently as they could and avoiding of all the main avenues of the compound and sticking to the darker recesses of the building. Every now and then they would move out of the shadows to incapacitate a guard, even when knocked out they would cut some of them in parts where they couldn’t ignore they had been wounded.


After much moving they noticed the sounds of battle begin to die and just as they did they came upon a large set of doors with iron bands. Andrea gestured for the unit to flatten against the walls and in an almost too quick movement she kicked the door in and ducked sideways just as two bowstrings twanged and two bolts embed themselves into the wall on the wall behind where Andrea’s chest had just been a fraction of a second before.From their hiding spot the assaulters rolled a couple of clay spheres into the room with a very short wick already on fire protruding from them. The muffled explosion came a couple of seconds later and the room filled with smoke.


The coughing of them men inside the room was followed by the clatter of their weapons and the thudding of their bodies limply hitting the floor. As they waited for the air to clear Andrea heard a door slam on the back of the room and she could just feel in every bone in her body that the slaver leader was getting away. She tied a cloth over her mouth bandit style and rushed into the room navigating by memory of what she ad seen before the bolts made her hide behind the wall.It took her a couple more seconds than she might have wished but soon enough she found the wooden door and crashed through it into a large hallway, barely lit, probably a back road to escape unnoticed.


Without hesitation Andrea ran down the hall following the echoing of feet slapping on stone. She took turns with an agility that would be expected of a professional thief and not a master healer, but then again she was not your run-of-the-mill herbalist. Soon enough she noticed the slapping had faded away and the next turn took her into a long road that seemed to break into a well lit room. As he crossed the threshold she dropped and rolled the only signaled that she had read the situation perfectly was the swishing of metal as it cut the air and the clang as it stuck stone on the walls. Andrea spun out of the rolled and smiled as she faced the woman that she had been looking for, finally taking her in.


The slaver leader was covered in straps and metal studs over tight leather armor in black. She had a long blade in her right hand and a stiletto on her left. Her stance was sloppy but Andrea had seen her move and knew that was just a feint to draw in a rushed attack and land a quick kill. Andrea was not gonna give her a chance for a quick kill. She pulled her short sword on her right hand and pulled what seemed like a well oiled dagger of pure black metal still dripping with an amber substance. The ring leader looked her over once and smiled, it was a wicked expression not meant to convey humor but hunger and bloodthirst. Again bait, this time Andrea decided she would take it. She lunged and as the slaver woman moved to strike Andrea moved lower and used her shorter knife to redirect the slavers blade away. She knew the knife would be coming as a follow up, And as it did Andrea moved in and used her elbow to catch slaver in the jaw sending her staggering backwards.


The older woman cleaned the blood from her lip and smiled before going on the offensive. Andrea dodged a couple of slashes and then moved in this time smacking the knife from the slaver’s hand with the flat of her sword. The woman yelped in surprise and before she could react Andrea had moved awfully closed and locked her blade arm behind her back forcing her to drop the sword. The blade clattered and Andrea kicked it away before letting her stiletto draw a thin line in the woman’s forearm.As she felt the blood lightly touch her fingers she jumped back and released the slaver. She sheathed both her weapons and took her battle stance once more.


There was no reason not to enjoy getting back at the woman that had sent her down this road. She was gonna pay her back dearly for having caused her so much grief for measly gold. The woman moved forward in an eastern battle stance and blocked Andrea’s first two strikes before moving in and landing a kick in ANdrea’s solar plexus. The kick had enough force to make the younger girl stagger backwards gasping for breath and managing to barely jump out of the way before the slaver landed on her a flurry of kicks. Andrea once agains darted to the side and then feigned a lunge forcing the woman to go into a blocking stance that gave the northerner an opening to strike with a full fist into her rib. The woman grunted and readjusted her body to block but her balance was off, Andrea took the opportunity to pivot and use the momentum to kick her feet from under her as the woman fell backwards her fall was broken by a knee directly behind the lungs that kicked all the air out of her. She landed with a heavy thud and before she could react she felt a series of strikes hit the side of her torso further forcing her to cough and preventing her from gathering any air. As the world became fuzzy she saw Andre astradle her and launch two attacks to her shoulders which soon made her arms flopp uselessly to the sides, then with no resistance andrea lifted her right arm and delivered a pinche that made the whole world go black.


When the slaver leader came to, her soldiers had their hands tied behind their backs and strapped to long and thick logs that made moving almost impossible unless you had the full cooperation of the other five people strapped with you to it. Slowly all the men regained their consciousness and as they did the lights turned fully on revealing a large warehouse on the docks, one they had once used to smuggle eatern girls into the city without the guard ever being the wiser. On the higher windows and ramparts archers with their bows or crossbows waited patiently but ready to unleash a flurry that would end them where they lay. As she thought about it a large voice boomed across the warehouse.


On on several crates had been piled high and on them stood a large man, Andrea and other gang leaders. The address was quick and left no room for retort.If any of the slivers wished to live further than a month no more kidnappings would occur inside the city and all trafficking would be done beyond it’s gates, if any damage should come from assassin’s to the gang leaders they would also die. The method of deliverance was a fine poison developed by Andrea, once the symptoms showed they would be unable to recover so it was in their best interest to collect every month a solution which would delay the inevitable.There were of course attempts at clarifying what would happen in different scenarios but Wyatt quickly informed all present that this was not a negotiation but a simple advice to let them know what they needed to do if they should find themselves willing to live. The poison they had administered had hundreds of safeguards worked into it so if they were administered anything but the right solution the symptoms would be triggered, also by not infecting everyone if they thought a solution had worked and cured them they would end up triggering the poisons on someone who was infected.


Needless to say the slavers did report some of them dying over the first month due to taking non adequate antidotes. Andrea would have felt bad,but she knew all too well what those men had done and perhaps death had been a release too good for them. Before they released them Andrea walked up to the slaver leader, a woman she discovered to be called Orchid, and inquired about Sabetha. The woman at first refused to say anything but andrea quickly pressed a leaf coated in a yellowish substance to her skin and the woman yelled at the top of her lungs before hanging her head and whimpering, Andrea lifted Orchid’s head by the chin and removed the leaf, there was not a mark that the leaf had been pressed aside from a little residue of the yellowish substance. Andrea explained that the substance hurt as if molten metal was dropped into the skin but no real damage was done, thus, the body could be made to relive that moment for hours without actually allowing the person to shut down. She pulled a set of other leaves and waited. The woman soon blurted out whatever information she had about Sabetha’s location and Andrea pressed another leaf to the woman’s arm. The woman calmed down and looked and Andrea who explained only the first leaf had been coated in that , this was a salve that would remove the lingering sensation. She was willing to do what was necessary but she was not a sadist.


Without any more concern for what would be done to release the rest of the slavers she darted into the night. Towards the stables, she needed to save Sabetha tonight before any of the noblemen found out they had attacked the slaves and moved them or upped their security in hopes of not losing any irreplaceable ones. She soon got to the stables, climbed onto a horse and darted out of the city and into the fields, on the outsides of the city where the camp homes of the nobles were kept. SHe had to recover Sabetha, despite how little time they spent together, she had to recover the only other person that had fed her fire of freedom.

First Bloom - Coming Storm

Soon together with dealing with Wyatts sickness Andrea would be asked to check on other gang members and sometimes other elements from the criminal underworld of arminier. Still despite being absorbed in the tasks of a healer, Andrea constantly asked herself how she could help the children avoid danger. Inspiration came during a discussion with one of the clients,The wound had been inflicted during a transportation job, he had been ambushed by the slavers in an alleyway and had lost the item he was carrying to delivery.

Andrea knew the slavers were dangerous but due to the nature of their jobs they were disliked by other criminal gangs and they relied on brute force to perform their ambushes. During the next days she began forming a plan and canvassing the areas around their burrow. After two weeks and with Wyatt much recovered she finally invited him to see what she had accomplished.

They walked to a plaza near the slums temple and she was carrying a bag with several parchments each with a very distinctive silk ribbon and shape drawn onto it. All the way Wyatt made small talk but inquired not at to what she wanted to show him and what was the basket for. As they got to the plaza she handed the basket to a merchant and asked Wyatt to remember the ribbons and shapes as well as make them a mark that only he could remember. Afterwards she asked him to walk with him and get a large mug of beer from a street vendor. Slowly she led him winding through the streets and as they did she would suddenly produce one of the marked parchments and hand them to him. They soon left the slums and entered the temple district where once again she produces a parchment almost out of nowhere. Finally they entered the financial district and as she sat at a fountain she bent down and from behind her feet pulled the last remaining parchment.

Wyatt grabbed the last one examined it and smiled before inquiring how she had managed to get the parchments duplicated and moved about the town without him noticing. Andrea explained that no such thing had happened, the parchments had been moved across town by the boys through a series of routes she had traced. Each route required the boys to take advantage of their small sizes and nimbleness, not to mention they each had a rope and other equipment that allowed them to traverse the route without being seen. Any larger person that tried to walk over those routes would find himself falling through a clay roof or simply unable to find footing. The merchants stored the items for them and the boys retrieved them from the closest merchant to take them to their final destination. The merchant system was set up thanks to offering them protection from smaller thieves by the use of their own men posted on certain sections.

Wyatt listened intently with a thin smile on his lips. Once she finished he took a long look at her and finally broke into a full toothed smile. The plan was perfect but Andrea had to consider that the older men with him were good with a blade but not experts, if it came to blades with the slavers the slavers were more brutal and greater in number, he would support her plan and inform the gang of the changes, but also he would need to further train the men so they could handle their own in a swordfight. Andrea smiled and let him know that she also had a plan for that and was more than happy to train them.

Over the next days other gangs began to come to the pub and leave their goods to be moved during the day and fenced with whoever they chose to make the sell.

When the delivery business was slow Andrea would take the idle men to the yard behind the pub and train them hard and without giving them any respite. At first the men were skeptical about her capacity to train them and their snickering and remarks soon had Andrea fuming. On day she finally had enough. She took a deep breath and asked Arlen and Bair to move forward with their fighting clubs.

The two men swagged forward exuding certainty and then she asked them to get into position and strike at her. Arlen laughed and shook his head before mentioning how she was exposing herself to too much pain. The bored look in Andrea´s face was as insulting as she expected it and as she saw both men respond to their wounded egos and lunge she sidestepped and smacked Arlen on the shin and Bair on the wrist. Both landed on the ground and their clubs skidded away from them. Andrea still Angry turned to the other men and asked if any still doubted her skill, if so she would be more than glad to let them test her for themselves in pairs, but for every one of them that failed to land a blow she would expect a silver coin and a very heartfelt apology if none could be provided she would take her payment by smacking them around until she felt satisfied. As she finished her speech she saw Wyatt enter the yard and smile. From behind her she heard scuffing and turned in time to catch Arlen by the wrist, twist him using his own momentum and smacking her club against his plexus making him fall to the ground gasping. She shook her head and continued Addressing the group.

After a couple of days and some attempts to hurt her they soon understood that there was a reason she was training them and it wasn’t her pretty face. They soon came to respect her when after each spar she would tend to their wounds to ensure they weren't going around bruised and battered. What had been nothing but another prison soon became her home. It had started with the friendly greeting of men and children as they saw her pass and grown up to them inviting her over to play drinking games or card games with them. Sure some had made passess at her, but her rejection and sometimes a twisted wrist had served as a reminder for the other men that her pretty face was not to be mistaken for an easy target.

A full year had passed and Wyatt was not only seen as a gang leader, other gangs came to him for advice and sometimes even for mediation amongst disputes that would in other times end in blood. Andrea never meddles in this affairs but Wyatt would sometimes consult with her out of respect for her way of thinking. Sure she had not come here thinking of becoming a criminal’s healer, but somehow she felt she was dealing with a wound that would fester if left alone, and that was the cities crime. Sure the criminal factor was still there, but the tension of the slums seemed to have diminished greatly over the last year. The days were safer, the merchants didn’t look over their shoulder the whole day knowing theft was now limited to richer neighborhoods as Wyatt had determined that it was no use robbing from those that could help them hide.

One night she sat one of the roofs with Arlen sharing an apple when she saw the shadows move. A small group of men probably no larger than five were running from shadow to shadow and looking out of their hiding places. Andrea and Arlen crouched over the roof ledge and dipped into the shadows while keeping their eyes over the men. Arlen was the one that noticed they weren’t part of any gang and quickly deduced they were slavers. Andrea’s teeth ground against each other and her eyes were filled with rage. She moved forward and felt Arlen’s tight grip on her arm. She turned and saw him shaking his head. He was right if they attacked they would only raise the animosity of the slavers, more because she sure as hell would not be willing to kill them just to ensure they never caught anyone again. As they watched the men moved over a narrow street and jumped out. A startled yelp was muffled and as quick as they had appeared they disappeared in the shadows carrying away a young woman.

Andrea knew it still happened but it was a completely different thing to suddenly face the event so directly. She jumped off the roof and noticed Arlen did not follow, perhaps her demeanor told of how little company she wanted. She walked all the way back to the pub and drank herself into a numb stupor.

Her headache the next day was horrible. She had drunk far more than she was capable of handling, and the young men with his back scratched lying next to her told her she had also gone and taken her rage out in a more recreational manner. She moved to her herb cabinet and mixed up something for her hangover as she put on her trousers and shirt. The young men in her bed rolled and asked her to return to bed she smiled and patted him on the head before telling him to sleep it off but leave before she returned and left the room without any more comment. As the hangover subsided and she sat under the shadow of a large tree in the yard watching the men and older children train it seemed curious how she was good enough to even cure a hangover after poisoning herself. Like lighting the idea cracked all other thought from her mind and she gasped. A devilish smile drew itself on her face and she gulped the rest of her remedy in a single pull before running into Wyatt's room without any previous warning.

Wyatt got up and picked his axe from the ground taking a stance in a too quick manner for a man his size, as soon as he saw Andrea he dropped his stance and sat back down. Without missing a beat Andrea proceeded to explain to him a plan to bring the slavers under control, she would need Arlen, Bair and another pair of the best fighters for it, but once done, the slavers would think twice about ever coming into the slums to take anyone from them. Wyatt mulled the plan, asked dozens of questions and made dozens of complaints all of which Andrea put to rest by either invoking the archdukes law or simple camaraderie amongst the other criminals, or, right people as they began calling themselves after Wyatts ascension into crime lord status. Finally Wyatt smiled and nodded, they would carry out Andrea´s plan, but he would need time to prepare for his people and he was coming whether she wanted it or not, this was the kind of thing that could boost his almost legendary status if done correctly. Andre smiled and nodded, it was time to get even with the woman that had seen fit to throw shackles around her, she was gonna enjoy this.

First Bloom - Spring Breeze

One night as she lay awake she heard scuffling on the boards just outside the servants quarters. She sprang to her feet and held the slack of chain tight in her hands to avoid it making any noise. She moved to the door and tentatively peeked out the keyhole. She only saw darkness and then the door lightly bumped against her nose. She moved to the side and saw a man clad in black clothing holding a club looking down at her. He grabbed her swiftly and pulled her to him placing a gloved hand in her mouth. Slowly another man in similar clothing closed the door and the man holding her asked her if she was the healer as he pressed a knife to her throat. There was no friendly tone and the question seemed to be more of a threat than a real inquiry. She gulped down but decided that if she was gonna be killed it would be for standing tall. She nodded and felt the pressure of the knife ease away.

She spun gracefully, grabbed the man by his lapels and tossed him towards the other assailant in black. As the body flew past her she removed an iron banded club from the belt and using the twirl’s momentum tossed it down the walkway. She didn’t wait for impact and ran after it and towards the guard that had just appeared from behind a corner of bushes. The club hit the man square in the temple and dropped him to the ground. The dazed guard groaned as he attempted to get up but was slammed against the ground by Andrea’s knees slamming into her chest. She quickly grabbed the man’s hair and hit his head against the ground causing him to finally lose all consciousness. As she stood up she relieved the guard from his club and knife as well as his keys which she promptly used to remove her chains as she turned to the first assailants.

It was weird but the men in black were casually looking at her with a relaxed pose. She lifted both her weapons and approached the door with keys in hand. That’s when the one that had grabbed her finally spoke. He told her to drop any idea of getting all slaves out, it would take a small army to perform such a task and they were drawing enough attention towards them by freeing her. She could come alone but if she tried to help the other slaves she would be knocked down by a quarrel from a crossbow and they would leave her to bleed under the moon. She gritted her teeth but dropped the keys to let them know she had decided to follow them. They gestured for her to follow and in a matter of minutes they were out of the state and running into the nearby forests under the cover of night.

It had been a short trip on horseback to the city slums. There the men in black finally introduced themselves. The man that had grabbed her was Arlen, he looked slightly older than her but his body showed much more scarring and the lines in his face told of many more worries. The other man looked older, he introduced himself as Bair. They explained to Andrea how they ran a small group of thieves formed mostly of orphans. As they did Arlen mentioned how her break out had not been a mere whim and they needed her to attend one of the gangs leader, a man named Wyatt who seemed to have fallen for some kind of poison or sickness no healer had been able to work through.




Andrea considered simply turning and running away, perhaps finding her way back to the north on a caravan and forgetting all about this incident. As she did, something inside her chest stirred and told her it was the wrong decision. She had come to the south looking to discover more and learn from the world she had not known. Perhaps the events had taught her horrible things but if she returned, she would be doing it out of fear and it would haunt her to the very end of her days. She steeled her resolve and looked at Arlen with a much recovered fire. She agreed to look into the sickness in exchange for food and room as long as she was treating the sickness.

Bair and Arlen discussed the terms mentioning how she could keep Wyatt sick just to ensure her stay at their garrison, so they offered her a part in the gang as a healer permanently if she pulled Wyatt through. Andrea sighed and made no promises aside from making her best effort to heal Wyatt, afterwards it would be a matter of seeing if she felt alright running around with a band of thieves, perhaps her conscience would not allow her to stay beyond repaying the favor of recovering her freedom.Once all three agreed She was led to a stable where the horses where stored with a nod to the stablehand and a quick slip of a few copper coins. Afterwards they wound around the alleyways and other dark streets until they came upon a small building that looked in heavy need of maintenance. The wooden sign outside stated it was a tavern but the almost empty room beyond the threshold told it could not be a very profitable one.

Bair and Arlen nodded at the barkeep, a large woman, in her mid forties at most who smiled and gestured for the side of the bar. They walked through a door and then split a crate to reveal a thin staircase that slowly went down. They walked for a few minutes on small pathways that had a very slight incline, Andrea noticed that the turns and twists seemed to keep them from a central area they never touched and the incline was not pronounced enough to be dangerous but enough to make way down into the ground. They came upon a wooden door well maintained and with heavy locks and bolts. Bair tapped the door and a small opening slid to a side revealing a metal grid with small holes to let anyone from the other side see clearly through.

The young man inside greeted Bair and Arlen and opened the door. Inside a large room with a huge table and several stools and long wooden seats crammed against the walls was revealed. A large group of children ran about from one side to the other going about a multitude of tasks and disappearing inside small holes that seemed made for no one of Arlen’s or Bairs build. On some of the stools counting coins and discussing something with special seriousness were larger men who greeted Arlen and Bair with hugs and claps on the back. Several doors on the wall led to halls lined with other doors and only one behind a large wooden chair was set on the far wall from where they came in. Bair and Arlen led Andrea into the room without making any introductions.

As they entered the room, the smell of sickness hit Andrea hard. It wasn't poisonous, but it was the smell that came from someone that had been robbed of his strength by something for too long a time. Arlen introduced her to Wyatt as Bair leaned against the door and pulled a knife to pick on his teeth and nails. The source of the sickness wasn’t immediate to Andrea but she could already tell what she needed to at least stabilize Wyatt. She turned and listed a series of items and tools she would need to get started, she then turned and began examining Wyatt with much more detail despite the grunts and complaints of the large man. Wyatt was built almost like her father, he looked northern with a tan, much like her, but not from the marais tribe. After she was done, she had listed at least 4 illness separately, Wyatt was not afflicted by a single malady, but by a series that had gained strength by not receiving the treatment he should have.

Andrea told Wyatt what the procedure would be and how some would be awfully displeasing as they required his body be purged first in order to begin applying the healing substances to him. Once the diagnostic was delivered Wyatt asked Arlen and Bair to leave, they didn’t seem happy with the request but loyalty pushed them to leave without so much as a word of contradiction to their leader’s orders. Once Alone Wyatt took Andrea’s face in one humongous paw and turned it to one side and the other. The girl would have moved away but the grip was strong despite the sickness and she could feel that there was no ill intention in the man’s examination.

Finally Wyatt tenderly released her and asked what tribe of the north she belonged to before launching into a very friendly conversation about the wonders of the north and what a long trip it was to the city. Finally he took on a more serious tone. He talked about how as long as she was not known or covered under some nobles power she would always be fair game to the slavers. She could return to the streets and try to gain her foothold but she would do it always looking over her shoulder, and if they found out she was a healer she would be even more coveted. Andrea lowered her head and listened, Wyatt made sense, he had even told her her best bet was to leave and that was when she decided she needed someone who could look after her as she would look after them. Almost as if reading her thoughts it was Wyatt who made that comment and offered his small gang as a substitute family.

The man talked in an almost fatherly tone as he mentioned how he had come and found it hard to live as a mercenary due to his northern heritage. Soon he too began offering his services to new travelers as a bodyguard but seeing the evil that the city wrought upon the orphans soon led him to take on the role of their guardian and sadly, teach them the lessons of sleight of hand having no other skill to teach them that would allow them to survive at such a young age. Andrea listened intently and finally Wyatt made the offer, he mentioned how they had never had a healer, which had of course cost them the life of some young ones when they came down with fevers too strong for their small bodies. As a healer she would be expected to provide her services to the gang and to other associates that due to their station and workings would not be seen by the high healers of the city that only tended to the rich and powerful.

Andrea mulled the thoughts and seeing her war with her inner morals Wyatt raised a hand and told her to think it while she treated him. If in the end she decided to leave, he would provide an escort and coin to pay a caravan headed for the north. Andrea thanked him and changed a cold compress in his forehead before leaving the room.

After the first night, Andrea was assigned a room with another of the children and she began noticing certain patterns in the comings and goings. She tended to Wyatt and whenever she required any herb or oil, she would be accompanied to the market by one of the heavier set men to serve as her guard while she ran the errands needed for Wyatt’s recovery. During those little walks she noticed the smaller children squeezing amongst nooks and crannies to grab a little bit from here and there of the merchant stalls, haul they would bring back to the base for the older men to sell to fronts or bootleggers for a fraction of their price. Sometimes a child would be caught and the guards would go beyond roughness as they struck to teach them a lesson and discourage further attempts at robbery. When that happened it was Andrea who tended to their wounds with salves and ointments that would lessen the pain or prevent infection.

Seeing the children hurt made Andrea reconsider her stay. Sure Wyatt was providing the children with a form of home and safety but then he was sending them out to risk their hides and sometimes they would even get thrown in the cells where it was not their bodies that were ruined but their minds and spirits. She felt the weight on her chest and her conscience twist almost as if fighting against her for providing for newer opportunities for pain to be dished out. The sensation grew over the days but she did not feel comfortable enough to bring the subject to discussion with Wyatt. For all the hospitality he had offered her she still felt somewhat prisoner and not a part of the group.

Weeks into the treatment for Wyatt’s illness she finally mustered her courage to speak to him. After helping move to the side table to stretch his legs and being recovering his mobility she broached the subject. She mentioned how displeased she was at the high level of risk the younger boys endured to bring barely enough goods for a copper coin to be doled out. They were being misused, their agility and small size could be used for other purposes, not to mention stealing from poorer merchants was easy but in no way was it profitable enough to be a good way to keep the gang running. Besides, the merchants much like them were in a precarious position and robbing from them only peaked their animosity towards the gang making every day more dangerous for the boys to go out.

Wyatt said nothing but watched Andrea with a thoughtful expression as he mulled over what she was saying. Once she seemed spent and dropped into the chair across from him he sighed and shook his head. She was not wrong, but then what would be the options they could not draw too much animosity from the guards by robbing the nobles, it would bring thunder on their heads, he was aware of the danger the stealing meant for his children but what else was there to do? He dropped his head and seemed to breathe with difficulty as if the sadness had suddenly obstructed his lungs.

First Bloom - The end of winter

The days passed slowly. Contrary to what she had been told upon arrival her fighting spirit did not diminish. Every morning it was inflamed once more and as evidence of her growing restlessness she showed bruises in legs and arms. Whenever her rebelliousness would grow too much the guards would go into a more violent manner of subduing. Andrea wore the bruises like badges of honor, knowing full well that they had not been without retribution as some of the guards showed bruises on their faces and one specially unskilled one had a bruise the width of a chain around his neck. Of course this rebellious acts had earned her the animosity of guards and heavier chains to restrain her mobility even further.


Salvation from slavery seemed further away every time she would rebel.The heavier chains and bruises only served to remind other slaves of the lesson waiting for them should they even attempt to escape or disobey an order. This did not disway Andrea from attempting to find new ways, it instead reminded her to never let her flame diminish lest it become nothing less than a distant memory and she would become complacent with her place as a slave. With every sunset she would lay in her bed minutes reminding herself of her family, to ensure hate did not fully take over her heart. She reminded herself of the people she helped and how her freedom was more than just her will to do as she pleased but to return to her place in the world as a healer. She reminded herself of those that had imprisoned her as to not forget that evil lurked out there and it would take any chance it could to subdue those that would stand alone.


One evening as she was working the gardens she heard a faint noise of rustling come from a nearby bush. As she approached she noticed the sound of heavy breathing and curiously moved her body to cover the bush from the guards eyes but have a clear view. As she parted the branches she saw a small child in tattered clothing holding a small bag looking awfully scared. Andrea shushed the boy and asked him what he was doing there. The boy tried to lie and say he had brought an errand and was now left there, but his leg seemed to have withstood a rather heavy blow. She looked around and noticed the open window two stories above. As her eyes returned to the boy the child seemed to be trembling and his eyes were wide with terror. He quickly plead for her to not make any noise and leave him be.


Andrea moved to another bush while still keeping her body between the boys hiding place and the guard. She told the boy to remain in the bush until she heard her whistle and the guards move to her. She also told him a series of herbs and salts to mix and apply under a bandage so the wound would heal without much problem. Once the boy seemed to calm himself she moved away across the garden and moved towards another wall of bushes. She moved into it in such a manner that the guards were forced to go peek to ensure she was not attempting her escape as she saw the guards enter the little alcove of bushes she began whistling and managed to see a nimble shadow move from the bushes in a roll to another set towards the gate. She did not check again for fear of guiding the armed men to the boy but hoped that from there the boy would be able to escape without much trouble despite his wound.


That night there was a thorough check at the barracks for a purse of silver coins and some jewelry that had been stolen. It was rather easy to connect the two events for Andrea, the boy had been a thief and had managed to get himself some coin from her masters. This of course served not her escape but knowing she had aided someone in hurting her slavers made her smile to herself.


After the event normality returned and she was once again sunk in the boring tasks of the day to day. Due to her rebelliousness she was also confined to the gardens a bit more, she hated working under the sun, but her skin had tanned and she was now more resistant than she had been when she first arrived to the city. One of those days she heard a soft noise coming from the bushes at the gate. She knelt to cut some of the lower branches and peeked out from under the foliage. On the other side of the fence the boy she had saved was knelt and smiled when her face appeared.


He waited for nothing and he began describing the situation of one of his friends. Seemed the boy had fallen ill and red spots had appeared all over him, he also had a fever and no amount of water seemed to quench his thirst. Andrea listened and gestured for him to move with her. As they walked the line of bushes she would cut a few branches and do the trimming as expected while she asked questions to the boy about his friends condition whenever she was on the lower end.

Once she was sure what the sickness was she gave him a set of instructions on how to brew a tea for his friend and the care needed for him to be back on his feet. The boy nodded and thanked her, he asked if she wanted something in return and she simply rattled her chains. The boy smiled and nodded before leaving in haste as the guards came to check why she was taking so long. After some pulling and yelling the issue was laid to rest and she was left to finish her task. She of course felt herself refreshed by helping others even when she was shackled.


The events had somehow rekindled her hope, for despite her spirit flaring rebellious something in the back of her head urged her to drop all hope into a void, but now she knew someone outside that could lend her some aid. She made sure to become more docile as time passed or at least make them feel less threatened by her. The lighter chains returned and the guards once more felt there was no need to be unnecessarily rough. She began to grow uneasy at the fact that there was no return from the boy but pushed herself to hold on to hope.

First Bloom - Chained Storms

As the white glare of sudden light gave way she noticed she stood in the leading pathway of a country manor. The garden was huge and it’s edge was easily lost behind the farthest of trees. All bushes and trees where neatly trimmed and the grass seemed to be equally maintained. At the end of the wooden pathway a large house made of pure stone and adorned with intricate carvings and dark wood rested in its own magnificence. All this beauty was of course hindered by the fact that she had been brought here as a slave and nothing more. As she was led up to the house she felt a cold empty sensation nestle at the bottom of her stomach, the realization of just how uncertain and uncontrollable her fate was dawning on her. She felt a cold shiver run down her spine.


Inside the house the air was cool and smelled of old wood and incense. Spaces were vast and designed to show the power and opulence of its inhabitants. As she looked around trying to distract herself from the idea of the future by focusing on the moment her view was suddenly interrupted by the man she had seen in the slave house. He informed her his name was Arryn, steward of house Perelandro, and as of now the only voice she would obey short of that of the masters. He rang a little bell and two armed men dressed in matching leathers entered the room. Arryn let Andrea know she would be taken to the servants quarters by the men where she was expected to clean herself and change into the servants dresses. Her duties for the day would be to shadow matron Delila and have her teach her the generalities of how to behave and move about the house.Without waiting for a reply he turned and moved into the inner rooms of the house.


The men led her to the servants quarters with a firm hand but were actually careful not to be unnecessarily rough. She tried to plea or ask for help but she was met with silence and what seemed like complete disdain. It was almost as if she was nothing more than livestock clucking in an incomprehensible set of sounds, a nuisance and not a person pleading for her freedom. After several attempts she felt the tears fill her eyes and she broke into sobs understanding just how helpless she was.


They arrived at the servants quarters a couple of minutes later. It was a large squat structure with a simple wooden door and matching windows. They stepped inside and she noticed all beds shared the single large room and a set of doors at the far end divided small fractions of the building. The guards informed her which was her bed, which had a brown and creme dress over it, and which door was the lavatory so she could clean herself up before Delila came to pick her up and began showing her the ropes of attending the masters.


She went about the task of cleaning herself up amidst sobs and feelings of emptiness. The chance to remove the grime collected over the days was welcomed but the truth was that the overall weight of the situation removed all joy that could be forthcoming. Once she was clean she put the dress on and sat on her bed silently waiting for Matron Delila, whoever she was, to come get her. As she waited, she allowed herself to recover from the sudden wave of sadness. She knew well the sensation would not fully go away but she was damned if she would show her captors any more of her sadness. As she sat there the creaking of the door broke the silence and a thin woman with severe features entered the room and let her eyes ran from end to end of the quarters before settling on her.


The woman walked up to her and Andrea noticed she was wearing no chains. Before she could speak the woman held her cheeks together and told her to speak only when asked to speak. Slowly she released her jaw and as Andrea was about to protest the woman landed a slap on her that left a stinging sensation on her cheek. As Andrea rubbed the sensation away and scowled at the woman, the woman introduced herself as Matron Delila, she would teach her how to behave and break her in if needed to ensure she was the perfect house attendant for the masters. With firm voice she asked Andrea to follow and turned on her heels striding out of the quarters.


The rest of the afternoon was spent walking around the house so Andrea could locate any room with ease and as they did Delila told her what she could and could not do. The rules were of course restrictive and made her feel like an unwanted dog that was tolerated but not liked. Delile made special emphasis on how once she was seen to behave and become an obedient servant she would have her chains removed and perhaps allowed to enter rooms where the masters were. Once done they returned to the quarters this time to find several other servants there, some with their chains still on and others without them. They were led to the servants mess, a large room with two large tables and simple benches where they would be expected to seat and eat their meals, perhaps the only room for socialization they were allowed as servants.


Andrea sat before a plate that was quickly filled with some kind of slop that seemed to lack almost all taste. Delile saw her face contort in disgust and informed her how that disgusting sludge would be her meal for most days and what it lacked in flavor it made up for in sustenance. Andrea grudgingly proceeded to eat her meal with the rattling of chains accompanying every move she made to remind her that even this freedom was a borrowed illusion. She talked with some of the people next to her but as soon as she mentioned anything slightly rebellious they looked around with nervous eyes and moved away from her. Her sadness began to slowly turn into anger and a hot sensation burning in her heart where a cold sensation had emptied her stomach previously.


After dinner they were guided back to the sleeping quarters and there Delila removed her chains and hung them next to her bed. Before leaving she informed her she could either put them on voluntarily or have the guards strap them on, with a warning that the guards didn’t have a knack for tenderness when a servant acted rebellious.


That night Andrea lay awake thinking of how to escape, her first thoughts had been violent but as they turned more and more aggressive she realized she would be heavily outnumbered by the guards and unarmed as she was she would sooner be cut down than be set free.Despite her disdain for the current situation she was in, she most definitely did not wish for death. Daylight found her awake and frowning, she had not managed to establish a plan of escape and her mind would now be occupied on the tasks Delila would set out for her, she would return to her escape plan during the night, hopefully she would be able to find some allies in the other servants once they realized anything was better than this.


Andrea was assigned at cleaning task with a pair of the unchained servants. Sometimes she would try to make a sloppy job as a minor act of rebellion and the other servants would force her to redo the job fearing reprisal if the job was left half-assed. They were boring and menial tasks but at least they were inside, where others were forced to work on the garden under the scalding sun. Andrea went about them with a frown and always alert to see if there was any chance to add resources to her escape plan. It was almost impossible under the scrutinizing look of the other servants and the guards that always walked with them to ensure they took nothing or tried nothing.


At the end of the day, during dinner, she once more attempted to talk to the other servants, this time about more mundane subjects and they seemed more amiable, but again as soon as she asked anything that might be considered rebellious they turned away and shut down completely. Andrea grew to resent them and slowly distanced herself from them as the days went by. She would immerse herself in her task during the day to pass them as quickly as possible and during the night she would plan her escape or look for new ways to ensure her freedom once more.

First Bloom - Imprisoned Fire

She woke to the smell of dust and sweat. Her head hurt and she felt the sticky sensation of dried blood on the back of her head all the way down to her neck. Tentatively she prodded the back of her head with two fingers and a sharp pain informed her the wound might have been barely less than lethal. Her eyes scanned the surroundings and she noticed she was lying in a dimly lit room with floors lined with hay. As she tried to stand up the rattling of chains caught her attention and she looked at her ankles noticing the shackles binding her to a chain that stuck out of the wall.As she tried to get up, she noticed other figures huddled against the darkness. Men,children and women also chained to the walls. Once fully upright she felt her head spin and her legs grow weak, a second later she found herself plummeting to the ground. The impact never came. She noticed herself cradled in the arms of a woman shackled next to her.

The woman smiled sadly and turned her head with tenderness letting her know she was examining her wound. After a short examination the woman informed her of the state of the wound and the need to bandaged it. Lacking any proper bandage she ripped a length of her skirt and tied it around her head with more care than one would expect from a stranger. Once done with the bandaging the woman introduced herself as Sabetha and asked for her name.

It was until this moment that she noticed how little she had uttered her own name since she began the trip and even the sound of it was alien to her in her voice as she replied, Andrea. Sabetha smiled and made a curtsy with her head before asking how she had come to be locked in this small room. Andrea explained how she had been attacked in the dark streets after pursuing her robber. Sabetha produced a mischievous smile at hearing of the wound Andrea had managed on the thug and congratulated her, letting her know that she had seen the man around limping, probably would never recover from that deep gash. Andrea smiled and quickly warmed up to Sabetha’s rebellious manner.

Sabetha told Andrea how she had been kidnapped from her house on the southern isles and made to work on a ship all the way to arminier, once she arrived she had been sold to the group in which custody they resided. Sabetha showed a couple of bruises that had come from attacking the same brute Andrea had almost gutted, so there was a reason to cheer in hopes the wound would fester and rot taking the ugly bastard to an early grave. At the mention of the woman Sabetha grew serious and asked if they had exchanged blows, once reassured that Andrea had only landed a kick, Sabetha told her she was the ringleader and a fearsome fist. Where the brute had power the woman had a knack for precision and pain.

Time passed as they both talked about whatever chances of escape there were and how they could go about enabling themselves for freedom once more. Their whispers soon drew the attention of an out-of-sight Jailor that slammed a rod against the bars of the door and shushed them into silence. Sabetha and Andrea ignored the brute and continued on their talks in lower tones. A while passed before the sound of the bar of the door being removed echoed in the room and as the women readied to strike on their captors the door opened. There was no chance to attack as the ring leader came in dressed in leathers accompanied by three men in leather armor holding crossbows, behind them stood a well dressed man that had the expression of one that is awfully bothered and would rather be anywhere else but here.

The man pointed at Andrea and the ring leader shouted at her to stand up. Defiant to a fault Andrea looked at her bored and remained on the ground. In a blur the woman crossed the room and landed a punch on Sabethas Plexus making her double over. Before Andrea could react the woman had seized her arm and twisted upwards forcing the girl to stand. Sabetha still on the ground was quickly pinned by another couple of burly men that came into the room after the ring leader had subdued them both.She spun Andrea around showing her to the man as if she were nothing more than a priced mutt. As she did she whispered into Andrea’s ear about how she knew they would try to escape and how that would be stupid and most surely end in the death of one of them just to make the other obey. As the threat died the man nodded and pointed at Sabetha. Without any tell Andrea felt a blow to her side that made her gasp and drop to her knees. This time The ring leader picked up Sabetha and the burly men held Andrea Down as her friend was paraded.

The man finally nodded and signaled something to the ring leader who landed another blow at Sabethas Jaw knocking her completely out. Andrea could only watch helplessly as they took her new friend away only to be left alone once more.

The days passed with much the same scenario repeating itself. Sometimes the numbers of chained people thinned and sometimes they grew with new arrivals. Andrea had seen come patrons interested in her but after discussion of the price came they were soon disheartened.

One of those indistinguishable days she saw a man she had seen before enter the room. This time there was no bartering the ringleader came straight for her twisted her arms around and caught them in manacles. In a swift motion she chained the manacles to the shackles at her feet.As she dragged her towards the door she told Andrea how glad she was of finally getting rid of her. Andrea tried to headbutt her but she was quick enough to move away. As Andrea scowled at her a rag was stuffed into her mouth and a cloth sack was thrown over her head leaving her in complete darkness.

She dragged her steps but even when she refused to advance she could feel a pair of powerful hand lift her and carry her onwards to whatever destination she was being taken.Soon enough she felt the wind of the outdoors. The rag killed all opportunity to scream and she settled with refusing to take any steps and letting the men at her sides carry her around. She felt herself being lifted and thrown into a wooden floor. The sound of a door slamming shut and a pair of hands lifting her into a sitting position on a cushioned seating where all the advice she got to know she was now being transported on a carriage.

She endured the rattling sensation for quite a while before the carriage came to a stop. The door opened, letting a drag of fresh wind hit her and before she could do anything she was being dragged out of the carriage. This time whenever she refused to take a step she was dragged and the coarse ground scratched her skin forcing her to walk and stopping that little act of rebellion. Finally they stopped and she could feel a wooden floor under her feet. The sack was taken from her head and the light blinded her making her squint.

First Bloom - night walk

Hours later she found herself crossing the large gates together with her caravan. Her head twisted about looking from one side to the other. Not only were the sights incredible, the smells of the few stalls around the entrance offering spices from far off lands or the delicacies they pushed outward, hoping for a traveler too hungry to resist the abuse in prices, mingled with the dusty air of the city and gave a distinctive air of luxury to every breath. She peeked into the stalls with curiosity and asked dozens of questions until she noticed annoyance begin to show on the sellers when they realized she was not buying.

The caravan continued moving towards the inner market where they could better sell their wares and as they went she took advantage and wandered about the narrow streets and long passageways. Once in the marketplace she helped the merchants unload their wares before wandering off to continue her exploration of the city. It was aimless but wonderful to simply let er feet lead her anywhere knowing that no matter where she went she would always find something to marvel at.

She went into drinking houses and discovered the horrible smell that comes from men who have drunk too much mingled with sweat.There was the pleasant discovery of the smell that cam from old temples and the incense they burned as they worshipped their gods. She marveled at the beauty of the manors just beyond the castle moat and how their gardens filled with greenery the sand colored roads of the city.

Despite how marvelous a structure the city was, it was the mingling of people that seemed to catch her eyes the most. Hundreds of voices interlacing with one another in a large variety of languages, most of which she could barely make out. The colors and styles of their garments were also very different from one another causing a small parade of color and cloth in every street she wandered into. So the day went with her wandering around the streets and settling every now and then in small inns to grab a bite before continuing on her curiosity expedition.

As the sun set and the night fell, the lamp lighters began to wander the street lighting the large poles and torches set outside houses to ensure the main streets were lighted. The flow of the fire bathed the city in warmth and seemed to change it into something completely different.The streets that had been filled with trade and the bustling of errands now seemed far lonelier and were filled with a different kind of people. Inns and drinking holes seemed to be drawing the traffic, making the streets that hosted them the most traveled. The gardens and other plazas were almost devoid of any intrusion except for lovers who looked for the cover of trees and shadows to share themselves with one another.

As she walked the streets the slap of leather on the cobbles made her turn her head. A large man was walking towards her and his eyes were set intensely on her. She allowed her hand to settle on the pommel of her blade and waited. The man seemed to not have any intention of stopping soon. Before she could actually draw her blade a tug on her belt made her spin and see a thinner man yank her coin purse from her belt and make a run for it. As she was about to pursue the thief the larger man reached her and slammed her against the wall knocking the wind out of her and disappearing into the darkness. Dizzy with the lack of air and still reeling from the pain of the slam she had just received she ran into the night the way she had last seen the thief.

For several minutes she ran aimless amongst the darkness trying to run into some luck and perhaps get a glimpse of the criminal. As she felt herself loose hope she moved down a narrower street and as if favored by luck saw the man pass calmly walking by the other end of the street. He hefted the purse and had a contented smile on his face as if he had performed the best job of his life. She rushed silently to the other end of the street, running on the ball of her feet to avoid the slapping of her shoes on stone. Suddenly she sprung out of the corner and rested the tip of her blade against the base of the man’s neck. The man became stiff in an instant and lifted his hands to the air with the purse dangling by its string from one of his fingers. She reached for the purse and just as she was about to grab it something huge caught her on the side and left her windless.

With her vision still blurry she saw the thief run once again into the night and as she turned to see what had hit her another blow landed on her cheek smacking her face against the stone and causing her to further lose focus. As she turned she saw the larger man preparing to stomp her head and probably put an end to the fight. As the feet came down she rolled on the ground and away from her attacker. The man groaned and tried to kick her but she was already outside his reach. As the world seemed to come back into focus she shook her head and dodged another couple of strikes, picked her blade from the ground as she did and without hesitation sliced the man’s leg from thigh to knee. The man screamed and fell on his good knee gasping. She raised her blade and felt a hand grab her wrist staying her final blow.

She whirled and kicked the midsection of a woman in a single motion. The newcomer simply back stepped holding her stomach and raised a hand in defeat. She jumped away from both attackers and noticed that the larger thief was already limping into an alley. As she tried to pursue the woman blocked her path and raised both hands to show there was no intention to do harm. Wary she kept her eyes on the woman and was about to ask why was she helping the thief when a blow landed at the back of her head and slowly the world went dark.