V

After breakfast, the caretaker led everyone back to the orphanage. Edric released everyone for some time before weekly assignments would be handed out. Wren was given a bed towards the back of the hall, with his bunk mate being Sam, a small pale boy with jet black hair, giving him a haunted look. Sam greeted him with a wave, but his facial expression blank, reflecting many of the other kids living here, his dull brown eyes lacking the spark of joy that should be natural to anyone his age. Wren was surprised to learn that he had the top bunk, as most of the kids who had been there longer claimed the top. When asked why, Sam shrugged his shoulders, his gaze far away.

"I had an accident. When my family's wagon was attacked, the horses got spooked and took off. I fell, and hurt my back. The healers did what they could, but they said it'll never be the way its supposed to."

"I'm sorry. That sounds pretty rough." Wren said, feeling lucky his injuries hadn't crippled him.

"Its not all bad. I don't have to do any of the hard work." Sam replied.

"What is the work? What do we do here?"

Sam sat on his bed, and patted next to him, inviting Wren to join him.

"Mostly cleaning-here, the mess hall, the barracks. Some kids work with the horses, either in the stables or packing things to be moved round. Sometimes the knights ask for a bunch of us to help with special jobs, but I don't ever get to do that." Sams expression darkened

He changed the subject, pointing to the chests beside the beds. "These are for our things."

Sam hopped off his bed and lifted the lid. Inside was a few changes of clothes, all of them the same off-white tunics and brown trousers. A small coin purse sat in one corner, next to a pendant on a leather string.

"That belonged to my mother. Its the only thing I have left of my family." Sam lifted the necklace, letting the pendant slowly spin and catch the light. It was an intricate silver circle, inlaid with a beautiful blue gem. Wren didn't know much about jewelry, but it looked nice, maybe even worth a gold coin or two.

Wrens gaze dropped. " I don't have anything from my family. I think... I think we lost everything in the fire." The words tasted bitter, like ash in his mouth.

Sam looked at him for a long moment, then without saying a word, he placed the necklace back in the chest, and gave Wrens should a small pat. It was the first real comfort Wren had felt in days. His heart warmed, and he gave Sam a smile.

The door to the hall opened, and Edric strode in.

"Assignments!" He called.

Everyone ran to the front of the room and stood in a semi circle around the caretaker. Wren followed Sam, sticking close. Edric quickly cast his eyes around the group, then looked at the parchment in his hands.

"Johnathan and Owen, privy duty." A pair of curses were heard from the side of the room. Edric paid them no heed.

"Rebecca, Kat, Malcolm, Roland, Mess hall. You'll be under the cooks all day."

The caretaker continued like this, calling out names and jobs. The tasks were mostly menial things, like sorting the equipment room, cleaning one place or another, or helping somewhere.

Finally, "Sam and Wren, Knights stables. Report to the Horse Master."

Wren glanced at Sam, hoping to gleam insight if that was bad or not, but his friends face was emotionless.

After a few more assignments were called out, Edric spun on his heel, and left.

The other kids fanned out, several going to their chests, others immediately followed the caretaker out the door. Sam motioned for Wren to follow, then headed to the door. The day was gloomy and overcast, and the chill was a reminder that winter was on the way.

Wren rubbed his arms, shivering. "Do we get coats, or cloaks?"

Sam snorted. "Coats? Not unless you buy one. Some kids save up for them, but they usually get stolen."

Wren stared up at the sky. "What if it snows? There's no way they'd let us freeze out here....right?"

Sam stopped walking and looked at him. "Look, they don't really care about us here. If it gets bad enough, sometimes the head caretaker might come by with extra clothes we can make into something, but we don't get to have nice things here. Even if we did, the older kids would just take it."

Wren rubbed his nose, thinking about his encounter at breakfast. This was turning out to be even worse than the stories he had heard.

Sam led him away from the orphanage, winding through he bleak, dreary buildings that all looked the same, an off-yellow stone, often with barred windows. Puddles and mud were unavoidable, so by the time they got close to the stables, their feet were caked. The stables sat up against the the wall, towering high overhead. The smell of horses hit him like a wave, pulling him into memories that stung. Joyous times when he and his father would work the fields, head to market, or even just ride through the woods, wind blowing though his hair and the sun on his neck. Their tired old work horse wasn't fast, but to Wren, she was the quickest thing in the world.

These horses were much different. Tall and lean, with muscles rippling beneath their sleek coats, these animals were clearly superior. Wren watched as they galloped around their paddock, kicking up mud clumps as they raced each other. A large man stood in the middle watching the animals. He turned when the gate opened. One eye was covered with a large black patch, but the end of a scar peeked through onto his cheek, and up on his forehead. His bald head was tattooed with blue swirls, and a neat grey beard wreathed his face. He wore a sleeveless white leather chest piece, with the Silverblood sigil emblazoned across the front; Two silver swords crossed over a black moon, outlined in red.

Sam put his hands behind his back as they approached the knight. "Good Morning Sir Cale." He said respectfully. Wren mimicked Sam, placing his hands behind his back.

The knight crossed his arms, looking down at the boys.

"I asked for strong lads and they sent me frail boys." His gruff voice sounded like a landslide.

Wren raised his hand. "I was a farmhand, uh, sir."

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Cale waved his hand in front of his face. "No need for that, boy. Besides, I was being harsh. I need an extra set of hands shoeing some of the horses, as my apprentice broke his wrist, the fool."

"We can do that." Said Sam. "I helped my father with that before."

The knight nodded, then led them into the stable. The scent of hay, both fresh and soiled, assaulted Wrens senses. Bales three times his size were stacked against one wall. As they walked further in, horses poked their heads out of the stalls, their giant round eyes staring at the boys curiously. Wren reached out and gently brushed his fingers against ones nose. The touch sparked a flood of warm memories. At the end of the room was a small forge. A horse was already tied to a post nearby, its snout deep in a bag of grain. Cale affectionately patted the animals flank as we walked around the animal.

Cale bent down and hoisted one the of horses hooves, tucking it between his legs.

"One of you, hand me the tools. The other go into that room there and get me the shoes on the table."

Sam was the closest to the tools, so Wren headed into the storage room. The walls were lined with tools of all sorts, even more than he was familiar with. Sitting on a small table were a set of four horse shoes, much larger than he was used to. Carrying them back into the main room, he saw Cale picking at the hoof with a tool. After a few minutes he held out his hand, and Wren passed him a shoe. Sam then passed him a small hammer and some nails.

They had just gotten the first shoe on when a commotion sounded from outside. Cale lifted his head and frowned as several horses started whinnying.

"Ballocks." He muttered, "It better not be those damn boys again. Lately there's been trouble around the compound, but I haven't identified who it is. Stay here, help with the shoes if you think you can, I'll be right back." The knight briskly set off. Wren looked at Sam, who just shrugged.

Wren bent over and grabbed the other front hoof, when they heard laughter from the entrance. Two older boys jogged in, cackling to themselves.

"That'll keep that blind old fart busy!" One was saying. He sneered as he reached out and slapped a horse on the nose, making it stumble backwards, its eyes wide with alarm. They broke out laughing as they got closer to the forge. Sam backed away, keeping behind the horse. Wren however, stepped out into the light. The older boys stopped dead. They stared at Wren for a minute, then the one who slapped the horse said," Hey, aren't you that rat I smacked to the floor this morning?"

Wrens stomach dropped.

Of course it's him. He thought. The boys approached. Standing next to the bully from earlier, The other kid was a tall and scrawny, with bright red hair that suck up in all directions.

"ha! I thought so! Scoopin shit today, rat?" Asked the first boy.

"You shouldn't be in here." Wren said. his voice shaking despite trying his best to sound tough.

"an 'os gunna stop us, you?" pipped the tall read head.

From behind the horse, Sam whispered to Wren, " Thats Zane, with the red hair, and Mason."

Zane tilted his head to the side. "'os that there? 'nother rat?"

Sam sheepishly stepped out from the horse, standing slightly behind Wren.

"Oh its the twig!" Said Mason, his eyes lighting up. "We better run Z, they hired the tough kids to stand guard!"

They laughed, but approached. Zane started to head for the storage room, but Wren cut him off. "You should leave, Zane."

The ginger took a step back and put his hands on his hips. "I'll tell you one time rat, move, or I'll knock you on yer ass."

Wren clenched his fists, but didn't move. Their eyes locked, and Wren could see the cruel pleasure in his hold eyes.

Suddenly, the horse let out a pained neigh as Mason smacked its hindquarters. The animal backed, sending Sam sprawling to the ground. Zane jumped forward and tried to shove Wren to the ground, but the hay underfoot caused him to slip, causing Wren to slide back instead. The two boys leapt at each other, colliding and tumbling to the floor. Wren punched and kicked, and took an elbow to the face. They rolled around, becoming tangled in mud and straw, both struggling for dominance.

Wrens back exploded in pain as Masons boot connected, sending him sprawling. He kicked again, this time striking Wrens injured ribs. Searing pain exploded behind his eyes, and he felt himself scream. He tried to roll away but Zane got his arm around his neck, holding him in a headlock. Mason laughed as he kicked Wren again, deep in his stomach. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sam pulling himself to his feet. He wanted to call out, to tell him to run for help, but Zanes arm was almost squeezing the air out of him. Mason leaned down and smashed him in the face. Wren felt blood explode from his nose. He could do nothing.

Masons laughing suddenly turned to shrieking, and he collapsed to ground clutching his knee. Sam stood behind him with the horseshoe hammer in his hands. Mason was screaming, crying, and Zane was shifting his weight, trying to climb on top of Wren now, when a thunderous voice pierced the air.

"ENOUGH!"

The room went silent, except for Masons crying. Sir Cale stood behind them, his arms crossed, his gaze like hot iron. He crossed the room, staring down at the boys. Sam dropped the hammer.

"So, you must be the bloody pests causing the havoc. I should have known." He bent down and lifted Mason up by the collar with one hand. He pointed to Zane, who slowly stepped forward.

"Take your fool of a partner and get him to the infirmary. I'll be sure to talk to your caretaker later. This kind of behavior will NOT be tolerated in the compound."

Zane put his arm around Mason, and helped him hobbled towards the exit. Cale stared at the remaining boys.

"That'll be quite a black eye lad. Your nose might be broke too."

Wren gingerly touched his face. It stung, but the pain wasn't nearly as bad as his ribs. "I'll be ok sir, I've had worse." He spit some blood onto the ground.

The knight sighed, and shook his head. "I still need help here. If you don't want to see a healer."

The last place Wren wanted to be was in the same building as Mason, no mater how much he hurt. He reached down and scooped up the hammer, then met the knights one eye.

"Well, there might be a future for you yet lad."

The compliment meant more to Wren then the knight could have thought.