Shade Academy

Chapter 36

I decided the best way to find out whatever i could about Draco was through either Flora or the servants. The servants were everywhere, and by everything I have ever read or heard with wealthy families they gossiped. So I kept my senses wide open as we made our way through the castle to our quarters. I was sure I was going to get lost in the place, especially since I was not paying attention to where we were going but more to what I could hear. 

"Did you hear Prince Ashe found his true mate?" I heard someone whisper. "Did you hear she has three other mates besides him?" The other whispered back. Well, seems I am the source of gossip right now. "Maybe she can stop him." Wait. I stopped walking and strained my hearing. "Renee hush. You know better than to speak so openly about him." The other reprimanded. Him? Who is him? 

"Anna? You alright?" Ashe asked walking back to me. I shook my head clearing my thoughts and smiled as I looked up at him. "Ya, I'm ok. Just tired I guess." I didn't lie completely, I really was tired, but I was more interested in finding out why he was so terrified of his father. "Well come on, you can rest when we get to our quarters." He said leading me by the small of my back. I walked with him, only turning back to see two small malnourished looking girls scurry away. They looked no older than sixteen. 

"Ashe." I said stopping again. "Why do they look so sickly?" I asked pointing to the girls. Ashe followed the direction I was pointing and stiffened. "Don't worry about it." He told me. I scoffed and pulled away from him. "Hey!" I called to the girls. They both turned stiff as wood boards as they turned, eyes on their feet. "Y..yes my l..lady?" They mumbled out. I shook my head in sadness. "Hey, look at me." I said softly. 

They both looked up at me with wide terrified eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you." I assured them. "I'm Anna. What's your names?" I asked, doing my best to keep my voice as gentle and non threatening as i could. The girls looked at each other, their small frames trembling with fear before they turned back to me. 

"I'm Rose." One said. And a rose she was. She had wavy red hair that would be beautiful had she be healthy. Freckles lined her nose and cheeks, and her eyes were as green as moss. "I'm Renee." The other girl spoke up pulling my attention to her. She had brown hair, with deep brown eyes that looked almost black. Both girls would be beautiful, had they been a healthy weight and in a healthy state. "Tell me girls, how old are the two of you?" I asked them. 

"Well in the fae realm we age differently than in the human world. Here a person is considered an adult when they reach one thousand years old, since we live several thousand years. Our current king is fifty thousand years old." They informed me. I knew they were avoiding my question. I crossed my arms over my chest and raised a brow at them. They both looked at me sheepishly. "We are five hundred years old." They whispered. "Which is roughly what? Fifteen? Sixteen in human years?" I asked. They both nodded. 

I was now beginning to get angry. "Now tell me." I said, straining to keep my voice calm. "When was the last time you two have eaten? Or showered? Or taken care of yourselves?" The girls eyes once again widened as they looked over my shoulder. I followed their line of sight to Ashe, who was staring at the girls harshly. "Ashe!" I shouted. Getting his attention. His eyes snapped from the girls to my narrowed ones. "Anna, I told you to leave it alone." He said in a strained tone. 

My jaw hit the floor. "Ashe, they're children." I all but yelled at him. "They are servants Anna, that's all." He countered. "No Ashe, they are living, breathing fae. They are children. How could you be so cruel? So heartless?" I then turned to the servant who was leading us to our quarters. God I hated that term, servant. UGH! "I would like to be put in a separate room than the price, and I would like for these two children to be put with me." I informed her. 

The woman looked from me, to Ashe to the two surprised girls behind me before looking back to me and nodding. "Anna, please." Ashe tried to plead. "No Ashe. If you think children are nothing but servants, then I think we need to rethink whatever bond we have, because I will not allow our children to be treated this way." I said harshly. "That's different and you know it." Ashe argued. I crossed my arms and glared at him. "Tell me Ashe please. How is it any different. Because it would be your child and not someone else's? A child is a child Ashe, no matter who it belongs to." 

I turned from him and ushered to girls in front of me and followed the woman, leaving a stunned and shocked Ashe in my wake. "My lady, are you sure about this?" Rose asked shyly. I smiled "Of course I am." I assured them both. "You are both children, and you deserve to be treated with kindness and  love. Not hatred and resentment. I will be speaking with the king about this." I vowed to them. 

They both stopped and turned to me, terror clear in their eyes. "No, you can't do that." They said clinging onto me. "What? Why?" I asked, somewhat shocked. They shook their head fiercely before turning and continuing to follow the woman. I followed behind them, determined to get whatever information I could out of them whenever they felt comfortable enough with me to share the information. In no way would I force the information from them. I refuse to treat them with the same cruelty and disrespect that they have been treated with here. 

When we finally reached where I would be staying with the two girls they hesitated by the door. "What is it?" I asked them. They both gave me the most heart wrenching look. "We have never been allowed into a royals quarters before, especially not a princess's." They admitted. I smiled at them brightly "Well you're allowed in today." I told them, then turned to the woman. "I would like new clothes and food for the girls brought up for the girls along with mine please." I said. The woman's eyes widened. "Ma'am I can not bring royal garbs for the girls." she said. I sighed heavily. "I know that, but you can bring them clothes, correct?" I asked annoyed. She nodded. "Good, bring them some." She nodded again and left. 

Not two minutes after she left there was a knock on the door. I opened it to see all four of my mates standing on the other side. I just opened the door wide and motioned for them to come in. The two girls went to stand but I gave them a hard look that kept them in their seat. "Don't you dare say anything to them Ashe." I said before turning back to them. "Now as for you two. I want you to go in there and bathe, your clothes should be up here by the time you get out. I'll put them on the counter for you so you can dress in the bathroom." 

The two girls were bursting with excitement as they jumped up and rushed to the bathroom. When the door closed I turned on Ashe. "You see that?" I asked gesturing towards the bathroom door. "No child should be that excited to take a bath Ashe. That's just sad. How could the King allow children to be treated so poorly?" Ashe now looked at me with saddened eyes, a complete one eighty from how he was acting in the hall on the way here. "Anna look. Their parents owed the kingdom a lot of money. When their parents died, the debt was extended to them making them indentured servants until the debt is paid off. Unfortunately, their debt was so large that it will take more than six hundred years of servitude for them to completely pay it off." 

My eyes were bulging and jaw on the floor by the time he was finished with is explanation. "Is there anyway around it?" I asked. A sly smile then crossed Ashe's face. "Yes actually. If a fae of royal blood excuses them of all debt, they will be freed from all contracts of services they are under." My heart lept out of my chest at the news. "That's great." I shouted. "There's just one thing." Ashe said a bit more reluctantly. "What?" I asked cautiously. "The fae of royal blood must excuse the said servant in front of the ruling family. In this case, myself, my mother and father." I shrugged. "So? Why should that bother me?" I asked. "Does my father not frighten you?" Ashe asked. 

"Well no he don't." I answered honestly. "Should he?" Ashe gave me a hesitant look before answering. "Yes he should Anna. My father is a very powerful and influential man in this realm. He can get almost anything he wants without any problems." I just chuckled. "Well, he won't get his way with this." I said.

The girls were elated when I told them the news, but was scared and nervous when I told them how I had to acquire their freedom. They were willing to go through with it after I promised I would bring them back to the Academy with me to protect them from the king. They wouldn't tell me why they would need protection, but I was confidant they would in time. 

On the way to meet the king the girls fidgeted nervously, chewed their lip, picked at their nails anything they could do that kept them in motion. I felt bad for them, I really did. To be in a situation like this at their age couldn't be easy, especially in the condition they were already in. And as we reached where the king was it only got worse. I tried to get them to calm down as much as I could but it didn't work, I finally had to give up and just confront the king. 

Of course he sat on a throne made of gold. The seats looked to be made of a red satin material. Ashe sat on the throne beside Draco stiffly as Flora stood at his side, one hand on his shoulder. Her strained eyes locked on mine. I could see the relief in her eyes as the girls walked in behind me, but the white hot rage in the kings. That made me smile internally. He enjoyed torturing these girls. 

"King Draco, Queen Flora, Prince Ashe, I have come to you as a fae of royal blood to excuse these two children of any and all debts their family may have passed down to them. I also am taking full responsibility of them as they are minors and taking them back to the Academy with me when we return." My voice was filled with power and confidence as I addressed them. 

Flames danced in the kings eyes, while Ashe and Flora smiled at me in pride. When Draco turned his fire filled glare onto them, their smiles quickly faded as a look of terror passed their features. Draco turned back to me. "As a fae royal I have no choice but to grant your claim." He said with fury. "Flora, Ashe. I need to speak with you." Draco yelled, his deep voice echoing to the point I felt I needed to cover my ears. 

Ashe looked at me with such fear and sorrow, and the emotions coming from him made my blood run cold. I shook my head at him, pleading with him not to go, not to follow his father. He gave me a sad resigned look before shaking his head sullenly. Then, I couldn't feel him. He had completely blocked me from him. "Ashe!" I called. But he ignored me, and the door closed behind him as he followed his father out the door.