I watch as the morning sky comes up and the birds begin to chirp. Everyone starts waking up. Mom was the first one awake. She goes and gets water from the stream and starts to boil it to make some pine needle tea for this morning. Then Rodney wakes up, he wanders off to take a quick piss in the bushes before heading back and stretching. He tends to the fire and makes sure it stays burning this cold in the day. Brandon and Gwen simultaneously wake up and stretch as well. Lilly is the last one to wake up, and only wakes up because our mother woke her up.

"Henry." Gwen says. "Henry!" She says again.

"Yes, yes, sorry? What's going on?" I say.

"I need to pee, can you come with?"

"Of course." I say.

I get up from where we were laying and start to walk towards her. Brandon runs over to me and says "Remember to woo her mate." And then walks back over to the tea.

I continue to follow Gwen until she stops. She squats behind a rock. I stare at her. "Henry." She says again.

"Yes?" I say.

"Can you not stare at me while I pee?"

"Oh! I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

I smile and turn around nervously. I look around at the forest while I listen to her pee. I try to pay attention to other things but its hard to not listen to the stream of pee. I start kicking the dirt again and the stream stops. I look up and she wraps her arms around my waist, hugging me and putting her head on my back. My stomach flutters and I get red. I turn to face her and I wrap my arms around her head. I used to watch my dad do this with my mom after a long day. We stay like this for only a moment and then she lets go. She holds my hand like we used to do and she pulls me back to the group and then lets go of my hand.

"Alright everybody, now that we are all here, why don't we go clean up so we don't look raggedy for the King." My mom says. "So fix your clothes, your hair, your shoes, clean up the dirt on your bodies and lets go. We leave in 30 minutes."

In no time everybody began heading to the stream, washing off their bodies, tidying up their clothes, fixing their hair. After everybody looked clean and presentable, we gathered all of our things, put out the coals of our fire this morning, and headed back on the trail to go to the Castle. We stepped a few feet onto the trail and were stopped by guards. All of our hearts dropped as they came towards us.

"Why were you sleeping on our perimeters last night?" One of the guards spoke.

Rodney steps up and speaks with the guards. "We didn't want to disrespect the King and disturb his sleep, so we camped in front of the Castle until daylight. We need to speak with him about staying at the Castle. It's an urgent matter. We all have skills we could offer him."

"Very well, leave your horses and your things outside the gate, including anything you have in your pockets." The head Guard spoke.

Four men escorted us into the Castle and our horses were taken somewhere else. I felt uneasy about this visit already, but didn't know how to react yet.

"What's going on?" My brother Rodney asked.

"We're taking precautions in order to assure the Kings safety." The head guard spoke.

"We aren't here to harm the King though, we just want to talk."

"Then you have nothing to worry about."

We get through the Castle doors and everyone stares at us. Unlike other Castles, all of its people live within the walls, so the Castle itself is very large. That's one thing I liked about this Castle. It's still developing even though its so large, its actually small compared to other Castles, but everybody is protected within the walls. And it looks like they're building another section for the Castle to expand.

We are greeted with eyes from all kinds of people from the village and different shops surrounding the area. But the guardsmen don't allow our attention to veer off far. We are stared down by some townspeople who wonder what we did and who we are to be surrounded by the Kings men. But nobody says a thing to us, we are instantly marched inside the Castle by the men and escorted.

"Hey, keep up young man. The King wont wait for your presence." One of the guards said.

I look at him, he expected some kind of response, but I didn't want to ruin the fact that he called me a man. I put my head down instead and he stops in his tracks. He walks towards me and kneels down to my height.

"Boy, when someone tells you to do something, you respond in one of two ways. You either tell them you're sorry, or that you will try harder. But you didn't say anything. Which is it? Are you sorry, or will you try harder to keep up?" The tall guard says.

"My b-brother can't speak sir." Rodney says.

"Hm, is that so?" The guard says. "He understands words however, yes?"

"He does."

"Tell him to kiss my boot then."

"What? Why?"

"He can't speak his respect, so let him show it."

"No, he won't kiss your shoe." Rodney raised his voice.

"Boy, there's a few things you need to understand, but one in particular. Scum bows down to the powerful until scum makes something of themselves and proves their worth."

"With all due respect... What kind of guard are you? You can't make us bow down to you. You aren't royalty."

The guard gets mad and he begins to raise his staff, he is about to hit Rodney for speaking up, but the King stops him.

"Thomas, what's going on." King Charlie says.

"Sir, these peasants were disrespecting me, I was just showing them what disrespect gets them." Thomas says.

"Who are these people, why are they here Thomas?"

"They said they wanted to speak with you."

"Very well, carry on with your duties, I will take them."

"But Sir, I need to protect you. Let me come with you."

"Thomas, this is just a family, I can handle it myself. After all, you made sure all of their belongings are outside the Castle correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Come on, uh what should I call you?" He said, directing his question to my brother who seems to be the head of the household.

"We are the Weston's sir. This is my mother, I'm Rodney, and this is Brandon, Ashley, and Lilly." Rodney says.

"And where are you from?"

"We come from King William, about a 100 miles down that way." My brother says, pointing in the direction we came.

"What are you doing here, why did you leave?"

"The King, we don't agree with how he rules, so he banished us, we seek a home. We have skills to offer. My brother is a Blacksmith. And Tyler and I... I mean, I... Have experience farming, tending to the lands. I could help. My bother, she cooks, bakes, cleans, tends to children. Ashley goes to school but can clean and cook as well."

"I don't need bakers, cooks, or farmers. But another Blacksmith? I could use. Is there any other skills you have that may be useful to me? King Williams Knights were here, they were looking for a group just like you. A little suspicious that you happen to be here. I need to be able to trust you, and if I can't use you, there's no use to having you in my Kingdom."

"I... Um, I could be a Knight."

"Ha." The King laughed. "You were never born into Royalty, you can't be a Knight."

"Sir, please. My family needs help."

I wasn't starting to like this Kingdom. It seemed no better than the one we just left. Stuck up, always looking down upon us as if we were the dirt beneath their shoes. We shouldn't have to prove ourselves for safe harbor. It irks me that this entire time we have been treated like we are the enemy. We weren't the enemy, we just needed help, and that was no crime in my eyes.

"Can you be a Butcher? Our Butchers will teach you everything they know, but if you can, you can stay as well. As for your mother and your two sisters, they have no use to me. They can't stay here. Take or leave my offer." The King says. My heart drops.

"I'm not leaving my family. Come on Brandon, lets go."

"So be it, your things will be returned to you once you have exited our doors."

Everybody begins walking away, including Brandon. I couldn't let my family do this for me. They needed a place to stay, a home. I didn't want to get in the way of that, they had skills or could learn skills that would allow them to thrive. Although I didn't like this place, it was better than hiding from Knights every day.

"Wait!" I yell. "Let my family stay and I will leave. After all, King Williams only wants me, not the rest of my family. My mother, she can tailor, sew, hem, do whatever you need, or Lilly can learn and my mother can be a teacher. I didn't see a school here. It would be beneficial for your children to learn. My brother, he can be a Butcher, and the other can be a Blacksmith. I... I can't help in any way but be a burden. Let them stay, I will go."

The King thinks for a moment, "Very well, if the rest of you would like to accept that offer, I could make arrangements."

My mom speaks, "No, I'm sorry sir for wasting your time, but we can't accept that offer." She turns around and walks away without looking back again. I turn to Brandon and pull him back as he is walking in the same direction, "Stay Brandon, stay!" I beg.

"You won't be safe without me." He says.

"I have Rodney, I will be fine. You stay here, be a Blacksmith, find a way to get your child and the Princess to you. Be happy." I protest.

Without saying another thing, I walk off, leaving him standing there. I don't turn around and I hold back my tears. I catch up to my family. We get outside and my mother turns back to us looking around at all of us.

"Where is Brandon?" She says.

"He's going to stay." I said.

"What? What do you mean?" My mom says, ready to march back in there and get her son.

I step out in front of her, keeping her from entering the building. "No, he needs to stay. He has a baby he needs to provide for. He needs a home." I say.

My mother looks puzzled, "Wh-what do you mean he has a child?"

Before I could answer, one of the guards comes over to us and escorts us back outside the Castle. My mother tries speaking to him about Brandon, but he doesn't answer. When we get back outside the Castle, all of our things are waiting for us, including some extra food, water, and a covered wagon that's attached to our horses. My mothers shocked, all of us were really. None of us were expecting a gift from the King.

"The King gives his apologizes for being unable to provide you with safety. In return, he offers you a gift. A covered wagon, and some extra food and water for your travels." One of the Knights said.

"Thank you, thank you." My mother repeats excitedly. "Give him our thanks."

The guard turns away without another word and walks back into the Castle. We gather our things, say our hello's to our three horses, and try to figure out our next destination as we go along the trail. Lilly, Gwen and I sit in the back of the wagon while mom and Rodney sit with the horses, guiding them along. I look out to the leaf's falling and cry, this was unfair to everybody and I wasn't sure how to deal with it.

"What's wrong Ashley?" My 8 year old little sister asked.

"It's nothing sis." I respond.

"You can tell me."

"It's just, we have nowhere to go now because of me. Why do I have to be different? I ruin everybody's lives. Alice died because of my, dad and Tyler died because of me, Ezekeliah died because of me. It doesn't stop."

"It's not your fault."

"How could you say that?!" I yell.

"Girls, what's going on back there?" My mom asks.

My chest starts to hurt and I'm not sure what to do, I feel anxious and trapped. I look around but everything is fuzzy. My sister is talking to me but I can't hear anything. I stand up, a little bit wobbly from the wagon hitting rocks beneath us and I make the decision to jump out of it. I run and run and I'm not sure where I'm going, but I don't stop. The last thing I hear is my sister yelling back out at me to come back and my mom yelling for me. But I don't stop. I just keep going into the woods until everything and everyone disappears.

I trip over a rock and begin tumbling down a hill. I roll, and roll, and roll until I reach the bottom. My knees, arms, hands, head, and everything else is all scratched up and I sit at the bottom of the hill for a bit. Confused and dazed, I look back up the hill. You can see the trail where my body went down and all the brush that's disturbed. My clothes are ripped, and then I begin to feel the pain and sting of the cuts and scrapes. I cry and hold my body, blood all over me, I lay down until I can collect myself.

Finally after awhile the pain begins to minimize and I no longer cry. I start hearing my brother call out to me, but before I call out, I get hit with this dizziness. My world spins and I feel the weight of the world weigh me down as I fall back onto the ground. I try to remain conscious, I can't speak or move. Then soon everything becomes a big blur and I pass out.

When I wake up next, I'm still on the ground. It's pitch black outside and not a peep can be heard but the wind. I wonder where my family was, why my brother didn't come find me. I stand up quickly and get hit with a rush of lightheadedness that brings me down to my knees again. I wait for the feeling to subside before picking myself back up again. I can't see ten feet in front of me, barely my own hands let alone the hill I fell down from. It looked like the moon was being covered by trees and midnight clouds. Maybe a storm was coming in.

Nonetheless, I couldn't stay here. It's cold, my clothes are ripped, I'm bloody, animals can smell me and if a storm is fixing to come in, I needed shelter. Nobody but the dead could survive a thunderstorm. I needed to find a cabin or Castle or anything I could spend the night in.

I pick a random direction and I start limping towards the unknown. With my hands out in front of me, I let it be my guide for any obstacles in my way. And I pray no animals hunt me in my disadvantage. I continue walking, moving pass any trees I feel and tripping over some tree trunks. I hear some water so I make my way closer to it. I get on my hands and knees and begin crawling towards the water when I'm close enough. I drink from the stream and clean my body in small sections. The water is like glaciers on the little warmth I have left in my body.

Now shivering, I get back up and walk along the stream, the clouds start to lift up a bit and I can see the moon shimmering in the water. I pay attention to the way the water moves as I walk up the stream.

In the distance I see a fire. My automatic thought was that it was my family. I start running towards the light but as I get closer, I realize it's a group of men. Before I could stop running, one of them noticed me and started yelling to get his friends to notice me as well. They all burst into chaotic excitement. I'm like a deer caught by a spear hunter, stuck in my tracks.

I begin taking steps back and the men stand up and without thinking, I turn back around and run. But it takes no time for the men to catch up to me and grab me. I start screaming and kicking and the man holding me laughs. I knew this wasn't going to be a good situation. I scream and I scream for Rodney but nobody comes to my rescue.

Eventually one of the men get tired of my screaming and stuffs a dirty sock in my mouth and ties a piece of cloth around that. I can taste the dirt and sweat from the sock and it makes me gag. I try to fight them but they easily overpower me, holding my arms and legs.

"Do you know what we are going to do with you?" One of the men say. I shake my head in disbelief. I don't want to think about what they're about to do.

"Every single one of us is going to take turns being inside you. Then when we are through with you, we are going to bring you to the pits so you can fight for your life. If you survive, we will let you go. Otherwise you already know what'll happen. Don't you?" He says, trailing a knife down my body.

He begins cutting up my clothes, and I close my eyes. I imagine anything else that's about to happen. Me being with my family, eating food right now, sleeping next to Gwen. They're all probably worried about me right now... No, no! I have to think about something different, something other than me getting myself into this situation.

I start thinking about what it would be like meeting the man in the middle of the world. I went into detail of what it would be like. Every step to the center I thought about. What would it smell like, sound like, look like? Who was the man? A God, a witch? I didn't care. But what would my choice be? I still wasn't sure.

I run out of thoughts momentarily and enter back into reality. I open my eyes to two men carrying me to a wagon. I'm completely naked and cold. I shiver, my body hurts. One of the men stays back in the wagon with me to I assume to make sure I don't escape. When everyone gathers their things, the horses start riding off.

The man who is in the back with me stares at me the entire time with a smirk. I don't want to know what he's thinking. He reaches down and grabs my breast, but my hands are free and I push him away. He puts his hand around my throat instead, but another man tells him to knock it off. So instead he spits in my face.

"You were a nice fuck. Virgin right? I guess not anymore." He said.

I started crying, I hated my body. This would have never happened if I was a man. Speaking of men, the one who made that comment started laughing at me for crying. I tried turning away from him but he forced me back with the tip of his boot and pressed down on my arm.

"No, no, I want to stare at the worthless disgrace you are." He says. Making sure I heard every word.

I continue crying. I'm so tired, but I'm scared to fall asleep. I look up at the trees, even though ut was still dark out, the moon made it light enough for me to see the sky and trees. I eventually stopped crying and focused all of my attention on how peaceful it was. I closed my eyes without realizing it, and imagined my mom petting my head. Soon, I fell asleep without realizing it.