2.8

The screeching sound of the gate and the sharp metal slamming shut resounded as Nott pushed it all the way down. The knight was the last to follow behind his young master, his friend and his fellow order. A sigh escapes his lips and the expression changes to a serious one, like the one a knight should have in his workplace. He wanted to tell Miller about what he would have said at the big house, but thought it would be better when they at least got to the property.

In the sunlight, Brandon stared at Ferion's back, wondering what tactic they would employ at the orphanage to arrest and punish the headmaster. There was obviously something off and there were too many irregularities for them to have missed, especially since their job at the site was, specifically, to do an enquiry. However, the nobleman left very quickly, not giving much to investigate. Only some time, less than an hour even, they were inside. But he was sure that if he were told to search the family knights for clues, they would quickly find proof. Children, especially, would be witnesses and evidence enough.

It was clear to anyone that they were the victims and that they know firsthand what happens in that place.

Brandon sympathized with them and couldn't change that, even though his face didn't express that feeling. Only by his lush green eyes was it possible to tell that, and if he looked at it very carefully. He didn't want them to suffer more than they should because of how society marginalizes them. He would do what he could in this investigation so that the man could get out of there.

The redhead entered the carriage and sat across from Ferion. The carriage started to move without any warning, but neither of them was surprised by this fact. The silence lasted for some time before Ferion snapped open his mouth.

"What did you think of them?"

Brandon turned his attention to Ferion, seeing the raven hair and handsome face looking up at him. The light coming through the window illuminated the floor and part of the bench. The black eyes were as always. He thought that was just how his face was after all.

"They?"

"The children."

"Oh." Brandon exclaimed. However, he fell silent not knowing what to reply right away. "… They looked nervous."

"Yes, I thought so too." Ferion nodded, agreeing with his statement. "But I don't think it was because of us."

"They were afraid of him, weren't they?" Brandon asked, to confirm his hypothesis. It was something he was sure of, but it was good to confirm with someone else, let alone with the person in charge of the job itself.

"You noticed." Ferion smiled. Brandon wanted to tell her that it was impossible not to notice.

The children were nervous and it was visible to anyone. When you're young, you don't have as much control over your emotions and they end up being exposed to anyone who wants to see it. And with them it was no different. Even if it was more discreet than it should have been, it was still easy to discover what, or rather who, they were looking at. His attention was a little less on them than on the man who was next to the door the entire time at that time.

"Do you think he did something to them? To me, he looked capable of it." His forehead almost creased a little, at the memory of that man looking at them coldly the first time they saw each other. Those eyes were hostile to anyone they met. As sharp as the edge of a sharp sword. They weren't eyes that should be directed at children.

"Some of them were wearing long-sleeved clothes." Ferion's expression deepened as he said this.

"I also thought that was strange. Who would wear such an outfit in the middle of summer? It's hot and close to noon and it's months before the weather cools down. That only means one thing…" Brandon didn't finish speaking. They both knew what that could mean. A tired sigh escaped her lips. "Well… What are we going to do? Do you have any ideas, Ferion?"

"I think it best to inform my father of the matter first. He has to be aware of what is happening in his territory." Ferion said and tapped his knee three times. "I also have to hear what the knight has to say…"

Brandon looked at him more closely. The only knight who had tried to say anything while at the orphanage was Nott.

"You mean Nott?"

"Is that his name? If it's him, then yes." Ferion replied. Curiosity arose from him, at how easily the man's name was said by Brandon. "Do you know him? You looked like friends when you saw each other at the gate."

"... Yes, I know him. And we are friends too."

"He's new, isn't he? I had never seen him before. And he looks really young too." Ferion commented. "How did you meet him?"

"He has only been on the property for a year." Brandon answered him. It means that he was recent, that he came in after he left. "He had gotten lost and ended up asking me where the way was. Then he kept bringing up the subject and kept talking to himself, while just listening."

Brandon was a little embarrassed to say that to him. It wasn't like the shame of acting like you didn't want to be found out, but more like not wanting to show a part of yourself that you wouldn't want others to see. He didn't like to make it clear that he didn't like talking to strangers when it didn't involve any professional means or when he didn't approach them first.

Brandon still remembered that when he first met him, Nott, the newly knighted at the time, asked him for directions and he told him he would show him. He had only said a few words, to follow him, and said nothing more until the farewell. It wasn't professional, but he wasn't going to leave it there when he could show it to her and it wouldn't take long. However, it was a little uncomfortable to see him bringing up a subject with him several times and he didn't answer anything to the boy younger than him.

He thought Nott would have seen him as arrogant or something, it was something he could live with. But, unexpectedly, he let it go and kept striking up a conversation when they ran into each other a few times later. And that resulted in the friendship they currently had.

Ferion blinked at Brandon's statement and his face didn't show anything in particular when telling such facts.

"So you became friends because of that." He shook his head, guessing what happened next. "I'm glad you have someone to talk to on the estate besides me, James and mom."

Brandon looked at him, wondering why the man in front of him was even included. But given that they were together these days because of work, it was only natural that he would put himself on the list. Also, it was weird to hear that from someone you'd barely been in contact with in seven years and who felt kind of intimidated, even if it wasn't on purpose. Well, it wasn't like he didn't have any relationships with the mansion staff either, they were his co-workers and he had a history with them anyway, seeing as he'd worked at the county for years, they just weren't friends. Perhaps that was what the noble was talking about, in the end.

"Yes, I am too." Brandon lifted a corner of his lip beautifully.

'Nott is a really great friend…'

*

The sun greeted them as soon as they stepped out of the carriage. Bright and yellow in color, the light that radiated in the morning and in the early afternoon was clear. They arrived a little later than planned, as Ferion asked them to stop at a restaurant for lunch, as they only had breakfast before leaving. Brandon wasn't against it, he was hungry too.

The redhead stared at the stately, neutrally colored mansion that stood there and glanced around briefly at the familiar sight, before turning his gaze to Ferion who was releasing the knight and walking with the same usual expression on his face. The only detail he had to point out was that Nott was following him from behind. It looked like he, Ferion, had ordered him to follow them to have the conversation Nott would have talked about in the orphanage building.

Brandon was a little curious about that too. He didn't expect Nott to introduce himself and try to say something there, even more so to Ferion, who was his superior and without the slightest contact. And also, what would he talk about, as it was evident that it would be about the orphanage and the people who live there. Perhaps it was even about the man with the white hair and mustache who disliked her just for existing.

A wooden door with a metal plate attached to the door was opened by Ferion's callused hands. The room that turned out to be moderately large, with two bookcases, a filing cabinet and a table on the opposite side of the door. It was an office. Ferion's office. It was ready some time after he arrived at the mansion, but some furniture needed to be prepared, as it was not enough to just clean the room. However, it was done quickly and there was no need to rush as he and Brandon were having a good pace in his room.

Ferion walked over to his oak desk and walked around, taking a seat in his dark green padded chair. His back was soon against the back of the chair and he looked at Nott with a serious and intimidating expression. An oppressive aura that caused fear and nervousness in others could be faintly felt in the atmosphere by Brandon. Nott, however, felt her with a little more precision and intensity than the redhead who was standing beside the young master of the house.

Neither of them spoke the rest of the way there and remained silent once they were inside.

Nott was nervous about where the conversation might go as he tells his story and the information he has about the orphanage and that obnoxious man. Also he was a little afraid that Brandon might see him a little differently when hearing what he was going to say. He felt guilty, even though he knew he shouldn't. And having someone you care about say you were is not a good thing to hear.

"So let's start." Ferion spoke. His voice having a firm attitude.

"You wanted to say something while we were in the orphanage reception room, before we were interrupted."

"Yes sir." Nott shook his head. Her hair shakes a little.

"It's all right. I called you here so that you could tell us what you wanted to say. Apparently it's about the orphanage."

"Is correct." Nott stated. "Sir, my name is Nott Zenkins and I have been a knight for one year of county service." He introduced himself, it was important for the other party to know who was reporting. "When I was young, around fourteen, I was adopted from the orphanage by a soldier who saw me and decided that I would be a good one to have as a son."

"The orphanage we went to today?" Brandon asked, watching his friend closely.

"Yea." Nott looked at him, but then returned to speak to Ferion, staring into his black orbs. "I was taken there when I was eight, when my mother died. It was a good place and the staff were nice and sympathetic to the other kids. There was nothing to complain about, as we had a roof over our heads and food all day. We knew there were other places that didn't even have that right."

"The old director was a nice guy and always smiled at us. He also cared a lot about the children and treated the staff like they were his family. He was busy but patient and practically acted like a father to all of us." The knight paused for a moment. "However, shortly after I turned fourteen, the director passed away due to an illness he had. He was old and he was getting sick several times in a row, with little time apart. It wasn't a surprise, but we were still shaken when the man we looked up to as a father was gone."

"With his death, it was decided by the government that they would send someone 'qualified' to be the new director. The employees who worked there had no education and the place was owned and maintained by the government. There was no stopping it." The young man spoke with his voice firm and clear. Everything he was saying was being heard by both of them, without any interference. "It wasn't long before the man in charge of the orphanage arrived. It seems that the old director had assumed that his time was coming and that he would not last that long, so he sent a request and so it did not take long for the replacement and the man to arrive."

"Except, as soon as he officially became the director, he fired the employees one by one, and started acting cold and rude. Director Ivor didn't mistreat us as there were still employees and he couldn't fire everyone right away." Nott let out a sigh. "But… The punishments became a little heavier and the atmosphere in the orphanage became tense. Everyone was being more careful not to get on the director's bad side, but I think that was pointless as he didn't seem to have a good side to begin with."

Ferion didn't need to ask him who the man was who had replaced the old Headmaster. He knew. The man answered them at the door and introduced them to the children, it was the same man who was sent by the government. Nott's expression was clearly displeased and his eyes dripped with anger. He recognized this, as he saw it in some people during his time in the war.

"When the last employee who was working had to leave, it was like our hope was gone. He was the last one to act against that man's policy and way of doing things. He also protected us at times. It was obvious that there was no one on our side at that moment and we only had each other." His hands clenched for the next words that had to be said. "And that's when his tyranny got worse."

There was silence for a few moments. Brandon and Ferion looked at Nott who had a face twisted in anger at the orphanage director. His sun-tanned skin was a little red from his emotions and the long story he was telling. The two were listening with no signs of showing any of their deep thoughts. It was as if two statues were listening, but they were blinking and they were made of flesh and blood, not stone.

"The director started putting us in isolation if we were rebellious and wouldn't give us food for a while. He couldn't all, because there weren't enough rooms. There were also assaults in some cases. At the extremes, he beat a child so badly that he fainted and had to be tended to by us. But none of them were life-threatening, it seemed he knew how to control himself very well."

"And when he went to people to adopt, he usually set a date for the visit. It was a time for him to stop the aggression and concentrate on the guests that would be coming. On those days, everyone behaved and breathed with relief for having someone to visit them, because whoever was punished would spend days in a dark room and without food, until the day of the visit passed."

Nott bit his lip. He could still see the scene of the dark and smelly room that he had to spend his days in, because he didn't agree to do a certain task. The man got so angry that he arrested him and forbade him to go out. He took away his opportunity to be adopted and his right to appear. It was lucky that he was adopted by the soldier before something worse happened to him.

"And when people wouldn't take anyone, he would blame the kids and fight, saying they did something wrong or it was their fault. That's why, sir, I think that as soon as we got out of there, he fought with them and, perhaps, punished some, to set an example."

Ferion didn't say anything when the knight in front of him finished speaking. He tapped his fingers on the wood and had one hand over his mouth, his lips closed. Brandon didn't know what to say or if he could say anything about what he heard. The redhead didn't think he would hear a story that was worse than he imagined. Nott's story was not good either, he thought he had lived well, as he said that his father was a soldier in one of their conversations, but he did not imagine that he was an orphan.

The silence continued in that room where the three were. Each one immersed in their thoughts about the reported story and about the situation in question.