"We can't just leave them here!" Gwen asserted.
"What exactly would you like us to do?" Gabriel countered.
"We did give them enough money to live off of for a while," Tristan added.
"That isn't good enough. What about after the money runs out? Or if some criminal robs them?" Gwen pressed.
"I am sure that they will be able to work things out with the money that we are giving them," Tristan said.
In the middle of the heated debate Maximus made a surprising suggestion, "We could bring them to the Keep."
"WHAT?!!" the shout came from the air above Maximus's shoulder. "We CANNOT take in all these orphans at our home!"
"Well, the hydroponic farms, water purification system, and other life support systems are capable of sustaining many times this many individuals," Maximus clarified. "We would also give them tasks like cleaning, dusting, and harvesting food."
"Whose voice is that?" the old matron asked in confusion.
"Mari, show yourself, this will be easier to explain with you visible than explaining a disembodied voice," Maximus told the invisible fairy.
"Fine, it was my mistake shouting out like that; however, it is your fault for proposing such a preposterous solution," the fairy said, becoming visible. She was sitting on Maximus's shoulder with her legs crossed. Her arms were folded in front of her, and she had a look of annoyance on her face.
The elderly matron's face turned white in shock.
"Y-you are the Draconic Emissary." the old woman stammered in shock. "The Temple teaches that fairies are the familiars of the dragons. They say that a human with a fairy companion would one day bring salvation and herald the return of the dragons."
"I am not this Draconic Emissary, and the dragons have all died out. There is no possibility of them returning," Maximus firmly told the old woman, a twinge of sadness in his voice.
"Mari, we were recently talking about how maintaining all of the functions of the Keep would become more difficult on our own as time passes. These children may be able to help us in the future, if that is something they wish," Maximus reasoned with the fairy.
Marigold uncrossed her arms. Her annoyed expression softened. "I guess we could use the assistance."
"We have a place that is safe and clean with a large amount of living space. You would also have access to all the food and clean water you could need. Would you and the orphans like to live there with us?" Maximus asked. "The decision is entirely yours to make. We will not force you into either decision."
"This is not a decision that I can make without input from the children themselves. Let me call them in and see what they think," the matron told the magician.
"We understand," Maximus replied.
"Everyone, come here, we have an important matter to discuss with these nice people," the old matron called the orphans into the room.
Fifteen children came running in. They were all small and unnaturally thin. It hurt Gwen's heart to see children in such a poor state.
"Children, these people want to take us to live with them in a place outside the city. It will be a journey to get there, but they tell me that we will not go hungry there," the matron began, pointing at Gwen and her companions.
"There is a fairy!" one of the children shouted, pointing at Marigold.
"Will Miss Fairy be living with us?" a young girl asked.
"Yes, they told me that we will be living at Miss Fairy's house," the old woman said smiling at the children.
"I want to live with Miss Fairy and eat lots of yummy food," a child said to the agreement of the rest.
During this whole discussion, Alara had been sitting in the corner, silently staring at the companions with distrust.
"Alara, you are my assistant, you also have a say in this matter," The elderly matron
"I don't fully trust them. They could be trying to fool us. They could be pretending to be nice so that they can exploit us later," Alara reasoned. "However, since they did give us money and didn't hurt me for stealing from them, I am willing to trust them for now."
"So, it appears we are all in agreement. We will leave this place and go live with these kind young people,"
"Great. Let us make preparations for the journey post haste," Maximus stated.
"We are going to need a wagon or carriage to be able to transport the children. They cannot walk the entire distance," Gabriel told his companions.
"There will also be the issue of getting everyone out of the slum district. While we had no trouble entering the slum district, I am sure that escorting a group of children will bring unwanted attention," Tristan stated. "I do not think that a carriage would be able to access the inner slum district due to the poor conditions of the roads. We will have to escort everyone out on foot."
"We should escort everyone to an inn in the merchant district. Then we can split up to purchase a wagon and retrieve our horses," Maximus said.
As the boys made preparations for the journey, Gwen was just happy that she was able to help these children find a better life.
After five minutes of discussion, everyone was ready to go. They decided that moving as a single group was still the best course of action for leaving the slum district. As everyone filed out of the ramshackle church, the boys took up positions around the children and the matron. Gwen stood with the matron to guide the children. Marigold, invisible again, was acting as a scout to identify any possible issues they would face ahead. Gwen was again reminded that she would have to ask Maximus about how he and Marigold were able to share information silently and from a distance.
The entourage of the children and their protectors headed through the slums back towards the city center. Everything was going well until a group of five men stepped out in front of them. The men were armed with short axes, long knives, and daggers. The leader of the thugs had a sword attached to his belt.
"Where do ya think ye're going with those children?" the leader of the gang asked.
Gwen turned around and saw that they were surrounded. Two more armed men were behind them.
The boys put themselves in front of the children and reached for their weapons, prepared to fight if necessary. Gwen had her hand on her dagger as well. Even Alara and the matron were holding kitchen knives.
"We are taking these children into our custody and taking them to live somewhere else," Tristan responded.
Like hell you are, these children are under our protection," the leader told them with a smirk.
"We are leaving with these children," Tristan told the ruffians. "You will let us pass."
"And if we don't?" the leader asked, pulling out his sword.
"Then we will be forced to make you move," Tristan stated.
The boys pulled out their swords, preparing to fight the seven assailants.
Then, Maximus put his right hand forward and said something in Draconic. A melon-sized fireball appeared in front of his hand.
"He's a magician!" one of the gang members shouted.
"They must be with the Draconic Temple!" another shouted.
"Just let them go, we can't afford to mess with the Temple," their leader told his subordinates.
All of the ruffians backed away from them. Maximus and Tristan led everyone past the ruffians. Gabriel took up a position at the back of the group. They continued this way with their weapons drawn until they were far past the gang. The boys then sheathed their weapons. Gwen, then matron, and Alara all followed suit.
The rest of their journey through the slum district was uneventful. They soon reached the area where the road and buildings began to be in better shape.
After leaving the slum district, the party led the orphans and matron to a large inn. After ensuring that all of the children were settled, Gabriel and Tristan went to purchase a carriage and pick up the horses. Maximus, Gwen, and Marigold stayed with the matron, Alara, and the children.
The children were very excited to spend time with "Miss Fairy". Gwen and Maximus also helped to entertain the children while the brothers were out.