Eloraâs POV I organised with Dragus and Matitus to distract Silas so, I could go see if people would be interested in donating blood for a blood bank. I knew with Silas loitering around they would feel obligated to do as I ask and I really wanted to build trust with our people, let them decide for themselves without the pressures of the three dragon kings standing over them and intimidating them.
We went door to door knocking and stopped in at all the shops we walked by. The store owners said they would let people know and send them to the castle. Aldrin also thought it was a good idea and spoke to a few people he knew to help move fridges and freezes to one of the greenhouses. Not Ideal but would do until we had a proper facility. Victor and two apprentices were on hand to take the blood donations if anyone was willing to help provide blood.
We asked everyone who was above 16 years old and able, excluding the elderly seeing as most of them were in poor health or just not suitable without risk to themselves. Walking through the streets though I could sense things had changed, people werenât running scared or had their heads hung anymore, people were actually enjoying the sunlight and had come out of their homes to enjoy the nice weather for once. When we finished walking around the main streets and the closest streets to the centre, we decided to check on the kids in the orphanage.
Walking up to the brick building, I found people willingly helping and volunteering their time. A few kids in their late teens were painting the outside of the building. A few elderly people were actually helping in the gardens with some of the children, pulling weeds out and cleaning off the concrete stairs.
âDo all these people work here?â I ask turning to Marian. She shakes her head.
âNo, a lot are volunteers that wanted to help, a lot of people didnât know how to help them but now that the dragon kings have organised food and shelter, they want to make it homely for them, a safe place for them to be kidsâ Marian answers.
âThey have been fixing up the two homeless centres tooâ Dakari added behind me. A lot of people who noticed him recognised him as dragon, yet they didnât fear him like they did the dragon kings, probably to do with his charismatic nature and happy go lucky attitude. I also noticed he was willing to pitch in not afraid of hard work back at the castle I caught him yesterday helping haul firewood in with the stable hand.
âAs I stepped inside the orphanage the first person, I noticed was Lilith, she was playing checkers on the step with another girl. She beamed up at me, her blonde locks had been cut and she had bob cut which actually suited her made her look like a porcelain doll.
âHey Lilithâ I say as she jumps off the step and runs toward me and wraps her arms around me. The little girl with her had, red hair and freckles, she looked delicate and a little scared but happy to see new faces.
âThis is Millie, my friend and this is Eloraâ She tells Millie.
âHi Millieâ I tell her giving her wave, she shyly hides behind Lilith though, I could see the curious look in her eyes as she stared between Dakari and myself.
âDo you know where Patricia is Lilith?â Marian asks her. Lilith points to the stairs and Marian leads the way as I follow her, curious to meet the woman who has been watching over the children. What I wasnât prepared for was, how young she was. Walking into one of the bedrooms, there are 8 bunk beds lined against the walls each separated by a chest of draws for the children to share.
A girl about the age of 17 with dark curly hair to her shoulders was sitting on the end of one of the beds with three little boys no older then three and a little girl. She looks up when we enter a smile lighting up her face as her brown eyes scanned over us.
âAbbie didnât come?â She asks looking behind us. Marian shakes her head. âNot today she isnât feeling wellâ Marian answers making me look to Dakari who had found a spot on the ceiling that became suddenly fascinating, nudging him.
âMy lips are sealedâ He states.
âYou knocked her up didnât youâ I whisper to him so no one could hear. He places his fingers to his lips pretending to lock them and throw away the key. I roll my eyes at him before turning to Patricia who was talking to Marian.
âWe could really use some more fabric; a lot of the kids clothes are too small, and we havenât got enough towels and blanketsâ I overhear her telling Marian.
âAnything you need just tell us, donât ask. Tell usâ I tell her trying to encourage her to say what they really need and not pick what they can and canât go without.
âWrite out a list, I will send Dakari back to pick it up later, anything you need, that the kids need. No request is to big okay, we will make it work. Do you look after all these children by yourself?â I ask.
She shakes her head. âNo, there are five of us and we take shifts but I am here all the timeâ She answers.
âI will find more people and I will speak to the kings about organising an income for those working here.
You canât be expected to do all this for freeâ
âReally we donât mind, we are just happy to have somewhere warm to sleep and food to eatâ She says, but I wave her off.
âNo, its not good enough. I will speak to them and we will organise some form of payment or allowances. How is the food situation?â I ask her.
âFine now that we have Fae and Abigail growing crops constantly, the castle cooks have been bringing meals down every day mainly soups and stews because there are so many mouths to feed, the main issue is formula we have had some babies come in over the last couple of days, their parents dropping them off, knowing there is food here, a lot of them using this place as a last resortâ She answers. The thought of parents feeling there is no hope but to give their kids over to strangers for the sake of them not being able to provide for them saddened me.
âDo you know their parents?â She nods.
âYes they stop by every day, there simply isnât enough beds or enough work for them to provide for their kidsâ She says.
âFind them, make room for them. I will organise something we need workers in the greenhouses, when you see them send them to the castle, assure them they are not in trouble. I will find work for them so they can keep their children. We will also have to organise some sort of childcare arrangements for those parents who are workingâ I tell Marian who nods her head in agreeance.
âThere is an old school down the end of the street hasnât been used in well forever, but could make a good childcare centre and school it just needs a clean-up, the building is solid and has working plumbingâ Patricia answers. This girl was smart incredibly so, the sort of smarts you only get from living the way we have, with experience on finding ways to survive and learning the City of the back of your hand.
âOkay, I wonder if some of the older generation would be willing to help teachâ I say allowed but to myself.
âWe have a heap of elderly people who stop by, they mainly help with cleaning, but most are trained in different areas and have skills that could be helpful to learn and to teach us. I will ask aroundâ Patricia says blowing me away yet again with how willing to help she is.
âYou should start a committee you seem to know what your doing more so then me and know a lot of peopleâ I tell her. She blushes.
âI wasnât joking, we will eventually need to come up with some governing body, this place is going to take a lot of people to get this city going and we need those with a voice and willing to speak up around here for the people. A government is only as strong as the legs it stands on, without people there would be no one to govern, to fix this city we will need others to stand up and help. A lot of trust has been lost over the decades and itâs about time we find ways to build it back up. This kingdom once flourished under the dragons it can again, so something to think about if youâre interested, you are part of this kingdom and if you can run an orphanage with over a hundred kids, I would be interested to see exactly what your capable of, if given the opportunity to do something greatâ I tell her.
She seems stunned and I let her think about it instead turning to Dakari.
âWe need to head back can you come back and pick up the list tonight of Patricia?â He nods once.
âDakari will be back to grab your supplies list and anything else you may want or need make sure you put it on the list. Also anyone that wants to work here fulltime take their names and we will start doing interviews just to be safe. I donât want anyone working with the children, only those that can be trustedâ
âYes Maâamâ Patricia says.
âElora, not highness, not maâam, we are the same. I have been where you are, and the streets of this city will always be home to me. I am not your superior you have seen as much as I have so please call me by my nameâ I tell her. She nods and I give her hug, she seemed frozen for a second before hugging me back.
We say our goodbyes and I promise to come back and see her in a couple of days to interview potential people to help her, a girl her age shouldnât be expected to run this on her own. Even though she said there were five of them Marian assured me, she mainly works here because the others have homes to go back to, while she takes on everything including rationing of food and clothes etc. One girl looking after 105 children and still willing to take on more, she was truly remarkable. The people of this city were really rallying together, and it showed as we headed home.
Walking toward the castle gates I notice a large line all the way to the road out the front.
Walking in the gates, I walk toward the start of the line and find Victor taking peoples names.
âYou did it Eloraâ Victor states. I look along the line that was growing bigger.
âAt this rate we are going to have to start turning people awayâ Victor says.
âAre all these people here to donate blood?â I ask. Victor nods excitedly.
âYes, and we will also have enough to stock the medical practiseâ He says making me look at him.
âThe underground one, which I have been meaning to ask the kings about moving it above groundâ
Victor says.
âI thought that place shut down years agoâ I ask him.
âIt did but Seamus has decided to open another, but hopefully above ground. He is getting to old to travel the tunnelsâ Victor states. Seamus was Victors older brother the man was wheelchair bound but used to be a doctor. I hadnât seen him in years and assumed he died. Appears with everything going on in the city people were really willing to step out of the shadows to improve things.
âI will tell Silas; you will have your practise Victor, tell Seamus I happy to learn he is still aliveâ I chuckle.
Victor laughs.
âFussy old fool, but with all the apprentices willing to learn medicine he has decided to come out of hiding and retirement to teach themâ Victor says. Seamus was also in his seventies like Victor a little older and would be a valuable asset to the city especially with Victor and his help, we could have some doctors in training which would be a great help to the city.
I had been chatting away to Victor helping take peoples names when I feel arms wrap around my waist.
âYou are in some serious troubleâ I hear him growl below my ear. Silas warm breath moving across my neck.
âAnd why is that?â I ask him as Dragus moves me over and starts helping Victor write peoples names down and get there blood type, off those that actually knew theirs.
âBecause you snuck outâ
âSeems like Dragus had you pretty distracted thoughâ I tell him, turning in his arms. Silas staring down at me before looking at all the crowd lined up.
âSo many peopleâ He mutters under his breath.
âYes, and I have been thinking, I want to start a committee, or board some governing body where everyone can have a say and pitch inâ
âAre you asking or telling meâ He says a smile playing on his lips.
âhmm Telling you, we have a lot of people here, who are willing to help if you let them, a lot of people capable of doing good things for this cityâ I tell him.
âFine, but I will leave that for you to organise. I am doing something else. Whatever you need just see Matitus and Dakariâ Silas says.
âWhy not Dragus?â I ask wondering what he was going to be doing that was going to have him so willing to let me have control.
âI need Dragus, also we have come up with a plan for the dragons. I will be going out tonight with a few vampires to catch oneâ He tells me. I feel fear bubble up in me, not liking the idea of him putting himself in danger yet I know we have no other choice.
âHey Aldrinâ Silas calls making me look over my shoulder to see Aldrin carrying a bag of medicinal herbs to the storage sheds behind the castle. Aldrin stops when he hears his name being called before freezing. His eyes darting to me before going to Silas who had taken off to speak to him. I go to follow him when Dragus stops me.
âLeave him Lora, he means your friend no harm, just wants his help with somethingâ I nod wondering what it is Silas would want with him, though by the looks of their body language they were having some discussion Aldrin seemed to be quite interested in, as they walk off like they are buddies. I shake my head at the strange situation not giving it much thought and turning back to help Dragus.
Author Note Let me know your thoughts.