Broken. Beaten. Berated. These were not just words, they were the rhythm of Hope's life. The orphanages own personal maid. She was tasked with endless chores—scrubbing floors, mending sheets, and most of all, washing the Director's clothes. That lesson she had learned the hard way. In the almost 18 years since she graced the orphanage with her presence, she had seen many come and go. However, once they turned 18 she never saw them back in the comfort of their bed.
She saw people that she called sisters working the streets, soliciting men for money. Then, with those that she called brothers, she saw them robbing and beating the beggars on the streets for money, even attacking her at one point, almost stealing the necklace that she had been given by one of her late sisters. The girl had entered Noble's Delight, only for an hour, and they had to dig a grave for her.
The necklace was one that had been passed down by the other girls, it apparently had been being exchanged since even before the Director. It was a way to prove that they weren't forgotten, that they existed, as once they were 18 they weren't people, they were a product. Each initial was carved onto it, they made up their own last names, as they weren't granted one.
She could still remember her sister's name, Veronica. That girl had treated her, like an actual sister, defying the Director and fighting off any brothers who had joined the life of crime. Hope had loved her sister. She was the only one worthy of her love.
The day that she left her world crumbled to ashes and another set of intials was carved into it, V.D. The words spoken to Hope, by Veronica rang constantly in her head, "Chin up Hope, for today there is sadness, grief and misery, but tomorrow is a new dawn. However, in this moment between me and you, I am Veronica Dawn." Hope could never remember her face, it only brought up the moment the casket closed and she would never shine again.
But, she could remember that in that moment Veronica smiled. Her voice continued to play like a tune that would motivate her, "The Dawn Company will sail the sea, being paid for the act of war." She loved imagining herself as a soldier, never burdened by the crushing reality of her gender. "For I will be its captin and I shall claim a stake in this world and never be forgotten." She always remembered that with sadness, as she was the only one to see Veronica leaving, no one else came, and even her face started to blur.
All Hope did was watch the girl dream the night before she was 'adopted'. It was the girl's only 'birthday' wish, and who was she to deny it. She looked beautiful in the moonlight, wearing a white dress to show her purity to those 'adopting' her. She radiated the moonlight, almost making her transparent, the light around her came to life. It was almost like she was there, on the battlefield leading her soldiers.
In Hope's eyes, the white dress melted away into a soldier's uniform, a gleaming sword in her hand as she shouted orders to an unseen army. For that single night, Veronica's dream lived and breathed. It was only when dawn came that she left, before almost everyone else woke up. The man that took her had an evil grin to his face, undressing Veronica with his disgusting eyes. The man's grin was wolfish, his eyes stripping her bare before his hands ever could. He wasn't a man at all, only a beast draped in sin. The Director followed them to Noble's Delight, saying he was 'taking care of business'.
Veronica left the orphanage, returning an hour later the Director threw his clothes at Hope, covered in blood, hitting her when she asked questions, knocking her teeth from her skull. He commanded her to clean his clothes. It was only once he left did she move. Running through the streets, knocking into men and women, all covering their faces wanting to remain anonymous.
She raced pass carts and wagons, with all manners of designs and materials being used to make them. With this kind of craftsmenship being an obsession for her so much that Veronica took her to see a festival celebrating new inventions near the noble's side. All these things no longer mattered to her, she just needed to see her sister.
And as the sun came up, shining upon the city a new dawn, Veronica was dead.
Veronica lay dead in a cart, cuts littering her body, bruises prominent across her frail frame. The black length long hair was now cut down, pieces of it missing. She saw that no one would distrub her even if she took a body, there was no guards. They were seen as no longer valuable, broken products. She quickly grabbed a cart, since although the ones who threw her out didn't see her as valuable, others would and she wouldn't allow that to happen.
So, borrowing all the strength that her body could provide her with, and then some she moved the body. With the timing being on her side, with her spotting some men drapped in red cloth, going to the back of Noble's Delight.
She made her way through the back alleys, with her spotting that Veronica was still wearing the white dress, only it had been dyed red with her blood. Hope struggled to make it towards the one place that she wanted Veronica to be buried, the church next to the orphanage. This would allow her to go see her grave at least once a week.
For now with Veronica gone, it was up to her now to get and secure the food for the rest of the orphanage. Her sister even in death would not be left alone, not be forgotten, as Hope would remember her. The necklace hung from her neck reflecting the sun in the sky, brighting her way to the church and it was only until noon did she reach the church.
She hit the door with such a force, that the sound reverberated around the area. She was filled with courage and strength, battering the door.
However, no one came.
The church was slient, for it was the birth of a new prince, the 14th one to be precise. Therefore it was mandatory for all religious leaders and followers to go to the centre of town and pray for that child. Then the sun was shrouded by a cloud, casting a shadow over Hope.
She looked towards the necklace, no longer was she filled with strength when looking at it, and started to slump against the church door. She prayed every day to God, she truly believed in him, and in all his wisdom and strength she begged for him to take Veronica and her away.
But now, slumped against the silent church doors, no prayers rose from her lips. Instead, her eyes fixed on the necklace, on the carved letters V.D, and she whispered her pleas to that small piece of metal, as if it alone still listened.
A broad-shouldered boy approached the church, a small child cradled in his arms. She recognised him from the orphanage. Like Veronica, he carried defiance in his step, a refusal to bow to the Director. His name was Jace. The boy had come to her stating how he had heard someone begging him to come to the church as someone needed him.
Hope eyes were producing tears of joy, for now someone was there to help, someone had heard her cries and at least for now she wasn't alone. She told Jace that she needed help to access the graveyard, showing the body of Veronica. Pain littered his face, with a mix of anger, as his teeth clenched against one another.
He agreed to help, doing more than she even asked jumping over the graveyard's fence, unlocking it from the other side and located the shovels in a nearby shed. The child that was with him, was carried in Hope's arms. She remembered the Director bringing him in one night, he was soaked and demanded a bath to be drawn. He left the wee baby in a crib downstairs and it was only Jace that took care of him. He craddled the baby through many nights, even enduring beatings from the Director because of it.
She had admired him, even Veronica praising him on several occassions. He dug the grave, never taking more than a second to retrieve some form of energy, the necklace shone in the sunlight. No cloud interupted its rays. Then once he was done Jace, merely took one last look at Veronica, and left, not even saying a word.
She then took Veronica out of the cart and laid her down in the makeshift grave. She looked for a long time at the grave, sun beating down on her, but she wouldn't move. She took in as much of Veronica as she could before she buried. As it started to turn to evening, she started to fill the whole that Veronica was in.
She was only done when the sun had set, she had stuck a rock on the top of Veronica's grave. She took her place at the foot of the grave, she looked towards the sunset, twilight would descend soon, and as the last light left the sky, she saw people standing around the grave. Each of them faceless, but all girls, no one older than 18.
Each of them surrounded the grave, with the light from the necklace bringing them shape and form. They stood saluting the grave, like the funeral for a war memorial. Veronica was a woman who dreamed of being a captain, a general, and although this may have not been the way she had lived it would be the way that she was buried.
The spirits each started to disappear one by one, the sun disappearing, and as they left she saw another faceless figure in the distance, the sun casting their projection. As the light disappeared, the spirit smiled.
Hope would make her way down towards the orphanage, where the Director called her the lost lamb, beating her, calling her a bug, and for disobeying him, she would be beat. It was then that Jace ran to her defence and stopped the Director, making the beating turn to him. The child he once carried watched this display.
Years would pass after that day, it was always a day of sadness, but it was on this that a strange event had happened. For a deal had been struck by an 8 year old and a 17 year old girl. Although strange sounding it would be this relationship and deal that had created that would cause the destruction of the world's most oppressive and deadly empire.
Then as Hope sat rinsing dishes outside utilising her wash pan she saw the sun rising in the distance. This made he gaze at the necklace, seeing so many girls initials splattered about, each of them having D as the second letter. For this was the Dawn family and their heirloom.
The Dawn necklace as it was sworn in by the first member who carried it, the large necklace rang with the names that would have been forgotten. Inside the necklace there were words engraved inside.
It read, "Don't be sad that the sun has fallen, for it shall rise again. And with a new sun, a new dawn will be born." Hope looked towards Riven, sun raging behind him, nodding to each other they made their way in doors, locking the door behind them. All the other orphans were out doing jobs, and the Director and Kae, were out at a brothel, so no one else was in the house.
It was now time to plan their escape.