Kori noticed her charge’s teeth were bloody, as was his arm, and wished he would stop that disgusting habit, but no matter how hard she tried to get him to stop, he never would.

“Eory.” Kori said his name warningly.. “Answer me. Why is your room a mess?”

The young man’s eyes fluttered, and then he came back to reality. “I don’t know. I forgot to clean.”

His affect and tone of voice were flat which worried her greatly--his family often affected that same, flat tone.

“You’re acting strangely.” Kori said suspiciously.

Eory sighed. “Forgive me, Kori. I’ll clean up. You’re looking fine today. Are you well?” It was his usual greeting with its practiced politeness, but Kori thought she might have heard an ounce of sarcasm underneath it.

Eory stood up in an unenthusiastic, slow manner--not unlike someone waking up from a long sleep--and began picking up his room woodenly.

“I am well, but you’re not. You’re speaking as one half-dead.” Kori said.

Inwardly, Eory felt irritated and exhausted. Here she goes again—the old biddy…

Outwardly, he quelled her fears. “I’m fine, Kori...”

Kori helped the young man pick his room up, raising her eyebrows at the dozens of pictures he had drawn of the old warrior maiden, Pollyanna. Kori had been telling him stories about her since he was first in her care.

She continued to lecture him. “Remember, it’s not that your parents had evil feelings it’s that they--”

“—had none at all.” Eory completed her sentence with a roll of his eyes.

Rain cut through the awkward silence that followed.

Kori’s eyes narrowed. She slammed the papers on the back of the sofa. “Perhaps I have been too lenient with you of late! You know that if you show even the smallest sign of evil tendencies that I will have to report it to the king--and who knows what he will do to you!”

“I…” Eory began but stopped.

Kori was glaring intensely at the young man who was sitting on the sofa with a glazed look in his eyes, holding a stack full of papers on his lap. 

Kori asked sternly, “Do you want to die?”

Eory looked at the dripping ceiling with a blank face and wished his fantasy beach would come to rescue him.

“I don’t know why you rescued me when you just want me to rot away in this room my entire life…” Eory mumbled sadly. Kori looked down at her feet, trying not to feel guilty about this situation she had created by saving him from the same beheading that befell his family. She had always thought of him as a son, which made him doubly precious to her because she doubted she would ever have any children of her own.

Waifs were small creatures, and Kori was no exception--she was but four-feet-tall. She climbed up on the sofa in order to shake his shoulder.“Do you want another story about Pollyanna?”

“I’ve heard them all…” Eory replied. And maybe I’m too old for that now…

“No, no. I have more.” Kori lied coolly. Half the stories she told about Pollyanna—the legendary guard who was ever dedicated to protecting Eory’s family line—were untrue, but Eory believed them all.

Eory turned to Kori with his eyes lighting up. “Truly?”

And his caretaker nodded as she spun a new tale on the spot about the old warrior maiden who was undefeatable in battle but for one time; when she failed to prevent Eory’s family from being beheaded by the newly crowned king, King Laurence. Despite being enslaved to his family, Pollyanna still had great affection for Eory and Gershom, who were but children and had nothing to do with their parents’ vile actions in enslaving the kingdom of Maribel--the once human kingdom now ruled by fairies, now ruled by humans once again since his family had been dethroned. That was what he loved about Pollyanna; even though she was enslaved to his family--having to carry out their every whim--she went against them where she could, rescuing people who they tormented.

Eory listened to the tale with rapt attention. As he did so, he felt like he was transported to another world with Pollyanna--battling dragons and griffins, and protecting innocents.

For a time, it felt like he was free from his cage.

For a time, it felt like he was with Pollyanna on her adventures.