Jarin had Ledus’ room renovated. He tried to replace the dark dirty curtains with a thin veil but was stopped by the advisor. “My lord, Ledus can not produce his own body heat, what’s more, he has a difficult time drawing heat from his surroundings. These curtains are made to shut out the cold and seal in the heat.” Jarin pondered on it for a moment then decided to make 2 new sets that would be switched out weekly and to be cleaned. He then bought the best blankets from merchants visiting from the northern countries. He had a large soft bed made for him and fitted it with heavy curtains to help keep him warm at night. The fire pit was cleaned and polished. He added torches to the walls so that the room would be better illuminated at night. He had different types of furniture made like chairs and a vanity, he also had a closet made to store all of the new clothes and jewels that he bought for Ledus. Lastly, he had a tub added to his room so that he could bathe in the warmth of his room and when he gets out of the water, he wouldn’t have to worry about a long cold journey up the stairs.

When the room was finished Jarin revealed it to Ledus. The boy looked around the room in awe. No one had ever done something so kind for him. Ledus didn’t know what to do or say or think. His confusion made Jarin pity him even more. That day, Jarin also assigned the maids to Ledus. They would help him bathe, dress, and do other things like serve him his food or go on walks.

On his 15th birthday, Jarin held a party for Ledus, however someone bumped into him causing him to fall. It was lucky that no one knew who had bumped into Ledus, that person would have surely been killed. From then on Jarin assigned Tyel to protect Ledus. When Ledus met Tyel again, he became extremely happy. It was like being a child again, being able to be with the only two people who had ever shown him kindness. Jarin, upon seeing how happy Ledus was to meet Tyel again, granted Tyel permission to visit Ledus whenever he wanted.

Ledus’ life was far better than it was before, but just after he had turned 16, both Jarin and Tyel left on a diplomatic mission. The first week went by normally but after that, something changed. It was subtle at first but it quickly grew very blatant and obvious. Ledus’ maids began mistreating him. At first they just did little things like bump into him or being a little too rough when they dressed him or fixed his hair, but then they started to withhold his food, finally, they resorted to full on physical violence. Without Jarin and Tyel in the palace, Ledus had no one to turn to.

The maid’s abuse made him recall his childhood. He quickly reverted back to his previous mind set. “If I don’t complain they stop sooner. If I cry long enough they will stop...I deserve this after all.” and that’s what he did. For the next month that’s how he got by. Every day they would torment him and he would take it in silent tears. Every night he would choke back his sobs, waiting and praying for Jarin and Tyel to return.