‘If you need me just tell a guard, OK?’ requested Helga, who was inside the cell herself ‘Also, one last thing’ she started whispering to Mattias ‘Do whatever you have to do, OK? I’ll promise you this: as long as you are not harming anyone important, you’ll be fine’ Mattias didn’t say anything back, Helga left the cell, closing the door. ‘Goodbye for now’ she and the guards left him alone. Patricia, however, remained at the cell.

‘You know, Mattias?’ she began ‘I never knew that about our guards. I always thought they had a duty to protect our people’

‘Yeah, me too’ he then sighed, he was lying on the bed ‘Where’s Lili, by the way?’

‘She’s not feeling well, the last thing I heard. If I can I will get her over here’ Helga had returned. ‘Oh! I’m sorry, mother!’

‘It’s OK’

‘Mother, I was wondering’

‘Go on’

‘Well, the guards only have a duty to protect the upper classes, as you said: well, do they have a duty to protect the serfs, since they are their property?’

‘That’s a good question, my dear. I actually had this discussion with a lord who’s serf got murdered. The answer to that is the guards are only required to protect them when they are on duty. When they are not, they are the same as any other peasant. Also bear in mind that serfs are expendable, in fact this lord I was talking to got another one within days of this person being murdered’ like before, Patricia was silent listening to her. She simply looked miserable.

‘Well, what can I say?’ said Mattias ‘I’m glad I’m not a god-forsaken serf. Now that’s a real curse’

‘I cannot argue with that’ said Helga. ‘Anyhow, it’s time for us to get going, Patricia. Unless you want to stay with him?’ Patricia took a while to say anything back ‘We’ll go and see how Liliana is doing, how about that?’

‘OK, mother. Bye for now, Mattias?’

‘See you later, then’ almost as soon as they left him, a portal appeared underneath his feet ‘Ah shit, again?!’ he yelled, he was back in the underworld, landing on his chest.