I didn’t think any existed in this kingdom… Francis thought to himself. 

The villa was beautiful, and stood at two-thousand square foot. It was painted all white, with spired pillars at the corners of the building. Intricate, golden patterns were painstakingly painted on the building’s body and roof, creating beautiful, eye-catching designs. 

Francis followed the rest of the slaves up to the gate, which Kiara promptly unlocked. “Our family is known for helping the Rohaindrins hunt down Andillians and add them to our sizable supply of slaves. We make sure they are well-taken care of and legalized, as opposed to having them prostitute themselves on the streets or live indoors their entire lives with their families.” 

Francis stared daggers into the woman’s back as she walked up the dirt path to her villa. He had lived in this society so long, and not seen a problem with the way it was run. Now, he recognized that he and other Andillians were drowning in mud, and people like Kiara were holding them under. 

He silently followed the woman up the path, admiring the flower gardens to either side of the path. Flowers automatically reminded him of Kori. She had such an appreciation for simple things like flowers, because she had lived such an earnest, down-to-earth life with no gold or riches. He loved that about her.

When they arrived at the entrance to the villa, a gate was blocking their way. Kiara jiggled a key in the lock and flung the doors wide. She announced, “Entertainment is here!” and she turned to the slaves and said, “first, you’re going to cook us all something to eat, then makes us some drinks, and we’ll call you in if we desire anything else.” 

Kiara turned to an elf who was running past with a barrel-full of laundry. “You. These elves are here to help you cook today and help with other duties. See them to the kitchen when you’re ready.” 

“Yes M’lady.” the woman said. She turned to the rest of them and smiled. “It’ll be nice to have help in the kitchen. Kiara is having many reputable nobles over. I’ll get this laundry to the laundry room and then I’ll show you to the kitchen. My name is Katherina.”

Francis went inside the villa with the others and looked at the spacious entry hall with envious eyes. Never in a million years could his family afford the upkeep at such a nice place, and when he remembered that Andillian were not even allowed to own such a place even if they could afford it, his blood boiled. 

They all followed Katherina to the kitchen. Francis looked around the kitchen and saw a single guard standing in the corner. He cursed to himself. He looked for any opportunities to whisper his plan, or get the guard out of the room. 

They all turned their backs to the guard in the corner while Katherina instructed them on what to cook. 

Francis was sweating. He observed that all the other slaves who had come with him were throwing him hopeful glances. He could see they were onboard still. Once they were all chopping vegetables and cooking meat, Francis whispered to Rhodira, “I want to tell every elf in this room that I have a plan to free us all, but I don’t know how I’m going to speak to you all with the guard in the room.” 

Rhodira’s gaze flicked from him to the guard. “Leave it to me. Anything is better than slavery at this point.”

Francis watched out of the corner of his eye while Rhodira went to speak to Katherina. He saw Katherina nodding repeatedly with a compassionate expression, and then he saw Katherina talking to the guards. He was surprised, but kept his mouth shut. Eventually, the guards nodded and bowed out of the room. Rhodira curtsied to him and then came back to Francis’ side. “Now’s your chance.” 

Francis was sweating profusely, but acknowledged that this was, indeed, his best chance. He glanced over the kitchen one more time to make sure he was alone with the slaves, and then asked out of curiosity, “How did you get the guards to leave?”

“I convinced them that the souffle wouldn’t turn out if there were too many people in the room. It’s an ancient elven myth.” Rhodira giggled.

Francis smiled at that, and then faced the room. He might very well get killed for revealing his true purpose in being there, but even death would be preferable to the empty, soulless, and careless life he had been living. 

Francis nearly fainted, but he still managed to say, “I brought you here today to speak of freedom. Gather in close, and I’ll tell you of my plans.”

Everyone in the room froze for a solid minute, and then they all approached Francis. Francis grinned, shocked that he had their ear. 

Perhaps I can make this kingdom mine.