- POV Mother -

[M-My head...]

The melodious sound of birds singing finally made me move even though my whole body was aching and hard to bear. My head was spinning, my skull was aching, and I could feel my right ankle hurting like crazy as I tried to move my toes. What had happened ? Where was I ? Why was I in a real bed ? Everything was too confusing and even though they weighed a ton, I forced myself to open my eyelids.

The first thing that appeared in front of me was a slightly worn wooden ceiling, full of spider webs that I would have to clean up later for the Master. I was completely exhausted, lost and as I slowly woke up a mental shock came into my mind. As if I had been hit by a carriage with full force, suddenly all my memories of the past night came back to me with a rare violence.

[M-My son...l-...the forest....the Master...d-dead, all dead...no...I...]

I saw myself running for my life, my son in my arms, I could still feel my whole body moving with the energy of desperation despite the unbearable pain. The cruel reality, our planned death but also all the blood I had seen and then nothing, total blankness. I was petrified again, where was I ? And while this thought was terrifying, a flashback of my son running off into the forest came back to me.

"U...Ulysses ! AARRG !"

I had to move, I had to get out of here and find my son who was probably somewhere freezing, scared, and hungry. Unfortunately, the moment I straightened up, my ankle sent a jolt of pain through me while my body spasmed from everywhere. Looking down, I was suddenly shocked to see that I had bandages on my arms, legs, ankles and hands.

[But...who could have...]

*knock knock knock*

I still wore my slave collar around my neck, could no one have helped me without something in return ? Had I fallen into a new pattern ? As I began to tremble again, not knowing what would become of me, someone knocked on the door. My heart nearly stopped, I unconsciously clutched the sheets tightly and prayed that the person behind the door would pass by and leave me alone.

[Please...no more...stop, don't...don't come...I'll be discreet, I promise so please...]

As if I hadn't suffered enough already, but I must have had a bad luck because my whole life was a succession of failures. Only my son and my baby were my greatest pride but here again I had just lost one. The tears came, unable to control as I cursed myself, hated myself for being such a useless and bad mother as the door suddenly opened.

*creak*

"Good morning. Are you awake yet ? It's only just dawned."

Trembling with fear, pain, sadness, as my mind sank a little more into despair, a strangely soft voice sounded. The next second, a young woman with tanned skin, medium-length hair and brown eyes entered the room. She had a wide smile on her face and seemed to be holding a tray with food and drink for...me ? A poor broken slave ?

[A-An hallucination ?]

I didn't trust my mind anymore, had I started to imagine things ? Had the pain and sadness got the better of me and finally driven me mad ? I didn't dare speak, I had to be polite and bow down, but I was paralyzed. The young woman closed the door before slowly approaching making me instinctively recoil as she placed the tray on the edge of the bed.

"I-I thought you might be hungry."

[I-Is this a new way for the Master to make me suffer ? N-No...I...I saw him die at that person's hand. S-So why am I here ? Who is she ?]

"If you don't want to talk it's okay I understand but please don't be afraid and listen to me. I...ahem I just came to bring you food and tell you what happened as soon as I heard you wake up. You must have a lot of questions, right ?"

Of course I had questions but at the same time everything seemed so surreal and perfect to be true...too perfect. As she took a chair by the door to sit down, I decided to stay quiet so I wouldn't get in trouble. This young woman wanted to tell me something, maybe she was related to yesterday's events, maybe she knew Ulysses, so not saying a word I listened.

"It all started when the one next to you went to visit the city of Gaze"

[The one next to me ?]

Turning my head I discovered that someone was in the room at the same time as me but I hadn't even noticed. I had been so lost, the mental and physical pain had made me lose my vigilance. What if this person had attacked me ? My fears returned as I backed up a little further. It was a woman with blonde hair shining like gold, she was slumped over a table with her head in her arms and appeared to be sleeping.

"If you and your son are here today and alive, it is because of her."

[This woman ? How can she be the one who...wait]

Suddenly, I stopped breathing and thinking after hearing and processing what the mysterious young woman had just told me. Had she indeed just said my son ? Was this not a pathetic hallucination of my battered brain ? Forgetting that I wanted to remain silent I couldn't help but utter his name before being stopped by a wave of intense pain throughout my body.

"U-ULYSSES ? HE...*COUGH COUGH*...m-my...my son."

"P-Please, be careful ! Mmh, so that's what this little boy is called ? Yes, Ulysses is alive."

At her words, a huge weight disappeared from my mind, heart and soul as the tears I had been holding back began to flow. I was crying, I couldn't stop, I was so happy, so relieved that my prayers had been answered. My son, my little one, my Ulysses...was alive. And as I cried in front of a stranger, I only thought that all this suffering, all this pain was finally worth it.

"T-Thank you..*sniff sniff*...thank you so much...I...*sniff sniff*...thank you, thank you, thank you"

I could only utter that one word as my vision blurred more and more and the most redemptive relief washed over me. I was warm, my heart was so warm and enveloped me in a soft warmth that I didn't know but so pleasant. "Thank you" didn't represent how grateful I was, but I could only repeat it over and over through tears as the young woman began to tell me.

"I-I've done nothing, let me explain..."

_____

"There, you know everything..."

"I-..."

The young woman whose name was Kali had just finished her story which left me speechless and which I probably wouldn't have believed if I wasn't concerned. Not only had I learned that the woman was the one Ulysses was talking about yesterday, but she had flown to my rescue without hesitation. I saw again the horror scene and the death of the Master and his family and I finally understood that it was this blonde woman...Hestia.

She was our savior, the one who had pulled us out of that hell, who had given us our freedom and offered us a new chance...a new life. I couldn't even see her face, and though my memories of the day before were hazy, I could only remember a face full of blood and a pair of wild gray-green eyes.

"Hestia watched over you all night, changing your bandages while I took care of Ulysses in the next room. She fell asleep in the early morning when she was quite sure you were sleeping peacefully, a few hours ago."

[Is this true ? I...]

I was once again completely shocked by what Kali had just told me, if I had understood correctly it was not in her habits, so why me ? I had even called her a criminal and a murderer, I had been disrespectful and now that I knew all the facts I felt ashamed. Was

she going to hate me for it ? Would she throw us out once she noticed I was awake ?

In this world where any hope of freedom was diminishing by the day, Hestia had saved us, complete strangers and mostly slaves. I will be grateful to her until the end of my life, whether it is short or long, happy or unhappy. Touching my belly which luckily was not marked, I closed my eyes and imagined a future where Ulysses and his future little brother or sister could grow up with a smile.

[It will be hard, he has lived through terrifying things at his age because of...because of me]

This new chance I saw as a way to redeem myself, a way to become a good mother and make up for all those lost years. I had been as strong as I could, I had tried to give him all the love I had, I had wanted him to feel loved. Unfortunately, even I, his mother, couldn't protect him, and he was the one who came to my rescue...I had to know if he was okay.

"H-How...how is he, U-Ulysses ?"

"We've treated his wounds and with a little rest and some good energy meals he should be able to run in the forest in no time haha~ I MEAN...run in the forest b-because he's fine and not because...you know the energy of youth haha...I-...no that was a very bad example. Y-Yes Ulysses will be...on his feet ahem very soon."

Kali had panicked suddenly, having been afraid she had jostled me with her choice of words and stuttered while blushing in embarrassment. Now that my mind was clearer and calmer, I realized that she was very cute and sweet. Her face was the only one I had seen of the group that had rescued and taken me in, and I had to admit that Kali had made me less wary, though some fears of them remained. 

"Again, thank..."

As I was about to thank her once again I suddenly felt my head spinning and my mind going and gradually falling asleep. Had I been tricked and drugged ? Yet I had not eaten her tray of food. No, in fact I was just exhausted and worn out by all the emotions and news. Since last night my mind and body had been under a lot of strain and I wasn't fully healed on either side.

"You need to take it easy, finally rest peacefully, you are safe."

[Sa...safe ?]

Kali walked towards the door as my eyelids grew heavier and heavier, speaking those words that seemed unreal. Being safe, but for how long ? Everything was getting better but my nightmares couldn't help but resurface even after last night's miracle. What she had just said made me feel better, but deep inside I was dreaming of even more powerful and special words.

In fact, the words I wanted to hear the most were: "I promise to protect you", from whom ? I didn't know but maybe it was the ravings of a woman with a horrible body full of scars and trauma. As the door closed behind the young woman, I rolled over on my pillow feeling myself sinking, thinking of one of the most important things I needed to do when I woke up again. 

[When I wake up I have to...I have to thank her and apologize for being rude...I have to...]

My vision was getting darker but I could still hear the birds chirping through the window and see the sun rays. They fell on the sleeping woman making her hair glisten almost magically with an almost divine gold. So it was with my eyes turned towards the one who had saved us and my desire to tell her my gratitude and my regrets that I finally fell asleep with a lighter heart than ever.

______

"Mmmh."

My eyelids slowly opened again, I was coming out of my sleep as I felt my body lighter even though it was still hurting like hell. This time I wasn't as lost as the first time and I remembered absolutely everything that had happened earlier. How could I forget ? The young woman lying asleep on the desk had disappeared and from the shadows of the room it was dark.

*grooowl*

I must have slept 14 hours and this time my belly was as painful as the other parts of my body because of the hunger. Getting up slowly on the bed I looked around but I didn't see the tray that Kali had brought earlier. Instead, there were two hand-carved wooden crutches that should help me walk because of my ankle. Then suddenly, once again there was a knock at the door.

*knock knock knock*

"It's me, it's Kali...I'm coming in"

The next moment the door opened and the same young woman who had come earlier carrying the exact same tray as the first time appeared. However she was not alone, behind her a young man with red hair, long, bearded and muscular was standing there without a word. My instincts reacted automatically pushing me back against the wall, my body reacted on its own and those horrible shakes came back.

"C-Calm down, it's okay, this is Edward a friend, he's the one who carved your crutches and helped us watch over your son. Y-You can trust him."

Trust ? It was a big word that didn't mean much to me at that moment but if Kali said it, I was willing to believe her a little. Nodding my head I could see her sigh as she stepped aside to let him into the room. The young man named Edward didn't say anything and as he walked past Kali I could see that he was carrying a little boy in his arms with as many bandages as I had on his little body.

"Ulysses !!!"

He was asleep like a wounded little angel, his wounds had been healed and to see him so peaceful even wounded, filled me with joy. Ulysses was alive, that was all that mattered and as the young man approached, I threw myself at my son. Unfortunately my still weak and injured body was not responding the way I wanted it to and as I made a move I felt myself toppling forward to the ground.

"Watch out !"

"Hmpf !"

The next moment the young man had grabbed my shoulder with his left hand to stop me in my fall while holding Ulysses with his right arm. He had been very quick or maybe my brain was still too slow but he had spared me a new wave of pain. Standing up slowly ashamed, I thanked him before he nodded and gently placed my little boy next to me while Kali spoke.

"During the night he was whispering 'mommy' and seemed to be calling out for you so we waited until you woke up to bring him close to you."

"I-I see...t-thank you."

I was overwhelmed, my son was there, I was stroking his hair like I used to do and it all seemed like a dream. We were being cared for, in a bed, under warm sheets, both of us and even though our collars were still there, we were tasting a little bit of freedom. I still felt happy even though I was still scared, I couldn't give them anything in return, couldn't pay for anything, all I could say was one word.

"T-Thank you..."

"Oh it's nothing ! I also brought you a new tray since you didn't eat earlier and as soon as she got up Hestia gobbled it up haha~ She apologized by the way and made me carry this one as soon as possible, you must be starving."

Placing the bowl of food on a chair by the bed, Kali was telling me what happened with the first one I had looked for earlier. At the mention of the name of the one I still hadn't met, I began to feel slightly stressed. Would I find the right words ? Would she agree to see me and talk to me ? After all, it wasn't who had come the second time either.

So many questions that exhausted me even more so it was not the time to think about it but rather enjoy this almost perfect moment. Continuing to caress Ulysses' head, I started to hum instinctively the tune that I always sang to him to make him fall asleep. Seeing this, Kali and Edward would slowly back away before opening the door again and wishing me a good night disappearing into a dark hallway.

"We'll leave you two for a bit, you've slept all day and if you have a peaceful night you should be able to get up a bit tomorrow. Good night !"

"Night"

*creak*

So I was finally alone with my little boy who was sleeping with now a smile on his sweet little bandaged but still adorable face. I felt the best around him and from what Kali had told me, so did he. Tomorrow was going to be the second day spent in this house even though I didn't see anything except this room and met Kali and Edward.

[T-Tomorrow I would go to thank them all and especially...especially meet Hestia and...and talk to her]

So it was with this objective in mind that I slipped a little more under the sheets, snuggled up against Ulysses and rocked by his breathing. I could finally sleep peacefully without seeing the repeated aggressions of my former Master and it was a real relief. Kissing my little one on the forehead, I finally closed my eyes, humming, my heart warming.

"Good night my little warrior~"

The bedroom window had no shutters and as the moonlight fell on both of our lying bodies, we were being watched. Bathed in the night on the branch of a tree across the room, a woman lay with her bright gray-green eyes lurking in the shadows. I didn't know it, but Hestia, the one I most wanted to meet, was watching over us for this new night away from Hell.