The Wrong Side of the Tracks

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Four knights from Adros' personal guard, followed us out of the castle to the carriage.

I whispered instructions to the coachman who looked surprised. He called for more guards before father entered the carriage.

I looked out the window and watched the opulent manors of nobles pass us by. Then the homes of the nouveau rich, and the merchant district.

The houses started to become more crowded and dilapidated. The stench of the city assaulted our senses until we reached the houses closest to the river.

The Rothed River and Aterian River converged in the Capital, making the surrounding soil rich for farming.

While the Royal keep was well designed, with plumbing and a constant source of fresh water. It was stationed right at the confluence where the two rivers met, creating an almost natural moat around the entire Keep.

The Royal Keep not only housed the Royal family, but also the Royal academy and the head office of the Mage's guild. The sorcerer's in the guild routinely created purification runes to keep the water at the conflux clean. The surrounding areas were taken by those wealthy enough to afford land close to purification center. Those houses further from the keep, and further downstream, found themselves in the worst housing conditions. City planning was almost nonexistent.

The carriage stopped and my father looked at me with a concerned expression. I smiled and stepped out of the carriage. The streets were dirty and trash was piled in different corners. The stagecoach motioned towards a house that was larger than the others. It was rickety and seemed to almost lean into the trash laden river. Skinny children with dirty faces and torn dresses looked out the windows. I smiled at them.

"I want this." I said motioning towards the orphanage.

Draco stared with no small amount of surprise on his face. He smiled sadly at me and knelt before me.

"I can not buy this orphanage, it's under the purview of the church. Even if I make a donation there is no guarantee that the money I contribute will go to this orphanage."

I pointed from one corner of the block to another. "Buy this whole block for me."

Draco was about to object when I unfolded a large sheet of paper I had kept in my pocket. "Build me this."

I had drawn plans ahead of time and handed them to Draco. The plans were from a modern day apartment complex in my world. Only I altered it to use the River to power a watermill with a purification charm. One building was dedicated to housing and the kitchens. Another was dedicated to the school and medical station. The rest of the buildings were set apart from the orphanage. They were home businesses for people willing to take on orphans as students for their trade. There was a smithy, a tailor and a bakery.

"Build me this and I'll hug you every night before bed. Please Papa."

Draco stilled and looked at the orphans.
"And a kiss." He demanded.

I kissed his cheek. And Draco nodded. "Very well."

He loaded me onto the carriage and directed the coachman to take a different route. In case someone was waiting to ambush the carriage on the way back.

"Aurora, why?"

I looked up and Draco for a moment before I returned to looking out the window.

"I have so much Papa. At first I wanted to do this at an orphanage in the Duchy, but Mama says that you take good care of your people. She's very proud. But I know other nobles and priests are not as responsible or as good. So..." I shrugged my shoulders.

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