Zerra sat next to his older sister, reading his book, silently as their teacher marked his test. He glanced over at Misa who was drawing a picture of the rose garden.

Misa smiled away as she gently stroked her pencil across the page.

"Here you go Zerra." Mr. Hathaway said gloomily. The man was old, tired looking and always had a scowl on his face. Yet he was the best teacher in all the country.

Zerra looked at his test.

forty out of one-hundred.

He sulked.

"You didn't study as you were instructed I presume." Mr. Hathaway said cleaning his fogged up glasses.

"No."

"And why not?"

Misa glared at Zerra and rolled her eyes, displeased.

"May I take the test again?" Zerra asked, pouting his lower lip, batting his big, ember coloured eyes.

Mr. Hathaway chuckled.

Zerra grinned. "I'll take that as a yes?"

"Young prince, you know I can't deny that face of yours."

Misa giggled.

A large shadow cast over the children and their teacher.

Zerra's eyes lowered in shame.

"Is that your math test?" Pa asked sullenly.

"Yes sir."

Pa snatched the paper from his sons hands and crumpled it in his hands. "This isn't acceptable."

"I know."

"Then why did you fail!?" Pa yelled, his eyes burning with anger.

Zerra looked away.

"Answer me!"

"I didn't stu--"

"You didn't study!?" Pa cried. "This is the third time in a row!"

"I know Pa!" Zerra sobbed.

"I am putting you on lock down."

"No Pa!" Zerra begged. "No don't make me go there, please!"

Pa grabbed the boy by his shirt and dragged him away from the garden.

"No Pa please!"

Pa threw his son over his shoulder and groaned. "You get less than half next time I swear, I will lock you in here a week."

Zerra watched as his father opened the metal door. "No Pa, its so dark!"

Pa flung, Zerra into the wall and glared at him. "Two days."

"No!" Zerra screamed, trying to pick himself up off the ground.

The door slammed shut.

Zerra winced at the sound of his fathers key, locking the door. He put presser on his right arm and cried out in pain. He laid on his back, tears running down his pale cheeks. "Its so dark."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Misa ran to her mother, her heart racing. She noticed the gardeners son and froze. A shy smile crept on to her face.

The boy looked at her and waved.

She, brushed her hair, behind her ear and waved back.

He walked over. "The lilies are in bloom."

Misa nodded.

"Would you like to see them?"

Misa opened her mouth, then shut it. She gestured to the kitchen door.

"Maybe another time." The boy smiled.

Misa wanted to asked his name.

He started away.

She grabbed him gently by the hand and pointed to herself.

"Huh?"

She mouthed her name to him and pointed at herself. She sighed and bent down in the dirt. She began to write out each letter of her name.

M.I.S.A

The boy grinned. "I know your name."

She looked at him and frowned.

He bent down in the dirt. "It's Robin." He began to write his name out to her.

R.O.D....

"Misa, stop playing around in the dirt; wheres your brother?"

Misa remembered why she'd been in such a hurry. She ran to her mother and pulled her by her sleeve.

"Misa whats the matter."

Misa screamed and pulled her mother again.

Robin looked down at the dirt and the queen and princess hurried off into the south end of the palace garden. He ran his fingers through her name gently, smiling.

Misa hurried passed the rows and rows of flowers. Her heart aching for her younger brother, who laid terrified in tat awful dark cellar.

Ma opened the cellar door to find her son curled up on the floor crying. She rushed to his side. "Zerra, its okay, I am here now."

Zerra looked at her and baled like a baby. "Its so dark!"

Ma grinned. "What did you do this time?"

"I failed my math test." Zerra choked. "My arm is numb."

"Which arm?" Ma asked.

"This one."

Ma too her sons right arm and gasped.

Zerra looked at his bone poking out of his arm. "Ma whats that?"

Ma screamed. "Arrow!"

Her husband hurried in the a few of the guards. "What wrong?"

"His arm is broken."

Pa bit his lip. "I didn't mean to hurt him."

Misa felt sick. She walked out of the cellar, dizzily. The world around her spinning.

"Does it hurt?" Pa asked bending down to aid his son.

"No." Zerra said softly. "Is two days done now?"

"Oh." Pa frowned picking up his son in his arms. "You can come out now."

Zerra help onto his fathers shirt. "Its so dark in there."

"I know." Pa grinned.

"Wheres Misa?" Ma asked worriedly.

Pa's grey eyes skimmed the garden. "She couldn't have gone far?"

Ma looked towards the guard. "If you see her, let her now she needs to come help out in the kitchen."

The guards nodded.

Pa and Ma carried Zerra away.

Robin wandered around the garden. He looked up into the clear blue sky and smiled as the sun his his face. He suddenly felt himself falling and looked behind him. "Princess?"

Misa laid there, eyes closed.

He crawled over to her and felt her forehead. "Help!" He stood up and looked around. He spotted a guard and began waving his hands. "The princess is sick!"

The guard hurried over and looked at the little girl. He picked her up and nodded to the boy. "Lets take her inside."

Robin nodded.

They carried Misa all the way to the west wing, where her bedroom was and called for the nanny.

Rosemary came in and checked the young girls temperature. She sighed. "She's very hot."

Robin stepped out of the room. He walked down the flight of stairs and into the garden to where his mother was, watering the lilies. He sat down and picked a pink and white lily while his mother had her back turned and hurried back to the west wing. He waited until everyone was gone and snuck into the room, where the princess slept. He placed the flower in he hair and then quickly left.