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The children of the Fatui’s orphanage were awoken in the dead of night by the abrupt slamming of the front gates.
Each child hopped out of their beds, scurrying to investigate the source of the commotion. Freminet was content to remain safely under his covers and fall back asleep, but the sudden, collective gasp of his siblings alerted him that something was terribly wrong.
The children were crowded around the main staircase leading to the foyer, looking down onto the first floor through the railings. Freminet, who was the youngest and of the shortest stature, was unable to see over the heads of his siblings. Suddenly, the crowd surged backwards, and a wail sounded from one of his older siblings. Freminet stumbled as everyone retreated, and was met with a bone-chilling view.
Peruere, their oldest sister, stood in the foyer, blood staining her hands, clothes and hair.
“All of you,” She said sternly, voice echoing through to the upper floor. “Go back to bed.”
All of the children immediately obeyed, terrified out of their minds. One of his older brothers took his hand, pulling him back into the direction of their rooms. Freminet squirmed, trying to pull his hand away.
“Shh… it’s gonna be alright. Mother will come home soon and deal with everything.” His brother said, trying to comfort him.
Freminet didn’t respond. His brother left him at the door of his shared bedroom, urging him to go back to bed. Freminet slipped back under his covers, then waited patiently until everyone had settled back into bed, before sprinting out of the room and back to the staircase.
He called after his oldest sister, following the bloody trial she had left in her wake, though the sight made him feel sick. They trailed up the grand staircase and down the corridor, going in the opposite direction of the children’s room and onto the West wing.
Mother’s wing.
Once again, Freminet called out her name. She would be in a world of trouble if Mother returned and found her in the West wing with no permission. He ran after her, stopping at the large double doors leading to the Director’s bedroom, the door handle stained with bloody handprints.
Freminet creaked open the door and peaked inside.
“Sister?” He asked timidly. “Are you okay?”
“Leave.” Came his sister’s voice, though he couldn’t spot her anywhere in the room.
“But Mother could come home soon! What if she catches you!?”
Peruere stood up, coming into view from where she had been hidden behind the Director’s desk. In her hands, a stack of papers and files. It looked as though she had been rummaging through Mother’s drawers. Her gaze fell upon him, and her eyes widened for a split-second before she ducked back behind the desk.
“Are you okay?” Freminet asks, finally stepping into the room. He made his way to the desk, peaking underneath it.
Peruere turned away from him, hiding her face.
“Go to bed,” She instructed. “And don’t look, I’ll only scare you.”
“But you’re hurt!” Freminet cried, heart beating quickly. He couldn’t quite see her in the dimly lit room, especially under the shadow of the desk, but when she had glanced up earlier, even her face and hair had been bloodied. Had she been bleeding from her head? She hadn’t even bothered to tend to her own wounds, and his siblings were all back in their rooms.
“Mama taught me how to clean booboos. Do you know where Mother keeps bandaids?” It wasn’t just blood that she was covered in. With what little light entered the room from the moon, he could make out small fleshy chunks stuck to her clothes. He glanced away, the sight making him feel nauseous, but it wasn’t the time to be cowardly, his sister needed him.
“Don’t worry about me, the blood- it’s mostly not mine.” Peruere explained hastily. “Please just go back to your room. I don’t need any help.”
“Are you sure? Won’t Mother punish you when she finds out you got her office dirty?”
Arlecchino huffed. “There’s no need to worry about her anymore. She won’t be coming back.”
Freminet froze.
“But…” He started. “Does that mean that we’re all by ourselves..? Don’t we need a grown-up to be in charge?”
“Do not concern yourself with those matters. I will be dealing with things from now on. It’s well past your bedtime. Leave.” Her tone was getting snappy with impatience. It was clear she wouldn’t come out until he left.
This time, Freminet listened, leaving only to return with a warm, damp towel and first aid kit in hand. When he came back, Peruere had seated herself at the Director’s desk, reading over the stack of documents she had retrieved.
“Sister?” He called. “I brought this. Do you know how to use this stuff?”
Peruere looked up, surprised at his return. She took the towel, wiping off her face and hand.
“…Thank you.” She said slowly. “Um…”
Freminet looked up at her, confused.
“Your name?”
“Oh!” Freminet said. “Freminet.”
There was a significant gap in age between Peruere and the rest of their siblings, and as a result, Peruere did not often speak to her siblings. The other children told Freminet that there had been other siblings her age before he came, but they had all disappeared one by one, leaving only Peruere. Some even spoke of a girl Peruere had been very close with, saying that after her disappearance, which occurred right before Freminet arrived. Though Peruere could be considered the main person who looked after the children, her demeanor was quite cold and detached, causing most of the children to be wary of her.
“Sister?”
Peruere hummed in response.
“Are you gonna take care of all of us?” Freminet asked.
Arlecchino nodded sharply. “I’ll be taking over that woman’s duties from now on. Yes.”
“So you’re gonna be our new Mother?”
Peruere made a face of deep displeasure.
"I’d like to distance myself from any resemblance to that woman.”
Freminet thought about her words for a moment. “So… you can be Father?” He tried.
“That… seems fine. Yes.” She said,
Freminet nodded, then, he seemed to think of something.
“But you’re still little!”
This was not a response Peruere seemed to have been expecting.
“Little? You barely reach past my knees.”
Freminet pouted, puffing his cheeks out. “I mean you’re not a grown-up.”
Peruere sighed. “I will have to do. Someone must take care of you and your siblings.”
“You can’t do everything by yourself! You gotta let me help!” Freminet declared confidently, his deep seriousness crashingly hilariously with his baby features.
It seemed his claim had cleared some of his sister's stress, the mood shifting to something lighter. She laughed.
“Freminet, you’re still just a small thing. Look at you, trying to be all grown up. Maybe in a few years, I’ll let you lend a hand.”
“But I don’t want you to be alone! You’re already always looking after us. It’s not fair.” His tone was anguished, like he was bordering on tears.
Peruere shushed him. “How can I ever be alone with all of you with me?”
Freminet suddenly wrapped his arms around her, giving her a hug. Peruere tensed, not reciprocating. Her hands hovered at her sides, as though she was unsure what to do.
“No matter what, you gotta let us help you out! We’ll all take care of each other.”
Arlecchino nodded, patting Freminet awkwardly on the back with a blackened hand.
“That reminds me, we’ll all be moving soon.”
Freminet looked up at her.
“Moving? To where?”
“Our location is not a suitable one to raise children in. I’ll be selling the land off to whoever is willing to purchase it. It should be able to fetch us a decently sized building in the Court of Fontaine.”
Freminet perked up excitedly. That was where he and his mom had lived before he had been moved to the orphanage. Maybe he’d be able to find her and convince her to take him back?
“And I think it’s about time we have an official name.”
“A name? Like what?”
“The House of the Hearth.”