Chapter 1

"Nick look, look at all the horses!" exclaimed Christine trying to use a happy voice. Her younger brother Nick had been crying for the past two hours and along with the uneven country gravel roads that their carriage was traveling over, she was getting a massive headache. Nick's crying slowed as he watched the young foal's through the rain. It was spring and it was miserable. Paris had fallen on tough times and as everything went up in price, the Daiee family found themselves in an extremely tough position. There was no more money left for food and their crops were not doing well. In fact, Christine and her father made more money performing in the village then they would with the entire harvest.

"Cows!" exclaimed Nick looking out the window. Christine chuckled; Nick, at the innocent age of 8, never ceased to amaze her. Even though, everyday, he got up early in the morning to milk the Daiee family's one cow, the site of them still excited him.

"At least," thought Christine "we're going to be together". Her parents had been forced to make a very hard choice a friend of theirs had told them about how they "rented out" their son to a wealthy local man. The boy worked hard but had food and accommodations and the promise that, at the age of 18, he would be returned to his family. Now, even though this may seem cruel, Christine knew her parents only had their best interests at hand. Even the servant quarters of a wealthy landlord's house would be better than their small farm house. Thus, Mr. and Mrs. Daiee started the search for someone to take their two children.