A special school. This was built for the families of those who had committed crimes against the very people the "Noble" lords and ladies were supposed to protect. The young, the innocents, the guiltless, all of these were gathered, even if they were almost adults, brought to the school, and taught a new way to live. The lords and ladies that committed the crimes, THEY would face punishment. The rest? They would be given a chance to break that terrible cycle. -- Lessons
It was one of the more heavy-handed reforms introduced by the Demon King, aka the Thrice-Sworn King, aka the Crowned Assassin, aka Kormwind Arachis Felbourne Whitekeep, ninth of the name. Kosh to all of his friends. He had conquered Lithonesse just to make it.
It was a dull grey fortification full of dull grey aesthetics, and a general implication that this was a prison. You might get out if your behaviour was good enough. It was guarded by stern soldiers and populated by a special kind of person.
King Kormwind of Whitekeep had sworn three times to protect the innocent. This was how he was to guarantee that.
No children suffered education within these permanently chilly walls. The hardy stone penitentiary of Lithonesse was now made to educate adults.
The adults it educated believed that hurting children was a perfectly reasonable way to raise them into adulthood. Or they believed that children were perfect bedmates for more adult activities. Or they believed that children could be nothing more than servants, or slaves.
The tutors were strict, and had access to some of the cruelest spellwork known to Alfarell. They also knew when enough was enough.
Some inhabitants of that school would be remaining there for the rest of their lives. Isolated from most of civilisation for the protection of civilisation.
The King misliked executions. They attracted the wrong kinds of people to his realm. Better by far to remove the bad elements from being seen or heard until they learned, thoroughly, to be better people.
The innocents saved from such fates were fostered in much kinder homes. The generous, the gentle, and the loving had an abundance of benevolence to share. There were therapists, too, who went to the traumatised and soothed their anguish. Weaned them away from bad habits, and brought them gently to the better ways.
As for false accusations - the King was prepared. Upon a revelation, the King's investigators would sift the truth from all parties involved, find the guilty, and visit appropriate measures against them.
Some children ran away to join that throng. The guardians who followed to snatch them back were in for a very harsh surprise.
[Image by Ashkan Forouzani on Unsplash]
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