His "boys" aka slaves were aquired by matches he chose in the wrestling arena in Ar, he grinned when he made the bet with the Match Master, that he would wrestle the slaves of his choosing, if he won they were his to take, if he lost he would pay double the bet. Of course who could pass up such a ridiculous bet and the matches began, although said Master was angry and felt cheated he did keep his word when Simon, who's past of being the Master of the Gaurd in Ko-Ro-Ba and who's loss of family fueled his strength and anger, helped him in his winning of the ones he selected to wrestle.

    He chose them on previous matches he watched, their agility, their ability to adjust and re-adjust in any given match, speed and endurance, strength, though it was a small factor, played in as well. Each of them knowing had they lost they would be beaten, deepending on the bet for or against them, each worn mentally from being a slave. He would egg them on, in holds He would insult them, trying to make them mad, slap them open palmed on the face, embarass them, all the while getting a glimpse of the man in the slaves skin. He stopped at six, enough for Him to create a travelling crew as he pursued the beginings of His Builders life, moving from town to town, teaching them, educating them, pushing them to find the perfect fit for each of them. In time they understood their Master and the bonds of respect, trust and unwavering loyalty became part and parcel with Simon and between themselves.

    Moving ahead in time, they were there when He started courting Sana, each of them loving Her in their own way, they were there when Si and Sana Companioned, for the birth of Andrea, the addition of Cindy and the birth of the twins LizBeth and Lynn, their hands were in house additions, repairs and expansions on the orphange as well as the Thentis Inn and shops around town. He and His crew, if anything are dependable as well as knowing the secret in any job, precission, attention to detail and how to laugh and relax after a long day.

    They all earned their freedom when Sana was kidnapped, each one of them knew what to do, they paid attention to His drills, His training, each of them from tracking to closing ranks and protecting the others in the family, they earned each moment and when it was laid in front of them, they hesitated, that small fear of "what will I do?", was lingering there like an unwanted fog in their minds, being subserviant for so long will make even the strongest of men and women doubt themselves. Si and Sana let the offer stand of freedom or something they may have always wanted, the choice whenever taken would be honored by the Pontius'. And that's what brings us here.

    Augustus, affectionately know as Auggie, a well rounded man, from math, to reading and writing, to having the knack of speaking elequently even before he was freed, was the first to take Si and Sana up on their most generous offer. Through his dedication to building over the years he followed that path, it took some serious effort on his part before Simon would nominate him to the Caste and Auggie took on every challenge. He has been travelling as of late, making his bones, learning his vendors, his contacts and when the dust settles he will be Simons' replacement in Thentis when Si finally retires.

    Isaac, the physically strongest of them all, took a baby step and Sana spent, patiently and quietly some time teaching him to read. Numbers he understood, reading was foreign to him though, but Kings bless her heart she got him there and with that boost of confidnece from Her, he went under the guiding hand of Simons' father Andrew and learned to become a ship builder and from there he decide to take the freedom offered and now sails on the trade routes of the mighty ocean.

    Carmen, fast and agile, the first to understand all of Simons silent hand gestures, a educated but often misunderstood man because of his stutter he mostly remained silent, again Sanas love for her "boys" brought out the best of him. The way he would light up when She came into the room, the way She encouraged him to speak slower to be understood and not to be embarassed made him confident. When ever the "crew" needed beasts of burden, stubborn beasts is putting it lightly, they called upon Carmen whos speech was clear and even when speaking to any animal in general, they would obey him much to the amazment of the others. When he finally decided on his freedom they hired him on as the familys animal keeper, he trains kaillas like no other before him or any after him, he's found his place.

    Topher, he was the one who tracked for them, his keen sense of hearing, his more than perfect eyesight, his knack of knowing when a fail might happen in a blueprint were nothing compaired to his strength of working the land. He had free reign as a slave to experiment in farming techniques, to grow the "perfect" blackwyne bean, the perfect field of bluebells and the replanting of grape vines. Anything he put his hand to grew and grew in abundance, so when he bowed his head and had his kolar removed, Sana asked him to stay on and run her fields to which he agreed whole heartedly and with that and the hills of grapevines for the wines on the land next door, he has found peace and harmony in his life.

    Daido, his hands a wonder in working stone, the best mason Simon has ever worked with, yet his heart laid in the making of steels, from supports, to kitchen cutlery, to silver tea sets hesitated when he decided to try the freedom he was offered many hands ago. Simon offered him words of encouragement, how through contacts he could set him up with his own forge, his own brick and mason yard and again Sana, her kindness and through her soft voice said only a few words " Dai, listen to Si but promise me if you make steel not to make steel to take another life" and some how those words struck a chord deep inside him and with that he presented his neck to them and his freedom began. His forge is currently under construction and he will never make a weapon of war.

    Isreal, or izzy or as they teased him "short stack" being only five and a half horts is a man just of short stature only, Simons framer and plaster expert, ambidextrous and accurate, decorative and with a good grasp on all aspects of building was the last to come to them, not so much to be freed to pursue any certain career or life path, but he fell head over heels and knee deep in love with the Inns girl, Lily. He and Lily would never dare as slaves to show any affection towards each other, but as much as they tried, everyone knew about them and when pressed he admitted that's why he wanted to be free, Simon clapped him on the back and Sana kissed his cheek as he became one of the free and before he could ask about Lily, she came through the door, her Mistress Lucy had known and freed her as well. They live in a small cottage on property and are expecting their first born any time now.

    Thank You Dear Reader for getting to the end, I hope you enjoyed and maybe smiled a little.

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