"Did you get into a fight?", the woman leaned down to check his wounds, "Again?!"

"Err...I...Mum..."

"Just stay where you are, I'm so sick of you", she went back in, leaving the little boy teary-eyed.

He was clutching his muddy shirt, suppressing his voice, not to make a noise. Eventually the woman appeared, holding a box in her hand which she set down as she sat next to it.

"Come here", she grabbed the boy, "Why do you have to get in trouble all the time? You are always beat up like this, can't you understand how much of a bother that is? You need to learn to fend for yourself."

She went on and on as she patched him up, "Goodness, how old are you already?! Do you think you can just hold someone's hand and go on? Grow up already, I get so tired, you have no idea. Why are you so weak?"

Soon he was cleaned up, bandaged and in fresh new clothes.

"I...don't know...", he mumbled.

"What?"

"I...err...don't know...why I'm...um...I'm..."

She sighed, "What am I going to do with you?"

The woman was a towering giant to him. Not that she was a particularly huge woman, in fact, she was about average. A slender, fairly young, meticulous and fair woman, always patching his wounds. But the little boy was way too frail and small, most of the world was a giant to him.

"I don't...want to hurt anyone."

"But then you're just giving everyone a chance to beat you up, can't you understand?"

"But...I..."

"I don't want to have to explain these things to your father. You'd rather not either, right? So just stay out of trouble", she said before heading towards the door.

"Ausrine!", a call came for the woman.

"Don't come out yet, I'll be right back. If your father sees you, he'll want some answers", she quickly left.

He'd just sit in his room, listening to voices. It was a big house, still, once in a while, even the thick walls would fail from keeping the laughter of his father and his guests out. Sometimes, he'd hear his father asking Ausirne about him. She'd always have places where the little boy could be. As such, his father never found his way around to his room. This was only fair. His father had a huge family. All the rest of the sons and daughters were far better than his pathetic self, he knew better than to complain. Still, in his heart, he harbored wishes just like every other child.

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"Are you asleep?", Ausirne came to his room as he lay under a thin blanket.

"Yes!", he quickly got up.

"Shh, now!", she'd whisper, "Don't move around so much. Lord! Its getting worse and worse everyday, isn't it?"

She observed all his wounds that she'd patched up earlier.

"I suppose there is no other way. I'll talk to the families. Who are these boys that did this?"

He hesitated, staying silent, looking away.

"Alright, here", she got up, "Have something to eat. Can't put you to sleep hungry, can I?"

He sat beside her, slowly eating as she observed him closely.

"Tell me, is it the River boys?", she insisted to know.

Eventually, through all his squirming and shying, she got her answers by the time he finished eating. She put him to bed and left with the dishes.

"She's disappointed in you."

He quickly opened his eyes.

"Lucy!", he got up. She didn't even look his way. Lucy was a small girl, about his age, wearing a white sleeping gown and her shoulder length blonde hair spread at her back.

"Hey, shush!", she sat in his bed, curling her legs.

"I bet she hates you", Lucy spoke, with a blank, cold expression.

"No...she's not...She's my mum, she doesn't..."

"You're such a kid. She wishes you weren't even born", she went on.

"Lucy", he was teary-eyed again, "You're...why are you saying that?"

"I'm just speaking the truth. You should know everything. She even keeps you away from your father. She doesn't care about you."

"She does! Father would...worry if he saw me injured...That's why mum-"

Lucy broke into a laughter, "You're such a kid. Your father likes Ausirne because she's so beautiful. He would never have married her otherwise. His other wives are rich, their children are so much better than you. If your father sees how pathetic you are, he'll leave Ausirne."

"No! Why are you saying that?! That's so rude!"

Lucy laughed wildly as he kept crying.

"You're a bully! That's not true!"

The tantrum went on until he was just about to spring onto Lucy and choke her. Her laughter was unbearable for him. But soon enough, the door sprang open and Ausirne hurried toward him.

"Mum!", he cried as she grabbed hold of him, "Lucy says-"

"Stop! Stop, listen to me!", she shook him, "What are you saying? Did you pray?"

"I...", he spoke through his tears, "I forgot..."

"How could you? Oh, Lord!", she wiped his tears, "Now come on, we'll pray together."

"But Lucy-"

"There's no one here, look!", the place was empty.

The little boy prayed, putting his little hands together obediently, as Ausirne kept watch over him. There was always a brilliance in the way he prayed, something even Ausirne couldn't ignore. She had been a nun and had seen so many pray but this little one was different. When he was done, she tucked him in bed and left.

He sat up and looked around, it was just him and no one else after all. He then went back to sleep and closed his eyes.

Soon, he felt a tap on his forehead. He opened his eyes, it was Lucy, her head right in front of his.

"Lucy's always right", she whispered before breaking into a vile laughter as he hid his head under the sheets, shivering all night through.