He was a bastard. An illegitimate boy born to Lord Windsor, he would never gain the ability to rule over the Vale of Tears. But still, his lord father loved him dearly, and gave him the name of his own father; Marluxia.

Marluxia-even though he did not belong to his lord father's wife-looked more like him than all the other trueborn sons, he behaved more like him, and he possessed the same talents and love for nature, just like his father. He loved his father, his four half brothers, and two half sisters, but the gods knew he truly hated the woman they all called mother. She refused to speak to him, or even look at him, and when her two daughters were around him she would snap at him to back off of them as if he planned on harming them.

Marluxia was the same age-seveteen-as his father's trueborn oldest, Marc, and they got along like true brothers. They were both skilled in archery, but Marluxia excelled the best in melee combat, his favorite weapon being a scythe. Marc would watch his half brother spar with one of the knights and was always impressed when the knight was on the ground, Marluxia's foot resting on his chest to keep him there.

On this day, all five boys were out on a hunting trip, the three oldest being the only ones carrying the bows and arrows, much to Riley's dismay. Riley was eleven, and felt that he should be allowed a bow and arrow too, but he was left in charge of five year old Mathis. He kept his brown eyes on the small pony's mane he was riding, muttering distainfully under his breath. "Riley, knock it off," Marc grumbled from a few feet above him.

"You'll scare away the game," Marluxia added.

"And if you do that, you'll have to explain to father why it is we don't have dinner tonight," Fifteen year old Adam said. While Lord Windsor's castle was well equipped to feed his family for months, he liked to have the cooks make whatever his sons caught on the hunt. It made them all feel proud. Riley shut his mouth but continued to glare at the pony's mane.

Marluxia looked around at his brothers and sighed. While they never pointed out that he wasn't their true brother-besides once when he made Riley mad, and he got it from their father later that night-it wasn't hard to see Marluxia was the bastard child. He was the only one of his father's children to have his blue eyes, and he had the dull pink hair his mother had. Marluxia never knew her, and his father refused to speak of her. His half siblings treated him like their true brother, and while Marluxia appreciated that, he still didn't feel too great about his position.

Snap. Marluxia reacted first, drawing his arrow, positioning it against his bow, then shooting before his brothers even knew where the sound came from. The arrow nailed a buck right between its eyes. "Damn, Marluxia," Marc said, amazed. "I didn't even know where it was."

"Hmph," Marluxia replied with a smirk. His smirk said he was proud of himself. "Some men need training be good hunters," He said as he dismounted and walked over to his kill. "Others are born with the skill."

"Alright, smart ass." Marc and Adam also dismounted and walked over to the dead deer while Riley stayed with Mathis. He glared at Marluxia with contempt.

It was no secret Riley didn't like his half brother, but out of respect for his father and real brothers, he did his best to get along with him. But he still didn't understand. As Riley's mother had taught him, most men "leave their bastard children with their whore mothers" but his lord father had brought Marluxia home with him after the war. By that time, both Marc and Marluxia were two. Their father loved Marluxia as much as he loved his legitimate children, and Riley always thought that bastard children weren't as loved. He believed that.

"This buck is huge," Adam said.

"We're going to need two horses to drag it back to the castle..." Marc murmured.

"That will damage it," Marluxia said.

"Well it's too big for one horse to carry." Marluxia moved his hand to cup his chin and thought. This was the best kill he'd had in his ten years of hunting-his father had allowed him and Marc to go out when they were seven to learn to hunt with his brother-and he wasn't intending to just leave it out in the woods to rot. Then he got an idea.

"We have a net, right?"

"Right..." Marc said, raising a dark brown eyebrow.

"And we have a rope...?" He walked over to his horse and dug around in the rucksack, pulling the long rope and the net from it.

"What do you intend on doing?" Adam asked.

"Just help me." Marluxia answered in the voice he used when he was either thinking hard or working hard.

Within minutes they were on their way back to the castle, the buck being carried by Marluxia's horse and by Marc's horse. Marluxia had cut the rope into four pieces, tied it to the net then wrapped it under the two horses. "It's getting pretty dark," Riley murmured.

"Then it's good we're heading back," Marluxia replied. "The forest becomes quite dangerous at night." He looked down at his half brother, who glared back up at him. He couldn't help but smile. Marluxia was not cruel to Riley, but, he figured since the boy didn't like him to start, why should he waste his time being kind? Marluxia liked to scare Riley, and he could see he was succeeding in his endeavors tonight.

"Now," Marc warned. "That's only if you are deep, very deep in the forest. We are near the edge. Don't scare Riley, Marluxia." Marluxia gave him a side smile. It was cold.

Mathis reached a tiny hand up and pulled on Marluxia's pant leg as they rode; he looked down. "Yes?"

"There's something in here," Mathis said in his quiet voice. He didn't usually speak very loudly, and if he did have to speak, he preferred to lean in close and whisper what he had to say into your ear. But since he was on a pony and Marluxia was on a real horse, that option wasn't available. Marluxia frowned down at his young half brother.

"See, Marluxia? You put that nonsense into Mathis' head!" Marc scolded. He rolled his eyes.

"I put no nonsense into his head. He has never heard my stories of the woods."

"Marluxia!" Mathis cried. "There's something here! It's watching us!"

"Mathis," Marluxia said softly. "Marc is correct. The only things that could harm us are deep in the woods."

"No!"

"Dammit Mathis hush." Adam growled.

"Don't be too hard," Marc said. "He's just a little boy." Marluxia, who had been staring down at Mathis, narrowed his eyes. The look in the boy's dark eyes, on his cute little face...

His head snapped to attention, and he stopped his horse, forcing Marc to stop his. Adam and Riley trailed ahead for a moment before they realized their older brothers had stopped. "Marluxia," Marc said in his warning voice.

"Shh!" He hissed. He was listening closely, hearing the slight rustle of the branches and fallen leaves, feeling the cold of winter biting against his face. It felt like a normal night, but...it didn't. Mathis was right; something was there.

Eyes narrowing, Marluxia drew an arrow and prepared in case he had to shoot. "Marluxia, there's nothing," Adam said.

"No, there is." He replied, looking around as he dismounted his horse. It was looking a bit spooked itself. Marc and Adam exchanged dark eyed glances before Marc decided to dismount too.

There was a hissing sound and Marc quickly got his own bow and arrow ready. "What was that?" Riley asked, frightened.

"Adam, protect the boys," Marluxia said.

"Right."

"Do you think it's The Others?" Marc asked.

"Maybe. Or the Children of the Forest."

"But they should know not to be anywhere near the castle!" Marluxia gave Marc a look.

"The Children of the Forest are inbred freaks who don't know left from right," he said. "They wouldn't know a damn thing." A stick somewhere close to them snapped and the brothers looked to their left, aiming their arrows.

"A bear?"

"Too small,"

"A wolf?"

"Too quiet,"

"Then what?"

Marluxia remained silent, glaring into the brush, his eyes looking for any signs of disturbance. The bushes moved and a small girl peered out, and Marluxia and Marc sighed, visibly relaxing, lowering their bows. "Is that one of the Children?" Adam called. They exchanged looks then raised their bows again; the girl squeaked.

"I-I'm not..." The girl said in a soft voice. "I'm just...lost,"

"Come all the way out, then," Marc said. The girl moved her emerald eyes to stare at the snow, then slowly moved from behind the bush.

She was naked, her little pale body torn up and bleeding. "Where are your clothes?" Marc asked, frowning. Adam covered Riley and Mathis' eyes and Marluxia went back to his horse for the blanket.

"They took my clothes," the girl murmured.

"Who's they?"

"I don't..."

"It was probably the Children," Marluxia said as he walked back over to them, draping the blanket over her slim shoulders. "They'd rape a dog if they got the chance."

"Marluxia!" Marc scolded. Marluxia gave him a look.

"Come," he said, guiding the girl back to his horse.

"You won't..." she pulled back from him; he smiled.

"We won't hurt you. Those four are the sons of Lord Windsor," The girl frowned.

"What of you?" He looked away.

"I am his son as well. His bastard son." He lifted the girl by her little waist onto his horse and murmured, "And like I'd do anything that would warrant myself a bastard son as well."

The girl refused to speak the whole ride back to the castle, even though Marc and Marluxia kept telling her that she would have to answer their father. She kept her eyes on the horse's red mane, squirming a bit whenever Marluxia's fingers moved on her hips. She felt all their eyes on her, but she only ever met the gaze of the youngest boy down on the pony; his big brown eyes seemed to put her in a trance. He was so pretty with those dark eyes, snowy skin, light blond hair and full pink cheeks. He reminded her a bit of the man sitting behind her-put ocean blue eyes and pink hair on the boy and he could be that man's son.

"Well would you at least tell us your name?" Marc asked.

"Or your age?" Marluxia added.

"I am fourteen," the girl whispered.

"And your name?" Marc pressed. The girl didn't answer, lowering her head, her blood red hair moving to fall around her shoulders.

"Don't worry," Adam said. "She'll tell father." Marluxia noticed when she tensed; her shoulders rose a bit and her head lowered even more. He shot a glare at Adam, who murmured an apology.

"Father won't harm you," Marluxia assured her in a gentle voice. His fingers moved over her right arm in a firm reassurance that ended in a pat-she relaxed.

Marc sighed in amazement. No one could coax any animal or person like his half brother could. "So do what do you think we should do first?" Adam asked. "It's not like she can speak to father while she's naked."

"True," Marc said. "You think mother would allow her one of Era's dresses?"

"Of course. She'd treat her like one of her own daughters." Marluxia's snort made the girl jump in shock, and the two brothers glared at him. As badly as Marluxia wanted to say that their mother was a snide, cruel, irritating bitch, he couldn't. He loved his brothers enough to not hurt their feelings that way, and understood they were trying to make the girl feel better. But Marluxia knew better. That woman wouldn't be happy about another child in her home. Unless it was hers, she didn't want to deal with it.

As they neared the castle the girl looked back over her shoulder at Marluxia who told her it'd be okay in a soft voice. Her eyes moved down to the crest on his left breast and he said, "It's a direwolf holding a thyme in its mouth. It means strength and courage and it's the symbol of my father's household."

"Um..." Marluxia smiled.

"I may be a bastard, darling, but father doesn't care. To him, I am a member of the household." A small smile touched the girl's lips.

"That's nice." She said truthfully.

Marluxia helped her dismount and she cuddled the blanket closer to her. The little boy jumped off the pony and ran over to her, reaching his little hand up. "Mathis," Marc said.

"He's not hurting anything," Marluxia said. "He just wants to hold her hand." The girl stared down at the boy called Mathis for a moment before taking his little hand in her bigger hand. As some servants hauled the buck into the castle the men and young woman walked into the castle; she blushed and looked down, away from the stares the other servants gave her.

"Adam, take Riley and Mathis to their rooms," Marc said. "Marluxia and I will take the girl to father."

Mathis shook his little head and cuddled in closer to the girl. "He's quite taken with you," Marluxia said with a smile. He kneeled down to Mathis' short height and gently wrapped his big hands around the child's shoulders. "You need to let her go for now. Don't worry, she'll come back." Mathis leaned closer and whispered something into his older brother's ear; he nodded. "Of course, boy. Now, go with Adam and Riley." Hesitantly, Mathis let go of the girl's hand and walked over to Adam to take his hand. As the older boy led the younger ones away, Mathis turned to get a last look at the girl.