When he was little, he lived in a broken down castle, in the far east tower. His room was makeshift at best, with patchy purple carpeting and walls stapled together and patched by cardboard sheets. He slept on a mattress on the floor, as he'd requested, so as not to house unwanted visitors. He spent a lot of time running in that room, from one side to another-because he simply couldn't go out alone, too many people were there.
That did not, however, stop him from occasionally reaching up and pulling the small, hidden, padded door open. He would wander down flights of stairs, threw halls and dungeons, and finally, he'd reach the ball room. It had always been his favorite-in the mid-afternoon, a small group of graceful ballerinas in black, lacy, sequined leotards and black shoes that laced up their perfect, porcelain legs practiced on mats on the floors.
He liked to watch them dance, the way their bodies stretched and bended so gracefully in time with the music. Watching them made him feel truly...real.
"Little boy, does your mommy know you're here?" One of the dancers once asked, a pretty girl with rich, chocolaty brown hair put in a neat bun. She wore glittery black around her eyes, in wispy butterfly-like designs. She had always been his favorite dancer, the one with the major role.
He didn't know how to answer that question. Who was this 'mommy' she spoke of? He simply stared at her, deep blue eyes wide, mouth slightly parted.
The woman smiled softly. "That's okay, if she doesn't. Just make sure not to worry her, okay?" The woman asked, patting him gently on the head. "What is your name, little one?"
He bit his lip in concentration. Name? Name... he didn't think he had one of those, either.
"You don't know your name?"
He shook his head.
"Hmm, well, that's alright then... how old are you? Do you know?"
He pondered the question for a while before shaking his head.
"Are you...lost?"
He smiled, shaking his head. "I live here," he said. "In the tower."
The woman's gaze seemed to soften. "You're...one of the orphans, then?"
He tilted his head. Orphans? Wasn't that... a dolphin? No...wait. That was Orca. He had had a book about them, once. Before.
"Would you like to dance with us, little one?"
He nodded, and let the woman take his hand in her slightly bigger one as she led him over to the group. A few of the dancers crooned out in adoration for the small child, petting him on the head and speaking of how cute he was, and asking if he was going to dance with them, to which he nodded lightly. A woman with blond hair taught him some of the steps, and praised him greatly, saying he was a natural.