As the sun set Steven and Lion walked back to the hovel they called home. Steven was dejected. He had been chased all through the marketplace for daring to feed himself, openly mocked by some stuck up prince who had pinpointed Steven's insecurities and no one had stuck up for him. They probably all agreed. He sighed.

Riffraff, street rat, I don't buy that

If only they'd look closer

Would they see a poor boy? No sire

They'd find out, there's so much more to me

Steven pushed the curtain, which acted as the door, to enter where he and Lion called home. He flopped down onto his "bed" face first. Lion pushed himself under Steven's arm, giving him a big lick on the cheek. Steven ruffled Lion's fur.

"Thanks buddy."

His eyes wandered over to the portrait of his mother. It was the last reminder Steven had of either parent. His mother had died shortly after Steven was born and his father had been missing for years. The townspeople claimed that his father ran off. But Steven knew in his heart that his father would never leave him on purpose. Not that it was any help in finding his dad. He stared up at the ceiling.

"I wonder what they'd think of how I turned out."

Proud of your boy
I'll make you proud of your boy
Believe me, bad as I've been, Ma
You're in for a pleasant surprise

I've wasted time
I've wasted me
So say I'm slow for my age
A late bloomer, Okay, I agree

That I've been one rotten kid
Some son, some pride and some joy
But I'll get over these lousin' up
Messin' up, screwin' up times

You'll see, Ma, now comes the better part
Someone's gonna make good
Cross his stupid heart
Make good and finally make you
Proud of your boy

Tell me that I've been a louse and loafer
You won't get a fight here, no ma'am
Say I'm a goldbrick, a goof-off, no good
But that couldn't be all that I am

Water flows under the bridge
Let it pass, let it go
There's no good reason that you should believe me
Not yet, I know, but

Someday and soon
I'll make you proud of your boy
Though I can't make myself taller
Or smarter or handsome or wise

I'll do my best, what else can I do?
Since I wasn't born perfect like Dad or you
Mom, I will try to
Try hard to make you
Proud of your boy

Steven looked out the window, seeing a magnificent view of the palace. It was one of the pluses of where they lived.

"One day Lion, we're gonna leave this life behind. We'll live in a palace of our own. No one to bother us or look down on us."

Little did Steven know that the grass wasn't necessarily greener on the other side.